The chrysanthemum is a short-day plant. That means it will set buds only after the days begin to shorten. That, in turn, means its flowers will not be ordinarily mature until autumn. And this means that in many cases, frost will destroy the flowers or even prevent there from being any flowers at all. This … Read more
These days, when time seems so limited, many gardeners believe that starting and caring for a perennial garden is just about impossible. They look upon the perennial garden as something belonging to large estates of the past and heave a nostalgic sigh—perennials, with all their glorious colors, are not for them! However, it takes no … Read more
One of the most useful and most neglected of all summer-flowering bulbs is Ismene or hymenocallis, also known by the common names: Peruvian-daffodil Basket-flower Spider-lily It is spectacular in the garden, especially when planted in masses, and it is delightfully fragrant and always striking in an arrangement. The long-lasting, glossy, strap-like foliage adds a lush … Read more
I’ve often wondered why so many gardeners neglect balloon flowers. The only reason I’ve found is that you often find statements that they won’t do well in either stiff clay or light sandy soil. But, to my way of thinking, the sooner such warnings are discounted, the better. I can’t speak from experience regarding stiff … Read more
Cyrtanthus (ker-TAN-thus) is a flowering bulbous perennial belonging to the genus Cyrtanthus and the Amaryllidaceae (am-uh-ril-id-AY-see-ee) family, better known as the Amaryllis family. The genus Cyrtantus is also considered the Amaryllidaceae family’s largest genus. The botanical or genus name Cyrtanthus is derived from the Greek word ‘kyrtos,’ which means curved, and the word ‘anthos,’ meaning … Read more
There is a veritable gold mine of rich and varied color among the tender summer-flowering bulbs – a potential treasure of which the intelligent gardener will take full advantage. Most of these “bulbs” (the term is used herein in a general sense to include not only genuine bulbs but corms, tubers, tuberous roots, and rhizomes) … Read more
Growing in my garden for several years, an iris of good quality produced purple flowers with yellow-bearded falls. During the past season, most of the flower stalks of the plant also made flowers true to type. However, one of the rhizome branches had white flowers, tinged slightly with purple, and another one had flowers, each … Read more
Do you have trouble with geranium cuttings? I did when I first became interested in propagating this plant for winter bloom. I had read that the cuttings should be left lying about for several hours to allow the sap to drain before planting and that after planting, they should be kept “on the dry side.” … Read more
Each spring, many dahlia growers wonder how they can possibly keep up with the ever-increasing number of new dahlias offered each year. Growing all new varieties is out of the question for most of us. But we want to grow some of them, at least. How much can we get for what we can spend? … Read more
Manettia [man-ET-ee-uh], also known as the candy corn plant, is an evergreen perennial vine belonging to the genus Manettia and from the Rubiaceae family, also known as the Madder, Coffee, or Bedstraw family. It’s a distant relative of the coffee family, although it doesn’t have any resemblance at all. This herbaceous, perennial climber is native … Read more