May the Fourth be With You

For all you Star Wars fanatics and sci-fi nerds, May 4^th is a great day to make one of the oldest calendar-appropriate dad jokes as relentlessly as you can while annoying friends, colleagues, and loved ones all at once. Perhaps you’d like to take it one step further and cultivate a space-themed garden or outdoor space that subtly encompasses the otherworldliness and ethereal qualities of the great unknown beyond our atmosphere. Here are some out-of-this-world plant selections that not only shoot for the stars, but go to infinity and beyond with their landscape performance and beauty.

Coreopsis Big Bang™ ‘Mercury Rising’ - tickseed

Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ – threadleaf tickseed

Hemerocallis ‘Rocket City’ - daylily

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Luna Red’ – rose mallow

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Luna Rose’ – rose mallow

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Luna White’ – rose mallow

Illicium Orion™ - anise shrub

As one of the most recognized and oldest recorded constellations in the universe, containing two of the brightest stars visible to the human eye on Earth (named Betelgeuse and Bellatrix), as well as a swirling nebula of its namesake origin, Orion seems like a fitting moniker for this anise shrub that becomes absolutely covered in bright ivory white star-shaped flowers throughout much of the year.

Kniphofia Pyromania® ‘Solar Flare’ – red hot poker

Magnolia virginiana Moonglow® ‘Jim Wilson’ – sweetbay magnolia

Mukgenia NOVA® ‘Flame’ – mukgenia

Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ – catmint

C’mon now, we couldn’t celebrate a Star Wars-themed day without paying homage to its protagonist.

Phlox divaricata ‘Blue Moon’ – woodland phlox

Phlox paniculata Luminary® ‘Ultraviolet’ – tall garden phlox

Rhododendron ‘Fragrant Star’ – deciduous azalea

The soft blue foliage paired with the abundant clusters of white fragrant blooms make this selection not only perfect for many woodland and shade gardens, but as a glowing, aromatic accent shrub in a moon or nighttime garden.

Schizophragma hydrangeoides ‘Moonlight’ – Japanese hydrangea vine

Styrax japonica ‘Evening Light’ – Japanese snowbell

Eurybia divaricata (syn. Aster divaricatus) ‘Eastern Star’

Orion Constellation: Facts, location and stars of the hunter | Space