A flair to remember

PHOTO ABOVE: Rudbeckia and Crocosmia together in my backyard.

Sometimes you just stumble upon a cool flower combination. I've been enjoying the mix of black eye Susan and Crocosmia over the last couple of weeks. It's always nice to have perennials blooming this time of the year, and an extra nice bonus to get a somewhat stunning combination.
Black eye Susan (Rudbeckia sp.) is a stalwart among Southern perrenials. There are several species to chose from and varieties that offer selections with different growth habits, flower color, bloom times, etc. Every Southern garden should include this plant.
Crocosmia (Crocosmia sp.), have blooms that appear on arching stems. Common Crocosmia will have orange/red blossoms, but there are hybrids available that offer a wide array of colors. Crocosmia is a fine late summer perennial and coupled with Rudbeckia, it makes for a flair to remember!

Crocosmia - A hummingbird lovin', summer color perennial that will easily grow in your yard

It is this time of the year; hot and humid, sticky and sweaty. Being out in the yard during July and August can wear on you, but being around a plant in flower can make it more pleasant. Compared to spring and early summer, there aren't as many plants blooming in mid summer that can engage you and divert your attention from mosquitoes and the 100+ heat index. One such plant is the little used Crocosmia.

PHOTO LEFT: Crocosmia will definitely attract hummingbirds and butterflies





Crocosmia are actually from the Iris family. They are perennial and grow from corms (bulb shaped roots). The foliage is somewhat gladiola-like, but the foliage isn't why you plant Crocosmia

The Crocosmia I have in my yard just started blooming in the last couple of weeks. These plants are not on my regular watering route, yet they grow and bloom, every year, without fail. Crocosmia blooms are typically orange or red. Mine are orange and really stand out because the hue is bright and solid.

PHOTO ABOVE: Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

There are several Crocosmia varieties to choose from including Lucifer (red, of course), Bright Eyes (orange w/ red throat), Emberglow (orange red), and Babylon (deep reddish orange). These varieties and others also vary in bloom size, plant size, etc.


PHOTO RIGHT: Crocosmia 'Babylon'




What else is there to know about Crocosmia? They are notorious attractors of hummingbirds and butterflies. They're easy to divide and move throughout your yard or give away. They make great cut flowers. Crocosmia usually fall in the Zone 6 to 10 range, making them perfectly suited to our Southeastern climate. Try to plant them in full sun ot part shade and avoid particularly wet areas. Spring is a great time to pick up Crocosmia from your local nurseries. I can't say that I have seen it at the big box stores, so give the real nurseries a call and see what they have. Give it a whirl!

Purple Cone Power!

No, I meant to say power...the flower with power! The power to lure you closer for a look see; urging you to say out loud, "Wow! I love your purple coneflower!". Ooops, sorry I was getting a bit over dramatic, there.

But indeed, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is an eye catcher, and on my scale of "easy-to-grow" perennials, purple cone flowers rate pretty high. They like full to part sun and a nice, well-drained soil. I really like the idea of working organic matter such as soil conditioner or even bagged top soil into the the area I'm planting purple coneflower to a depth of 12" (or more, if the soil is compacted). After they become established, purple cone flowers are pretty drought tolerant.
Once planted, dead heading the first batch of blooms, which first appear in mid-June to early July, will likely lead to some extra blooming later in the summer. If the situation is right, you'll find purple coneflower to reward you by spreading to form a nice colony of plants that will make a great show in your garden for years to come and also allow you to dig up some to move to another locale. By the way, purplecone flowers really attract butterflies!
Finally, extracts from Echinacea are said to provide valuable medicinal properties. All parts of the plant, including the roots, leaves, flowers, seeds, etc., have been used to treat a variety of ailments. It's a very popular plant amongst herbalists.
There are quite a few varieties of Echinacea purpurea that you may want to try:


'Magnus' purple cone flower (photo,right)

'Magnus' - 1998 Perennial Plant of the Year. Large, 6 inch rose-magenta flowers with petals that are more horizontal, rather than than the pendulous nature you see quite often in seedling purple coneflower.

'White Swan' - An Echinacea with white petals. I've found it just as easy to grow as the species and varieties such as Magnum.


'White Swan' Coneflower (photo, right)

'Evan Saul' - A non-purple purple coneflower! This cone flower came from a nursery in Atlanta, GA, as a result of some cross pollination between E. purpurea and E. paradoxa. It is said to be a vigorous grower. I have not, as of yet, seen it available in our local nurseries.



'Evan Saul' Coneflower (photo, left)

My Mom: Queen of the Jungle

Under the old Pecan tree at her Aunt Rachael’s house was where she pretended to be Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. My mom played and dreamt and found comfort there along with her trusty canine companion, "Boy". Growing up in Texas and living their, now, my mother gained an appreciation for plant life and has become quite the gardener so I thought I’d post some of her gardening thoughts by virtue of an interview she unknowingly (I know, mom’s always know!) gave me last night on the phone.
MFE(manfromearth): So mom, do you have any early childhood memories that have to do with plants?
MOM(my mom): Well, of course, I remember the pecan tree at Hershel and Rachael’s house. They didn’t have many plants, but there was a fig tree and Uncle Hershel grew vegetables. And, oh yes, the lantana bush! I was telling Darlene, a fellow nurse that I used to work with about the plant and she said, “Melba, that sounds like a lantana”. She went home and gave me a piece and I just grew it.
MFE: What are you growing in your yard this spring that you find particularly interesting?

MOM: I love the Hibiscus. I’ve got red, salmon and pink in my back yard where it’s sunny. I’m also growing Mexican petunias (see picture to the right) and plumbago (see picture below).
MFE: Mom, those plumbago will be blooming soon, right?
MOM: No, they are in bloom now. I have impatiens that came back from last year and also geraniums, marigolds, and Mexican heather.
MFE: And is George growing any vegetables, mom?
MOM: Yes, he has pots with squash, tomatoes and peppers.
MFE: Sounds like you have lots going on in your yard to keep you busy.
MOM: I have red tips in my back yard that are growing so tall that I can walk around in my nightgown.
MFE: Mom!




So, there you have it. My Mother’s Day garden interview with my mom.
Happy Mother’s Day!

Crocus: A good choice for your garden

While it's probably a little late to be planting crocus bulbs, now, in the middle to late part of February, it's certainly worthwhile to store in your memory bank that crocus is a wonderful plant to introduce to your garden this upcoming fall. A post in my blog on crocus makes sense to me because the tiny, but tough, plant is in bloom all over Alabama, right now. Crocus is usually bought in the form of a bulb in October/November and planted around that time or a little after then. Crocus bulbs are about the size of a "Whopper" (you know, those delicious chocolate malt balls that come in the cute little milk cartons), and if you are buying really nice bulbs or one of the giant crocus types (it's all relative, as "giant" just means bigger than normal size), they may be one and a half or two times the size of a Whopper. I have planted a good many crocus bulbs over the years and know them to be one of the most reliable bulbs to grow. Crocus come in an abundance of varieties which include variations in size and bloom time, and in an assortment of colors, which can range from whites, to purples, to yellows, to blues, and also with stripes, to boot, if you want! One of the things I like the most about crocus is that they are easy to work into a garden, especially an experienced garden. They are small enough that you don't need to fret about where they possibly might look good and they bloom when not much else is going on, so they have a stage to themselves, so to speak. Another plus - following the old, but true, rule of planting bulbs 2 1/2 to 3 times deeper than the height of the bulb, crocus don't require that you expend unspeakable effort to plant them. I recommend digging a whole about 1 foot by 1 foot and put, oh, 6, 8 , 10 bulbs in the hole, then move a foot or two away and start the next hole. As always, remember to loosen the soil deeper than needed, and add some organic matter to the soil to help out with drainage. Crocus perform best at a ph of around 6 or 7, so if you know your soil to be more acidic than that, feel free to add a teaspoon of lime along with your bulb food, per 10 bulbs (or one large hole) as you plant them.

You say Cyclamen/I say Cyclamen

In the United States, the usual pronunciation is SIGH-CLUH-MEN, but in the UK, you will hear it pronounced, SICK-LUH-MEN. Either way, there are some varieties of Cyclamen that do well in Alabama and should be considered, especially if you are interested in Winter/Very Early Spring flowers. Cyclamen are tuberous perennials that originate from the Middle East, Cypress and Crete. Said to be an aphrodisiac, much of the folklore of Cyclamen revolves around love and conception. In ancient times, the tubers were roasted, beaten and made into small cakes. Note to the adventurous: Unroasted or uncooked Cyclamen plants can be dangerous if ingested in large quantities by humans, causing gastritis and nervous tension!
Here are a couple of Cyclamen species I recommend for planting in Central Alabama:
Cyclamen coum - Hardy in Central Alabama and much further north, into the Midwest and Northeast United States. Zones 5-8. For our area, consider planting in some shade.
Cyclamen hederifolium - Also hardy in Central Alabama. May bloom earlier than C. coum and has the scent of lemon. Zones 6-9.
Cyclamen are easier to grow than you might think. If you pick the hardy species, you won't have to worry about cold damage. The main problem encountered with Cyclamen is rotting corms/tubers. Be sure to plant your Cyclamen in a well-drained situation with nice, composted soil. Remember, too, that Cyclamen will seed readily and colonize if they are in a preferable growing situation. Finally, don't be alarmed when the pretty foliage you've admired all winter and spring long disappears. Hardy Cyclamen plants do this vanishing act, then reappear in the fall and eventually display their cheerful blooms for all to behold.

A little Red Hot Poker to warm you up!

In the midst of bare trees and cold earth, I thought I'd bring a glimpse of spring to the blog by mentioning that you can plant perennials now. Sometimes, after I've done my winter clean-up (removing drifts of leaves from my planting areas, along with other assorted winter litter, such as gum balls and pine cones), I'll find a spot for an extra special or unusual perennial. One such perennial is Red Hot Poker, or Kniphofia sp. I like Red Hot Poker because it's easy to grow and a bit unusual. This is a plant that your "upper end" nurseries are more likely to have, although, it may not be readily available until mid to late February, so you may want to call before visiting a nursery looking for it, now. There are several species of the genus Kniphofia, but the ones available for sale are going to be very similar.
Red Hot Poker plants (also called Torch Lily or Tritoma) produce spikes of brightly-colored, hanging, red-to-orange flowers. I have seen the stems that support the spikes as long as 4 to 5 feet, so keep that in mind when placing Red Hot Poker in your garden. They like full to part sun and will grow in difficult soil. The foliage is daylily-like and will develop quite a thick clump over time. No problem, though. Simply dig up the clump any time and split the clump into smaller portions. Then, you can add your new plants to other spots in the garden or give them away.
Additional Note: As with almost all commercially available plants, there are often named varieties and hybrids of the species you are considering. For instance, the Red Hot Poker plant, Kniphofia hirsute, has a variety that can be purchased via mail order (I have not seen it a local nurseries) called 'Traffic Light'. Kniphofia hirsute 'Traffic Light' has flowers that appear in the colors of a 'traffic light'…red, yellow, and green on each flower spike. Also, this variety is more compact, with spikes that stay under 2' tall.