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.
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.
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!
If you dream of the Dutch fields full of perfect tulips but find your fall-planted bulbs disappointing come spring, then maybe your bulbs are just hungry. While bulbs are rather self-contained little packages, the one thing they can use during the long winter is phosphorus and lots of it. This macro-nutrient drives root growth which helps your bulbs become better established come bloom time. The age-old organic way to get it is with bone meal. Dig your hole, then loosen the soil at the bottom, add one tablespoon of bone meal and mix well. Then set your big, juicy tulip bulb onto this soft enriched earth and cover it up. For smaller bulbs use a half tablespoon. Remember, this nutrient doesn’t move much so if you don’t put it down there, roots won’t find it.
The show stopping beauty of cannas is best enjoyed this time of year when many other ornamentals are flagging. Their bold, tropical foliage lights up the garden even when not in flower and showy blooms are icing on the cake. Keeping these heat-lovers happy is easy. The key is ensuring their roots are moist to wet, they have enough light, and they are well-fertilized. These steps will keep plants healthy and flowers dancing through to fall. Some canna favorites with bold leaves and flowers include the multi-colored ‘Phasion’ (Tropicanna™), and the compact ‘Striped Beauty’ with its striped foliage and bold flowers that are red in bud and open to brilliant lemon yellow. When it comes to showy flowers, nothing beats the perfect salmon pink blooms of Canna ‘Mrs P.S. Dupont’. Ooh la la!
Gardener’s Note: Several viral diseases have plagued cannas in recent years. If your well cared for cannas have yellow streaked, mottled or browning leaves or leaf veins, they are likely infected and should be dug up and disposed of away from the garden.
July in my garden means lots of color, and flowers that attract hummingbirds are an added bonus. I always like to have some large planters and several years ago purchased some wrought iron plant stands that were specially made for a large nursery pot to sit in the top. I planted the pots in late April with 4” pot size plants and am now reaping the rewards.
My plants of choice for the past few summers, and I always have at least one pot with this combination, is Begonia ‘Bonfire’ and white bacopa (Sutera cordata). I place the begonia plants in the center of the pot and the bacopa around the rim. The begonias tend to grow upward and then flop while the bacopa trails over the sides and by mid July has covered the outside of the pot with a mass of white flowers. The begonias have been in bloom since the time they were planted and are hummingbird magnets.
Black Gold Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Soil is ideal to use in pots like these that are exposed to the elements, as the coconut fibers have great water holding capabilities and this makes the pots less likely to dry out on a hot day. It also reduces the amount of water needed in each pot and I have found that what once was a daily water requirement, I can often go two or three days between watering.
In earlier articles, I have mentioned the importance of a garden mulch and that I used Black Gold Soil Conditioner when planting new plants. The positive effect of using this product earlier in the season is paying benefits now. As summer has arrived and we are having warmer weather and few rainy days, the soil is beginning to become dry and many plants need supplemental water. The use of Black Gold Garden Compost Blend has helped retain moisture in the soil and less water is required than if it had not been used.
Even though it is July, it is not too late to apply Black Gold Soil Conditioner to the soil around established plants. I like to mix it in with the existing soil and I will gently cultivate it into the first 2-3 inches of soil and then water. Some plants tend to need more water than others and here is where Black Gold Just Coir can be used. This product is actually coconut coir pith and its’ water holding capacities are amazing. Working Black Gold Just Coir into the top few inches around plants that like some extra moisture can be a huge benefit.
Three plants I have found that will greatly benefit from the use of Black Gold Just Coir mulch are Gunnera, Hosta, and Hydrangea. My experience has been that all three of these plants tend to like a moist soil environment. Gardeners grow hosta primarily for their foliage and having sun burned crisp foliage tends to ruin the appearance of the plant. While there are some hostas that will tolerate more sun than others, I have found that regardless of their exposure, they tend to benefit from a moist, well drained soil.
Gunnera, some garden centers will label this as “Dinosaur Food” since it is a plant left over from pre-historic times, can be a wonderful focal feature in a garden. Gunnera is known for its huge leaves that often measure over three feet across appearing on long stalks that can be eight feet in height and with features like this it is definitely a conversation plant. Gunnera likes moisture and fertilizer and plants are often seen growing near ponds and on banks of streams. The plants do not like to be in standing water but like their roots to be moist. Using Black Gold Just Coir can help to hold moisture and Black Gold All Purpose Potting Mix is a good natural fertilizer which I apply three times a year on my Gunnera.
Hydrangeas are such magnificent summer blooming shrubs that I cannot imagine my garden without some. One of my favorites is “Limelight” and now in mid-July my plants are just coming into flower. While I have seen Hydrangeas planted in full sun, I have found they do much better with some protection from the hot afternoon sun. They also like moisture around the base and Black Gold Just Coir is ideal.
Summer is here and we should enjoy it and our garden and the less maintenance we have, the better. Watering plants on hot days can be time consuming and with the addition of some soil mulch amendments around plants, we can spend less time in maintaining and more time enjoying.
For glowing garden color, nothing beats that old standby, the Petunia. Why? Petunias, and the closely related Calibrachoa, are tough, pretty, and thrive in containers and sunny flower beds. And, for designing with annual color there’s no better choice. Happy plants bloom nonstop and come in a broad array of exciting colors — from blue to magenta and even green! The only drawback is how they dwindle in mid- to late-summer if not properly maintained.
After an early- to mid-season explosion of color, they start to look worn and peter out as the dog days of summer hit — especially container-grown plants. But, you can stop this floral decline before it begins. A few simple steps will ensure top petunia performance well into autumn.
STEP 1: Start Right
Remove damaged and spent flowers to keep plants looking fresh and attractive.
First, start big and plant right. For best success, purchase starts as larger vigorous plants in 3 to 4-inch pots, rather than small, needy plugs, or meager seed-grown specimens. This will provide you with more vigorous, prettier plants faster.
Next, be particular about amendments or container mix. If your planting beds need a boost, amend with Black Gold® Earthworm Castings or Garden Compost. Both will fortify soil and yield bigger, happier bedding plants. Containers should be filled with a light potting mix that is porous, yet moist enough to be easily irrigated. Black Gold® Natural and Organic Potting Soil Plus Fertilizer is a top-notch choice. (Bagged mixes of lesser quality are heavily pre-wetted, harder to handle, and have less aeration.) You can also increase the water-holding capacity of any medium by adding a three to one ratio of Just Coir.
Calibrachoa Superbells Dreamsicle is a warm-hued variety that thrives in sun.
Choosing the right fertilizer is essential. High phosphorus fertilizer specialized to promote blooming and rooting encourages faster root development for healthier plants and more flowers. Choose an OMRI Listed fertilizer approved for organic gardening. For best results, fertilize containers every 5 to 6 weeks.
It is generally stated that petunias and Calibrachoa need full sun for best blooming, but they will flower nearly as well in partial sun, especially where summers are very hot and humid. Overall, 6 hours of direct sunlight will suffice. Any less will yield plants that are leggy and flower poorly.
STEP 2: Maintain, Prune, Maintain!
Prune back leggy stems. The end product may have a clipped look but never fear; in a week or so they’ll branch out again.
Consistent care and a midsummer pruning are essential to keeping petunias blooming vigorously up to frost. Regular water is crucial — especially for container specimens. Just one day of water missed can dry up a plant and leave it looking poor for weeks until nurtured back to health. During hot, dry spells twice daily watering may even be needed. Before watering, check by feeling the soil to the depth of two inches—if it feels barely moist to dry, it’s time to water again.
Calibrachoa, such as Superbells Chiffon Yellow, require little to no pruning, unlike most petunias.
Petunias need a midseason chop to bounce back to their early summer glory (ground cover petunias, like those in the Wave™ series, are an exception). Cut them back considerably by ¾ in mid-July to keep them from developing old, bloomless, leggy stems. Unlike petunias, Calibrachoa doesn’t require midsummer pruning unless they begin to look ungainly and then only a light trim is required. Follow up by giving pruned plants a boost of fertilizer, a good drink, and within a couple of weeks, they will burst forth again in glorious bloom.
Enjoy Into Fall
When it’s time to plant potted mums, asters, ornamental peppers, and colorful kales, I always work them in and around pre-existing petunia and Calibrachoa plantings. Nothing’s prettier than a raspberry red and pink Supertunia® Raspberry Blast petunia weaving itself among fall standards like steely ‘Winterbor’ kale and ivory chrysanthemums. Beautiful!
Try growing fifteen feet tall inside of 90 days and you’ll understand what it’s like to be a sunflower. If you’ve got Mammoth hybrid sunflowers in your garden, remember this if yours aren’t showing much vigor. Maybe they need an organic Power Bar to get energy levels back on track. It takes a lot of nitrogen to make a huge stalk. Phosphorous and potassium helps grow roots to hold it upright and form huge flowers packed with edible seed. Any quality OMRI Listed fertilizer formulated for flowers will work. Apply generously, mix into the soil and water well and often. Then stand back and watch your plants bolt skyward as they should.
Think it’s too late to sow easy cut flowers for fall? It’s not. Fast and easy bloomers like cosmos, zinnias, cornflowers and compact sunflowers still have plenty of time to reach flowering and shine before frosts take them for the season. Early August is the ideal time for planting fall cut-flowers. Sow them directly into beds with rich, friable soil and gently cover with a light sprinkle of Black Gold Seedling Mix to a depth no greater than ¼ of an inch. This will ensure they get light, moist cover and germinate better. By late September you should be ready to cut and arrange your colorful new blooms.
I am always on the lookout for new plants and several years ago, looking through a catalog for Old House Gardens, I came across Canna ehemanii. This canna dates back to 1863 and the catalog description said it was “topped by arching sprays of dangling, bell-shaped, deep rose flowers”. The description is correct and this canna has been in a large pot in my deck for the past several summers. It has been in bloom for about two weeks and will continue blooming through the summer. It will reach about 6 feet in height and makes a grand showing of color. I have never seen it for sale at a retail garden center and mail order may be the only option. It is worth the search.
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.
