The Practiced Perennial Gardener

It’s that time of year when many  perennials start to show signs of exhaustion and the color starts to fade from the garden.  One of the best perennials to add color to the garden this time of year are perennial hibiscus.  Most hibiscus plants are tropical plants and are not winter hardy except for the wild native varieties that are typically not as showy with much  smaller blooms.  The gardening community owes many thanks to a very talented group of  three brothers named Fleming who have developed some of the best hardy hibiscus varieties on the market.

The Fleming Brother hibiscus plants are cold  hardy like the varieties found in the wild with the large colorful blooms found on the tropical varieties, with a compact growth habit, making them perfect for mixed perennial borders or even in pots.  These wonderful plants are somewhat hard to find at local nurseries but we have four of these wonderful plants available:

Kopper King
Fantasia
Fireball
Old  Yella

Hibiscus plants are easy to grow and love the  blazing heat of  summer making them  perfect for garden color when other perennials begin to suffer from the hot days of August.

Filed under: Uncategorized on August 11th, 2011 | No Comments »

As I mentioned in a post back in early spring I grew several of the new Echinacea varities ( also lovingly known by gardeners as coneflowers ).  The trial was carried out in the same bed with the same soil type, watering schedule and feeding times. 

I grew the following varieties:
Strawberry Shortcake
Pica Bella
Hot Papaya
Meringue
Fatal Attraction
Pink Double Delight
Marmalade
Double Decker

While they all did well there are a few that I was not that impressed with and here is why:

Pica Bella -just reminded me of magnus with thinner petals that really did not add that much interest to the garden.

Echinacea Summer Sky- The coloration was not that impressive and is just not worth the premium prices wanted for the plants.  In my trials the flower heads looked just like faded Echinacea ‘Magnus’ plants that you can purchase for 1/3 of the price.  To be fair I have read that the coloration is affected by the amount of sunlight the plants receive. Mine where in full sun from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm.

Echiancea Double Decker:This was the variety that I was very disappointed with.  The blooms are hardly ever resemble the pictures with top ring of flowers growing on top of the cone.  My best guess is that only 20% of the blooms could be considered “Double Decker”  The other flowers look like a common purple cone flower.

The following varieties where spectacular both in color and flower form. Every serious perennial gardener needs to find a spot in the garden for these coneflowers.

Echinacea Strawberry Shortcake:  A very unique introduction from one of the best perennial breeders in the world, Arie Blom.  This Echinacea is fully double and opens up white. As the flowers age the center cone begins to turn to a puplish-rose color. The only problem I had was getting the plants established and lost 2 out of six.. The plants did not seem as vigorous as most of the others, but once they got started I had no trouble with them.  ( I might add that the starter plants I used where a little weaker than some of the others and that may have accounted for the weak start) 

Echinacea Hot Papaya- This one will definitely find it’s way out of my trial beds and into the perennial borders. Plants have brillianat red-orange pom pom flowers with a ring of ray petals that face downward.  The flowers have a very pleasant fragrance and will last 14 days as cut flowers.  A very strong grower with nice healthy  foilage.

Echinacea Meringue- This incredible coneflower may just be my favorite – but I am a fan  colors in the garden so my opinion may be swayed.  Gorgeous double pop pom flowers growing on strong healthy foliage.  The flowers open white with a slight green tint and have white ray flowers along the bottom of the cone. As the flower heads age the white cone gets larger and fades slowly.  In my trials Meringue was one of the heaviest flowering varieties.

Echinaceea ‘Fatal Attraction’ -
This is on of those middle of the road varieties that I could not quiet judge.  The colors are a shade of pink and plants have black stems that adds a unique look to the clump….. but other than that I found it to look just like Magnus from a distance.

Echinacea ‘Pink Double Delight’
This variety is very similar to another coneflower I already grow called Echinacea ‘Razzmatazz’ – but with a shorter, more compact and in my trials a much stronger grower. The flowers are  Beautiful pink pom-pom measuring three inches across.  I liked this one so well I purchased others to put directly into my perennial beds.

Echinacea Marmalade – If you like hot colors like orange then this one is for  you. Beautiful fully double orange  four inch flowers on strong sturdy stems. Plants are very vigorous and heavy flowering.  This is another coneflower that will make it’s way into gardens.

2011 promises to be another year of great new coneflowers. The varitaies I am keeping my eye out for are:

Pow Wow Wildberry
Cranberry Cupcake
Now Cheesier
Secret Passion
Daydream
Secret Romance

I have been in contact with a grower that specializes in Coneflowersand they plan to have all the new ones listed above on their website by the first of the year.  If you are interested in any of the varieties I have take a look at the plants over at www.coneflowers.net

Happy Gardening

Filed under: Uncategorized on November 6th, 2010 | No Comments »

It is that time of year when I get countless emails asking what needs to be done to prepare perennials for the upcoming winter.  The actual answer for most varieties of perennials is to basically nothing other than cleaning up foliage that has been killed by the first hard freeze and this chore is just for aesthetics…. it really does not matter if you leave the dead growth and clean it up in the spring.  I actually leave some some plants standing throughout the entire winter for visual interest and  to provide the birds some seed heads to snack on.  The tips below should give you a general idea of how I prepare my beds and provide enough information for new gardeners that they don’t have to panic with winter approaching.

• Don’t get stated to early – Just because the nights and days of autumn are getting cooler don’t run for the garden shears and start pruning your perennials back to the ground.  Cutting back your plants to early will promote new soft growth that will not have time to harden off before Jack Frost arrives.  The best thing to do is to let the plants go almost completely dormant ( where they look  almost dead ) and then begin to tidy up the garden and remove the trimmed debris.  Different perennials go dormant a different times.  Many perennials enjoy the cooler days of fall and will actually put on new growth and bloom again. Others hate the cool nights and will quickly make the decision that summer is over and it  is time to retire for the season.  Here in Zone Six I do my selective pruning starting around the last week of August and continue right up until the first hard freeze. ….. and by freeze I mean temps in the lower twenties.  Many perennials will bloom way past the first frost.

• Perennial gardeners always dread late August and September due to the fact that most all varieties have done their thing and garden begins to look more like weeds than flowers. ( this is why it always a good idea to provide textural interest into your garden plan)   The best varieties I have found for fall color are Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susans)  — Russian Sage — Echinacea (Magnus does better for me than the new hybrids)  — Asters — and pottted mums that I just use to fill in spots for the season.  I treat the mums like annuals and just through them out at the end of the season. 

• Here is my usual to do list for Fall:
• Pull out the weeds that snuck in during  the summer – I hand pull — NO HERBERCIDES
• Edge the beds
• Remove any plants that show signs of disease and destroy – do not compost!
• Tidy up – clean up all garden debris – especially leaves left over by Columbines, Hollyhocks , Monarda and Peonies
• Spread all the compost that I produced throughout the spring and summer
• Evaluate your garden and make decisioins  on what needs to be moved, divided or added to ( I use a note pad )
• If a particular area of the garden is becoming overgrown you may consider moving some of the plants or renovating the entire area
• Plants that just did not perform to my expectations usually wind up in the compost pile
• Fall is very good time to mulch – just be careful not to mulch to deeply around the crown of the plants as a this can cause crown rot in certain varieties.
• Visit your local garden centers – you can usually pick up some bargains on items they need to get rid of. this late in the year

Dividing Perennials in the Fall:
Simple rule of thumb — If the plant blooms March – June divide the plant in early fall  —  If the plant blooms after June divide in early spring.

Exceptions to the rules:  Day lilies can be divided any time even while they are blooming.  Hostas can be divided in spring or fall…. but if you decide to divide hostas in the fall let them die back to the ground and water during dry spells.  Don’t fertilize any fall divided plants as it will encourage soft new growth that will be bit right back to the ground with the first frost.

• Some perennials are a little tricky to divide and transplant:
• Orientals Poppies – Divide in mid-fall
• Peonies- Divide only in late fall
• Bearded Iris – July or August

Hope this helps you get your garden in order for winter.  

Happy Gardening,

Tra

Filed under: Uncategorized on September 25th, 2010 | No Comments »

Produce Your Own Free Plants

Gardeners can never have enough plants. It’ an addiction that can’t be cured, and it can be an expensive habit.  The thought of free plants sends the gardener into a euphoric state of excitement.  This post will explain how anyone can produce more plants than they will ever need.

Propagation is the key to and endless supply of perennials. Most perennials can be propagated in three ways:

1. Division
2. Seed
3. Cuttings

Most gardeners already know how to grow plants from seed and how to divide perennials.  I want to focus on propagating from vegetative cuttings.   Growing from cuttings is not as hard as you might think…. as long as you have the secret tool of a professional grower.  Before I get into the “secret” lets go over a few steps for taking your cuttings and preparing them for the bench.

Prepare your pots or flats by filling with a good quality growing mix that is 50% peat – 50% perlite.  Moisten the growing medium so that it is wet all the way through.

Select only healthy plants and use a sharp pair of hand pruners or scissors to snip off the youngest, soft growth of the plants stems.  The cutting should be about 3 – 4 inches long.  Keep the cuttings in a pail or bucket with a towel or some type of cover over it to protect the new cuttings from the sun while you continue to take cuttings. Now that you have your cuttings it’s time to stick them.

Remove the lowest leaves and insert the cutting into each cell of the planting flat.  After you have stuck all the cuttings water the tray and firm up any loose cuttings.  Now for the “secret”.

Professional growers use an automatic misting system to root cuttings and to germinate seeds.  The systems range widely in price from computerized systems costing thousands of dollars to simple timer operated systems costing under a hundred dollars.  The one that I have used for over 20 years is called the Mist-a-Matic system and cost around $300.  Now if you are thinking that $300 high keep this mind… I have produced thousands of dollars worth of free plants using this tool.  The trick to the misting system is it never allows the soil to dry and keeps the leaves constantly wet.  The intermittent mist reduces stress to the cuttings and allows for a very high rooting success rate.  

One of the things I really love about the Mist-a-Matic system is that it does not use timers.  Using timers when trying to root cuttings can be very aggravating.  The timers have to be constantly adjusted with the weather. If it is hot and sunny the timer needs to be set to come on more frequently than on cloudy rainy days.  The Mist-a-Matic system uses a screen that measures the weight of the water that falls on it.  When the water is heavy enough the screen tilts and cuts of the water.  When the water on the screen evaporates the screen rises and the mist is cut back on.  The brilliance of the system is that the screen acts as a “leaf” and knows when the foliage of the cuttings is starting to dry.  By keeping the cuttings constantly wet the plants root very easily.

If you are interested in purchasing or learning more about the Mist-a-Matic I have a link to a retailer who sells it online at the bottom of this page.

Below is a list of perennials that are very easy to root from stem cuttings.

• Tall Garden Phlox
• Monarda
• Sedum
• Salvia
• Veronica
• Buddleia  (new soft, sticky growth)
• Agastache
• Mums
• Asters
• Gaillardia
• Lamium
• Lavender (new soft growth)

Note:  Remember that it is illegal to propagate perennials that are protected by Plant Patents

Link to Mista-a-Matic $249.95    This is for the controller only, you will also need misting heads and pipe.

Filed under: Uncategorized on March 6th, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Here at the nursery we have been flooded with inquiries about many of the jumbo hosta’s that have been introduced in the last couple of years.  Unfortunately, we missed the boat on the gaining popularity of these mammoth cultivars.  The only real true giant we grow is the variety known as H. ‘Sum and Substance’.  The giants that we are getting the most attention include varieties called Vim and Vigor, Big John, T Rex and the most requested variety is a huge hosta called Empress Wu.

Empress Wu is so large there is no possible way not to notice it.  The plants form clumps that are 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide!  The leaves can get 1 and half feet wide and are heavily rippled with great substance.   This giant was developed by Brian and Virginia Skaggs of Indiana. The originally name the plant ‘Xanadu Empress Wu’ but for marketing purposes they shortened the name to ‘Empress Wu’.  The name was selected to honor the only female empress to ever reign in China.  Now if you are wondering why in the world a couple from Indiana would name their new hosta after a Chinese Empress I can only guess that it has to do with the origins of the entire genus of hostas.  Hostas are native only to China, Japan and Korea where they thrive in the moist cool conditions of the mountainous regions of these countries.  Word has it that  Brian and Virgina are  currently working on another monster they have named H. Amos which has enormous blue green rippled leaves with very nice puckering.  Amos and Empress Wu are both the seedlings of H. Big John pictured above.

There is no doubt that  these super-sized hostas are outstanding additions to the garden but I think the catalogs and nurseries should be a bit more truthful about what it takes to get the plants to reach their incredible sizes.  As I stated above hostas are native in areas where rainfall is abundant and soil conditioins are both rich and slightly acidic.  While hostas are very rugged plants and will tolerate poor soils, drought, and a full range of sun exposures, you are not going to grow beautiful hostas buy punishing them with such awful growing conditions.   These new Giants will require your attention if you want the plants to reach their mature sizes.  This means a moist, well drained soil that is slightly acidic and rich in organic matter. Don’t think about planting in the sun,   the leaves will scald just as soon as the sun intensifies in late spring.  Below are a few tips for growing a gigantic hosta specimen.

• Soil must remain consistently moist but not soggy – the large leaves will require more water than other hostas.
• Soil needs be very rich and fertile – work in a good amount of compost and manure before planting
• Feed at least three times per year with a top dressing of composted manure and blood meal – the giant leaves and sheer size of the plants require  more nutrients than other hostas
• Water regularly during dry spells – if the plants are left to suffer drought conditions they will quickly adjust the will instinctively adjust their growth rate to survive dry conditions rather than continuing to produce growth — kind of like rationing during a famine.

As I read up on jumbo hostas I stumbled across a site that is letting gardeners post pictures of their own giants.  If you have some whoppers in your garden hop over to www.EmpressWuHosta.com and send them your photos.

I have ordered a couple of the big ones to try this summer – Empress Wu and T-Rex.  I will let you know how it turns out.

Happy Gardening

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 28th, 2010 | No Comments »

Inexpensive Greenhouse

One of the most common questions I get from folks is how to build an inexpensive greenhouse.  Most gardeners dream of having their very own greenhouse so that they can start their own spring flowers, and extend the growing season for many vegetables.   Most home gardeners are quickly discouraged by the prices of prepackaged kits and give up on thier dream.  You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to have your own greenhouse. In this post I will show you how I built some very inexpensive frames for around $500 per frame.

Greenhouse structures are not that complicated.  The main objective is to  trap the suns heat and provide your plants protection from harsh weather conditions.  I want to keep this post short since it is a “how to” article so let’s dive into the details of construction.

I don’t about you but I understand instructions better when they are accompanied by pictures so I have put together a simple set of plans complete with photos of how I built my own greenhouses / cold frames in my backyard.  I use the frames mostly for growing vegetable crops and for starting seeds. I have one house that I use to propagate perennials using vegetative cuttings but we will get to the propagation system in my next post.  If you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as I can.  Follow the link below to view my version of an inexpensive greenhouse.

Build your own greenhouse plans

Happy Gardening

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 25th, 2010 | No Comments »

Easy to grow perennials

I spend hours upon hours dragging around water hoses, shoveling mulch, picking off bugs and pulling weeds.  The last thing I need is a plant that is fussy about growing conditions and vulnerable to every disease and pest under the sun.  Don’t get me wrong I have some pet varieties that require more attention from me than others but I am not willing, nor do I have the time to pamper every plant I grow.   

How I define easy:1.)  Plants must be somewhat drought tolerant, they don’t need to be able survive desert conditions but if I have to give the plant a drink every time it gets hot then that plant is off the list. 2.) Flowering must be maintenace free. If I have to drive stakes into the ground and rig up a mess of twine or constantly deadhead faded flowers that plant is not “easy”.3.) The plant must be disease and pest resistant. It makes no sense to spray poisons and then try to attract birds and butterflies to the garden. If the plant can’t take on nature by itself  then I certainly don’t want a garden full of them.4.)  A plant can be easy to grow but the flowering time is so short it may as well be a weed since it offers very little interest to the garden for most of the season.  This rule does not apply to plants that have short bloom times but offer elements of texture.I know that is a tough list of requirements and it weeds out many  varieties of perennials that other gardeners consider easy.  My intention is to give you a list of truly easy to grow plants that are beautiful as well as low maintenance.   One thing that aggravates me about the mail order perennial business is that according to the descriptions everything is  ”Easy to Grow”.   Every perennial in the catalog or on a website is not easy to grow  now matter how many times they repeat the phrase.  In fact I consider some varieties as prima Donna’s and will not even waste my time with them.  That being said don’t let me discourage you from selecting  varieties that you like.  The plants I have trouble with may thrive in your area and under your care. The lists below are my easy to grow picks and under that is my difficult to grow list.        Easy:

• Achillea
• Buddleia (not really a perennial but often found in mail order catalogs)
• Coreopsis
• Dianthus
• Echinacea
• Gaillardia
• Hemerocallis ( Daylily – very easy)
• Hostas (as long as you keep them in the shade)
• Iris
• Sedum
• Veronica
• Ferns (again keep them in the shade)
• Ornamental Grasses
• Shasta Daisy
• Poppies
• Phlox
• Rudbeckia
• Knockout Roses ( not a perennial but I just could not leave out this great shrub rose)

     Tough:

• Aconitum  (monkshood)
• Delphinium   (unless you live in area with cool summers)
• Lupine  (unless you have a deep rich soil)
• Hybrid Tea Roses  (every bug and fungus in the world love these things – use floribundas instead)
• Lavender (can be tough but if you get it placed in the right spot it is easy)

Happy Gardening

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 19th, 2010 | No Comments »

Well my last post ruffled a few feathers when I stated that anything larger than a 4 inch potted perennial was a waste of money.  I not only got emails from gardeners who disagreed with me a got few from angry growers.  I stand by my statement that a perennial in a pot larger than a 4″ pot is a waste of money and to provide some evidence for my opinion I wanted to show you a production timing chart that is used by perennial nurseries for timing their crops.  Before you jump straight to the chart keep in mind that this chart is showing finish times from “plug to pot”.  In other words this is an estimate of how long it will take to have a retail ready pot size once the liner or plug has been transplanted to it’s retail sized pot. This chart represents perennials only…. the shrubbery and tree business is way longer ( up to 1 year for 1 gallon ) and deserve their retail prices.  Take a close look at the chart below and tell me a 1 quart or 1 gallon perennial is worth $18 – $20 when you can buy a 4″ pot for $3 -$5.

The source for this chart is one of largest growers of perennial plugs / transplants in the US. I will not say who but you can run a web search for perennial plug timing chart and you will eventually stumble across it as well as many others.  So before you pay Garden Crossings, White Flower Farm or Wayside Gardens the ridiculous prices they are getting for their plants think about this chart and ask your self if the extra dirt is really worth it.  My notes are in red.

Perennial Timing Chart

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 17th, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Hybrid Echinacea 'Tomato Soup'

I have been getting quiet a few emails from folks wanting to know how to buy seed for several of the new perennials out this year…. especially the new echinacea varieties.  Instead of answering all the email I thought it would be quicker to just add a quick post to explain hybrid plants. Hybrids are developed by breeders  by crossing  two different plants with the hopes that the cross will produce a new plant that has both of the valued traits of each of the parents.  The goal of the breeder is to develop a new variety that has better or unique flowering,  greater disease resistance, size and to come up with new flower or foliage colors. Most all of the new plants being introduced are hybrids.   

The seed that is produced by these new hybrids will not reproduce the plant it came from and therefore would not be considered true to name.  This is not to say that you would be wasting your time collecting seeds from hybrids. The seedlings you produce may not resemble the parent but you just may come up with a very interesting new plant.   

Hybrids are reproduced from the parent plants by taking cuttings. The cuttings have all the “DNA” needed to be exactly like the variety it was taken from. This process is know as “asexual reproduction” which means only a few licensed growers can reproduce the new hybrid.  If you have ever wondered why new plant varieties are expensive when compared to older selections the limited asexual reproduction is the reason… the new plant is in limited supply.    

So now you know why the seed for Echinacea Tiki Torch or Tomato Soup or Shasta Daisy Banana Cream is not available. These plants are reproduced by vegetative cuttings not seed.   

One more quick tip – don’t think about taking cuttings your self as this is considered stealing and is against the law.  Look closely at the tags that come with hybrid plants and you will see the phrase “Asexual Reproduction Prohibited”  If you want to grow new perennial varieties but don’t want of pay the prices being charged just wait a few years and the prices usually go down.   

Happy Gardening

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 16th, 2010 | No Comments »

Double Knockout Rose

 Knockout Roses have taken the gardening world by storm since the first Red Knockout was introduced in 2000 and won the prestigious “All American Rose Selection Award”.  A very well deserved award.  The Knock Out rose quickly became the fastest selling new rose introduction of all time.  The breeder of these marvelous roses, Bill Radler was  a Wisconsin Roasarian and had been breeding roses for over 20 years.  He focused his breeding efforts on developing roses that where easy to grow, heavy flowering  and disease resistant.

He achieved success in 1988 when he crossed  rosa ‘Razzle Dazzle’ with rosa ‘Carefree Beauty’ the resulting plant would soon become the worlds most popular rose the “Knockout”.  Testing  took place on the new rose for several years and was conducted by Star Roses who after many trials introduced Radrazz as ’The Knockout Rose’ in 2000.  The new Knockout Rose was an instant success selling over 250,000 plants in the first year becoming the fastest selling rose in history.

The recipe for success was simple:

• Superb marketing
• An easy to grow rose that anyone can grow
• Repeat bloomer: Flowers from late spring through the first frost
• Disease and pest resistant; no more spraying for blackspot, aphids and other rose enemies
• Plants are self-cleaning; no deadheading
• Hardy in zones 5 – 9 and will grow in zone 4 with protection
• Beautiful plants with dark shiny green foliage
• Can be grown in partial shade

Since the fist introduction of Knockout Rose the breeder has added to the family to include:

1. Double Knockout – a gorgeous double red
2. Blushing Knockout – soft light pink
3. Rainbow Knockout – pink with yellow center
4. Pink Double - just as the name suggest: double pink ruffled flowers
5. Pink Knockout – bright pink
6. Sunny Knockout – bright yellow and fragrant

If you have tried roses in the past and have given up on growing them we strongly suggest that you give  The Knockout Rose Family a chance before throwing in the towel. You will be amazed at how easy these wonderful plants are to grow and the flower power they possess.   One of the best places to purchase Knockout Roses online is www.RosesKnockout.com  The plants are very affordable and are offered in a new type of growing container called The EGP.  A very interesting process of growing plants in field rows in a pot that has no bottom.  The bottomless pot allows for unrestricted root growth as the plants roots grow out of the bottom of the pot into ground.  These plants are called liners in the nursery profession and are purchased from growers who specialize in growing the liners for other nurseries who pot the liners into  1 gallon pots.  To give you an idea of why I feel like the EGP pot is the best option for home gardeners just think about this:

• An EGP potted liner is purchased by a nursery who will pot the liner into a one gallon pot.  That EGP liner will be ready to sale as a one gallon rose in about 6 weeks.  The price for the EGP potted Knockout Rose at www.RosesKnockout.com is $9.99  The average prices I found on the web for a one gallon plant was $25.00 – $30.00. You will not convince me that the 1 gallon rose is worth 3 times more in only 6 weeks.  You are paying for dirt!

I am not trying to pick on rose nurseries this is also true with perennials where plugs often cost as little as 50 cents and are potted up for 8 – 10  weeks then sold for ridiculous prices ranging from between $12.00 – $20.00 in quart pots.  I am not a fan of any perennial being sold in anything larger than a 4″ pot because I refuse to pay for dirt.  I know this because I am the head grower at Gorge Top Gardens. 

Take it for what it’s worth, it’s your money.

Happy Gardening!

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 15th, 2010 | 1 Comment »