Three plants in particular

No, not the ones I would take to a desert island, though I like that challenge and have read a few thoughtful selections. Instead, I have decided on three commemorative plants. Recent events have been exciting and momentous; after 8 years of turning down the radio periodically so I would not have to listen to certain voices, I am interested in political events once more. Who knows, by May, when I plant these, I might be disgusted again, but for now I’m hopeful. I’m thinking I’d like to plant some new cultivars that would mark this optimism.

The first will be a hydrangea. These are my favorite shrubs; there is something so typically hometown American about them, though many are not native plants. A quercifolia is, though, and it’s one of the few I don’t have. I do have the other native variety, arborescens.

The second plant will be an unusual clematis. I am choosing plants that people notice for their beauty, not the sort of mainstay plants that everyone has, as appreciated and wonderful as these are. I have selected the clematis tangutica “Chinese Lanterns.” It might blend well with my c. alpina "Stolwijk Gold," which has gold foliage.

The third one will be a striking shade plant. I am thinking of pulmonaria saccharata "Mrs. Moon." I have one with narrower leaves; I think it is the majeste. (Many would consider this and the hydrangea ordinary plants, but I don't—it's all in ones perspective.)

I’ve not chosen plants I routinely add every year, like lilium, verbena bonariensis, tall nicotiana, dahlia, and so on. The plants here—a perennial, a shrub, and a vine—are meant to be high impact cultivars that will only get better over time.