Sunny Ray's Nursery, LLC.

Oh finally! The snow has melted, Narcissus are up

What's Hot!!

and beginning to flower, temperatures are above freezing and Hellebores are in full flower. Our blood has started flowing again and we again know there is hope for another growing season to enter our midst.

I was very fortunate to be visited by Earl Cully and Aaron Attwood Saturday. In my excitement to exit the house and meet up with them in the morning, I had to stop and photograph my Cornus mas 'Kintoki' beginning to flower. Along with the energizing plant conversations I was about to embark upon with my meeting, the sight of flowers emerging from their winter rest were enough to bring

me into a horticultural frenzy.

Being I am feeling this joy and promise of a new year, I decided to make this newsletter dedicated to the new plants we will be offering this next growing season. Some are new liners we are bringing in and will not be ready until next fall, but prior knowledge of these plants will better arm you to utilize them well when they can leave our loving hands.

We are fully aware the economy has not exactly turned around and many businesses are limiting their purchases this year. However, it is important to realize the customer who comes to buy a plant that you are not stocking this year, they will leave for another business and spend their money there. Also, having or offering a diverse selection of plant material will translate into more interest in your location rather than the neighbor down the road.

Below are some plants we are offering for the first time this year. While only one is a new selection released this year, the rest are great species or selections that will be jewels of the garden.

Scientific Name	Common Name	Brief Description
Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking'	Viking Aronia	Great native selection with nice flowers, beautiful black fruit and outstanding fall color
Cephalanthus occidentalis	Buttonbush	Another native known for its unique, spherical flower clusters and good soil tolerance
Cephalotaxus 'Duke Gardens'	Duke Gardens Cephalotaxus	Wonderful "taxus-like" shrub with a very uniform growth habit and a relatively small stature
Cotoneaster 'Scarlet Leader'	Scarlet Leader Cotoneaster	A well know spreading shrub which is reliably hardy, nice flowers and wonderful fall color. Best of a Genus with a bad name
Humulus lupus 'Aureus'	Yellow-leaf Hop Vine	Cool yellow leaf vine that can tolerate various soils and does not burn in sun with adequate water
Hydrangea arborescens Invincibelle Spirit tm	Pink-flowered Annabelle-like Hydrangea	A new release from Tom Ranney of NCU. Imagine Annabelle with pink flowers. A grail has been found! I have not seen this plant personally, but trust Dr. Ranney's judgement
Myrica pennsylvanica	Bayberry	Another native that is very reliable, but severly underused in the landscape
Rhus aromatica 'Gro-low'	Creeping Fragrant Sumac	A cultivar that has been around awhile, but is extremely useful due to its tolerance of adverse planting sites and climatic conditions
Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur'	Winterthur Viburnum	A great native species that has great flowers, fruit (when planted with another selection) and fall color
Xanthoceras sorbifolium	Very Cool Plant!	I can't remember the common name and it is not that interesting anyway. Very glossy foliage and nice pinkish blooms in the spring . A rarely available plant.
Hydrangea paniculata 'Kyushu'	Kyushu Hydrangea	This, in my opinion, is one of the best of the flood of panicled hydrangeas being released. Beautiful clean foliage and substantial flower power. I need to get Daruma for a dwarf one soon
Hydrangea quercifolia	Oakleaf Hydrangeas	This is just the standard plant, but a wonderful addition to the garden when the size permits
Ilex glabra 'Shamrock'	Shamrock Inkberry	Yeah, yeah, another common plant, but its usefullness in nasty situations make it a good substitute for I. crenata and China Girl
Metasequoia 'Ogon'	Yellow-leaf Dawn Redwood	Beautiful yellow foliage on a giant of the landscape. Tolerates sun well and has the same toleration of the species. Same as Gold Rush.

There are likely more plants, but I just wanted to give you a good taste of what is to come.
Helleborus

Please let us know if there is a plant you cannot find and really would like to use or if there is a problem we are unaware of with a plant we offer.

Thanks for your time and business.

Ben Cecil