I'm trialing two cool new plants this year which I got at an open day for garden writers last summer at Middlewestern Perennials in Elgin, Illinois. The first plant is perfect for my little fairy garden. It's the smallest dwarf Ginko so far, maxing out at about 6 inches tall. It's Ginko biloba 'Iwanaherl' (TeenyWeeny Sweetykins Peekaboo™). (I took these photos of it last fall.)
It has chartreuse foliage all summer. Then in autumn, it turns a burnished gold (top photo). What fairy garden or rock garden couldn't use one?
The second plant is one that every veggie gardener with too much shade will want to grow. It's Spinacia oleracea 'IMgonnamakeamillion5' (Shady Lady®), a spinach that tolerates full shade. It's also extremely hardy.
Shady Lady is almost as pretty as the 'Merlot' lettuce I grow every year, but in much less sun. I sowed the seeds of Shady Lady spinach in the woodland garden last fall, in the shade of the cottonwood tree.
It's almost ready to harvest. I hope it tastes as good as it looks. Seeds will be available in retail stores next spring.
I have to recommend that you check out Helen's post today on attracting wildlife at Gardening with Confidence. It's very educational. Happy April Fool's Day!