PLANTS. Echium plantagineum. Description[edit] Echium plantagineum is a winter annual plant growing to 20–60 cm tall, with rough, hairy, lanceolate leaves up to 14 cm long. The flowers are purple, 15–20 mm long, with all the stamens protruding, and borne on a branched spike.[3][4] Invasive species[edit] In Adelaide, South Australia E. plantagineum has become an invasive species in Australia, where it is also known as Salvation Jane (particularly in South Australia), blueweed, Lady Campbell weed, and Riverina bluebell.
In the United States the species has become naturalised in parts of California, Oregon, and some eastern states and areas such as northern Michigan.[5] In Oregon it has been declared a noxious weed.[6] Medical research[edit] In a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (part of the National Institutes of Health in the United States), the seeds were found to lower triglycerides.
Cosmetics[edit] Toxicity[edit] References[edit] Care And Grow GloryBower∼Clerodendrum. Clerodendrum is a group of several species and cultivars that are enjoyed by beneficial insects and humans alike. Most are subtropical evergreens from the family verbenaceae. Some are vining, others are large shrubs or small trees. All have lovely deep green leaves, and delicate showers of flowers that call to the insects that pollinate them. I keep several different species of clerodendrum, and every one of them lived through light frosts we have here.
Temperatures have dropped to 27° and not one died. One of my favorites is clerodendrum trichotomum. C. trichotomum is orignally from Asia, and thrives on low mountain slopes and canopy covered edges of forests. After it flowers, the flowers then fall off, and turn to berries. Clerodendrum trichotmum can grow into a tree, as high as 50 feet, but usually heights of 20 feet or so are more common. Occasionally they will suffer from an iron deficiency. If placed in the ground, use the fertilizer spikes, fruit and nut type, twice a year. Canna. Cannas are vibrant tender perennials that produce bold leaves and showy flowers in shades of red, orange, yellows and pinks. It is a useful summer bedding plant for both containers and borders, but does well in cool conservatories in summer. Cultivation notes Cannas can be grown in borders or containers. They are grown from rhizomes (underground stems), which you will find for sale in late winter in bags of shredded paper, or sold loose.
Cannas are easy to grow from rhizomes, but you can also buy plants over the summer. They are tender plants, but in warmer parts of the UK you can leave the rhizomes in the ground with a covering of mulch. Starting off rhizomes Start rhizomes off into growth in March by planting in 20cm (8in) pots using multi-purpose compost. Planting in borders and containers Move the plants to a cool greenhouse in mid-April and gradually harden off before planting out at the end of May (or when the last frosts have past). Plant about 75cm (30in) apart, 10cm (4in) deep. C. Geum National Collection. Nigella damascena - Growing Love-in-a-Mist in Your Garden. Overview: Nigella earns its common name of Love-in-a-Mist with a tangle of ferny, fennel like foliage that form a mist around the flowers. I'm not sure why anyone would call Nigella Devil in the Bush. Nigella flowers start off as interesting puffs, open into rich toned, straw-flower like blossoms and change into equally attractive seed pods.
Latin Name: Nigella damascena Common Name: Nigella, Love-in-a-Mist, Devil in the Bush, Persian Jewels USDA Hardiness Zone: Annual. Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade Mature Size: H: 15" (30-40 cm) x W: 3-6" (7-15 cm) Bloom Period: Late Spring through Fall. Description: Once you see Nigella in bloom, you will always recognize it by its unique mist of airy bracts and foliage. FYI - Nigella seeds, sometimes called Black Cumin, are from a related plant, Nigella sativa . Design Suggestions: Nigella is a wonderful cottage garden plant and a great filler. Suggested Varieties: Growing Tips: Nigella does not like being transplanted and does best if direct seeded outdoors. AMARYLLIS: YEAR-ROUND CARE. A popular indoor plant in the winter and spring is the amaryllis, with large lily-shaped flowers on tall stems. They are becoming a popular holiday gift. As a bulb, it shares some care and growth methods used with other bulbs. However, because of its background as a tropical plant, and bloom cycle, there are differences.
The bulb is NOT winter hardy in upstate NY, so would not survive planted outdoors, as would tulips, daffodils, etc. The bulb does not require pre-cooling to be forced, as do daffodils and tulips. Pot the bulb with good, sterile planting medium so that the top third of the bulb (including its 'neck') is above the soil. Leave some room between the bulb and the inside of the pot so that a support stick can be placed down through the dirt to support the stem at a later time. Begin the forcing process 6-8 weeks before bloom is desired. Overwatering at the beginning of amaryllis growth is the main reason for failure.
Keep the plant at room temperature. Camellia. Description[edit] The various species of camellia plants are generally well-adapted to acidic soils rich in humus, and most species do not grow well on chalky soil or other calcium-rich soils. Most species of camellias also require a large amount of water, either from natural rainfall or from irrigation, and the plants will not tolerate droughts. However, some of the more unusual camellias – typically species from karst soils in Vietnam – can grow without too much water. Camellia plants usually have a rapid growth rate. Typically they will grow about 30 cm per year until mature – though this does vary depending on their variety and geographical location. Camellia plants are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species; see List of Lepidoptera that feed on Camellia.
Use by humans[edit] Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, is of major commercial importance because tea is made from its leaves. Ecology[edit] Garden history[edit] Modern cultivars[edit] Selected species[edit] Lily of the Valley. Convallaria majalis /ˌkɒnvəˈlɛəriə məˈdʒeɪlɨs/,[1] commonly known as the Lily of the Valley, is a sweetly scented (and highly poisonous) woodland flowering plant that is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe and in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States.
Description[edit] 19th-century illustration C. majalis is a herbaceous perennial plant that forms extensive colonies by spreading underground stems called rhizomes. New upright shoots are formed at the ends of stolons in summer,[5] these upright dormant stems are often called pips.[6] These grow in the spring into new leafy shoots that still remain connected to the other shoots under ground, often forming extensive colonies. The stems grow to 15–30 cm tall, with one or two leaves 10–25 cm long, flowering stems have two leaves and a raceme of 5–15 flowers on the stem apex. Taxonomy[edit] Convallaria majalis var. rosea Garden use[edit] Double-flowered Convallaria majalis Christian legend[edit] Zinnias: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Zinnia Flowers. Picture of a zinnia from my garden Credit: Tammy Wilson Botanical name: Zinnia elegans Plant type: Flower USDA Hardiness Zones: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Sun exposure: Full Sun Soil type: Any, Sandy, Loamy Flower color: Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Purple, White, Multicolor Bloom time: Summer Get a zing from zinnias!
Zinnias are one of the easiest annuals to grow, grow quickly, and bloom heavily. Zinnias have bright, solitary, daisy-like flowerheads on a single, erect stem. Use in an annual or mixed border. Zinnias are very popular for cut flowers. Planting Zinnias are grown from seed; they grow very quickly in the right conditions. Care Deadhead to prolong flowering. Pests Bacterial and fungal spots, powdery mildew, bacterial wilt. Caterpillars, mealybugs, and spider mites also cause problems. Harvest/Storage Zinnias generally take 60 to 70 days from seed to flower (though it depends on conditions). Recommended Varieties Get a full-size flower on a compact plant with cultivars of the 'Dreamland Series.'
RHS Plant Selector Campanula carpatica AGM. Azalea. Rhododendron 'Hinodegiri' Azaleas /əˈzeɪliə/ are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron: the Tsutsuji (evergreen) and Pentanthera (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in summer, their flowers often lasting several weeks. Shade tolerant, they prefer living near or under trees. Cultivation[edit] Fifty-year-old Azalea A George Taber azalea Plant enthusiasts have selectively bred azaleas for hundreds of years. Azaleas are generally slow-growing and do best in well-drained acidic soil (4.5–6.0 pH).[1] Fertilizer needs are low; some species need regular pruning. Azaleas are native to several continents including Asia, Europe and North America. According to azalea historian Fred Galle, in the United States, Azalea indica (in this case, the group of plants called Southern indicas) was first introduced to the outdoor landscape in the 1830s at the rice plantation Magnolia-on-the-Ashley in Charleston, South Carolina.
Disease[edit] Cultural significance and symbolism[edit] Verbena. Description[edit] The leaves are usually opposite, simple, and in many species hairy, often densely so. The flowers are small, with five petals, and borne in dense spikes. Typically some shade of blue, they may also be white, pink, or purple, especially in cultivars.
Cultivation[edit] They are valued in butterfly gardening in suitable climates, attracting Lepidoptera such as the Hummingbird hawk-moth, Chocolate albatross, or the Pipevine swallowtail, and also hummingbirds, especially V. officinalis, which is also grown as a honey plant. The hybrid cultivars 'Silver Anne'[6] and 'Sissinghurst'[7] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Pests and diseases[edit] For some verbena pathogens, see List of verbena diseases. Other uses[edit] Verbena has longstanding use in herbalism and folk medicine, usually as an herbal tea. The essential oil of various species - mainly common vervain - is traded as Spanish verbena oil.
Verbena in culture[edit] Selected species[edit]
Sunflower. The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence (flowering head), and its name is derived from the flower's shape and image, which is often used to capture the sun. The plant has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves, and circular flower heads. The heads consist of many individual flowers which mature into seeds, often in the hundreds, on a receptacle base. From the Americas, sunflower seeds were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient.
Leaves of the sunflower can be used as cattle feed, while the stems contain a fibre which may be used in paper production. Structure[edit] The root of a sunflower reflects its characteristic of being a member of the class of flowers known as a dicot, or dicotyledons. The stem of a sunflower grows from the plume found inside the seed. Description[edit] Mathematical model of floret arrangement[edit] Balloon Flower (Chinese Bellflower) Platycodon grandiflorus This heavy bloomer gets its name from the way each flower bud swells before its starry petals unfold. Balloon flowers are one of the easiest perennials you'll ever grow, and they bloom in profusion in mid to late summer, when many other perennials are beginning to fade.
The upward-facing flowers bloom throughout the summer and into early fall in shades of blue, pink and white. The plants form a low, neat mound and bear 2- to 3-inch cuplike blossoms accented with delicate purple veins and yellow stamens. Balloon flowers grow in Zones 3-8. Be careful when weeding the garden in spring. Start new plants from seeds in spring, just after the last winter frost, or summer, up to 2 months before the first fall frost.
Plants are difficult to divide, but cuttings can be taken in late spring. Clumps of balloon flowers are very well behaved in the perennial garden - they don't spread and never crowd their neighbors. Yorkshire Lavender - growing lavender tips & ideas. Lavender is an easy plant to grow. The following tips should hopefully get the best out of your lavender. If you have anymore questions about lavender, then please do get in touch. When to water my lavender? Once planted in the ground, you should water your lavender plant for the first couple of weeks until it is established. After then, there should be no need to water your lavender as they are very drought tolerant. If you have a lavender in a pot then you will need to water them frequently during the summer months.
What is the best soil for my lavender? Generally the poorer the soil the better. Where is best to plant my lavender? You want to plant your lavender in full sun or where it will get the sun for the majority of the day. When to cut back my lavender? Cosmos: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Cosmos. Skip to main content No thanks, I like rainy picnics and parades. Will it rain on your summer plans? Newly released! Free Almanac forecasts for all 3 months of summer—and fall, too! Claim your FREE Almanac weather predictions now! You will also be subscribed to our Almanac Companion Newsletter We will never share your email without your permission. You will only receive email and newsletters from Almanac.com. Feed Feedly My Yahoo FeedBlitz AOL Reader The Old Reader Agregator Bitty Browser Preview Daily Rotation Feed Mailer FeedBucket iTunes Miro Netvibes NewsAlloy NewsIsFree Outlook PodNova Protopage News Feeds Symbaloo Bookmarks The Free Dictionary The Free Library WINKsite AddToAny.
Mirabilis jalapa. Flowers and color[edit] A curious aspect of this plant is that flowers with both different colors can be found simultaneously on the same plant. Different color variation in the flower and different color flowers in same plant. Variegated flower on a four o'clock plant. Naturally occurring color variation on four o'clock flowers. A four o'clock plant in full bloom. The flowers usually open from late afternoon onwards, hence the first of its common names. Despite their appearance, the flowers are not formed from petals – rather they are a pigmented modification of the calyx. The flowers are pollinated by long-tongued moths of the Sphingidae family, such as the sphinx moths or hawk moths and other nocturnal pollinators attracted by the fragrance.[3] Common names[edit] In Pakistan it is called "Gul Adnan" (Urdu: گل عدنان), "Gul-e-Abbas" (Urdu: گل عباس).
Habitat and cultivation[edit] Genetic studies[edit] Seed Chemistry[edit] Uses[edit] The flowers are used in food colouring. References[edit] Kudzu. Solanaceae. Clematis. Primula. The Genus Helleborus. Camellia. Glaucium flavum. Meconopsis. Fritillaria. How to grow fritillaries.