Ozark Garden Talk – Episode 13: Plants We’re Excited to Bring In This Year 🌿✨

Released: January 21, 2026

Hosts: Sarah McCue, Charity Cox, Alex Royce

Episode Length: ~36 minutes

Watch / Listen on: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / YouTube

Episode Summary 🌱

It’s one of the team’s favorite kinds of episodes: the plants we are genuinely excited to bring in this year. Sarah, Charity, and Alex share standout trees, shrubs, and perennials (including some hard-to-find natives and Japanese garden-worthy specimens), plus a few “honorable mentions” and an easy landscape recipe program we’re trialing this season.

🌳 Slippery Elm – Ulmus rubra (0:45–3:40)

• Charity: Slippery elm has been on her “hunt list” for years and has been requested by customers looking for its medicinal qualities.

• Notes how it shows up in throat-soothing teas and supplements.

• Key notes: Native tree, adaptable to soils (wet to dry), but it’s a large commitment (about 40 to 50 feet).

Slippery Elm- Ulmus rubra

Informational link: Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) overview

🌲 Dwarf Bald Cypress: ‘Peve Minaret’ (3:40–5:55)

• Sarah: A bald cypress vibe without the massive mature size.

• Great for low spots, has that soft feathery texture, and makes a statement in a bed.

Informational link: ‘Peve Minaret’ PlantFinder (Missouri Botanical Garden)

🔵 Bosnian Pine: ‘Indigo Eyes’ (5:55–7:55)

• Alex: Loves small ornamental pines for that Japanese garden look.

• The cones start out neon blue and look like ornaments, even on young plants.

Informational link: ‘Indigo Eyes’ Bosnian Pine info

🌺 Red Zeppelin® Sweetshrub – Calycanthus floridus (7:55–12:10)

• Charity: Shares context about sweetshrubs (including Aphrodite) and why this one stands out.

• Red Zeppelin has very dark foliage (deep maroon, sometimes nearly black in photos) with a rusty/orange-toned bloom that should pop against the leaves.

• Design talk: They love it as an accent shrub to create contrast and make surrounding greens shine.

Red Zeppelin Sweetshrub - Calycanthus floridus var. purpureus

Informational Link: Red Zeppelin® Sweetshrub (Proven Winners)

💚 ‘Chartreuse on the Loose’ Catmint – Nepeta (12:10–15:40)

• Sarah: Bright chartreuse foliage + classic catmint flowers.

• Catmint is a “rockstar” perennial: long bloom season, drought tolerant, deer resistant, pollinators love it, and it behaves in the garden.

• Fun pairing: They mention how great it would look against Red Zeppelin for high contrast.

  
  

Chartreus on the Loose Catmint Nepeta

Informational link: Chartreus on the Loose Catmint

🌲 Dwarf Weeping Dawn Redwood: ‘Miss Grace’ (15:40–18:20)

• Alex: New to the lineup, and he’s very excited.

• Dawn redwoods were once thought extinct and later rediscovered.

• ‘Miss Grace’ can be trained upright or left to sprawl, making it a super unique specimen option for smaller yards.

https://www.coniferkingdom.com/metasequoia-glyptostroboides-miss-grace-dawn-redwood/

Informational link: ‘Miss Grace’ Dawn Redwood info

🌼 Verbascum (Mullein) Cultivars: ‘Dark Eyes’ + ‘Plum Smokey’ (18:20–22:45)

• Charity: Loves verbascum for tough conditions and pollinator value.

• ‘Dark Eyes’: Creamy yellow bloom with a maroon center, very front-of-bed friendly.

• ‘Plum Smokey’: Smoky purple tones, slightly taller, still compact and tough.

• Care notes: Good drainage matters, especially through winter.

Plum Smokey Mullein - Verbascum

Informational links:

• Verbascum ‘Dark Eyes’

• Verbascum ‘Plum Smokey’

  
  

🍁 Tougher Maples: Korean x Japanese Maple Hybrids (22:45–25:50)

• Sarah: Introduces the Korean/Japanese maple hybrid group (Acer pseudosieboldianum hybrids), with improved cold tolerance and better resilience through temperature swings.

• Team: Excited to see how these perform here, especially for customers who love the Japanese maple look but want more reliability.

• Named variety mentioned: ‘Wabi Sabi’ (irregular, slightly weeping habit).

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Informational link: Acer x pseudosieboldianum ‘Wabi Sabi’

🌲 Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine (25:50–27:40)

• Alex: A true Japanese garden classic with major bonsai energy.

• Loves the dark needles, character, and manageable size for home landscapes.

Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine Pinus thunbergii

Informational link: Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’ (NCSU Extension)

⭐ Honorable Mentions (27:40–31:30)

• Iron Butterfly ironweed (compact): A pollinator-forward native pick with late-season color.

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  • Informational link: Vernonia ‘Iron Butterfly’

    
    

• Winecups / Purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata): Trailing native groundcover with bright blooms and serious coverage.

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  • Informationalinfo: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center profile

    
    

• Pickleball ninebark: Small, bright, and useful in tight spaces.

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  • Informational link: Pickleball ninebark

    
    

🧩 EZ Scapes Landscape “Recipes” We’re Trialing (31:30–34:55)

• Charity: We’re testing a program called EZ Scapes that lays out plant “recipes” for specific bed sizes with matching cultural needs and season-long interest.

• Team: Great for people who want a designed look without feeling overwhelmed.

  
  

Links:

❄️ Frost Date Chatter + Truck Season Is Almost Here (34:55–36:00)

• Team: Deliveries kick off in February and roll through spring.

• Charity: Mentions the Farmer’s Almanac prediction that the last frost might be earlier this year (still joking about tomato season, of course).

Link: Fayetteville frost dates

Call to Action ✅

Visit White River Nursery: Come see what’s arriving as the trucks start rolling in. Availability changes fast in early spring.

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