The Best Season
When considering shrubs with berries, remember many of the roses will produce large, colorful rose hips if they are allowed to do so. Some cultivars or species, such as Rosa xanthina, the Manchu rose, has particularly colorful hips. It produces ... [... more]
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Arizona Sun Blanket Flower
For 2005, there are three flower award winners. Tough hot summers call for rough and ready plants. That pretty well describes Arizona Sun blanket flower, a new kind of Gaillardia aristata. This weather-resilient plant can take heat and dry ... [... more]
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Beautiful For A Day Daylilies
There are a number of perennial trials around the country rating daylilies. Michigan State University released its results after observing some of the plants for three years. And Miss Mary Mary daylily was rated in the top 20%. On a scale of 1-5 ... [... more]
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Becky Shasta Daisy
Generally Becky has few problems so far as insects and diseases are concerned. But it can suffer from foliar nematodes on the older leaves. Sometimes a leaf spot caused by a fungus can occur. Aphids and whiteflies may occasionally attack the ... [... more]
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Fire Witch Cheddar Pink In The Landscape
Only about four inches in height, Firewitch cheddar pink can grow to be ½ to one foot across. The grass-like foliage is silver to grayish-blue. The flower stalks are about eight inches tall. Opening sometime during May and June, these can be ... [... more]
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Flowering Sages
The common sage has many garden relatives that we ordinarily grow as ornamentals. These include the ever-popular scarlet sage, which I love to grow because it attracts hummingbirds. Scarlet sage actually comes in a number of other colors besides ... [... more]
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Frost Proof 'Icicle' Pansies
Plant them in the late summer to early fall so they have sufficient time to get established before the cold weather arrives, spacing them about a foot apart in well-drained soil. A spot in filtered shade where they’ll be sheltered from drying ... [... more]
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Ground Covers
Ground covers should be spaced close enough together so that the plants will minimize weeds. The planting distance depends upon the type of plant being used and one’s budget. Spacing closer together will mean the ground covers will grow quickly ... [... more]
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Hellebore-Perennial Of The Year For 2005
As the name of the plant implies, Lenten roses bloom in late winter to early spring. The blooms are two to three inches wide. These are available in singles, semi-doubles, and doubles. The long-lasting flowers come in a wide range of colors, ... [... more]
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Hollyhocks In The Landscape
Hollyhocks were introduced to England from China in the early 1500’s. The great English herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper, who lived 1616-1654, wrote of numerous uses for the plants. By the 1600’s, it had become very popular in England, and was ... [... more]
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Jewels Of Summer
Each summer at their annual meeting members of the Perennial Plant Association choose a Perennial Plant of the Year for the coming year. They’ve been doing this since 1990. For 2004, they chose the Japanese painted fern (Athyrium nipponicum ... [... more]
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Late Blooming Sages
When gardeners need further information on growing the sages, there are several useful guides. “Florida’s Best Native Landscape Plants” by Gil Nelson from the University Press of Florida features 200 species that are readily available in ... [... more]
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