• Sun to Part Sun
• Great cut flower
• Heat and drought tolerant once established
• Deer resistant
• Attracts butterflies and birds
• Plant size and bloom color are variety specific
• Plant in well-drained soil
• Divide every 3 to 4 years

June 2022 update; our perennial grower chose a really fun new variety this season… it’s called Green Twister.  The large blooms start out a vibrant green, then as the bloom matures, a pinkish-red halo forms close to the center. The blooms can be as large as four inches in diameter!

Our PowWow White (large pure white flowers with a yellow center),  PowWow Wildberry (fade proof rosy purple flowers from early summer to fall, compact size) and Cheyenee Spirit coneflower varieties are blooming nicely right now as well.  Cheyenne Spirit features a broad range of bloom colors including shades of red, orange, purple, scarlet, cream, yellow and white.

Click the link below for current inventory.

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What is an Arkansas Diamond plant?

Arkansas Diamonds are locally grown plants proven to be tough in Arkansas. New plant selections have been chosen and released each year since 2015! Arkansas gardeners now have quite a proven selection of plants to choose from with confidence in plant performance.

How were these plants selected?

Arkansas Diamonds have been chosen by local growers, along with horticultural educators, gardeners and independent garden center team members to highlight outstanding plants that consistently perform well in Arkansas.

Where can Arkansas Diamonds be found?

Find Arkansas Diamonds at your local independent garden centers! Look for the Arkansas Diamonds logo when shopping, and feel confident that you are both supporting local growers AND purchasing a plant that will be successful in your garden.

What is the goal of the Arkansas Diamonds program?

This program is a partnership of the Arkansas Green Industry Association, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, local growers and local independent garden centers. The goal is to educate Arkansas gardeners about plants that consistently perform well here so that gardeners are more successful! The Arkansas Diamonds program also serves to promote local growers and local independent garden centers in our state.

Without further ado… meet our Arkansas Diamonds!

2023 Arkansas Diamonds include:

This was yet another first for the program; our first perennials!  Since the program goals include both education of gardeners AND promotion of local Arkansas growers, which tend to grow mostly annuals, perennials haven’t been in the mix. The perennials chosen include two tough, beautiful selections; purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Golsturm’).

There have been foliage plants chosen before, but this is maybe the first year that a very commonly used but somewhat overlooked plant was chosen; asparagus fern. Last but not least, the Cora series of upright vinca, which has excellent disease resistance and heat tolerance.  Polka Dot Cora Cascade, a trailing vinca, was chosen as a 2015 Arkansas Diamond, the very first year of the program (scroll all the way down for 2015 AD plant selections).

A description of these plants, along with a photo below:

2022 Arkansas Diamonds include:

This was an exciting year for the Arkansas Diamonds program as it brought the first herb plant to the table!  Lemongrass offers a variety of benefits, not only is it wonderful for adding flavor to various recipes, the plant repels mosquitos.  It is considered an annual but can be brought indoors to overwinter. Lemongrass does well in full sun, growing to a size of 3-5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.  Water as needed, and fertilize every few weeks for best success.

‘Honeybells’ Cuphea was the other warm season Arkansas Diamond selection in 2021.  This sun to part sun loving bloomer keeps going all summer, even in high heat weather. Deadheading isn’t necessary for vigorous blooming. Honeybells is a great pollinator, and grows to approximately 1 foot tall and 1 1/5 feet wide. It’s perfect in container plantings, or as an annual edge.

In 2021, the entire Cool Wave Pansy series was chosen as cool season Arkansas Diamond plant!  Cool Wave pansies have a spreading and trailing growth habit, making them perfect for container plantings AND in ground landscape plantings.  They require six hours of sun for best growth and blooming.  As far as spacing goes, planting three in a 10 or 12 inch container.  In the ground, they can spread anywhere from 18 to 24 inches in width.  Avoid letting these plants wilt or letting plants freeze when dry.  Water well at least 24 hours before freezing temperatures, paying special attention to containers that don’t receive rainfall.  At the time this series was chosen in 2021, there were 14 different varieties (color options) and 3 mixes.

2020 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2019 Arkansas Diamonds include all the plants listed below. This was the first year to introduce cool season Arkansas Diamond selections!

2018 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2017 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2016 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2015 Arkansas Diamonds include:

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June is Perennial Gardening Month

The Good Earth began as primarily a nursery and growing facility over 48 years ago.  Throughout the past four decades, we have become a full service garden center but that doesn’t mean we have forgotten our roots! We still grow most of the perennials we sell; just look for the maroon pots with our logo. These contain perennials we have grown right here, just for you.

‘Purrsian Blue’ Catmint

With June being Perennial Gardening Month, we thought we would introduce you to a few that are in bloom or about to bloom right now.  The first image (above) is a favorite; it is a catmint called Purrsian Blue (Nepeta faassenii ‘Purrsian Blue’).  This low maintenance perennial is more compact that most other catmints and offers more blooms that are closer together than other varieties. It’s also deer and rabbit resistant, attracts all kinds of pollinators such butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. In addition, catmint has a long bloom season (early summer to early fall). Loves the sun and heat so it take summer in stride. Mature size of this variety is 14-16″ tall and 18-30″ wide.  Purrsian Blue, much like all catmints, has average to low water needs; plant in well-draining soil with a neutral to alkaline pH.

So, what’s the difference in catnip (Nepeta cataria) and catmint (Nepeta faassenii)? Same genus, different species and different effects on cats. A high percentage of cats (around 70%, based on genetics) go wild over catnip and will eat the leaves for the euphoric effects of Nepatalactone in the plants.  In contrast, when stems of the catmint are broken, cats may be attracted to the released scent.

Coneflower is a native flowering perennial in much of the eastern United States.  We carry many nativars of this plant.  A nativar is an improved variety of a native plants.  Bailey Nurseries, a plant breeder, offers these thoughts on nativars:

“Nativars allow us to retain the ecological benefits of native species while making them adaptable and accessible for a modern landscape. Whether that means a more compact size, cleaner foliage, better color, or a tidier appearance, nativars solve problems that can arise” with the genotype.

Since the introduction of nativars, there have been discussions on whether these plants are beneficial for pollinators like thier truly native cousins.  Several studies, including one performed by the University of Delaware, concluded that yes, nativars support insect and bird life.

‘Pow Wow White’ Coneflower

Coneflowers (Echinacea) have long been used for their medicinal qualities. New varieties are released fairly often; one we have grown for years is the Pow Wow series, including ‘Pow Wow White’ (pictured above). We also grow ‘Pow Wow Wild Berry’ (a deep rose, purple color bloom). Both offer prolific blooms, sturdy flower stalks, and a compact growth habit. They love full sun, are tolerant poor soil, heat, humidity and are drought tolerant once established. What more can you ask for in an Arkansas perennial? Oh, they make great cut flowers too and if the spent blooms are left on over winter, the seed heads offer a food source for birds.

We also have ‘Sombrero Adobe Orange’, ‘Cheyenne Spirit’, ‘Mellow Yellows’, and ‘Magnus’ right now (early June 2020).

‘Ruby Spider’ Daylily

We teased you a bit with this flower image and kept it for last, knowing you would keep scrolling… because wowza, is this eye-catching!  Daylilies are starting to bloom around town; you have most likely seen the mild yellow blooms of ‘Happy Returns’ or the gold glow of the ‘Stella de Oro’, both of which are outstanding reblooming varieties.  And yes, we have these available for purchase, as well as ‘South Seas’ (a beautiful color color), ‘Aztec Gold’ (a larger gold rebloomer), and ‘Gentle Shepard’ (which is known for being one of the best white daylilies available and features 5.5″ blooms).

So, about ‘Ruby Spider’… what you can’t tell from this image is the bloom size, which is quite large.  In fact, the blooms on this plant can reach up to 9″ across, offering big visual impact in any garden.  We also grow ‘Primal Scream’, new to us this year, which features up to 7.5″ bright orange flowers.

Good Earth Perennials

Since we grow our own perennials, when we sell out of a crop, it can be awhile before more are available, especially depending on the season.  Plants listed here are available today (June 4, 2020); tomorrow… they may not be! If you are looking for something specific and are coming from a good distance, we always suggest giving us a call to confirm quantities.

Last but not least, this post got long; we had many more perennial to talk about so expect more blog posts about perennials soon. Especially because June is Perennial Gardening Month!  In the meantime, learn more about all kinds of perennials on our Inventory page.  Look in the red bar above the photos and select your sun situation to find ones that might work best for your garden.

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