1. Are the newer varieties with unusual colors more challenging to grow than the older ones? The newer varieties of Oriental poppies, including those of unusual colors, are, in general, more vigorous and more accessible to grow than most of the older introductions. However, probably none is as challenging and fool-proof as the old-time, orange-colored … Read more
I cannot recall any other genus of plants, except primula, that begins to match the iris in size and shape of flowers, range of colors, and adaptability to various garden uses. The bearded iris group is the most widely-grown, including tall, intermediate, and dwarf kinds. The less common oncocyclus and regalia groups are not well … Read more
My husband had been perfectly happy raising iris for his own pleasure for 10 years when a friend suggested that he enter the annual iris show. He didn’t take to the idea at all. He hadn’t even let me cut iris for the house unless a rain or wind storm had laid them flat, so … Read more
The modern bearded iris produces a bigger show of beauty in the St. Louis area for less effort and money than any other flower I know. While we would all like our gardens to be lavish with bloom from early spring to late fall, this dream is becoming more difficult each year in this area. … Read more
One thing a hybridizer must be is flexible. About thirty years ago, when starting my delphinium breeding, my idea was to follow the English method of selecting individual seedlings, which would then be propagated by cuttings and sold as named varieties. However, I had to revise my thinking as this method seemed to apply only … Read more
Glance out into the garden, down the path to the flower borders. Is your eye stopped by billowy mounds of pink, white, crimson, or rose—the grand show of peonies? This month this shrubby perennial, prized for its elegant flowers, enduring foliage, and incredibly long life, highlights many gardens. Years ago, when Paeonia Officinalis Rubra was … Read more
In the Northwest, over the last two decades, rhododendrons have become “everyman’s” shrubs. Gardeners in the Southwest are deprived of their beautiful flowers and the textural interest they create in the garden because they are not culturally suited to the area. The rhododendron family includes the azaleas (not treated here), and the species and named … Read more
The cultivation of the graceful water lily dates back to antiquity. Long valued florally, both the tuber and seeds of the waterlily have also been used for food. It was the favorite flower of one Chinese writer of the eleventh century, even though, since about 660 A. D., it had been fashionable to admire the … Read more
Few perennials are easy to grow and propagate or more varied in their colors and heights than the many kinds of hardy asters. Available in a wide color range, from white to many tints and shades of pink, rose, red, purple, violet, blue, and lavender, they range from six inches to six feet. In diameter, … Read more
The curious blood lily flower (Haemanthus), is a member of the Amaryllis family, and native to Africa. Most bulbous blood lily species are usually without foliage when flower spikes appear. They are little known to gardeners despite their spectacular bloom. Haemanthus katharinae originates from South Africa province of KwaZulu-Natal. It’s globular bright salmon-red flower clusters … Read more