Last week The Garden Guy attempted to take your mind off the impending doom from the arctic blast with a little "Mele Kalikimaka" from Hawaii. I know I failed — if you are a gardener, you are suffering. I too was leaning toward a mood of dark hysteria brought on by five days of 11-17 degrees Fahrenheit. Then a lifeline came in the mail: I received the new Spring 2023 Preview catalog from Proven Winners. There on page 14 were the new 2023 Proven Accent Plants, one of which, Waikiki Sunset, took me back to Hawaii.
Although I currently have a landscape of burnt toast, color is sure to come again. If you have not grown Waikiki Sunset, just know it is a mood changer, a spirit uplifter from the plant world. Waikiki Sunset will have you looking at The Bright Side (more on that later). But before I tell you why, let’s get down to the botany and taxonomy of this treasure.
Waikiki Sunset is known botanically as Lysimachia congestiflora with the recognized common name of dense-flowered loosestrife, moneywort and occasionally golden globes. None of the common names do the plant justice. Waikiki Sunset, on the other hand, fits perfectly.
