MORE New Plants for 2003!

The trip did remind me though that spring is coming! It will really be time for gardening quite soon now. Needless to say, I can hardly wait.

The main article this newsletter is a bit long but it summarizes most of the new plants I’d suggest you look for in your favourite garden centre this spring. These are not all of the new plants by any means but they are plants that should perform for you and your garden.

I’ve also had a few questions about bulbs that I’ve answered here. To ask a question, simply hit return and ask away - I do ask that you delete the newsletter first though (getting lots of newsletters back each week simply makes me e-grumpy). As always, I’ll do my best to answer a few questions each week in the newsletter but I can’t respond to all individual questions (sorry!) :-(

So – spring is coming and I’ve had my first “hit” of the flower shows. Now, if we can only get rid of this last two feet of snow, I can get on with gardening.

My New Book is Out! :-)

Here's the link to get my new book at 30% off the bookstore price!

Perennials All Season

I'll be constructing a page in the next few days to tell you all about the book but in a nutshell - it tells you how to get your perennial garden to bloom all summer long. Not only are there growing tips, there's design instructions and plant choice suggestions.

If I do say so myself :-) - it is a great book! :-))

We've got questions!

I was told once that if you couldn't get bulbs planted that you could freeze them and then plant them in the spring? Do you know if this is an acceptable way? I recently got a bunch of bulbs that I stuck in the freezer as it's too cold to plant them now. I live in Kansas and figured I'd plant in March. These are tulips and daffodil bulbs. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Well, if you freeze your bulbs in a freezer you had better be prepared to throw them away ‘cause they won’t be good for much else. In the wild, bulbs are underground and they prepare for cold weather by undergoing a range of hormonal and water shedding changes. Underground, they can even handle freezing. Unfortunately, bulbs out of the sales drawer will not take hard freezing (maybe the odd one will)

What they will tolerate is being kept in the refrigerator crisper to keep cool. Even better is to pot them up and keep them in the frig.

Frankly, by now the odds are that your bulbs are dead. However, hope springs eternal so do take them out and thaw them out before you plant them. They might live. If they go mushy however when you remove them from the freezer, simply compost them.

Doug

live in zone 8/9 (Houston, Texas). Can I plant any type of bulbs now? Our spring starts around the end of March. The latest frost is usually early-mid February but we had one in the first week of March last year. I'm not concerned about getting flowers

Hmm – interesting question. You can plant bulbs now for sure. If they’re still alive (bulbs don’t do well in dry, hot storage over the winter – they dry out and die) then yes, get them in the ground. They likely won’t bloom because they haven’t had the right amount of cold temperatures (bulbs need a minimum of 12 weeks of cold temps to get them to flower properly)

This is one of the reasons that bulbs such as tulips don’t do well in hot climates. They simply don’t get enough cold weather during the winter to let them get into the flowering mode.

If in doubt – plant! :-)

Doug

Hey, just a thanks for returning. I do have one question.. and you know I will have more. If you have a limited space, and limited income, what would be the best growing light that you would buy to get those seedlings started on their way? Also, I have seen the Razzmatazz also, and was wondering if, because of the petals where the seeds should be, are they sterile? Most Echinacea reseed themselves. Will these, or after a shock of $20.00 per plant, will you only have one plant for a long time? Thanks again Doug. your long time gardening friend, Joann

Hey Joann

I use a regular cheap (discount store brand) light fixture. I did however put in good grow light bulbs. I’m told you can use one cool lamp (the regular kind) and one hot lamp (the kind for bathrooms) and this will mimic the full light spectrum that plants require. I haven’t gone that route yet because I’m only using one light rack and I didn’t find the difference in cost to be worth the problem of finding long “hot” bulbs (I have a 4’ foot long fixture) I could probably have used one grow light and one regular lamp but again – the extra cost of the bulbs is nothing compared to the cost of the seedlings I’m growing.

I’m not sure whether plants such as ‘Razzmatazz’ are sterile or not. I do know that many of the fancier Echinacea hybrids won’t come true from seed you harvest yourself (he says ruefully having tried it more than once) :-)

I do have a question. I've been search for information and data testing on the efficacy of Neem Oil in pest control. Most of what I find is hype and not real scientific data. Any information or leads would be most appreciated. Bill

The easiest way to get good info on most things now is to “google” them. Go to www.google.com and enter the product you’re looking for. This will bring up all kinds of info – some good and some not so good (as you’ve likely found). All I can tell you from my experience with neem is that it 1) is not registered for use in Canada and 2) when I did trial some it was dynamite on aphids and whitefly.

Having said that, do note that water quality is one of the most important aspects of using pesticides. Alkaline water will significantly shorten the life and effectiveness of many pesticides. In some extreme case, alkaline water can reduce the effectiveness of the chemical to mere seconds after mixing. In the case of insecticidal soaps for example, some formula tolerate alkalinity much better than others. As long as your water is balanced (or use distilled water for small household spraying) then the issue disappears.

From My Garden to Yours

For the perennial lovers, you might seek out Hemerocallis 'Plum Perfect'. This new introduction was a winner in the landscape division of the 2003 All American Daylily awards. This award means that this plant will grow and bloom almost anywhere - from the hot sun to light shade, from clay to sandy soils. The plum coloured blooms are set off by blazing gold throats and the ruffled edges will charm visitors during their multiple reblooming periods. Quite hardy up into USDA zone 4, this is a plant that will grace quite a few gardens this spring and should be readily available.

One of the fun perennials for beside water gardens is the Juncus family. There's a species (J.effusus) that produces a corkscrew or spiral shaped leaf that I've had in my tender plant collection for a few years now. There are two new ones of these hitting the market this spring and I hope to find both. 'Blond Ambition' or the golden corkscrew rush is a fully gold leafed version of the plant coming out of Terra Nova Nurseries while 'Lemon Twist' is a green leafed version with a broad yellow stripe being introduced through Canada's Heritage Perennials. Grow these in wet soils in full sun to light shade and bring them indoors to overwinter in pots. They grow to 30 inches tall and 12 wide and can be cut back quite hard before being put out for the spring after a protected winter on the windowsill.

Annual plant lovers need not take a back seat this spring with new garden introductions. I can hardly wait to see the new Superbell line of Calibrachoa (sometimes called million bells). The breeders made the flowers bigger, improved heat tolerance and finally got some resistance to the fungus that can wipe them out in the summer. This new plant series is quite prostrate in growth so they can be used as ground covers or in containers with equal success. They're coming out in 5 colours this spring and will be found in the Proven Winners section of your favourite garden centre.

Another plant that won't take a back seat to perennials is the new 'Amazon Terracotta' Dahlia. This new introduction will continue to bloom right through the heat of summer while other dwarf plants are taking a break. These are short plants at twelve inches tall making them ideal for containers and baskets. Another old fashioned plant is making a comeback as well. Larkspur 'Summer Blues' at eighteen to twenty-four inches tall will make a wonderful addition to the cut flower garden or show garden with its season long blooms. It has enhanced heat tolerance and this probably means it will fade away about a week after the non-enhanced forms but give it a light afternoon shade and you'll keep it going longer than most. The blue colour is definitely needed in the annual border.

One of my favourite container plants is also making a comeback this year with new introductions. I really like the old-fashioned Lantana plants but because they are so white fly prone, I never bother to overwinter them. The new introductions will likely get this pest as well but the colours are so wonderful, I'll have to get them back into my garden. Look for the Lucky series with its hot colours of reds, yellow and oranges. There's also a stunning new pink called 'Patriot' that I'll search out with its several new shades including a scarlet that looks like a must-have for my new container look next spring (more on that later this spring).

Proven Winners have finally launched an Osteospermum that blooms all summer. This South African daisy used to grace my garden but would never bloom all season. Available in two pastel colours (peach and vanilla-white) this introduction will definitely be the leading edge of a wave of new daisy type plants for containers and low growing spots in full hot sun. They grow to about twelve inches tall and with a bit of feeding should go to twenty four inches wide.

It is also useful to note that Simply Beautiful plants is introducing some new geraniums with purple tones this year. 'Designer Grape Improved' is a vigorous and uniform growing plant and when I had my greenhouse business, I really liked the Designer series of geraniums. I've not grown this purplish variety but if you need that colour, just remember Grape when you go shopping this spring.

I sometime wonder where the breeders get all these plants but the Wave petunias are introducing a few new varieties this spring. The one you'll all go looking for is the 'Double Wave Blue Vein'. This long winded name of a plant sports frilly semi-double blooms in a dark lavender colour with darker veins. It grows exactly like the rest of the wave series - which means you have to feed it heavily and watch it grow to four feet across with heavy blooms all summer.

Just because a plant is new does not mean it is better. Now that we have that little bit of gardening wisdom out of the way, let us all continue to ignore it in our search for the new and exciting garden plants that are coming onto the market this spring. I am as bad as the rest of you (some might say worse) when it comes to new garden plants; I admit it and have come to accept this basic flaw in my gardening personality. New may not be better but it sure is more fun. So, in the interests of keeping gardening fun, here are a few more new plants you will see this spring in a garden centre near you.

Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’ is sure to be in every garden centre this spring. This award-winning ornamental millet was the star of several trial gardens last year. ‘Purple Majesty’ is a cornlike ornamental grass that grows three to five feet tall with dark maroon leaves and a purplish-red flower stalk that rises another two feet. If nothing else, it will be a conversation plant in your garden but do not plant it in containers unless the container is very large.

David Austin Roses is releasing a bevy of heavily fragrant plants in their English garden series. ‘Ausencart’ is a red, fully double blossom with a touch of orange with intense fragrance. ‘Ausgrab’ is rich pink, heavy fragrance and fully double on a very bushy cane structure. ‘Auspeet’ is a fully double yellow with a strong fragrance and bushy growth habit and this one will surely be around on the benches. It may be sold as Charles Darwin as well so look for both names. Roses can have two names depending on the breeding and marketing of the rose; a peculiarity of the rose world that confuses the heck out of gardeners such as me. The Dream series of roses is introducing ‘Twoagain’ a scarlet rose in this low-care series of repeat blooming roses. Don’t look for fragrance but look for easy care on this short bush-type plant.

For those of you looking for woody plants, this could be a good year. I’m told that ‘Morton’ a disease resistant Elm is making its debut and has been registered in Canada. This is a 60 foot tall tree that will stretch out to 40 feet wide when mature. It does have dark green glossy leaves and a good yellow colour. A new Canadian introduction is Syringa reticulata ‘Golden Eclipse’. This tree lilac has variegated gold and green foliage with creamy white spring flowers that are spicily fragrant. Grow this as a small tree; it should reach twenty-five feet tall and 15 feet wide. J.C. Bakker is also introducing a Forsythia called ‘Golden Times’ that has a bright yellow variegated foliage and is supposed to be bud hardy to zone 4. I have a yellow-leaved forsythia already in my garden (it is struggling) and it is not bud hardy so I will wait for a few years before waxing enthusiastic about this one. Do try it if you have a protected garden.

For those of you who are looking for a variegated vine, you might want to try the Honeysuckle ‘Harlequin’. This is not strictly new but it is being released in Canada through J.C. Bakker. It is only hardy into zone 5 but it does have delightfully fragrant yellow and pink flowers as well as cream edged variegated foliage. I think I killed this one a few years back when it came into my garden on trial. This is no reason not to try it again but do plant it in a protected spot.

A plant that I have started to grow and collect is Buddleia davidii (butterflybush) and the last few years have seen them survive quite nicely in my garden. While I am looking forward to seeing how many of them survive this cold winter, there is yet another new one on the market. You might want to consider searching out the variety ‘Operette’ that has both larger blooms than most purple-flowered cultivars and a longer bloom time than most other butterflybush plants. I note that a deep mulch of straw or leave does seem to help them survive the winter and they are very late coming back in the spring so do not give up on them before July in a zone 4 garden.

You know, I think I could write an entire book just on the new plants that are being introduced this spring. From vines to shrubs through to delightful perennials and annuals, this is shaping up to be a great season for plant collectors. Keep those shovels sharp because after this snow and cold ends, there’s a lot of green out there that will need collecting.

The Last Word

S.C. Hubbard Roses and Their Culture intro