Plant your own gold-medal plants

Each year, various horticulture societies choose plants to receive gold- medal awards. I looked up some of last year's winners on the U.S. National Arboretum Web site, www.usna.usda.gov/newintro.

One that immediately caught my eye was the 'Black Pearl' ornamental pepper. Its leaves are greenish when they first emerge then turn black as they mature. It also has black fruit. The flowers are purple. A black plant is very unusual! It grows 18 inches high and 12 inches in diameter. 'Black Pearl' is an annual in Northern Nevada, and needs full sun and warm weather to survive.

I also found some 2007 award winners from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), at http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org.

Cornus 'Venus' is a dogwood that is hardy to 30 F below zero. In spring, it has 6-inch, pure white blooms with green centers. These large flowers look like saucers all over the plant. A small tree, it grows 25 feet tall by 25 feet wide. In our area, it will probably only grow in part shade and sheltered from the wind.

Another terrific 2007 winner suitable for this climate is the new staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger' Tiger Eyes. It has purplish-pink stems with fern-like foliage. The leaf colors change through the seasons, beginning in spring as chartreuse, turning bright yellow in summer then hot red-orange in the fall. Unlike some other staghorn sumacs, this one is not invasive, and only grows 6 feet tall and wide. It will thrive in either full sun or part shade, but requires well-drained soil.

An interesting 2006 winner from PHS is the variegated Beauty Briar, Eleutherococcus sieboldianus 'Variegatus.' Its colors are in its green-and-white leaves rather than in its small clusters of flowers. This 4- to 7-foot tall, hardy shrub will withstand just about any conditions, except for wet soils. It's drought-tolerant and disease- and deer-resistant.

Another colorful 2006 winner is the panicle hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight.' Its pyramidal flower clusters start out chartreuse-green, turn white, then mature to pink and burgundy. Often, all three flower colors are evident on a bush at the same time, creating an outstanding display. This shrub can reach 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide, and will need to be grown in part shade. The PHS site doesn't state if plants need acidic soil, but often hydrangeas do, so that may be a limiting consideration. It probably would do well under pine trees.

Do some online or magazine exploring for new plants as you sit inside on a winter day, thinking about your spring landscape.

For more information, e-mail skellyj@unce.unr.edu or call me at 887-2252. You can "Ask a Master Gardener" by e-mailing mastergardeners@unce.unr.edu or call your local University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office. Check out many useful horticulture publications at www.unce.unr.edu.

• JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.