Focus on Flowers

Red Hot Pokers belong to the genus Kniphofia (Kniphofia uvaria) and are also known as tritoma or torch lilies. 

Some dwarf varieties are 'mango popsicle', 'pineapple popsicle', and 'red hot popsicle'. They are orange, yellow, and red with grassy foliage. 

They spread by rhizomes and can become invasive. 

Native to South Africa, they like full sun and well-drained soil and do well in zones 6 through 9, as they tolerate heat and drought and dislike boggy soil. 

Flowers fade first at the bottoms of the torch-shaped blooms, but the striking blooms last a long time on the plants. After the blooming is over, do not cut down the foliage until it yellows and dies back in the fall. 

These are not flowering plants to put in pots or urns, as they look best in clumps and swathes in garden beds. Their vertical shape and vibrant orange, red, and yellow blooms make a strong statement. Give them room to spread and do not combine them with small plants that they will overwhelm. 

They are interesting perennials that have become popular on both sides of the Atlantic. While they do not combine well with cottage garden plants, they do create a modern looking presence and are perfect near a mid-century modern home.

Dianthus are well-behaved in our gardens. The flowers are fragrant, and the plants can be perennial, biennial, or annual. The common name "pinks” does not refer to the color but to the fringed edging of the petals that makes them look as if they had been cut with pinking shears. 

They like full sun but can manage some shade and a variety of soils. However, they do best in well-drained soil with good air circulation, as they are susceptible to root rot and fungal diseases. Rabbits eat the narrow grey/green leaves, but thankfully deer leave these plants alone. 

There are over 27,000 registered cultivar names, so there are plenty to choose from. Colors can be pink, lilac, purple, white, and combinations with picotee edging on the petals. They originated in Eurasian countries and are grown worldwide in home gardens because they are easy care and don't mind periods of dry weather. Dead heading keeps them looking attractive and the plants stay low. 

The flowers make sweet little arrangements and even just a few, in a small bottle, look pretty. I would not be without these plants in my Midwestern garden. Most varieties are not especially long lived, however, but that is okay as then one can always be tempted to try new varieties that come on the market. 

Common names are cheddar pinks, clove pinks, maiden pinks, and gillyflowers.

In the lower Midwest, May is the month when we see lots of white flowers. For example, Spirea ‘Bridal Wreath’ shrubs completely cover themselves with lacy white blossoms so that they do, in fact, resemble brides in traditional wedding gowns. 

The low-growing perennial iberis, commonly known as candytuft, also has lacy white flowers, and there are white lilacs and dogwoods in abundance too. Dogwood trees are positively dazzling when they are in full bloom. There is even a rare white double flowered dogwood Cornus Florida ‘plena.’   

Other white flowering trees include Bradford pears, serviceberries, and star magnolias. The kalmia shrubs, our native mountain laurels, have some whites, and the miniature white variety ‘Elf’ is especially lovely. The mock oranges are fragrant as well as white, and Philadelphus ‘Virginal” has luscious double blossoms. 

A dainty white flowering groundcover is sweet woodruff (gallium odoratum), and it has a scent like vanilla and has been traditionally used as a May Day centerpiece for celebrations. If you want to use this shade lover as a centerpiece, dig up several small clumps of it in bud and pop them into a basket lined with foil. They will happily bloom indoors and then can be replanted back into the garden. 

Lily-of- the-Valley is usually in bloom in the lower Mid-West on Kentucky Derby day and so make perfect centerpieces for Derby Parties. They smell wonderfully fragrant and partner well with mint juleps.

The common European marigold, (like the Mexican variety), is justly popular because it is easy to grow, and pests don't like it. It was first mentioned by the old-time herbalists in 1578, quote, "It has pleasant and bright shining yellow and orange single-petal flowers." 

It was used by herbalists during the times of ancient plagues, and the petals of the flowers were dried and sold for use in making broth in the winter. The flowers have also been used to add yellow color to cheese in times past.

Native to southern Europe, the seeds can be sown directly into the soil and germinate easily in sun or part sun. Plants begin to flower in June and continue till frost. Gather seeds when they ripen in August and September.

Some people use the flowers to treat the stings of wasps and bees and also to treat warts. Large flowering marigolds (those that originated in Mexico) are usually yellow or orange, and French marigolds are smaller and orange/brown in color.

All types of marigolds last well as cut flowers, but it is best to remove all of the leaves below the water line in a vase as they otherwise develop an unpleasant odor.

Marigolds are excellent plants for children to grow when they begin gardening as they are likely to grow well even with sporadic watering.

Note: 

The European variety (about 20 species) is daisy-like in appearance, and the botanical name is Calendula officinalis with the common name of Pot marigold or English marigold. The name calendula comes from the same root as the word "calendar," signifying that it blooms almost all year in zones 6-10.

The Mexican variety is larger and many petaled, and its botanical name is Tagetes, and they are unrelated to the European varieties.

Larkspur is a member of the Delphinium family and though native to Europe, it grows well in North America. The plant is poisonous if eaten by cattle but fortunately only mildly toxic to domestic pets and people. 

Its colors are shades of blue/purple, white, and pink, and its tall upright habit and ferny, lacy foliage is good in combination with other garden plants. Larkspur likes well drained soil in full sun and is a good cut flower. 

In my midwestern garden I cannot grow perennial delphiniums or perennial larkspur. So, I buy packets of annual larkspur seeds and just sprinkle them in my beds (unmulched, as mulch often has a seed germination deterrent) in early spring. I am rewarded with pretty flowers that meld well with many of my perennials. For example, I have a bed of white iris, and the larkspur grows up and blooms before the iris have finished their show. Larkspur also blend nicely with daylilies because of their height. Larkspur seeds germinate best between 40-50F in zones 4-7. 

I would not be without my annual larkspur, which I have enjoyed year after year and some often self-seed and return, but in order to be sure, I always buy some seeds. I don't want to risk a year without it!

 Note: Larkspur grows well in zones 4-7 but needs protection to self-sow below zone 5. Field larkspur grows wild in cornfields throughout Europe.

The most commonly grown deciduous magnolia in the Lower Midwest is Magnolia x soulangiana, usually referred to as the saucer magnolia.

Hardy in zones 4-9, it may be a shrub but usually is a tree about 20-25 feet tall with a rounded crown. It usually develops a number of trunks and may over time even grow 30 feet tall and as wide.

It blooms before it leafs out, and the pale pink blossoms look striking against the rough grey bark. However, about one in three years the late spring frosts ruin the bloom and the flowers turn brown. I am told there is a hybrid called ‘Forrest's Pink’ that will make new buds if the old ones are ruined.

I think ‘Spectrum’ and ‘Galaxy’ bloom a little later also, which provides more reliable bloom.

There are actually a large number of more modern hybrid cultivars now available and some produce flowers in other shades such as white, rose, magenta, burgundy, and purple.

The genus name honors Pierre Magnol, a French botanist (1638-1715). Since it is a long- lived tree, think carefully before you decide where to plant it as it needs space for its branches, which cast a lot of shade when it matures. This allows for a large shade garden beneath it.

I have a tree that is 83 years old and underneath its sheltering arms I grow winter aconite, Virginia bluebells, perennial geraniums, ferns, hellebores, bleeding heart, wildflowers, epimediums, and for-get-me-nots. The birds love to perch above.

Horticulturalists at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are predicting some strong trends based on their feedback from their County Extension Offices. They report that more and more gardeners are seeking information about sustainability. 

Specific questions about native plants have increased significantly, as well as wildlife-friendly landscapes, dwarf hybrids, succulents, novel edible greens, and landscaping to mitigate natural disasters. Modern gardeners want plants that do not require much water or fertilizer and resist insects and disease. In short, plants that are good for the environment and not hard to maintain. 

Gardeners also want to do less pruning, so prefer smaller shrubs that can be left natural in shape, as well as fruit-bearing shrubs that can provide food as well as attract birds to the garden. Modern gardeners also like to layer shrubs of varied heights in their gardens to provide shelter for wildlife. They also prefer trees that will survive storms since storms are more unpredictable than they used to be. 

Another trend is a preference for decorative foliage in addition to flowers in gardens. For example, dark foliage plants with red, purple, or black leaves year-round, in addition to plants with fall foliage colors. Foliage can provide contrast and year-round interest and can also be used in bouquets.

A novice gardener once told me that she was only going to plant perennials, as they did not need any care. If only that was true!

On the contrary, I have found that it seems easiest for new gardeners to start with annuals and then to move on to perennials. Annuals only last one year, but once they are planted they stay in one place, don’t reproduce, and just need water and fertilizer. They are less complicated for an inexperienced gardener.

Perennials seem preferable because they live from year to year, but their habits vary greatly and they are more unpredictable. Many are easy and stay where you put them. Others hop around the garden, some quite aggressively, and some die out after a year or two.

Perennial plants are quite different from each other in terms of their needs and performance. So it is more complicated, though great fun, to design and maintain a perennial garden. And, of course, some won’t grow in the zone the gardener wants them to…Have you ever tried to grow delphiniums in the Midwest? Thugs, like bishops weed, look innocent but are very invasive. But, as a group, perennials fascinate us despite all of their quirks.

Beginners need to be aware of pass-along plants, like loosestrife, as they are the ones that usually have over-run an owner’s garden. One can learn more about the perennials that grow best locally by joining a garden club or taking a master gardener course, as they can become a life-long challenge.

Christopher Morley once said ‘April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks GO.’  Green, in all of its shades, is the color of the month. The colors of the evergreens that anchor the landscape through all of the seasons now provide a backdrop for the early spring bulbs. The herbaceous perennial Hellebores, are flowering now too, and have leathery dark evergreen foliage, but need to have any winter-damaged foliage removed to look their best. The perennial groundcover, Vinca, also has evergreen foliage that provides a glossy foil for its little periwinkle blue flowers in mid-spring. Cicely Mary Barker (1895-1973) is well known for her flower fairy illustrations and poems. Here is her song of the Periwinkle Fairy: 

            In shady shrubby places,

            Right early in the year,

            I lift my flowers’ faces

            O come and find them here!

            My stems are thin and straying,

            With leaves of glossy sheen,

            The bare brown earth arraying,

            For they are evergreen.

 Evergreen leaves and needles provide the deepest notes in the spring symphony of greens. They complement the delicate freshness of the filmy green haze that is first seen on deciduous trees and shrubs followed by the varied hues of emerging perennials and the textured tones of the unfurling ferns and hostas. 

This is Moya Andrews, and today we focused on spring greens.

April is a month when gardeners long to plant but as T.S. Eliot said, it is “the cruelest month.” Warm days are often interspersed with freezing temperatures damaging over-eager plants that set their buds too soon. Over eager gardeners can also make mistakes. An exemplary gardener, Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13th in 1743 and he died at 83 in 1826. He spent 60 years developing the gardens of his estate at Monticello in Virginia, and he kept meticulous garden records. In his era all plants were open-pollinated so seeds could be gathered to grow the plants for the following year. 

Today many of our vegetables and flowers are hybrids, and their seeds don’t produce new plants. However, gardeners can still find sources for seeds from heirloom plants. Many of our annual old fashioned flowers such as larkspur, hollyhock, cleome, celosia and love-in-the-mist may self seed in our gardens and this is another reason not to begin digging in our flower beds too early. Jefferson’s records helped him to learn more about the patterns of growth during the seasons in his garden. Yet he never felt he knew enough, because towards the end of his life he wrote, “Even though I am an old man I am still a young gardener.” Young as well as old gardeners are important in April, but whatever our age and experience, this month we must be cautious.

This is Moya Andrews and today we focused on the cruelest month.