Popular with pollinators, Phlox is a wide-ranging North American native perennial and a common fixture in woodland, prairie, and meadow landscapes from Florida and Quebec to Alaska. Phlox is a genus with a multitude of species, heights, bloom times, and garden applications. A tubular flower with five petals is common with colors between white, pink, magenta, purple, and blue across the genus, as well as some species showing notable orange or red coloration. Through all of the diversity, Phlox can be loosely grouped into two types: spring bloomers and summer bloomers.
Spring Bloomers Phlox subulata (Creeping Phlox, Moss Pinks) and other early-spring blooming species are low-growing, ground-hugging plants. Typically native to rocky, well-drained environments, when put in a garden without restriction, they become carpets of color, tending to spread as ground covers. Summer Bloomers Most first think of Tall Garden Phlox, a clump-forming perennial that blooms in midsummer and is among the tallest of this species with perfectly formed large, rounded flower panicles that top each stem. Newer summer-blooming varieties tend to bloom a bit earlier, rebloom after the first flowers when trimmed back, have a more mounded shape and a stoloniferous habit. Gardening Tips:
Credit to https://ngb.org/year-of-the-phlox/ Contributed by: Vicki Gee-Treft
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Photos courtesy of MelindaMyers.com Guest Blog by Melinda Myers With everyone spending more time at home it is not surprising that individuals want to create peaceful oases to relax, meditate or entertain. They are using a combination of plants, decorative fences and screens or container plantings to provide the desired privacy. Arborvitaes have traditionally been used to create a wall of year-round greenery. What often happens is one or two plants die in the middle of the planting once they reach a substantial size. The fix is to leave the space empty, plant a much smaller plant that looks out of place or try squeezing in a larger transplant and risk damaging its neighbors. Help them avoid this problem by including a variety of unrelated plants. If a pest attacks, it is less likely to kill all the plants. And it will be easier to add new replacement plants to the mature planting. Plus, with a mix of plants you can add seasonal flowers, fall color, texture, and more diverse beauty. Narrow upright plants provide screening with a relatively small footprint. Trautman juniper is suited to hot dry locations and grows 12’ tall by 4’ wide. It is resistant to cedar apple rust and deer.
Year-round greenery is welcome but help boost the beauty and enjoyment of your landscape with plants that support pollinators, attract birds, and provide several seasons of beauty. The four-season Obelisk serviceberry grows 12-15’ tall and 3-4’ wide. Its white spring flowers are followed by purple fruit in June that you and the birds can eat. It ends the season in a blaze of color and once the leaves drop exposes smooth gray bark. A close relative, the chokeberries (Aronia) are also known for their multiple seasons of beauty. Lowscape Hedger® is upright three to five feet tall and just two to three feet wide. Like the others, it has white flowers in spring and great fall color. This adaptable plant grows in sun or part shade and tolerates wet or dry soil. Laced UP® elderberry has the foliage of black lace but is upright and narrow, growing six to eight feet tall and three to four feet wide. Its lacy purplish-black foliage makes a nice backdrop for the pink summer flowers, adding to its ornamental appeal. The narrow columnar apples make a good option for those interested in growing edible plants. Urban®, North Pole™ and Golden Sentinel™ apples are a few narrow upright varieties to consider. Plant two different varieties for fruit to form. A vine-covered trellis is an excellent screening option for narrow spaces. Consider growing two different vines like climbing roses or Major Wheeler honeysuckle with clematis to double the floral impact or extend the bloom time. Use an annual vine like hyacinth bean, Malabar spinach, scarlet runner bean or Solar Tower sweet potato vine the first year or two. They’ll provide quick cover while the perennials become established and cover the trellis. Dress up fences with plants. Shrubs, ornamental grasses, flowering perennials can soften the structure and add texture and color. Include pots of tropical plants to create a tropical paradise and annuals for added color. Espalier fruit and ornamental trees are a great way to add the fruiting or beauty of larger trees into a smaller space. These are options only for those willing and able to regularly prune to maintain the desired size and shape. Green wall planters mounted on the fence can add edibility or color at eye level. These typically have a very small volume of planting mix and require frequent watering. Irrigation systems that provide water from top to bottom greatly reduce maintenance and increase success. Make sure the plants selected thrive in the growing conditions and will fit the available space when mature. Less grooming, pest management and care will be needed to grow them into healthy and attractive specimens. Before placing any plant or structure in the ground, call 811 or file online at diggershotline.com at least three business days in advance. Diggers Hotline will contact all the appropriate companies who will mark the location of their underground utilities in the designated work area. This eliminates the danger and inconvenience of accidentally knocking out power, cable or other utilities while creating a beautiful landscape. Please remind others to do the same. Since this important step is often overlooked, April has been designated as National Safe Digging Month. It serves as a reminder to always contact Diggers Hotline whenever undertaking any landscape project, large or small. Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com. Asclepias tuberosa —Butterfly Weed, Rudbeckia hirta—Black-eyed Susan, Lupinus perennis —Wild Lupin, If having a pollinator garden is something you’ve often thought about, maybe this is the year to give it a try! Not only do these gardens attract pollinators, such as butterflies and bees, they include flowers that provide nectar throughout the seasons. And, as the season ends, the reward is your own “living birdseed” feeders. So, how do you get started?
Although a pollinator garden can be any size – even as small as a balcony or a tiny yard, key to success is reviewing the preferences of pollinators. As a general rule, pollinators prefer gardens that:
When designing the garden, analyze the property for things such as water drainage, soil types, sun light exposure and wind patterns. Pollinator gardens can create their own microclimate—areas with good southeastern exposure and spaces that are protected from prevailing winds. If your garden is going to be a border or up against a structure, arrange the tallest plants in the back, mid-size in the middle and short plants in the front of the bed. If you are planting an island style, set your taller plants in the middle, medium heights around the center and shorter plants at the edges. If not planting an informal, open field garden, consider plant placement. It is often best to use groupings of at least three of the same plant together. Odd numbers (1, 3, 5, etc.) tend to look better than even numbers. In addition, bee pollinators prefer to collect nectar/pollen from a single species of flower during each outing, so planting in masses ensures pollinators can practice “flower constancy.” Consider designing and planting your garden so that over time it will consist of a grouping of 3 to 7 plants of the same species. Now that the garden space has been designed, loosen the soil and amend with organic matter. Do not let your plants dry out! Water regularly until your bed becomes established. Other considerations for your Pollinator Garden include enhancing nesting opportunities for the pollinators and their families: preserve areas of bare or sparsely vegetated, well-drained soil; preserve dead or dying trees and shrubs; minimize mulch; consider nesting boxes; and maintain a nearby water source, such as a water garden or birdbath. Curious about which plants have proven to be a good fit in northwest Wisconsin? Download this fact sheet for more information about Lupinus perennis—Wild Lupin, Asclepias tuberosa —Butterfly Weed, Asclepias incarnata —Swamp Milkweed, Liatris spicata—Blazing Star Liatris, Rudbeckia hirta—Black-eyed Susan and Aster novae-angliae —New England Asters and more! Author: Kimberly Kayler
Kevin Schoessow, Area Agricultural Development Agent with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, takes you through the Teaching & Display Garden at the Spooner Ag Research Station in July 2021.
This week I encountered two instances of name confusion. One was Goats beard and the other Loosestrife. I was reminded to pay attention to botanical names because common names can be misleading. That would be the case in both these instances. And the consequences of confusing an invasive for a native plant can be dramatic. Goatsbeard - On the golf course this week near Hayward, Wisconsin I noticed a plant in the rough. I'm very familiar with what grows in the rough because I'm a frequent visitor. I took a few pictures and later researched the plant and identified it as Yellow goat's beard (Tragopogon dubius). This plant was introduced in the 1900's from Eurasia and likes disturbed ground but is not considered aggressive. And it looks nothing like our native Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) that is an attractive perennial plant suitable as a landscape plant. For more on these two plants, go to the University of Wisconsin Horticulture website. Yellow goat's beard (Tragopogon dubius) Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) Left: Yellow goat's beard (photo Sue Reinardy), right: Goatsbeard (photo from UW Extension website) Loosestrife - Whenever I read or hear Loosestrife I think "INVASIVE"! But learned differently when I came across a Facebook post with a picture of a plant that I have in my garden that I was having a hard time identifying. It was identified by reliable sources as Fringed Yellow Loosestrife (Lysmachia ciliata). The landscape plan that I inherited with the house identified this plant as 'Husker Red' which is a Penstemon - not at all the plant I was finding in the garden. There is a host of conflicting information in researching the Fringed Yellow Loosestrife. Some sources indicate that it is not related at all to the invasive Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). The botanical name confirms that. There is an aggressive Garden Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris) that is restricted in Wisconsin according to the DNR invasive species website. No such limits on the Fringed Yellow Loosestrife which is a North America native. It is fairly aggressive in my garden but easy to control. (For more information on these plants go to the websites below. Fringed Yellow Loosestrife (Lysmachia ciliata) (wildflower.org) Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) (UW Horticulture) Garden Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris) (DNR) It took a bit of research to confirm the identification of these plants. As you can see they look different and the effect they can have on our landscape is important to understand to avoid invasive plants and support natives.
The annuals and vegetables are showing growth and the Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary Garden (natives and perennials) is in full bloom. The gallery below shows what is in bloom as of July 1 and there were plenty of buds that will be blooming in the next few days. Please stop by when you are in the area for inspiration.
If you like daisies, this variety of perennial Shasta Daisy will wow you. A 2021 All-American Selections winner, the Sweet Daisy Birdy with 5-inch blooms of feathery pure white petals and golden centers, blooms earlier that other varieties and is a pollinator favorite. Use this medium height (18-24 inches) plant in planter containers, or in the garden as tall background or a garden highlight. Sturdy stems and contrasting dark green foliage make for a great cut flower as well!
The Sweet Daisy Birdy is available only as plants as yet. It is low maintenance, zone 3 hearty and is cold and heat tolerant. Plant in full sun, in well drained soil. Water as needed.
Article by Pam Davies MGV Photo Credit: All-America Selections The American Hosta Growers Associate 2021 Hosta of the Year is "Rainbow's End." "Rainbow's End" is a small plant (11" tall by 21" wide at maturity) that grows in mounds with pale purple flowers on red scapes in late summer. The leaves are variegated thick green with yellow centered that become white in the summer.
Judged by Association growers and gardeners, the criteria for selecting the Hosta of the Year includes suitability to all regions , availability and an affordable retail price of about $15.00. The AHGA is a trade organization for growers that fosters interest in Hosta culture through marketing and education. Membership is restricted to growers and nurseries that specialize in developing, propagating and selling hostas. Growers must be certified and inspected by their Sate Agriculture Department. Gardeners interested in Hostas should consider joining the American Hosta Society. Links for AHS and AHGA are listed below. http://www.americanhostasociety.org/ http://www.hostagrowers.org/Hosta_of_the_Year.html Article by Pam Davies, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Yes, a Hardy Hibiscus is capable of surviving temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees. [Not to be confused with a Shrub or Tropical Hibiscus plant (native to Asia), the Hardy Hibiscus are hybrids, primarily traced back to the native North America species Hibiscus moscheutos.
Hardy Hibiscus comes in shades of white, pink, red and yellow, with different eye patterns and streaking through the petals. Its leaf color also varies from green to bronze and near-black. Growing naturally in wetlands and along riverbanks throughout the Midwest and East Coast—even into Texas and Florida, this water-tolerant characteristic makes them perfect for areas of the garden that periodically flood or in rain gardens. The Hardy Hibiscus needs full sun and consistent watering. If in too much shade, its branches stretch and flop, while buds, flower performance and foliage colors decrease. If it loses its lowest leaves or aborts buds, you may need to up the water. Characteristically, the Hardy Hibiscus dies back to the ground each year and breaks dormancy later in the spring—even the end of May, depending on the year. Consider planting it with spring-blooming bulbs which will be out of bloom when the Hibiscus is ready to emerge. When planting a Hibiscus, be sure to give it plenty of space to grow. A mature plant can get 5-6′ wide and grow quickly during the year. If you take a week’s summer vacation, you’re likely to come back to a plant twice the size you left it! Submitted by: Vickie Gee-Treft, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Credit to https://ngb.org/year-of-the-hardy-hibiscus/
This year Monarda is one of the 2021 National Garden Bureau’s featured plants, and a great choice for your garden too!
A Native Species, Monarda has a long medicinal herbal history that Native tribes taught early settlers to utilize. Bee Balm, Monarda’s common name, I am certain came to be due to its ability soothe bee stings, other medicinal uses included treating chills and fever all information shared with early settlers from Native Americans. |
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