Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays
  • Videos
  • current issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      Hot off the minds of Midwest travel writers: a fresh look at where to eat, drink, play and stay around the region. Read More
    • Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Find your summer adventure with our new bookazine, available now in the magazine store! Read More
    • This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      On land passed down through generations, a Wisconsin family experiences—and shares—the glory of gardening. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    On a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana, catch a colorful wave of fresh development, plus a new hotel from the cofounder of Vera Bradley.
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Family Travel
    • Around the Region
    • Beyond the Region
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart 

    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart 

    With smart accessorizing, a potting bench becomes a celebration station for summer soirees.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Casey Lawrence’s lush window boxes were a revelation to her online followers. Use her tips to grow your own.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Get out your red, white and blue for these patriotic dessert recipes.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    Don't toss those orange peels! Instead, use them as vessels for our super-simple and fragrant candles.
    • Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath
    • These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing
    • Ring in the New Year with This Glam Star Garland
    • How to Make a Modern Fruit Cake Box
    • An Eye-Catching Oval Treat Box You Can Make
    • Make a Colorful Paper Raffia Wreath to Welcome Fall
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an Easy Pina Colada
    • How to Make an Amazing Pavlova
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
  • current issue

    current issue

    See All current issue
    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    • March/April 2022 Issue
    • January/February 2022 Issue
    • November/December 2021 Issue
    • September/October 2021 Issue
    • July/August 2021 Issue
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Summer 2022 Issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Garden
  3. Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  4. 12 Top Midwest Plants From a Michigan Garden Expert

12 Top Midwest Plants From a Michigan Garden Expert

Teresa Woodard
By Teresa Woodard February 09, 2021
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

A yellow peony, showy trillium, award-winning hosta and periwinkle-blue iris are some of a Michigan expert's plant picks—and they'll thrive in your Midwest garden, too.

Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Paeonia 'Bartzella'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

Ask Hans Hansen what makes a winning plant, and he'll tick off several qualities, including a long season of interest even before and after flowering, low maintenance and distinction at 10 feet away.

Hansen, who grew up on a dairy farm in southwestern, started experimenting with hybridization as a teen. Over the past three decades, he has introduced hundreds of new plants, including many as the head of new plant development at Walters Gardens in Holland, Michigan.

Even after hours, Hansen embraces gardening chores at his home in Zeeland. "Weeding is a good thing for me," he says. "You can understand and observe plants, seedlings, and nature better on your hands and knees than any other way." Check out his 12 favorite plants, starting with Paeonia 'Bartzella.'

This peony is a shining star in a new class of Itoh peonies. Itohs are a cross between a classic garden peony and more shrub-like tree peony. Hansen praises their large double yellow flowers (6-8" diameter) and strong stems that don't need staking. Established clumps grow to 3' and produce as many as 80 blooms. For added bonuses, the flowers have a sweet fragrance and shrub-like foliage that lasts all season long. (Perennial; Zones: 3-8; 24-36" H)

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Trillium 'Snow Bunting'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

For 25 years, Hansen has been growing this showy double version of the native trillium. "I look forward to its spring blooms every year," he says. In April, these wildflowers are found blanketing hillsides of many Midwestern woodlands and can be grown in home shade gardens in moist but well-drained soil. Its name refers to its trios of leaves and petals. (Perennial; Zones: 4a-8b; 8-12" H)

2 of 12

3 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Hosta 'Liberty'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Walters Gardens

This award-winning hosta is an improvement on the popular Hosta 'Sagae' by using a breeding technique that doubles the chromosomes and results in a more substantive plant. The blue-green leaves edged in creamy yellow bring stunning color to a shade border or woodland garden.  It was named a Hosta of the Year by the American Hosta Society. (Perennial; Zones: 3a-9b; 26" H)

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Iris siberica 'Cape Cod Boys'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

Hansen favors this "classy and distinct" Siberian iris for its bountiful periwinkle blue flowers. Their golden veins make them a standout. And when not flowering, the wide blue-green leaf blades are attractive. Plant iris's bulb-like rhizomes in a sunny or partly shady spot that's moist but well-drained. They look best massed in naturalized settings, mixed in perennial borders or planted around water features. (Perennial; Zones: 3-9; 27" H)

4 of 12

5 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Baptisia 'Sparkling Sapphire'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

One of Hansen's hybrids, this compact variety is a polished version of the native baptisia. The vivid blue flowers bloom in late spring. They're easy to grow and thrive in full or part sun with little maintenance. Use them solo like a shrub, massed in meadow plantings or as a backdrop in borders. (Perennial; Zones 4-9; 30-36" H)

5 of 12

6 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Lilium 'Conca de Oro'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

Bright lemon-yellow flowers tower over other perennials in the July garden. Their pie-sized blooms are fragrant, and their stems are as thick as broom sticks. Hansen attributes their vigor to the hybrid's cross between a trumpet lily and an oriental lily. Plant in full sun. (Perennial bulb; Zones: 4-8; 4-5' H)

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Helleborus 'Annas Red'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

Hansen gushes, "Annas Red is arguably the finest hellebore ever introduced."  Burgundy flowers bloom in late winter and early spring atop a clump of thick marbled foilage. Plant them in moist but well-drained soil beneath shade trees. (Perennial: Zones: 5-8; 15" H).

7 of 12

8 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Mangave 'Lavender Lady'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

Mangaves are a relatively new phenomenon, a cross between decoratively patterned manfredas and robust agaves. Hansen has been breeding a line of mangaves that have agave's succulent-like leaves but not their spines. They're fast growers, too. When grown in full sun, 'Lavendar Lady' has a lovely smoky lavender cast to its succulent leaves. In the summer, grow them outdoors in a patio container then overwinter them indoors by a sunny window. (Tender succulent; Zones: 8-10; 8-10" H)

8 of 12

9 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Clematis 'Stand by Me'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

This unique clematis is Hansen's first commercial clematis hybrid. Instead of growing as a vine like most clematis, this one grows into a shrub. Its adorable blue bell-shaped flowers bloom in late May and June with as many as 30 flowers per stem. More blooms return in late summer.  After blooming, cream thread-like seed heads appear. Plant in full sun or light shade and support the plant with an obelisk or bamboo pole. (Perennial; Zones: 3-7; 34-38" H)

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Buddleia 'Grand Cascade'

Buddleia ‘Grand Cascade’
Credit: Courtesy of Walters Gardens

This late summer beauty is Hansen's favorite from his 10 years hybridizing buddleias, also known as butterfly bushes. Says Hansen (pictured with buddleias), "insanely large flowers arch and cascade over the clump." Indeed, huge 12-14" purple flowers put on quite a show later in summer. Plant them in full sun, and cut them back in later winter or early spring. (Perennial; Zones: 5-10; 5-6' H)

10 of 12

11 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Hosta 'Autumn Frost'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

The frosty blue leaves and bright yellow margins are striking in a shaded landscape. This hosta is medium sized with heart-shaped leaves and light lavender flowers. (Perennial; Zones: 3-9; 12" H)

11 of 12

12 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Hibiscus 'Berry Awesome'

Plant picks from Hans Hansen
Credit: Courtesy of Hans Hansen

Bring a tropical flair to your northern gardens with this hardy native hibiscus. In late summer, the compact shrub puts on quite a show with its dinner-plate-size flowers in lavender pink with cherry eyes. The bright blooms truly pop against the attractive midnight green foliage. "It's special to me, as it set the bar for the hibiscus hybridizing program at Walters Gardens," says Hansen. (Perennial; Zones: 4-9; 40-48"H)

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Teresa Woodard

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 12 Paeonia 'Bartzella'
    2 of 12 Trillium 'Snow Bunting'
    3 of 12 Hosta 'Liberty'
    4 of 12 Iris siberica 'Cape Cod Boys'
    5 of 12 Baptisia 'Sparkling Sapphire'
    6 of 12 Lilium 'Conca de Oro'
    7 of 12 Helleborus 'Annas Red'
    8 of 12 Mangave 'Lavender Lady'
    9 of 12 Clematis 'Stand by Me'
    10 of 12 Buddleia 'Grand Cascade'
    11 of 12 Hosta 'Autumn Frost'
    12 of 12 Hibiscus 'Berry Awesome'

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    12 Top Midwest Plants From a Michigan Garden Expert
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.