Tropicals In Your Garden

Another trend noted at the Chicago Flower And Garden Show is the use of TROPICALS throughout the garden and in containers.

Elephant Ear

Along with tropicals go a variety of water features, ponds, container fountains and even walls of water.

This floating island of plants was eye catching but not very practical, looks like juniper, marigolds and snapdragons with stones encircling it.  I am not sure how they did this.

This is a wall of lighted water showers.

I am not sure where this dry ice effect is coming from!

Many of the plantings being used outside, we think of as houseplants.  This is a fern I have in my dining room (Bird's Nest).

Rex Begonias are old fashioned houseplants in my zone.

Rex Begonia

They do look beautiful in the outdoor landscape.

It does make sense that intense colors are back in the garden palette if tropicals are being used in just about every area.

Lots of Scheffleras to give height, Crotons and Algerian Ivy

Be careful how you combine your tropicals, some love full sun like the Crotons, sun coleus and ivy will work, but the Schefflera may burn.

Calla Lily, Rieger Begonias and Tulip and muscari, not plants that bloom at the same time, but I think you get the idea.  Use unusual combinations and create height.  Rieger Begonias will sun scorch.

Kale with Algerian Ivy

I use this ivy each year, when I can find it, beautiful all summer long.  It is expensive and also comes in a not as interesting solid green.

I grew Crotons and some succulents in my south side containers.  They require at least fifty degrees at night to survive and thrive.  They did hold up in the heat and I have wintered them over inside my house.  Tropicals are expensive but with more popularity they may come down in price for the consumer market.

Dracena, Mums, Rieger Begonia and Croton

Orchids in Containers

Orchids in Baskets

Do you recognize that spiller houseplant?

Succulents, Heuchera, Kale and Tulips

This would work if you stuck in a pot of later blooming tulips.

What I did notice is that the majority of containers used for the show had a lot of height and not width, closer to eye level so you did not have to look down to observe the plantings.

Succulents were used extensively in the window boxes on display.  This is a good idea since it is difficult to keep the windows boxes and hanging baskets irrigated during the summer heat.

Tropicals in outdoor window boxes

Bromeliads in garden beds

Succulents in garden beds

A Potting Party for charity with a variety of tropicals

Well, I think we get the message that what was inside will be outside this season, but the garden show is always state of the art in trends.  It doesn't mean we have to fill our gardens with tropical plants but it is kind of fun to try out a few of them, especially if we have the heat of last summer.

Take an idea and have fun!

The Ultimate Gardening Experience

I was able to secure a press pass as a garden writer/blogger to the Chicago Flower And Garden Show at Navy Pier.  The day was cloudy, with little snow flurries whirling for the early morning trip downtown.

Lake Shore Drive Chicago

Parking was filling up quickly and the show had not even opened yet.  I was allowed to go into the show before the public and there were only a few people milling around taking photos and videos.

It was a tulip extravaganza, tulips I never heard of before and so exciting to see them close up rather than in a catalog.  Labeling is so important when displaying plantings.  I will definitely be keeping a list of the bulbs for  ordering during the summer.

Tulip Cape Town

Daffodil Great Expectations

The show was quite open this year with plenty of walking room between the displays but lots of retail booths towards the back of the show.  Many were garden and plant related but some were not, like wall switch cover plates.

Branches in planters define one of the pathways.

Coral Gerbera Daisy

Yellow Gerbera Daisy

La Bella Snapdragon

I think it is evident that one trend this year is INTENSE COLOR!

Cutting It Up In The Garden

I received a very generous gift certificate from my family some months ago to use at one of my favorite garden centers.  It was too late in the season to use it so every once in awhile I would look at it in my wallet and think soon, soon!

Well, the other day, I decided to do a little pre-season shopping.  I bought the large bag of Espoma Organic fertilizer, a general garden fertilizer that I broadcast throughout the beds each spring.  I also treated myself to some Felco pruning shears which I sure hope I don't lose in the garden.

I am ready to begin pruning the roses, looks like the rabbits have done this for me on some of them.  The Meidilands really grow tall with curved branches during the summer and need to be shaped or they would take over the pathway.  I made the cuts on a 45 degree angle facing outward from the center about 1/4" above a node, cut stems aways from the middle of the rose and thin out all of the spindly stems, leaving some strong canes.  Also, cut out all of the dead canes to the ground.

This is a new product that I found at Costco.  I have used Bayer for many years but this is the first year that their product has advertised its use against Japanese Beetles.  It is about double the price of their other systemic rose care but if it works it is worth it!  Right now I have one blooming season for my roses, June, and then the Japanese Beetles hit.

Pink Miediland Rose

Pink Meidiland Rose

The Knockouts and Rainbow Knockouts really become very bushy during the season but rebound quickly with a severe haircut.  You can leave them with minimal pruning because they are shrub roses, but on my property, they will quickly get out of bounds.  It is also helpful to open up the middle for air circulation and to let in light for more blooms.

Rainbow Knockout Rose

Rainbow Knockout Pruned

There are only two Rainbow Knockouts planted by the shed but they become very large and fill the space.

Knockout Rose

I can finally get to my Type III Clematis, cutting them about six inches above the soil.  Then comes the job of taking down all of the old growth wound tightly around the trellis.  Cut the vines in small sections and they come off very easily without pulling down the whole trellis.

Rouge Cardinal

Rouge Cardinal Clematis

I was able to remove the Christmas greens from the hayracks and underneath the greens I found a surprise!

These are the pansies I left underneath the greens in the fall.  They look great, but I have no idea if they will survive into the spring.  I covered them up with a few loose greens, so we'll see.

It's time to trim my Limelight and Unique Hydrangeas, leaving a three foot semi-circle frame around Limelight (gives support to the stems during the growing season) and 24" of stems on the Unique.

Limelight Hydrangea

Limelight

Cut down to about three feet in a semi-circle with all inner thin and dead branches cut out.

Limelight Hydrangea

It produces a very full rounded shape when trimmed in this manner.

Unique Hydrangea

I had cut this down in the fall, which doesn't matter because it blooms on new wood, but I will be cutting out those thin branches.

Unique Hydrangea

Even with cutting down to about two feet it grows to about seven feet by July.

This is only the beginning, lots more trimming to do!

Join Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday.