Angel Trumpet - Brugmansia

The Angel Trumpet has proved to be a very reliable perennial in my garden. It usually grows to a height of  about six feet - This year, due to the drought I'm sure, it only got to about five feet.

It is of the nightshade family and all parts of the plant are poison if ingested. Many people don't like to use it because of their pets and possibly children becoming poisoned. However, I've never seen my dogs trying to eat it and the children that are in my gardens are supervised.


Due to its height it really needs to be at the back of the garden. You'd think with stalks this high it would require staking, but it does not. The stalks are firm and sturdy.
 
The plant is upright with several stalks with huge leaves from the bottom upward. The flowers are pendelum shaped and it usually starts blooming in July and keeps blooming until the days get really cool and short providing it's deadhaded regularly; however, this year mine didn't bloom until late September. Again, I blame the drought.

It's really easy to propagate. You can put a stem in water and in a short period of time roots will form and soon it'll be ready to plant in the ground.

Or you can do as I do ..dig a shallow trench next to the plant . .lay a stem (with the leaves broken off) in the trench and water well. Lay a brick or some other heavy item over it and next spring you'll have a new plant ready to either leave in place or move to another area.

When the frost kills the stalks back, I simply cut it to the ground and wait for next years growth!

Another Annual

The Amaranth is another good annual. It is also known as 'Globe Thistle". It has been grown for eons and the Aztecs used certain varieties for grain. You can still get Amaranth in health food stores.

It comes in a variety of colors ranging from white to pinks and lavenders to deep purple. I use only the purple for the same reason that I use on pink vinca . .I don't want uncomplementary color schemes. Each plant produces up to 60,000 seed. You can see why some parts of the world consider it a weed . . .but here in the southeastern United States, it is anything but a weed.

Amaranth makes a tremendous border or filler. I've never tried it in a container but I see no reason why it wouldn't work there especially as an accent. Again, its only requirement is full sun. It is drought tolerant . .but likes a good watering if things get too dry. Disease and insects don't attack this plant either! Deadheading is not required, but it blooms more prolifically if you keep the dead heads off on a fairly regular basis. Like the vinca that I spoke of in an earlier, it reseeds great. Toward the end of the growing season I'll let some seeds develop so that I'll have plenty of plants the next year.

The plant itself gets about 12" high and its growing habit is mounded. It is literally covered with these gorgeous purple, rounded (globe-shaped) blooms sitting high above the plant. And if you're interested in dried flowers, it's great for that as well.

At the beginniing of spring when it starts spouting I move the little plants to various locations where I need their color . .or sometimes I just thin the plants and let them grow in the same area for a couple of years (all plants do better if rotated periodically). They need to be spaced 8 to 10 inches apart for the best effect.

One package of seed purchased years ago has continuusly graced my summer gardens and satisfied my border/accent requirements.

Annual Vinca

I guess you've noticed that I don't post a lot on annuals. That's because I don't use very many annuals.

But any good gardener does need some for fillers here and there. Therefore, over the next few days I'll share my thoughts/feelings on some of my favorites.

The annual vinca is probably my MOST favorite. It's the most reliable annual I've dealt with. It is not at all particular about soil or moisture. Its only demand is FULL sun.

I bought a package of the seed about twelve years ago and haven't been without the vinca yet. It reseeds very, very good and as soon as spring arrives it starts sprouting.
I move the little plants to wherever I happen to need them for that particular year. It grows in Zones 2 through 11. It grows anywhere from 6 to 16" high and about 12 inches wide. It branches profusely and the plants is almost always covered with these pink blooms. It's one of the few annuals that branches without pinching and it blooms continuously without deadheading. No disease and no insects bothers this plant and the deer doesn't like it! Who could ask for more?

Its colors range from snow white to deep purples and even red. I stay with the pink because I'm afraid the colors will get mixed. And since you can't determine the color until it blooms, I don't want to get them mixed up and have an "unwanted color combo" going on!

This photo is of an individual plant.

I've used it as a filler, a border, and as a container plant. It makes a gorgeous show however you choose to use it.

Then when frost hits it . .all you do is pull it out of the ground and wait for next year's sprouting!

Plumbago (Auriculata)

The Plumbago is my newest love. I've looked at it for years and years but it looked so delicate, I wasn't sure I could (would) take care of it.

But after reading as much as I could about it, I purchase two this past spring. After the drought began I had absolutely no hope they would survive.

One has always look healthier than the other and since the temps have cooled to the mid-80's during the day and around 60 at night, I think they'll both survive. Right now they're super small; no more than 18" tall and about 12" wide, but will ultimately reach a height of four feet and a width of five feet! Can you just imagine these plants that big with these gorgeous flowers on them????

This is a scrambling bush that propagates by new suckers. You can also start it from seed or stem cuttings.

Not only is this shrub drought tolerant its disease and pest free. They'll grow in full sun or partial shade. Now I'm wondering why I even thought I couldn't care for this baby!!!!
 
Deadheading keeps the shrub in full bloom. It is recommended that you prune this bush about every three years or so to maintain its shape and keep it within its boundaries.
 
It is recommended as a container plant where its limbs with the beautiful blue flowers drape the sides of the container; as an accent plant; as well as a hedge . .man, I do see a hedge forming in my mind?

Birds love it because they can hide in its thickness and the butterflies also love it. Wildlife, including deer, does not like it so you won't be bothered with them eating your shrubs!

Fertilize about every three weeks with a soluble fertilizer and always water this shrub at ground level . .I use a soaker hose for mine. Its hardy from zones 8 through 11. I think that for their first winter, when a freeze is predicted I'll put 5-gallon buckets over them, as a safety measure.

This photo was copied from the web.

 There is also a white form which is very attractive. The white flowers is a wonderful addition to the night garden as they appear to glow at twillight.

 I planted my blue ones in an area where they get mostly sun, but by three in the afternoon, they're completely shaded by my beloved live oak which another story unto itself. I'll cover the live oak in another post.

Russian Sage - Perovskia atriplicifolia

I think I've posted something on the Russian Sage once before, but due to the horrible growing season of 2011, I felt it merits another post. It is a garden 'must have.'  It was named Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association in 1995,

And don't let the name fool you - neither is it true sage, nor is it from Russia. See? I'm not the ONLY weird gardener!

The plant is actually from Asia and named after the Turkestani Governor, B.A. Perovski.

This is a deciduous plant which begins growth in the early spring and reaches about 5' high and about that wide in a short period of time. Each stem grows directly from the ground and its habit is mounded-airy form.

Due to its location, I forgot many times this year to get water to it. But as you can see, it's done just fine. It gets morning sun only and is planted at the drip line of an ornamental crabapple tree. I've decided that I'm gonna divide these plants next spring and make a continuous hedge around this tree. As you can see, the leaves of the crabapple tree turn a golden yellow in the fall and I think the blue/purple/white flowers around it will make a superb showing!

The leaves have a silvery tinge and they are fantastic when they are billowing in the breeze. Various shades of blue, purple and white blooms grace the end of each stem. The blooms are at least 8" long with most of them being 12". It begins its show in late September and continues until frost.

After the frost kills it back, leave the stems on the plants until you see new growth the next spring. Then cut them down to about one foot.

Bumble bees were working like mad when I took this photo . .unfortunately none of them are visible in the photo.

Add this to your xeriscape garden!

Good Memories!

Sometime in the '80's mother sold her home in Atlanta and moved to a condo in Marietta. Mother had this Sanservia and I'm almost (emphasis on almost) certain it originally came from my grandmother's house. The lighting in the condo was not the best in the world, therefore, mother asked me to bring it home with me.

At the time I took possession, it was planted in a two pound Maxwell House coffee can. I brought her home and repotted her and within two years she was this big. I've divided and repotted her umpteen times . .and she just thrives!

The Sanservia is also known as the snake plant and also the Mother-in-Law's tongue.

She demands very little attention. I give her about 1/2 gallon of water with 1/4 teaspoon of Miracle Grow twice a month during the growing season and limit the water to once a month in the winter with no fertilizer.

She is turned 1/4 of a turn each week. She will grow toward the light if you neglect to do this. And if she starts growing toward the light, she will eventually fall over and is not pretty at all. Sometimes you'll have a frond to fall over no matter what you do. Cut these off even with the soil - do not try to stake.

Did you know the Sanservia blooms? I didn't . . until one day I smelled this fantastic aroma when I would pass a certain area. I couldn't locate where the aroma originated, so I took it on as a project to find it. Well, at the back of the plant was a stem with tiny white blooms on it. Very insignificant blooms . ..but very fragrant!

Notice that chair? I'd always wanted one for my dressing table, but never went to the trouble to find one. We went to my bosses house one afternoon and saw two of them sitting on his carport. They were filthy and covered with rust. I asked him what they used them for and he said 'nothing - but sometimes we do take them down to the pond to fish'... ..I asked him if he'd be interested in selling them (he looked at me like Id lost my mind) and a couple of days later he told me he had them in back of his truck and his wife wanted $10 for them .. .happily, I laid a $10 bill in his hand - with him shaking his head all the while and muttering, 'can't imagine why you want those things!'.  I brought them home . .and scrubbed them down good then started sanding .. then painting . .then upholstering!

My sister's (Hellon) husband had just passed and I did the same for the second chair and gave it to her - but I did allow her to select the fabric she wanted. The last I noticed, she was still using hers at her dressing table.

I just LOVE good memories

A Day Without Learning is a Day Wasted

A day without learning is a day wasted. If you'll remember last weekend I did a post about Loropetalum. But I learned some new things about it today.

This mornng I was watching The Georgia Gardener and he had a lady from the University of Florida as a guest speaker and she was talking about the old-fashioned, white witch hazel; which she apparently loved.

Now I've heard of witch hazel all my life - mostly as a healing astringent. She stated that the many loropetalums we enjoy today are hybridizations from the old-fashioned, common witch hazel, which was sometimes call the 'fringe flower'.

Of course, I did a search on witch hazel and was totally amazed at how much it's used for hybridizing and medicinal purposes!  More colors, shapes and sizes than a person can imagine! It's health benefits are touted as beneficial for everything from soothing teething infants gums to curing toenail fungus!

The most difficult thing about this plant is learning to pronounce her name, but it's pronounced just as it's spelled.


lor o PET a lum.

When I finally learned how to pronounce it, I'd take EVERY opportunity to work it into a conversation and would even say it when I was just strolling the yard! I'm so comfortable with it now, it just rolls off my tongue.

Oh, and it's on my xeriscaping list!


http://www.natural-soap-making.com/witch-hazel-uses.html
http://www.absolutewonder.com/loropetalum.html