Whenever I hear someone speak of native plants for home gardens, it always makes me wonder what is considered “native”. I live in Oregon, so when a gardener tells me about native plants in home gardens and elsewhere I wonder, “Is this plant from Oregon or does a plant growing in Washington or California also count as a ‘native'”? After all, nature did not draw the state boundaries. Continue reading “Western Native Plants for Home Gardens”
Tag: Mike Darcy
Flowering Plants for Great Fall Color
From mid-September through October, here in the Pacific Northwest, we have an abundance of plants for great fall color. Whether it is foliage, stems, bark or flowers, the color array is almost unbelievable. I think the reason we do not see more of these plants is that many times they reach their prime in the fall and this is not a time of year that we are generally visiting garden centers or viewing home gardens. Here are some ideas that I would like to share after recently visiting various private gardens.
Iochroma ‘Royal Queen Purple’
We have many pots on our deck and I always like to try some new plants each year. This year I planted Iochroma ‘Royal Queen Purple’ using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil and the results have been outstanding. In June, I started with three small plants in 4” pots and planted them all in a 14” pot. They began blooming in early July and have not stopped. The flowers are tubular and come in clusters at the end of the branches and are a deep purple. I have done some selective pruning to keep the plant from getting too tall and it has branched out nicely and is a nice compact shrub. It is in a full sun location and seems to like the heat. I doubt if it will survive the winter but regardless, it makes for a great summer blooming plant.
Cup and Saucer Vine
Cobaea scandens, or Cup and Saucer Vine, is a spectacular flowering vine, and when I see one in a garden, as I did recently, I wonder why we don’t see it in gardens more often. The common name comes from the shape of the flower, which is unusual in that when it opens it is a light green color and in a few days turns to purple.
Cup and saucer vine is a very vigorous and fast growing summer vine and would be an ideal choice to quickly cover a fence or trellis. It is easy to grow from seed and should be started indoors in the spring and then set outside when the weather warms. Black Gold Seedling Mix will give the seeds a great start. It is technically a perennial but should be treated as an annual here in the Pacific Northwest and anywhere else where winters are cold. The one drawback that I can think of is that it does not bloom until later in the summer, the last part of August/first part of September. However, I think the flowers are so striking that they are worth the wait. Even better, they are pollinated by bats in the evening hours.
Late-Summer Annual Foliage Color
Here it is, mid-September and in the Pacific Northwest, and the weather has been warm with little or no rain. This is the time to visit gardens and observe what is performing well at this time of year. Take notes so you will remember next spring what will eventually make for great late-summer annual foliage color.
At a recent garden I visited, there was a bank of sweet potato vines (both chartreuse and black) and they had completely covered the soil. The sweet potato vines in the photo were planted with several different coleus with leaf colors of chartreuse and dark burgundy. What a stunning combination this made. Soil on a slope like this in a sunny location can dry out quickly with hot weather and winds. An excellent soil amendment to add at planting time is Black Gold Just Coir. This is actually coconut coir pith and has very good water hold retention to keep plants from drying out on hot sunny and windy days. It is both a natural and organic soil amendment.
Growing Hardy Hibiscus
We often think of Hibiscus as tropical plants from Hawaii and other warm weather states. While this Hibiscus can be grown there, it will not survive our winters and gardeners often plant this and treat it as an annual plant. What many gardeners do not know is that there is a winter-hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos). Often referred to simply as Hardy Hibiscus, these shrubby perennials will die to the ground in the winter but reappear in the late spring. There are many varieties that come in shades of white, red, pink, and rose. I have several in my garden and they are now coming into flower.(Bees love them!)
It is nice to have a big perennial blooming at this time of year. The flowers are large and showy. Plants reach about 4-feet tall, and this is an excellent time to visit garden centers to select the color you want. Winter-hardy Hibiscus are best planted in full sun and they thrive in moist soil. Feed with an OMRI Listed organic fertilizer formulated for flowers for maximum blooming!
Pistachio Hydrangea is the Winner
At the recent Farwest Show (national nursery trade show held in Portland, Oregon), there was a section call “New Varieties Showcase”. New and recently introduced plants were exhibited and participants were given ballots and asked to vote for their favorite plant. The People’s Choice Award was given to Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Horwack’ Pistachio. Commonly known at the Pistachio Hydrangea, this Hydrangea has flowers that are scarlet-red and green with violet centers. The flower color changes as the bloom ages which makes a very visual interesting feature. The plant tends to be a compact grower and likes a well drained soil. To avoid summer burning of leaves and flowers, give it some protection from the hot afternoon sun and plant in a well drained soil. Black Gold Garden Compost Blend is a good amendment to maximize your soil’s potential. This would make an excellent container plant for a deck or patio.
Feeding the Late Summer Garden
Now that the spring season is over and we are already into August, I wonder “where did the summer go”? With so many things going on in the spring and early summer garden, now is certainly the time to relax a bit and enjoy the fruits of your labors. I am not suggesting you do nothing in your garden, as there is always some maintenance to do, but at this time of year the labor is not so intense. And if you follow a few late summer gardening tips you will be sure to enjoy those fruits well into the fall season. Feeding the late summer garden is a good start.
If you have rose bushes, between now and mid-September, it is a good time to give them a final application of rose fertilizer for the year. I particularly like to use an organic fertilizer that is slow release. A quality flower fertilizer is ideal and applying now will encourage flowering throughout the fall season. I like to cultivate the fertilizer lightly into the soil and then give the plants a thorough watering.
As I visit other gardens this season, I see more and more vegetable gardens being planted. Home vegetable gardens are cropping up in landscapes with limited space and not necessarily in what we think of as a traditional vegetable garden. Just within my immediate neighborhood there are two rather unique vegetable gardens. One is in the space that was previously a lawn and another is in a space that is directly along the road. We would probably not have seen either of these locations used for vegetables a few years ago.
Another example of a unique vegetable is one that appeared recently at a local garden center. A raised bed vegetable garden was created in a space that had formerly been part of the garden center walkway. It was made by using pavers for the sides and then filled with top soil and then amended with organic soil conditioner and organic fertilizers. This proved to be an ideal demonstration garden to show home gardeners how easy it is to make a raised bed and that one can be built over almost any type of surface, even a driveway.
For those with limited space, or perhaps limited sunlight, consider a community garden. I am amazed at the prolific community vegetable gardens that are scattered throughout the city. These community gardens have become so popular in Portland that there is almost always a waiting list for those wanting their own plot. I have a friend, ‘Joe’, that was able to get two plots at his local community garden and he has diverse plantings and reaps a prolific harvest. The other huge benefit of a community garden is that it becomes an opportunity to meet other gardeners from your neighborhood and helps as a community building tool. Most gardeners love sharing ideas and it is hard to think of anything better than growing vegetables side by side with someone of like interests. Not only can you share the harvest, but sharing ideas on what you grow and how can be a great way to pick up new ideas for your own plot and to meet a new gardener.
For vegetables that continue to produce into the fall, consider giving them a final application of an organic fertilizer formulated for vegetables. I always like to lightly work the soil, apply the fertilizer and then water.
Late summer can be a stressful time for many container plants and hanging baskets. With the container being a limiting factor with regard to a plants source for fertilizer plus the constant watering required, nutrients in a container garden can easily be depleted. This is a good time to add some all-purpose organic fertilizer as this can give plants a much needed boost.
While this is just August, it is time to be thinking about a fall vegetable garden. As summer crops fade, consider the space as potential for an entirely new crop to grow and harvest in the fall and winter. If the soil has been used for a summer vegetable garden, it would be wise to amend it by adding organic matter with a product such as Black Gold Garden Compost Blend. This same time would also be an ideal opportunity to add in some fertilizer. Then as you remove your summer vegetable plants, and the soil is prepped, you are ready to plant. As a general rule, it is best not to plant the same crop in the same location year after year. Mix things up and perhaps, where you had tomatoes, plant peas.
Always remember that gardens are meant to be enjoyed. In my own garden, while there are always many tasks that need to be done, I do like to take some time, especially in the morning, and casually walk through it. What a delight it is to see plants in the coolness of the morning, hear the birds chirping and letting my mind relax.
Janet’s Lettuce Windowbox
When I visit other gardens I am often intrigued by things I see other gardeners do. Janet Livesay, in Lake Oswego, Oregon, had a planter that fit over the railing of her deck. She used Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil and planted lettuce from seed.
Since the deck is by a door to her kitchen, she could easily cut the lettuce whenever she was making a salad. She was innovative with wanting to harvest lettuce over a long period and so she also planted seeds in small nursery pots at various intervals throughout the summer. When the lettuce in the planter was past its prime, she simply replaced it with new plants. And with the planter being off the ground, she did not have to worry about slugs eating the lettuce.
Growing Okra in Oregon
On my weekly radio show, I not only get questions from gardeners, but I often get comments and information that others want to share. It is especially interesting when a caller discusses plants that I am not familiar with. Several weeks ago I got a call from Susanne in Aloha, Oregon, and she wanted to tell me about how she was growing okra in Oregon.
Okra is not a common crop in Oregon and I have never seen it growing in a home garden. Actually, I don’t think I have ever seen it growing in any situation. Susanne started her plants from seeds in Black Gold Seedling Mix and waited until it was warm before she planted them in her garden. The plants are now flowering and producing pods. Susanne reports that the pods should only be about two inches long when picked. With the hot weather we are currently experiencing, I would think her okra plants would thrive. Judging from the photos, I think Susanne is going to have a good crop. Thanks for sharing, Susanne!
Is anybody else out there having success growing a plant that wouldn’t normally be thought to thrive here in Oregon, or wherever you are? Leave a comment below and tell us about it.