Amelia Islander June 2010 : Page 35
in the garden blooming beauties New flowering plants make a colorful splash this year! BY BETTY MORRELL H ave you noticed the multitude of blooms on the azaleas? How about those beautiful Lady Banks roses this year? Everyone has enthused over the beauty of all the flowering bushes, plants, and trees this spring. A note for rose lovers: I have fallen in love with a new rose! It is called Iceberg and it comes in several colors. I particularly love the one that comes in shades of burgundy, with its heavenly scent. I have also seen this rose in some very pretty shades of pink. Growing to about three feet tall and three to four feet in diameter, these plants take full sun and bloom from spring to fall. They are cold-hardy to 10 degrees. The iceberg rose is good for beds, borders, and, of course, a nice big pot. If you acquire one of these beauties, be sure to dig a hole two times the width of the pot, then set the top of the root ball even with ground level. Fill the hole with water, gradually filling with dirt—using either planting soil or planting mix. Fill to the ground level and be sure to get all the air bubbles out by pushing your fingers down into the soil around the root ball. Fill in the TIP OF THE MONTH Roses do very well with a dose of Epsom salt. After cleaning the ground around your rose bushes, and before mulching, sprinkle a tablespoon of Epsom salt over the soil around the bush. holes with soil, and when you can’t leave any more finger holes, you then tamp the ground, water again, and add a layer of mulch. Check often for water until well established. Another wonderful new plant is the endless summer hydrangea that has recently arrived on the scene. It is called Twist-n-Shout, and it is an extraordinary new re-blooming lace-cap hydrangea. Whether in the garden or in containers, Twist-n-Shout delivers vibrant color and attractive foliage, displaying colorful blooms all season long. Because this hydrangea has the unique ability to bloom on both old and new growth, its blooms are perfect for cutting, giving you spectacular color indoors, with more blooms always on the way. Growing best in partial shade, they grow three to five feet in height and width. The periwinkle blooms in acidic soil, and the pink blooms in alkaline soil. If you want to change the color to blue, mix 1/4 ounce of aluminum sulphate and 1/4 ounce of iron with one gallon of water to acidify the soil and turn the flowers blue. You can apply up to two gallons of this solution each spring and fall. To encourage pink, add lime. Another new, hardy hydrangea is the Quick Fire, which has a pyramidal- shaped flower head. This plant loves full sun to part shade, and it blooms from late spring to fall. Quick fire can grow six to eight feet tall and about four feet wide. The gorgeous large, white pyramidal-shaped flower heads bloom in late spring. The color of the flower changes as summer passes, starting white then changing to pink and maturing to red. This great plant is easy to maintain and can be used as a specimen plant or for beautiful mass plantings. While I keep looking for exciting new plants, I wish you Happy Gardening! As always, if you have any questions, e-mail me at bamorrell@aol.com. 35 AMELIA ISLANDER MAGAZINE • JUNE 2010 www.AmeliaIslander.com
In The Garden Betty Recommends Some Beautiful New Blooming Plants For Your Garden.
Betty Morrell
Have you noticed the multitude of blooms on the azaleas? How about those beautiful Lady Banks roses this year? Everyone has enthused over the beauty of all the flowering bushes, plants, and trees this spring.<br /> <br /> A note for rose lovers: I have fallen in love with a new rose! It is called Iceberg and it comes in several colors. I particularly love the one that comes in shades of burgundy, with its heavenly scent. I have also seen this rose in some very pretty shades of pink. Growing to about three feet tall and three to four feet in diameter, these plants take full sun and bloom from spring to fall. They are cold-hardy to 10 degrees. The iceberg rose is good for beds,Borders, and, of course, a nice big pot.<br /> <br /> If you acquire one of these beauties, be sure to dig a hole two times the width of the pot, then set the top of the root ball even with ground level. Fill the hole with water, gradually filling with dirt—using either planting soil or planting mix. Fill to the ground level and be sure to get all the air bubbles out by pushing your fingers down into the soil around the root ball. Fill in theHoles with soil, and when you can’t leave any more finger holes, you then tamp the ground, water again, and add a layer of mulch. Check often for water until well established.<br /> <br /> Another wonderful new plant is the endless summer hydrangea that has recently arrived on the scene. It is called Twist-n-Shout, and it is an extraordinary new re-blooming lace-cap hydrangea.<br /> <br /> Whether in the garden or in containers, Twist-n-Shout delivers vibrant color and attractive foliage, displaying colorful blooms all season long.<br /> <br /> Because this hydrangea has the unique ability to bloom on both old and new growth, its blooms are perfect for cutting, giving you spectacular color indoors, with more blooms always on the way. Growing best in partial shade,They grow three to five feet in height and width. The periwinkle blooms in acidic soil, and the pink blooms in alkaline soil.<br /> <br /> If you want to change the color to blue, mix 1/4 ounce of aluminum sulphate and 1/4 ounce of iron with one gallon of water to acidify the soil and turn the flowers blue. You can apply up to two gallons of this solution each spring and fall. To encourage pink, add lime.<br /> <br /> Another new, hardy hydrangea is the Quick Fire, which has a pyramidalshaped flower head. This plant loves full sun to part shade, and it blooms from late spring to fall. Quick fire can grow six to eight feet tall and about four feet wide. The gorgeous large, white pyramidal-shaped flower heads bloom in late spring. The color of the flower changes as summer passes, starting white then changing to pink and maturing to red. This great plant is easy to maintain and can be used as a specimen plant or for beautiful mass plantings.<br /> <br /> While I keep looking for exciting new plants, I wish you Happy Gardening!<br /> <br /> As always, if you have any questions, e-mail me at bamorrell@aol.com.
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