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Natural Life in the Garden: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

 

Depending on where you live, December is probably a slow time in the garden.  The stalks and other debris left over from the gardening season just past may still haunt the landscape like horticultural ghosts.  The sustainable gardener living inside your head knows that at least some of that debris will serve the habitat needs of the local birds and small animals.  The guilty gardener  dwelling in the same head space will probably anticipate the headache that will happen when spring clean-up time rolls around.

Looking Both Ways

No matter which of those forces speaks the loudest, December is a time to look backwards and forwards in the garden.  The catalogs that proclaim the arrival of next season’s delights have already started arriving.  Many of us will be too busy to pay attention in the frantic run-up to winter holidays, setting those wish books aside for dark January evenings and weekends.  In the meantime, we make our houses look more like gardens, hanging seasonal greens, filling spaces with festive plants like paperwhites, poinsettias and amaryllis, and working to keep the houseplants alive until daylight begins its yearly return.

In the Rearview Mirror

Though time is precious right now, it is helpful to think about what worked and did not work in the natural life of your garden.  Whether that “garden” is an array of potted plants on a terrace, an acre of garden beds, or an indoor houseplant display, it is probably home to notable successes and a few notable failures.  I like to start with the successes, like the asters that bloomed last fall in such profusion that they looked like an Impressionist painting, or the flowering quince that produced twenty fragrant fruits despite  the fact that it is supposed to be purely ornamental.

I celebrate the happy accidents and surprises too, delighting in the rose bush that appeared to come back from near-deadness, and the miniature iris that has multiplied so much that I have had divisions to give to a friend who admired the plant.  (Any development that inspires gifts to gardening friends counts as a garden success.)

Weathering Success

Think of the times during the past year when weather worked to advantage.  In my yard, a long wet spring may have made for a depressed gardener, but it was great for the water-loving hydrangeas.  The absence of a late cold snap also meant that those well-hydrated plants did not lose any buds to freezing temperatures.

The wet spring, followed by a relatively early summer made for abundant tasty blueberries.  I enjoyed   a few of them and the birds feasted on the rest while I was away for the Fourth of July weekend.

Living with the Wildlife

Some of us, reflecting on the past season, think about the intrusion of deer, groundhogs, aphids, Japanese beetles and other animal and insect pests.  But if we are counting up our successes, we should also reflect on the abundance of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.  If even one hummingbird sipped nectar from your butterfly bushes or potted lantanas, you can celebrate a small garden miracle.

Sustainable Landscape

You can check the mental “garden successes’ box if you did something to make your garden more sustainable.  Laying organic mulch, limiting or eliminating the use of pesticides and herbicides, planting pollinator-friendly species, or finding ways to reuse or recycle plastic pots are all small steps towards the bigger goal of making our gardens and, by extension, our world, healthier.

Turning Defeats Into Victories

The only value in failure is learning from it and doing better in the future.  Last summer, some of my friends’ tomatoes were affected by blossom end rot, a common problem caused by insufficient calcium in the soil or growing medium.  If something like this happened in  your garden last season, you can lament the loss of produce, but plan for better results next summer by adding calcium to the soil and watering consistently.

If disease is a problem among your ornamentals and food plants, do not waste time lamenting your “black thumb”.  Go online or seek out an experienced gardener and find out what you can do going forward.  If  the disease affecting your plants was contagious and invariably fatal, like rose rosette disease, remove the affected specimens without guilt and replant with species that are unaffected by the ailment.

Sins of Omission

Most of us find ourselves guilty of sins of omission, like not weeding, watering or tidying enough, or buying plants or bulbs and not getting them in the ground in timely fashion.  If you are indulging in this kind of guilt and recrimination, spare yourselves and anyone else who has to listen to you.  Think realistically about your garden and the time it takes to keep it productive and attractive.  If you really don’t have enough time, maybe you should rethink your plant choices, and opt for flowering shrubs instead of annuals and perennials.  Enlist help if you can get it, or, rethink your notions of “neatness”.  You don’t have to cultivate a jungle, but you can relax a bit about getting every leaf or weed out of the beds.  If a plant is just not working, or takes too much work, give it away or compost it.  There is always a remedy, especially if your garden “failure” has taken root in your head, as well as in your beds.

And remember that unless you are a professional gardener, you are working for yourself, not anyone else.  If your garden makes you happy, it is a success—now and in the future.

 

 

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Holiday Decor by Nature

Halloween has passed, Daylight Savings time has bowed out, and the spring-blooming bulbs have been planted (maybe). It’s time to think about holiday decorations, no matter what holidays you celebrate.

Gray and Damp Meets Vibrant and Creative

Depending on where you live, winter may be snowy, or simply gray and damp.  I think those conditions make brightening up interior spaces extremely necessary for mental health.  Everyone should adorn their living spaces according to their aesthetic, cultural and/or religious beliefs.  Budgetary parameters are a given for most of us, but creativity is free.  Natural decorations, foraged from your garden, the grocery store, or the edge of the roadside can beautify the house and without breaking the bank.  After all, most of us also have to think about buying holiday gifts.

Ever Popular Evergreens

If you have access to evergreen boughs or sprigs, your holiday decorating is off to a flying start.

Think about holly, magnolia and euonymus varieties.  All have decorative leaves that can be used in indoor and outdoor arrangements, affixed to wreaths or formed into swags, mantelpiece garlands or stairway roping.  Berries, like those on many varieties of holly, are a definite plus.

Some varieties of holly and euonymus, as well as “false holly” or Osmanthus heterophylla, may boast variegated leaves, which make a nice contrast with green-leafed varieties.

Pine, fir or spruce branches are lovely as well.  If don’t have access to trimmings from those conifers on your own property, it’s possible that neighbors and friends may have an abundance.  It never hurts to ask, but always make sure to do so before pruning someone else’s tree or shrub.

Cones and Nuts

Squirrels and chipmunks are not the only creatures that profit from collecting fallen acorns, pinecones and chestnuts.  They are everywhere at this time of the year and generally free for the taking.  Every year decorators and florists use these nuts and cones in creative, high-end arrangements and you can too.  Hot glue them to store-bought or homemade twig wreaths.  For a dose of opulence, cover your finds with gold or silver spray paint.  Let the gilded cones or acorns dry and pile them up in a basket adored with a big bow.  Nothing could be simpler or more festive.

Garden Finds

Suppose for a moment that you haven’t had a chance to do much garden clean-up.  You are in luck, because perennial beds and borders can yield some great decorative “finds”, and almost all are thoroughly dried and ready to be used.  The faded flowerheads of sedums like ‘Autumn Joy’ and perennial yarrows make great decorative accents.  Dried rosebuds, left on the bushes after hard frosts can do the same job.  Likewise with rose hips.  Some crabapple varieties bear bright fruits that persist on the trees.  Harvesting a few boughs will add to the festive array in a window box or planter.

Roses of Sharon, when not cut back after flowering, produce interesting seedheads, which can be used as is, spray painted, or covered in glitter.  By harvesting them, you have also you’re your bit to curb at least a little of the plant’s flagrant self-seeding tendencies.  Poppy pods, large and small are longtime favorites with florists, decorators and craftspeople.  In fact, just about any desiccated plant material that does not disintegrate when harvested can play a starring or supporting role in holiday decorating.

If you have forgotten to cut and dry hydrangea flowerheads last summer, all is not lost.  Yes, they have probably traded their summer colors for shades of buff and tan, but they too will come in handy for decorating.  Spray paint them to match your holiday color scheme.

Invasive Virtues

If you have an invasive vine, like Asian bittersweet, honeysuckle or wisteria in your garden, or invading your space from a neighbor’s less-than-pristine back forty, harvest lengths of the vine, strip off any remaining leaves, and wind the pliable vines into a kissing ball, in the same way that you would roll up a ball of yarns.  Secure with florist’s wire and decorate with some of those pinecones, acorns and fancy ribbons. One caveat—be sure of your vines’ identities.  Do not try any of the above with something that you suspect might be poison ivy.

Pet owners and those with small children—either your own or the offspring of visiting friends and relatives–should make sure that any decorations with potentially toxic or swallowable components are well out of reach

Deck the Halls

So deck your halls with boughs of gardenalia.  If inspiration falters, check out shelter magazines and online resources.  You may not be able to muster quite the opulence of the spreads that you see in holiday decorating features, but you can still let loose your inner stylist.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Perennials for Bumblebees

 

Who doesn’t love bumblebees (other than the occasional apiophobe)? These colorful, fuzzy, aerodynamically challenged hymenopterans charm and delight us as they bumble from bloom to bloom.

 

They also provide first-rate pollination services. In most situations, bumblebees are far more efficient pollinators than those exotic interlopers, honeybees. Some plant species practically require bumblebees to get the pollination job done – otherwise they bear fewer fruits, or none at all. A classic example are members of the nightshade family (the Solanaceae), including tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, and numerous other prized edibles. Locked deep in their anthers, their pollen requires a good shaking to be released. As it so happens, bumblebees are masters of a technique that does just that – buzz pollination. Consequently, bumblers are an essential resource for anyone trying to produce a solanaceous crop. Watch and listen as bumblebees visit your tomato plants, and you’ll see and hear what the buzz is about. Also undergoing buzz pollination are members of the heath family (Ericaceae), including blueberries, rhododendrons, and mountain laurels.

Even plants that don’t require buzz pollination reproduce more successfully when bumblebees are part of the pollination mix. For example, the fertility of the eastern and central U.S. native tall bellflower (Campanula americana) drops significantly when bumblebees aren’t present. Bumblers’ large, fuzzy bodies provide lots of carrying capacity, ideal for delivering generous payloads of sticky pollen from one flower to the next.

 

Bumblebees are thus not merely a joy to behold. They’re also vital to the health of local native plant communities. These are both excellent reasons to invite them into your garden – particularly given that many of the 40-plus North American bumblebee species are dwindling in the wild.

 

Many garden-worthy wildflowers in addition to those discussed above are big bumblebee faves.

 

Goldenrods (Solidago spp., aka Oligoneuron)

Europeans have long valued these glorious, mainly North American perennials, but goldenrods still get short shrift in American gardens. Wherever they occur, they’re a staple of bumblebees’ late-summer diet, as well as one of the main nectar sources for southbound monarch butterflies. Some spread invasively underground, but many form well-behaved clumps surmounted by showy flower clusters, typically of the tribe’s signature gold hue. And no, they don’t cause hay fever. Among the best for the garden are stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida), showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), and Ohio goldenrod (Solidago ohiensis), which all top out at more than 3 feet tall. For something different, try one of the atypical white-flowered species such as silverrod (Solidago bicolor). Silverrod also distinguishes itself by doing well in shade, unlike most other goldenrods (bluestem goldenrod – Solidago caesia – and zigzag goldenrod – S. flexicaulis – are two other notable shade-lovers).

Beardtongues (Penstemon spp.)

Blooming in late spring and early summer, eastern- and central-U.S. species of this exclusively American genus tend to be white or purplish in flower color. The asymmetrically two-lipped blooms

are irresistible to bumblebees and hummingbirds, whatever the color. Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) features spikes of white flowers on 3-foot stems, as does the showiest of the white-flowered species, prairie beardtongue (Penstemon tubaeflorus). Purple-leaved forms and hybrids of foxglove beardtongue such as ‘Husker Red’ and ‘’Dark Towers’ tend to bloom in shades of lilac. So, too, do hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) and the especially showy Blue Ridge beardtongue (Penstemon smallii), both 24 to 30 inches tall. Western U.S. Penstemon species come in a much wider range of colors, but often fail in Eastern climes.

 

Joe-Pye weeds (Eupatorium ssp., aka Eutrochium)

The large fuzzy flowerheads of these typically imposing perennials are a banquet for the eyes and the bumblebees. Most – including spotted and costal Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum and E. dubium), bear purplish pink flowers at about the same time as goldenrods, above several-foot-tall phalanxes of coarse-leaved stems. Hyssop-leaved Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium hyssopifolium) is a charming oddball, producing white flowers on relatively compact, narrow-leaved clumps.

 

Asters (Aster spp., aka Symphyotrichum)

Dozens of aster species are suitable for the garden, with fragrant aster (Aster oblongifolius), showy aster (Aster spectabilis), and New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) numbering among the best and most widely available of the larger species (3-feet-tall or more). Numerous lower-growing species also make excellent garden subjects. Fine-textured, needle-like leaves are a feature of several of them, such as dwarf forms of heath aster (Aster ericoides) and calico aster (Aster lateriflorus). Both are useful groundcovers for hot sunny sites. Short’s aster (Aster shortii), bigleaf aster (Aster macrophyllus), and heartleaf aster (Aster cordifolius) are among the best of the bunch for shade. Incidentally, the genus gives its name to the composite family (Asteraceae), which encompasses many other bumblebee-friendly tribes including blazing-stars (Liatris spp.), ironweeds (Vernonia spp.) and the aforementioned Joe-Pye weeds and goldenrods.

 

Lobelias (Lobelia spp.)

All the above genera comprise mostly sun-loving plants. Lobelias are among the best native perennials for shade. Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is the signature species. Its midsummer 3-foot flower spikes attract not only bumblebees, but also hummingbirds, which can’t resist anything in bright red. White- and pink-flowered forms of cardinal flower are sometimes grown, but they lack the brilliant pizzaz of the original. This continent-wide North American native requires a moist soil to do its best. Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) blooms at about the same size and season, but in blue. More adaptable than cardinal flower, it does well in most soils in full or part sun. A beguiling white form is widely available, as is a rare and outstanding dwarf selection, ‘Mistassinica’. Hybrids between cardinal flower and great blue lobelia – which go by the botanical name Lobelia × gerardii or vedrariensis – are well worth seeking out, usually flowering in shades of violet. Other garden-worth lobelia species include downy lobelia (L. puberula) and pale-spiked lobelia (L. spicata).

 

Turtleheads (Chelone spp.)

Also made for shade are these moisture-loving central and eastern U.S. natives, whose whimsical flowers do indeed resemble turtle noggins. White turtlehead (Chelone glabra) is the most widespread, occurring in damp wooded locales from the Canadian Maritimes to Saskatchewan to Arkansas. In moist fertile soil it can reach 4 feet or more, spreading underground to form large colonies. Bumblebees go to comical lengths to gain access to the white midsummer flowers, dangling upside down and performing other acrobatics in their efforts to enter the blooms and harvest their nectar and pollen. Hummingbirds are also big turtlehead fans. Chelone obliqua and Chelone lyonii offer midsummer turtleheads of a different color, flowering in shades of rosy-pink on tall, spreading plants.

 

About Russell Stafford

Hortiholic and plant evangelist, Russell Stafford, transplanted his first perennial at age 7 and thereby began a lifelong plant addiction. He is the founder and custodian of Odyssey Bulbs (and Odyssey Perennials), an online nursery specializing in cool and uncommon plants. Russell also works as a horticultural consultant, freelance writer (Horticulture and The American Gardener magazines), and garden editor. He formerly served as Curator and Head of Horticulture at Fernwood Botanic Garden in Niles, Michigan and as the Horticultural Program Coordinator at the Center for Plant Conservation, then located at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. His academic degrees include a masters in forest science from Harvard University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peach Flowers

Every year the color specialists at Pantone select a “color of the year”. For 2024 the color is “Peach Fuzz”, a soft yellow/orange shade that conjures images of ripe fruit and summer sunsets.  The “fuzz” part adds homey, comforting associations.

In the garden peach is a good companion, harmonizing with shades of white, blue, green and even certain pinks. Even though the Pantone “Peach Fuzz” is a defined hue, peach flowers and foliage can run the gamut from pale tones to shades that are close to coral. Peachy blooms are popular with florists and frequently makes trips up the aisle in brides’ hands

Spring into Peach

Peach starts the garden year with a bang.  Some of the “pink-cupped” daffodils, like the heirloom variety ‘Mrs. Backhouse,’ actually bloom in peach tones (depending on soil and light conditions).  Real peach thrills sprout with the tulips, like the much loved Triumph tulip ‘Apricot Beauty’ that boasts large blooms and tall stems.  Later in spring, the peachy drama amps up with varieties like the late spring flowering ‘Stunning Apricot’, which blooms in a slightly more saturated shade.  Fragrance lovers can revel in ‘Gypsy Queen’, a hyacinth that has been transmitting peachy garden vibes since its introduction in 1927. If you have the space, invest in a flowering quince bush like the ‘Peach’ variety that is part of the Double Click® quince series. Mature quinces cover themselves in blooms, delighting bees and humans.

Summer Daisies

Early summer is daisy time, and the daisy clan is full of choice peaches.  The annual cosmos ‘Apricotta’ has an almost ombre quality, with peach petals shading to pink.  Many coneflowers (Echinacea) bloom in peachy hues, but the appropriately named ‘Apricot’, a single-flowered variety that is part of the Fresco™ series, with gray-green foliage and non-fading color.

The tickseed or coreopsis range has expanded almost exponentially of late, and includes the threadleaf variety, ‘Crème Caramel’, which is not really caramel-colored, but peachy-pink.

In the shade garden the double impatiens ‘Ole Peach’ lightens things up with pert little blooms that work at border edges, containers and window boxes.

Daisies, including the peachy ones, thrive on sunshine, consistent moisture and a good soil amendment like Fafard® Premium Natural and Organic Compost.

Peachy Leaves and Shady Business

In shady situations, peach tones can come in the form of tall foxgloves like Digitalis ‘Dalmatian Peach’.  The plants are generally biennial, but if you let them, they self-seed regularly.  For spots that are both damp and somewhat shady, feather astilbes, like ‘Peach Blossom’ fill the bill.

For foliage color that spans the seasons and stands out in the shade, try shade-tolerant varieties of perennial coral bells (Heuchera) like compact ‘Peach Flambe’ and ‘Peachberry Ice’.  Both bear dainty spring flowers on tall, slender stems, but the leaves, which are opulently ruffled, are the real attraction. Heucheras also have neat mounding habits making them good team players in the garden.

Climbing to the Sky

Sometimes space it at a premium and climbing plants are a great answer.  ‘Giant Peach Sunrise’ mandevilla, part of the Sun Parasol® series climbs between six and 10 feet in full sun or very light shade.  It is frost tender, but makes a splash during the growing season.  Black-eyed Susan vines (Thunbergia), are easy-to-grow annual climbers that also paint walls and supports in peachy colors.

 

What About Roses?

The universe of peach-tinted roses seems to grow every year.  David Austin’s ‘The Lark Ascending’ is medium peach with a loosely cupped flower form, while his ‘Roald Dahl’ is a more intense shade.  ‘Oh Happy Days’™ is a soft, eye-catching hybrid tea, and ‘Peach Profusion’ offers pointed buds and a multitude of blooms on a floribunda shrub.  If landscape or groundcover roses are more your style, you can count on ‘Peach Drift’® roses that grow only about two feet tall and 1.5 feet wide.  The Knock Out® rose family has taken the garden world by storm, and includes ‘Peachy Knock Out’® among its members.

 

Fall Fancies

Dahlias, once thought to be old hat, are now riding a wave of popularity, with peach-flowered varieties available in a range of flower forms and levels of color intensity.  Daisy-like ‘Apple Blossom’ is on the yellow end of the peach spectrum, while the pom pom-type, ‘Amber Queen’ offers a more saturated color that is closer to orange.  Low-growing ‘Easy Duzzit’ is a collarette variety, with peach shadings.  It is perfect for smaller scale displays in containers.

Perennial garden chrysanthemums, long among gardeners’ favorites are distinct from the “hardy” varieties that are widely available in stores in fall.  Once planted, the garden types return and flourish for years.  Some of the peachiest varieties include daisy-flowered ‘Mary Stoker’, which opens in yellow tones, but ages to peach.  ‘Chiffon’ is a cushion mum with petals that shade from pale at the tips to rosy peach at the centers of the flowers.  It truly shines in a sunny fall border and helps close out the gardening season on a cheerful note.

The season for fresh peach fruit is short, but in the garden, the peach season provides a ready supply of delectable treats throughout the growing year.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey

Mouse Ear Hostas

 

 

Hostas are the salvation of many a shade garden.  With leaves ranging from pale green to darkest blue-green, and a host of shapes, sizes, variegated options and bloom times, they are relatively undemanding workhorses.  Many are also prolific, with dividable clumps that make it easy and inexpensive for average gardeners to increase supplies over time.

No Space for Giants

But not everyone has space for a variety like the enormous ‘Empress Wu’, which grows nearly four feet tall and almost six feet wide.  Even a more moderately-sized variety, like the old favorite, ‘Royal Standard’, at 26 inches tall and 18 inches wide, may be too big for small space and container arrays.  Those situations call for small varieties—either miniatures, which grow up to six inches tall, or small cultivars that grow up to 10 inches in height.  One of the best-known is   ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, which grows only six to 12 inches tall, with a spread of eight to 12 inches.

Mice in the Garden

While some small hostas have the word “mouse” in their varietal names (usually indicating descent from ‘Blue Mouse Ears’), many more fit that variety’s miniscule dimensions.  Gardeners sometimes refer to all the small cultivars as “mouse ear” hostas.

When attached to real mice, “mouse ears” are tiny.  The typical leaf on a mouse ear hosta is a little larger, ranging from slightly bigger than a thumbnail to the size of a potato chip.

Plant breeders, ever conscious of market trends, including the trend for small-space landscapes, have gone to work and produced lots of small varieties that mimic the qualities of larger specimens, while adding a unique charm of their own.

Singing the Blues

Hostas with blue-green leaves add contrast to shady spots.  An offspring of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, little ‘Thumb Bluelina’ is only five inches tall with a spread of about 17 inches.  ‘Thumb Bluelina’s’ leaves are medium blue-green, and about the size of a thumbnail.  The plants would work especially well massed at the front of a shady border, or providing a splash of blue in a rock garden.

Golden Green

Finding light in small, dark spaces can be hard, but mouse ear hostas can romp to the rescue.  ‘Sun Mouse’, which boasts ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ in its genetic heritage, features golden green leaves that are longer than they are wide, and ripple at the edges.  The plant is a mighty mite at six inches tall and about 18 inches wide.  Like many hostas, it bears lavender blooms in summer.  ‘Golden Needles’ sports an unusual color pattern, with green-gold leaves flecked over the entire leaf surface with darker green.  ‘Yellow Saphire’, grows even lower, rising only one inch, with a spread of eight inches and pointed, leaves that are more yellow than green.  Its low stature makes it useful as a small-space groundcover.

Twice as Nice

Variegated leaves—where the green base color is edged, striped or splotched with a contrasting shade, can sparkle in the shade garden or container array.  ‘School Mouse’, another ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ offspring, came to market by way of a series of complicated breeding maneuvers.  Rising to eight inches tall, with a 12 inch spread, the plants shine with green foliage (sometimes with blue overtones), edged in yellow green.  Even smaller, at only five inches tall, little ‘Mini Skirt’, also shines with slightly wavy yellow leaf margins.  ‘Twice as Mice’ has the mounding habit of many larger hostas, but only tops out at five inches tall and 18 inches wide.  Its blue-green leaves come complete with feathery cream edges.

Shapely Foliage

Hosta collectors treasure specimens with interesting leaf shapes and configurations.  If you have an urge for the small and unusual, try ‘Golden Fantasma’, at only three inches tall and 12 inches wide.  Its abundant golden leaves are narrow and pointed at the ends, like small swords. ‘Wizard of Ahhs’ features similar golden-green swords that are darker green on the undersides. ‘Crazy Mouse’ is a little larger at 8 inches tall and nearly two feet wide.  Its rounded leaves are more blue than green and tightly clustered together, making the plant look almost flower-like.

Easy on the Gardener

Mouse ear hostas, like their larger relations, are among the easiest plants to grow.  All thrive in shade, but some will tolerate fair amounts of sun.  Start mouse ears off with well-drained soil, amended with a nutrient-rich mixture like Fafard Garden Manure Blend.  Water regularly until the plant is well-established. If your small hostas are growing in containers, they will need relatively more water than specimens planted in-ground.  If you live in a cold winter climate, store containerized hostas in protected locations.

Clumps of happy hostas—large or small—will grow in size, making division the best option for increasing supplies.  It is easiest to divide hostas in spring, when the young shoots are just emerging.  Dig up the entire rooted clump, and then use a sharp spade or garden knife to divide the clump into several pieces, making sure that each one has a section of roots attached.  Replant the new divisions or donate them to lucky friends, who will almost certainly welcome your gift of healthy “mice”.

 

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Border Carnations

 

Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus and hybrids), with their ragged, “pinked” edges, lovely colors, and long vase life, are staples of the cut flower trade.  They also have a lengthy and celebrated history in gardens, going in and out of fashion many times over the centuries.  The plants are having a renaissance right now, as flower lovers have come to appreciate their tried and true virtues.

About Dianthus

Carnations make lovely garden flowers, especially in early summer.

The dianthus family is large, with over 300 species, and contains carnations of all sizes, not to mention sweet Williams and the short-statured plants known in this country as “pinks”.  In Europe, especially in Great Britain, the term “pinks” is used more generally to include just about all dianthus.  Given the amount of interbreeding among species over the years, this may be the best informal way to categorize the whole group.

The flowers that you buy in bunches at the local florist or supermarket are generally referred to as “florists’ carnations”.  They are specific varieties grown under greenhouse or controlled field conditions and sold in bulk to the floral trade.  Cultivars that grow outdoors in home gardens are categorized as “border” or “garden” carnations.  Between the two categories, the world of beautiful carnations is wide.

Garden Carnations

Carnations are available in lots of cheerful colors and most are fragrant.

Border or garden carnations are generally short-lived perennials, hardy in USDA Zones 6 through 10.  The stems can grow as tall as 3 feet, though many varieties, especially those developed in the last few decades, are considerably shorter.  The stems are erect but tend to arch.  Depending on height, some garden types may need staking or other means of corralling.  The blue-green to gray-green leaves are long, narrow and attractive in their own right.

The singular look of the flowers is a combination of the distinctive ragged or ruffled edges, and the opulent, semi-double or double petal array of each flower.  Most bear a characteristic spicy scent reminiscent of cloves, sometimes with other sweet fragrance notes mixed in.  Available colors range from purest white to near-black, with bi-colored or even tri-colored varieties available from specialty merchants.  While there are no true blue carnations (unless you put a cut stem in a container of water mixed with blue dye), the color and pattern ranges are still impressive.

Modern Garden Carnations

The ‘I Heart You’ Carnations has bright pink blooms that age to near-white.

Modern large-flowered garden carnations are the result of hybridization of several different species.  English author and gardener Vita Sackville West wrote admiringly about the Chabaud carnations, developed by a French hybridizer in the eighteen seventies.  Some Chabaud types, like the pink-flowered ‘La France’ and ‘Benigna’, with white petals laced with red, are still in commerce today.  Another antique variety, ‘Mrs. Sinkins’, combines shorter stature—about 12 inches tall—with big white flowers.

Modern varieties tend to be more compact than some older ones and come in an array of arresting colors and color combinations.  As with many commercial hybrid plants, they are often marketed in named series protected by trademarks.  Each series shares common features, like short stature and unusual coloration. Selecta One’s 2020 Dianthus introduction, ‘I♥U’ is a singular beauty with a compact habit and fluffy flowers that are rose-pink when they first open and age to near white.  Scent First™ ‘Tickled Pink’ bears bright cerise flowers on 10-inch stems. ‘Horatio’, a hybrid splashed with dark red and white, grows to 12 inches.  Little Sunflor™ ‘Amber’, at six to eight inches, is shorter still, with bright yellow petals.  Flow® ‘Grace Bay’ is creamy yellow with narrow red edges, and dimensions similar to those of ‘Amber’.  Super Trouper™ ‘Orange’ may be closer to peach than tangerine, but its unusual coloration stands out.

Growing Carnations

Carnations are some of the best cut flowers you can grow if you choose long-stemmed varieties.

Like other members of the dianthus family, carnations are relatively easy to grow if you give them full sun and well-drained soil on the alkaline side of the pH spectrum.  If you have acid soil, it may be best to install your carnations in medium to large containers or add lime to your garden soil according to package directions.  Gardeners with heavy clay can amend the soil with organic material like Fafard® Premium Natural and Organic Compost.

Humans may love carnations, but garden varmints, like rabbits and deer, generally do not.  If you have cats who roam the garden and are prone to sampling plants, take care, as the flowers can be irritating to feline mouths and stomachs.

At different times and places, carnations have been known by evocative names like “sops-in-wine,” “gillyflowers” and clove pinks.  Whatever you call them, they add both beauty and drama to the summer landscape.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline “garden supervisors” live in northern New Jersey.

Sustainable Gifts for Gardeners

 

The holiday season is the best and worst of times for gardeners’ friends and relatives.  The list of potential gifts is large, but choosing presents that the gardener actually wants or needs can be daunting.  One way to get a handle on the situation is to think about sustainability.  Most people who dig in the dirt—whether that “dirt” is garden beds, window boxes or indoor containers—are looking for sustainability.  Gardening is about working with the environment, not against it, so sustainable gifts are a good choice all the way around.

Small Surprises

Some people call these neat little gifts “stocking stuffers”, but even if you have no stockings, they are thoughtful remembrances.  Garden twine comes in handy in so many situations that it is practically indispensable.  Classicists have long turned to Nutscene Green Twist, which is made of biodegradable jute in a green shade that blends with leaves and stems, but any twine made of jute or hemp will come in handy.  Another small delight is lip balm, preferably made from beeswax.  There is nothing like it when you are putting in those last bulbs on cold, dark, December afternoons.  If you know your friend’s or relation’s preferences in hand lotion, a small jar or tube of that will take care of chapped hands as well.

Protecting the Protector

If you have a rough idea of the gardener’s hand size, a good, sturdy pair of cotton gloves can come in handy.  Likewise with warm socks in natural fabrics.  If you are privy to the individual’s likes, dislikes, and existing closet contents, a raffia or cotton garden hat or visor, may be a good investment.  Look for a generous brim and adjustable size.  Some hats are also foldable or packable, making them an especially good gift.

Tools

Good tools are like gold, and some people are picky about them. It pays to know what tools your friend or relative already has in the garden basket.  A garden knife, sometimes known as a Japanese hori knife, functions as a knife, trowel, and weeder all in one.  For sustainability, invest in a knife with a wooden handle, stainless steel blade and a convenient leather sheath that can attach to a belt.

One of the most indispensable weapons in my garden arsenal is an old-fashioned digging fork, which is smaller than a pitchfork, and about the same size as the average garden spade.  A sturdy wood and stainless fork does a multitude of heavy tasks, including mulching, soil loosening, and turning compost, and generally lasts for years.  If you are planting bulbs in a congested garden area, a fork will get the earth loosened with minimal disruption to neighboring plants or older bulbs that you may have forgotten about.  For new gardeners, a matching fork and spade set, is an exceptionally thoughtful gift.

Building Better Soil

Organic compost is wonderful for adding nutrients to soil, lightening heavy clay, or helping sandy soils retain moisture.  Plants love it.  Many vendors sell small, ceramic countertop units that will hold kitchen scraps until they can be deposited in an outdoor compost pile or composter. These are especially good for people in cold weather climates who may want to skip a trip to the compost pile when the snow is piled high.

A big bag of organic mulch may not make much of an impression under a Christmas tree, but a compact brick of coir-based potting mix, seed starting mix or compost makes a neater package that can be conveniently stored until it is needed.  All the gardener has to do is add water, and the brick’s contents expand into a usable medium.  Gardeners who do indoor seed-starting may appreciate a pack or two of coir seed-starting disks, a sustainable replacement for peat-based disks.

Hard to Buy For Gardeners

Suppose your gardening friend or relative already has an ample supply of tools, hats and soil amendments?  What then?  Most horticulture-minded people have a favorite nursery or garden center.  An online gift card is thoughtful and sustainable and allows your loved one to choose something suitable.  A subscription to the online edition of a gardening magazine (or the print edition for those who prefer it), provides a year’s worth of inspiration, usually at a relatively low price.  Membership in non-profits like the American Horticultural Society, Great Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society, or the Southern Garden History Society provide all kinds of benefits, in addition to publications, conferences and, sometimes, discounts at botanical institutions.

Classic garden books are another sure winner.  The internet is full of features on how to plant and design gardens.  Good garden literature delves into the “why” of doing so.  Classic works by authors like Russell Page, Beth Chatto, Christopher Lloyd or Henry Mitchell never go out of style.  Page Dickey has written about aging—and making gardens—gracefully.  Stephen Orr’s The New American Herbal is a must for herb lovers, gardeners and cooks.

For something really personal, try giving your time to help with heavy, but necessary garden chores like spreading mulch, digging a new bed, or bringing large container plants inside for the winter.  You will be investing in both gardens and friendship.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants, a healthy stand of Hollyhocks, as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline Saki. “garden supervisor” live in northern New Jersey.

Native Shrubs for Hummingsbirds

 

Every hummingbird garden could use a native shrub or two (or more!). Here are seven of the best hummingbird-pollinated shrubs from central and eastern North America.

 

New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)

How the Garden State was credited with this wide-ranging U.S. native is anyone’s guess. In any case, New Jersey should be flattered. Give Ceanothus americanus a sunny site and well-drained soil, and it will give you a knockout display of fragrant conical white flower clusters from late spring into summer. At around 3 feet tall and wide, it is a great fit for mixed borders, entry plantings, and of course wildflower gardens. Western U.S. gardeners can choose from Ceanothus native to their region, including the wealth of species and hybrids known collectively as California lilacs. One of the great joys of Pacific Coast gardening, their flowers open over a long season and come in several colors including white, blue, and pink.

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Occurring in wetlands over much of the North American continent, buttonbush does just fine in any moisture-retentive garden soil – although it may need occasional watering during prolonged droughts. If your soil is on the sandy side, amend it with Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost. Where happy, buttonbush produces numerous fuzzy spheres of white flowers in early summer on rounded 6- to 10-foot plants. If that is too big, you can give plants a severe pruning in early spring (plants will flower on the resulting new stems), or use a compact selection such as ‘Sugar Shack’. When not in flower, buttonbush features large, handsome, glossy rich-green leaves, which turn muted yellow and pink shades in fall.

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

Another moisture-loving shrub, summersweet forms thicketing clumps of upright 4- to 6-foot stems that terminate in bottlebrush columns of small white or pink flowers in summer. The flowers carry a pleasant, somewhat root-beer-like fragrance. Also of ornamental interest are the shiny, oval, mid-green leaves, which turn a butter-yellow in fall. Found in damp semi-shaded habitats across its Nova Scotia to Texas natural range, summersweet will also do fine in full sun if the soil is consistently moist. Red spider mites and other pests and diseases can be a problem in overly dry sites. Available varieties include deep pink flowered ‘Ruby Spice’, and 3-foot-tall, white-flowered ‘Sixteen Candles’.

Southeastern gardeners have another outstanding native Clethra for the garden, cinnamon bark pepperbush (Clethra auminata). Its steepled white summer blooms occur on 10- to 15-foot plants with attractive peeling cinnamon-brown bark. This large shrub or small tree is hardy as far north as USDA Zone 6.

Bush honeysuckle (Diervilla spp.)

If you are looking for native shrubs for dryish shade, you will want to consider these handsome suckering cliff dwellers from wooded uplands of eastern and central North America. Close relatives of honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), they bear yellow funnel-shaped flowers in summer on arching, 2- to 4-foot-tall stems. Diervilla lonicera is native to the northeastern and north-central U.S. and northward into Canada, whereas Diervilla sessilifolia and the much rarer Diervilla rivularis have a more southerly range. All bush honeysuckles have sunset-toned fall foliage, with some selections and hybrids such as ‘Copper’ producing brightly hued new leaves.

Chokecherry  (Prunus virginiana)

A cherry species that is as American as cherry pie, this small tree is found in all of the lower 48 states, as well as in most of lower Canada. Tolerant of heat, bitter cold, drought, salt spray, and other environmental stresses, it makes an ideal street tree for most soil types. Among the best and undoubtedly the most widely planted varieties is ‘Canada Red’, with leaves that open green but mature to maroon in early summer. The white flowers spring flowers and purple summer fruit are ornamentally inconsequential.

Fragrant azaleas (Rhododendron spp.)

All members of the rhododendron tribe attract hummers, but among the best for native gardens are two spicy-flowered species – roseshell azalea (Rhododendron prinophyllum) and swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum). The funnel-shaped blooms of these two eastern and central North American natives carry a far-reaching clove-like scent, which may not attract hummingbirds but certainly draws in humans. Roseshell azalea produces pink flowers in mid-spring, weeks before the white blooms of swamp azalea (with some swamp azaleas such as ‘Pink and Sweet’ producing pink flowers). They do best with moist to average soil and a bit of shade.

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Who doesn’t love our most familiar eastern and central North American species of blueberry? Hummingbirds are certainly in on the love, paying nectar-sipping visits to the white urn-shaped spring flowers of this large shrub. Of course, among the results of these pollinating forays are the tasty blue early-summer fruits. Other Vaccinium species also attract hummers, including the widely cultivated Southeast native rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum), and the Pacific Coast native California huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum).

 

 

 

About Russell Stafford

Hortiholic and plant evangelist, Russell Stafford, transplanted his first perennial at age 7 and thereby began a lifelong plant addiction. He is the founder and custodian of Odyssey Bulbs (and Odyssey Perennials), an online nursery specializing in cool and uncommon plants. Russell also works as a horticultural consultant, freelance writer (Horticulture and The American Gardener magazines), and garden editor. He formerly served as Curator and Head of Horticulture at Fernwood Botanic Garden in Niles, Michigan and as the Horticultural Program Coordinator at the Center for Plant Conservation, then located at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. His academic degrees include a masters in forest science from Harvard University.

The Ins & Outs of Holiday Cactus

What is the difference between a Thanksgiving cactus and a Christmas cactus?  Inquiring, plant-loving minds want to know.  Also, are those seasonal bloomers the same as Easter cacti?  Do they all require the same care and culture?  Confusion seems to abound in the world of flowering holiday cacti.  Lots of people have them, but not everyone knows the answers to those pertinent questions.

Holiday Cactus Basics

Let’s start with the obvious.  All holiday cacti are houseplants with segmented, succulent leaves, arching stems, and, in certain seasons, brightly colored flowers at the ends of the stems. They owe their popularity to the fact that they are relatively undemanding plants that can live for years under the right conditions. Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti have the added benefit of producing bright flowers during the dark months.

Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti, sometimes billed as “zygocactus”, are both members of the genus Schlumbergera, named for Frederick Schlumberger, a nineteenth century botanist.  Thanksgiving cactus is a species (Schlumbergera truncata), while Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) is a hybrid, with the truncata species in its ancestry.  Some of the most popular holiday cacti, including the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi), are hybrids, which may further complicate identification.

Giving Thanks for Bright Blooms

Thanksgiving cacti hail from tropical Brazilian rainforests where the species grows epiphytically on trees.  The Thanksgiving plants are distinct from other holiday cacti by the fact that their flat, segmented leaves, which end in points, making them appear a bit clawlike.  This trait gave rise to one of the species’ nicknames, “crab cactus”. Another distinguishing feature is the pollen, which is yellow. Container-grown specimens grow from one to two feet tall and can spread up to two feet.  Most selections sold in stores at holiday time are somewhat smaller, but a happy plant will bulk up as the years go by.

Thanksgiving cactus generally bloom in November or December, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, with flowers in shades of white, pink, peach, orange or yellow.

Christmas Cactus

Like Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus bears segmented stems, but instead of the “claws” at the ends of the segments, the edges are more rounded—with a slight teardrop-shape.  Christmas cactus also features pink pollen, borne by the stamens within the flowers, which are traditionally reddish-purple.  The plants are roughly the same size and configuration as Thanksgiving cactus, but bloom a bit later, usually from the end of December, through January.  The species name, buckleyi, comes from a nineteenth century English hybridizer, William Buckley.

Hybrids Gone Wild

Plant breeders always latch onto good things, and that is especially true with hybrid Schlumbergeras, which are often simply labeled “holiday cactus”.  Their work has extended the color range, increased flower size and shape, and created hardier plants.  A good example is ‘Aspen’, with broad, white, frilly petals accented by pink rings in the flowers’ throats.  ‘Chiba Spot’ is ‘Aspen’s opposite, with extremely slender petals in orange-red.  ‘Limelight Dancer’ blooms in an unusual color–pale yellow with green overtones—and sports contrasting pinkish pistils.  The amount of variety in the Schlumbergera world seems to increase each year.

And What About Easter Cactus?

Easter cactus, while related to the holiday cacti is not a Schlumbergera, but a Rhipsalidopsis, specifically Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri.  It is a little less popular and a little more finicky than either Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus, being quite sensitive to both over and under-watering.  The flattened leaf segments are the same, but are somewhat scalloped.  The flowers are brilliant red, but with shorter tubes than those of the holiday cactus.

Cactus Care

All three holiday cacti like excellent drainage—ideally orchid mix or potting mix lightened with organic matter, like Fafard® Premium Natural and Organic Compost, and perlite.  Indoors the plants thrive best with bright, indirect light.  To stimulate blooming, night temperatures should be between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  Water sparingly when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch,  Easter cacti like higher humidity, either through regular misting, a room humidifier or a position atop a tray filled with pebbles and water.

Holiday cacti appreciate an outdoor summer vacation in a lightly shaded spot, as long as that spot doesn’t get swamped in rainstorms.  Bring the plants in when night temperatures start to drop below 55 degrees Fahrenheit and days begin to shorten.  After the outdoor vacation, Thanksgiving cacti will frequently start to show color on the stem tips, a prelude to bud formation and blooming.  Christmas cactus will not be far behind.

With good care, the plants will survive and rebloom for years to come.

About Elisabeth Ginsburg

Born into a gardening family, Elisabeth Ginsburg grew her first plants, a healthy stand of Hollyhocks, as a young child. Her hands-on experiences range from container gardening on a Missouri balcony to mixed borders in the New Jersey suburbs and vacation gardening in Central New York State. She has studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and elsewhere and has also written about gardens, landscape history and ecology for years in traditional and online publications including The New York Times Sunday “Cuttings” column, the Times Regional Weeklies, Horticulture, Garden Design, Flower & Garden, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. Her “Gardener’s Apprentice” weekly column appears in papers belonging to the Worrall chain of suburban northern and central New Jersey weekly newspapers and online at http://www.gardenersapprentice.com. She and her feline Saki. “garden supervisor” live in northern New Jersey.

Cool Summer Blues by Russell Stafford

Midsummer is a hot time in the perennial garden. This is true not only of the weather, but also of the flowers that hold sway at this season. Rudbeckias (featured here last month), sunflowers, coreopsis, heleniums, goldenrods, bee balms, and numerous other large perennials with hot-colored flowers reach their peak from July into September, saturating the garden with their dazzling hues.

Blue-flowered perennials that bloom in summer make a refreshing, cooling contrast to these dominating fiery hues. Their relative rarity has led to near-overuse of several of them including English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), hybrid sage (Salvia x sylvestris), spiked speedwell (Veronica spp.), and Persian catmint (Nepeta racemosa). The ranks of blue-flowered perennials include quite a few other excellent choices, however.

 

Spark’s and Bicolor monkshoods (Aconitum ‘Spark’s Variety’; Aconitum ‘Bicolor’)

Literally a midsummer standout in full to part sun and rich moist coolish soil, ‘Spark’s Variety’ sends up stately branching clusters of deep violet-blue, helmet-shaped flowers in July and August. The 4- to 5-foot stems sometimes need staking. The variety ‘Bicolor’ owes its name to its two-tone violet-blue and white flowers, borne on 40-inch stems at about the same time as those of ‘Spark’s Variety’.  As with all monkshoods, they do best in areas with relatively moderate summers in USDA Hardiness zones 3 to 9, and suffer in hot humid conditions. Handle monkshood roots and other parts with caution: they contain potent toxins that make them a potential risk, especially in proximity to children, pets, or edible plants.

African lily (Agapanthus spp.)

Some cultivars of these southern African natives are remarkably hardy, wintering in USDA Zone 6 (or even 5) under a thick coarse mulch (such as oak leaves). Among the hardiest are the selections ‘Galaxy Blue’ and ‘Blue Yonder’, which bear rounded clusters of blue trumpet-shaped flowers from early- to mid-summer on upright 3-foot stems. Other hardy cultivars include white-flowered ‘Galaxy White’, as well as a group of blue- and white-flowered variants that go under the collective name ‘Headbourne Hybrids’. The clumps of strap-shaped basal leaves are also ornamental. Hardy species have deciduous foliage, whereas most cold-tender Agapanthus are evergreen, qualifying them as four-season houseplants (or garden subjects, where suitable). Deciduous varieties can be dug and stored bare-root over winter.

Anise hyssop (Agastache spp.)

The eastern U.S. native Agastache foeniculum provides a summer-long display of lavender-blue spikes atop 3- to 4-foot stems. Pollinators of all sorts swarm the flowers.

Its anise-scented and-flavored leaves contribute to the edible garden as well, making a spicy addition to salads and stir-fries. An enthusiastic self-sower, anise hyssop will happily seed itself about the garden, if allowed. Hybrids between anise hyssop and its East Asian relative Agastache rugosa tend to be sterile (no seedlings) and relatively compact; these include ‘Blue Fortune’, ‘Black Adder’, and ‘Blue Boa’. They’re also a bit less hardy than Agastache foeniculum, to USDA Zone 5 rather than 3. All agastaches do best in sunny, well-drained garden niches.

Calamint (Calamintha nepeta)

Hazy swarms of small pale blue or white flowers hover above low mounded clumps from early summer until frost. The headily mint-scented leaves of this sun-loving perennial flavor many traditional dishes in Italy, where the plant is known as nepitella or mentuccia. Calamint also makes for an excellent mojito. It’s ideal for massing in perennial plantings, or for dressing up vegetable and herb gardens. Plants are hardy from zones 4 to 10.

Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumaginoides)

Few ground covers are as colorful as plumbago. Scatterings of deep sky-blue, rounded flowers spangle its spreading, foot-tall stems beginning in summer. Bloom continues into fall, as the foliage turns showy wine-red hues. Happiest in sunny, well-drained sites in hardiness zones 5 to 10, plumbago also accepts a modicum of shade. Shear plants back in late fall or early spring.

Tube-flowered clematis (Clematis heracleifolia)

A total departure from the large-flowered, vining hybrids by which many gardeners know clematis, this large shrubby perennial produces clusters of fragrant, tubular blue blooms in mid- to late summer.  The 3- to 4-foot stems sprawl rather than climb, typically requiring staking. Selections and hybrids of the subspecies davidiana (including the cultivar ‘Wyevale’) are distinguished by their showy, wide-flaring flowers that appear a bit earlier in the season than those of the straight species. Sun to partial shade, good well-drained soil, and relatively mild zone 3 to 9 summers suit all forms of the species best. Plants will be especially happy if you give them a spring mulching of Fafard® Premium Natural & Organic Compost.

Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

Also oxymoronically known as blue cardinal flower, this central and eastern North American native is a close cousin and compatriot of the incandescently red-flowered Lobelia cardinalis. It’s a more adaptable and long-lived garden plant than its scarlet relative, however. Give it a moist to dryish, sunny to partly shaded location and just about any type of soil and it will bring forth its 3-foot candelabra spires of mid-blue flowers in July and August. When not in bloom, it retreats to a low rosette of gently toothed, tongue-shaped leaves. After a year or two, you’re likely to have several more such rosettes and spires, thanks to self-sowing.

Russian sage (Perovskia spp.)

The aromatic grayish-green foliage and slender spires of violet-blue flowers of this shrubby perennial give it something of the feel of an oversized lavender. The individual leaves are broader and more toothed than those of lavender, however, and the flowers come somewhat later in the season, from July to October. Perovskia atriplicifolia – the prototypical Russian sage – ascends (to more than 4 feet tall, but numerous more compact hybrids and varieties are available. These include ‘Blue Spritzer’, which flowers prolifically on 30-inch stems with oval, untoothed leaves; ‘Little Lace’, with relatively deep-hued blooms and finely divided leaves on 32-inch plants; and ‘Denim ’n Lace’, an especially showy 32-inch-tall selection that features deeply toothed leaves and 24-inch spikes of relatively dark-hued purple flowers. Russian sage thrives in sun and lean soil. Plants should be cut back to a few inches from the ground in spring, before leaf-break.

Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)

Inflated flower buds that do indeed resemble miniature balloons open to cupped 5-pointed flowers in early summer. Typically purple-blue, they also come in white, pink, or a variegated mix of these colors. The buds of a few varieties such as ‘Komachi’ do not open, remaining as balloons. Flowering occurs atop clustered upright 30-inch stalks that arise from tuber-like roots relatively late in spring. Dwarf varieties such as 10-inch-tall ‘Apoyama’ are also available. Balloon flowers make good subjects for well-drained, sunny to partly shaded niches in zones 3 to 10.

Downy skullcap (Scutellaria incana)

This native of dry woodlands and other challenging habitats in the central and eastern U.S. is undoubtedly one of the best and most overlooked blue-flowered perennials for sunny to partly shaded sites in those regions and beyond (zones 3 to 9). Branching clusters of tubular, two-lipped, mid-blue flowers ornament the garden for many weeks starting in early summer, attracting bumblebees and hummingbirds. They occur on erect, 3-foot-tall plants, with self-sowing often occurring.

 

 

 

About Russell Stafford

Hortiholic and plant evangelist, Russell Stafford, transplanted his first perennial at age 7 and thereby began a lifelong plant addiction. He is the founder and custodian of Odyssey Bulbs (and Odyssey Perennials), an online nursery specializing in cool and uncommon plants. Russell also works as a horticultural consultant, freelance writer (Horticulture and The American Gardener magazines), and garden editor. He formerly served as Curator and Head of Horticulture at Fernwood Botanic Garden in Niles, Michigan and as the Horticultural Program Coordinator at the Center for Plant Conservation, then located at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. His academic degrees include a masters in forest science from Harvard University.