Foxtail lilies or desert candles (Eremurus spp.) are beginning to find an audience with U.S. gardeners. Foxtail lilies are indigenous to the grasslands and semi-arid parts of Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan (USDA hardiness zones 5–8). Tall spires of brightly colored flowers emerge in late spring; small individual flowers are densely packed together. Each showy […]
Archive for the ‘compost’ Category
‘Victory’ Chosen Hosta Plant Of The Year For 2015
The Hosta Growers Association has selected ‘Victory’ the Hosta of the Year for 2015 (USDA Zones 3–9). ‘Victory’ is a large hosta cultivar with gold edged variegated leaves and an upright vase-shaped plant habit. Victory hosta is a sport of H. nigrescens ‘Elatior’, distinctive also for its beautiful, upright form. Plant develops into a broad 3 – […]
Mid-Summer Blooming ‘Happy Days’ Sunflower
The cheerful golden yellow flowers of Happy Days sunflower (Helianthus ‘Happy Days’) should brighten your garden during the waning days of summer (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). This perennial sunflower has a long 4 to 6 week blooming period. In its first season new plants grow 24-30 inches tall and almost as wide. In subsequent years, tack on an additional 12-18 inches in […]
Fall Planting of Peonies
Fall is the perfect time to plant peonies either from bare-root plants or from pre-potted plants at garden centers. Fall planted peonies will adapt to their new garden spot over the winter and usually will bloom in the spring. There are three types of peonies: herbaceous, tree, and intersectional (hybrids of herbaceous and tree types). […]
Bloodroot Is Wonderful Woodland Beauty
Bloodgood (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a long-lived rhizomatous native woodland wildflower. All plant parts exude a bright reddish-orange sap when cut, hence the common name. Indians utilized as a dye and sap is antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. Roots are poisonous if ingested (USDA hardiness zone 3 -9). In very […]
Enjoy Summer Fragrance Of Oriental Lilies
Oriental lilies (Lilium x orientale) grace summer gardens with brightly colored fragrant blooms (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Long tubular (trumpet) flowers measure 6-8 inches across and come in a limited color choices. From one year to the next, flower numbers increase. Oriental lilies prefer a compost-rich, well-drained soil where they will delight over several summers and in […]
Persian Shield Offers Radiant Foliage Color
The iridescent purple foliage of Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) radiates in a warm summer garden in the U.S. Here it is treated as an annual (USDA hardiness zones 9-11). Persian shield is native to tropical Myanmar (formerly Burma), where it is a 3-4 feet tall soft-stemmed evergreen shrub or subshrub. In temperate regions it grows […]
Obedient Plant For Late Summer Blooming
Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is native from the Central to Southern U.S. and northern Mexico (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). It is called “obedient plant” because each tubular flower will, upon being pushed in any one direction, stays in new position. From July to September obedient plant is valued for its late season pink or white […]
Flame Azalea Favorite Among Native Azaleas
Flame azalea (R. calendulaceum) is a spectacular sight when it flowers in early May through June (depending on location). The mountainsides across the Appalachian region seem to be afire with their yellow, orange or red flowers (USDA hardiness zones 5 thru 8). Its native habitat is in open, dry sites in woods, on the hillsides, and […]
Wonderful Bellworts For Woodland Gardens
The soft yellow bell-shaped flowers of bellworts (Uvularia spp.), aka merrybells, contribute to spring’s awakening in U.S. woodlands and shade gardens (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). On both U. grandiflora and U. perfoliata, flower stems pierce (pass through) the center of the leaves. A third species, (U. sessilifolia), nicknamed Wild Oats, […]