Sizzling Summer Beauties

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Sizzling Summer Beauties At the Front Entrance Jade Princess Ornamental Millet (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Jade Princess’) – The intense lime green foliage catches your attention in the garden or container. The mounded habit, and brown pollenless flowerheads add to its appeal. This annual is hardy to 32˚ F and grows 36-­‐48” tall x 18-­‐24” wide. Vino Coleus (Solenostemon scutellaroides ‘Vino’) – Tolerates summer sun, heat and humidity. Prefers partial sun and grows 18-­‐30 inches tall by 24 to 28” wide. In the Trial Garden – aisle between 2nd and 3rd beds Annual Vinca (Catharanthus roseus) – This heat and drought tolerant plant will grow in full sun or partial shade. Its growth habit reminds me of impatiens. The Pacifica series vincas have larger flowers, bloom earlier and grow into a uniform mound about 6 to 8 inches tall. Carillo Red Penstemon (Penstemon x mexicali ‘Carillo Red’) – This first year flowering perennial is long flowering as well as heat and drought tolerant. The uniform compact growth and breakthrough colors (red, purple and rose) won it the Fleuroselect Gold Medal. Use it in container, flower and rock gardens. Grows 8 to 10 inches tall x 10 to 12 inches wide. Reported hardy zones 5 to 9. http://www.fleuroselect.com/ornamental-­‐plants/carillo-­‐red Pearl Millet (Pennisetum purpureum ‘Vertigo’) – Described by Ball Horticulture as “Pennisetum on Steroids”, Vertigo creates a dramatic focal point in the garden; sports wide, deep purple leaves, 48” tall x 24-­‐36” wide Fireworks Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Fireworks’) – Narrow foliage in variegated stripes of white, green, burgundy and hot pink. Same soft purple flowers as red fountain grass, great alone in containers or mixed with other flowers and foliage; full to part sun, 3’ tall x 2’ wide Beth’s Blue Star Flower (Isotoma ‘Beth’s Blue’, formerly Laurentia) – The light airy texture of this plant make it a great filler in containers and planting beds. This Australian native does not require deadheading and is heat tolerant. Star flower prefers full sun and grows 14 inches tall x 10 to 15 inches wide, hardy in zones 7a to 10b, grown as an annual elsewhere. Sun Drop Bidens (Bidens ferulifolia ‘Sun Drop’) – Early, large flowering variety with yellow attention grabbing flowers. Bidens are heat & drought tolerant. It’s compact and well branched growing 10-­‐
12” tall x 16-­‐18” wide, annual (perennial 9a-­‐11b) AAS – All-­‐America Selection Winners are tested in 40 plus sites throughout the US and Canada. We are lucky to have one here at Boerner Botanical Gardens. Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower (Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’) – AAS winner in 2013, flowers the first year in a mix of colors – purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, cream and white. Well branched, up to 24” tall and wide, Zone 4 Jade Princess Ornamental Millet (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Jade Princess’) – the most compact of these millets, requires warmer temperatures than the others to perform well. Purple Majesty Millet (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’) – Millet is one of the world’s oldest grains, grown as a food or forage crop in Africa and India since prehistoric times. Purple Majesty was developed at the University of Nebraska where it’s dark purple leaves stood out among the normal green leaved plants in the grain millet-­‐breeding program. This 2003 AAS winner spurred ornamental breeding. Grows 48-­‐60” tall x 14-­‐16” wide Jester Ornamental Millet (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Jester’) – Young leaves are chartreuse with burgundy tones, maturing to mostly burgundy. More compact and later flowering than Purple Majesty or Baron, 36-­‐48” tall x 10-­‐14” wide Purple Baron Ornamental Millet (Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Baron’) – Fuller branching, slightly darker purple foliage than Purple Majesty, the leaves are also shorter and wider, 30-­‐40” tall x 10-­‐14” wide Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) – Sports butterfly-­‐like flowers atop long wiry stems, heat and drought tolerant, good drainage is essential. Works great as vertical accent in containers and filler in the garden. Grows 3-­‐4’ tall x 2-­‐3’ wide, hardy Zones 5-­‐9 (though seldom survives zone 5), this particular cultivar is currently being evaluated. Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa ‘Forest Red’ & ‘Forest Pink’) – Underused annual that is great as cut flower. Maintains flower color when dried. Plants are heat and drought tolerant, compact and prolific bloomer. This is a great time to identify those flowers that fade in the heat of summer. Senorita Rosalita and Senorita Blanca Spider Flower (Cleome ‘Inncleosr’) – Fuller, more compact spider cleomes, good in garden or container, lavender-­‐pink or white flowers with a pale lavender blush, seed-­‐less, long bloomer, heat and humidity tolerant, 24-­‐48” tall x 18-­‐24” Akila White Purple Eye African Daisy (Osteospermum ecklonis ‘Akila White’) – This annual is drought tolerant once established and shows some tolerance to the heat. Selected for its compact well-­‐branched growth habit 10 to 12 inches tall x 16 inches wide. Nemesia (Nemesia caerulea) – Maintain the plants through heat of summer and you’ll be rewarded with flowers as the temperatures cool. Look for more heat tolerant varieties like Bluebird and Innocence with its light fragrance, Grow in full sun, cool night, 12-­‐18” tall x 9-­‐18” wide Summer Snapdragon (Angelonia Angelface Series) – Robust flowers on sturdy stems, uniform growth, 24” tall x 12-­‐14” wide, grow in full sun in the garden or container, heat, humidity and drought tolerant Sweet Black Cherry Dianthus (Dianthus barbatus ‘Sweet Black Cherry’) – Dramatic, almost black blooms atop frost and heat tolerant plants, 18-­‐24” tall x 10-­‐12” wide American Garden Award – vote for your favorite annual flower now through the end of August. Some of the world’s most prestigious breeders are showing off a few of their best at seventeen highly respected public gardens. Stop by a Boerner Botanical Gardens or another participating public garden and text or mail in your vote. Or visit the www.americangardenaward.org website to see photos of the entries, find out more about each plant and to cast your vote. This years competitors include: SunPatiens® Compact Electric Orange (Impatiens x) – A cross between New Guinea and wild impatiens for a truly sun tolerant, compact series (18 to 24”), they flourished in the full sun, heat and shade, the vibrant color is a standout in containers or gardens ZaharaTM Cherry Zinnia (Zinnia marylandica) – Fast growing, long blooming annual that has good disease resistance and is drought tolerant, 12-­‐18” tall Surfinia® Summer Double Pink Petunia (Petunia hybrida) – Heat and rain tolerant. the new flowers mask the view of the fading blooms, full to part sun, 10-­‐24” mound Lanai® Candy Cane Verbena (Verbena hybrida) – Unique red and white flower pattern inspired this variety’s name, excellent resistance to heat and powdery mildew, compact under 10” tall Check out the Earth Kind Rose and Hydrangea trials on the northeast corner of the Trial Gardens. These plants are being evaluated for outstanding performance, superior pest resistance and tolerance of a wide variety of soils from acid to alkaline and sand to clay. To earn the Earth-­‐kind designation, they also need good heat and drought tolerance once established. Boerner is one of the northern test sites. Rain Garden Purple Candles Astilbe (Astilbe chinensis ‘Purpurkerze’) – Purple Candles is a tall upright cultivar that sports 42” stems of dark purplish-­‐red flowers that bloom in early summer, the mat forming plant spreads by rhizomes making it suitable as a groundcover in part to full shade, 24-­‐36” tall by 18-­‐
24” wide, hardy Zones 4-­‐8 Canna growing in water (Canna x generalis) – Yes you can… full sun, 1-­‐5’ tall x 1-­‐2’ wide; dig up after frost, clean, cure for a few hours, pack in peat and store at 45-­‐50 degrees Ruby Star Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Rubinstern’) – Flowers June through August with 4” blooms in carmine red to purple atop 2-­‐3’ plants, full sun to part shade, hardy to Zones 3-­‐8 Fireland Yarrow (Achillea ‘Feuerland’) – Spreading, mat forming 30-­‐36” tall plants, bright red flowers fade to apricot, full sun, heat and drought tolerant, Zones 3-­‐8 Japanese Beetles – These voracious pests eat and mate in broad daylight and feed on the leaves and flowers of over 300 different types of plants and the roots of turf grass. Visit my website and look for Melinda’s Garden Moment video: Garden Pests – Managing Japanese Beetles Alleman's Compact Dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Allemans') – check out the leaf spot -­‐ Compact dogwood up to 5 feet tall; prefers rich, moist soil and full sun to part shade. Red stems, white flowers in late spring, whitish fruit the birds love, and good fall color. Prune old stems to ground to renew and maintain stem color, and use spade to trim roots and contain spread. Hardy zones 3 to 8 Little DevilTM Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Donna May’) – Compact ninebark growing to 4’ tall x 3’ wide, burgundy foliage is smaller than that of Diablo, hardy Zones 2-­‐7 Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) – Native perennial found in meadows, river bottomlands, and along waterways. Freely self seeds and spreads by rhizome, 2-­‐6’ tall x 12-­‐30” wide, Zones 3-­‐8 Rock Garden – a great place for a hot summer day. Enjoy the walk through the summer blooming bugbanes as we head to the west walk through the shrub mall. Cool Splash Diervilla (Diervilla sessilifolia 'LPDC Podaras') – The variegated leaves brighten shady locations in the garden and the fragrant yellow flowers appear in summer attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. This shade tolerant shrub also thrives in full sun and prefers moist well-­‐drained soil. It is heat and somewhat drought tolerant once established and hardy throughout zones 4 to 8. Wolf Eyes Japanese Dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Wolf Eyes’) – This slow growing dogwood has white flowers in spring and pink to red fall color. It prefers partial shade and grows best in moist well-­‐
drained soils. Grows up to 10 feet tall and wide and is hardy in zones 5 to 8 Look Toward the East Border… Coreopsis verticillata backed by Blue Spruce Herb Garden – Display Bed Nice combination with bold texture of dwarf banana and color echoing. Note deer damage on Swiss chard. Rabbits make clean 45 degree angle cut while deer leave a curled strip of tissue at the end of the stem. Dwarf Banana (Musa acuminata ‘Rojo’) – An ornamental banana hardy in zones 7 to 10 and grows 6 to 10 feet tall. Northern gardeners need to overwinter as a houseplant or allow the top to dieback and save the rhizome in a cool dark location like canna. Red Vinca – See above notes on annual vinca. Red Stemmed Swiss Chard (Betula vulgaris subsp. cicla) – Colorful Swiss chard is good in the vegetable garden, as a vertical accent in a container or mixed with flowers. Leafy vegetables are more shade tolerant than those grown for fruits and flowers. Harvest the outer leaves when 8 to 10 inches tall for a continuous large harvest. Production may slow down or plants may need to be replaced in extreme heat. Vegetable Garden -­‐ Note how attractive Vegetables can be when design principles and regular harvesting are applied. Attractive fencing protects the vegetables from hungry animals while maintaining an attractive appearance. Make sure the fence is tight to the ground and gate fortified to keep rabbits from gaining access. Cabbage provides bold texture to in-­‐ground or container vegetable gardens. Harvest the head when it reaches full size but leave the plant in tact. You’ll soon have 4 or 5 more heads of cabbage. Use colorful lettuce to brighten any garden or container. Look for heat tolerant varieties like Red Sails for summer plantings. Harvest the outer leaves when 4 to 6 inches tall. The plants will continue to produce new leaves. In hot weather plants will (bolt). Though not tasty the goldfinches will enjoy the lettuce seeds that form. Grow determinate tomatoes for shorter plants with a more compressed harvest. Give indeterminate tomatoes extra support. These will continue to grow until frost kills the plants or you pinch out the growing tips. Interplant lettuce, radishes, beets and other short season crops in between long season crops like tomatoes and cabbage. You’ll double your yield and improve the view. And try succession planting. Replant rows once harvested with a crop that will reach maturity and be ready to harvest before the first fall frost. Good late additions include cucumbers, onion sets, lettuce, spinach, greens, beets and more. Just check the back of the seed packet or plant tag for the number of days to harvest. Visit my website and look for Melinda’s Garden Moment Video: Maximizing Your Garden Harvest For more information on these and other plants, visit the Ask Melinda database at melindamyers.com Sponsored by:
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