Category Archives: My Homeplace

What’s wrong with my plant?

Posted on May 26, 2012 by | Comments Off on What’s wrong with my plant?

Hey garden guru. Picked up some PW super bells. Yard boy (otherwise known as Dan) planted them… And two days letter they are a wilted dying mess. Any ideas what might have gone wrong?  Becky

Becky, You made a good choice. Superbells are a favorite summer anual. I suggest you give it plenty of water. Even if the plant was well watered the surrounding dry soil will wick off the moisture.

A newly planted flower has yet to establish it’s root system. It needs extra water and attention for a few days until it is well rooted in it’s new home.

The Yard Boy did everything right, in fact, he deserves many tall, iced drinks.

Last summer I grew some beautiful superbells :

Beautiful! Proven Winners Superbells

Because we had such a mild winter, these Superbells survied the winter and are blooming again this year.

I’m growing more superbells this year.There is a new bright yellow and white striped superbell coming. Next spring, look for ‘Lemon Slice’ at the garden centers.

 

This year, I’m growing containers of mixed annuals. It is a test, to see if I can keep these full sun flowers well watered and blooming.

Superbells are a Calibrachoa. This  new type of plants looks like little Petunias. They are related.

Plants in containers live or die because we remember to water and fertilize. I love that you dont have to deadhead old flowers or pinch back stems.

Once established, water only when the top of the soil feels dry. Too much water makes  roots rot. Full sun. Fertilize once a month.

Only 6 – 10 inches tall, these long, trailing branches cascade over the sides of hanging baskets and containers, or spread over flower beds.

These superbells are hummingbird magnets.

 

 

Comments Off on What’s wrong with my plant?

Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Ozarks Travel Examiner, Trials

Tagged ,

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2012

Posted on April 17, 2012 by | Comments Off on Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2012

 

GBBD April 2012 Show stopper in my front yard, Dream Catcher™ Beauty Bush Kolkwitzia amabilis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double Play® Gold Spirea Spiraea japonica and Lily of the Valley are highlighting the colors of spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love these tiny little bells, and am always surprised by the sweet fragrance.

 

 

Columbine is showing up everywhere. They are multiplying in every crack in the in the sidewalk and edging. I pull up dozens of the plants every year and still have more the following spring.

 

Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens.

 

 

Comments Off on Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2012

Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

Tagged , ,

Beauty of Moscow Lilac

Posted on March 31, 2012 by | 1 comment

Syringa vulgaris ‘Krasavitsa Moskvy’

White lilac with double blooms and very fragrant. Flowers have a touch of pink, turning white in full bloom.

Bred in Russia by hybridist Leonid Kolesnikov.
Said to be very resistant to pests and disease. Reaches 15′ high and spreads 6-12′ wide, though I’ve had mine for 3 years and it is just a whispy stick or two.

The photo is the total bloom production for the year.

pink buds open to bright hite fragrant.white lilac

Ideal for zones 3-7. this lilac takes full sun to partial shade.

If you are looking for deer resistant shrubs, choose a lilac.

1 Comment

Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Ozarks Travel Examiner

Tagged ,

GBBD March 15, 2012

Posted on March 17, 2012 by | Comments Off on GBBD March 15, 2012

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day March 15, 2012

Peaches

Someday soon this will be loaded with Saturn or donut peaches.

Magnolia

Short bloom time for this slow grower.

Daffodils are naturalizing. Naturalization also means Take Over The World. But that is OK, it's a short bloom time.

This is my circle garden, a reclaimed space in a neighborhood circle drive. Some day soon it will be the potager, or a kitchen garden filled with herbs and vegetables.

 

Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens.

Comments Off on GBBD March 15, 2012

Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Ozarks Travel Examiner

Tagged ,

Proven Winners Superbena Royale Iced Cherry Verbena

Posted on February 17, 2012 by | Comments Off on Proven Winners Superbena Royale Iced Cherry Verbena

Look for this flower

Superbena Royale Iced Cherry Verbena hybrid and
Superbena Royale Peachy Keen Verbena hybrid

New, Superbena® Royale Iced Cherry, a verbena hybrid

Verbena are easy care choices for containers and hanging baskets.

If you are looking for a pop of color that will last all season, consider these bright annuals. Last spring, Proven Winners sent these two Superbena verbena hybrids to me for evaluation. This spring they are on the market and easy to find.

Butterfly magnet, Superbena Royale Iced Cherry Verbena hybrid

What I enjoyed was the low maintenance, easy care plants that just seemed to thrive in the full sun and summer heat. I planted these verbena in hanging baskets. They would be a good choice for a low growing pop of color in a flower bed or container.

Talk about easy care, these Superbena do not need deadheading, no trimming or pinching. Container plants are always dependent on us for water and I did regularly water them.

My plants were in full sun all day with only slight shade in the late afternoon. They were a good choice for the  patio, bold, nonfading flowers that attract butterfies. There was no sign of pests or disease. What could be better?

Peachy Keen Verbena

I would grow these Proven Winners Superbena hybrids again. They were a great choice for my humid, zone 6A, Southwest Missouri garden.

By the way, the Proven Winners site also has a tab showing Closest Proven Winners retailers (on the left side of the screen.) It sure makes it handy for finding and supporting local, independent retailers, the folks who are our neighbors. These are the knowledgable experts with practical hands-on experience and the best advice.

These faithful flowers come in several colors. One that caught my attention is this lavender Superbena® Royale Silverdust Verbena hybrid. See all your color choices at the PW site. Click here or just type in the name Superbena Royale Iced Cherry Verbena hybrid.

Comments Off on Proven Winners Superbena Royale Iced Cherry Verbena

Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Trials

Tagged , , ,

Beautiful! Proven Winners Superbells

Posted on February 7, 2012 by | 1 comment

Look for these Plants

Superbells Sweet Tart
Superbells Cherry Star
Superbells Grape Punch

Superbells® Sweet Tart2 - Calibrachoa

Superbells® Sweet Tart – Calibrachoa

 

Calibrachoas are related to petunias. But they are a new type of plant that can take the fierce drought and continue blooming through the first light frosts of early fall.

Hundreds of continuous  blooms were visited daily by the humingbirds.

If these sweet flowers sound familiar, I couldn’t wait to tell you about them this past summer. A First Look. The bright little trumpets were tumbling over the side of the the container.

Superbells Cherry Star Calibrachoa   photo: Proven Winners

This summer, I’m going to plant Superbells in hanging baskets because these are bright, attention getting colors. Hummers and butterflies love them.

And here is an interesting observation. These Superbells® Calibrachoa are still alive and green. The containers are sitting on my patio. Perhaps they will be as beautiful this summer as last. I’ll keep you posted.

Proven Winners sent these Superbells to me as a trial last summer. They will be in the garden centers this spring. The colors are intense, fadeproof, and do not need to be deadheaded. These little bells are fuss free.

I am buying these plants again. I can recommend these new flowers and suggest you look for these three Proven Winners:

Superbells® Cherry Star – Calibrachoa hybrid

Superbells® Grape Punch – Calibrachoa hybrid

Superbells® Sweet Tart – Calibrachoa hybrid

I like that you can find local retailers on their web site. Just type in your zip code find out where to buy this plant.

Superbells Grape Punch    Photo: Patsy Bell Hobson

 

1 Comment

Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Trials

Tagged , , , , , ,

Frankly Scarlet from All American Daylilies.

Posted on February 5, 2012 by | Comments Off on Frankly Scarlet from All American Daylilies.

I want to tell you about one of the standouts in the front garden. Frankly Scarlet

Frankly Scarlet is a rebloomer. photo: All American Daylilies

from All American Daylilies. A daylily that is not to be ignored, with 4″ diameters and sun-fast red blooms standing tall above the dark green foliage.

Being a daylily enthusiast, I have quite a collection. Even though the blooms only last a day, the plants produce several blooms, lasting for weeks. With so many varieties blooming at different times, there is a daylily of some type blooming in the front garden all summer long.

Daylilies require little care once established, but demand attention for their brilliant fade resistant colors. This Frankly Scarlet gets a little late afternoon shade. And, who can’t appreciate a bit of shade during the heat of Missouri summers?

This daylily has been in my garden for 4 years. It’s time to dig and divide. Frankly Scarlet daylily will have even more hardy blooms once once it is divided and has a little more room to grow.

  • Heat and Drought Tolerant;
  • Good for Erosion Control; Salt Tolerant
  • Excellent Rust Resistance

This lovely flower bloomed like the star she is and then continued to thrive during last summers drought. I suggest you buy one of these rebloomers. In no time you will have dozens.

AllAmericanDaylilyLogo

Frankly Scarlet has won awards as a landscaping plant. They are truly beautiful in a broad swath of color, perfect for a border or lining a sidewalk. Daylilies are also ideal for erosion control or planting on hill sides too steep to mow.

Comments Off on Frankly Scarlet from All American Daylilies.

Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

Tagged , , , , ,

Dragon Wing™ Red Begonia

Posted on February 4, 2012 by | Comments Off on Dragon Wing™ Red Begonia

Look for this plant

Dragon Wing™ Red Begonia
The Biggest Success in my garden last year was Dragon Wing™ Red Begonia. I have these begonia plants in a big 14” hanging basket. It took a couple of weeks and the basket was ablaze with pure red flowers. They bloomed all summer giving the patio a big burst of color.

These exotic looking Begonias have loose clusters of Red stop-and-look-at-me blooms. Glossy green, wing-shaped leaves support the beautiful Chinese red flowers. My plants are healthy and thriving in a full sun environment, but they will take part shade. Everybody looks better and does better with a little afternoon shade in summer, including begonias.

This trial plant has made me a convert. I am now a great fan of begonias thanks to Dragon Wing Red Begonia. You should know, if a plant survives the summer at my house, it must be hardy and thrive on neglect. Sure I plant them (home of the famous $10 hole for the $5 plant) and irregularly water. I fertilized these plants once during the summer.

Last summer was hell on most plants. Even the tomatoes stopped producing. Much to my delight, the Dragon Wing™ Red Begonia was non stop blooms all summer. Thanks to Dragon Wing™ Red Begonias, there were always a lot of flowers but no deadheading is needed.

The mail box planter is in the full sun all day. They are bright, beautiful, and attracting attention with their red floppy flowers. These Dragon Wings are thriving on the heat and humidity of my zone 6a southeast MO patio and mailbox planter.

Ball Horticulture sent this plant to me for evaluation last spring. Dragon Wings are a no fuss, low maintenance plant. I would use Dragon Wing Begonias again as an informal bedding or border plant. It’s one of the prettiest begonias I’ve seen.

Comments Off on Dragon Wing™ Red Begonia

Posted in My Homeplace, Trials

Tagged , ,

Bonanza Deep Orange French Marigold

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on Bonanza Deep Orange French Marigold

Look for this flower

French Marigold

Bonanza marigold (Tagetes patula) photo PBH

Bonanza Deep Orange French Marigold (Tagetes patula)

Marigolds are always in my garden. Every year Marigolds are included in the flower garden border. Faithful bloomers, even during the hottest of summer. Brilliant hot colors stretch into some of the last colors of the season.

Ball Horticulture sent this plant for trial last spring and I was happy to see it. Marigolds are drought tolerant, sturdy plants that need little care. It grew to about 10 inches tall, making a color splash where ever it is planted.

Marigold (Tagetes patula) photo PBH

I’m not nuts about the fragrance of marigolds but I love their looks and the coninus blooms all summer. This plant is a season stretching annual, bloomimg nonstop until we get that hard frost some time in October or November.

Look for the mix of yellow, gold-red, and bicolor flowers. The double crested flowers are one of the largest marigold flowers that I’ve grown. These marigolds did not have any insect or disease problems.

This Bonanza Deep Orange Marigold has bright, intense color, required little water and minimal fertilizer. The mounded green plants faithfuly bloom throughout the summer drought. It takes a hard freeze to kill them.

Look for the plants or the seed. I can never have too many marigolds.

More colors

Bonanza Gold French Marigold photo Ball

Bonanza Mix French Marigold photo Ball

 

 

 

Comments Off on Bonanza Deep Orange French Marigold

Posted in My Homeplace, Trials

Tagged , ,

Serena® Blue Angelonia

Posted on January 28, 2012 by | Comments Off on Serena® Blue Angelonia

Look For This Plant

Serena® Blue Angelonia

Serena® Blue Angelonia is a lush green plant with  true blue flower color.  photo by PBH

(Angelonia angustifolia) is some times called Summer Snapdragon. This sweet blue flower bloomed late spring, all summer and until frost.

No matter where you plant it, this perky upright flower is drought tolerant, heat tolerant and low maintenance. Honestly, this plant received no extra attention. I did not fertilize the angelonia all season. It did receive occasional watering during a long summer of drought.

I can only imagine how beautiful the angelonia would be with a little attention, regular watering and fertilizer. The plants reached over a foot tall with bright green foliage and narrow leaves. I planted this Ball trial in a raised bed in full sun.

The plant grew to just over a foot tall and at least that wide. Blooming nonstop all season, Angelonia needs no pinching or deadheading.

This Serena® Blue Angelonia is a clear blue upright continuous bloomer. Two more new varieties, Serena Waterfall Mixture Angelonia and Serena Mixture Improved Angelonia are beautiful color combinations. Also in this series are lavender, purple and white.

Serena® angelonia blue was a trial plant sent to me by Ball Horticultural Company  for evaluation. Angelonia is much hardier than the delicate looking blooms and foliage appear. It is truly care free. There was no hint of disease or insect damage.

I love the non fade blue color that was not phased by last summers extreme heat. I would buy this plant again and would recommend it to my friends.

More color choices:

Waterfall Mixture photo: Ball

Mixture Improved photo: Ball

 

 

 

 

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Comments Off on Serena® Blue Angelonia

Posted in My Homeplace, Trials

Tagged , , , , ,