Articles

Bold, Tropical Colocasias

Giant Colocasia
Thai giant Colocasia is as bold and tropical as it gets! (Photo care of Logee’s (www.logees.com))

Is your garden (or greenhouse) going tropical this summer, with bold leaves and eye-catching hues?   Then you’ll doubtless want to accent it with a plant (or three) of Colocasia esculenta.  Commonly known as elephant ear, this frost-tender, warm-season perennial produces broad, prominently lobed, heart-shaped leaves that can indeed reach pachydermic proportions, giving it obvious cache for tropical-flavored planting schemes.  It also comes in a wide range of colors and sizes, suggesting other design possibilities.

Colocasia 'Illustris'
Colocasia ‘Illustris’ is a classic variety with black-stained leaves. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

Elephant Ears

Its suitability for eating is what first brought Colocasia esculenta into cultivation some 10,000 years ago.  Today, it remains a dietary mainstay throughout much of the tropics, represented by hundreds of varieties and nearly as many common names (including taro, dasheen, eddo, and cocoyam).   As a comestible, it is prized more for its plump, starchy, underground tubers than for the long-stalked leaves that arise from them (although the leaf blades and petioles are sometimes consumed).

Most ornamental elephant ears, on the other hand, possess little food value, having been selected for looks rather than flavor.  Additionally, almost all varieties (culinary and otherwise) require cooking to neutralize the acrid, needlelike molecules that lace their tissues.  Uncooked tubers or leaves can cause intense discomfort if ingested.  So look; don’t munch!

Electric Blue Gecko
Electric Blue Gecko™ is a real beauty with its textured, all black leaves. (Photo care of Logee’s)

If what you’re looking for is something in an extra-large, an elephantine Colocasia may be just the ticket (are 3-foot leaves on 3-to 6-foot stems big enough for your tropical paradise?).  Gargantuan cultivars include ‘Fontanesii’, whose dark green leaves have deep purple stems, veins, and margins; ‘Coffee Cups’, with theatrically folded, olive-green, purple-veined leaf blades atop black-purple stems;  and ‘Burgundy Stem’, named for its stem color but equally remarkable for its pale green, chalky-veined, purple-suffused leaf blades. (Then, of course, there is the monstrous green-leaved Thai giant (Colocasia gigantea)). Of somewhat smaller size but equally dramatic coloration are numerous other selections such as ‘Illustris’ (black-stained, pale-veined leaves); ‘Black Magic’ (with black staining enveloping the entire leaf); ‘Mojito’ (apple-green, purplish-stemmed blades with black-purple mottling and flecking); and Electric Blue Gecko™ (slender, textured, pure black leaves with a metallic overlay).

The dwarf of the tribe, Colocasia affinis, is also well worth growing for its purple-flushed, 6-inch-long leaf blades.  It’s usually represented in cultivation by ‘Jenningsii’, a deep charcoal-colored form with pale green veins and ash-gray midribs.

Black Magic leaves
The soft black leaves of ‘Black Magic’ add depth and interest to beds and borders. (Photo care of Logee’s)

Alocasia

You might also want to take a look at the many species of Alocasia, a genus once included in Colocasia.  Members of this elephant-ear clan typically bear large, corrugated, arrowhead-shaped leaves of metallic hue.  The foot-long, deep green, heavily puckered leaf blades of Alocasia cuprea have a pewter overlay and sunken, burgundy-purple veins.  Alocasia x amazonica brandishes gleaming, wrinkled, almost black-green leaves with silver-white veins and heavily scalloped margins.  A few alocasias rival or even surpass the largest colocasias in size, with some selections and hybrids of giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos) producing immense leaves (as well as a trunk-like stem) from massive tubers.  Giant taro’s close relatives A. odora and A. portei are of similarly jaw-dropping stature.

Fafard Ultra Container Mix with Extended Feed pack
This mix contains Moisture Pro™ water holding crystals, to maintain mix moisture for longer.

Growing Elephant Ears

To grow elephant ears worthy of the name, plant them a few inches deep in ample sun and fertile, humus-rich soil after the ground has warmed (tomato-planting time is ideal).  Amend the planting hole with an organic medium such as Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend, liberally so where soils are sandy or heavy.  These evergreen to semi-evergreen perennials die back in fall in areas that experience frost, returning in spring if their tubers don’t freeze.   Many cultivars will survive USDA Zone 7 winters under a deep leafy mulch.  If necessary, plants can spend the winter indoors, either in pots (in a warm sunny niche) or as dormant tubers (stored in dry potting mix in a cool dark well-ventilated room).  Or grow them year-round in a sunny warm greenhouse.  A moist, fibrous, well-drained growing medium such as Fafard Ultra Container Mix works beautifully.

Colocasias and their kin achieve their greatest grandeur in regions with humid, frost-free climes (think southern Florida).  A few varieties will even spread by runners, forming veritable herds of elephant ears.  From the steamy Deep South to the wintry Far North, no plants are better at bringing a taste of the tropics to the garden and greenhouse.

Growing Summer Fruits in the Garden

Fresh strawberries
Nothing tastes like fresh strawberries straight from the summer garden. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

For centuries, traditional cottage gardeners have included an array of summer fruits in their beds and borders. Today’s gardeners—even those with very limited space—can do the same. Fruiting plants are a gardener’s best friends because they do double or even triple duty: beautifying the garden with lovely spring flowers, producing edible fruit and even sometimes brightening the fall landscape with colorful leaves.

Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Soil pack
Strawberry pots or large containers of berries perform well in Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Soil.

The only real requirements for seasonal fruit growing are a desire to produce fresh food, a bit of sunny space and good soil—even if that soil is in a container filled with a quality medium like Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Mix. If poor garden soil is a problem, boost quality with an ample helping of nutrients, like those in Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend.

Start your fruit growing adventure with a favorite fruit, or, choose types like raspberries or peaches that are not well suited to being shipped long distances from growers to retailers.
The following summer fruit categories are among the most popular with home gardeners.

Brambles

Colourful raspberries
Raspberries come in many colors.

Raspberries and blackberries are the best-known brambles, but the genus Rubus is also home to popular hybrids including loganberries, boysenberries, marionberries, and tayberries. Summer-bearing (as opposed to fall-bearing) brambles are among the easiest fruits to grow, producing large, sweet berries borne on often-prickly canes. Traditional raspberry and blackberry varieties bear fruit on second-year stems and are often trained on wires for ease of harvesting. Older bramble varieties require substantial growing space, but some newer dwarf types produce equally impressive fruit when grown in large containers. Whether the plants are cultivated in-ground or in containers, the ripening fruit is attractive to birds and small animals and should be protected with netting. Prune fruiting canes to the ground after the harvest.

Strawberries

Whether grown in dedicated beds, large containers or special, multi-pocketed jars, low-growing strawberries (Frageria spp.) are longtime home gardening favorites. Commercially available strawberry varieties are either June-bearing, producing a single large crop in June; or ever-bearing, producing fruit throughout the growing season. For best fruit set, grow two separate ever-bearing or June-bearing varieties in close proximity to each other. In-ground strawberry beds should be mulched with straw to protect the berries from botrytis or gray mold. Strawberry beds should also be rotated every few years to prevent nutrient depletion and disease proliferation. The soil in containers used to grow strawberries should be changed every year or two.

Blueberries

Clusters of blueberries
Clusters of pink or white bell-shaped blueberry flowers give way to clusters of ripe summer fruits.

Blueberries are members of the Vaccinium genus, related to heaths and heathers. The shrubs are decorative enough for mixed borders, supplying pink spring flowers, blue summer fruit, and red autumn leaves. All blueberry types need some amount of winter chilling time, with lowbush and northern highbush types requiring the most chilling, while southern highbush and rabbiteye types require the least. Consult local vendors or extension agents to determine which types work best in your area. Blueberries also need acid soil, in the 4 to 5.5 pH range. If soil tests show that your soil is too alkaline, acidify by mixing in amendments such as sulfur or Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost.

Fruit trees provide both ornamental and edible value. (photo by USDA, ARS)
Fruit trees provide both ornamental and edible value. (photo by USDA, ARS)

Stone Fruits

Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, and cherries are members of the Prunus genus. Commonly known as “stone fruits,” because of their hard central seeds or pits, the trees feature billowing clusters of five-petaled flowers in shades of white or pink. When selecting a tree for a home garden or orchard, make sure to pick a variety that is reliably hardy in your USDA hardiness zone. If space is limited or the tree will be grown in a large container, choose a dwarf variety, which will reach a mature height of only 8 to 10 feet tall and wide.

Many stone fruit trees are self-fertile, requiring only a single specimen for pollination and fruit set, but others, especially sweet cherries, may require two different varieties. Check with the vendor to be sure. All stone fruits prefer loamy, well-drained soil. Though members of the Prunus tribe have been grown successfully for centuries, they can be problematic because of susceptibility to climate conditions, pests, and diseases. Consult an experienced grower, local extension agent or a reference source for tips on best cultural practices.

Melons

Ripening at summer’s end, melons generally require ample space and a bit of patience, but they are worth the wait. Cantaloupe, watermelons and other favorite melon varieties are members of the Cucurbitaceae or gourd family, most of which grow from large, flattened seeds. Melons need rich soil and a minimum of several months of warm weather to grow fat and sweet. Gardeners without abundant square footage should choose bush varieties, like ‘Bush Sugar Baby’ watermelon, or train melon plants up a sturdy trellis or other support. Heavy ripening fruits will require additional bracing to prevent stems from breaking too soon.

10 Terrific Flowers for Honey Bees

Rudbeckia lacinata 'Autumn Sun'
Rudbeckia lacinata ‘Autumn Sun’ is a late-summer bloomer that bees love.

The decline in honey bees (Apis mellifera) has heightened the popularity of honey bee plants. Many favorite flowers for honey bees, like sweetclover, thistle, alfalfa and dandelion, are Eurasian plants too weedy for flower beds. Thankfully, there are some beautiful summer garden flowers, many being  North American natives, which are also great nectar and pollen plants favored by these Old World native bees. Regional natives are also superb forage plants for regional bees.
Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend packThe best honey bee plants provide a good supply of both sugary nectar and protein-rich pollen sought after by these and other long-tongued bees. Lots of beautiful garden flowers provide both in high quantities. Here are our top 10 favorites organized by bloom time. Choose one for each blooming period and you’ll have great bee blooms throughout the growing season! All are sun-loving and grow best in good soils with regular to good drainage. Amend with Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend and feed with a fertilizer for flowers, such as Black Gold Rose & Flower Fertilizer, for best results.

Early Summer Bee Flowers

Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida, perennial)Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida, perennial): An elegant beauty with fine, drooping petals, the pale purple coneflower is a bee favorite that also produces seeds much loved by finches. A native of grasslands and savannahs across the Eastern United States, this tough coneflower will bloom for up to three weeks from June to July. When in bloom, its flowers will feed lots of bees. You might even see a few butterflies on them as well.

Achillea millefolium 'Strawberry Seduction'Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium, perennial): The bright, flattened heads of common yarrow are covered with tiny daisy flowers that bees really favor. Native to both Eurasia and North America, this plant attracts loads of pollinators no matter where it’s planted. There are many beautiful varieties for the garden; two of the better variants are the rich red ‘Strawberry Seduction’ (image left) and ‘Wonderful Wampee’, which has pink flowers that fade to nearly white. 

Summer Bee Flowers

Sunflower with beesSunflowers (Helianthus annuus, annual): Nothing attracts and feeds bees like good old sunflowers. Their massive and prolific blooms come in shades of yellow, gold, red and orange and give way to lots of oil-rich seeds enjoyed by seed-eating birds and humans alike. There are literally hundreds of varieties to choose with various flower colors, heights and flower sizes. The dwarf varieties ‘Little Becka‘ (image left; 3-4’ tall with gold and brown flowers) and ‘Big Smile’ (1-2′ tall with classic golden flowers with black centers) are choice selections for any garden.
Agastache Blue BoaBlue Giant Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum, perennial): The pretty spires of purple flowers produced by the giant hyssop become simply covered with bees. A native across the northern regions of North America, this fragrant perennial in the mint family it tough and very hardy. The hybrid Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ (image left by Terra Nova Nurseries) is an exceptional variety from Terra Nova Nursery that is exceptionally beautiful.

Monarda punctata and Salvia coccineaHorsemint (Monarda punctata, perennial): Few garden perennials draw bees as efficiently as the long-blooming horsemint. A native of much of the United States, this sun-lover produces tiers of unique pink to white bracted flowers through much of summer and into fall. The blooms of these fragrant plants last a long time and become completely covered with pollinators. Plant in very well-drained soil for best performance.

Echinacea Dixie BellePurple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, perennial): The popularity of purple coneflowers and their many hybrids serves as a testament to their beauty and resilience. All are a favorite of bees, and like the pale purple coneflower, seed-eating birds enjoy the seedheads that follow. The purple-pink daisy flowers begin blooming in summer and will easily continue into late summer and even fall if the old flowers are removed. Some of the better new variants for big, long-blooming flowers include ‘Dixie Belle’ (left, image by Terra Nova Nurseries) and the super heavy blooming ‘Pica Bella’
Black-eyed SusanBlack-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp., annual or perennial): Nothing says summer like a beautiful black-eyed Susan, and bees appreciate their prolific flowers just as much as we do. One to seek out is the heavy blooming dwarf ‘Little Goldstar’ (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Little Goldstar’).
 

 Late-Summer and Fall Bee Flowers

Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies'Asters (Symphotrichum spp., perennial): The pinks, blues and purples of late-summer and fall aster flowers are a delight to all bees. There are so many wonderful varieties to choose from it’s hard to know where to start. The classic ‘October Skies’ (image left, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’) is a wonderful late bloomer with lavender-blue flowers and orange centers, and the dusty sky blue ‘Bluebird’  (Symphyotrichum laeve ‘Bluebird’) is an earlier bloomer with prolific flowers.

Eupatorium purpureumJoe-Pye Weeds (Eutrochium spp., perennial): This group of mid-to late-summer bloomers produces big, fuzzy heads of purplish-red flowers filled with nectar and pollen. Native across North America, many of the sun-loving perennials are adapted to moist ground. One of the finest garden varieties is Eutrochium purpureum ‘Little Red’ with its 4′ tall stature and pretty reddish-purple flowers.

SolidagoGoldenrods (Solidago spp., perennial): Lauded as one of the best bee flowers for late summer and fall, goldenrods become a buzzing mass when they open. In fact, goldenrod honey is a delicacy, known to be darker with a distinctive bite. Excellent garden-worthy goldenrods include the dwarf forms ‘Golden Fleece’ (Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’) and ‘Baby Gold’ (Solidago ‘Baby Gold’).
With just a few of these garden beauties, feeding the bees all summer long is easy.