The Wild and Wonderful World of Coneflowers,

by Jenny Rash 

With names like 'Now Cheesier', 'Papaya', 'Tangerine Dream', and 'Pow Wow Wild Berry', you can tell that someone is having a lot of fun creating new coneflower varieties for your garden!  Purple (pink) and white are no longer the standard colors for this tough, summer blooming perennial.  Rich shades of yellow, orange, red, and coral are now available in doubles, singles, and -- coming soon -- quills!

If you've never grown coneflower, here are the basics:  Echinacea purpurea is a native perennial that grows in sun to part sun.  Its common name comes from the cone-shaped centers of the flowers.  It tolerates poor soils, heat, and drought.  Deer tend to leave it alone, and butterflies love it.  Gold finches also love to sit on the cones and pull the seeds out . . . very fun to watch!  Coneflowers do self-sow . . . be careful not to weed the babies out!

Tried and true cultivars like 'Magnus', 'Bright Star', and 'White Swan' grow up to 36" tall.  'Magnus' (perennial plant of the year in 1998) and 'Bright Start' are both dark pink.  'White Swan' blooms white with a coppery orange cone.  All are beautiful and deserve a spot in the perennial border, BUT . . .

. . . the wild and wonderful varieties really spice it up!  Look for these:  'Hot Summer' changes from yellow to coral to red and grows to 30" tall.  'Pink Double Delight' is a compact, strong double bloomer which only grows to 24".  'Hot Papaya' is the first orange coneflower, with double blooms growing to 30", and the stems are maroon and contrast beautifully with the flower.  'Meringue' is a compact grower topping out at 15", which has large, double apple green cones surrounded by white petals.  'Fire Bird' blooms fiery red with deep orange cones and grows to 24".  'Now Cheesier' boasts deep, golden yellow blooms which lighten slightly as they age, and it grows to 22".

There is a coneflower out there for every garden.  Get started with your collection with Buy 3, get 1 free, July 22-28 right here at Sneed's! 

 Lawn Care Tips for July

by Mark Alfred 

 The heat of July creates a perfect environment for weeds, insects and cultural diseases. 

Cool season tall fescue grass is on the verge of going dormant, allowing for warm season perennial weeds to take up real estate.  Button weed, Lespedeza and Ground Ivy are the most significant problems now in turf grass.  Hand weeding these troublesome guests can leave a large hole in your lawn and may actually help to propagate new plants.  The use of liquid herbicide must be applied with great caution.  Plants are often more difficult to control in the summer because of slow uptake and metabolism associated with high temperatures.  Consider the temperature at the time of application.  When the temperature exceeds 90 degrees, many herbicide products become volatile, and spraying particularly in a fine mist pattern may result in wind drifting the product into unintended areas.  Round-up sprayed on hot surfaces such as brick walkways may also translocate more than expected.

Fungal diseases love heat as well, and since we have had some hot days earlier than normal, they are very prevalent this year.  They are very difficult to control because they are spread by water splashing on leaves and distributing spores.  Brown patch is the most common in lawns and powdery mildew most common among crape myrtles and dogwoods.  Always consider your watering technique and timing.  Plants that are allowed to have a drying off period between watering schedules are more resilient to the spreading of funguses.

Insects love heat and can cause a great deal of harm in a short period of time.  Spider mites in particular can wipe out an entire plant while you may be out on a week's vacation.  Inspect your landscape weekly for new infestations.

"The Bottom Line" in Landscaping

by Bob Sneed 

The slogan goes . . . "Fall is for planting."  Through the years, the nursery industry has grown and improved, and one of the biggest changes involved the debut of container-grown trees and shrubs.  This growing process has actually eliminated the risk of planting in summer and allows for planting in all seasons, since a container-grown tree or shrub brings a bigger system of roots (or root ball) with it at the time of planting. 

Obviously, some varieties should not be planted in late fall or winter -- crape myrtles, most groundcovers and ornamental grasses, to mention a few.  But bottom line, most planting can be done year-round with proper after-planting maintenance, such as watering.

Water Features and Your Landscape

 by Steve Moore 

Have you ever wanted a fountain or water feature to add to the interest of your landscape?  Do you need help finding a pump or plants?  Maybe you have an existing fountain that needs cleaning.  Sneed's can help you with all of this, beginning with a vision for the type of water feature that will best complement your space, and continuing through the building and maintenance of your project.  Our staff offers more than 25 years of experience in designing and building fountains, ponds and water features of all sizes.

If you are considering a water feature, here are some tips:

1)  Pondless waterfalls/streams should fit the contours of your landscape.  These water features need a natural blending with the proper use of plants and grading.

2)  Place invasive plants in pots in the water.  This will help keep the original design intent and can help your maintenance.

3)  Water flow should have a turnover rate of at least 30 minutes for the total volume of the pond.  Many pond kits have a much higher turnover rate.  The higher the turnover rate, the better to control algae and less use of chemicals to balance the water.

4)  Lighting your pond or water feature will add beauty.  Lights can be used in the water to highlight nearby trees, stones and garden art.  Moving water transfers through the light and "dances" upon the highlighted area.

For a free water feature consultation, call Pam at 320-1101 to schedule an appointment.

Awesome Plants to Grow in Richmond

 by Jenny Rash

In case you missed our July 9th class on awesome plants to grow in Richmond, here is a portion of my list:

• Amsonia hubrichtii (Blue Star)
• Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern)
• Hellebores
• Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed)
• Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
• Baptisia australis (False Indigo)
• Salvia greggii (Autumn Sage)
• Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
• Farfugium tussilaginea (Leopard Plant)
• Penstemons (Beard Tongue)
• Artemesia 'Powis Castle'
• Muhlenbergia cappillaris (Muhly Grass)
• Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)
• Yuccas
• Rose 'The Fairy'
• Callicarpas (Beautyberry)

  Why are they so awesome?  Because all of the above have survived the abuse and neglect of being in my Richmond garden without skipping a beat!  I do sometimes water and weed and care for my plants, but with a 5-year-old and a 10-month-old and a career, it is minimal.  When other plants are languishing and yellowing and looking longingly at me for water, this list is standing tall, blooming like mad, and making babies to share with others.  They are also whispering, "Go on and enjoy the pool on your day off . . . we will be OK!"

Don't miss our next Saturday demonstration . . . on July 23:  Terrariums 101.  There is no fee for the class, but we do ask that you pre-register.  It will be a hands-on demonstration of how to put a terrarium together.  Feel free to bring your own glass container from home or you can buy one here.  We will also have all of the parts and pieces to buy as needed for your project.  Call us at 320-7798 to register!