summer blooms, balloon flowers

Hope that you all have put some pansies in the ground and have ordered your daffodils to be planted soon. While we are enjoying those wonderful pansy faces, we can still enjoy the remnants of fall color in the garden. Many of the leaves have finished their show and are now spread all over lawns and sidewalks, waiting to be raked. Others are still turning, extending the leaf changing season a little longer. The Japanese Maples, especially the dwarf ones, are like small explosions of color all over the yard. We often think of fall color only in terms of trees and their foliage but fall color can also occur close to the ground. One of my favorites to provide an extra burst of fall color is the balloon flower or Platycodon grandiflorus – which is a mouthful for such a delicate little perennial. This summer bloomer comes in a variety of sizes and colors, from a dwarf which grows only 8 inches tall (‘Misato Purple’) to ones that grow more than two feet tall. Balloon flowers will begin to bloom in early summer and will continue all summer if you keep the spent flowers pinched. The flowers first form a bud which resembles a balloon – reminding me of a small purse; the buds then open up to flowers that look like little stars. Although the most commonly seen color is a blue - purple, balloon flowers also come in pink. There is even a double-flowered one. I have had the tall blue ones, the pink ones, and the dwarf purple; the dwarf purple did best for me. My biggest problem was the creatures who ate the roots – possibly voles (who snacked on everything in my garden). Balloon flowers don’t seem to be troubled by insects or disease and I have had them for about five years lining the front of the border. They do like water during the growing season and will tolerate full sun but like most Southerners prefer some rest from the hot afternoon sun. Balloon flowers take a little longer to break their winter dormancy; if you are one of those folks who forget where you planted something you may want to mark their home in your garden. If you dig up one accidentally, just put it back. It is important to pinch the spent blooms from your balloon flowers to keep them blooming but don’t take the whole stem off. For me deadheading flowers in the garden is a very therapeutic task. It brings me up close and personal with the blooms and appeals to the neat freak in me who rejoices in a tidy garden.

In the fall the leaves of the balloon flowers take on a bright yellow hue (with a touch of orange), adding one last vibrant burst of color to the front of the flowerbed before dying back completely. Photos above show this charmer in summer and fall. Balloon flowers are one of the dearest perennials for the summer garden – they are not hard to find and will bring you much joy next summer (and next fall).

a fothergilla glows in the sunlight

Fall 2008 has been one of the best I can remember for fall color. As a Master Gardener I know that there is a scientific explanation involved in the color change in the leaves. For me, personally, the color change is one of nature’s greatest spectacles. A daily walk around the garden makes me think I am watching a work of art in progress as I see not only a range of colors – different reds, oranges, and yellows—but also variations in the colors themselves. Each day brings a new shade to a particular plant. Riding along the interstate this time of the year becomes a treat as the hillside resembles a painting with the colors of fall blending into each other. A neighborhood tree with vibrant oranges and yellows framed against a bright blue sky is a traffic stopper.  This brilliant fall show (and the knowledge that I will be soon be raking up all those wonderful leaves) makes me wish that the colors will never fade.

One of the plants that consistently provides a vivid show is the fothergilla. I purchased this wonderful deciduous shrub in the spring many, many years ago with no knowledge of the special treat that the fall would bring. In the spring there is a sweet smelling white flower that blooms before the leaves come out. Fothergillas enjoy protection from the afternoon sun in the hottest climate zones and like moist, acid soil; the mature one in my yard is probably about seven or eight feet tall and almost as round. (There is a smaller fothergilla ‘Mount Airy” which grows only to 3 to 5 feet high and around.)

What a treat to look out the window each morning to watch the fothergilla change colors. If you plant one, place it where you can get a front row seat for the fall spectacular!

During the fall we traditionally think of the usual seasonal colors of orange, bronze, and yellow. But let’s expand our horizons and think pink, bright pink to be more specific – the bright pink of the fruit of the American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana).  A gardener friend once described beautyberry fruit as the color of a cheap pink lipstick. Although that seemed to be a rather unkind remark, that description was on target.

Beautyberry is a deciduous woody ornamental shrub that will grow in full sun to part shade; it does require watering as I found out when mine died from not enough water. Other than requiring water during the growing season, beautyberry bushes seem to be fairly undemanding being untroubled by insects or diseases. Reaching about six feet in height and five feet around, it needs ample room in the landscape (as you can see from my photograph of a mature beautyberry). Beautyberry makes a nice plant for a woodland garden but it also makes a great border. (There is a lovely border of beautyberry bushes at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.) As the brightly colored fall berries and the summer blooms (little tiny purple flowers) appear on the current season’s growth, prune in late winter about the time you prune your butterfly bushes. Beautyberry bushes can be pruned like nandina, removing a third of the oldest canes;  the whole thing can even be cut to the ground – which is something I was never brave enough to do. Since much of the beauty from this shrub, however, comes from its arching branches, place it in a spot where you don’t need to take a pruner to keep it in bounds.

As you stroll the garden shop aisles, think pink! Bright pink in the garden provides just the right accent next to the wonderful shades of autumn. As I have said before, try it ‘n you’ll like it. 

(Some information to write this blog was obtained from THE SOUTHERN LIVING GARDEN BOOK)

an orange ginger in full bloom

a yellow ginger

Just a few weeks ago we talked about plants that provide fragrance in the garden–four o’clocks and angels trumpets. Another one to add to your list of must-haves for plants whose flowers have a heavenly scent is the ginger lily (hedychium). This carefree perennial spreads by underground rhizomes and can quickly form a sizable clump; in a few years you will have lots to share or to start a new spot in your landscape. I normally dig and divide in the spring. Make certain to plant them where you will have the opportunity to stop and smell the spike-like flower on a daily basis. Another positive for the ginger lily is that it blooms mid to late summer/early fall giving your garden, which by then may be empty of your summer annuals, a vibrant burst of color. Most of my gingers started blooming a few weeks ago. Ginger flowers grow on top of the long stems; the plants have very large deep green leaves. They prefer well-drained fertile soil and ample water during the summer. There are very large gingers that can grow 8 or more feet tall and dwarf ones which may get just a couple of feet high. Gingers come in all sorts of colors; the hummingbirds love them. Although they can handle full sun if their roots are shaded, gingers much prefer some light shade, especially from the afternoon sun. Gingers are tropicals and north of my zone 7A/8B some will probably not survive the winter. Some gingers are also less hardy in my climate zone. It is best to do a little research on the growing habits of a particular ginger before you add it to your garden. It is possible also to plant them in large pots but they will need additional winter protection if you do. Cut back the long stem at the first frost and mulch the roots well. The following summer the gingers will emerge from the ground, soon again delighting your senses of smell and sight.

A ginger in bloom reminds me of a trip to some far away tropical paradise; if you can’t make the trip in person, a ginger in your garden can still take you there. 

Each month our county Master Gardener program sponsors a noon time program with topics ranging from butterflies to recreational fishing ponds. Recently a local beekeeper spoke to us about his love affair with the world of bees. After listening to him talk (and sampling five different kinds of honey) I agreed with him that bees are absolutely amazing creatures. They live in a well-ordered world where everyone has a job. I am going to share some of the answers to the many questions we asked so that you too can get a peak into the life of a bee. By the way, our speaker has been keeping bees for more than twenty years. He has over 200 hives and, for excitement, he will come to your home and remove an unwanted swarm of bees who may have taken up residence in or about your property. Sometimes it is easy as cutting a limb off a tree and shaking the bees into a box (a hive). Other times, if the bees have made a home in parts of your house, he actually has to dismantle that part of your house (and put it back together).

Bees can be subject to mites so it is the keeper’s responsibilities to keep their environment clean and treat them with medicines to keep them healthy.
Yes, bees in fact do like some flowers more than others. One favorite is the flowers on blueberry bushes.

Our honeybees are similar to the killer bees and yet very different. Actually it is hard to tell them apart physically. Killer bees are smaller than our honeybees, but they are so dangerous because they are very aggressive and especially defensive of their home. So far, however, there are no killer bees in Alabama but they have been found in Florida. Honey bees will chase you a 100 yards whereas killer bees might chase you 10,000 yards. Our speaker told us the literature he has read says if you get chased to run. Do not swat at the bees as your movement will attract them.

The reason why bees may be disappearing is still somewhat of a mystery. There are multiple causes; possibly one reason is colony collapse disorder which is happening on migration routes. The bees are getting stressed and mixed in with other bees exposing them to illness. Of course pesticides can be a big cause–this is a build up, not an instant death. It is hard to find bees to study once they have died, because they often just disappear.

We do not have a native honeybee; they have been brought in by the Europeans.

There are lots of bees besides the honey bees. As a matter of fact there are 20,000 species of bees in the world.

Honey bees are very important to our food chain as they pollinate one/third of what we eat.  Bumble bees actually also do some pollinating (in addition to the honey bees).

There are beekeepers whose primary job is to raise queen bees. But bees themselves are very adept at raising their own queens. The queen bee takes care of the hives. She mates only one time but she can lay a half million eggs during her lifetime. After two to four years the queen bee leaves the hive and will be replaced with another queen bee. If the bees do not like a particular queen, they can also get rid of her. Queens are raised from worker eggs but nurse bees feed that particular egg royal jelly to make that bee into a queen. Royal jelly is a secretion (a white substance) that comes from the bee forehead. There is a chemical in the royal jelly that makes the queen very different from the other bees in growth. If something happens (bad weather, etc.), and she does not mate on the trip out of the hive she will never be able to mate—which will doom her hive. She will start laying eggs a few days later and she will lay mostly fertilized eggs which will make female worker bees; unfertilized eggs will become male drones. The only thing males drones do is mate with the queen. Bees can go through many stages in their lives; they can be nurse bees, guard bees, or housekeeper bees.

Bees normally travel, at the very most, 4 miles from their hive to seek out nectar; however they prefer to travel only about 2 miles and their bee hive is commonly within a mile of their journey. They return home after they gather pollen and nectar, making their trips multiple times during a day. A bee can travel 55,000 miles in its life time. How far they travel ultimately will depend on the distance between the hive and their nectar source. A bee that hatches in the summer may live only three to six weeks as it just works itself to death. A bee hatched in the fall will live until spring. In its lifetime a bee can make only one teaspoon of honey. Although bees may rest at night, they are always active.

A swarm of bees is a scary thing to behold. However our speaker told us that bees can be very docile; however, if they are hungry, that situation can change and they can get mean. The swarm is looking for shelter. A swarm can be a problem if it decides to move into parts of your house that are accessible. At that point the homeowner may need the skills of a professional beekeeper for removal. The level of protective clothing that the beekeeper dons will often depend on the mood of the bees.

Since our speaker has so many hives, he uses a centrifuge to spin the honey out of the combs. This seems to be the only job in beekeeping that is done with a machine–keeping bees is not easy work and involves a lot of manual labor. This fact does not seem to dissuade many folks from keeping bees as either a hobby or a business or both.

During our program we all gained a lot of appreciation for this small winged creature sipping at the flowers and trees in our gardens. No more will I take the bees buzzing in my garden for granted, but I will be grateful for their role in the cycle of life.

Four O’Clocks Sparkling in the Sun

One of the true delights of the garden can often be experienced just about dusk when the fragrance of the flowers that open in the very late afternoon permeates the air. Two flowers with delightful smells that come to mind are the angel’s trumpet (brugmansia) and the four o’clock (mirabilis). Just last night I had the wonderful pleasure of experiencing both. Four o’clocks come in a variety of colors from yellow to red and seem almost to be iridescent in the late afternoon sun. (You can almost guess how they got their name – the flowers open about 4 pm each day.)  They grow about three or four feet high and almost as wide. The beautiful trumpet shaped flowers smell heavenly. Four o’clocks die back with the first frost but they will reappear from the roots in the spring. They don’t seem to be troubled by pests or disease. If they have any drawback, it is the fact they can reseed prolifically from the hard black seeds they form – to the point where they can take over and become a pest themselves. But if you plant them in the right place (a part to full sun spot) where you are not concerned with how many you have, that one little drawback won’t be a problem. A friend gave me my first one years and years ago and I still have its grandchildren coming up in the most unlikely places. I simply pull them up if they appear where I don’t want them and enjoy the heavenly scent and the vibrant flowers where I do want them.

Another perennial with a delicious smell, the angel’s trumpet, begins to put on its show this time of the year.  This woody plant grows best in full sun to light shade (loving a respite from the afternoon summer sun). I have likened it to a 300 pound gorilla as it thrives on water and fertilizer enjoying a dose of water soluble fertilizer every two weeks or so. Although they love water, they must have good drainage and they thrive on rich soil. They will die back with the first frost when they should be heavily mulched. It is very easy to make more angel’s trumpets by simply rooting the stems. Angel’s trumpets can get huge, up to 8 feet or more high depending on which one you have and almost as big around. Their beautiful pendulous blossoms remind us of a horn (a trumpet). They come in an array of colors, with both double and single blooms,  and I can honestly tell you that in full bloom they will stop traffic. Datura is the annual angel’s trumpet and the blooms point up instead of hanging down. Angel’s trumpets will live in a very big pot but will need protection from the winter cold.

Like all plants, this one does have its negative – all parts of it are very poisonous. So if you have small children or puppies who like to taste everything, this is not the plant for you. Admire it in someone else’s garden. 

Enjoy the late summer night air and inhale deeply as the smells of summer can be as tantalizing as its colors.

Recently I appeared on a local TV station as a representative for our Master Gardener group. The interviewer asked me what we should do in the garden now. Just a few days earlier a friend had asked me to speak at her garden club about the same topic. One of my dearest friends, a rosarian, often said she looked forward to the first frost so she could rest and clean her house. But fall is not a time of rest for the garden or the gardener. Halloween decorations on the store shelves are just one indicator that the seasons are about to change. With the slight shift in the morning temperatures we know cooler but shorter days are around the corner. The following are just some of the tasks that can keep us busy in the yard right now. 

1. Transplant perennials and separate or move them (a grand time to make more of your favorites or share with friends)– especially spring blooming ones as well as those going into dormancy (like hosta).

2.  Get a soil test; obtain the test package through your local Extension Office. The results will give you the information on whether and how to amend your garden soil before the next planting season.

3.  November through February is the best time to plant new or to move existing woody ornamentals and trees. Plants can use all their energy to build a root system instead of putting on new growth.

4. November through February when plants are dormant is also the best time to do any major pruning; do not prune now as tender growth may get bitten during the first frost of the season.

5. Fill your garden with colorful early fall flowers, adding either perennials such as Mexican bush sage with its purple flowers or bright colored annuals such as mums. (Mums also are available as perennials.) You might even be able to replace tired summer annuals with fall annuals– there are many beautiful annuals which prefer spring and fall to do their blooming. Lobelia is one of those that comes to mind. Some stores may even have sales on plants at this time of the year.

6.  For container gardens, discard plants and store any container that does not winter over, washing and disinfecting it before you put it away. Compost only healthy plants.

7. Take cuttings of any annuals or perennials that you might want to save. If you can’t use them, share with friends. Collect seeds. My neighbor and gardening buddy had a collection of small jars and she visited my garden daily this time of the year to collect the seeds from bloomed out annuals.

8. Prepare tropicals that you want to save (but that can’t remain outside for the winter), for storage in the house, in a greenhouse, or a garage. Tropicals that are hardy in your area will need to be mulched well once we have had the first frost.

9.  Prepare your houseplants for re-entry; check to see if they need repotting; give them a good bath, and spray with an appropriate insecticide if necessary.

10.  Clean and sharpen your tools and provide some protection to them with a light spray of oil to the metal parts and a wipe of boiled linseed oil to the handles if unpainted.

11. Transplant any perennials from pots to the garden.

12. Harvest herbs either by drying or freezing; cut the rest down and compost; herbs do not thrive inside because lighting is usually not enough for them.

13.  Clean and keep bird feeder and hummingbird feeders full; also plan a bird bath as birds need access to water in the winter months.

14. Clean out your garden shed discarding in a safe and responsible manner chemicals that are no longer good. Certain natural chemicals degrade faster than others. If you are unsure how to dispose of a chemical call your local Extension Office or call the company; most usually have a toll-free number on the label.

15.  Cut back any diseased perennials but do not put them in your compost heap. Many like to leave the cone flower seed heads as the little birds like to snack there.

16.  Plant now to add winter color interest and texture to your garden. It is not too late to order daffodil and other spring flowering bulbs.

17. When leaves drop and annuals drift away, you have an excellent opportunity to study the bones of your garden in preparation for any changes you might like to make.

18. Make a compost pile. Add discarded healthy plants and all the leaves you are soon going to be raking.

19.  Rake and shred all those wonderful leaves which should start falling in just a matter of weeks. I mow mine with the lawnmower. One of my favorite fall activities is picking up pine straw off the street that others have thrown away.

20. Fall can be very dry; continue to water shrubs and trees, especially newly planted ones.

21. Enjoy the change of seasons; we are very lucky in Alabama to have four seasons to garden and to live where the temperature cooperates, allowing us to be outside just about all year. For those of you who wanted to rest, fall may not be the best time to do it.

(The hints that I give in this blog are appropriate to zone 7B-8A. For more specific information on your zone, please consult your local Extension Office.)

Blackberry Lily in Bloom

Blackberry Lily Seeds

The blackberry lily (Belamcanda) is a wonderful perennial for the garden both for its bloom and its seed pods.  Related to the iris, this plant seems just about bullet-proof – just be sure to give it some space as it likes to reproduce. However, it does so in a well-behaved way via rhizomes which do not spread quickly. Like just about everything else that we plant, blackberry lilies like good drainage; plant in part to full sun and water them during their growing season. The flowers appear in summer; each flower lasts for only one day but, as more continue to open, the garden will have blackberry lily blooms for weeks. When the blooms fade they are eventually replaced by seed pods which look just like blackberries when they split open. The seed bearing stems make great additions to flower arrangements, but I love the look in the flower beds. In my garden the seed pods have just started to appear within the last week or so, although the flowers bloomed weeks and weeks ago. Blackberry lilies look best planted in clumps or used as a border plant.

With their yellowish orange faces spotted with small red blotches, blackberry lilies make a cheerful addition to the garden. If you find someone who has them growing, ask them to share!