Focus on Flowers

Canna comes from the Greek word spelled "kanna," which means "reed," though the canna plant does not have narrow reed-like leaves.  There are about 10 species in the genus, which has showy flowering plants that grow from tender rhizomes that can only be left in the ground over winter in zones 7-10. In other zones they must be dug and stored over the winter.  Canna plants enjoy moist but well-drain...

The common evening primrose is native to Virginia and was sent to England in the early 1600s, feeling quite at home there and has naturalized in several parts of Britain.  The Missouri primrose was identified first in 1811.  The evening primrose has both roots and leaves that are edible. The roots are sometimes eaten in France and some herbalists believed that the plant can be used medicinally for...

Many of us are familiar with ageratum , the low-growing annual with fuzzy flowers that are blue/lavender color. It is a member of the Ageratum genus that includes 43 species of annuals and perennials, most of which are native to warmer regions of the American continents.  They have felted oval or heart-shaped leaves and clustered flower heads. They like full sun and moist well-drained soil, and a...

Blue false indigo , with the botanical name Baptisia australis , is a lovely shrub that blooms in the late spring in zones 3-9 in full sun or part shade. It grows about 4 feet tall and as wide and is drought tolerant and deer resistant and has blue/green foliage and blue flowers that resemble lupins.  It was used by pioneers to dye cloth and is called 'false indigo' because its color is not as dee...

Native to Mexico, dahlias probably grew in Aztec gardens as they were already in cultivation when the Spaniards arrived. Francisco Hernandez, a botanist and physician to King Phillip of Spain, described them in a book published in 1651. But dahlias were not introduced to Europe until 1789 when seeds were sent from Mexico to the Royal Gardens in Madrid. The flower was named in honor of Dr. Dahl a S...

Red Hot Pokers belong to the genus Kniphofia ( Kniphofia uvaria ) and are also known as tritoma or torch lilies.  Some dwarf varieties are 'mango popsicle', 'pineapple popsicle', and 'red hot popsicle'. They are orange, yellow, and red with grassy foliage.  They spread by rhizomes and can become invasive.  Native to South Africa, they like full sun and well-drained soil and do well in zones 6 thro...

Dianthus are well-behaved in our gardens. The flowers are fragrant, and the plants can be perennial, biennial, or annual. The common name "pinks” does not refer to the color but to the fringed edging of the petals that makes them look as if they had been cut with pinking shears.  They like full sun but can manage some shade and a variety of soils. However, they do best in well-drained soil with go...

In the lower Midwest, May is the month when we see lots of white flowers. For example, Spirea ‘Bridal Wreath’ shrubs completely cover themselves with lacy white blossoms so that they do, in fact, resemble brides in traditional wedding gowns.  The low-growing perennial iberis, commonly known as candytuft, also has lacy white flowers, and there are white lilacs and dogwoods in abundance too. Dogwood...

The common European marigold, (like the Mexican variety), is justly popular because it is easy to grow, and pests don't like it. It was first mentioned by the old-time herbalists in 1578, quote, "It has pleasant and bright shining yellow and orange single-petal flowers."  It was used by herbalists during the times of ancient plagues, and the petals of the flowers were dried and sold for use in mak...

Larkspur is a member of the Delphinium family and though native to Europe, it grows well in North America. The plant is poisonous if eaten by cattle but fortunately only mildly toxic to domestic pets and people.  Its colors are shades of blue/purple, white, and pink, and its tall upright habit and ferny, lacy foliage is good in combination with other garden plants. Larkspur likes well drained soil...

The most commonly grown deciduous magnolia in the Lower Midwest is Magnolia x soulangiana , usually referred to as the saucer magnolia. Hardy in zones 4-9, it may be a shrub but usually is a tree about 20-25 feet tall with a rounded crown. It usually develops a number of trunks and may over time even grow 30 feet tall and as wide. It blooms before it leafs out, and the pale pink blossoms look stri...

Horticulturalists at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are predicting some strong trends based on their feedback from their County Extension Offices. They report that more and more gardeners are seeking information about sustainability.  Specific questions about native plants have increased significantly, as well as wildlife-friendly landscapes, dwarf hybrids,...

A novice gardener once told me that she was only going to plant perennials, as they did not need any care. If only that was true! On the contrary, I have found that it seems easiest for new gardeners to start with annuals and then to move on to perennials. Annuals only last one year, but once they are planted they stay in one place, don’t reproduce, and just need water and fertilizer. They are les...

Christopher Morley once said ‘April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks GO.’  Green, in all of its shades, is the color of the month. The colors of the evergreens that anchor the landscape through all of the seasons now provide a backdrop for the early spring bulbs. The herbaceous perennial Hellebores, are flowering now too, and have leathery dark evergreen foliage, but need to h...

April is a month when gardeners long to plant but as T.S. Eliot said, it is “the cruelest month.” Warm days are often interspersed with freezing temperatures damaging over-eager plants that set their buds too soon. Over eager gardeners can also make mistakes. An exemplary gardener, Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13th in 1743 and he died at 83 in 1826. He spent 60 years developing the gardens o...

When we are awaiting the beginning of gardening season in early spring, we sometimes have periods of cold where tender plants, such as the emerging perennials in our gardens, are at risk. Temperatures, even those that remain above 32F degrees, may still damage plants. When they do, it’s called “chill injury.” However, if the temperature that has been warmer than freezing suddenly hits 32F degrees...

Air temperatures that hover just above freezing for a prolonged period of time in the spring can kill most tender plants if they’re set out too early. So if you set out your houseplants outdoors too early, even if it’s actually above freezing in terms of the air temperature, they simply can’t endure it after being accustomed to the warmth in the house. All air temperatures affect plants, as it aff...

The weather in our flower garden has to do with local atmospheric conditions: hot and cold; wet and dry; calm and stormy, and so on. Climate refers to the region’s atmospheric conditions and predictable events for that region or particular place. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) divides North America into 20 separate zones, and the zone we garden in determines the plants that we can grow. B...

Many of us with clay soil complain loudly about it, and it’s true that gardens with clay soil can be hard to dig. Also, with clay soil, it is not a good idea to put a bed in areas where standing water collects. However, one can have very successful flower gardens where there is clay soil, as it has excellent water-retention, and less water and nutrients need to be added to the soil than are needed...

Plant families are like human families in that successive generations of their members often have improved looks, health, longevity, and vitality. This is certainly true of the latest versions of the heucheras , commonly known as coral bells. So many new heucheras are now available in many different foliage colors and combinations. The flowers themselves, spires of tiny florets that are raised hig...

At this time of the year we usually read about gardens instead of gardening. I have been reading about deadheading —the way we ensure plants keep blooming by chopping off the spent flowers. This prevents them from forming seeds, which is a signal that no more flowers are needed by the plant. Annuals have to produce a lot of flowers because they only live for one year and so have only one flowering...

In February, it is appropriate to think about roses. Here is what Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) wrote: " There is scarcely any rose that we can wish to have in our gardens that is not also delightful in the cut state. A china bowl filled with well-grown hybrid perpetuals, grand of color and sweetly scented, is a room decoration that can hardly be beaten both for beauty and for the pleasure it gives,...

The earliest iris to bloom is the petite Iris reticulata . The reticulated irises have a fibrous network on the bulbs that is similar in pattern to the markings on a giraffe, which is also described as reticulated, “like a net.” These earliest blooming iris have 3- to 6-inch stems and they bloom with the crocus. To display the blooms indoors, I use a tiny bottle for each one. There are also intric...

Quite a number of flowering annuals can be started by sowing their seeds directly into the garden.  Wait until after the last frost in the spring when the soil has really warmed enough for seeds to germinate. I tend to pick up packets of seeds wherever I go so usually have a big stash of them, and it is fun to scatter them in my bare perennial beds. Since seeds are inexpensive, I throw them around...

David Hosack was born in New York in 1769 and in a book about him by Kerri Miller, she states that he is responsible for the establishment of New York’s first botanical garden. There was an interview by Victoria Johnson on NPR that drew my attention to this.  Hosack was a brilliant medical scientist who focused on medicinal plants. The Bartrams, earlier on, grew medicinal plants in their gardens i...