07/15/23 — Monarda 'Midnight Oil' from Intrinsic Introductions made the cover of Creek Hill Nursery’s 2024 catalog as one of their Natives of Note. Glossy clean foliage emerges chocolate red-purple and flowers are light pink with wine red spots. Plants have better vigor and are less disease-prone.

Creek Hill Nursery in Leola, Pennsylvania is in the perennial liner business. Selling starter plants in trays of 21, 50, and 72, they zero in on plants that are hardy down to Zone 7, at least. Their focus is solely on garden worthy material that’s suitable for production and thrives around the home. They look for innovation—plants that make a significant contribution to their genus such as a new color or a new form—and diversity, so they can offer a wide range of both genera and cultivars, because an interesting selection drives sales.