Heuchera Villosa

I have always loved "Coral Bells" or technically Heuchera, but they certainly have not loved me.  They would either slowly disappear, pop out of the ground each year, breaking apart when I would try to replace them in the ground.  Anyway, I stopped growing them for a number of years until I bought Heuchera Villosa Purpurea for a design under my Chanticleer Pear tree.  This certainly did not look like the Coral Bells I was used to growing.  The leaves were large, bronze colored and certainly not delicate.  They sent up very delicate (almost baby's breath-like) flowers that first year that lasted summer through fall.  Two of the four that I purchased thrived under the cover of the pear tree, and the other two which received a little more sun, I kept having to replace.  They were very expensive and only offered at a specialty nursery.

Then, two years ago, I was at Home Depot and I spotted a Heuchera that looked very similar to mine, but it said Heuchera Villosa Mocha.  I decided I would add these under the tree instead of replacing my original ones.  These new varieties will take more sun, they are much hardier than my original ones and the flowers are a variety of colors.  The leaves range from bronze, carmel, raspberry, black, brown, and multi-colored.  I am slowly adding them to my landscape because I keep thinking they may not come back.  But so far every one of the newer varieties has survived.  The best part is the price $5.99 to $7.99 per gallon pot at Home Depot not the $17.99 I was paying for my original plants.

All America Rose Winners

I guess by now, you know I love to have roses in my garden.  I do not have a "rose garden," but I do include them throughout my perennial garden.  I have heard that hybrid tea roses do not like to have competition too close to their roots, so most of my choices are shrub or floribunda roses.  So far I have not had any problems growing them among the perennials and annuals.

This year the winner is "Easy Does It," a floribunda that is disease resistant and is recommended for all climates.  It has been stated that it has been grown in zones 6 and above, but the growers feel that it will do well in zone 5 also with minimum protection.  I always put a little extra mulch on the crown of all of my roses in the fall, so I am willing to give this one a try.

Last year, I planted two of the winners, "Cinco de Mayo," (floribunda rose) and "Pink Promise," (hybrid tea).  I know, I said I don't do hybrid teas, but they came together.  Yes, I do mean they were sold as a set!  Where - at Costco.  Every year Costco has a huge display of Jackson and Perkins essentially bare root roses.  If you are not near a Costco, look at Home Depot, Wall Mart, etc., but they will probably only be found bare root under the Jackson and Perkins name.  They are a great buy (usually about $18.00 for two) and the secret is that this display usually includes the current All America Winners.  The problem is you may see them in March, and in zone 5 or less it is too early to plant them.  So, buy them, put them in a garage (preferably) or a cooler area in the basement.  If the weather cooperates in April, soak the bushes overnight (take all packing material away) and plant in a nice sized hole, mounding the dirt over the crown.  This can be removed when you see growth.  Fertilize lightly in May.

My Cinco de Mayo looked great planted amoung my perennials in part shade towards the front of the border.  I stuck Pink Promise in the back of my Becky Shasta Daisies, and it was a slow start but did peek out towards the end of the summer.  So, this year I'll have to find a place for Easy Does It, only if I get it as a bargain!

Ranting About the Knockout Rose

I didn't really plan on blogging about the Knockout Rose this morning.  But since it is the topic on The Garden Rant, on which I felt compelled to make a comment, I guess I should just deal with it now!

The introduction of the single red Knockout is now ten years old.  It has become one of the most popular landscape roses ever.  I planted eighteen single red Knockout roses a little over six years ago.  I will bet I have no more than four of the original left.  After the first year and a few losses, I asked a Jackson and Perkins rep that I met at a local plant show what was going on with the Knockout.  He stated that it was never meant to be totally hardy in Zone 5 and that I should replace them with the newly introduced double Knockout.  So, this is what I did.  As each original Knockout succcumbed I replaced it with a double.

Some I replaced with pink, or single yellow, or Rainbow Knockout.  Rainbow is a single, but it is the hardiest of all.  It begins as a pink, morphs into a combination of yellow pink and slowly fades to a pale pink.  It will bloom without being pruned, but I do prune it for looks.  The blooms stay on the bush until November.  I now have more Rainbow Knockouts woven through my landscape than the red single or double Knockout.

Confessions of a Magazine Junkie

I stopped at the local grocery store today on my way home from work.  Well, OMG, the first garden magazines have arrived!  There were only two in my local store, and I put both of them in my cart before looking at the price.  I got quite a shock when I saw that one was $8.00 and the other one $10.00.  I took another look at each one and settled for the more expensive one because it had a lot more to it as far as pages.  Not a great way to choose, but I didn't have time to go through the whole issue.

For many years I subscribed to several gardening magazines, bought at least two per week during the gardening seasons.  I probably would have bought them in the winter if they hadn't stopped publishing!  Finally, I said to myself, "this has to end!"  I wasn't really getting a lot of new ideas or learning about new plant introductions.  The internet could answer all of my questions, so I settled on one beautiful gardening magazine http://www.finegardening.com/ and was satisified up until today.

Dinner in the oven, I couldn't wait to sit down and begin perusing this lovely publication called Great Gardens Made Easy, http://www.gardengatespecials.com/  The sections really grabbed me with titles like retreats, privacy, what color can do, heat up your escape, living walls and natural inspirations.  There are so many subjects, I can't even share them all in this short blog.  I have to say, I think this one is a winner!  It has multiple plans, not that I have the space to implement one, and references many new plant introductions. 

I have not purchased a plant magazine as the grocery store in a few years.  I am starting to worry about a relapse!

Seed Starting Revisited

I went to my garden group workshop today, great lunch, much conversation about holidays, snow, warm up, etc.  Seed starting was not on anyone's lips today! 

Our instructor arrived from the University of Illinois Extension group with dirt, seeds, starting containers and brochures in hand.  She proceeded to beguile us with her stories of how easy it is to grow the most fabulous plants in your basement under lights.  Rattling off a comple list of requirements, sterile germination soil, seed trays with styrofoam planting pockets with trays, plastic greenhouse covers, moisture blankets, heating cables, labeling sticks, flourescent light fixtures with chains, seeds, our eyes and ears were totally engaged.  Someone came out of their hypnotic state to ask the instructor, "why would you do this?"  She answered understandbly that you would do this to grow unusual plants that are not readily available on the open market, but her real answer was that, "you do it for fun!"

I grew plants under lights for many years and ,WOW, I never realized all of the work it was until I heard this presentation.  Although, I do remember having to get a babysitter to water my plants went we went on spring vacation. 

I am into the natural approach to seed starting now, every seed I purchase will go right into the soil at the appropriate planting time.  I think I'm over the fun of seed starting, but my lights are still in the basement!