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 […]
Archive for the ‘Propagation (Cuttings)’ Category
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 […]
Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea
Vanilla Strawberry™ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is a new peegee hydrangea selection introduced from France and it is really catching on with U.S. gardeners (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This exceptionally cold hardy hydrangea blooms from late June thru early September. Blooms are enormous and stand upright. Following a heavy summer shower, saturated floral trusses temporarily bow down under their sheer weight, but gradually recover. Flower color […]
Lots Of Stokes Asters To Pick
Stokes aster (Stokesia laevis) is an underutilized herbaceous perennial. It is indigenous to the southeastern United States (USDA hardiness zones 5-9 and AHS heat zones 4-11). Many attractive cultivars are now available (see below). Most stokes asters produce mostly blue and purple colored floral cultivars, but violet, yellow, white, and blended color forms are also […]
Japanese Hydrangea Vine Worth The Wait
Japanese hydrangea vine (Schizophragma hydrangoides) ‘Moonlight’ is a deciduous woody vine (USDA hardiness zone 5 to 8). It is closely related to climbing hydrangea vine (Hydrangea anomala ‘Petiolaris’). This ornate climbing vine is valued for its silvery, silvery-green, heart-shaped foliage and large, flat-topped, lace cap hydrangea-like clusters (8-10 […]
Sunset Cutie® Gaillardia
New from PlantHaven is a new 15-inch gaillardia (Gaillardia x grandiflora) called Sunset Cutie® with red-bronze flowers edged in creamy yellow. It will leave a bright fiesta feel to our home landscape. Sunset Cutie has a compact mounding plant habit. It will bloom nonstop on your patio this summer or in your perennial flower bed. It is hardy to Zone 5 […]
Modern Day Clematis Bloom Freely
The old-fashioned clematis(es) in grandma’s garden bloomed one time in spring or summer and bore huge showy flowers (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). Vines took up lots of space in the garden. Old cultivars grew 8-9 feet tall; many bore one single large flower at the end of each growing […]
Siebold Viburnum Makes Wonderful Small Tree
The genus Viburnum is no stranger to U.S. gardens. Many species and cultivars of viburnums are popular. Siebold viburnum (V. sieboldii) is a large spring flowering species from eastern Asia (USDA hardiness zones 5-7), but is under-planted in today’s gardens. This multi-trunk large shrub to 12 to 15 feet high or 25 […]
Good News About Garden Impatiens
Gardeners no longer have to give up growing garden impatiens (Impatiens walleriana). No, the worldwide disease outbreak of downy mildew on garden impatiens is not over. But new disease resistant cultivars of impatiens are arriving at garden centers this spring. Two of the newest are: SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink and Bounce® Pink Flame (‘Balboufink’). […]