In keeping with several of my recent columns, I want to keep y&8217;all up to speed with the latest developments in the wonderful world of plants. After evaluating your 2006 summer garden, you may be thinking of making a few changes next year. Here are a few more suggestions regarding plants that will not only survive in our Miss-Lou summers, but will actually enjoy the weather so much that they will happily thrive.

Founded in 1999, the Athens Select program is a collection of heat-and-humidity tolerant plant varieties selected by Dr. Allan Armitage at The University of Georgia Trial Gardens and propagated from virus-indexed stock. Researchers at the program&8217;s Trial Gardens in Athens have evaluated hundreds of plants received every year from breeders around the world.

Athens Select is pleased to announce the newest varieties added to its heat-and-humidity-tolerant collection of plants. &8220;I couldn&8217;t be more excited about the addition of these plants to the Athens Select program,&8221; says Dr. Allan Armitage, horticulture professor at the University of Georgia and founder of the Athens Select program.

&8220;Only plants that prove themselves to be outstanding performers under the South&8217;s oppressively hot and humid conditions are selected for the Athens Select program. The plants we chose for introducing this year are magical in these conditions but perform wonderfully throughout the country. Summer is hot everywhere, and it&8217;s not about to get any cooler.&8221;

Look again&8212;that&8217;s no Japanese maple. That&8217;s a &8220;no fuss, no muss&8221; ornamental hibiscus. Hibiscus &8216;Panama Red&8217; grows to a hardy 4 feet tall and equally as wide. Foliage for this variety is remarkably beautiful, and, unlike many other ornamental hibiscus, the leaf color remains stable even through the hottest days. &8216;Panama Red&8217; loves full sun and thrives on hot-and-humid conditions. Use this ornamental hibiscus as an accent plant in the garden, or find a container worthy to hold this beauty.

Move over, Phormium (New Zealand flax). Pennisetum hybrids &8216;Prince&8217; and &8216;Princess&8217; (Ornamental napier grass) are breakthroughs on the market and fill a demand for dark-leaved, easy-to-grow accent grasses. Both bear purple foliage that becomes even deeper purple as the summer heats up. Habit is much more full than other ornamental grasses. &8216;Prince&8217; tops out at a robust 5-6 feet and &8216;Princess&8217; will grow 2-3 feet tall. These are outstanding full sun plants for landscapes and garden beds, and they really steal the show in oversized mixed containers!

Scaevola &8216;Cajun Blue&8217; is the all-around, great performing scaevola you&8217;ve been looking for to fill your pots, hanging baskets, mixed containers, even bare spots in your garden beds. It differs from other fan flowers in producing dense clusters of flowers, more so than nearly all other cultivars on the market today. It&8217;s a dense bloomer, forming near-perfect, powerfully blue clusters and at 8-10 inches in height and spread, it is more compact than other scaevolas. Plant &8216;Cajun Blue&8217; in full sun.

Setcreasea pallida &8216;Blue Sue&8217; beholds functionality and beauty, and is not your average blue-leaf purple heart plant. &8216;Blue Sue&8217; is topped with pink flowers held in the leaf margins and this drought-tolerant plant is equally comfortable in full sun or dappled afternoon shade. Plants are more compact in the landscape and they provide a more refined look than their purple cousins. This is a great plant for hanging baskets, mixed containers and border edging.

Traci Maier

writes a weekly column about gardening in the Miss-Lou. She can be reached at

ratmaier@bellsouth.net