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Tuesday, January 14, 2020

January 14, 2020


Hi Gardeners

2020 perennial of the year Aralia 'Sun King' in my garden
I am always talking about the weather it seems, weather is important to gardeners. We escaped last weekends predicted nasty ice storm with just some crusty light snow.  Now we have to wait and see what tomorrow and this weekend will bring in winter weather.

This year’s winter weather has been weird to say the least, with its rounds of warm and cold weather.  I am walking around garden beds looking for bulbs and plants that have been heaved from the ground by alternating frosts and thaws. They can be saved if promptly replanted. The weather forecasters are predicting a change in weather patterns next week, with a return to more normal winter weather.  We shall see, I guess.  It’s 40 degrees here today.

Inside I do have things blooming.  My red amaryllis is blooming, and the gerbera daisy has rebounded well from it’s seeming demise and now has a big red flower too. Hibiscus are in bloom and holiday cacti.  A large coleus I brought inside this fall is blooming like crazy, although it’s blooms aren’t that showy.

I have been watching birds at the feeder this week. When we moved to the farm 25 years ago or so there were lots of English sparrows around.  Now you rarely see them.  What seems to have taken their place is the House finch, a sparrow sized bird with raspberry colored heads and streaked breasts. Huge flocks of them monopolize the feeders. Goldfinches also seem to be less abundant than last year, maybe chased off by the house finches.  Are you seeing more house finches at your house?

I’ve continued to look at catalogs for interesting plants and I’m sharing some things below and I am also adding new listings to my garden catalog list on my blog. I’m also writing about the plants chosen as “plants of the year” for 2020 this week. 

The internet has allowed plant sellers to reach wide audiences and new companies pop up all the time.  People seeking plants have never had an easier time finding them.  I encourage you to explore on- line sites and read the catalogs.  Look for places you have never heard of before.  It’s fascinating and helps beat the winter blues.

Garden catalog list link 




Focus on the Gas Plant Dictamnus albus var.purpureus

Gas plant
Photo Select Seed
My grandmother grew this pretty plant.  She told me that on a summer evening you could light the gas that the plant gave off.  That prompted several secretive attempts by my brother and me to light that gas with matches or a lighter, all to no avail.  While this plant, with the common name of gas plant, can in some situations produce a volatile gas, the conditions must be just right to actually light it. 

The methane gas is given off by older dying flowers and the star shaped seed pods on still hot evenings. Some people have been successful in lighting it for a brief burst of harmless flame. Because it is native to Biblical regions it is thought this may be the burning bush of bible stories, which gives it another common name, burning bush. Other common names are dittany and fraxinella.  It is also native to southern Europe and northern Africa.

The gas plant is more than just a novelty though and it deserves more use in American gardens. It has long been considered an old-fashioned cottage garden perennial, but it would also be an excellent plant for butterfly gardens and “natural” landscapes.  It would be a good plant to mix with grasses for contrast and color. No, it’s not a native plant but lends itself well to low maintenance, “wild” landscapes.  It’s not invasive.

The gas plant is a long lived, semi-woody perennial plant. It forms a clump of long strong stems 3’-4’ x 3’ when mature. The leaves are glossy, odd pinnate and light green. They give off a lemony scent when brushed.  Gas plants are attractive even when not in bloom. The plant is slow growing, generally taking three years from seed to bloom. Gas plants have large tap roots.

In summer clusters of pretty and fragrant 5 petaled, star shaped flowers form on the ends of the stems. In Dictamnus albus the flowers are white, in the variety purpureus the flowers are a pale mauve pink with darker purple lines.  It’s the variety most often sold today. The flowers are attractive to butterflies and bees. The flowers can be used as cut flowers.

Gas plant flowers turn into attractive star shaped seed pods, which can be left in the garden for interest or used in dried arrangements.  As mentioned, the flowers and seed pods do give off a gas which under the right circumstances, can be lit for a brief flame.  However, the plants are not a fire hazard.

The sap from plant parts can provoke allergic reactions in some people and may cause a rash if the sap gets on the skin and then is exposed to light.  Wash the skin after exposure to gas plant sap. Plants and flowers are mildly toxic if ingested, but the taste is very bad, and most people and animals would not eat enough to harm themselves. This makes the gas plant unattractive to deer and rabbits, a plus in the garden.

Cultural directions

The gas plant is hardy in planting zones 3-8.  It actually likes cold winters. In the south it will tolerate light shade, but in the north, it should be in full sun. It’s not fussy about soil types, except the planting site must be well drained. It needs regular watering until well established, after which it can tolerate drought well.

Gardeners should start with small plants if they can find them because seed starting can be difficult and germination can take 6 months.  Plant the gas plant where it will not be disturbed again as the plants do not transplant well. They are slow to establish, and it may be a year or more before new plants produce blooms. Because they have a strong tap root gas plants cannot be divided, and care should be taken not to disturb the plants roots.  Mature plants get large so site them carefully when they are first planted as moves are rarely successful.

Gas plants are slow to leaf out in the spring so don’t prune off stems until you are sure they are dead. The only pruning needed is to remove any dead stems in early summer. The plants rarely have disease or insect problems.  Fertilize lightly if at all.  Plants are not invasive in the garden, only rarely appearing from dropped seed and they do not spread by rhizomes.

The gas plant is a low maintenance, long lived perennial plant that deserves much more use in gardens. It has attractive foliage, pretty flowers that bees and butterflies like and deer don’t like it.  What more can you ask of a plant?

Here’s a place you can buy gas plants



2020 Award winning plants

AAS Winners -Every year the All American Selections are awarded by a committee of members who vote on plants with desirable characteristics that have been proven to be great plants by being grown in trial gardens across the country. Some of these plants have been around a few years and others are fairly new. I’m going to list the ones chosen for excellence across the country.  AAS also picks regional winners.

AAS winners will be available in a variety of places including local nurseries.

Echinacea Sombrero® Baja Burgundy 2020 AAS Herbaceous Perennial Winner- this echinacea has bold violet burgundy flowers.  The judges say it has a strong branching habit, abundant blooms and is reliably hardy.  I have a yellow Sombrero variety that I love so I may add this one too.

Nasturtium Tip Top Rose 2020 AAS Flower Winner- this nasturtium has a nice mounded habit and beautiful, unusual rosy pink flowers.  It attracts bees and butterflies and you can eat the flowers too! Annual plant.
 
Nasturtium 'Tip Top Rose'

Rudbeckia x American Gold Rush 2020 AAS Herbaceous Perennial Winner- this is a black-eyed Susan for those with smaller gardens.  The compact rounded plants are loaded with sunny yellow flowers. It’s a hardy perennial and has good resistance to Septoria leaf spot.

Cucumber Green Light F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- this is a mini cuke, full of small, smooth, sweet cukes. Because it’s an all-female strain production is very good and fruits are seedless.

Pumpkin Blue Prince F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- this plant produces 7-9 pound flattened pumpkins with a pretty pastel blue color. Besides being ornamental the pumpkins also taste good, with sweet orange flesh and are great for baking and other culinary uses.  It’s an early and abundant producer.



Watermelon Mambo F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- here’s an early watermelon that will grow even in cool cloudy conditions. The fruits are round, about 11 pounds with a deep green rind and deep red, sweet flesh.  They hold well on the vine too, for a great home garden watermelon.

Tomato Apple Yellow F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- this plant produces abundant yellow, uniquely apple shaped fruits.  The fruits are small but larger than cherry tomatoes. They are non- splitting and judges said they had a balanced sweet and acidic flavor with a hint of citrus.


Tomato Buffalosun F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- this is a hybrid of two heirloom tomatoes with better disease resistance and vigor than the parents. It is a medium sized orange-red tomato with flame like markings. The flesh is marbled and sweet yet firm, with old fashioned tomato flavor.

Tomato Celano F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- this tomato is a bush type but some support is needed.  It has red, oblong grape tomato size fruit in clusters.  Very abundant producer of delicious fruit.

Tomato Chef’s Choice Bicolor F1 2020 AAS Edible-Vegetable Winner- this tomato is a flattened beefsteak type with large fruits.  The fruits are streaked with pink and yellow, as is the flesh inside. Sweet and flavorful as any heirloom, but more disease resistant.

Tomato Crokini F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- you are supposed to pronounce the name as “Rockini”.  It’s a cherry type tomato that’s a very sweet, low acid variety. The plants are compact, yield is good and plants are disease resistant.

Tomato Early Resilience F1 2020 AAS Edible-Vegetable Winner- this one is a variety good for canning and cooking, with deep red, meaty Roma type fruits. It’s resistant to blossom end rot and other tomato diseases and an abundant producer on stocky plants.  It’s a determinant variety, producing most of its fruit at one time.

Tomato Galahad F1 2020 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner- a highly disease resistant tomato that also resists cracking. It has large red, meaty tomatoes and is very productive.



Perennial Plant Association 2020 Winner

This year the perennial plant association has chosen 2020 Aralia cordata 'Sun King' as the perennial of the year.  If you have ever needed a larger dose of foliage color in a shady spot, then Aralia may be for you. This particular variety has a very good golden shade.  I have this aralia in my garden and love it.  It’s also known as Japanese Spikenard.

‘Sun King’ begins spring with bright golden foliage on reddish stems.  Mature plants are about 4 feet x 3 feet.  If the plant gets dappled sun or a few hours of sun it will remain golden all summer, otherwise it becomes chartreuse but still attractive.  It really doesn’t appreciate full sun, however. Its hardy in zones 3-9 but dies to the ground in zone 3-5, coming back quickly in spring.  They do have spikes of white flowers in late summer, but they aren’t grown for the flowers.

See a picture of Sun King in my garden at the top of the blog.

You can buy ‘Sun King’ in many places including Bluestone Perennials



Rose of the year 2020

The floribunda rose ‘Sweet Honey’ otherwise known as 'Kormecaso' was named as the 2020 Rose of the Year.  It has clusters of tea rose shaped blooms in a golden apricot color. It repeat blooms throughout the summer.  There is a light fruity scent to the blooms. Plants have deep green glossy foliage and become about 3 feet x 3 feet in size.

‘Sweet Honey’ is grown on its own roots.  Its hardy and vigorous with good disease resistance. I have noticed this rose is a bit hard to find here in the US and sells out early.

Right now it’s for sale at Heirloom Roses and possibly other places.


Photo Heirloom Roses


Hosta of the year 2020

The American Hosta Growers Association gets together every year to nominate a hosta of the year for the next year.  They want the hosta they choose to be easily grown in most areas of the country, widely available and relatively inexpensive with some outstanding decorative features.

This years chosen hosta is 'Dancing Queen'.  It’s a hosta with golden spring foliage that fades to pale green in deeper shade as summer progresses but maintains good color in light shade or sun. This hosta does pretty well in sunnier locations, especially after the first 2 years.  It’s a large hosta 18 inches by 36 inches.

The leaf edges of Dancing Queen are ruffled and there is heavy veining and some corrugation to the leaves.  Flowers are produced in late summer and are lavender. It is hardy in zones 3-8.

Buy this plant at many locations, including local nurseries and you can find it at :



'Dancing Queen' hosta
Photo Bluestone Perennials

Herb of the year 2020

It’s the International Herb Association that picks the herb of the year and they have chosen a plant family, Rubus spp. this year.  This family includes blackberries and raspberries. These plants are edible as fruits of course but this family also has lots of herbal uses.

You can find many varieties of blackberries and raspberries in nursery catalogs. 


Cruising through the catalogs part 2

Edibles

Parsley Pea- do you like early peas and salad greens?  Then you’ll appreciate this pea. The short vines produce abundant tendrils that look like parsley leaves. These can be clipped off and tossed into salads, where they will taste like new peas instead of parsley. You can let the pods mature on the plant as you harvest the tendrils and get peas too!



Parsley Pea
Photo Swallowtail seeds


Patio Baby Eggplant- here’s a cute compact eggplant that’s excellent for container growing.  It has lots of small, 2-3-inch round purple fruits that are ornamental as well as delicious. Its stems are thorn less and the fruit is mild and non-bitter.  It thrives in all areas of the country too.

Sold by Swallowtail seeds


'Patio Baby' eggplant
Photo by Swallowtail Seeds


Flowers

Everlasting Pea 'Red Pearl'- Lathyrus latifolius – let this rosy red flowered sweet pea relative scramble through grasses or wildflower patches for a pop of color, or train it to climb a fence or trellis.  It’s a perennial in zones 5-9 and blooms all summer.  All parts are poisonous.

Buy it from Select seed


Everlasting Pea


Buddleia ‘Wisteria Lane’

Here’s a new buddleia with deep purple blooms that droop in long clusters and look very much like wisteria blooms. Its compact too, at about 24 inches high, and would look very interesting in a container. It’s a seedless variety for those of you who fear buddleias invasiveness. Hardy in zones 5-9.

You can buy it at Roots and Rhizomes


Buddleai 'Wisteria Lane'
Photo Roots and Rhizomes


Petunia ‘Midnight Gold’- is a stunning petunia you may want to search for this spring or start from seed. It is a double flowered petunia of deep burgundy purple with a gold edge. Vigorous with good branching habit. Great for baskets or containers.

Buy this from Burpees


Petunia 'Midnight Gold'
Photo by Burpee


Houseplants and container tropicals

Banana ‘Truly Tiny’ (Musa hybrid)
If you like banana plants but think they get too tall and wide, you may want to try this one.  It has typical banana leaves, splashed with red markings but the leaves are smaller than most bananas and plants only get 2-4 feet tall.  It’s a plant for the house or outside container in the summer.  In the south where it can be left longer outside it may produce tiny edible bananas. Not hardy except zone 11 and above.



Banana 'Truly Tiny'
Logees


Dancing Bones Cactus (Rhipsalis salicornioides)

Succulents are all the rage, and this is a succulent.  It has odd jointed upright stems that remind one of the way bones look at the joints.  If treated like the holiday cacti and given a cool winter rest with natural day lengths it will bloom.  The blooms are deep yellow and produced at the ends of the stems in early spring.  It’s not hardy, but makes an excellent and unusual houseplant.

Buy this from Logee’s



'Dancing Bones'
Wikipedia


"When the ice of winter holds the house in its rigid grip, when curtains are drawn against that vast frozen waste of landscape, almost like a hibernating hedgehog I relish the security of being withdrawn from all that summer ferment that is long since past.  Then is the time for reappraisal: to spread out, limp and receptive, and let garden thoughts rise to the surface.  They emerge from some deep source of stillness which the very fact of winter has released."
-  Mirabel Osler


Kim Willis
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