Dahlias

One of the annuals I chose this year was a 6 pack of dahlias. I have the best memories of dahlias every summer at the Noni gardens.... my favorites were called dinnerplate dahlias and they were truly about 12" across!

Mine were tiny at first I didn't know what colors they would be, but I thought it was worth a try. I tucked them in empty spots, and at first they were just green filler. In fact, they were green mounds for most of the summer. But my patience was rewarded when September came around and they burst forth into bloom!

 

 This plant is baffling and amazing... it is covered with red blooms except one that is lilac!

I will definitely be planting dahlias again. They are gorgeous!

July Posies

Despite the sweltering heat, July is sure a pretty time for flowers.

These pretty snapdragons volunteered here, I assume from last year's pot. I said make yourself welcome!

The daylilies are blooming now. 

The grasses are getting pretty, and my hanging basket is filled out.

The zinnias have been my best bloomers! I am pleasantly surprised to say I love them.

I only have one coleus, but I sure love it.

The pin wheel verbena is gorgeous.

I was so worried about caterpillars eating my petunias to death again that I did verbena instead, but look what came up on their own?

 I'm not complaining! And even if the caterpillars to come back, I didn't pay for them.

The hostas are in bloom too. They are more subtle but so graceful.

Shade Garden Inspiration

You may remember that our new house faces north. I know I will love having a south facing back yard, but it poses some challenges for gardening in the front. The beds right up against the house get very little sunlight so I have been researching plants that grow in shade. I want lush foliage and color, not just puny plants that are hanging on for dear life, reaching for the rays. I need something that will really grow and flourish there.

I think most people have a shady spot in the garden, whether it's under the canopy of shade trees or in the shadow of the house or other structures. I hope I can give you some ideas to make those areas spectacular! Each of the selections listed does well in shade or part sun and prefers moist soil, and they are perennials unless I specify otherwise. I know I am going to be on the lookout for these beauties every chance I get!

Many of the following pictures are from the Better Homes and Gardens Plant Encyclopedia. It is a great online resource and might just save you from buying some garden books. The other pictures are from my archives at the Noni gardens.

No shade garden is complete without the queen of shade herself... hostas! I already planted one hosta in my shade bed, but I am on the lookout for more varieties like this variegated one above. In the summer many hostas send up tall, graceful shoots with purple flowers.

I also planted a few of these beautiful Bleeding Hearts. They are a must-have for me because they remind me of home. These only bloom for about a month in the spring, but the show is worth it! The foliage wilts in the heat and can be cut back to the ground.

Astilbe or False Spirea are show stoppers! Check out those vibrant plumes! I can't wait to get my hands on some of these.

Brunnera or False-Forget-Me-Not are so lacy and delicate. I love the periwinkle blue color. These are definitely one of my favorite.

Corydalis is an impressive hue for a shade perennial. I am not very familiar with this one but love the burst of yellow.

Hellebore is also known as the Christmas Rose. The flowers last all summer and are very hardy and supposedly easy to grow.

In the Noni shade gardens I was always enthralled by the color spectrum of Japanese Painted Fern, from their deep purple spines to green and silvery leaves. They also offer such interesting texture for a shade garden.

Monkshood spires are reminiscent of foxglove or delphinium. The purple flowers bloom in the late summer, making these perfect for a last splash of color.

Pulmonaria or Bethlehem Sage is a beautiful low-growing ground cover. I love the bi-color leaves and the flowers ranging from magenta to deep purple.

Lamium or dead nettle is also a ground-cover, with small spires of flowers that come in white or pink.

I have never seen this one personally but I love the showy flowers of Japanese Toad Lilies. They almost look like orchids they are so delicate and perfect.


If you still need a seasonal pop of color for your shade beds, here are some annual ideas.

Begonias are actually perennial tubers in warmer climates, but here in Utah they have to be planted annually. They come in many colors and single and double blooms.

One of my favorite summer annuals is Coleus. They have inconspicuous blooms but their foliage is gorgeous! They come in an impressive array of colors and varieties.



Last but not least, every shade garden should have impatiens. These are a great staple and also come in many colors ranging from red to pink to white.

Well folks, that's all for now... I'm off for a weekend of work outside!

Buying Bedding Plants

While we were in Idaho visiting my parents we visited their favorite nursery. It happens to be run by a group of Mennonites who really know their stuff. Their plant material is healthy, huge, and beautiful, and even better, at steal-of-a-deal prices!

Now is the time (in my gardening zone) to buy bedding plants! The general guideline is to plant after Mother's Day or after the risk of freezing is over, but sometimes you still have to be careful! Here in Utah we have had an extremely cool spring, and just Monday we had a huge hailstorm which stripped and damaged many plants! The forecast is looking better now and hopefully some of those April showers will turn into May flowers.

After visiting numerous nurseries and greenhouses in the last month, it occurred to me that many people probably don't know how to buy bedding plants. For example, Home Depot's nursery department was full of beautiful blooms, but they weren't labeled very well and it would have been easy to buy what was prettiest, only to be disappointed upon returning home and finding it was only in bloom for a few weeks when you wanted something colorful all summer. In fact I saw an older couple buying huge pots of flashy foxglove, and I could only hope they knew it was a spring bloomer. The key to this predicament is knowing the difference between annuals and perennials.

Annuals are plants or flowers that will only live for one season. They don't have the resources to over-winter, so you will have to replace them annually. (That's how I keep them straight.) Common examples of summer annuals are petunias, snapdragons, geraniums, stock, and marigolds.

Stock... oh, it smells so good! It doesn't like heat so is in it's prime right now.

Look at this hanging basket of petunias I got as my Mother's Day gift!
It's so heavy we don't know how to hang it without making a hole in the stucco!

Perennials, on the other hand, come back every year. They typically have one bloom period, but this can differ per species as well. Spring blooming perennials such as peonies, iris, and aurinia, only bloom for about a month in the spring.

My aurinia, or Basket of Gold, is still small and almost done blooming.

Others such as lavender, sea thrift, and scabiosa, bloom all summer as long as they are deadheaded properly.

Sea thrift is so compact and cute.

Scabiosa, or pincushion flower, is one of my favorite.

Another key to success is making sure you buy healthy plant material! This seems like a no-brainer, but don't underestimate it's importance! Ideally plants should be just beginning to flower and have lots of buds and lush green leaves. If a plant is already overgrown and full of blooms, it won't have much splendor left for you. If it's too small, however, it may have a weak root system and never reach it's full potential.

The little ones had a great time at the nursery too. There was certainly a lot to discover!

I also bought more of my veggie garden starts on this trip. Now I have basil, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and a tomato plant in the ground! I need to plant my beans and a few more tomatoes and I will be set! I can't wait for summer.

I love Coleus!

This post was inspired by my sweet neighbor, Doris, and 80 year old widow and avid gardener! She is the epitome of "green thumb." She works outside every nice day of the year, and knows her horticulture from the best teacher--experience.

I was over visiting her the other day and noticed a huge coleus growing in her kitchen! I have never seen coleus grown indoors, so I was very impressed. Later I learned that it can be overwintered indoors and used for cuttings in the spring. In fact, one of the canes on Doris' plant had fallen over and she cut if off and put it in water. She offered me her cutting and I was honored to accept. I am excited to plant it in my yard when warmer weather arrives!

Coleus are one of the easiest plants to propagate. Roots form on the stem if you just keep it in water.
Once the roots are a couple of inches long, it can be transplanted into soil. Normally cuttings would be shorter than this, and you should only keep 2 to 3 leaves on top, but I didn't have the heart to strip Doris' pretty plant. It already had lots of roots developing, so I think it should re-locate easily!


When I worked at the Noni gardens we used tons of coleus in the summer display. In fact, in my 2005 Annual Culture Guide I detailed 14 different varieties that we tried. I love how they are all so rich and colorful, and so different! Coleus is really one of my favorite annual plants because it is so versatile.

Scientific name: Solestemon scutellarioides
A few varieties as follows...

'Dappled Apple'

'Rustic Orange'

'Dipt in Wine'

'Velvet Lime'

'Religious Radish'

'Juliet Quartermain'

'Amora'

'Splash'

'Gay's Delight'

'Wizzard'

'Old Lace'

I hope I have succeeded in displaying the charms of coleus!