Karen Azalea is a spring-blooming shrub that delivers a beautiful burst of color just as your garden is waking up for the season. Known for its vibrant lavender-pink flowers and compact, rounded habit, this deciduous azalea is a favorite for foundation plantings, borders, and woodland edges.
Blooming in mid-to-late spring, Karen Azalea produces masses of rosy purple blossoms with a hint of red in the throat, creating a striking contrast against its glossy, dark green foliage. The flowers cover the shrub in a bold display that lasts for weeks — right when your spring bulbs are finishing and summer perennials are just starting to grow.
Karen Azalea grows to about 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, making it a versatile choice for smaller garden spaces or as a colorful accent in larger landscapes. It has a tidy, mounding shape and looks especially nice when planted in groups or layered into a mixed shrub border.
This variety is part of the Northern Lights series of cold-hardy azaleas, meaning it was bred to withstand colder climates like ours in Southeast Wisconsin. Karen is hardy in zones 4 to 8, and it performs well in our region, provided it’s planted in the right spot.
Azaleas like Karen prefer part shade — especially dappled sunlight or morning sun with afternoon shade. They do best in acidic, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Amending your planting area with compost or peat moss can help create ideal conditions. Azaleas also appreciate consistent moisture, particularly in the first year after planting, but they do not like wet feet.
In addition to its spring flowers, Karen Azalea offers beautiful fall color. Its leaves turn shades of orange, bronze, and burgundy as temperatures cool, giving you a second season of interest after the blooms have faded.
This shrub pairs well with other spring bloomers like bleeding heart, ferns, and hellebores. It also works nicely with shade-loving groundcovers like ajuga, lamium, or brunnera. For a larger design, Karen Azalea looks stunning when grouped with other cold-hardy azaleas or rhododendrons to create a layered, woodland-inspired effect.
Karen Azalea requires little maintenance once it’s established. Pruning is rarely necessary, but if shaping is desired, it’s best done right after flowering, before the plant sets buds for the following year. A layer of mulch around the base helps keep roots cool and moist, and also protects the plant through winter.
At Heritage Hill Nursery, we recommend Karen Azalea for gardeners who want a reliable, showy shrub that can handle Wisconsin winters and bring vibrant color to shady areas. It’s one of those plants that quietly earns its place in the landscape year after year.
If you’re looking to brighten up a shaded border or foundation area, Karen Azalea is a fantastic choice. With bold blooms, hardy roots, and a lovely fall show, it offers beauty across multiple seasons — and it’s in stock now at the nursery.
Blue Ice Amsonia is a beautiful and dependable perennial that brings cool blue tones to the spring garden. With star-shaped flowers that bloom in mid to late spring and soft green foliage that turns golden in the fall, this plant offers multi-season interest with very little maintenance.
Originally developed from native Amsonia species, Blue Ice is known for its compact size, tidy mounding habit, and richer flower color than other varieties. While many Amsonia bloom in pale blue, Blue Ice features a deeper, almost violet-blue flower that stands out beautifully against fresh spring greens.
This plant is well-suited for Southeast Wisconsin gardens. It thrives in full sun to part shade and prefers well-drained soil. Once established, it’s drought-tolerant and long-lived, making it a reliable addition to low-maintenance perennial beds. Blue Ice typically grows to about 12–15 inches tall and wide, forming a neat, rounded mound that doesn’t flop or spread aggressively.
In spring, clusters of blue, star-shaped flowers bloom at the tips of the stems, creating a soft, airy look that pairs well with spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils. After flowering, the plant’s slender, willow-like leaves continue to look attractive through summer. As fall approaches, those same leaves turn a bright golden-yellow, adding a final splash of color to the garden before winter.
Blue Ice Amsonia works beautifully in borders, cottage gardens, pollinator plantings, or as a filler between showier perennials. It’s also a great choice for more naturalistic designs or native-inspired landscapes. Butterflies and bees are drawn to its blooms, and deer tend to leave it alone — another reason it’s becoming a favorite for Wisconsin gardeners.
Care is easy with this plant. It doesn’t need frequent dividing, and aside from cutting it back in late fall or early spring, there’s very little cleanup involved. A bit of compost in spring is usually all it needs to thrive year after year. It’s also relatively pest and disease free, making it a solid performer in a wide range of conditions.
Because of its compact size and uniform habit, Blue Ice is a great edging plant along pathways or in front of larger perennials like peonies, baptisia, or ornamental grasses. It’s also a nice complement to bold colors like red columbine or golden coreopsis. The cool blue flowers provide contrast without overwhelming a design.
At Heritage Hill Nursery, we love Blue Ice Amsonia for its elegance, dependability, and seasonal versatility. It’s one of those plants that doesn’t demand attention — but quietly enhances everything around it. Whether you’re designing a new garden bed or refreshing an existing space, this is a plant that brings lasting beauty with very little effort.
If you’re looking for a hardy, Wisconsin-friendly perennial with charm in every season, Blue Ice Amsonia is a smart choice. Visit us this week to see it in bloom — and discover why it’s one of our favorites for spring.
Scentara Double Blue Lilac is a standout spring-blooming shrub known for its intensely fragrant, double-petaled blooms in soft lavender-blue tones. This hybrid lilac not only offers beautiful early-season color but also fills the garden with that classic lilac scent that signals spring has truly arrived.
A member of the hyacinthiflora lilac group, Scentara Double Blue blooms earlier than common lilacs and produces full, double flowers that give it a more lush and layered appearance. The soft bluish-purple blossoms are packed with petals and look almost like miniature roses, making it a beautiful choice for borders, foundations, and cutting gardens.
Native to hybrid parentage with strong genetics, this lilac was bred for cold hardiness and disease resistance, making it ideal for Southeastern Wisconsin’s climate. It thrives in USDA zones 2–8, which means it handles our long winters with ease and is one of the most reliable early bloomers come April or May.
Scentara Double Blue Lilac grows to about 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, forming a rounded, upright shrub. It prefers full sun (at least 6 hours daily) and well-drained soil. Once established, it’s fairly drought-tolerant, though watering during dry spells will help encourage healthy growth and more blooms. It’s also deer-resistant and attracts bees and butterflies in the spring — a great bonus for pollinator gardens.
One of the best things about this lilac is its fragrance. The scent is strong and sweet, just like the lilacs many of us remember from childhood gardens. Planted near patios, porches, or open windows, it offers a burst of nostalgia every time you catch the breeze.
Scentara Double Blue is easy to care for. You’ll want to prune it right after flowering to shape the shrub and encourage good blooming the following year. Avoid pruning in fall or early spring, as that will remove next season’s flower buds. A little compost or slow-release fertilizer in early spring can help support healthy blooms, but lilacs are generally low-maintenance once they’re established.
In the landscape, this lilac works well as a single focal point or planted in groups for a beautiful flowering hedge. It pairs nicely with other spring bloomers like tulips, daffodils, and creeping phlox. Its blooms also make excellent cut flowers — just a few stems in a vase can fill a room with fragrance.
At Heritage Hill Nursery, we’re excited to feature Scentara Double Blue Lilac as our Plant Spotlight for early April. Right now, it’s 25% off as part of our April Specials, making it a great time to add this stunning shrub to your garden.
Whether you’re planting your first lilac or expanding an existing collection, Scentara Double Blue offers a beautiful, fragrant, and reliable choice for Wisconsin gardeners. Visit us to see it in person and enjoy the sweet scent of spring!
Photo courtesy of Proven Winters.
Pine Trees are a diverse group of evergreens that add year-round beauty and structure to the garden. Known for their needle-like leaves and distinctive cones, Pine Trees come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from towering giants to compact shrubs. Their evergreen nature ensures a lush and green landscape even in the coldest months, providing both visual interest and ecological benefits.
Native to many regions around the world, Pine Trees thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. They are highly adaptable and can tolerate a range of soil conditions, including sandy and rocky soils. Once established, Pine Trees are relatively low-maintenance, requiring minimal watering and occasional pruning to remove dead or damaged branches.
In Cedarburg, Pine Trees can serve multiple purposes in the landscape. They make excellent windbreaks, privacy screens, and focal points in the garden. Their dense foliage provides shelter for birds and other wildlife, while their cones offer a food source. By incorporating Pine Trees into your garden, you create a resilient and attractive environment that supports local wildlife.
Pine Trees also hold cultural and symbolic significance, often associated with longevity, resilience, and peace. Their timeless beauty and practical benefits make them a valuable addition to any garden. By planting Pine Trees, you can enjoy their majestic presence and contribute to a sustainable and thriving landscape throughout the year.
Evergreen Magnolia, also known as Southern Magnolia, is a majestic tree known for its large, glossy leaves and fragrant, creamy-white flowers. This evergreen tree adds year-round beauty to the garden with its striking foliage and blooms. In the winter, the deep green leaves provide a lush backdrop, while the large flowers add a touch of elegance in the warmer months.
Native to the southeastern United States, Evergreen Magnolia thrives in full sun to partial shade and well-drained, slightly acidic soil. It is relatively low-maintenance, requiring occasional pruning to maintain its shape and remove dead or damaged branches. In Cedarburg, this tree can serve as a stunning focal point in the garden.
Evergreen Magnolia is valued for its ornamental qualities and adaptability. Its large size and lush foliage make it an excellent choice for providing shade and creating a focal point in the landscape. By planting Evergreen Magnolia, you add timeless beauty and elegance to your garden.
