Posts made in March, 2009

Hostas are tough perennials — the staple for any shade garden — and mostly known for their varied, colorful, and textured foliage. They often have beautiful flowers, too. Many produce bright, colorful blooms in the spring, adding a splash of color to the shadows in your garden, but the foliage is what draws most  gardeners to hostas.

Hosta 'Stiletto', with its smooth rippled foliage and creamy variegation, makes an excellent addition to shade gardens. The long, thin leaves look exotic and delicate, but the plant is very hardy. This hosta also produces wonderfully interesting purple-striped blooms in the spring.

H. 'Harpoon', another variegated hosta with rippled foliage — the thick spade-shaped leaves deter predation from snails and slugs — also produces an interesting purple bloom that perfectly complements the exceptional foliage.

A kumquat, two limes, two lemons, and one big, juicy navel orange: an impressive array of citrus trees are available from Wayside Gardens this season. And these aren't just any citrus trees — each one is a unique specimen of it's genus, a rare and impressive variety. Like many of you, I love citrus trees and citrus fruit, especially limes. Lime is my favorite flavor and probably my favorite fruit.

Limes 'Bearss' and 'Mexican Thornless' are very different, but each serves its intended purpose well. 'Mexican Thornless' limes are edible ornamentals, perfect for the patio or home, and they produce wonderful tangy limes great for flavoring drinks or salsa. 'Bearss' is a serious culinary lime, preferred by professional chefs and bartenders — they have a perfect lime taste that's not too acidic, preferred by many over keylimes and other mainstream varieties.

I have one of the 'Bearss' Lime trees in a big pot that moves all around the house and sometimes in and out the back door. The limes are amazing — sometimes I will just eat them straight off the tree (don't do that — it's bad for your teeth).

This week's Wayside Gardens' Plant of the Week is one of the most popular climbing shrubs on the market and the best climbing hydrangea around, Hydrangea anomala ssp.petiolaris. It will climb any wall, arbor, or tree with no additional support, and will keep on growing for up to 80 feet! If it has nothing to grow on, it will also make an excellent groundcover.

Care is simple: just let it keep going! The foliage, beautiful white blooms, and dense habit make it interesting all season long. Hydrangea anomala ssp.petiolaris prefers rich, well-drained soil and performs best in partial shade. Water thoroughly, especially in warm or dry climates.

Cornus kousa Venus® is a brand new dogwood with bigger blooms, improved drought and cold tolerance, and better resistance to the most common dogwood diseases.

The huge snow-white blooms float on the outside of this peculiar tree like big butterflies. Venus® has an odd but interesting habit, with branches all the way to the ground, creating a cloud of large, bright blooms from the ground up. It will reach as tall as 20 feet and at least that wide and requires very little maintenance.

Dogwoods are notoriously thirsty, but Venus® shows a stronger tolerance of dry periods than her fragile cousins. This tree also thrives in cooler climates where dogwoods are usually unavailable (up to zone 4). And, since it's resistant to the most common dogwood ailments, Venus® maintains beautiful deep green foliage right into fall.

Standard Dogwood Care Tips:

• Soil: Dogwoods need a good balance: a blend that drains well but also contains enough organic matter to retain some moisture.
• Mulch: A layer of mulch goes a long way in maintaining soil moisture levels and protecting your roots from climate fluctuations.
• Pruning: Only to remove unsightly dying limbs if necessary.
• Water: Water deeply every couple of weeks, at least for the first year.
• Fertilizer: Use an all-purpose flowering-plant or shrub fertilizer. Rich organic material, like compost, worked into the soil will usually provide more than enough nutrients for your tree.

Hydrangeas are a great choice for containers! With their
interesting foliage, beautiful blooms, and enticing fragrance, they're a lovely,
low-maintenance selection for the small-space garden.

One variety that performs particularly well in containers is the
dwarf marvel, Hydrangea CitylineTM Venice. Venice's compact habit
contrasted with huge leaves and bright pink blooms makes for a pronounced look
that works really well in patio gardens. It produces more flowering stems than
your average hydrangea, and the leaves maintain their beautiful deep green from
spring until frost.