Six guys on our staff took a road trip north to Zone 7. It’s all bonding, all plants, and bro-love all the time. A brodeo.

We’re in Virginia geeking a little bit. What a different world it is. Peonies! Smoke Bush, Allium, things we only can dream of or grow as space-wasting, pitiful specimens.

What’s Looking Great: Favorite Plants from Chilly Zone 7

When the people at Osmocote asked me to write this blog, they said, “inform us from the Deep South.” We in warm zone 8 are underrepresented in gardening press. Zone 8 is a great transition zone, tropicals that won’t grow in zone 7 such as Atlanta or Knoxville, and some cool plants that will.

We are different from and misunderstood by Zone 7 gardeners. We love you 7’s and are inspired by you!

Here are our favorite plants from the trip and a lesson that we each learned:

Erik Healy:
Cooper Beech Tree (Fagus sylvatica Atropunica) and Allium Globemaster
When evergreen flush out in the spring, give them a shot of fertilizer so they dont look yellow.

Steven Bunn:
Smoke Tree (Cottinus coggygria Aurea) and Canna Phasion
Cut dead trees as they are hazardous to visitors

Madison Turnblad:
Snow Bell (Styrax japonica) Lewis flax (Linum lewisii)
Map our really special trees so visitors who want to can make a quick run to see just the trees.

Ethan Kauffman:
Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens amazing specimens at Norfolk Botanical) and Rosa glauca
Bigger doesnt always mean better. Especially in perennial gardens, better to have tight well planted spaces than gaps.

Akshay Badwe:
Wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera) and Dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia PeeWee)
Get rid of the asphalt paving in an otherwise beautiful Arts and Crafts style ampitheater

Jenks Farmer:
Yellow Leaf Holly, Ilex attentuata, Sunny Foster, and Peonies
Plant what thrives in your own climate. Be inspired by other gardens but dont copy them!