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Whirling Butterflies….You Can Grow That…….

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When I think of plants that add a touch of excitement, whimsy,  movement and beauty, held above a burnished mass of foliage, it can only be Gaura. To some it is known as Whirling Butterflies, Wand Flower or Bee Blossom, I know it as a fool-proof, easy to grow, surprise plant for the xeric garden. Such delicate blooms in a xeric garden???  YES!!!wpid-20151008_002139.jpg

A North American native plant found in Texas and Mexico.  This airy perennial plant can sometimes get as big as 3 feet by 3 feet, including the blooms which rise above the sometimes spotted bronzy basal foliage.  The average  height is 2 feet by 2 feet. A plant known to be sensitive to being moved once it’s tap root is in place, Gaura thrives on a sunny environment with deep, well-drained soil. Gaura can be the highlight in the garden at this time of the year when other plants have ceased blooming.  A mature Gaura has just now gotten it’s second wind and is blooming it’s little butterflies off, repeatedly with no deadheading at all.  !! This is the plant you want to find when there are gaps in the garden that need to be filled while waiting for the pansies and ornamental cabbages to grow into their autumnal greatness.wpid-20151008_002256.jpg

There are white cultivars as well as pink cultivars, no matter the color, this plant – while appearing to be fragile does overtime n the garden.  I planted some around the clock tower in the middle of District Heights Parkway, in a municipal planting that rarely gets watered.  The plants are absolutely showing off right now. I also noticed, while in Paris this summer, that Guara and Lantana were partners in crime in many mixed municipal and public plantings.  I even saw an abundance of it at Giverny…imagine that!!!

Gaura can easily be grown from seed or from cuttings. If you want bushy plants, then pruning them ks they grow, will increase the amount of the blooms in addition to the size of the foliage cluster. Use those cuttings to make more plants. The bronze and green foliage with an underside in a reddish hue, add a touch of elegance to this plant.wpid-20151008_002243.jpg

So if you are looking for that plant the will carry color in the garden amidst the autumnal tones of the season, take a second look at Gaura!!! Gaura, by any other name is so easy even You Can Grow That!!!

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Tuberose…You Can Grow That!

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When I think of intoxicating fragrances, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Tuberose.  In the warm air of late summer, the scent of Polianthes  tuberosa can literally capture your mind and your heart as it permeates the air.

Polianthes Tuberose is one of the earliest cultivated plants.  The Aztecs originally grew Tuberose.  When the Spanish and French discovered it and took it to Europe where it also gained much popularity, particularly for weddings and large gatherings.  The Tuberose was quite popular in the Moon gardens of Europe where the warm air of the evening captured the intoxicating scent.  Today, it is mostly grown in the South Western United States and the Gulf Coast of Florida, however, it can also be grown where there are at least 4 months of warmer weather.

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Great in pots and in the ground (zones 8 and higher). In the cooler zones, one can grow Tuberose and then lift them before winter, as they need to be kept above 20 degrees to avoid damaging the rhizome.  This rhizome forms a grass like clump where 3-4 foot stalks rise with a wonderfully fragrant bloom that most people either love or find just a tad too overpowering (I personally LOVE the scent!) Planted 2 – 4 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart, Tuberose needs to be planted in moist but well draining soil.  If the soil holds too much water, the rhizome will rot.  The hotter, the better as afternoon sun is one thing that will make your Tuberose bloom to perfection.  It will not hurt the plant if you cut the blooms for arrangements.  In fact if the season is long enough, the more you cut, more stalks will rise and provide more and more spikes with potential blooms.  If you must dig these rhizomes in the fall, allowing them to air dry for about 8 – 10 days and then keep them at 50 degrees until the next season for planting.  You can then start them indoors to have a growing advantage for the next season.

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Two of the better known cultivars are Mexican Single and Pearl, which has a double bloom – phenomenal!!!  Whether it is the single or the double bloom, Polianthes tuberosa – YOU CAN GROW THAT!!

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Sweet Peas – seductively fragrant and YOU CAN GROW THAT!!

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When I envision Sweet Peas, a sultry smelling, elegantly draped, visibly delicate, decadent blooms at the tip of a fragile stem. I also think of its reputation and strength to have been around for over 300 years and is still a mainstay in the floral industry. Father Franciscus Cupani is the one who found this in the wild fields of Sicily and sent seed off to various people and places to share. One of the places Father Cupani sent seed off to was England. The Cupani strain is the oldest Sweet Pea documented in history.  I have found that there is a bit of controversy about this. Thankfully over time Henry Eckford and his son introduced new cultivars with stronger capabilities for lasting scent, heights/forms and scents. I simply love the flower in its many forms and it’s amazing fragrance.

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How and when does one grow these seductively fragrant blooms that make excellent bouquets???  Timing is everything.  Depending on where you live, early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked is advisable.  Lathyrus odorata can take a bit of light frost.  If you soak the seed overnight to soften its outer coating, perhaps the 10 -25+/- day germination time can be shortened…however there will be some that may not sprout until they are ready.  The other option is to nick or file the coating to allow moisture to penetrate slowly…some say that this increases the odds on germination.  Once the seeds have sprouted, by pinching the central part of the plant, side shoots will form, increasing the amount of bouquets one can make. The average Lathyrus odorata ranges in height from 3 – 6 feet.  Support is required allowing the tendrils to wrap and weave, propelling this vine to new heights. It is very important to keep moisture at a consistent level as the native vine/plant was found growing in a marshy but sunny area. To keep sweet peas blooming and growing during the heat of summer, a bit of afternoon shade can help – as well as consistent moisture.

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What can ruin your sweet pea crop?  Aphids can b a problem and when allowing the vines to lay on the ground, slugs can make these plants a mere memory.  Inconsistent watering and lack of fertilizer (every two weeks is recommended) can also make Sweet peas a mere memory early in the garden season.  Lathyrus odorata is like a grand dame, without the required attention, she can be merely a figment of your imagination.  Treat her right and wow what a treat to have a bouquet of blooms, the fragrance wafting through your rooms on a sunny summer’s day!

Lathyrus odorata, commonly known as the Sweet Pea…YOU CAN GROW THAT!!

 

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DC Gardens…YOU CAN GROW THAT!

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I recently participated in #GardenChat with Bren Haas and Adam Cortell, featuring Susan Harris and Kathy Jentz who are cultivating an exciting effort promoting garden tourism in the DC area.  We have so much to offer and it is quite a monumental event for these two ladies to be an integral part of the team to take this on. DC Gardens is a seed that has been sown into the public garden known as the DMV.

What will DC Gardens do?? DC Gardens will add value to tourism and a personal touch from a local perspective. One of the goals is to create a directory of gardens with photos, videos and written dialogue creating a guidebook that highlights the beauty that surrounds us.  DC Gardens will also connect gardeners  and garden lovers , with events, garden education and garden related/ green community affairs.  DC Gardens will also  share what the local gardens look like throughout the year. The site has a map that assists one with locating gardens in DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as monthly garden photos, garden resources and of course ongoing information that we might overlook every day.  One of the things that Susan Harris mentioned was the thought of mobilizing gardeners in every town to share this model so that the tourists who love to garden have a regional resource to go to.  That is a great idea.  I for one plan my travels around what horticultural offerings there are wherever I go.

As with any garden, feeding is required. There is an Indiegogo campaign that will run through April 13, 2015 which launched at the beginning of March. The $25,000.00 that DC Gardens is trying to raise will go towards the ongoing maintenance of DC Gardens to include website design, media, travel, as well as outreach efforts to ensure that it is a quality resource filled with information that will be useful to all.

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Who are these bold women who have an idea of how to aerate tourism in the DMV??? Kathy Jentz is Editor of Washington Gardener Magazine and a local garden blogger for WashingtonGardener, CatsInGardens and SeedSwapDay. Susan Harris is a Master Gardener, is actively pursuing greening up the DC area, is part of the blog team for GardenRant.com and promotes GreenbeltLive.com.  As you can see the root of this passion to promote gardening is a common thread between these two ladies.  With the proper care, feeding and handling of DC Gardens could become a model of excellence in promoting gardens wherever we travel – be it local or nationwide.

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With the proper participation, enthusiasm and energy YOU CAN GROW THIS even in your town!!

 

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Love Pineapple?…think Bromeliads…YOU CAN GROW THAT!

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Bromeliads, oh so many cultivars, so many leaf types, so many colors of bloom.  However the edible one is the pineapple….and here is a fast fact – Spanish Moss is a Bromeliad!!  According to The Bromeliad Society, Christopher Columbus was a busy guy 500 years ago and introduced the pineapple to Spain…although he found out on some of his other trips, that it was a standard crop in the West Indies. These days, the pineapple is enjoyed all over the world as a common, edible tropical treat and the moss is reminiscent of the Old South. We also enjoy them as blooming houseplants.

Most of the Bromeliads we see and purchase today  come from South America and can survive in conditions considered to be desert like, rainforest or even the cooler mountain regions.   The three common species are
Terrestrial (ground grown), Saxicolous (rock dwellers or growing best in rocky conditions) and Epiphytic (what we now call “Air Plants”).

Depending on the cultivar, Bromeliads like a variety of soils or if they are Air Plants, they would actually prefer to be grown on a piece of wood, bark, rocks or just being by themselves. The Bromeliads that are gown best in soil, need a soil that is fast draining, so that the roots do not rot.  Bromeliads do not require deep pots with abundantly rich soil.  Most garden centers will carry a soil that is specific to Bromeliad culture.

Grown indoors, these low maintenance beauties simply require indirect, mottled sunlight, 50 – 75% humidity, 75 to 90 degrees and never allowed to sit in standing water. In fact, most Bromeliads sold today need to only have the base of the plant moistened after the top 2 inches of soil  is dry, if the care tag states this …..that is pretty dry.  As this is a tropical plant, misting will keep the humidity in check around these plants. Some Bromeliads have leaves that form a cylinder or a cup.  This area serves as a reservoir for watering.  If you water in this “cup” like center, the plant will receive the water required to maintain a healthy plant.  Every so often, drain any leftover water or debris from the watering “cup” are to avoid rot.  Fertilizing with a liquid emulsion is an option, but generally Bromeliads require minimal fertilization. As you can see, this plant is easy to care for, providing it is grown in the optimum conditions.  KNOW WHAT SPECIES OF BROMELIAD YOU HAVE.  The air Bromeliads have a different care technique, than the terrestrial bromeliad’s.

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Usually, most Bromeliads will bloom once in their lifetime and then they perish…so sad.  However, they will develop young “pups” or baby plants under the lowest growing leaves. These new plants can be transplanted after growing beside the mother plant for minimally six months. The plant in this picture, my dad has allowed the pups to mature and grow in the same pot, as the mother plant has long gone away. Trust me – this is an easy care plant.  If you over water, provide air that is too dry or give it too much direct sunlight, your Bromeliad will let you know by developing problems  such as rot, brown tipping on the leaves, foliage fade/wither or excessive leaf growth.

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So eat that delicious pineapple, craft with that Spanish moss, hang that air plant  on something unique. However consider this – indirect lit room, a misting every now and again, the perfect cute low pot, and watering inside the cup of leaves……..Terrestrial Bromeliad – YOU CAN GROW THAT!!!

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