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August/September Rambling Through The Garden
By Lew Whitney |
Here it is the last week in July and it looks as if I lost a month….no
July article. In addition to gardening for fun, I also do as much
sailing for fun in the summer months and Toby, my wife, Mandy, our
dog, and I have spent some wonderful weekends at Catalina, leaving
less time for writing and taking pictures.
If you receive our GardenLife newsletter via email, you might have
seen the little piece I did on Golden Hops. If you missed it, simply
click on this link and you will be connected.
www.rogersgardens.com/goldenhops
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Dahlias come in every imaginable color except true blue
This pink Dahlia is just plain gorgeous
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Summer’s most colorful flowers for sunny spots are
Dahlias. About 30 years ago on the banks of one of
those historic European rivers I saw a site I’ll
never forget: a large, old wooden faded blue fishing
skiff had been turned into a planter full of Dahlias
in full bloom. Today Dahlias are more beautiful than
ever with lots of new cultivars and a huge range of
sizes and flower shapes.
Some gardeners prefer to plant their Dahlias from
tuberous roots (bulb-like) in the spring, while others
prefer to wait until the summer when they can select
plants already in bloom.
Dahlias are easy to grow. Give them good, rich soil,
lots of sunshine and normal garden water. Keep cutting
the flowers and feed every two weeks for best results.
Dahlia tubers can be dug up after the season, dried out
and replanted next March.
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A cluster of Tuberous Begonias on my front steps.
I prefer the red and pink colors, but Tuberous Begonias
come in white, yellow, orange, apricot, and various
bi-colors as well.
This is called a picotee.
One huge flower close up.
One of scores of Tuberous Begonias at Casa Pacifica.
The trailing or basket form is ideal in hanging mossed baskets.
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What is my favorite shady flowering plant for summer?
When I was a teenager, nearly 50 years ago, there was
a small greenhouse grower on the Coast Highway in
Corona del Mar who specialized in Tuberous Begonias.
Every summer I would accompany my Mother to buy some
clay pots of fully grown Tuberous Begonias whose huge
flowers were nearly irresistible. Today the grower is
gone, but we carry on the tradition right here at
Rogers. You can buy Tuberous Begonias in clay pots in
full bloom.
Many dedicated gardeners, myself and our own grower
Toni Parsons included, start their summer crop from
the actual tubers starting back in March. You might
want to think about that for next year.
Tuberous Begonias, like many rewarding things, do
require a little extra work. They are happiest in
dappled sunshine and good air circulation. I grow
mine on my entry steps where they get morning sun and
an afternoon breeze. They need to be protected against
worms and mildew and they need to be groomed and fed
regularly (almost like pets!), but just take a look at
the pictures and see what flowers will result.
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A hanging basket featuring Non-Stop Begonias.
Non-Stop Begonias are available in for inch pots for easy planting.
Toni Parsons, Rogers Production Manager, shows off a basket of Non-Stop Begonias.
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In addition to the old fashioned Tuberous Begonias,
hybridizers in more recent years have developed a
strain of Begonias called “Non-Stops,” which have
smaller but more plentiful flowers. Non-Stops are
grown from seed, not tubers, so they are available
in four inch pots, and they do much better than
Tuberous Begonias as garden-planted (rather than in
containers) summer flowers. We plant Non-Stops in
both pots and hanging baskets, now ready for you in
full blooming instant color.
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Angelonia Blue (with flowers that look closer to purple for my eye.)
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In some earlier articles I have mentioned Angelonia,
particularly Angelonia Blue, as our favorite summer
annual this year. We have had simply terrific results
with these easy to grow, clean, long-lasting,
full-flowering plants. I expect them to last at least
through the warmer months of fall.
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Great balls of pink Hydrangeas.
Lace Cap Hydrangeas have flatter flowers that tranasition from bud to petal progressively.
Hydrangeas always stand out against a green background.
A mature Hydrangea bush in full bloom.
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Hydrangeas, those old-fashioned looking, huge
ball-headed flowers, are more popular than ever and
with good cause. They perform!! In full sun or partial
shade on the coast, partial shade inland, no permanent
shrub can compare with Hydrangeas for spectacular
summer flowers. Year after year the plants grow bigger
and the flowers bloom bolder. Colors range from snow
white through various tones of pink to red, mauve, and
over into naturally blue tones.
Hydrangeas need to be cut back and groomed mid-winter,
but they begin to re-grow immediately. We find that
they benefit from an application of gypsum in their
soil after cut back, especially where the natural soil
is clay.
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Artichokes evolve into flowers if we don’t eat them first.
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If you read some of my articles this past spring (and
you can revisit them by using the link at the top of
the page), you might recall the features on Artichokes
in which I pointed out that the fruit we eat is really
a flower in its early stages. The next picture shows
what an Artichoke does if it is not harvested.
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A big Brugmansia in bloom at Rogers Gardens.
Second Brugmansia at Rogers.
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Brugmansias (Angel’s Trumpet) in bloom will stop any
show. These semi-tropicals from South America thrive
in the warm months when they grow fast and flower much
with long, tubular, pendulous flowers in pure white,
peach or soft yellow. The plant will eventually grow
into a small tree or it can be shaped to maintain a
smaller size. There are two beautiful ones near the
upper registers at Rogers. They will sulk in the winter
months and should be protected from strong winds which
will tatter their soft leaves. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL
PARTS OF THIS PLANT ARE POISONOUS IF INGESTED. WE DO
NOT RECOMMEND PLANTING WHERE SAMLL CHILDREN PLAY.
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Hybrid Coleus come in all kinds of colors.
This Coleus is almost black.
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Not your Grandmother’s Coleus. I’m not sure why, but
Coleus plants used to be associated with little old
ladies. Over the past five years, Coleus, like so many
other plants, have undergone an amazing transformation
at the hands of the hybidizers. The result is bigger,
bolder, longer-lasting Coleus plants that we are
increasingly using for summer-fall color in place of
flowers. The colors in the leaves are startling
combinations of lime, chartreuse, pink, burgundy,
almost black and more. We have also been combining
hybrid Coleus with New Guinea Impatiens in swaths of
color. These hybrid Coleus also make great pot plants.
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Mandy keeps an eye on her Tuberous Begonias.
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Looks like it’s time to go sailing again. Thanks for
reading. You can e-mail me at
LewWhitney@rogersgardens.com.
Happy gardening.
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