The Fabulous Five for Reliability

     This month is when many of the perennials in our gardens strut their stuff, so to speak. If you don't already grow this type of plant you may wonder whether all perennials are created equal when it comes to surviving the tough, "double whammy" of heat and humidity in Tidewater. Here I'll discuss five survivors for a sunny location. It's not too late to plant them, either, as long as you help get them established.

     Salvias as a group are some of my favorite garden plants. Available in reds, purples, blues and creamy-white, all these plants ask for is a lot of sun and good drainage, especially during the winter months. We have several types planted in our display gardens, and the bees and hummingbirds enjoy them for several months right along with us. Salvias are one of the best plants for attracting bees to your garden, by the way. From the stately dark purple hummingbird favorite S. guaranitica to the shrubbier habits of the microphylla and gregii selections, there's a long-blooming variety for your garden.

     Sedums are succulents that can take full sun and dry soils once established. The recent introduction S.rupestre 'Angelina' is a favorite of every plant nerd here. We use this lime-colored, needle- foliaged low grower when we design container combinations for store displays, and we have it planted around the edge of several display garden beds. Les uses it to great effect with black mondo grass at his house. It's a knockout with any blue or purple flowers, and I think 'Homestead Purple' verbena looks especially nice with it. The taller sedum varieties like 'Autumn Joy', 'Matrona' (grayish-maroon foliage) and 'Neon' are all useful as mid to back of the border plants, and their flower heads are even attractive during the winter months with planted with ornamental grasses.

     Phlox paniculatas, often called tall garden phlox, are fragrant and irresistible to butterflies. If you garden near black walnut trees, you'll appreciate the fact that this plant is unfazed by the chemical juglone produced by these shade trees. Pure white 'David' is often featured in catalogues, and the longer you garden the more you realize that plain white goes with everything! I also like the dark purple 'Nicky', 'Orange Perfection' and violet-blue 'Blue Paradise' cultivars. Plant them in full sun with good air circulation, and keep the overhead watering to a minimum. Keep them dead-headed and they will bloom for a long time.      

     Rudbeckias are also long-blooming perennials for Tidewater. Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' (often called Black-eyed- Susan) was the Perennial Plant of the Year for 1999, and is the one most often seen in catalogues. It's described as "a free flowering single golden daisy" and it gets 24-36" tall. We also carry R. subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers', a native that gets 48"-60" tall and has unusual quilled petals. There are many more varieties available online. Any rudbeckias look great with ornamental grasses, and birds love to eat the seeds.

     As a member of the Tidewater Daylily Society I always recommend these dependable perennials for gardeners with a lot of sun. Daylilies are drought tolerant once established however they increase faster and bloom better when given a consistent supply of water over the summer months. If you remove the old flowers every few days the energy of the plant isn't wasted setting seed. Some employee favorites are 'Primal Scream', 'China Bride', 'Strutters Ball' and 'Orange Velvet'. Visit us for the Flower Festival and you'll find lots of blooming clumps in the display beds, and I'm sure you'll find a few plants to test in your own garden.

Ann Weber

Perfume Your Garden with Gardenias

     Have you ever had a dear friend who you couldn't imagine being without, but who is a real pain in the butt sometimes?  This is how I feel about Gardenias.  They can be one of the most troublesome plants to grow, but when the white blooms open in late spring you realize they are worth any and every effort.  The fragrance of a Gardenia blossom is very sweet and very strong, and one lone bloom floating in a bowl of water will perfume the whole house.  A shrub in full bloom will perfume your whole yard, and you may find your neighbors thanking you.  I guess the closest fragrance that comes to my mind is that of pure vanilla extract, but it is much more than that.  Gardenias smell like... well Gardenias.

     Though there are several different species of Gardenia, the one grown most often here is Gardenia jasminoides, and while it is often considered an old southern favorite, it is actually native to the warmer areas of China, Japan and Taiwan.  This preference for warmer climates can sometimes make getting the normally evergreen Gardenia to make it through the winter.  They are listed as being hardy from zone 7 to 10, but I would caution to keep it in the warmer parts of zone 7.  They do tend to do better if planted in a protected area where they will be sheltered from the worst of the winter winds.  As far as sunlight goes (they are recommended for full sun to partial shade) my experience has been that they are fairly flexible with light conditions, with bright but filtered light being the best.  Gardenias also like soil that is high in organic matter, so make sure you add compost or manure at planting time.  They also prefer acidic soil, which is mostly what we have here, and they do suffer in alkaline soils.  Gardenias also tend to be heavy feeders, and I recommend a regular application of an organic fertilizer formulated for acid loving plants.  Of all the things they need, the absolute most critical is good drainage.  A Gardenia in heavy, wet, or mucky soils is a Gardenia that will soon be dead.

     Here at the garden center we sell several cultivars of Gardenia, with 'August Beauty' being the most popular.  This variety gets about 4-6' tall and wide and for a Gardenia has a vigorous constitution.  When people come in looking for the old-fashioned Gardenia with big double flowers, this is what we show them.  'Kleim's Hardy' is a relatively new variety that is one of the more cold tolerant varieties.  Its leaves are slightly smaller, and so are its single flowers, but they are still remarkably fragrant.  This variety maintains a tight dense habit and grows about 3-4' tall and wide.  The shortest variety we sell is 'Radicans', or Dwarf Gardenia.  It too has smaller flowers, and it gets about 1.5-2' tall by 2-3' wide.  I find this to be one of the more tricky varieties to establish.   'First Love' has the biggest flowers and is the largest growing variety we sell.  It gets 5-8' tall by 3-6' wide, and is definitely a zone 8 plant, so it would do better in Norfolk and Virginia Beach than in other areas of Hampton Roads.  We do occasionally carry other varieties, but the above we try to keep in stock throughout the summer.

     Now if only I could find a piece of cake that tasted as good as a Gardenia smells.

Les Parks

Do You Water Correctly?

     As summer quickly descends upon us watering those trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns we have invested time and money in -becomes of paramount concern.  Water is something all plants need to survive but not all plants have the same requirements.  If you have ever purchased a tree or shrub from us you were given a yellow planting and watering guide which has lots of information in it.

For example:   

PUT UP A RAIN GAUGE so you will know how much it rains (1" of rain per week is the magic number). 

SOAK THE ENTIRE ROOT SYSTEM each time you water your plants(s). A deep soaking once or twice a week is much better than a small amount every day.

CONSIDER THE PLANT, THE SOIL, AND THE WEATHER TO DETERMINE HOW OFTEN TO WATER

A general guide on timing is to water thoroughly once a week during the cool months (Nov. - April), twice a week during the warm months (May - Oct.) and three times a week during extremely high temperature periods (over 90 degrees F.) June - Sept. Don't forget that a ½ inch or more rainfall can be counted as one watering. 

The following plants usually need lots of water (and lots of attention the first year): azaleas, hollies, pampas grass, pyracantha, river birch, red maple, flowering pear, Japanese maple, ferns, crape myrtles, dogwoods, rhododendrons, blueberries, hydrangeas, weeping willows, wax myrtle and hybrid poplar. Watering may have to be done twice as often if you have sandy soils.

The following plants would probably be happy with once a week soaking during the entire first year (except more when the temperature is over 90 degrees): white pine, junipers, daphne, spruces and camellias.

MAKE SURE EACH PLANT HAS A BERM around it to catch the water and prevent it from running off. The berm forces the water to soak down around the roots.

DON'T USE ARTESIAN (DEEP WELL) WATER unless you have to. Certain areas of Suffolk, Smithfield, Isle of Wight County and Franklin have deep well (200 ft. or deeper) water that is extremely harmful to plant roots. Azaleas, blueberries, boxwood, pieris, dogwoods, camellias, rhododendrons, leucothoe, Japanese maples, and Otto Luykens laurel are especially sensitive to this water.  If you can, collect rain water to use for the first year, or mix rain water or shallow well or lake water with artesian. It is better to use the artesian water than not to water at all. But don't use it on your newly planted shrubs and trees unless you have to.

IF WATER STANDS, DO NOT PLANT

Putting plants in poorly drained areas will mean sure death for all except those that will grow in swampy areas. Alleviate the poor drainage by grading, dry wells, or planting in raised beds.

     This covers trees, shrubs and most perennials.  However, lawns are a different matter.  Depending on the type of lawn you have (warm or cool season) the watering needs will be specific.  Warm season grass (ie: Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine or Zoysia) require very little water when established.  Perhaps watering only once or twice during a hot and dry summer may be all that is necessary.  Cool season grasses like fescue and fescue blends do not like our hot summers and periods of drought.  These will typically need a deep watering once or twice a week to maintain a healthy condition, but even so, cool season grass will struggle in our summer heat as it really wants to go dormant.

     No matter what type of plant you buy, or what type of lawn you want, make sure you ask one of us if what you have chosen requires any special watering.  It could save you time, money and frustration!

Margie Cooper