How many times have you pined over a new variety you’ve seen in a catalog or nursery? Speaking for myself, I’ve been seduced by the newest varieties too many times and then disappointed by their performance. My most recent disappointment has been the new Echinacea hybrid, ‘Sunrise’.

When I first saw ‘Sunrise’ echinacea I was spell-bound with its beautiful yellow color and intoxicating fragrance. I purchased it and planted it in my perennial garden (in Northern Indiana clay soil). It bloomed most of the summer with no extra care besides the occasional watering through drought. But the next spring my new prized plant was nowhere to be found. So I tried another with the same results.

Just like reading the repair instructions after I’ve made things worse I decided to research care for the new hybrids. These are hardy plants and cold temperature is not the issue, it is the soil. Although most echinaceas will tolerate heavier soils, many of the new hybrids will not thrive. The key to survival for these plants is to get them well-established before winter. To accomplish this it is suggested to prune off all the flowers the first year so all the nutrients go to the roots and plant in spring to early summer to give the plants a longer time to establish.

My goal is not to discourage you from purchasing these fabulous new plants. They are too wonderful to give up trying. My goal is to let you learn from my mistakes. Stay tuned for more!

Common Name: Coneflower

Botanical Name: Echinacea hybrids

Soil: Each new Echinacea hybrid group has a different parentage so will tolerate different soil types; tolerates dry soils in summer

Exposure: Full sun

Hardiness: Perennial

Watering: Newly-planted plants should get 1 inch of water per week until established; check during dry spells.

Fertilizer: Time-released fertilizer in the spring to encourage root growth

Planting: Plant late spring to early summer.

Pruning: Keep deadheaded to encourage longer bloom. Divide after three to four years.

Landscape Uses: Great border plant. The variety of colors available in the hybrids makes it easy to blend with other plants in the garden.

(From Indiana Gardening Volume I Issue III. Photos Courtesy of Itsaul plants.)

The chartreuse foliage is crisp and clean all growing seasons.


Its small stature makes this deutzia an excellent foundation plant.

Living in the heart of Virginia wine country has many benefits. My favorite vineyard is literally just a skip from my office door. While I most often lean towards the reds, a crisp Chardonnay on a hot day is hard to beat. Crisp and refreshing certainly describes the Proven Winners introduction Chardonnay Pearls® deutzia. The white pearl buds appear above the clean, chartreuse foliage like grapes on the vine and are slightly fragrant when fully open. Its small size is a perfect match for almost any garden, and you will be impressed with the no-fuss care of this garden gem. It is tolerant of partially shady sites and will maintain its lime green tints despite the low light conditions. So grab a glass of your favorite vintage, and soak up your garden this spring.

Common Name: Chardonnay Pearls® deutzia

Botanical Name: Deutzia gracilis ‘Duncan’

Color: Pearl white blooms; chartreuse foliage

Blooming Period: April to June

Type: Deciduous shrub   

Zones: 1–8

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

When to Plant: Transplant from a container in fall or spring.

How to Plant: From a container, dig a shallow hole half the depth of the container; mulch lightly with aged hardwood or pine bark.

Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil

Watering: Once weekly until established; drought tolerant thereafter

In Your Landscape: Shrub border; foundation plant; containers; accent plant

(From Virginia Gardener Volume X Issue IV. Photos courtesy of C. Dwayne Jones.)

Chinese fringe tree blooms in spring. Photo courtesy of Hubert P. Conlon.

Chinese fringe tree (Chionanthus retusus) is a small deciduous tree or large shrub native to China, Korea and Japan. Do not confuse fringe tree with Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense) or our own native fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) which grows very shrub-like, and is fragrant.

Lustrous, dark green, oval-shaped leaves emerge one to two weeks before flowering begins. In early May, the tree is totally covered with 3- to 4-inch wide panicles of white, fleecy flowers. The billowy clusters appear on the ends of branches and cover most leaves. The scent from the sweetly fragrant flowers permeates the garden in the early evening. Spring and summer foliage has a thick, leathery feel. In autumn, leaves turn pale yellow before dropping in mid to late November.

Small, half-inch long, dark blue drupe fruits ripen on female plants in September. Disease and insect problems are few.

Common Name: Chinese fringe tree

Botanical name: Chionanthus retusus

Varieties/cultivars: ‘China Snow’ (a Don Shadow selection); ‘Tokyo Tower’ (columnar form)

Color: Clear, white, fragrant flowers in April and May

Type: Small flowering tree

Zones: 3–9

Size: 20 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide

Exposure: Full to partial sunlight (six hours minimum sunlight)

When to Plant: Balled and burlapped (B&B) in winter through early spring; container-grown anytime

Soil: Any well-drained soil type; best in a slightly acidic soil

Watering: Good heat and moderate drought tolerance once established in two years.

When to Prune: Minimal pruning to remove root suckers (if any); prune in almost any season.

When to Fertilize: Feed a young tree in late winter with 10-10-10 or equivalent fertilizer.

In Your Landscape: An outstanding white, flowering, small tree; perhaps a substitute for lilacs, which perform poorly in Southern landscapes.

(From Tennessee Gardener Volume XII Issue IV.)

Coleus ‘Henna’ planted in combination with petunia, bacopa and red shrimp plant. ¹

Coleus are certainly not new. They have gone in and out of popularity since Victorian times. Now they’re back with exciting new and beautiful varieties that add some real dash to beds and containers. They can be as bright and gaudy as a Hawaiian shirt or as formal as a black tie. Since the foliage is always ‘in color’, you never have to worry about the flowers, which are actually rather ugly and should be pinched off. This was a problem with the old hybrids. The newer varieties have been bred for reluctance to flower, eliminating a lot of pinching. Coleus were traditionally thought of as “shade only” plants, but most of the newer ones can be grown in sun or shade. Some of the new cultivars to look for are ‘Henna’, ‘Gnash Rambler’, ‘Chaotic Pink’ and ‘Limon Blush’.

Coleus ‘Gnash Rambler’ is great for baskets. ²


‘Limon Blush’ ³

Common Name: Coleus

Botanical Name: Solenostemon scuttelarioides cultivars

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: ‘Henna’, ‘Gnash Rambler’, ‘Chaotic Pink’, ‘Limon Blush’.

Color: Every color but blue

Blooming Period: No blooms, but color from May until frost

Type: Annual

Size: 12 to 36 inches

Exposure: Full sun to full shade

How to Plant: 12 to 24 inches apart

Soil: Well-drained potting mix or amended soil

Watering: Keep moderately moist but not too wet

When to Prune: When flowers appear and if plants get leggy

When to Fertilize: Monthly in spring and summer

In Your Landscape: Grow in beds and containers after hard freezes are past

Photo Credits:
1,2  Photos courtesy of Chris Baker
3     Photo courtesy of Proven Winners

(From Ohio Gardener Volume I Issue IV.)

Photo courtesy of Margaret Gratz.

In Andrea Wulf’s fascinating book Founding Gardeners, we discover that George Washington was not only “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” but he was also the new nation’s first serious tree hugger. One of his all-time favorite trees was the majestic tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), a species native to the vast hardwood forests east of the Mississippi.

Tulip poplar grows tall and stately, but this tree is not really a poplar — it is a member of the magnolia family. Its large leaves are tulip-shaped, and its lovely orange and green flowers resemble tulips, hence its common name. In the fall, it sports vibrant yellow foliage.

This large deciduous tree — actually the largest tree of the Eastern forests — can be found growing in wooded bottomlands and along stream banks. It is a wonderful tree for wildlife. Its leaves are the host plants for the caterpillars of the tiger swallowtail and spicebush swallowtail butterflies, as well as the elegant promethea moth and tulip tree moth. During spring migration, many neotropical migratory birds, including Baltimore orioles and scarlet tanagers, frolic and feed in the tops of this tree just as the exotic flowers bloom. Finches, hummingbirds and honeybees seek out the flowers for nectar.

Tulip poplar is fast growing and an excellent specimen tree. This is a perfect tree for parks, college campuses and gardeners with acreage who want a big tree, fast. George Washington, as a great patriot, insisted on planting only American trees at his beloved Mt. Vernon. The father of our country planted tulip poplars — and so should you.

Photo courtesy of Mike Klahr.


Photo courtesy of Jean-Pol Grandmont.

Common Name: Tulip poplar

Botanical Name: Liriodendron tulipifera

Color: Flowers orange and green

Blooming Period: Spring; flowers bloom after the tree has leafed out.

Type: Large deciduous tree

Size: Can grow to be 100 feet tall

Zone: 9–11

Exposure: Sun or shade

Soil: Moist, well-drained soil

Watering: Water frequently until well established.

When to Plant: Early spring

When to Fertilize: Slow release during the growing season

In Your Landscape: Give this tree ample room to grow.

(From Mississippi Gardener Volume XII Issue III.)

Tibouchina grandifolia (Photo courtesy of Lynda Heavrin.)

The first time I saw Tibouchina grandifolia was in a mass planting at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It was many years ago but I was taken aback and have never forgotten the 5-foot-tall plants loaded with vibrant purple blooms.

It was not until six years ago that I purchased a plant and was able to enjoy its beauty all year. In fact, our Tibouchina stored in the greenhouse bloom heavier in the winter to the delight of all.

Everything about Tibouchina is spectacular. The velvety, sometimes silvery, leaves hold their own with or without the flowers and will tinge a reddish-orange in fall if left outside. It is not a small plant—growing quickly to a small shrub in a matter of months when given plenty of heat in the summer.

Tibouchina urvilleana

Botanical Name: Tibouchina *

Common Name: Glory Bush, Princess Flower

Color: Purple

Blooming Period: Generally puts on a flush of blooms a couple times per year but will bloom sporadically year round

Type: Annual tropical

Size: Up to 15 feet when overwintered

Light: Morning or late afternoon sun. Protect from full midday sun and heavy winds.

Soil: Good garden soil with lots of organic matter

Watering: Keep moist but not overwatered

Fertilizer: Blooms best with regular fertilization every couple of weeks throughout the year

Uses: A great specimen plant in beds or containers. The color is a wonderful contrast to almost any other flower color, except lighter blues, which will be washed out by the bright purple.

* Although there are 350 species of Tibouchina, only a few are widely available commercially. Tibouchina grandifolia has large, leaves up to 9 inches long and 6 inches wide. The flowers, smaller than most other species, are up to 1 inch across and are held on 8- to 16- inches stalks. T. granulose has lance-shaped leaves up to 8 inches long and 2-inch flowers. My favorite, T. urvilleana, has smaller leaves up to 4 inches long, but is covered with blooms up to 3 inches across.

(From Indiana Gardening Volume II Issue II.)

Every garden has shady areas, and gardeners are often in doubt about which shade perennial plants to use. Chosen by the Perennial Plant Association, the 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year may provide the answer with ‘Jack Frost’ brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’). This introduction was discovered in the well-known perennial nursery of Walters Gardens and was introduced in 2000. These perennials are treasured for their shade tolerance and lovely powder blue clustered flowers held above the foliage. ‘Jack Frost’ has dark green foliage with a heavily frosted, silvery overlay, which allows the green veining to show through. According to Southern growers, ‘Jack Frost’ tolerates heat and dry summers better than the older Brunnera cultivars.

‘Jack Frost’ Brunnera, the 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year, brightens shady garden niches.

 Common Name:  Brunnera, Siberian bugloss, mock forget-me-not

 Botanical Name:  Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’

 Color:  Powder blue flowers in terminal clusters flowers held above the foliage

 Foliage:  Heart-shaped leaves with an overlay of frosted silver; basal leaves are larger, up to 6 inches across

 Height:  12 to 18 inches tall, width up to 20 inches

 Bloom Period:  April to May 

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Zone: 3–8

Exposure: Shade is best; afternoon shade is absolutely necessary in hot summer regions.

When to Plant: Plant in fall or early spring.

Soil: Well-drained, rich, moist and organic soils are best.

Watering: Constant moist, but not soggy, soil

In Your Landscape: Use in front of a border, naturalize in wooded areas or wild gardens or plant along a stream or by a pool; after flowering, the large leaves act as an effective ground cover; leaves and flowers can brighten up a shady areas; will reseed and naturalize where it is growing happily.

(From Oklahoma Gardener Volume X Issue III. Photos courtesy of Russell Studebaker.)

The spring swaths of Chinese woodland peonies combine beautifully with hosta, oakleaf hydrangea
and azalea. Inset: In April, the Chinese woodland peony sits on a cushion of soft green foliage.

I met perennial Chinese woodland peony (Paeonia obovata ssp. obovata var. willmottiae), a come-hither autumn siren, in the woodlands of Chanticleer garden in Radnor. Her scarlet sterile seeds in split seedpods beckoned full attention in an otherwise green textural setting with some pastel blooms.

Come spring, the Chinese woodland peony is a delicate white beauty. A single cup-shaped flower per stem sits on soft green, tapered, ovate foliage. This rare woodland peony is well worth the search and expense.

It thrives in light sun to part shade and fertile soil. When transplanted, it prefers somewhat moist soil the first year. After several years, it will self-seed generously. Or you can plant its fertile, metallic-blue seeds in autumn. The red seeds are not fertile. Plants will bloom in the third or fourth year. It’s deer-resistant and hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 7.

Common Name: Chinese Woodland Peony

Botanical Name: Paeonia obovata ssp. obovata var. willmottiae

Color: White flowers above stems in spring. Tapered ovate green foliage lasts into fall.

Blooming Period: April. Seedpods in October.

Type: Herbaceous perennial.

Size: 20 inches tall and wide.

Exposure: Part sun to shade.

When to Plant: Spring for transplants. Autumn for seeds.

How to Plant: Plant 2 feet apart. Water generously to settle soil around roots and remove air pockets.

Soil: Fertile, humusy.

Watering: Not too wet, not too dry.

When to Prune: Remove dead foliage in spring.

When to Fertilize: Apply organic fertilizer in spring and fall.

In Your Landscape: Plant several in woodlands, shady perennial beds and mixed borders.

(From Pennsylvania Gardener Volume II Issue II. Photography By Charlotte Kidd.)

Most all of us are drawn to golden plants in the garden, and Choisya ‘Sundance’ is one of my favorites. This mounding shrub has soft golden leaves, white flowers in early summer, and (to my complete surprise) has been evergreen in my garden for several years. Don’t let the delicate foliage fool you — it’s a tough plant to kill.

Young plants are very attractive and useful in containers and hanging baskets because of their naturally arching and weeping habit. Older plants in the garden will mound to about 4 feet and look great tumbling over rocks or a terrace, reminiscent of its original home in the mountains and cliffs of Mexico.

Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’ is also known as Mexican orange because the fragrant flowers resemble citrus blooms. They can grow in sun or light shade, but at least half a day of sun is required for the plant to have the strongest, brightest chartreuse color. No true garden should be without one!

Common Name: Mexican orange

Botanical Name: Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’

Blooming Period: Early summer, but it’s grown for its fabulous foliage.

Type: Woody blooming shrub

Size at Maturity: 3 to 5 feet tall and wide

Exposure: Full to part sun for best color

Hardiness Zone: Evergreen in Zones 7–10, but has partial evergreen qualities and shown stem and root hardiness in Zone 6.

Soil: Any good garden soil with added compost is suitable for Choisya ternata, hydrangea and other blooming shrubs.

Watering: Water regularly, when the top 3 inches of soil are dry.

When to Fertilize: Monthly water-soluble, general-purpose is fine, or a timed-release application two or three time a year.

Added Benefits: Year-round interest is this plant’s greatest quality. Evergreen and chartreuse, what more could you ask for? Oh, yes — flowers, too!

(From Tennessee Gardener Volume XII Issue III. Photo courtesy of Rita Randolph.)   

This clump of Arkansas beardtongue is at peak bloom.

Arkansas beardtongue (Penstemon arkansanus) is an herbaceous perennial native to portions of the Central and South Central U.S. However, when planted in the garden, it is hardy to a much broader geographical range that includes Pennsylvania. Its unusual common name comes from the appearance of a prominent hairy, sterile stamen called a staminode within each flower. The clusters of ¾-inch tubular flowers bloom from late spring through early summer. They are generally white but have conspicuous violet markings that give them a pinkish appearance from a distance.

In the landscape, Arkansas beardtongue can be used effectively in perennial borders, informal cottage gardens and patio containers. It is also tolerant of dry infertile soils, making it a good choice for rock gardens. For those interested in gardening for wildlife, Arkansas beardtongue produces nectar that attracts a wide range of small flying creatures such as native bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Regular deadheading will prolong the floral display, and, in warmer areas of the state, spent flowers can be cut back to encourage a second flush of blooming.

The tubular, white flowers are accented with violet.

Common Names: Arkansas beardtongue, Arkansas penstemon

Botanical Name: Penstemon arkansanus

Flowers: White with violet streaking

Foliage: Lance-shaped with entire or toothed margins, 2 to 3 inches long

Height: 20 to 26 inches

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Soil: Average, well-drained soil

Watering: Regular watering during first growing season. Drought tolerant afterwards.

Planting: Space 20 to 24 inches apart in spring or summer

In Your Landscape: Perennial borders; containers; native plant and wildlife gardens

(From Pennsylvania Gardener Volume II Issue II. Photography By Barrett Wilson.)

Cercis canadensis ‘Alba’ White Redbud (Photo courtesy of Mike Klahr.)

Redbud trees could be considered the poster child trees of the showy April bloomers list. The native Eastern redbud ( Cercis canadensis ) and the Chinese redbud (Cercis chinensis) are two of the showiest and most reliable bloomers of spring, flowering faithfully in April each year. The flower colors range from  all shades of pink, purple and lavender, to reddish or white, depending on the cultivar. A member of the pea and bean family, redbud flowers are edible, adding color and flavor to any spring salad, with the taste of fresh pea pods. Foliage and plant form also vary with cultivar. ‘Forest Pansy’ has incredible glossy purple leaves in the spring, while ‘Hearts of Gold’ starts out with beautiful yellow foliage, and ‘Silver Cloud’ has interesting variegated foliage with creamy white marbling. A weeping form is provided by ‘Lavender Twist’ (‘Covey’).

Lavender Twist (Cercis canadensis) ‘Covey’
(Photo courtesy of Mike Klahr.)


‘Avondale’ Chinese Redbud
(Photo by Josh Selm)

Common Name: Redbud

Botanical Name:  Cercis canadensis and  Cercis chinensis 

Cultivars: ‘Forest Pansy’, ‘Hearts of Gold’, ‘Silver Cloud’, Lavender Twist (‘Covey’), ‘Appalachian Red’, ‘Avondale’ and ‘Tennessee Pink’

Type: Deciduous

Flowers: Pink, purple, lavender, white and reddish

Foliage: Green, yellow, purple or variegated green/creamy white

Soil: Tolerates clay, acid or alkaline; Easy to grow

Zone:  C. canadensis : 9–2, C. chinensis: 9–3 

Size: 10 to 20 feet tall and wide

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Watering: One inch of water per week during the growing season

When To Fertilize: Fertilize in late fall or very early spring, based on soil test results.

Planting & Pruning: Plant B&B or containerized, fall or spring; prune after bloom, if needed.

In Your Landscape: Specimen, groupings, shrub border, woodland or in a naturalized setting; seasonal interest; great spring flowers, nice foliage and some fall color.

(From Kentucky Gardener Volume X Issue III.)

The “grow your own food” movement is still going strong in Indiana. Community gardens are the hot topic and finding a way to make the gardens attractive as well as practical helps make working in the garden fun for everyone. Although there are many plants that fit the “attractive and edible” category, one of the best is ‘Redbor’ kale.

You will usually see ‘Redbor’ kale in fall plantings at commercial properties but it is easily planted in the spring and grown throughout the summer. Since it will not bolt this plant makes an attractive focal-point plant in a container or beautiful backdrop to other bedding and vegetable garden plants. The leaves of ‘Redbor’ kale are edible and can be used cooked, made into kale “chips” or raw as a beautiful garnish.

Common Name: ‘Redbor’ Kale
Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea ‘Redbor’
Color: Purple/Red ruffled leaf
Blooming Period: No blooms
Type: Annual, extremely cold-tolerant late in season
Size: Upright, 2 to 3 feet tall, depending on growing conditions
Exposure: Full sun
When to Plant: Plant outside after danger of frost
How to Plant: In a vegetable or annual flower garden space 3 feet apart
Soil: Plant in good garden soil with lots of organic matter
Watering: Keep soil evenly moist during the growing season
Fertilizer: Fertilize every two weeks with a mild, liquid fertilizer or use a time-released fertilizer according to directions
When to Prune: No pruning needed
Landscape Uses: Containers, annual flower beds and vegetable gardens

(From Indiana Gardening Volume I Issue IV. Photography By Lynda Heavrin.)

Photo by Esther Westerveld.

The royal fern is a solution plant for gardens with wet soil. Royal ferns are named so because they can grow to be rather large, up to 5 feet tall and 5 feet across. They make quite an impact in the garden. Sterile fronds emerge in spring yellowish green and tinged with terra-cotta. Mature fronds are bright green. Being deciduous, pleasing yellow and brown shades appear in fall. They are quite striking when backlit by the sun. Because they thrive in wet soil, they’re ideal beside freshwater streams and ponds, in bogs and rain gardens. Though they are most often found growing in light shade, royal ferns can tolerate full sun with sufficient moisture.

It’s a temptation to collect plants such as these from the wild, but I strongly discourage it. Native populations can be dangerously diminished through over-collecting. Suitable companion plants may include pond cypress, dawn redwood, red maple, Lyonia, inkberry holly, coastal leucothoe, water irises, rushes, horsetail and sweet flag.

Common Name: Royal fern

Botanical Name: Osmunda regalis

Color: Bright green deciduous foliage turns yellow to brown in fall.

Zones: 3-10

Type: Perennial

Size: 24 to 60 inches tall x 24 to 60 inches wide

Exposure: Light shade to full sun (with sufficient moisture)

When to Plant: Mid to late spring or fall

How to Plant: Container-grown or bare-root plants spaced 24 to 48 inches apart

Soil: Moist to wet soil that is acidic

Watering: Soil moisture should be maintained.

When to Prune: Brown fronds may be removed in winter.

When to Fertilize: No fertilizer should be necessary.

In Your Landscape: Near ponds or streams, in bog gardens and rain gardens.

(From Georgia Gardening Volume X Issue III.)

Leptinella squalida ‘Platt’s Black’ along a rock-lined pathway.

This great little ground cover is ideal for shady, low-traffic areas where you want something soft underfoot. It’s perfect for woodland pathways, rock gardens and especially as a textural contrast between flagstones or in tiny crevices. The foliage of Leptinella squalida is very delicate and is available in several forms, from a soft green with slight hints of bronze-black to the very dramatic ‘Platt’s Black’ with strong bronze-black tones. It also contrasts very well when used near either bright green or chartreuse plants. There’s even Leptinella gruveri, miniature brass buttons, with minute leaves that are almost indestructible.

Common Name: New Zealand brass buttons

Botanical Name: Leptinella squalida, formerly Cotula squalida, in the daisy family (Asteraceae).

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: Brass buttons (Leptinella squalida), ‘Platt’s Black’ brass buttons (Leptinella squalida ‘Platt’s Black’) and miniature brass buttons (Leptinella gruveri)

Color: Foliage is feathery or fernlike, medium green with gray-green and slight black highlights with tiny golden-yellow button flowers. ‘Platt’s Black’ has darker distinctive bronze-black color foliage with bright green tips. Considered semi-evergreen, it may be fully evergreen if in a protected setting. True to its name it has a slight “brassy” color in winter.

Blooming Period: Though not typically grown for the bloom, small yellow button flowers appear from late spring to early summer with tiny capsular fruit to follow.

Zone(s): Leptinella squalida is hardy in Zones 5-9; L. gruveri is hardy in Zones 7-9 or in protected locations, possibly to Zone 5.

Type: Herbaceous perennial and rhizomatous ground cover forming a soft fuzzy mat

Size: Very low 2-inch height with 4- to 12-inch spread

Exposure: Full shade to part shade

When to Plant: Best planted in spring, although it also can be planted in fall. Divide in spring or fall by tearing apart into smaller pieces.

How to Plant: Readily available in 4-inch pots, sometimes 1-gallon containers. Plant 8 inches on center for faster coverage.

Soil: Acidic soils preferred, though tolerates a wide range of soil pH. Likes moist but well-drained loamy soils, rich in organic matter. It tolerates a wide range of conditions but beware – it does not like compacted soils.

Watering: Medium. Keep moist during warmer weather, though it likes to dry out very slightly between waterings. Farther south it will prefer extra moisture, especially during extreme heat and drought. Drought tolerant once well established. It may go dormant in severe heat, but will typically green-up once moderate temperatures resume.

When to Prune: Low maintenance. No pruning required. Can mow off old blooms if desired.

When to Fertilize: No fertilization required until well established.

In Your Landscape: Can be used in rock gardens, between flagstones on walkways, as a ground cover or as a fun contrast in containers. Can also be used as a turf substitute in shady, low-traffic areas. It’s great in woodlands and is even deer resistant!

(From Arkansas Gardener Volume XI Issue IV. Photos courtesy of Susan Jasan.)

Creating that tropical look has been hot for the last few years now, but for gardeners who don't have a lot of room, space can be a real premium. Those large banana plants or elephant ears can look completely out of place in a smaller garden, making everything else around it look tiny and out of proportion.

Fortunately, the master breeder of taro, Dr. John Cho in Hawaii, has bred a superb cultivar called 'Kona Coffee'. A true dwarf, the plant reaches about 2 feet in height, with rich, shiny coffee-colored foliage. It forms a tight clump that provides that exciting tropical look in the garden without sacrificing premium real estate.

Although it is considered a tropical plant, taro like 'Kona Coffee' is easily added to the perennial border. Bought as a dormant bulb in early spring, it can be planted in a pot indoors and then transplanted outside once the last chance of frost has past. 'Kona Coffee' grows well in full sun or part shade and will prefer moist soil. It's perfect for that wet spot in the yard next to the downspout. You can also plant it in containers, where it adds accent color for annuals that you change out from summer into fall.

Photo Courtesy of Plant Delights Nursery - plantdelights.com

Common Name: Elephant Ear 'Kona Coffee'

Botanical Name: Colocasia esculenta  'Kona Coffee'

Color: Shiny bronze, coffee-colored foliage

Type: Annual

Size: 2 feet tall

Exposure: Sun to part sun

When to Plant: Early summer

How to Plant: About 6 inches deep

Soil: Moist soil, can be grown as bog or water plant

Watering: Even, constant moisture

When to Prune: Trim back spent foliage

When to Fertilize: Standard fertilizer once a month during summer

In Your Landscape: Ideal in moist spot  in the garden, or in the bog or water garden

This viburnum is an introduction of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., and is perhaps best noted for its compact, spreading habit and glossy foliage. It is a densely branched, multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows 4 to 5 feet tall and 7 to 8 feet wide.

‘Conoy’ viburnum features fragrant, creamy white flowers arranged in flat-topped umbels (2 to 4 inches wide) in April. Flowers are followed by pendulous clusters of red berry-like drupes that ripen in August and persist into the fall before eventually turning black. Ovate, glossy, dark green leaves (to 4 inches long) turn maroon in fall, but might remain evergreen in warmer southern climates (Zone 7).

Common Name: ‘Conoy’ Burkwood viburnum

Botanical Name: Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Conoy’

Zones: 5 to 8

Plant Type: Deciduous shrub

Family: Adoxaceae

Height: 4 to 5 feet

Spread: 7 to 8 feet

Bloom Time: April

Bloom Color: Creamy white

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium

Maintenance: Low

(From Missouri Gardener. Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder.)

Crinum 'Sangria' puts a new spin on a classic Southern plant. Like other crinums, it is tough as nails, surviving on abandoned sites without care for decades. 'Sangria' updates this old staple with spectacular foliage that emerges a deep purple and slowly ages to green. The swordlike foliage eventually flops over, giving the plant a loose, casual feel. Worth growing for its foliage alone, the rose-pink flowers are a pretty bonus.

In winter, the dying foliage provides some protection; so if you live in the Northern half of the state, delay cutting it back until March. Of course, you could just leave it alone. No one cuts back, waters or fertilizes the many crinums growing on old homesteads across the state.
 

The deeply cut flowers are spectacular in summer, and there's a small encore performance in fall.


This little green anole doesn't seem concerned that his tail is slowly turning purple.

Common Name: Sangria crinum lily

Botanical Name: Crinum 'Sangria'

Color: Purple and green foliage with rosy pink flowers

Blooming Period: Summer and sporadically in fall

Zone(s): 7-10

Type: Perennial bulb

Size: 24-30 inches

Exposure: Sun to part sun

When to Plant: Spring to fall

How to Plant: Plant bulbs with the top of the neck even with the soil surface.

Soil: Adapts to everything but a bog.

Watering: Drought tolerant once established.

When to Prune: Not necessary

In Your Landscape: Use its contrasting color and shape to draw the eye.



Photo Credits:

(1) Photo courtesy of Jenks Farmer.
(2) Photo courtesy of Plant Delights Nursery, www.plantdelights.com.
(3) Photo courtesy of Peggy Hill.

Variegated Solomon's seal adds substance and dimension to a shaded, sloping bed.

Polygonatum multiflorum has held a rich tradition with European herbalists since medieval times. Primarily used as poultice to reduce excessive bruising, modern science has found Solomon's North American sister P. biflorum to be elementally the same. Botanically, P. biflorum bears two flowers from each leaf axis and P. multiflorum may bear three or more.

Hardy to USDA Zone 4, and having the ability to tolerate drought, with the Wisdom of Solomon my variegated Polygonatum went into complete dormancy during last summer's 115 F heat. Solomon's seal prefers a woodland environment with regular water to look its best.

Use this low-maintenance perennial as an herbaceous ground cover or interplant with Hosta, wild ginger (Asarum), Helleborus or Brunnera. Useful as a standalone container plant, remove rhizomes and replenish with new soil every other year.


Common Name: Solomon's seal

Botanical Name: Polygonatum multiflorum 'Striatum' (P. m. 'Variegatum')

Foliage: Alternate, 3-4 inches long on thin, stiff stems. Good for floral arrangements.

Color: White, tubular, 1-inch blooms in clusters beneath foliage.

Bloom Period: Late spring

Type of Plant: Rhizomatous perennial

Size: 24 inches high; spreading as allowed       

Exposure: Shade to part shade

Soil: Loam, clay or rich in organic matter; drainage is essential.

Water: Weekly or twice a month once established

Propagation: Divide in early spring, taking rhizomes from outer edge of planting.

In Your Landscape: Solomon's seal makes a great companion for larger ferns or hostas.

(Photos courtesy of LeeAnn Barton. From OKlahoma Gardener Volume X Issue II.)

The sepals and small fruit offer a unique autumn display and remain on the shrub until winter.
(Photo Courtesy of Bailey Nurseries)

When looking for a plant with interesting winter characteristics, Heptacodium is a practically unknown large shrub with peeling bark. Often limbed up to make a multi-trunk small tree, strips and layers of cream, tan and brown on twisting and muscled trunks looks much like a mature crapemyrtle.

Heptacodium is also known for its large clusters of pleasantly fragrant white flowers from late August through October. The flowers are a good source for nectar for butterflies in the fall season. As the petals drop off, the rose-colored sepals and small purple fruit are left behind to make a nice display until winter.
Also known as seven-son flower or hardy crapemyrtle, Heptacodium tolerates hot and dry conditions, a wide range of soil types and it grows best in a sunny site.

Heptacodium offers fall and winter interest in the landscape. Use as an accent or screen. Above two photos courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder: Chris Starbuck

Common Name: Seven-Son Flower

Botanical Name: Heptacodium miconioides

Color: White

Blooming Period: Late summer and early fall

Type: Large shrub or small tree

Size: 15 to 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide

Form: Fountain or oval shaped

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

When to Prune: Winter or early spring

In Your Landscape: Use in a shrub border or woodland garden, or as a focal point or lawn specimen.  

 

The striking yellow markings of ‘Phantom’ petunia should resonate with Mizzou fans.

‘Black Velvet’ is the latest petunia to hit garden centers and is sure to be a big hit among gardening enthusiasts this spring. This unique black petunia has great potential in the landscape as it looks spectacular mixed with white, yellow and pink colors. Use other colors of petunias or accent ‘Black Velvet’ with delicate flowers like gaura, ‘Snow Princess’ lobularia or euphorbia.

Not to be outdone, two other black petunia varieties add to the new series. ‘Phantom’ offers a yellow stripe giving a tiger-stripe pattern, perfect for Mizzou fans. ‘Pinstripe’ has a narrow white to light pink stripe which looks great with any pink, rose or purple accents.

All three varieties have medium-sized flowers and grow best in containers. With their upright mounding habit, they are a perfect component for hanging baskets and patio containers.

Petunias are somewhat cold tolerant, yet they take hot Missouri summers as well. Petunias are heavy feeders and need to be fertilized often for their best performance.

The world’s first truly black petunia, ‘Black Velvet’, is highlighted by the delicate flowers of euphorbia.

Common Name: Black Velvet Petunia

Botanical Name: Petunia x hybrid ‘Black Velvet’

Varieties: ‘Black Velvet’, ‘Phantom’, ‘Pinstripe’

Color: Black and very dark purple

Blooming Period: Spring through fall

Type: Annual

Soil: Potting soil

Exposure: Full sun

When to Plant: March or April

Fertilizing: Feed two to three times per week with a soluble fertilizer

In Your Landscape: Plant petunias in hanging baskets and patio planters for best performance.

(From Missouri Gardener Volume I Issue II. Photos Courtesy Ball Horticultural Company.)

The early blooms of ‘Peggy Clarke’ attract pollinators like this honeybee
when not much else is available to them.

There’s not much out in the garden that can beat the winter blues like Prunus mume ’Peggy Clarke’, also known as the Japanese flowering apricot tree. When it’s too cold for much else to bloom, this small tree bravely sends out its blossoms on bare limbs in mid to late winter, providing the kind of showy display that most plants set aside for spring. It’s an amazing sight in the dead of winter.

‘Peggy Clarke’ is a double-flowering cultivar with fragrant rose-pink petals. The flowers tolerate most freezing conditions without damage and it remains in bloom for several weeks. These fast-growing small trees can reach a height of 15-25 feet with an equal spread. Its small size fits in well within a border setting, or it can be used as a stand-alone specimen. Its delightful fragrance will draw you closer to the tree, so plant one by your house or walkway for utmost enjoyment.

The small size of ‘Peggy Clarke’ fits in well within a border setting, or it can be used as a stand alone specimen.

 Common Name: Japanese apricot

Botanical Name: Prunus mume

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: ‘Peggy Clarke’

Color: Rose-pink flowers

Blooming Period: Winter to very early spring

Zone(s): 6-9

Type: Deciduous woody perennial

Size: 15 to 25 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide

Exposure: Sun to partial shade

When to Plant: Spring or fall

Soil: Moist but well-drained soil

Watering: Water regularly at first planting then as needed once established; do not overwater.

When to Prune: Not necessary except to remove dead or diseased wood.

When to Fertilize: Fertilize lightly in spring with a balanced fertilizer.

In Your Landscape: Its small size fits in well within a border setting, or it can be used as a stand-alone specimen. Also works well when planted near a walkway or entrance.

(From Virginia Gardener Volume X Issue I. Photos courtesy of Alan Pulley.)

¹

What tree does a nursery grower and a garden center manager plant around their landscape? Parrotia (Parrotia persica), aka Persian ironwood, is likely one favorite. Parrotia is a small-to-medium sized, easy-to-grow lawn, patio or street tree. It is native to Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus region. Tree form is vase-shaped, narrow at the base and wide in the canopy.

By mid-March parrotia flowers have emerged. Flowers have no petals, and clusters of ruby red stamens elicit little notice. Leaves similar to those of witch hazel soon appear, sporting a red to purplish tinge. Summer’s lustrous dark green leaves are 3-5 inches long. Autumn foliage colors, a mixed blend of yellow, orange and red hues, are effective over a four to five week period.

After 12-15 years, parrotia’s smooth gray bark begins to exfoliate, revealing a green, white, tan and cinnamon mosaic pattern. The tree is long-lived with no serious insect or disease problems.

1

2

1

After 12-15 years, parrotia’s smooth gray bark begins to exfoliate, revealing a green, white, tan and cinnamon mosaic pattern. ²


Flowers have no petals, and clusters of ruby red stamens elicit little notice. ³

Common Name: Parrotia, Persian ironwood

Botanical Name: Parrotia persica

Varieties/Cultivars: Several, including popular ‘Biltmore’, with tall, upright branching habit

Color: Inconspicuous flowers appear in early March.

Type: Small-to-medium tree

Size: Variable 20-40 feet, depending on care and soil quality

Exposure: Full to partial sunlight (six hours minimum)

When to Plant: Balled-and-burlapped in late winter to early spring

Soil: Average, well-drained landscape site; autumn leaf colors are more vivid in acidic soils.

Watering: Resistant to heat, drought, wind and urban air pollution after two-year establishment span.

When to Prune: Rarely needed; remove all root suckers and lower branches to better view the strikingly ornate mosaic bark.

When to Fertilize: Feed young trees in late winter with 10-10-10 or equivalent fertilizer around treedrip line.

In Your Landscape: Carefree, long-lived specimen landscape tree, or use as a shade tree near an outdoor living area for multi-seasonal appeal. Exfoliating, mosaic-patterned bark is a key winter feature as the tree ages.

Zones: 4-8 

Photo Credits:
1 - Photo by Jean-Pol Grandmont
2 - Photo courtesy of Hubert P. Conlon
3 - Photo by Sten Porse

(From Tennessee Gardener Volume XII Issue I.) 

A new Plant of Merit Introduction for 2011 — and one of the earliest bloomers for spring (I’ve personally seen blooms the end of February). Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ is commonly sold in commerce by the trade name of Ivory Prince.

It was selected in 1995 in Sussex, England, from a controlled breeding program designed to produce new Helleborus sp. plants that exhibited vigorous growth, upright form and flatness of flowers. It is a bushy, clump-forming perennial that typically grows to 12 to 18 inches tall. It is noted for its burgundy-pink flower buds, its late winter bloom of creamy white flowers and its glossy, leathery, evergreen, medium-green leaves. Outward-facing, cup-shaped, creamy white flowers (to 2 to 3 inches in diameter) with overlapping petals bloom atop reddish stems from late winter to midspring (March to May in St. Louis). Flowers acquire pink tones with age. Leaves, stems and roots are poisonous.

Easily grown in organically rich, humusy, slightly alkaline, medium moisture, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade. Prefers light to moderate shade. Although the foliage is evergreen, it may become scorched and tattered in extremely harsh winters, particularly if not sited in locations protected from cold winter winds or insulated by snow cover. Cut back flowering stems after bloom to promote new foliage growth. This patented hybrid is reportedly sterile.

Common Name: Christmas rose

Botanical Name: Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ Ivory Prince

Zone: 3 to 8

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

Missouri Native: No

Native Range: None

Height: 1 to 1.5 feet

Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet

Bloom Time: March to May

Bloom Color: Creamy white

Sun: Part shade to full shade

Water: Medium

Maintenance: Low

(From Missouri Gardener Volume I Issue II. Photography By Chris Nejelski.)

The fruit are an attractive bright yellow.

'Longwood Gold' is a selection of Foster's holly (Ilex x attenuata), a hybrid between dahoon holly (I. cassine) and American holly (I. opaca), both of which are native to the Eastern U.S. A female cultivar, 'Longwood Gold' will generally receive sufficient pollination from nearby male American hollies during spring to provide ample fruit set.

Selected for its bright yellow fruit and outstanding cold hardiness, 'Longwood Gold' has proven to be an excellent performer in Pennsylvania. The leathery, dark green foliage fades very little during the winter and provides a pleasant contrast to the showy fruit. With its uncluttered, pyramidal form, 'Longwood Gold' stands out as a specimen and provides vertical interest in the garden. The dense foliage makes an ideal screen and provides shelter and food for wildlife during multiple seasons.

This large specimen shows a nice pyramidal form.

Common Names: 'Longwood Gold' Foster's holly

Botanical Name:  Ilex x attenuata 'Longwood Gold'

Fruit: Yellow berry-like fruit in fall and winter

Size: 30 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide

Exposure: Sun or part shade

Soil: Well-drained, moist, acidic soil; avoid sites with standing water

Watering: Water regularly during establishment and drought conditions.

Planting: Plant in spring, 12 feet apart.

When to Prune: Though usually not required, can be pruned in winter if a dense, compact plant is desired.

In Your Landscape: Ideal as a specimen, screen or vertical accent.



 

(From Pennsylvania Gardener Volume I Issue VI. Photograhy by Barrett Wilson.) 

Cercis canadensis ‘Whitewater’ is a “hot plant” out of North Carolina and a North American native tree too! This small, deciduous tree with beautifully variegated white and green leaves was developed by Dr. Dennis Werner at North Carolina State University. It’s a good choice to incorporate into your garden where contrasting foliage color is desired. Traditional magenta-pink flowers of the redbud emerge in the early spring on bare branches, followed by the intriguing white variegated leaves. Some leaves appear to be spattered with paint, while others are blotchy in appearance, but all variegation is a bright white.

As summer progresses the leaves will lose some of their variegation, but the tree maintains its small weeping form. This tree is a hybrid cross between Cercis x ‘Silver Cloud’ and ‘Covey’.

Select a garden location where this tree can be enjoyed in combination with other small shrubs and perennials. Cercis canadensis ‘Whitewater’ is a perfect specimen plant when strategically placed in a white-themed garden or any collector’s garden, adding height and four seasons of interest with its form, flowers and foliage.

 

Common Name: Whitewater red bud.

Botanical Name: Cercis canadensis ‘Whitewater’.

Color: Magenta flowers typical of species.

Blooming Period: Early March into April.

Type: Deciduous tree.

Size: Width (at 10 years) is 2 to 3 feet and height (at 10 years) is 5 to 7 feet.

Exposure: Full sun to part shade.

Hardiness Zone: 6 to 9.

When to Plant: Plant in the fall or early spring to establish a good root system prior to hot weather.

Soil: Well-drained, moist soils.

Watering: Water well once per week to establish good root system.

When to Fertilize: At planting time.

(From Carolina Gardener. Photos courtesy of Clara A. Curtis.)
 

Vivid orange and orange-red flower colors

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a drought- and heat-tolerant, full-sun perennial native in many states across the country. The plant grows to about 3-4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. Starting in summer, orange or orange-red flowers appear, which do a wonderful job of attracting butterflies and other beneficial insects such as bees, although it claims its fame by being one of the important host plants for monarch butterflies. Two to three-inch long pods form after flowering, enclosing many seeds, and when the pods crack, seeds, each equipped with a "helicopter propeller," will be visible. If "free" seedlings are not wanted, seedpods should be removed when green or before cracking.

Butterfly weeds can be planted in groups in butterfly, prairie or native gardens with other plants that have similar characteristics. It is very hard to transplant due to its deep taproot; grow from seeds or container plants. It is a very forgiving plant, and water and fertilizer will help to produce a bigger plant with more flowers. Aphids are often seen at the juiciest part of the plant, the tips, which can create an aesthetic problem. However, spraying chemicals may kill butterfly larvae too -- don't you want monarch butterflies? Hand squishing or spraying off with water may be a better alternative.

 Butterfly weed attracts butterflies and bees.

Common Name: Butterfly weed

Botanical Name: Asclepias tuberosa

Color: Red, yellow, orange

Blooming Period: Summer to early fall

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Size: 3-5 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide

Watering: Dry to moderate

Fertilize: Low to moderate

Soil: Sandy, well drained

Sun/Shade: Full sun

In Your Landscape: Mixed plantings in flowerbeds as focal points, or in the background.

(From Mississippi Gardener Volume XII Issue I. Photos courtesy of Beth Willis.)

With remarkable vigor, the 'Raven' Shaw's Legacy® dawn redwood grows at a rate of up to 3 feet per year. It is an outstanding, widely adaptable tree for landscape use. Characterized by linear, feathery, fern-like foliage, the needles turn red-bronze in the fall. Its growth habit is pyramidal, with low, uniform branching. As the tree matures, the trunk broadens at the base and develops deeply burrowed, convoluted bark, which gives it an "ancient" appearance.

Historically, the dawn redwood was once commonly present over much of North America.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides seeds were collected from Modaoqi, China, and made available to the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, in 1947. They were planted on the grounds in 1952. One of those 1952 trees was a little different, and was named 'Raven'. It is distinguished from typical specimens of Metasequoia glyptostroboides in the following ways: uniform pyramidal growth habit, low-branching habit with branches uniformly spaced, deeply furrowed bark, better resistance to foliar diseases and more vigorous growth rate.

It was later named 'Raven' Shaw's Legacy® dawn redwood to recognize Dr. Peter Raven's service to the garden. This new 2011 Plant of Merit® will be available in limited quantities from the Missouri Botanical Garden.

 

Common Name:  Dawn redwood

 Botanical Name:  Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Raven'

 Zone:  4 to 8

 Height:  70 to 100 feet

 Spread:  25 to 50 feet

 Bloom Time:  Non-flowering

 Bloom Color:  Non-flowering

 Sun:  Full sun

 Water:  Medium to wet

 Maintenance:  Low

(From Missouri Gardener Volume 2011 Issue May/June. Photography by Chris Nejelski.)

Mini Revolution

Perk up your flowerbeds and patio this spring and summer with Revolution series gerbera daisies. Praised for its tight compact habit, reliable uniform growth and resilient dark green foliage, this outstanding new series blooms earlier than other cultivars and persists later into Louisiana summers, making it the perfect selection for container color and flowerbed fillers. For best results, begin planting in early to midspring to allow these daisies enough time to acclimate to our brutal summers. Though gerbera daisies often suffer heat stress from late July through September, autumn’s cool arrival offers a reprieve for this durable series when they bloom again from mid to late fall.

Revolution gerbera daisies bloom in assorted shades of pink, red, yellow, white and apricot, as well as the standard mix. Variations of the Revolution series to look for include Mega Revolution, Micro Revolution and Mini Revolution. Enliven patio tables, poolside planters and front porch containers with the cheerful smiles of gerbera daisies, and integrate them as fillers in flowerbeds with other spring and summer favorites. Mix Revolution Neon Rose, for instance, with spring-flowering osteospermum Akila Purple and Voltage Yellow, ‘PowWow White’ Echinacea and cherry red calibrachoa. Brighten beds by incorporating masses of Revolution Yellow gerbera daisies with blue plumbago, ‘Hot Lips’ Salvia microphylla, ‘Landmark Yellow’ lantana and amethyst-flowering Intenz celosia.

Mega Revolution

Revolution Golden Yellow

Revolution Rose Shades

Common Name: Transvaal daisy, gerbera daisy

Botanical Name: Gerbera jamesonii

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: Mega Revolution, Micro Revolution, Mini Revolution, Revolution

Color: Vanilla, white, pink, apricot, yellow, scarlet, shadesof these colors and mixed

Blooming Period: Peak bloom is April through July, andagain October through early December

Type: Tender perennial

Size: 8-10 inches tall by 6 inches wide

Exposure: Sun

When to Plant: Early to midspring

How to Plant: Plant in containers for seasonal patio color, or group clusters with other warm-season bedding plants 1 foot apart.

Soil: Well drained, slightly acidic

Watering: As needed to prevent wilting; prone to wilting in summer.

When to Prune: Remove old faded flowers to extend blooming season.

When to Fertilize: At planting with a slow-release fertilizer, and again early to midsummer to encourage healthy late-season growth.

In Your Landscape: Let Revolution gerbera daisies take the spotlight in containers, or plant masses of single colors along walkways or edges.

(From Louisiana Gardener Volume XIV Issue I. Photos courtesy of Ball Horticultural.)

 Allium angulosum ‘Summer Beauty’ mixes with Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta (foreground),
Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’ and Seslaria autumnalis in the boulevards of Fontana.

I like Allium angulosum ‘Summer Beauty’ so much I have to be careful not to overuse it. In early April, its foliage gives substance to the garden. Round lilac flowers bloom from late June into late July. I don’t deadhead it because in early fall, the flowering stems turn reddish-yellow, contrasting with the rich green foliage.

This plant mingles well because it has a mounding
growth habit, respects its space, and it’s sterile, so it doesn’t create extra work by seeding around. With all its strong features, this plant will help you develop a stylish, healthy, long-lived planting.

Common Name: ‘Summer Beauty’ allium

Botanical Name: Allium angulosum ‘Summer Beauty’

Color: Lilac

Blooming Period: Late June to late July

Size: 16 to 18 inches with similar spread in five years

Exposure: Full sun

When to Plant: Throughout the growing season

Soil: Average, well-drained

Watering: Keep moist until established. Does well in average to slightly drier soils.

When to Fertilize: Needs no commercial fertilizer. Nutrients can be provided by mulching with leaf compost every two to three years.

In Your Landscape: I like it planted with Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta, Seslaria autumnalis or Limonium latifolium.

Even when it’s not in bloom, ‘Summer Beauty’ has attractive, grass-like foliage
that combines well with mounding plants like Nepeta ‘Early Bird’.

(From Wisconsin Gardening Volume I Issue I. Photography By Roy Diblik.)

Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) hedges (to the left and right) six weeks after midsummer pruning.

Some of the best things about Northern bayberry aren’t visible to the naked eye. It can be a handsome plant, with glossy green leaves and blue-gray berries. But one of its real beauties is the ability to tolerate a range of soil and weather conditions. It withstands wind-blown salt spray, making it a really fine candidate for planting along roadways in this snowy part of the country.

The foliage is pleasantly aromatic, and so are the berries, which are the source of bayberry candle wax. The berries are an important winter food for birds.

Left unpruned, Northern bayberry forms a fairly open shrub, good for the back of a border or transition to a wooded area. Annual pruning will encourage a denser hedge. Both male and female plants are needed for berry production. It has no serious pests or diseases.

Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) berries persist most of the year.

Common Name: Northern bayberry

Botanical Name: Morella pensylvanica

Winter Hardiness: USDA Zone 2

Blooming Period: May

Type: Deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub

Size: 5 to 12 feet

Exposure: Sun to part shade

When to Plant: Spring or fall

How to Plant: 5 feet apart, or 3 feet apart for a formal hedge. Shrubs will sucker.

Soil: Moist to average, acidic to neutral, clay to sand

Watering: Once a week for the first three months (only if no rain)

When to Prune: Thin and shorten stems in spring, shape in midsummer

When to Fertilize: Not necessary

In Your Landscape: Group for informal screening; prune annually for a more formal hedge; cover a slope or streamside for erosion control.

(From Ohio Gardener Volume I Issue I. Photography By Ann McCulloh.)

Do you need a fast-growing evergreen screen that is resistant to deer and bagworms? Or perhaps you are looking for a great focal point evergreen as a specimen or in a grouping? If so, look no further than ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja standishii x plicata ‘Green Giant’).

This relatively new hybrid arborvitae is not what most people think of when they think “arborvitae.” This very fast- growing tree has reached 35 feet by 10 feet wide in just seven years (from 3-foot trees at planting) at the Boone County Arboretum in Northern Kentucky. This stately, narrow, formal evergreen forms a dense, “upside down ice cream cone” shaped tree that stays green throughout winter. This selection is resistant to ice and snow load damage.

Tolerant of a range of soil types from sand to heavy clay and pH adaptable, this truly is an easy-to-grow conifer. However, one should avoid poorly drained sites that hold excessive water during wet periods.

Consider using this selection as a much superior alternative to the disease-prone Leyland cypress. It is hardy in USDA Zones 5-7.

Common Name: ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae

Botanical Name: Thuja standishii x plicata

Cultivar: ‘Green Giant’

Type: Needled evergreen

Flowers: Inconspicuous, not ornamentally significant

Soil: Tolerant of heavy clay to sandy soils, and pH adaptable.

Size: 60’ tall x 12-20’ wide

Exposure: Sun to partial shade

Watering: One inch of water per week during the growing season

When To Fertilize: Fertilize lightly in late winter/early spring, or in late fall based on soil test results.

Planting & Pruning: Plant in early spring or fall; little to no pruning needed, maintain a central leader.

In Your Landscape: Great for screens, group plantings, hedges or as a specimen.

Zones: 5-7

(From Kentucky Gardener Volume X Issue I. Photos courtesy of Kristopher Stone.)

Sweet alyssum, as the name hints, is certainly a sweet-smelling annual, but it’s often grown in such small quantities that the smell is overlooked. Butterflies are drawn to the fragrant small flowers that range in color from blue to lavender, pink, yellow and white. Small, gray-green, linear leaves are covered by the abundant flowers, and as a member of the mustard family, the small, four- petaled flowers almost completely cover the foliage and bloom continuously.

The leaves and flowers can withstand light frosts, making this annual useful for spring baskets, container gardens and garden beds with well-drained, evenly moist soils. A single low-growing plant covers about 8 to 10 square inches.

 

Common Name: Sweet alyssum.

Botanical names: Lobularia maritima ‘Deep Purple’ and ‘Citron’.

Family: Brassicaceae.

Color: White, purple, yellow, lavender and pink.

Blooming Period: Indeterminate.

Type: Annual.

Size: 2 to 5 inches high, 10-inch spread.

Exposure: Full sun.

Hardiness Zone: 10-11.

When to Plant: After the last spring frost.

Soil: Well-drained garden soil, soilless media container mix.

When to Prune: This plant requires no pruning.

When to Fertilize: Upon planting and intermittently during growing season.

(From Carolina Gardener Volume XXIV Issue I. Photos courtesy of Clara A. Curtis.)

Above: Dracaena ‘Limelight’ shines in a patio planter with coleus, fuchsia and impatiens.

The hot plant for January isn’t a plant at all. It’s a color — chartreuse. Chartreuse goes with just about every other color and never fails to brighten up a dark room on a dreary winter day. Fortunately, there are a number of excellent new houseplants that shine brightly in chartreuse.

Vines and basket plants include Philodendron ‘Neon’ and Pothos ‘Neon’, both nearly identical, not only in name but habit and tough-as-nails hardiness. Philodendron ‘Moonlight’ is a non-vining philly good for pots.

For larger plants, the new dracaenas are hard to beat including ‘Limelight’ and ‘Lemon Surprise’. Even the old standby umbrella plant now comes in chartreuse — Schefflera ‘Amate Soleil’. These can all make the trip outside to a shady spot when the weather warms.

Schefflera ‘Amate Soleil’ is a bright new twist on umbrella plant.

Common Name: Corn plant, philodendron, pothos and schefflera

Botanical Name: Dracaena, Philodendron, Epimedium, Brassaia

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: Dracaena ‘Limelight’, D. ‘Lemon Surprise, Philodendron ‘Neon’, P. ‘Moonlight’, Epimedium ‘Neon’ and Brassaia ‘Amate Soleil’

Color: Foliage is various shades of chartreuse

Blooming Period: Flowers are insignificant

Type: Tropical houseplants

Size: 8 to 48 inches

Exposure: Just about anywhere in the house, shady spots outside in summer

How to Plant: In pots

Soil: Well-drained loose mix

Watering: Keep moist in summer, a little drier in winter

When to Prune: When needed

When to Fertilize: Spring and summer — do not overfeed

In Your Landscape: Patio containers or porches

(From Ohio Gardener  Volume I Issue I. Photography By Chris Baker.)

Verbena bonariensis ‘Little One’

I will never run out of plants to discuss as I love so many, but I asked my friends what they will be thinking about in January/February and in unison I heard “seeds.” So, an easy plant from seed it is — one of my favorites is Verbena bonariensis.

Unlike other Verbena species, this one germinates well, and, for better or worse, reseeds readily in the garden. It is a tall plant, up to 4 feet in good, well-watered soil, with beautiful pale lavender flowers that are attractive to butterflies and never need deadheading. The color and height fits well into annual beds as a background plant or into perennial planting designs as a filler, even among shorter plants.

Some might complain about the reseeding “quality” of Verbena bonariensis, but it is easily removed, and, at least in our Northern Indiana climate, has never become out of control. So as you are watching the snow and dreaming of summer flowers, pull out your seed catalogs and order some Verbena bonariensis seeds. It will be an inexpensive way to experiment and be creative in your garden.

 

Botanical Name: Verbena bonariensis

Common Name: Purpletop vervain

Color: Pale lavender

Blooming Period: Summer through frost

Type: Reseeding annual

Size: Up to 4 feet

Light: Full sun

Soil: Good garden soil with lots of organic matter

Watering: Provide a ½ inch of water per week. It is somewhat drought tolerant.

Fertilizer: Not a heavy feeder. Will perform well with feedings of a mild liquid fertilizer every three weeks.

Excellent in a large container, esperanza dresses up any patio.

Flowering shrubs such as Tecoma stans (esperanza, yellow bells) have a dramatic impact on a landscape, whether they are used for a colorful accent or planted along a boundary for a showy border.

Esperanza is a large treelike shrub with lush green foliage. Its leaves are divided into five to 13 leaflets, and it produces huge clusters of bright yellow, bell-shaped flowers from spring into fall.

Esperanza performs well in the heat of summer and is not susceptible to insect infestations or fungal diseases. However, it is frost sensitive and should be protected from freezing temperatures. Since it is an excellent container specimen, consider potting it so it can be moved to a protected area for the winter.

Esperanza has a tropical appearance with its lush foliage and showy flowers.

Common Name: Esperanza, yellow bells, hardy yellow trumpet, yellow elder

Botanical Name: Tecoma stans

Type: Perennial (or annual) shrub

Blooming Period: Spring to fall

Size: 10 feet tall to 4 feet wide, larger in warmer climates

Exposure: Full sun

Soil: Well-drained soil

Water: Low to moderate. Drought tolerant once established.

Care Tips: Protect from hard freezes. Prune any frost damage in late winter or early spring. It is a fast grower and will recover quickly.

In Your Landscape: Excellent container plant or use as an accent.

(From Arkansas Gardener Volume XII Issue I. Photos courtesy of Sharon Bowen.)

If you don’t know sedges, then you’re missing out on one of the best plants to grow in Indiana in the shaded or woodland garden. Not just because it’s deer resistant, although that reason alone would be proof of its superior value in the landscape. Sedges are also usually very easy to grow. They blend well with many other shade-loving plants, perennial and annual, with their thin leaves and mounding habit (although a few are upright).

It’s when a sedge comes in a variegated form that it really gets my attention. The white, silver or yellow hues add still more pizzazz to the shady border, lasting all spring and summer and often staying almost evergreen into winter.

One excellent new cultivar is ‘Everest’, a white sport of the much-loved gold Japanese sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’). It usually grows quickly to 1 foot or so in height, with a wide mounding spread that is about 2 feet across. It grows well in fertile, moist well-drained soil and prefers at least part shade. Place it next to hostas or ferns in the woodland and watch everyone shine the brighter for it.

‘Everest’ weeping sedge is a great brightener for shade gardens.

Common Name: ‘Everest’ weeping sedge

Botanical Name: Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’

Color: White-edged leaves, flowers not remarkable

Type: Perennial

Size: Grows about 1 foot tall in a mounding clump of about 2 feet wide

Exposure: Part sun to full shade

When to Plant: In spring as soon as possible

How to Plant: Soil flush with crown of plant

Soil: Regular garden soil

Watering: Moist well-drained soil

When to Prune: Trim back spent foliage in spring for new growth to appear.

When to Fertilize: Standard fertilizer once a month during spring and summer

In Your Landscape: Excellent as an edging or accent plant in the shade or woodland garden. It is a perfect partner for hosta and ferns. It is deer resistant but well-loved by field mice.

The bright red new growth glows against the older, dark green foliage. It’s also a great contrasting
texture to Yucca ‘Bright Edge’ in the background and ruby grass (Melinus nerviglumis ‘Savannah’)
on the right. Photo courtesy of Plant Development Services. 

Good looking and oh so easy – no wonder they call this one Flirt. New leaves emerge deep red, transition through burgundy and finally age to green. At times, all three colors are present on the same plant. Normally you would need two plants to get contrasting foliage, but this one does it all. If it starts to green out in midsummer, give it a little fertilizer to stimulate new growth and get the color show started again. A mass planting of this dwarf nandina makes a wonderful, fine-textured ground cover.

Great for beginners, lazy gardeners and everyone else, it is a very forgiving plant. It requires no pruning, and unlike the large nandinas, it is not invasive. The few berries it may produce are sterile. Mine was grown at a nursery in Mobile, so you know it can handle our heat and humidity.

Common Name: Flirt nandina

Botanical Name: Nandina domestica ‘Murasaki’

Color: New growth is red and ages to deep green.

Zone(s): 6-10

Type: Evergreen shrub

Size: 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

How to Plant: Even with or slightly above soil level; space 2 feet apart for a quick ground cover.

Soil: Average

Watering: Drought tolerant once established.

Pruning: Not necessary

When to Fertilize: Slow-release fertilizerin early spring

In Your Landscape: Mix it with perennials to provide winter interest, or use it as a ground cover in front of foundation shrubs to add depth.

(From Alabama Gardener Volume XI Issue I.)

Aloes come in many shades and stripes.

When you think of aloe, you probably think of Aloe vera, the burn plant, but with the explosion in popularity of succulents in the last several years, many new hybrids, as well as lesser-known species, are now available to plant lovers. These tough plants will enjoy a sunny spot on your summer patio and do equally as well in a sunny window when cold weather arrives. Just remember to water less in the winter. The new hybrids, while not as medicinal as good old Aloe vera, are quite striking. Foliage varies from blue to silver to dark green, with different colored stripes, spots and edges. Flowers are a bonus, occurring on long stalks at different times of the year, depending on the variety.
 

Aloe ‘Silver Ridge’ is beautiful and easy to care for.

Common Name: Aloe, burn plant, lily of the desert

Botanical Name: Aloe species and cultivars

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: Aloe vera ‘Christmas Carol’, ‘Grassie Lassie’, ‘Pink Blush’, ‘Silver Ridge’

Color: Foliage is green, silver and blue. Flowers are orange, pink and yellow.

Blooming Period: Varies by variety

Type: Succulent perennial — not cold hardy in Ohio

Size: 10 to 24 inches

Exposure: Full sun to part sun

How to Plant: In pots

Soil: Well-drained loose mix

Watering: Keep slightly moist in summer; dry in winter.

When to Prune: Not needed

When to Fertilize: Spring and summer. Do not overfeed.

In Your Landscape: Patio containers or dry beds.

(From Ohio Gardener Volume I Issue VI. Photography by Chris Baker.)

  

  
   

 

I feel like the FDA pulling the plug on a prescription drug trial before all the results are in, but I am atypically confident that Delta Jazz crapemyrtle is a unique hot plant for Arkansas. Our University of Arkansas Plant Evaluation program started evaluating this plant in 2010, and although it has only been under review for less than two years, I feel this crapemyrtle has tremendous ornamental potential for Arkansas gardeners.

Delta Jazz, developed by researchers at Mississippi State University (MSU), was introduced to the retail trade in the spring of 2010. What impresses me most about this introduction is the striking contrast between the strong, medium pink flowers and the dark burgundy leaves. Although one researcher at MSU is quoted as describing the foliage as a “dark brown,” I liken it more to a burgundy-maroon. Unlike some other dark-foliaged plants, the foliage on this plant appears to retain that dark color very well under our brutally hot summers. Flowering appears to be fairly continuous from mid-June to early October.

Based on published information, this should finish out as a medium-sized crapemyrtle (6-10 feet tall). It is too early to comment on the strength of the bark characteristics. I must mention that when I first saw this selection in Texas in 2009, the foliage was destroyed by powdery mildew. As of now, I have not observed this as a serious issue in Arkansas, but I will continue my watch. Most of the online literature indicates the cold hardiness for this plant is USDA Zone 7-9, however, so far it looks suitable for Zone 6.



Common Name: Delta Jazz crapemyrtle
Botanical Name: Lagerstroemia hybrid
Type: Deciduous shrub
Flowers: Summer
Soil: Tolerant
Size: 6-10 feet tall x 4-5 feet wide
Exposure: Sun
Soil: Tolerant
Watering: Drought tolerant once established
When to Fertilize: Minimal requirement
In Your Landscape: Specimen

(From Arkansas Gardener Volume XI Issue IX.)

Erythrina herbacea, native throughout the South, can be found growing on sandy, well-drained soil as a single specimen or in small clumps.

Erythrina herbacea is best known in Louisiana as mamou, but it also answers to coral bean, Cherokee bean and cardinal spear. A member of the Fabaceae (bean) family, mamou has compound (trifoliate) leaves, thorny stems and showy red flowers on tall spikes in late spring to early summer, followed by long slender pods opening to reveal bright crimson-red seeds.

Mamou performs well in full to partial sun on a site with well-drained, sandy-loam soil. At the edge of the woods would be ideal for this native herbaceous perennial. In the southern extent of its range (Zones 7-10), it may not die to the ground in winter, but rather grow into a tall shrub or small tree (to 15 feet) with a woody stem. In most other areas, it only reaches a height of about 3 to 4 feet.

Flowers are quite attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds (and people), and the colorful seed pods cling to the stem for several weeks in fall to early winter. Plants can be divided from larger clumps and it can be grown from seeds harvested and planted in fall after a little scarification (scratching the seed coat to allow for water penetration). Plants will not appear until the following spring, however.

Mamou is ideal for native or naturalistic landscapes, but it can also be used in a more traditional setting. I would recommend incorporating it into a mixed border planting, where other species will fill in when this one may not be at its peak.

Common Name: Mamou, coral bean, Cherokee bean or cardinal spear
Botanical Name: Erythrina herbacea
Family: Fabaceae
Color: Bright crimson-red flowers on upright spikes, followed by brown pods, splitting open to reveal showy red seeds
Type: Herbaceous to woody perennial shrub
Zones: 7-10
Size: Normally reaches a height of 3-4 feet with a spread of 5-6 feet, but can achieve a height of up to 15 feet in the southernmost extent of its range (where it doesn’t die back to the ground in winter).
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade; seems to perform well and appears at home near the forest edge.
When to Plant: Late fall planting is ideal, both for seeds and clump divisions.
How to Plant: Seeds are harvested in late fall, scarified (sanded or filed to allow for water intake) and planted in prepared soil or containers outdoors. Alternatively, clumps can be divided in the fall, planting new offspring into loose soil that has been cleared of potentially competing weeds. New growth won’t appear until the following spring.
Soil: A well-drained, loose, organic or sandy-loam acid soil is ideal,but this plant is really quite adaptable to even relatively poor soils.
Watering: Irrigation is usually needed during the first year after planting,but also during periods of extended drought.
When to Fertilize: A balanced slow-release fertilizer should be applied upon planting and in early spring just prior to the emergence of new growth in the first couple years.
Buying Tips: The species may not be readily available in the garden center, but can be propagated from plants growing in a friend’s yard.
 

The common name “coral bean” comes from the showy, bright scarlet-red seeds clinging to the dark brown, twisted pods. Seeds have been used as beads for jewelry or other novelties, but they are also very poisonous, often used in Mexico as rat and fish poison.

(Photos by Peter Gallagher)

Compact Hinoki false cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ’Compacta’) is a tall, fast-growing, broad, conical conifer with outspreading branches. Hardy to Zone 5. Photo by Charlotte Kidd

Chamaecyparis ‘Nana Gracilis’ foliage. Photo Courtesy of Michael Colibraro, Colibraro

Say “cama-sip-a-ris.” Yes, this is a mouthful — and an evergreen conifer whose name is worth stumbling over. Every landscape would be more beautiful year-round for having several types of false cypress — from 6-inch alpines to 3-foot dwarfs to medium- and large-size trees.

Numerous false cypress forms include the Nootka cypress, Alaskan cedar, hinoki cypress, Sawara cypress and white false cypress. Explore. Take the time to visit nurseries and arboreta to choose which species and cultivars appeal to you and will enhance your landscape.

Fascinating foliage! My favorite — the dark green, undulating sprays of compact ‘Nana Gracilis’. Golden thread false cypress has yellow, drooping branchlets. Sculptural Sawara cypress ‘Boulevard’ is a silvery-blue, juniper-like pyramid.

False cypress takes many shapes — globelike or shrubby, compact or airy, pyramidal or pendulous, weeping or upright. Knowing the botanical name is important when buying exactly what you want. Site them in full sun with sufficient moisture and well-drained soil. Plant them with the mature size in mind. Giving them enough room to grow will ensure their beauty and health. And spare you time pruning to keep them in bounds.

Common Name: False cypress, Nootka cypress, hinoki cypress, Sawara cypress, white false cypress

Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, C. nootkatensis, C. obtusa, C. pisifera, C. thyoides

Color: Evergreen with green, blue or golden yellow foliage

Type: Conifer species and cultivars

Size: Many sizes and forms. Alpine dwarf, dwarf, medium-sized garden specimen, pendulous, 20- to 60-foot landscape tree, 165-foot forest tree

Exposure: Sun. Some take partial shade. When young, provide protection from drying, freezing winds. Most are Zones 5 to 9, some are Zones 6 to 8.

When to Plant: Fall or spring

How to Plant: Follow label directions for spacing

Soil: Well-drained

Watering: Ample

When to Prune: Minimal in spring for dead branch removal

In Your Landscape: Small specimens in alpine gardens, containers or mixed borders. Medium and large-size trees as specimens, hedges, windbreaks, screening or shading.

Birds love the berries and enjoy nesting in this uncommon fruit tree from China.

Grape-size red fruits catch the eye starting in late August on this uncommon but commendable fruit tree known as Chinese che. At first it is slow to grow, a few inches at best. Just be patient – as with many plants three years seems to be the charm, resulting in several feet of growth and the onset of fruit production. No pollinator is needed, but word has it in plant circles you want to get a female for good fruit set.

Blooms appear after danger of frost with seldom any disease or insect problems, similar here to mulberry and fig, which are in the same family (Moraceae). I have trained mine into a single-trunk tree, yet it can easily be grown as a large shrub. Ripe fruit has a strawberry color with a knotty exterior similar to kousa dogwood berries. Flavor is pear-like, but it’s the ornamental value and uniqueness of this plant that wows me.

Disease and drought resistant, with an open, airy habit, this is a nice landscape tree for the sun.

Common Names: Che, Chinese che, Chinese mulberry

Botanical Name: Cudrania tricuspidata

Bloom Period: Late April

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Size: 15-25 feet

Exposure: Full sun

Zones: 6-9

When to Plant: Late spring around May/June

How to Plant: Amend soil with well-drained organic matter and sand. Plant ¼ inch above soil level from container.

Soil: Sharply drained to sandy loam

Watering: Water until established and during hot summer months of first year.

When to Prune: Prune back following heavy freezes.

When to Fertilize: Late winter (February/March)

In Your Landscape: Ornamental tree requiring minimal care, tolerant to drought and poor soils, and resisting temperatures down to -20 F. Food supply for birds.
 

(From Virginia Gardener Volume IX Issue IX. Photos courtesy of Beth Burrell.)
 

Light green, compound leaves give a dainty air to boxelder’s canopy.

Acer negundo is an Oklahoma native usually found in bottomland forests and populating old homesteads. Its tolerance to extreme cold and drought has made this tree a survivor through much of the U.S. It can be used as a temporary planting, providing fast growth and shade while slower growing trees gain maturity. Wide, relatively shallow roots are perfect for erosion control.

This maple’s bark is furrowed and light gray, and the foliage is compound with three to five leaflets. Trees are either male or female, the latter bearing winged samaras after eight years – a source of food for birds and small mammals.

Its common name, boxelder, conjures up visions of pesky beetles invading. The truth: Boxelder bugs dine mostly on the female flowers of A. negundo. I find them every year in my yard, but witness no damage from their presence. Large populations can enter homes during an early cold snap, but rarely is that a problem in our Southern plains.

Native trees become yellow in fall. ‘Sensation’ is a male clone (seedless) that tops out at 30 feet. The autumn foliage of ‘Sensation’ is classic red.

Common Name: Boxelder tree

Botanical Name: Acer negundo

Type of Plant: Tree

Size: 30-60 feet

Form: Narrow and rounded crown; spreading with age

Exposure: Sun. Young trees may appreciate some shade, but within two years need full sun exposure.

Soil: Average soil

Water: Like all maples, boxelder will look better with weekly summer water.

When to Fertilize: Apply all-purpose fertilizer lightly. High nitrogen fertilizers may create weak, rank growth.

In Your Landscape: Grow Acer negundo in mixed hardwood hedgerows and shelterbelts or in wildlife friendly plantings. Boxelder is a practical street tree or small garden addition.

(Photos courtesy of LeeAnn Barton)

My husband assigned to me the responsibility of watering all the plants in our home garden. This was no light task, since we always had more plants in pots than we had plants in the ground, and in the heat of summer, many of the potted plants had to be watered at least once, if not twice, every day. I usually kept up on the watering (or told him that I had). But there was one gangly odd-ball plant that kept getting pushed to the back and frankly, it often got watered only when I noticed that it was wilting (rather badly). It had a name I didn’t recognize — Rabdosia longituba — and an overall appearance that was, well, nothing remarkable.

Needless to say, as a dutiful spouse I tried to remember to keep the plant watered. When it still hadn’t flowered by the end of the summer last year, I started to think the plant had it in for me. Maybe it wouldn’t flower at all, since I’d neglected it so? By our anniversary the end of September, I became convinced that it was only by sheer luck that I wasn’t divorced over the plant’s failure to bloom. There it sat, rather pathetic, a mound of green leaves that were, thankfully, still not totally crisp from lack of moisture.

Then one day in October, I noticed a large spray of simply beautiful blue flowers in the potted plant area on the driveway. Had he brought home yet another potted plant for me to water when I wasn’t looking? No. It was the Rabdosia longituba, also called trumpet spurflower. The flowers, held on tall stems that rose at least a foot above the plant, were a pale blue-purple, each one shaped like a little trumpet. The overall effect was open and airy, a wonderful filler flower for bold splashes of orange and yellow in the autumn border. 

Rabdosia longituba is a member of the salvia family (in a previous botanical life, it was called Plectranthus longitubus). Growing wild along the edge of woodlands in Japan, it is best suited for part sun or light shade. Gene Bush and JoAn Riley of Munchkin Nursery in DePauw, Ind., reports that it is very sensitive to frost, so if you’ve got an early cold spell coming on when it’s about to flower in late fall, make sure to give it overnight cover. Munchkin also suggests that the plant be pruned back in July to force side branching, so that the tall wands of flowers don’t flop over.

Trumpet spurflower is hardy in Zones 6 to 8. There is a cultivar called ‘Momokaze’ with pink flowers and another called ‘Tube Socks’ with white flowers. The latter was found, introduced and named by Barry Yinger.

 

Common Name: Trumpet spurflower

Botanical Name: Rabdosia longituba

Color: Purple-blue flowers on tall stems with green foliage

Type: Perennial

Size: Grows about 36 inches tall in a clump 24 inches wide

Exposure: Part sun to light shade

When to Plant: Spring to fall

How to Plant: Crown at soil depth

Soil: Regular garden soil

Watering: Moist, well-drained soil

When to Prune: Trim back spent foliage and deadhead after flowering

When to Fertilize: Standard fertilizer once a month during summer

In Your Landscape: Ideal for part shade in the fall border or woodland garden, or in an autumn container in light shade

(From Indiana Gardening Magazine Volume I Issue V. Photos courtesy of Sue Speichert.)

 

 

Are you interested in the unusual, or even the bizarre? If so, your curiosity (and that of your neighbors) might be piqued by the uniqueness of the contorted European filbert, a plant fondly known as Harry Lauder’s walking stick, a name that caught on in the early 1900s as world-famous Scottish comedian, Harry Lauder, was commonly seen utilizing a walking stick made from its gnarled and twisted branches.

This unusual shrub is a favorite of landscape designers looking to add interest to the landscape with a specimen plant that also makes a good focal point. Perfect for adding uniqueness to the fall, winter and early spring landscape, the contorted corkscrew branches surprise onlookers with a showy display of tan and yellow catkin flowers hanging down like an abundance of tassels in March.

Common Name: Harry Lauder’s walking stick, contorted filbert

Botanical Name: Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’

Type: Deciduous

Zone: 4-9

Soil: Well-drained, loamy soil; acid or alkaline.

Size: 8-10 feet tall and wide

Exposure: Full sun to light shade

Watering: One inch of water per week during the growing season

When To Fertilize: Fertilize in November or March, based on soil test results

Planting and Pruning: Plant from container or balled-and-burlapped fall or spring; prune rootstock suckers as they arise.

In Your Landscape: Interesting specimen plant/focal point in your landscape above perennial flowers, or in a large container on patio/deck. Add to cut-flower arrangements.

(Photos courtesy of Mike Klahr.)

Lagerstromia ‘Pocomoke’s compact, mounded form and small size make for front-of-the-border beauty.
(Photography By Charlotte Kidd)

Do you enjoy the late-season flowers of crapemyrtle but don’t have space for a tree? Allow me to introduce you to ‘Pocomoke’—a handsome, dwarf crapemyrtle. It’s not quite knee-high—a densely branched mound of deep rosy-raspberry flowers floating above forest-green leaves.

Crapemyrtle brings bright color to the autumn landscape. ‘Pocomoke’ is one of several compact hybrids introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum. ‘Pocomoke’ is among those top hardy to Zone 7 and root hardy (with winter protection) to Zone 6.

‘Pocomoke’ is resistant to powdery mildew. It’s deciduous, though slow to green up. Be patient. Look for plump buds in late spring or early summer. These small, tidy shrubs enhance small gardens. For a late season “wow,” group them in threes, fives or sevens in rich loamy soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5.

Common Name: Dwarf crapemyrtle

Botanical Name: Lagerstroemia (indica x fauriei) ‘Pocomoke’

Color: Deep rose-pink flowers clustered at stem tips in mid- to late summer. Small, glossy dark green foliage emerges burgundy, turns bronze in fall.

Fruit: Capsules persist through winter.

Blooming Period: Midsummer into late fall

Type: Woody shrub

Size: Slow grower to 19 inches tall, 3 feet wide

Exposure: Blooms best in full sun

When to Plant: Spring

How to Plant: Plant 3 feet apart. Dig a hole somewhat wider than the root ball.

Soil: Well-drained

Watering: Average

When to Prune: Minimal—prune off dead branches anytime. Clip off dry seed capsules in winter or spring.

When to Fertilize: Minimally in spring.

In Your Landscape: Mixed ornamental beds, borders, mass in beds, specimen in terraces or in alpine gardens

(From Pennsylvania Gardener Magazine Volume I Issue III.)

When it comes to mums, I have a love/hate relationship. I’m not a fan of the potted varieties you buy in the fall that are perfect, round meatballs of a plant. That being said, I absolutely love the old-fashioned garden mums that have been passed along for generations.

One of my favorite garden mums has to be the Chrysanthemum ‘Cathy’s Rust’. In the fall, ‘Cathy’s Rust’ rewards the patient gardener with a myriad of rust-red daisies with yellow centers. Mums like ‘Cathy’s Rust’ are excellent choices to provide color in the garden during the somewhat “dead zone” period when summer annuals are gone and winter crops such as pansies have not quite come into their own.

Old-fashioned garden mums have a much more relaxed feel than their modern-day counterparts. They can be floppy, but floppy isn’t always bad. An untouched mum cascading down a slope works nicely. However, if you need your mum to be somewhat tidier, it can be cut back several times throughout the summer.

   

Common Name: Garden mum.

Botanical Name: Chrysanthemum ‘Cathy’s Rust’.

Color: Rust red.

Blooming Period: Fall.

Type: Perennial.

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall, 2 feet wide.

Exposure: Full sun.

When to Plant: Spring or fall.

Soil: Average.

Watering: Average.

In Your Landscape: Use ‘Cathy’s Rust’ to add a punch of color to the fall garden.

Eastern baccharis shows its rounded form in an informal setting.

Most gardeners probably don’t consider using our native Eastern baccharis in a home landscape. Often seen on roadsides and clearings, this low-maintenance shrub can make a striking impression on the early to mid-autumn landscape. Of particular interest is the white feathery pappus (hair-like appendages) on the fruit of female plants in October. As a dioecious species (having separate male and female plants), a nearby male pollinator is needed for fruit formation.

Eastern baccharis is best used on sites with poor soils or persistent wet conditions. Tolerant of salt spray, wet soils, heat and drought, it can thrive in areas where other ornamental shrubs struggle. A few superior cultivars exist, with ‘White Caps’ being one of the most readily available.

A close-up shows the feathery texture of the fruit.

Common Names: Eastern baccharis, salt bush, groundsel bush

Botanical Name: Baccharis halimifolia

Type: Shrub

Fruit: In October, fruit with showy
white pappus

Size: 8 to 13 feet in both height and spread

Exposure: Sun and part shade

Soil: Average, adaptable to wide range
of soil types

Watering: No additional requirement once established

Planting: In spring, at least 5 to 6 feet between plants

When to Prune: After flowering and fruiting, prune to maintain shape and remove dead wood

In Your Landscape: Native plantings with poor soils; wetlands and coastal areas

(From Pennsylvania Gardener Magazine Volume I Issue III. Photography By Barrett Wilson)

Photo courtesy of Mengmeng Gu.

One of the native ornamental grasses that has received a considerable amount of attention the past few years is muhly grass. Not likely to be noticed in the spring and summer, it puts on quite a show in the landscape during the fall. When other ornamental grasses are falling down and foliage is looking bad, this native will be covered with a pink cloud of wispy flower heads held high above the wiry foliage. The effect is amplified when planted in large masses. By late summer,  muhly grass will grow to about 30 inches by 30 inches. The plant, of course, will increase in size and flowering capacity each year as it gets larger. It is a hardy perennial around the state. Cut back to about 6 inches in late winter to allow room for the new season’s growth. Fertilize in early spring, Provide full sun and only minimum irrigation.
 

Photo courtesy of D. Nash


Photo courtesy of Sid Mullis.   


Photo courtesy of Shannon Pable.

Common Name: Muhly grass

Botanical Name: Muhlenbergia capillaris

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: A few in the trade, but most sold in Louisiana are referred to a Gulf Coast muhly grass.

Color: Green foliage with purplish-pink flower plumes

Blooming Period: September-November

When to Prune: Zones 7-10

Type: Perennial

Size: 3 feet tall x 3 feet wide once plants reach maturity in the landscape

Exposure: Sun

When to Plant: Fall or late winter/early spring

How to Plant: Stagger group plantings of three or five.

Soil: Well drained but adapted to many soil types.

Watering: Drought tolerant

When to Prune: Cut to 6-8 inches above soil line in late winter/early spring.

When to Fertilize: Spring when new growth commences

In Your Landscape: Muhly grass is a great accent plant for annual flower beds and perennial gardens. You can combine with pink, blush, rose and white flowering plants for a nice color combination in the landscape.

(From Louisiana Gardener October 2011.)

The bright-red fruit of ‘Cardinal Candy’ viburnum will feed birds well into winter.

One of the showiest viburnums for the landscape is ‘Cardinal Candy’. Its bright-red fruit creates quite a show in the fall, not to be outdone by the cream-colored flowers in spring, as well as the dark-green lustrous leaves that turn maroon and linger until November.

Like many of the viburnums, ‘Cardinal Candy’ has proven to be a reliable and very hardy landscaping shrub for many situations. Because of its large size, 6 to 8 feet tall and 8 to10 feet wide, it can be used as a screen or in a shrub border. The upright habit is sturdy and provides a nice backdrop for smaller shrubs or perennials.

The abundant fruit of ‘Cardinal Candy’ (and most other viburnums) is attractive to birds, feeding them well into the winter. If fruit set is low, another Viburnum dilatatum (including ‘Cardinal Candy’) can be planted nearby to ensure better pollination.

In addition to being versatile to soil types, Viburnum ‘Cardinal Candy’ grows in full or partial sun. It is hardy to Zones 4 to 8 and has performed well in Missouri landscapes. It is also deer resistant.

‘Cardinal Candy’ viburnum is a durable and hardy shrub for landscaping.

Common Name: ‘Cardinal Candy’ viburnum

Botanical Name: Viburnum dilatatum ‘Cardinal Candy’

Varieties: ‘Cardinal Candy’

Flower Color: Creamy white

Bloom Period: Late April or early May

Type: Shrub

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

When to Plant: Spring or fall

Watering: Medium moisture, drought tolerant when established

When to Prune: After blooming in the spring

In Your Landscape: This viburnum can be used as a screen, a backdrop to other plants or in large foundation plantings.

(Photos courtesy of Proven Winners.)

Joe-Pye weed is one of my favorite perennials, even if the name is somewhat unfortunate and confusing! First of all, Joe-Pye weed is not a weed at all but rather a North American native perennial. What gets confusing is that the name refers to several different species, and to complicate things further, the whole genus has been reclassified multiple times in the last 10 years. So to simplify matters, I’ll just suggest my two favorite varieties: ‘Gateway’ and ‘Little Joe’. Both offer outstanding qualities for the garden in late summer and early fall … a time when many other plants are past their blooming season and looking a little peaked. Both ‘Gateway’ and ‘Little Joe’ stand proud and look great with tall, sturdy stems, mid-green foliage and mauve-pink flower heads. Contrary to what you might think, what distinguishes ‘Little Joe’ is not the overall size of the plant, but rather it is the leaves and the flower heads which are smaller when compared to the relatively broad foliage and blossoms of ‘Gateway’. Whichever variety you choose, both are low-maintenance native wildflowers attractive to birds, bees and butterflies that look good right up until the first hard frost, and even offer sculptural interest throughout the winter when the seed heads have faded to a rusty brown.
 

Joe-Pye in full bloom attracts a wide variety of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

Common Name: Joe-Pye weed

Botanical Name: Eutrochium (or Eupatorium) maculatum ‘Gateway’; Eupatorium (or Eutrochium) dubium ‘Little Joe’

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: ‘Gateway’ and ‘Little Joe’

Color: Mauve-pink flowers fade to rusty brown Blooming Period: Late summer/early fall

Zones: 4-9

Type: Perennial

Size: 36-48 inches tall and wide

Exposure: Sun to partial shade

Watering: Prefers regular watering

When to Prune: Cut old stems to the ground in late winter/early spring when new growth emerges.

In Your Landscape: I like to contrast the tall, billowy texture of Joe-Pye weed with lower, more manicured plantings such as a boxwood hedge or a mass of grasses or small perennials.


 

(From Arkansas Gardener Volume XI Issue VIII. Photos courtesy of Daniel Keeley.)

Stiff bluestar matures into an attractive, compact mound.

Stiff bluestar is an easy-to-grow, but underused, addition to the garden. Native to open woodlands of the Gulf Coast region, stiff bluestar is much hardier (Zones 5 to 9) than its natural range suggests. The stems of stiff bluestar emerge in April with a purplish tint and reach a sturdy height of 2 to 3 feet during the growing season, topped with clusters of light-blue flowers. Forming a tidy, compact, and symmetrical mound, stiff bluestar is smaller than other more commonly encountered Amsonia species.

Not only does stiff bluestar show exceptional resistance to insect problems and disease, but the flowers also serve as a nectar source for spring butterflies and beneficial native bees. Additionally, the foliage maintains its cleanliness and lush green color throughout the summer. There are no improved varieties of stiff bluestar available. When selecting plants, be on the lookout for distinctive flower and stem colors, leaf textures and differences in plant form and vigor.

Stems are topped with clusters of light blue, star shaped flowers.

Common Names: Stiff bluestar

Botanical Name: Amsonia rigida

Blooming Period: Late April through May

Color: Light blue

Type: Perennial

Size: 2 feet tall, 3 feet wide

Exposure: Mostly sunny, tolerates some shade

When to Plant: Spring or fall

Soil: Average to moist, well-drained soil

In Your Landscape: Stiff bluestar can be used in masses or as a companion plant in sunny borders

(From Pennsylvania Gardener Sept/Oct 2011. Photograhy By Barrett Wilson.)

It is fall and time to plant perennials. Some may think spring is the only time to plant but as long as the perennial you are choosing has enough time to establish it will thrive. September and October are perfect months for planting because the temperatures are cooler and there is generally enough rain to get your plant established.

 

My perennial of choice, for this year, is ‘Praying Hands’ hosta. It may seem redundant to talk about the “Hot Plant” that most everyone knows. It is the 2011 Hosta of the Year (named by the American Hosta Growers Association) and every nursery, greenhouse and garden center is carrying this plant. So it is nothing surprisingly new; however, it is unusual. Of all the hostas on the market, this is one that falls into the specimen plant category so you may use it in a container (be sure to plant it in the ground before winter) or in your landscape bed with other low-growing perennials. Being a specimen plant it offers flexibility in design, but you also have to think a little about where to locate this wonderful plant in your garden. Have fun, be creative and enjoy fall planting.

Botanical Name: Hosta ‘Praying Hands’

Common Name: ‘Praying Hands’ hosta, Plantain lily

Color: Lavender flowers

Blooming Period: Early to midsummer

Type: Perennial

Size: 12 to16 inches

Exposure: Shade or early morning sun

Soil: Plant in good garden soil with lots of organic matter

Watering: 1 inch per week until established after transplanting

Fertilizer: Granular fertilizer in spring

Propagation: Divisions of the crown in early spring

Landscape Uses: Best as a specimen plant in the landscape

(From Indiana Gardening Volume I Issue V. Photography By Lynda Heavrin.)

By mid-July the flower’s color has aged to a lovely amethyst that will last several more weeks.

I first heard about ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ pineapple lily in 2009, and since I couldn’t find it locally, I ordered it from Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina. Since then, dark purple has become the new “it” color in the garden, and as its popularity has grown, so too has the availability of ‘Sparkling Burgundy’.

It emerges from winter dormancy in late spring, and the straplike leaves exhibit their deepest purple when young. In my Cullman County garden, the unique pineapple-shaped bloom begins to take center stage in mid-June. The color show changes from a dark purple bud, to a newly opened, yellow-tinged flower, to a middle-aged dusty rose, and finally to a moss green. In early August, I cut it down and enjoy it in a vase for another week. The foliage takes a rest now too. Remove the worst of the pitiful-looking leaves and look forward to a little flush of new foliage before the fall frost knocks it back for winter.

Like other bulbs, pineapple lily will multiply. But if you want even more of this wonderful plant, it is easy to root from 2-inch leaf segments. Although it will take several years for the new plants to begin flowering, they are worth the wait.

In my garden, it starts sending up an interesting, pineapple shaped bloom in mid-June. The dark foliage looks great against a background of Ajania pacifica, gold and silver chrysanthemum.

Common Name: Purple pineapple lily

Botanical Name: Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’

Blooming Period: Midsummer 

Zone(s):  6b-9

Type: Bulb perennial

Size: 20 inches tall by 24 inches wide

Exposure: Sun or light shade

When to Plant: Fall is best, but plants from containers can be set out any time.

How to Plant: Even with soil level for containerized plants, 5 inches deep for bulbs

Soil: Well drained, fertile

Watering: Medium, one to two times per week when dry

When to Prune: Cut to the ground when dormant; remove tattered foliage any time.

When to Fertilize: Spring (only necessary if the soil is not fertile)

In Your Landscape: The garden equivalent to diamond earrings, it looks great with everything!

(From Alabama Gardener Volume X Issue IX. Photos courtesy of Peggy Hill.)
 

The flower resembles a golden lotus.

Golden lotus banana (Musella lasiocarpa) is a close relative of the edible banana, and native from Yunnan province in China. Its non-woody stems rise about 3-4 feet tall from underground horizontal rhizomes, and powdery green leaves grow from the stems. The plant normally flowers after old leaves die back in the early spring of the second year after planting, with the flower produced on the top of the stem, so multiple plants could be planted together to enjoy both leaves and flowers at the same time. The flower before opening is about 8-10 inches long and looks like a golden lotus, and since it flowers on a stalk without green leaves, one of its Chinese names translates as “golden lotus emerging from the earth.” Another name is “a thousand petal lotus,” and what appears as the yellow “petals” are actually not true petals but bracts. The showy bracts gradually open up to reveal the tiny, fragrant, greenish-yellow true flowers. The opening process could last up to as long as 250 days, and the bracts do not wilt easily.

Golden lotus banana could be grown as a specimen in the landscape or in a big container. The rhizome overwinters in areas with mild winters. When planted in the landscape, a spot with plenty of sunlight and well-drained soil with good fertility will help ensure its success.
 

Multiple plants are normally planted together to enjoy both leaves and flowers at the same time.

Common Name: Golden lotus banana

Botanical Name: Musella lasiocarpa

Color: Golden yellow

Blooming Period: Spring through summer

Type: Perennial; rhizome

Size: 3-4 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide

Watering: Moderate to wet during the summer and dry to moderate during the winter

When to Prune: Late fall after flowering

When to Fertilize: Early spring

In Your Landscape: Group together as a focal point in the landscape or in a big container.

(From Mississippi Gardener Volume XI Issue VIII. Photos courtesy of Mengmeng Gu.)

Hibiscus ‘Plum Crazy’

Hibiscus ‘Lord Baltimore’

Bred from native wetland plants, hardy hibiscus have come a long way from their swampy beginnings. Hybridizers, most notably the Fleming brothers from Nebraska, have greatly improved the species. Huge plate-size flowers in shades of pink, red, purple and white burst forth from stout plants in early August. As with all mallows, the individual flowers only last a day, but the succession of flowers lasts up to eight weeks.

It’s not uncommon for first-time growers to think their hibiscus has died from winterkill. The stems are not true wood and die to the ground every winter, and they are also one of the last plants to sprout in the spring. They are quite hardy, however, and grow quickly into 3- to 6-foot bushes.

Common Name: Hibiscus, rose mallow

Botanical Name: Hibiscus moscheutos cultivars

Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: ‘Kopper King’, ‘Plum Crazy’, ‘Lord Baltimore’, ‘Fantasia’ and ‘Turn of the Century’

Color: White, shades of pink, red and purple

Blooming Period: August and September

Type: Perennial

Size: 36 to 60 inches

Exposure: Full sun to part sun

How to Plant: 36 inches apart

Soil: Soil amended with organic matter. A slightly acid pH is best.

Watering: Keep moist when first planted. Mature plants tolerate wet or dry.

When to Prune: Cut off stems after dieback in fall

When to Fertilize: Spring and occasionally through the summer

In Your Landscape: Grow in beds in groups or as specimens

(From Ohio Gardener  Volume I Issue IV. Photography By Chris Baker)

 Photo Courtesy of Bailey Nurseries  

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a Missouri-native small understory tree or large shrub that typically grows 15 to 20 feet tall (sometimes to 30 feet). It occurs in low bottom woods, wooded slopes, ravines and along streams. Pawpaw often spreads by root suckers to form colonies or thickets. Large, slightly drooping, elliptical, medium-green leaves (from 6 to 12 inches long) retain their green color well into fall before turning a bright (but sometimes undistinguished) yellow. Cup-shaped purple flowers (three green sepals and six purple petals in two tiers) appear in spring, and give way to edible, oblong, yellowish-green fruits, which mature in early autumn to a dark brown.

The flavor and fleshy consistency of the sweet-flavored fruits resembles bananas. Fruits are frequently eaten raw or used in ice creams or pies, although they can produce nausea in some people. Wildlife (such as raccoons, squirrels and opossums) eagerly seek out the fruits and often beat humans to the harvest. Early Americans made a yellow dye from the pulp of the ripened fruit. Try my personal favorite — pawpaw cheesecake. A recipe can be found at http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/tv/recipes/pawpaw_cake.pdf.

Common Name: Pawpaw

Botanical Name: Asimina triloba

Zones: 5 to 9

Plant Type: Tree

Family: Annonaceae

Missouri Native: Yes

Native Range: Southeastern United States

Height: 15 to 30 feet

Spread: 15 to 30 feet

Bloom Time: April to May

Bloom Color: Purple

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium to wet

Maintenance: Low

(From Missouri Gardener Volume I Issue V.)

 

Of all the native skullcaps, Scutellaria incana has received the least amount of attention in the landscape trade because it can get somewhat taller than other species. However, this plant works well in Zones 3 through 9, so it is easily adaptable to most areas of the Eastern United States. The other great attribute of this species is that it has an extended blooming period ranging from June into September. Who doesn’t want something flowering in their shade garden in the middle of the summer into fall? Finally, it can thrive in many different conditions, ranging from full sun to full shade, along a woodland border, in a rock garden, in a meadow or mixed in with spring-flowering woodland plants like wild geranium. The Kemper Center for Home Gardening lists it as having marginal ornamental value, but I disagree because it can be very showy, and even the seed pods, when they turn gray, can have appeal in the garden.

The name skullcap arises from the shape of the flower, which resembles a helmet over a “skull.” The name downy or hoary refers to the small white hairs that cover the square stems, which are indicative of members of the mint family. Good companion plants might include some of the fall gentians, spotted Joe-Pye weed and Iris versicolor. The plant is generally disease resistant and quite drought tolerant once established. At one time this species was hard to find at nurseries, but now people have discovered its great garden attributes and it is widely available in the trade.
 

 

Common Name: Hoary or downy skullcap

Botanical Name: Scutellaria incana

Cultivars: None

Type: Wildflower

Flowers: Bluish-purple, midsummer

Soil: Average but well drained; works well in a rock garden.

Size: 12-30 inches

Exposure: Shade to part sun to full sun; longest flowering period in shade

Watering: None once established

Fertilizing: None

Planting and Pruning: Spring or fall; easy to divide once established.

In Your Landscape: Planting in drifts in dry, open woodland works best, or it can be used in a meadow planting.

(Story from Kentucky Gardener October 2011. Photos courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes.)

 

I grew up in a typical suburb of St. Louis County, and the thought of yew shrubs brings back horrible memories of the giant meatball bushes in our front yard. We had one large meatball on the corner of the house, followed by three smaller meatballs along the front. The movie Edward Scissorhands comes to mind. I always wondered,“What did these poor plants do to deserve such humiliation?”

However, we now have a yew that has characteristics probably all landscapes could use. Evergreen screening! With a height of 6 to 10 feet, this columnar evergreen shrub would be perfect for screening out the unsightly mess under the “off the ground” deck. Yes, get rid of the latticework that needs painting, and plant a living screen. Tolerable of urban conditions, the ‘Citation’ yew also does well in shade. Goodbye Meatballs!!

Common Name: ‘Citation’ yew

Botanical Name: Taxus x media ‘Citation’

Zone: 4 to 7

Color: Evergreen

Type: Needled evergreen

Size: Height 6 to 10 feet, spread 3 to 6 feet

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

When to Plant: Spring or fall

Watering: Medium

When to Prune: Requires little pruning

In Your Landscape: This columnar evergreen can be a hedge, specimen or screen for foundations or deck edges.

There are tons of fabulous daffodils on the market, and I’ve grown quite a few different varieties in the last 10 years. However, few have made an impact on visitors to Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden like Narcissus ‘Tahiti’. This daffodil is coveted for its double flowers with yellow petals and a ruffled orange cup.

Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ is a bold, in-your-face sort of daffodil, lacking some of the refined manners that your typical yellow trumpet-style daffodil possesses. Luckily, all gardens weren’t meant for just the stereotypical daffodil – some gardens demand wild-looking varieties. In fact, it seems that the gardeners of the conservative South let their wild side out by planting flowers like ‘Tahiti’.

Like most daffodils, you will get a greater impact by planting them together in masses or in drifts. ‘Tahiti’ has been reliably perennial in our climate, where some varieties may begin to wane after a season or two. While they are quite happy in the ground, consider planting some in containers and using them throughout the garden, or bring the container indoors as they begin to bloom. Regardless of how you use them, the important message is to use Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ in your garden – it’s a great way to welcome spring!

 

Common Name: Double daffodil.
Botanical Name: Narcissus ‘Tahiti’.
Blooming Period: Late winter to early spring.
Type: Perennial bulb.
Size: 14 to 16 inches.
Exposure: Full sun to light shade.
When to Plant: Plant in the fall after the soil temperatures have cooled down to around 60 F.
How to Plant: Plant two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall.
Soil: Average. Avoid consistently wet soil.
When to Prune: Cut back foliage after it has turned brown.
When to Fertilize: Work in a slow-release fertilizer into the top of the soil in the fall.
In your Landscape: This daffodil is guaranteed to make a bold statement in your garden. Plant in masses or drifts for maximum effect. 

(From Carolina Gardener Volume XXIII Issue VIII. Photos courtesy of Andy Cabe.)

A fiery skipper sips from Golden Crownbeard on a fall day. [1]

I enjoy taking photos of insects, and when I’m looking for a spot where they might be, I can always count on golden crownbeard. It does have negatives for some people: It reseeds quite happily and the foliage is not very refined, but it is a go-to plant if you want lots and lots of blooms and are hoping to attract butterflies and pollinators. It even serves as a host plant for the larvae of the bordered patch and silvery checkerspot butterflies. As an annual it begins showing leaves in late February and is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring, continuing until frost. It requires no special care and plants coming up in the wrong place are easy to remove.  


Common Name: Golden crownbeard
Botanical Name: Verbesina encelioides
Color: Yellow
Blooming Period: Early spring to frost
Type: Annual
Size: 1-3 feet
Exposure: Full to part sun
When to Plant: Scratch seeds into soil in late fall.
Soil: Average to poor
Watering: Fairly drought tolerant when established; it will droop when thirsty.
When to Fertilize: It will react negatively by putting on more foliage and less blooms when fertilized.
In Your Landscape: This is one for a naturalized area and looks good mixed in with purple-blooming natives such as various species of liatris and asters.

Photo Credits:
[1] Photo courtesy of Marilyn Stewart.
[2] Photo courtesy of Curtis Clark, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Curtis_Clark.

(From Oklahoma Gardener Volume IX Issue VIII.)

Blooms of Ozark witch hazel are borne along the branches and open in late winter.

The earliest flowering shrub in Missouri woodlands is the Ozark witch hazel, blooming in February or March, and sometimes as early as January. The coconut-like strands that make up this small flower are usually yellow in color and have a pleasant fragrance. Interestingly, the petals will actually roll up during very cold days to avoid freeze damage, unrolling when sunlight warms the branches.

Witch hazel grows best in poor soils, especially if gravely and moist. In the wild, they are found near rocky stream beds. With no serious insect or disease problems, this native plant is easy to grow. Witch hazel prefers full sun to
partial shade.

This multi-stemmed shrub or small tree grows 6 to10 feet tall and can spread up to 12 feet in width. Use witch hazel in the home landscape as a screen or informal hedge, especially where the early blooms can be spotted and enjoyed.

The golden yellow fall color of Ozark witch hazel appears late in the fall.

Common Name: Ozark Witch hazel

Botanical Name: Hamamelis vernalis

Flowers: Yellow petals, calyx may be tinged with red

Fall color: Golden yellow

Blooming Period: February through March, maybe as early as January

Type: Shrub or small tree

Size: 6 to10 feet tall, 10 to15 feet wide

Soil: Poor rocky soils, but not extremely dry

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

In Your Landscape: Informal hedge or in a shrub border. This native shrub is very carefree.

From Missouri Gardener Volume I Issue I.
Photos Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plantfinder: Tammy Palmier

Gardeners sometimes have high expectations of the plant kingdom. They want plants that are easy to care for, adaptable, tolerant of imperfect conditions, beautiful in bloom and, of course, different from what their neighbors are growing. This would seem a tall order until one considers a little-known native orchid, Spiranthes cernua odorata, or fragrant nodding ladies’ tresses.

This Spiranthes plant grew as a volunteer in the pot with the conifer. Its seeds have subsequently sprouted in the same pot, and will be transplanted to the garden when they are two years old.


A well-grown plant of Spiranthes cernua odorata can produce six flower spikes or more.

 

Yes, an orchid. This one is found from eastern Canada all the way south and west to Florida and Texas. Reaching about 2 feet in height and a foot wide, it thrives in moist to wet conditions in well-drained organic soil. It also adapts to containers, often blooming spectacularly when slightly pot bound. It is an ideal subject for a rain garden or bog garden or at the margin of a pond, often forming spectacular clumps sporting dozens of flower spikes. In wet soil, it prefers full sun, but with less moisture does best in partial sun. Feed with a weak solution of any balanced soluble fertilizer, or use fertilizer made for tropical orchids at the strength recommended on the label. Plants in containers should be fed every two weeks, while those in the ground need only a monthly feeding. Fertilize as the weather warms in the spring, but cease feeding when flower stems first appear.

Spiranthes blooms in autumn, when its tall spikes of small, fragrant white flowers rise a foot or so above the lush, medium green foliage. The flowers smell of vanilla, and are endlessly visited by pollinators. Blooms continue to open until frost. Seed is produced in great quantities, but germination is very low in a garden setting. However, I have had them sprout profusely in a patch of living moss (Mnium cuspidatum) growing in a container with a dwarf hemlock tree. When the seedlings are one year old, they can be carefully transplanted to a pot of long fiber sphagnum moss to grow another season before being moved to the garden. Take care that pot-grown plants are not exposed to extreme winter cold. Move them to a cold, but frost-free, spot for the winter. Once planted out, frost damage is unlikely.
 

 Common Name:  Fragrant nodding ladies’ tresses
 Botanical Name:  Spiranthes cernua odorata
 Cultivars:  ‘Chadds Ford’
 Color:  Medium green foliage, white flowers
 Type:  Perennial
 Size:  To 24 inches
 Zones:  4-8
 Exposure:  Full sun to partial sun
 When to Plant:  Transplant container-grown plants in spring
 Soil:  Organic, well drained
 Watering:  Moist to wet, depending upon sun exposure
 When to Fertilize:  Monthly, spring to blooming
 In Your Landscape:  Containers, bog gardens
Sources:  Well-stocked garden centers or order online

(From Tennessee Gardener Volume XI Issue VIII. Photos courtesy of John Tullock.)

Berries of ‘Winter Red’ persist well into winter.

During the gray days of winter, our native winterberry holly may be the best choice to brighten an otherwise dull landscape. Winterberry hollies are deciduous, multi-stemmed shrubs consisting of both male and female plants. The desirable, fruit-bearing female plants require a male in close proximity to ensure adequate pollination by insects. The fruiting display begins in September and October, with the most dazzling colors becoming apparent in November, when the foliage begins to drop. Clustered along the upper ends of branches, berries are primarily red, though yellow and orange-red varieties are available.

Two of the top-performing cultivars in trials at Longwood Gardens were ‘Red Sprite’ and ‘Winter Red’. The bright red berries of these two cultivars persist into late winter, often retaining their striking color throughout February. This not only provides the landscape with visual appeal, but also serves as a source of food for wildlife during these colder and sometimes snowy months. As with many other native plants, an added benefit is that pest and disease problems are minimal.

Even before leaf fall, ‘Red Sprite’ winterberry presents an attractive display.

Common Names: Winterberry holly

Botanical Name: Ilex verticillata

Type: Shrub

Fruit: Mainly red, late fall through winter

Size: Up to 10 feet in height and width

Exposure: Tolerates part shade, but full sun needed for optimal fruiting

Soil: Adaptable to wide range of types, but prefers moist, acidic soil (4.5-6.5 pH).

Watering: During first year, water regularly to maintain soil moisture.

Planting: In spring, 6 to10 feet apart

When to Fertilize: In spring with a balanced, controlled-release fertilizer

When to Prune: Prune in spring to remove dead and decaying wood.

In Your Landscape: Shrub borders, natural areas, wet soils

(From Pennsylvania Gardener Volume I Issue I. Photos by Barrett Wilson.)

 

The strong architectural lines of this slow growing, striking cactus are apparent even as small plants, but when they reach maturity they are awesome. A spectacular specimen lives at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Like all cacti it is happy with drought conditions, but this one can also survive in the colder regions of our country. Yes, it does have serious spines that need to be handled with care, but it will reward you with prolific magenta blooms in summer followed by showy yellow fruits. It is easy to propagate from seed or by cuttings, just be sure to allow the cut end to callous before planting. And don’t let the mature size scare you away – consider it as a container plant. The pruned branches can be easily grown into more plants and shared.



Common Name: Chain-link cactus, tall cholla, giant tree cholla
Botanical Name: Cylindropuntia imbricata
Color: Soft gray-green stems, magenta flowers, yellow fruit
Size: 10-12 feet tall x 6-8 feet wide
Cold Hardiness: Zones 4-11
Type: Evergreen perennial succulent
Exposure: Full sun
How to Plant: Plant with base of plant slightly above soil level. Mulch to keep away from wet soil. Pebbles or gravel is the preferred mulch. Can be grown from seed; direct sow after the last frost.
Soil: Sandy, coarse, very well-drained soil. Amend heavy soil with coarse sand and/or grit. Will tolerate mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soils.
Watering: Prefers dry conditions. Minimal watering.
Fertilizer: An application of a slow-release fertilizer in the spring, although none is required.
In the Landscape: Excellent for rock gardens and xeriscapes, although its potentially large size should be considered. Beautiful as a specimen in a container.
Where to Find: Check online sources such as cactusstore.com for availability. Piccadilly Farms near Athens also has container-grown plants.   

(From Georgia Gardening Volume IX Issue VIII. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Hudak.)

Our climate can throw a gardener plenty of challenges in a typical year. Lately, it seems like the only thing to count on is that the weather won’t be “typical.” Here is one plant that withstands early springs, late springs, heat, drought and cold and looks great the entire time.

Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ is a small, spreading, succulent perennial that makes a great ground cover in sunny, dry situations. The glowing chartreuse foliage stays bright all year long, a beautiful complement to neighboring flowers. This same eye-catching foliage makes ‘Angelina’ a strong design element in its own right, more consistently present than flowers alone. Try ‘Angelina’ in containers for fall and winter interest as well. When cold weather arrives the evergreen leaves take on a warm orange tinge.

Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ is a selection taken from species native to rocky hillsides in Europe, and is considered winter hardy in Zones 5 through 8. The plants are so adaptable to harsh conditions they have become a popular choice for planting in “living roof” mixes.

 

Common Name: Angelina stonecrop

Botanical Name: Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’

Color: Yellow-green/yellow

Blooming Period: Early summer

Type: Evergreen ground cover

Size: 3 to 6 inches tall by  24 inches wide

Exposure:  Full sun

When to Plant: Spring or summer

How to Plant: Work soil to a depth of 2 inches, plant small starter plants or larger clumps

Soil: Well-drained

Watering: Once or twice a week until established

When to Prune: Trim off spent flowers in midsummer

When to Fertilize: Not necessary

In Your Landscape:  It is ideal as the front edge of a perennial border, along walks, in containers

(Photography by Ann McCulloh.)

Photo courtesy of bluestoneperennials.com.

Asters are one of the all-time favorite fall flowers. They bloom brightly alongside mums as the weather cools.

Easy to grow, asters come in both perennial and annual varieties. ‘Purple Dome’ is a perennial. Asters are sometimes confused with daisies, but are in fact members of the sunflower family.

They make wonderful cut flowers and dry well. Once established, they grow dependably for years. They also attract butterflies to the garden and are deer resistant.

With only a little housekeeping in the way of deadheading and pinching back to make them bushier thereby producing more blooms, asters are trouble-free additions to your fall garden.

Botanical Name: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Family: Asteraceae
Zones: 4-9
Type: Perennial  
Bloom Time: September-October
Color: Purple, with yellow centers  
Height: 18 inches
Spacing: 18-24 inches
Light: Sun
Moisture: Moist, withstands some drought once established.
Soil: Rich to average, porous soils
Feeding: All-purpose fertilizer once a month during growing season
Propagation: From seed started indoors, or sown outdoors after soil begins to warm; separate established plants every few years.
Companion Plants: Mums, sedums
Uses in the Landscape: Mixed border plantings, in masses  
Insects and Disease: Aphids and powdery mildew – apply insecticides, repellents or fungicides early to avoid these nuisances.

(Story from State-by-State Gardening September 2011.)

When choosing a flower for summer color that will tolerate the hot, dry conditions in Missouri during July and August, not many will hold up better than the strawflower. Recently reintroduced and improved, strawflowers come in orange, pink, maroon, white and the most popular, bright yellow. Plant strawflowers in a well-drained soil with plenty of sun. 

The name “strawflower” comes from the papery dry feel of the petals of this daisy relative. Because of their texture, the flowers can be air dried and will retain their color for use in dried flower arrangements. 

Because strawflowers are heat tolerant, plant them in containers or flower beds between May and August for good performance well into fall. Good companions to plant with strawflowers include lantana, torenia ‘Summer Wave’, scaevola, gomphrena ‘Fireworks’ and Supertunias.

Common Name: Strawflower, Outback Paper Daisies

Botanical Name: Bracteantha (Xerochrysum bracteata)

Varieties: ‘Sundaze’, ‘Mohave’ or Strawburst series

Color: Orange or yellow, sometimes pink, maroon or white

Blooming Period: Summer and fall

Type: Annual

Exposure: Full Sun

Fertilizing: Use liquid fertilizers weekly or slow-release fertilizer at time of planting.

In Your Landscape: The mounding habit blends well with spiky and trailing annuals.

(Photos Courtesy of Proven winners, provenwinners.com.)

Back in the days before irrigation, gomphrena was an often-used annual because of its tolerance of poor soils, heat and drought. Somewhere along the way, gomphrena became lumped in with the plants that were considered by some as outdated or “what you’d see in Grandma’s yard.” That is, until a new gomphrena exploded onto the plant scene, grabbing attention at nearly every trial garden it was grown in. ‘Fireworks’ gomphrena scored the coveted highest rating of “5” in both University of Tennessee trial gardens, and has been bestowed with the status of being one of the top 10 favorite new annuals in gardens all the way from Texas to Ontario.

Gomphrena is making a comeback with ‘Fireworks’ which showcases its hot pink bracts that end with yellow stamens, looking a lot like botanical firecrackers. Growing up to 4 feet, these flowers seem to defy physics as they remain upright on tall, thin stems, even after heavy afternoon summer showers. Airy and attractive from a distance, the real treat comes when you have a close-up view and realize that you are joined by a crowd of butterflies equally enticed by the ‘Fireworks’ display.

This plant is easy to start from seed but it really needs heat to ignite the “fireworks” of flowers. Keep them evenly moist as young plants in the ground or a container, but once gomphrena gets established, it can tolerate a week without watering.
So let me see: Here’s an annual that doesn’t need deadheading, loves heat and dry soil, tolerates poor soil, blooms from late spring until frost, lasts a long time as a cut flower, can be started easily from seed, attracts butterflies and is wonderfully interesting to view – I’ll take that kind of old-fashioned any day.


Common Name: Globe amaranth

Botanical Name: Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’

Type: Summer annual for Tennessee

Size: 3-4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide

Flowers: Hot pink with yellow stamens

When to Plant: After threat of frost has passed

Exposure: Full sun

Watering: Give this plant about two weeks to get established, then water only when soil is dry.

Fertilize: Feed regularly throughout the growing season.

In the Landscape: ‘Fireworks’ gomphrena does best when not crowded out with other plants. Use in a container or in annual bed plantings.

(From State-by-State Gardening September 2011. Photos courtesy of Barbara Wise.)

As winter’s cabin fever starts to give way to trips to the nursery in spring, we often think about spring, summer and fall plant interest forgetting opportunities to accent winter’s sedate landscape. Shrub dogwood’s colorful stems can make a great splash against the brown or white winter background. They are now available in colors from traditional bright red, to salmon, to yellow. ‘Baileyi’ red osier dogwood is a red-stemmed cultivar of the North American species which is native to most of the Eastern United States. It was a top performer in our trials at Longwood Gardens with prominent red stems all winter, very easy cultivation and few disease problems. Salmon cultivars are derived from the European species Cornus sanguinea, and the Asian species, C. alba, accounts for some red and yellow cultivars.

 

Common Names: Red Osier Dogwood

Botanical Name: Cornus sericea ‘Baileyi’

Type: Shrub

Fruit: White, ephemeral in late summer

Size: Up to 9 feet in height and width but spreads by stolons.

Exposure: Tolerates part shade, but achieves best stem color in brighter conditions

Soil: Adaptable to wide range of types, but prefers moist soil

Watering: Water regularly during establishment only

Planting: In spring, as specimens or in mass 4 to 6 feet apart for quick cover

When to fertilize: Fertilize only in poor soil conditions

When to Prune: Prune in spring before leaves appear to remove dead and decaying wood. Best stem color on young wood produced by rejuvenation pruning every three to four years.

In Your Landscape: Best used in mass, also suitable for
wet soils.

(Photos By James Harbage)

Gardeners tend to think of planting summer-blooming plants in the spring, but some shrubs known for their summer colors actually establish just as well, if not more easily, in the fall. The new abelia, ‘Kaleidoscope’, is a great choice to plant this fall. This new abelia variety boasts a long bloom season, as well as bright, colorful foliage in the fall as temperatures get cooler.

‘Kaleidoscope’ starts blooming in summer and has an unusually long bloom time lasting well into autumn. Buds start out as light pink and then open into white tubular flowers. The shrub’s foliage is variegated and changes color with each season. New foliage in the spring is bright yellow which changes to gold and green in the summer. In the fall, leaves turn vibrant, eye-catching combinations of gold, orange and scarlet.

The brightly-colored leaves stay on this evergreen shrub all winter and then become more green and yellow in the spring. New growth stems are bright red, offering even more colorful interest.

‘Kaleidoscope’ abelia is also very hardy and heat resistant, making it a great choice for Southern gardens.

Abelias can be planted in either spring or fall. Planting in fall gives the shrub plenty of time to establish before the next bloom season.

Common Name: ‘Kaleidoscope’ abelia

Botanical Name: Abelia x grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’

Color: Pink buds open to white tubular flowers. Foliage varies with the season from yellow and green, to orange and red.

Blooming Period: Summer to fall

Zones: 6 to 9

Type: Evergreen shrub in Zones 7 to 9

Size: 2 to 3 feet high by 4 to 5 feet wide

Exposure: Full sun to light shade

When to Plant: Fall or spring

How to Plant: Loosen the root ball and place in a hole as deep as the root ball and two to three times as wide.

Soil: Abelias do well in almost any well-drained soil.

Watering: Water regularly the first year until established, and afterwards only in times of drought.

When to Prune: Abelias will flower more and keep a more compact shape when pruned heavily once every two years in the early spring.

When to Fertilize: Early spring; use any common fertilizer for shrubs.

In Your Landscape: Its small, dense, compact form makes the ‘Kaleidoscope’ abelia great for small gardens or container gardens. It can be used as a small hedge or accent plant, and also looks spectacular when planted en masse.

(From Georgia Gardening Volume IX Issue VII.)

Some lighter colored evergreens at the base help show off the dark green leaves and white flowers of Japanese tree lilac.

If you saw a single-stemmed, creamy-white flowered tree blooming in late May, would you suspect that it was a lilac? Maybe not, but if the plant was a Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata), that’s just what you would see.

Reaching heights of 20 to 30 feet, this tree-version of a lilac stands tall in many other ways when compared to the old-fashioned common lilac. For starters, the extremely showy flowers are presented several weeks later than the common lilac, extending the spring blooming season into late spring or early summer. Some years it even flowers into June. The slightly fragrant flower panicles are extremely showy, up to 12 inches long. Not only that, but the Japanese tree lilac is nearly pest free, being much more resistant than common lilac to problems such as powdery mildew, scale and lilac borer.

Michael A. Dirr, author of “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses,” has proclaimed this tree to be “the most trouble-free lilac, and the toughest of the lilacs; an excellent specimen tree or street tree, good in groups or near large buildings,” and even calls it one of his favorites.

Although the flowers appear late enough to avoid spring frosts, the dark green leaves of this deciduous plant emerge quite early. The showy blooms are then presented for two weeks against the backdrop of the lovely foliage. Sometimes described as a large shrub or small tree with stiff, spreading branches and an oval to rounded crown, Japanese tree lilac eventually becomes a graceful, somewhat arching specimen, spreading to a width of 15 to 25 feet.

In winter, the bark on young plants will make people think you have a cherry tree, since it is definitely cherry-like in appearance with a glossy reddish-brown color and marked with prominent horizontal lenticels just like many of the flowering cherries. Of course, even in winter, you can tell the difference just by looking at the small twigs. Lilacs always have opposite buds (directly across from each other), while cherry buds always have an alternate arrangement on the twig (left-right-left). As the lilac tree ages, its bark becomes gray and scaly.

Hardy from Zones 3 to 7, this tree is suited for use throughout the Midwest, even though it is native to Japan. Tolerant of clay soils and a range of soil pH from 6.5 to 8.0, Japanese tree lilac flowers best in full sun conditions. Surprisingly, many people are still not familiar with this tree, although it was introduced into cultivation in 1876. Today, it is successfully grown throughout much of the United States. ‘Ivory Silk’, an extremely hardy cultivar introduced in Ontario, Canada, in 1975, is a popular, vigorous and sturdy, upright tree with a straight trunk. This cultivar is good for planting under utility lines or in planters.

The Japanese tree lilac is a beautiful, hardy flowering tree that is adaptable and easy to grow. It should be used more often in home landscapes, parks and street plantings.

The giant flower clusters of Japanese tree lilac can be nearly 1 foot across.

Common name:   Japanese tree lilac

Botanical Name:   Syringa reticulata

Varieties to look for:  ‘Ivory Silk’, ‘Chantilly Lace’, ‘Summer Snow’, ‘Regent’  

  Color:   Flowers are a creamy white

  Blooming period:   May to June

  Size:   20 to 30 feet tall, 15 to 25 feet wide

  Exposure:   Full sun

  When to plant:   Early spring

  How to plant:   Choose a balled-and-burlapped or containerized plant; dig a wide hole the depth of the rootball

  Soil:   Loam or clay

  Watering:   1 inch per week during growing season

  When to prune:   Immediately after blooms fade  

When to fertilize:   Late fall or early spring, based on soil test results

  Other maintenance:   Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch in late spring  

In your landscape:   Great for use as a specimen tree, street tree, under utility lines, near large buildings, in planters or in group plantings

(Photos by Mike Klahr.  Story from Kentucky Gardener Volume III Issue IV.)

Zinnia acerosa (left) and Dyschoriste oblongifolia are an attractive June combination for a dry, rock garden area.

Two species of snakeherb, Dyschoriste oblongifolia and D. linearis, are excellent candidates for a midsummer issue of Hot Plants. These herbaceous perennials flourish in full sun, hot temperatures and droughty conditions. Best used as ground covers in sunny locations, both species emerge from dormancy in midspring, then bear lavender-blue flowers for an extended period of time in late spring to midsummer, longer if rainfall is plentiful. D. linearis is taller (12 inches) then its sister species D. oblongifolia (8-10 inches). Both spread by underground stems to colonize the area in the garden where they are planted.

D. linearis is native to Texas and Oklahoma whereas D. oblongifolia is native to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana. In Fayetteville, both species have survived many winters in well-drained locations and should do well throughout the rest of the state.

The durability of Dyschoriste linearis in a full sun, unirrigated location is remarkable.

 Common Name:  Snakeherb or polka dots

 Scientific Name:  Dyschoriste oblongifolia, D. linearis

 Color:  Lavender-blue flowers and medium green foliage; foliage flushes purple in fall.  

Blooming Period:   Late spring into summer

  Type:   Herbaceous perennial

  Size:   8 to 12 inches high, indefinite spread

  Exposure:   Full sun

  When to Plant:   Transplant in spring  

How to Plant:   From a container

  Soil:   Adaptable to soil; should be well drained, especially in winter.

  Watering:   Supplemental watering not necessary once plants are established in the landscape.

  In Your Landscape:   Use these two species as ground covers to underplant beneath other sun-loving perennials.

(Photos courtesy of Jon T. Lindstrom.)

 Its small stature will fit into every garden.

I love the color yellow and it is quite readily available in various shades in the plant world. Perhaps one of the best soft yellows is that of Baptisia x ‘Carolina Moonlight’. As the name implies, it is covered in 15- to 18-inch spikes of soft, buttery yellow pealike flowers in early summer. The lupinelike flowers pop open a few each day, creating a special allure in the garden. It is does very well in poor soils, prefers full sun but does quite well in partial shade. The three-leafed foliage is blue green and is completely free of insect and diseases throughout the growing season. Once it is established, it is extremely drought tolerant, no doubt from its prairie meadow parentage. The soft yellow combines easily with other perennials and only requires a fall cut back to keep it looking top notch. Why not introduce a little Carolina moonlight into your garden?

Buttery yellow spikes will add allure to your garden.

Common Name: Carolina moonlight wild indigo

Botanical Name: Baptisia x ‘Carolina Moonlight’

Color: Spikes of yellow flowers; clean blue green foliage

Blooming Period: Early summer            

Type: Perennial

Size: 3-4 feet tall by 3 feet wide

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

When to Plant: Transplant from a container in spring.

How to Plant: From a container, dig a shallow hole the depth of the container. Mulch lightly with aged hardwood or pine bark.

Soil: Tolerant of clay and generally poor soil.

Watering: Once weekly until established

Suggestions for Your Landscape: Mixed perennial border, meadows, early summer color

(Story from Virginia Gardener Volume IX Issue VI. Photos courtesy of C. Dwayne Jones.)    

What a great plant for using in varied ways! Papyrus, which is an ancient plant first used in making paper, is now a highly decorative addition to any gardener’s collection of must-haves.

King Tut is one of the most interesting plants for use as the centerpiece in a container garden. The stalks add strong vertical lines and the tasseled heads add visual interest. 

Donna Cole, at Smarty Plants in Decatur, says King Tut dwarf papyrus is always on her bestseller list. “They can be used is so many ways,” says Donna. “They are great in container gardens, as well as water gardens.”

Papyrus gives height and substance to container groupings, adding an airy feel to the top as well as structure from its stems. It looks equally at home in mass plantings, giving movement and eye-appeal to water gardens and borders. It can also be grown indoors.
 



Common Name: King Tut dwarf papyrus

Botanical Name: Cyperus papyrus  

Size: 18-24 inches high by 24-36 inches wide 

Hardiness: Zones 8a-10b

Light: Full sun to partial shade

Moisture: Requires consistently moist soil

Soil: Favors natural soils, but tolerant of slightly acidic or alkaline soils.

Bloom Time: Mid to late summer and early fall 

Foliage: Evergreen

Propagation: Self-sows and by division. Deadhead if you do not want seedlings next year. 

Thanks to Donna Cole at Smarty Plants in Decatur for her informative advice and for allowing us access to her plant collection.

Tt(From Alabama Gardener Vol X Issue VI. Photography courtesy of Proven Winners.)

The bright markings of Coreopsis ‘Cosmic Eye’ really stand out in the garden or container planting.

Coreopsis has long been a favorite in the garden with its bright-yellow flowers. New varieties have been released with longer bloom times, some as long as May through October, and in color variations of yellow, orange, maroon and even pink. ‘Creme Brulee’, for example, is an improved form of ‘Moonbeam’, with thread-like leaves and soft-yellow flowers. It easily re-blooms after a light shearing.

The Big Bang Series offers several new varieties of coreopsis featuring larger flowers and good weather tolerance. ‘Galaxy’ has 2-inch, semi-double canary-yellow blooms and attractive bright-green foliage. ‘Cosmic Eye’ stands out in a planting with its prominent burgundy-red eye. Both varieties grow to about 12 inches tall. ‘Full Moon’ sports 3-inch blooms, also canary yellow, but on 24- to 30-inch plants. ‘Redshift’ offers a unique flower, red blending to yellow, with deeper shades depending upon night temperature.

Along with drought tolerance and durability, all types of coreopsis, including native species, have few disease problems and tolerate very poor soils. Plant them in a hot, sunny location where a bright spot of color is needed.

Coreopsis ‘Crème Brulee’ brightens this garden spot when the daylily and sedum are not in bloom.

Common Name: Tickseed

Botanical Name: Coreopsis

Varieties: ‘Cosmic Eye’, ‘Galaxy’, ‘Full Moon,’ ‘Redshift’, ‘Crème Brulee’

Color: Yellow, sometimes with maroon markings

Type: Perennial

Exposure: Full sun

Soil: Tolerant of dry, rocky soils

Watering: Once established, water only during drought

When to Prune: Shear back after initial flowering has finished, or as needed.

In Your Landscape: Use where a long season of bright color is needed in the landscape or in container plantings.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Hudak.

Mention the name “hen and chicks” and most gardeners will think back to that unimpressive little gray-green patch of succulents that their grandmother grew. Well, be prepared to be impressed with Sempervivum tectorum ‘Jade Rose’. The distinctive rosy red color on the inside of the leaves is the first thing to catch your eye, but it is the delicate hairs at the tips that will make you stop and stare.  With sunlight shining on the plant, the red coloration intensifies and the tiny hairs seem to glisten, making it a real showstopper. The large size of each floret makes it perfect for filling the pockets of a strawberry jar, allowing the babies to flow over the sides. And just imagine how striking a patch of ‘Jade Rose’ would look on a bed of white pebbles in your rock garden. Easy to care for, drought tolerant and beautiful – what more could you ask for?

Common Name: Hen and chicks

Botanical Name: Sempervivum tectorum ‘Jade Rose’

Color: Soft gray-green with rosy red color on the inside of the leaves

Size: 1-3 inches in height with a spread of 8-12 inches

Cold Hardiness: Zones 5-8

Type: Evergreen perennial succulent

Exposure: Sun to partial shade

How to plant:  Plant with base of plant slightly above soil level. Mulch to keep away from wet soil – pebbles or gravel is the preferred mulch.

Soil: Sandy, coarse, very well-drained soil. Amend heavy soil with coarse sand and/or grit.

Watering: Minimal watering; prefers dry conditions.

Fertilizer: A light application of a general fertilizer in the spring will promote growth but none is required.

In the Landscape: Excellent for strawberry jar containers, troughs and mini-gardens. Striking in rock gardens, as a garden edging or even small ground cover.

Dendrobium phalaenopsis hybrid.
(Photo by Michelle Byrne Walsh.)

The dendrobium is an orchid that knows its own mind. Give it what it wants and it will repay you with beautiful blooms.

Orchids seem exotic. Expensive. Fussy. In bloom they seem ethereal. But moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) are actually somewhat easy to grow indoors and are widely available.

So if you want to be a trailblazer and break out of the “Phalaenopsis rut,” consider a dendrobium. These orchids are more rare and a little demanding, but not so much that you will not be able to find one and care for it.

Moth orchids are popular because of their long bloom period (up to three months) and their temperature and light requirements (warmth and not very intense light) make them easy to grow in the house. Dendrobiums, on the other hand, have specific requirements in terms of temperature and light—often bright light and cooler night temperatures.

Native to Asia and Oceania, the genus Dendrobium is one of the largest orchid groups, with more than 1,200 species. They grow in many climates, from hot, wet lowlands to high-altitude, colder mountains.

What Do They Want?

The main considerations for orchid culture in general are light, temperature, water, fertilizer and repotting. “It is a mistake to buy orchids and try to make them adapt to the climate of your house,” says Dana Harrison, sales manager at Orchids by Hausermann in Villa Park. “Each house has different light and temperature microclimates. Purchase your orchid to match the conditions in your house.”

“Dendrobiums as a group are all over the board as to what they require,” says Liese Butler, orchid grower and owner of Oak Hill Gardens in Dundee. “Some like cold temperatures, some like warm, some are deciduous, some are evergreen. So you can’t just say ‘this is how you grow a dendrobium.’”

What Kinds Are There?

Butler notes one of the most commonly available dendrobiums is the Den. phalaenopsis hybrids. “These are found in the mass market as potted plants. They are the most popular dendrobiums, probably because they have the longest lasting blooms. Blooms can last six to eight weeks. Many other types of dendrobiums have a blooming period of only a couple weeks.” These dendrobium hybrids are called “phalaenopsis,” not because they’re a hybrid with the moth orchid, but because the shape of their flower is moth-like, Butler explains.

Harrison notes the Nobile dendrobium hybrids have become popular with collectors. Many of the nobile type are autumn to winter bloomers. They grow on upright canes and the flowers form near the leaves in clusters. They tend to be white, yellow, yellow-orange, or white with purple. The nobile types require a cool period in winter to initiate bloom spikes.

However, many nobiles are being bred to be tolerant of “warm” winter nights, meaning they need only a few nights below 60 degrees to set flowers. Some can flower two to three times a year.

Remember, though, there are many types of dendrobiums, and that’s the beauty of them. Butler notes that species dendrobiums are fascinating to orchid enthusiasts because of their different shapes, habits and colors. “Many (for instance Den. anosmum) have pendulous canes and lose all their leaves in winter before they bloom in the spring with sprays of lavender flowers. It is gorgeous, and fragrant. You can hang it in baskets and you get this cascade of bloom with no leaves.” However, the bloom period for this type, and others, can be short.

The Antelope dendrobium group is the basis of many hybrids available in the mass marketplace, according to the American Orchid Society website. They are called Antelope types because their petals are twisted like antelope antlers. All are evergreen, and most can be very tall. They are predominantly summer blooming with long-lasting flowers, and they can flower several times a year. These need temperatures of 70-80 degrees in daytime, 60 at night, with more light.

Let There Be Light

In fact, the common denominator among dendrobiums is that they all require high light. Harrison says, “Light is the most critical factor in flowering. Foliage color should stay the same green as when you purchased the plant. If the foliage is too green, it’s not getting enough light. If it turns yellow, it is too much.” Light can be classified as low, medium and high. In a household setting, low light is indicated by diffused shadows when you hold your hand out. “Dendrobiums are definitely high light plants,” agrees Butler. “ They need several hours of bright sun each day. They need a south or a west window, and put them close to the window.” You can augment your light with grow lights, she notes, but as supplemental light only, and with a spot grow light if you can.

The American Orchid Society’s orchid culture literature says Dendrobium phalaenopis hybrids prefer bright light—up to 50 percent sun. In the house, an east, west or lightly shaded south window would be ideal. In a greenhouse, that would mean 30 to 50 percent full sun. The plants prefer nighttime temperatures of 60 to 65 and daytime temps of 80 to 90 degrees.

As for fertilizer, Butler recommends a high-nitrogen fertilizer in the spring and summer when they are growing, and a high-phosphorous fertilizer in fall and winter when they are setting buds.

Not all dendrobiums are for beginners, notes Butler. “Dendrobiums don’t bloom easily for people, but go ahead and try one. Just remember ‘dry and bright.’ Put them right in front of the window. Don’t overwater. It’s a fascinating group of orchids because it’s so diverse. Some have clusters of flowers like beehives. Lots are deciduous, so when they bloom the flowers are on bare canes. If you have a feel for plants, you will learn what they need.”

Blue-violet flowers adorn the white stems of Perovskia. (Photo by Glenn Nagel.)

Looking for a tough, forgiving, sun-loving bloomer? Look no further! Once, the coordinator of a rural elementary school’s garden urged me to plant a Russian sage. She applauded Perovskia atriplicifolia for blooming throughout the summer with no care, and it was ignored by persistent deer. Having equal success, I have since included this perennial in all my gardens.

Discovered in Central Asia in 1841, Perovskia was named for V.A. Perovski, the governor of the Russian province Orenburg. This shrubby perennial is native to bio-regions known as steppes. Steppes are grassy to shrubby plains where temperatures range from 104 F in summer to -40 F in winter. Rain usually abounds in spring; summers are high and dry. Does this climate sound familiar?

In addition to the “sagey” fragrance of the foliage, I love the contrast in texture and color it creates in a planting. Perovskia was chosen Perennial of the Year in 1995.

Common Name: Russian sage

Botanical Name: Perovskia atriplicifolia

Color: White/gray heavily toothed foliage and new stems; blue-violet flowers

Bloom Period: Summer until frost

Type of Plant: Woody perennial

Size: 4 feet tall and wide (wider if left to sucker)

Exposure: Full sun

Soil: Tolerates poor soil, but not heavy, wet clay. If planting in clay, use a raised bed, slope or water management to facilitate drainage.

Water: Little to no water once established. It tolerates spring rain and dry summers.

Propagation: Remove and replant new basal growth in late summer or early spring. It is

relatively easy to root semi-hardwood cuttings in July and August.

When to Fertilize: Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer annually in spring.

In your Landscape: Use Perovskia to anchor a sunny perennial border or bed. Prune to 2 feet

in winter.

The airy, blue spires of Perovskia are paired with Red Rocket crapemyrtle and Zinnia Profusion.
(Photo courtesy of LeeAnn Barton.)

Aster ‘Lady in Black’ is smothered with small, floriferous composite flowers—white ray petals surrounding a red disk.

If you want an enchanting garden companion who will make everyone around her look more beautiful, try Aster lateriflorus ‘Lady in Black’. I fell in love with her one fall when she flirted with my Physocarpus ‘Coppertina’. They were side-by-side in containers in my “holding-till-I-find-a-home” garden. The Lady’s airy, lavender-blue-flowered stems were weaving themselves into the ninebark’s coppery-leafed, upright branches. I glanced their way, caught my breath and laughed.

Together they looked spectacular. Later, I noticed her with burgundy and golden-leafed lacecap hydrangeas. She’d also self-seeded nearby, next to a carex—one young, flowery stem reclining on thin grass blades.

Upright, she grows into a mound of strappy, purple-black leaves. Though hot, she’s no diva. She’s low maintenance. You can stagger bloom time by pruning some branches to 4 to 6 inches in June. Her flowers attract butterflies and bees but not deer.

In late autumn, delicate aster ‘Lady in Black’ flowers are framed beautifully by textural carex grass.

 Common Name:  Aster ‘Lady in Black’, Calico Aster

 Botanical Name:  Aster lateriflorus ‘Lady in Black’

 Color:  Small, delicate, daisy-like flowers with white ray petals surrounding reddish disk can look pink, purple or lavender-blue en masse

 Blooming Period:  Late summer into fall  

Type:   Perennial

  Size:   2 to 3 feet tall, 3 feet wide

 Exposure:  Blooms best in full sun, acceptably in partial shade

 When to Plant:  Spring, early summer, fall

 How to Plant:  Plant 3 to 4 feet apart. Dig a hole somewhat wider than the root ball.

 Soil:  Well drained

 Watering:  Average. Drought tolerant after established.  

When to Prune:   Deadhead with shears after flowers die.

  When to Fertilize:   Minimal

  In Your Landscape:   Mixed ornamental beds, woodlands, cottage gardens, meadows.

(Photos By Charlotte Kidd)

The redvein enkianthus is an interesting landscape shrub your neighbors probably have not yet discovered. Enkianthus is Greek for “pregnant flower” since some species have a prominent swelling at the base of the flower that gives the appearance of “a flower within a flower.”

Redvein refers to the reddish-pink stripes on the beautiful flower petals, which are a blend of creamy yellow, light orange, pink and red, producing an overall pink color from a distance. The flower racemes are in profuse clusters of bell-shaped or urn-shaped flowers that resemble those of blueberries or lily-of-the-valley. Blooming starts in early May, about the time the leaves are developing. Summer foliage is blue-green, changing to brilliant yellow, orange and red in the fall.

Growing to a height of 5-8 feet and staying more shrublike in this region, older specimens of enkianthus in the eastern states may become small trees growing to 15 feet or more. Hardy to Zone 4, this native of Japan likes full sun or part shade, requiring similar soil conditions as rhododendrons, preferring an acid, organic soil.

Common Name: Redvein enkianthus

Botanical Name: Enkianthus campanulatus

Cultivars: ‘Princeton Red Bells’, ‘Red Bells’, ‘Summer Hill’

Type: Deciduous

Flowers: Bell-shaped clusters; overall pink; slightly fragrant in May

Fall Color: Excellent yellow, orange to red

Soil: Prefers acid, organic soil and 2-3 inches organic mulch.

Size: 5-8 feet tall, narrow, upright

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Watering: 1 inch of water per week during the growing season

When To Fertilize: Fertilize in late fall or very early spring, based on soil test results.

Planting and Pruning: Plant in the spring or fall; prune lightly after flowering if needed.

In Your Landscape: Great foundation plant, accent plant or specimen plant, or combine with rhododendrons or other evergreens. 

(Photos courtesy of Mike Klahr.)

You may call it common or Eastern ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), but this shrub has become anything but common. Ninebark has been to finishing school with several fabulous new cultivars introduced. Bright, colorful foliage – burgundy, copper, gold and variegated – have replaced the standard medium green leaves of the old-fashioned ninebark. The species has been tamed, a lot more compact and less vigorous.

The new ninebarks fit multiple landscape situations: as a single specimen; several used as a dense-growing deciduous hedge, screen or border; or featured in a patio container. Ninebark is exceptionally cold hardy and flourishes in an aboveground container for many years (provided the potting soil or medium is replenished annually).

White (or pinkish) spiraea-like flower clusters 1½ - 2 inches wide open in May. Finally, as its name suggests, ninebark exhibits an inner dark cherry-colored bark wrapped in a thin gray-brown skin, which peels off in narrow strips.





Common Name: Common ninebark, Eastern ninebark

Botanical Name: Physocarpus opulifolius

Cultivars: Summer Wine, Coppertina, Center Glow, Diabolo, Little Devil

Type: Medium to large shrub or a small deciduous tree

Size: 3-10 feet tall (depending on variety) and 10-12 feet spread (native species)

When to Plant: Easy to transplant in any season, whether balled-and-burlapped or container grown.

Exposure: Best in full sun, OK in partial shade (minimum 6 hours sunlight).

Soil: Grows in any soil type; tolerates wet, soggy ground; either an alkaline or acidic pH.

Watering: Irrigate to properly establish ninebark; has exceptional drought tolerance thereafter.

When to Prune: Annual pruning recommended to reign in its vigor. Diabolo can be pruned into a small tree by removing lower branches; therefore accenting its lovely exfoliating bark.

In the Landscape: New choices with colorful foliage and compact growing habits increase the versatility of ninebark in the Tennessee landscape. White or pink spiraea-like flower clusters in May. Bronze or drab yellow autumn leaf color of no consequence. Winter bark accent offers multi-seasonal interest.

Hugh’s five favorite ninebark cultivars:

* Spring foliage colors start to fade or dull in midsummer on most cultivars

The clear yellow foliage of Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Dart’s Gold’ is so vibrant that it almost looks like forsythia in full bloom! I am normally not particularly fond of yellow-foliaged plants, but I have to admit that this one makes a dramatic impact in the landscape.  2	Diabolo (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’) was introduced by Monrovia Nursery in 1999, and became an instant hit.  Here it serves as a colorful backdrop for this stately garden bench.  2
The flower clusters add texture and visual diversity to the clear yellow foliage of ‘Dart’s Gold’ ninebark.  2	Exfoliating bark is a wonderful characteristic that adds a definite bonus in the winter landscape, but also lends a great contrast to the colorful foliage in summer.  2