Eustoma grandiflorum....Texas Bluebell

 Texas BlueBells

I digress here about 30 years...one of the first perennials and or native flowers that I learned about was the Texas bluebell, what a strikingly beautiful plant. Can you imagine traveling the wild Texas frontiers in covered wagons and coming across a prairie full of bluebonnets and bluebells, of course you might have been more concerned with keeping your scalp, finding water, food, or shelter,  but who knows... you very possibly might have been awe struck by the wild beauty that was set before you. Not too long ago we took a 3 day trip to the hill country of Texas, while there we took a meandering drive to Medina, up and down... and through the hills we went. It was the middle of Fall and the Bigtooth Maples were starting to show color, the "Blue Oaks" had hit full stride and the winter color of the hill country left us breathless. I often thought along this drive, how was it possible for the first settlers to conquer this wild and beautiful country, perhaps the brief respite of a beautiful landscape full of bluebells and blue bonnets helped in some small fashion. Okay enough about that here is the flower information and some pictures



Anytime you see the word "grandiflorum" included in the scientific name of a flower, it should get your attention -- the word indicates large blooms. This is certainly an accurate description of Texas bluebell (Eustoma grandiflorum), sometimes called "lisianthus." With its tulip-shaped blooms and its rich color (usually a deep blue to almost purple), bluebell is considered by many to be our state's most beautiful wildflower. It is easy to see why that argument is a strong one. The meaning of eustoma (eu = beautiful, good....stoma = mouth) is good tasting or well spoken, but in the case of this plant it may mean beautiful mouth referring to the extraordinary colors of the flower
Bluebell can be found growing over most of Texas (except the most arid areas). It likes fertile, prairie-type soil (you will not often find it growing in deep sand) and needs at least a moderate amount of moisture. It can tolerate wet conditions, but not standing water. This one is a great choice for coastal areas where drainage is less than perfect. It will be found growing on rolling hills, on the slopes and around the bottoms of the slopes.

Bluebell is an upright, clumping-type plant, usually reaching a height of around 1 to 2 feet -- occasionally slightly taller. The native variety, Eustomia exaltalum, is a short-lived perennial lasting 3 to 7 years while the Japanese varieties (Lisianthes) are annual. It will often form extensive colonies -- never forming a continuous, tight sod -- with space (usually about a foot) between the individual plants. The foliage is pale green (or sometimes almost a blue-green) and is not palatable to grazing animals. Accordingly, bluebell co-exists quite well with cattle-- they seem to ignore it. In fact, it has been my observation that bluebell seems to do better in pastures than on abandoned and/or vacant land. It could be that this is because the cattle hold down the competing vegetation thus making it easier for the tiny, tiny bluebell seed to germinate and for the young seedlings to become established.



Over the years,  there have been regular colonies of bluebell in the Grimes County area, all around Navasota, Anderson and Roans Prairie. Apparently, conditions are very favorable for bluebell -- it appears to do extremely well here. Even so, there will be considerable variation from year to year, depending on conditions. Some years, those hills seem to be almost a solid sheet of gorgeous blue -- other years, the flowers may be pretty sparse.

Although the bloom season will vary in different parts of the state, it generally begins in mid to late summer and continues into early fall-- under ideal conditions, perhaps even a bit later.

In cultivation, bluebell can be very effective as a border plant, or in a grouping of several plants, as an accent. It will need at least half a day of sun, preferably a little more than that. It is not difficult to grow, as long as it has adequate moisture.

Bluebell is an excellent cut flower, with a vase life of seven to ten days. The large blossoms are a guaranteed attention-getter in an arrangement. The deep blue color blends well with many yellows or whites. On an individual bluebell stalk, it is not unusual to have fully opened mature blooms along with spent blossoms and unopened buds (they resemble unopened rosebuds). The spent blooms can easily be pinched off, to encourage more blooms.



Bluebells have long been cultivated and are available in the nursery trade, in both the natural blue and in other colors (white, pink, yellow). Bluebell seed is so tiny, it requires a great deal of care and attention to get the seed successfully germinated and to get the tiny seedlings established. You may decide you would rather just buy the rosettes from a nursery in the spring, rather than planting the seed.

Whichever route you choose to follow, once you get the plants established, they should require very little care, except to make sure they have adequate moisture. Under these conditions, you may be able to extend the bloom season-- perhaps right up till frost, particularly if you regularly pinch off the spent blossoms.

In any case, I think you will agree the result will be well worth whatever effort you may have to put forth. Few flowers will look as beautiful -- or as unique -- as the native Texas bluebell.

(Information taken in part from the Texas Gardner....Thank You Very Much)



The Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon

Hibiscus syriacus



Well.... this interesting and colorful plant has a storied background and some common mis-interpretations about its name and origin. The name Hibiscus syriacus as named by Linnaeus suggests that it is a native of Syria, not so. The plant is actually a native of eastern Asia, and is the national flower of South Korea, the name in Korean actually means immortal flower. As to the biblical connotations for this plant there seems to be a bit of name switching, the actual biblical "Rose of Sharon" the plant and not the personage of Jesus is a type of crocus that grows on the costal plain of Sharon, some also believe that it could be a type of Tulipa..a bright red flower (tulip type) that grows prolifically on the hills of Sharon........................Well...... that is how stores are made, either way the Rose of Sharon, Althea, or Hibiscus syriacus, has been a staple in Texas and American gardens for generations, try one, it will add a bit of color and a lot of interesting history to your garden.......(And yes.... Jamie this can grow in your area...will bloom in August most likely)

Rose of sharon is a deciduous flowering shrub.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones for Rose of Sharon:

The climate is most favorable for growing rose of sharon bushes in USDA plant hardiness zones 5-9.

Characteristics of Rose of Sharon:

Generally speaking, rose of sharon bushes can get 8'-10' tall and have a spread of 4'-6'. However, some cultivars stay shorter (e.g., Hibiscus syriacus 'Minerva' reaches only 5'-8'). Blooms on rose of sharon can be white, red, lavender or light blue; some have double blooms. Most rose of sharon bushes bear small, deeply-lobed, light-green leaves (may vary according to cultivar).

Pruning Rose of Sharon:

Although naturally a multi-stemmed shrub, rose of sharon can be trained through pruning (in late winter) to have simply one main trunk; thus some people refer to it as rose of sharon "tree." It's easiest to give rose of sharon its desired shape by pruning it accordingly during its first two seasons. It can also be trained for espalier.

Sun and Soil Requirements for Rose of Sharon:

Rose of sharon prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Older rose of sharon bushes may fall prey to fungal damage if grown in areas without full sun.

Uses for Rose of Sharon in Landscape Design:

Its attractive and plentiful blooms make rose of sharon plant fully capable of holding its own as a specimen. One's ability to shape rose of sharon also makes the shrub a prime candidate for hedges. But since rose of sharon bush is deciduous, it makes an effective privacy hedge only in summer. It could be used to achieve privacy around swimming pools, for instance. However, be aware that its blooms could attract unwanted bees. Please note the blooms can be messy as they drop from the main plant, try to use this plant as a distant, out of the way, but able to be seen specimen

Rose of sharon blooms profusely, and its attractive flowers are its main selling point. Like other types of hibiscus, rose of sharon's flowers bear a striking stamen. Another feature giving the shrub value is its relatively late period of blooming (in the Northeastern U.S., it blooms in August). Rose of sharon is thus able to offer color when many shrubs have long ceased blooming. A heat-lover, rose of sharon is also prized by growers in the Southeastern U.S. who crave plants that can stand up to summer's heat. The plant is reasonably drought-tolerant. Don't give up on rose of sharon, thinking it's dead just because it hasn't leafed out by early summer. Rose of sharon not only blooms late, but leafs out late, as well.

Lavender......Spanish That Is........

 Lavandula stoechas

SPANISH LAVENDER

It is easy to see why this plant is sometimes called Rabbit Ears Lavender and the bloom is described as a pineapple. The colorful "ears" are actually sterile bracts

 

This one year old Spanish Lavender bush is ready to explode with color. The early spring dark purple flower heads look great with, and bloom at the same time as Rockroses. Add a few Golden Sage plants for a show-stopping contrast. Loved by bees, Spanish Lavender will make your garden hum with life.
Spanish Lavender blooms profusely in the spring and when it finishes it needs a good pruning. The result will be an attractive, fragrant, gray-green shrub throughout the rest of the year, similar to the woody ornamental Texas Sage.

 

Native to the Mediterranean region and North Africa, Spanish Lavender seems to be a more suitable lavender choice for those who garden in hot humid climates.The antiseptic, piney fragrance of Spanish Lavender makes it an exceptionally fragrant landscape plant but not the first choice for use in cooking. English Lavenders, both Lavandula angustifolias and Lavandula x intermedias, are preferred in the kitchen.

Spanish Lavender is probably what the ancient Greeks and Romans used to scent their bath water. Indeed the word Lavender is from Latin lavare (to wash). Spanish Lavender is often referred to in older publications as French Lavender (which, today, is how we refer to L. dentata).

Cultural information  (where and how it grows)

Height.........1.5 to 2 feet tall


Zones 8- 11 perennial


Flower...Dark Purple


Full Sun, Evergreen in proper zone...Water Conserving


Must have excellent drainage and good air circulation

(Information taken in part from Mountain Valley Growers)

" Party Time"!!!!!!!!! Alternanthera....... That is

Alternanthera ficoidea

"Joseph's Coat"

This striking plant is an annual and will turn to mush at the 32 degree mark, But it will thrive in heat and cause your neighbors to swoon (well maybe a slight exaggeration). This particular cultivar really takes center stage and is  named "Party Time" it is truly a striking plant...pinks, reds, and greens, WOW, that almost makes me want to break-out into a Christmas carol. The colors will intensify as the season approaches fall's cooler weather. See... Party Time becomes more attractive as she prepares to make her exit that way you will never forget her, now that is style....

It is a full sun plant but in Texas give it some afternoon relief.....with that afternoon protection it will thrive through out the summer. This is an excellent companion to the copper plant, marigolds..especially the pom marigolds, and our favorite lantana.

Plant in rich humus soil with  with good drainage and you will be rewarded with plants that grow 12 to 18 inches tall......space the plants 12 to 18 inches apart. Party Time works great in a massed planting and as the height backdrop to the shorter color plants listed above. These plants should be readily available from your local nursery, if not..... show them the blog and pitch a fit.....they will surely be in stock the next time you visit, if they allow you back in the store....(just kidding.) They will have the plant. I have noticed several landscapers using Party Time in some unique "color" installations. 

That brings me to another point, an idea for an urban adventure: take your camera...some snacks (gotta have snacks)...your traveling companion and visit several large high-end commercial buildings around town. These fellows make drive up appeal a work of art...take pictures of the color bed designs and then incorporate in your home landscape (on a smaller scale of course), take note of the color combinations and the layout design. A great design will utilize color, layout, and "distinctive uniqueness"......so when Mr. Big Business is driving by at 60 mph, smoking  a big cigar, and overworking his blackberry...that color bed design will reach out and slap him in the face... He may not say it, but he will be thinking "Hey.... that was striking...my buildings need that type of appeal"....Now.....don't you want a color bed, that reaches out and slaps someone in the face (yeah...I thought so!)?

Try this wonderful "multi-colored" plant in your garden this summer, then when your friends come over and rave about it's beauty...you can modestly say " Oh..that is Joseph's Coat....a plant of many colors...then you can explain the derivation of the name...............................

Enjoy the life 

Ornamental Grasses

Well this is a wide open topic...because there are literally thousands  of various grasses. In the South many people consider St. Augustine grass as an ornamental grass and while it is a member of the Poaceae family...it is not what we are talking about. We need to consider St. Augustine as a turf grass and we are talking about "ornamental" and not a turf grass. So let us look at just a few ornamental grasses, these are excellent additions to the landscape....but should never be the main constituent of your landscape, just one of the components. Many of these grasses will survive from zones 4 through 8, be careful of the pennisetums that can be a little touchy with cold weather.  So here we go.............

Muhlenbergia capillaris

A knee high purple haze in the distance may not be an atmospheric event, but the effect created by the wispy, purplish flower heads in a dense stand of Gulf muhlygrass. This is a showy clump forming grass that can get to 3 ft (0.9 m) tall and just as wide. The stems and leaves are wirelike and unbranched, originating from a dense basal clump. (Muhlygrass does not produce runners.) The purplish-red or pink inflorescence is a diffuse, silky panicle, 18 in (45.7 cm) long and 10 in (25.4 cm) wide, that stands above the wiry leaves. It appears in late summer, and persists for 6-8 weeks. The ripe seeds that follow give an attractive tan color to the wispy plumes.Gulf muhlygrass is used in borders and perennial gardens where a fine textured foliage is desired to accent bolder specimens. It makes an excellent groundcover for areas with poor soils, or a refined specimen grass in natural gardens. Gulf muhlygrass is tolerant of salt spray and poor soils. Once established, it needs no care. Muhlygrass is recommended for road shoulders and medians.

Pennisetum alopecuroides

The genus Pennisetum gives us several ornamental fountain grasses. This one is the most commonly cultivated of the cold hardy species. Chinese pennisetum is a perennial grass that grows in a slowly expanding clump, 2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m) tall and just as wide. It has narrow, linear leaves that are flat, 12-20 in (30.5-50.8 cm) long, less than 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide, and slightly scabrous. The arching mound of bright green foliage turns golden brown in winter. The flower spikelets are borne in bristly yellowish to purplish cylinders to 8 in (20.3 cm) long. They resemble bottle brushes, and are at their peak in summer and begin to disintegrate by early winter. Many cultivars are available, with clumps ranging from less than 1 ft (0.3 m) to over 5ft (1.5 m) tall. 'Hameln' is small, with clumps less than 3 ft (0.9 m) tall, and produces creamy white flower clusters. 'Little Bunny' is only about a foot tall. 'Little Honey' is also only about 1 ft (0.3 m) tall and has white striped leaves. 'Moudry' has wider leaves and dark purple, almost black, foxtail flowers; it self-sows and can be invasive in adjacent flower beds and lawns. 'Paul's Giant' get 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and has light tan flowers.

Miscanthus sinensis

Miscanthus sinensis is the premier ornamental grass - a garden favorite for centuries. There are literally hundreds of cultivars, differing in blade size, shape and color pattern; plant height and texture; summer, autumn and winter foliage colors; flower timing and color; and cold hardiness. What they have in common are a clump forming habit (never forming turf), in which the leaves grow up then cascade out and down like a fountain; foliage that turns various shades of gold or bronze in autumn and holds up well throughout the winter; erect flowers that shine in the summer sun, then turn soft and fluffy in winter, and persist beautifully in dried arrangements; and a preference for sunny positions in the landscape. The wild form is a large bunch grass, to 12 ft (3.7 m) tall and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide, with leaf blades almost 1 in (2.5 cm) across. The leaves are medium green with a prominent white midrib, and dry to straw yellow in winter. The dense inflorescence, produced in late summer, is reddish purple, aging to silvery. Just a few of the better known cultivars are listed here.




Maiden grass (M. sinensis 'Gracillimus') is an old time garden favorite with delicate, fine textured foliage and a graceful, rounded form. The clumps of foliage can get up to 4 (1.2 m) tall, and the flowering stalks can reach 7 ft (2.1 m). Established specimens may flop under their own weight and should be divided every few years. Maiden grass has very narrow leaf blades that are about a 0.25 in (0.6 cm) across and are green with a white midrib stripe down the center.

Maiden grass blooms with silky tassels of coppery-red flowers in mid-autumn - later than most cultivars, and in areas with short growing seasons, it may not bloom at all. In winter the leaves turn warm golden yellow and the flowers turn cool silvery white.

Porcupine grass (cv. 'Strictus') is another classic ornamental grass sometimes listed as M. sinensis var. strictus. This one has a rigid, upright habit and stiff, pointed leaf blades some of which stick out at angles like porcupine quills. The leaves are patterned crossways with yellow bands, producing an effect like dappled sunlight. It gets up to 8 ft (2.4 m) tall with a spread of 3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m). Porcupine grass is more tolerant of wet soils than other cultivars and is often planted next to ponds or pools. Porcupine grass is similar to zebra grass (cv. 'Zebrinus') which also has yellow banded leaves, but is more floppy and arching instead of stiffly upright.





'Variegatus' has been popular with gardeners for over one hundred years!

Cultivar 'Variegatus' is another antique that still adorns some 18th century landscapes. This is a large grass, to 8 ft (2.4 m) tall and spreading fountain-like to 5 ft (1.5 m) across. It is prone to flop and collapse under its own weight, and should be given support. The leaves are pale green with distinctive creamy white stripes and the plant produces a very pronounced and strange white effect in the landscape. The ghostly color seems to brighten other plants nearby. 'Variegatus' blooms with reddish pink flower spikes in early autumn. This one is a little more shade-tolerant than most, but of course shade makes it reach for the light and more likely to flop over.

(Plant information taken in part from Floridata....Thank You Very Much)

The Urban Adventure

What is the definition of an Urban Adventure??? Well fun in and around the city. You know sometimes you just need to get away from it all and you can do that right in the middle of it all!! So in the upcoming weeks I will be sharing with you about how to have an urban adventure. Hey.. we can do pictures and everything....and the best part is you don't have to spend an "arm and a leg." As a matter of fact you do not have to give up any body parts for this adventure........

Sometimes the adventure can be the quest for a particular item or maybe just a series of stops that lead to ...... no where in particular. I remember one "day-off" I packed up my lovely wife Debbie and off we we went in search of a hand lens used to identify small bugs.......(in my pursuit of being a junior entomologist). We must have visited 7 or 8 stores asking the question..."Uhm do you stock a hand lens with which to view bugs?" The looks we received were priceless ( I should have never gone into Victoria's Secret, but who knew they might have stocked a hand lens). After a while it became a game or a vision quest (no pun intended) to find that elusive hand lens...I mean after all I had bugs to identify...this was serious business.



We had a "flavored coffee" at one bookstore, where I found a classic volume on perennials. Our next stop yielded my wife a colorful Bohemian top.....but no hand lens. At lunch time we were close enough to the "Flying Fish" restaurant in Preston center...Well... leave no stone unturned....so lunch we had....Yummo, I highly recommend the shrimp and catfish basket, cannot worry about fried foods at a time like this...I had heard about a somewhat non-descript hardware store in Garland or was it Richardson...Oh well, we  were on our way to check it out.

We did not immediately locate the hardware store, but along the way was a small ice creme shop, the likes of which I have never visited, and.... well... since it was mid-afternoon a small snack was in order. Butter pecan for me in a cup with a yellow spoon (my favorite color...the color of victory) and some kind of mint sorbet for the Debbie. We stopped for a while to visit the lab puppies for sale under a tree in the parking lot, I  made friends with a small yellow lab (once again my favorite color), I gave her a quick bite of butter pecan ice creme and then we had to leave......Debbie had that "I need a puppy" look in her eye.

Finally...we were on our way to the hardware store. And what to my wonder eyes should appear....... what an amazing array of tools and just plane "stuff" of the highest degree, I was in heaven..I was going to buy an incalculable amount of tools, to do what with I shall never know. And then! Standing in the the middle of the aisle was Debbie... with her hands held high full of ....you guessed it...... The hand lens. And best of all the package had a picture of a bug on it! Now I was able to sleuth out these dreaded chinch bugs, lace bugs, and any other bug that was causing damage to plants under my care...I had arrived!

Well I did not get all the tools I wanted and Debbie did not get a puppy (Thank You God For that Miracle). But we had a great time, saw some really cool places, ate some good food and enjoyed each other......now that folks is an urban adventure!!!!

Enjoy the Life...................................

The Butterfly Bush..............

 Butterfly Bush

Buddleia davidii

I have borrowed this information from the Ohio State University on line plant files, so our northern readers can share in the "Plant Discovery". This very cool plant will work all the way to zone 5....at this zone it will die back to the ground each year, but it will almost always come back. Full sun in Ohio and full sun in Texas mean two different things, in Texas give this beauty some afternoon protection from the blistering sun.
This is a specimen plant and not your row plants such as hollies or box woods give this baby a place of her own, in the middle of a island bed or the height item in a perennial bed. So..... what do you get with this plant....well, for one thing Colorful blooms of deep purple or lilac (and white, pink, or yellow) Fragrance (smells good), and attracts butterflies and humming birds (those tiny birds that defy imagination).

Well I apologize for the brevity of this blog, but I am experiencing the absolute worst virus infestation I have ever had on my main desktop. I lay awake at night thinking of dastardly things to do to those scurrilous dogs that develop these computer viruses.Of course being  the even tempered , kind and gentle soul that I am nothing shall ever cover of those ruminations, but "boy howdy" they should get their just deserts some day.





 

Information from Ohio State University  (Thank You Very Much)

• Form
  • medium-sized to large-sized shrub
  • maturing at about 8' tall by 8' wide or even larger (if never pruned) in its southern range, but often dying back close to the ground in most Winters in its northern range (and often achieving a 5' tall by 5' wide status by season's end)
  • upright rounded (but very open) growth habit
  • rapid growth rate
• Culture
  • full sun to partial sun
  • performs best in full sun in moist, well-drained, fertile soils, but is very adaptable to poor soils, dry soils, and soils of various pH, and is tolerant of heat, drought, and high humidity
  • propagated by seeds or rooted stem cuttings
  • Logania Family, with few diseases or pests of ornamental significance
  • abundantly available in container form
  • in northern climates and even in many southern climates, it looks and performs best if pruned back hard in early Spring for rejuvenation and vigor (it blooms on new wood), and also to lightly shear the vigorous new growth in mid-June (before the initial flowers emerge), to promote a more dense and compact form at flowering, instead of the open and gangly growth habit that will be evident by season's end
• Foliage
  • emerging late in Spring and maturing to medium green, gray-green, or dark green (depending upon cultivar); glabrous above, but white-tomentose beneath
  • leaves are opposite, ovate to lanceolate, serrated, with a short petiole and acuminate apex
  • fall color is green and holding late, then either abscising or remaining as semi-persistent green or brown foliage into the Winter
• Flowers
  
  • purple, light blue, lavender, reddish-lavendar, pink, white, or golden-yellow miniature flowers with orange throats occur densely along a cylindrical to narrow pyramidal, often nodding inflorescence at each stem tip, generally about 6" to 10" long
  • fragrant blooms occur heavily from July through August, and continue abundantly until frost if deadheading occurs (or sporadically if deadheading does not occur), and attracting many bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
• Fruits
  • compound fruiting stalk of two-valved capsules is not ornamental, but is a good Winter identification feature
  • best to dead-head the immature fruiting stalks throughout the Summer, to promote continuous flowering and prevent self-sowing
• ID Summary
  • foliage emerges late and has a silvery-white underside below the gray green, medium-green, or dark green uppersides of the lanceolate opposite leaves, with white tomentose stems that are sparsely branched, herbaceous to semi-woody, and give rise to elongated, narrow-pyramidal, slightly drooping, long inflorescences that are fragrant, generally in the cooler color range (with orange centers to the miniature flowers), and bloom all Summer and in early Autumn, attracting many bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies

USAGE

• Function
  • specimen flowering shrub that doubles as a butterfly/hummingbird attractant, often found in group plantings in island beds, at foundations, or at borders
• Texture
  • medium-bold in foliage/flower and when bare
  • open density in foliage/flower and when bare
• Assets
  • inflorescences are fragrant, attract many butterflies and hummingbirds, and occur from July until frost
  • vigorous growth responds well to early Spring rejuvenation pruning
  • flowering occurs on new wood (the current season's growth)
  • tolerant of heat, humidity, drought, and average or poor soils
• Liabilities
  • dies nearly to the ground almost every Winter in its northern range, needing annual pruning to remove the dead wood
  • marginally root-hardy in severe zone 5 Winters
  • may self-sow in exposed soils, especially in its southern range
• Habitat
  • zones 5 to 9
  • native to China

Translation

• • Buddleia is named after Reverend Adam Buddle of the 17th century.
  • davidii is named after Armand David, who discovered the shrub in China.
• Purpose
  • Butterfly Bush is the best Summer-long flowering shrub that is noted for both its showy fragrant inflorescences and their subsequent wildlife attraction.
• Summary
  • Buddleia davidii is known as a profuse Summer-flowering shrub whose fragrant flowers attract many butterflies and hummingbirds.