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Nandina Blowout
October 22, 2011Canna Lily ‘Australia’
July 18, 2011
Canna generalis ‘Australia’ Patent: PP# 21391
USDA Zones: 8-11
Size: 5-6′ H x 1-2′ W
Light: Full Sun to Half-Day Sun
Bloom Color: Orange-Red
Bloom Time: Summer and Fall
Foliage Color: Deep Maroon/Burgundy
We’ve grown a lot of purple-foliaged cannas over the years, but nothing like this. The deep burgundy-black foliage of ‘Australia’ is the darkest and most exotic we’ve ever seen. To top things off a magnificent display of shocking orange-red flowers rise above the 4-5′ foliage….a true stunner and hummingbord magnet!
The large lustrous leaves have a satin-like sheen and the intense deep color holds superbly during the summer heat, making it a wonderfully flamboyant and tropical addition to any garden. Plant it in garden beds or as a centerpiece in container gardens.
Foliage – Large leaves with the deepest burgundy foliage color of any canna.
Flowers – We’ve seen many websites on the internet that say the flowers of Australia are red, but the one’s in our garden are more of an intense orange-red.
Pests and Diseases – No problems with pest’s or disease have been observed so far. We haven’t seen any problem with leaf rollers on this variety of canna.
Companions – The deep burgundy foliage of this canna combines with almost too many plants to name. Almost any other color or texture goes with it.
Wilson Bros. Performance Rating: 9 out of 10
We give it a 9 because, as with other plants we don’t have long term experience with, we just can’t say how hardy it is in our zone. We’ve planted some in our trial gardens and will be sure to let you know next year if it survived the winter here in Zone 8a. Otherwise, based on color and single-season performance alone, we’d give it a WHOPPING 10! Even if this plant doesn’t come back in your hardiness zone, it’s well worth using as an annual for tropical effect in garden beds or container gardens.
Use Australia Canna anywhere in the sunny to partially shaded landscape where you want an outstanding tropical effect. Makes a great background and adds bold texture in annual flower beds or perennial gardens. Also useful as a centerpiece in large container gardens. Great around swimming pools, ponds or other bodies of water.
General Culture
As with other cannas, Australia prefers soil that stays consistently damp or moist. It’s not too fussy about soil type or pH.
Other Tips
Canna lilies, like many other lilies, will multiply every year to form a patch. They can be divided every few years and transplanted to other areas in the landscape or garden.
SEE: Plant File for Canna Lily ‘Australia’ on Gardenality.com
Flirt and other varieties of Nandina are now in stock at GardenerDirect.com
If you would like to have these or other plants we offer shipped to your location by mail contact Spencer Young at spencer@gardenerdirect.com or go to GardenerDirect.com
How To Attract Hummingbirds
July 18, 2011
What is the best way to attract hummingbirds?
You can always attract hummingbirds with a feeder, but the best way to attract hummingbirds is the natural way: by planting plants that produce brightly flowered colors. But bright color isn’t everything. Keep in mind that hummingbirds prefer easy-access flowers that are rich in nectar. These are usually tubular flowers that allow their long, needle-like bills to fit inside these tubes. Thus, their tongues can easily lap up the sweet nectar found deep inside the flower tubes.
What types of plants should I plant in my hummingbird garden?
Well, that depends on the size of your garden. If you’ve got a large space, and are creating your hummingbird garden from scratch, you should consider planting a mix of perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, and vines. The shrubs and trees provide shelter and a place to rest. Some perennials take several years to fully mature and create a bumper crop of flowers, so plant a variety of annuals as fillers the first year.
Well, that depends on the size of your garden. If you’ve got a large space, and are creating your hummingbird garden from scratch, you should consider planting a mix of perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, and vines. The shrubs and trees provide shelter and a place to rest. Some perennials take several years to fully mature and create a bumper crop of flowers, so plant a variety of annuals as fillers the first year.
If space is limited, you can grow plants in containers that are placed up on decks, patios or porches for up-close viewing of the hummingbirds as they buzz around and feed. Don’t be surprised if one of these little hummers fligh right up to you to say “hi!” They love people.
What flowering plants do hummingbirds like best?
There are hundreds or thousands of plant varieties that will attract hummingbirds, but through years of observation and taking notes, here’s a list of one’s we’ve found to be most liked by hummingbirds in the Southeast. Plant some or all of these in your garden and you’ll be sure to have some very happy hummingbirds buzzing aorund and feeding all season!
Annual Plants
Cleome > (Will reseed where happy)
Impatiens >
Lantanas >
Pentas >
Petunias >
Salvias >
Perennial Plants
Bee Balm – Monarda >
Blue Anise Sage – Salvia guaranitica (all varieties) >
Butterfly Bush – Buddleia (all varieties) >
Canna Lilies >
Hummingbird Plant – Diclipera suberecta >
Lantanas – Lantana camara >
Pineapple Sage – Salvia elegans >
Texas Sage – Salvia greggii (all varieties) >
Flowering Vines
Trumpet Vine ‘Madame Galen’ – Campsis tagliabuana >
Honeysuckle – Lonicera >
Shrubs
Encore Azaleas – Rhododendron hybrid (Blooms Spring, Summer & Fall) >
Tropicals
Bird of Paradise >
Fuchsia >
Hibiscus >
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PLANT OF THE WEEK
July 13, 2011
‘Flirt’ Dwarf NandinaNandina domestica ‘Murasaki’ Patent: PP# 21391
USDA Zones: 6-10
Size: 1-2′ H x 2′ W
Light: Full Sun or Morning Sun w/ Afternoon Shade
Bloom: White
Bloom Time: Spring
Berries: Red in Fall/Winter
A new introduction dwarf nandina that is a visually striking improvement on Harbour Dwarf nandina, Flirt Nandina holds its red foliage through fall, winter, and spring. In the summer, the red new growth is vividly framed by rich green foliage. We’re not absolutely sure but think Flirt, like it’s cousin Harbour Dwarf, will produce white flowers in spring followed by a crop of red berries. Even if it doesn’t flower, the year round red foliage is quite enough!
Flowers – We’re not absolutely sure but think that Flirt, like it’s cousin Harbour Dwarf, will produce panicles of white flowers that rise above the red foliage in spring. Even if it doesn’t flower, the year round red foliage is quite enough!
Berries– Red berries follow the white blooms.
Pests and Diseases – No problems with pest’s or disease have been observed so far.
Companions – Combines nicely with junipers, ornamental grasses, small-leaf hollies such as dwarf yaupon and Soft Touch Holly, dwarf abelias, and many low-growing perennial groundcovers such as ice plants, sedums, creeping jenny, and Blue Star Creeper.
GardenerDirect.com Performance Rating: 9 out of 10
The only reason we can’t give this plant a 10 is because it’s a brand new introduction that has only been planted and growing in our trial gardens for about a year or so. If the plant continues to do as it has over the past year for the next year, you’ll see us score it a 10. The plants we have growing in our trial gardens now are doing great. The ones we have planted in full sun produce brighter red foliage than the ones growing in shade, but this could be due to soil? We’re not sure, yet.
Uses
Because of it’s low growth habit and evergreen – or should we say ever-red foliage? – Flirt Nandina is perfect as a colorful border in sunny to partly shaded landscape beds or planted in mass as a groundcover. We like using dwarf nandinas in mass under the canopy of large trees where not mulch else will grow.
NOTE: In image to right, Flirt Dwarf Nandina is in the foreground with Obsession Nandina in the background. Obsesion grows to about 3 to 4 feet in height.
General Culture
Best grown in semi-loose to loose well-drained soils in locations that provide full sun or morning sun with some afternoon shade. Nandina do not like wet feet!
Other Tips
Plant in well-drained soils and do not over-water this plant. When established, nandina is very drought tolerant.
SEE: Plant File for Flirt™ Dwarf Nandina on Gardenality.com
Flirt and other varieties of Nandina are now in stock at GardenerDirect.com
If you would like to have these or other plants we offer shipped to your location go to GardenerDirect.com
Dying Vegetable Plants
July 13, 2011Not sure if this can be considered a tip, but we’ve been hearing from quite a few folks that are having trouble with some of the plants in their vegetable gardens suddenly wilting, then turning black and dying. We’re not really sure what’s causing this problem because in most of the cases there are no bugs present doing the damage and folks are insisting they’re not over watering.
But, that being said, we think it might be over watering. Not that if you’re having this problem it’s you who’s doing the over watering, it might be Mother Nature doing it? We’ve had quite a bit of rain this summer, enough to keep soil in some gardens saturated for prolonged periods of time. This can cause root-rot problems underground that eventually show up above ground. This is what we think the problem is.
Then again, it could be some kind of blight? We’re just not sure. If anybody is aware of a blight, do let us know and we’ll post the information in next weeks newsletter.
What we do know is that in our own home vegetable gardens, this problem is not occuring. Our gardens are raised bed gardens in which the plants are growing in humus-rich, but well-drained soil. Many of the reports coming in about the dying plants are from those who are growing vegetables in a non-raised bed “conventional garden.”
So, we think the problem has to do with soil drainage. Even if it’s a blight, the blight was brought on by over-saturated soil. But we could be wrong. Let us know if you think we are and tell us what you think here.
Have a landscape or garden related question?
July 13, 2011No matter what your gardening question, there is most likely someone in Gardenality that knows the answer!
Gardenality connects gardeners around the world through an easy way to ask and answer questions.
Every answer is rated by members and quickly allows the best answer to surface. You can ask as many questions as you want, all 100% free. You can even upload pictures to your question if a thousand words just won’t cut it!
Know gardening?
Share your gardening knowledge with the world and help your neighbors garden too! If you know alot about gardening, or a specific field of gardening, Gardenality needs you. Gardenality members are asking questions every day that need answers.
Use the following links to learn more about Gardenality:
Gardenality Links: Wilson Bros Nursery I Plant Search I Articles I Gardens I Ask Experts I Quizzes I Profiles
GARDENALITY TIP
July 13, 2011
Show Off Your Flower Pics and Win Cash!
Uploading your plant pictures to Plant Files in Gardenality.com
Got some nice plants and flowers growing in your yard? Well, now it’s time to take some pictures of them and upload them to a Plant File in Gardenality.com where other members can view and rate them! Click here to learn how to upload a picture to a Gardenality Plant File.
Win Cash!
Soon Gardenality will start a Best Picture Contest in which the owner of the highest rated picture each month will win a cash prize or gift certicate to GardenerDirect.com!
So keep your camera handy and ready to get some pictures of your plants when they’re looking best or in peak bloom.
What if there is no Plant File for the picture I want to upload?
First, start by searching the Plant Files in Gardenality to find out whether or not the plant you have a picture for exists in the Plant Database. To do this, simply type in part of the common name of the plant in the search box in the header at the top of any page in Gardenality (shown in the picture below).
For example: If you are looking for a plant with the common name ‘Stella De Oro’ Daylily, just type “Stella” or “Daylily” in the search and then click on the green button with the magnifying glass. If you type ‘Stella’ you will be shown all plants with the word “Stella” in the name. If you type “Daylily” you will be shown all of the Daylily plants that exist in the Gardenality Plant Database.
How Do I Upload A Picture To A Plant File?
Uploading a picture of a plant to a Gardenality Plant File is pretty easy.
1 – When at a Plant File in Gardenality, look for the link that says “View / Upload Pictures” as seen in picture to left. Click on this link to open the picture uploader.
2 – When at the picture uploader, put a check in the box beside “I have read and accept the above picture upload terms & conditions.”
3 – Then click on the grey “Choose File” button in the uploader to find the picture you want to upload that you have stored in a file on your computer. If you don’t know how to save and store a picture on your computer so you can upload it, ask your kids or grandkids.
4 – After choosing the picture you want to upload from your computer, click on the green Upload Picture button.
5 – After clicking on the Upload Picture button the crop tool will open. For best clarity, upload pictures that are 800 pixels x 500 pixels or larger. If your picture is larger than 800p x 500p, you can slide the crop tool up and down to crop your picture by holding down the left click on your mouse and dragging the crop box up or down. After cropping, click on the green Crop Picture button.
6 – The next step is optional but allows you to add a caption or description. The caption will show up on your picture. The description will show up underneath the picture. Click on the green Save Picture button and your done!
Picture Tips:
– When taking pictures of plants to upload to the internet, it is best to capture the plant or flower in the center of the picture.
– You can upload any size picture to Gardenality, preferably full-size pictures. If you know how, use a photo editor to pre-crop and size pictures to 800p x 500p before uploading. This will speed up the upload process.
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