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FOR DAZZLING FLOWERS, BEGIN WITH ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS
Ever wonder why some gardener's flowers look like a cover photo from Better Homes & Gardens while yours may not quite achieve the picture you had in mind at planting time?
Sure, some gardeners just have that proverbial "green thumb" and could grow daisies in the dark. One secret of the pros that you can take advantage of, however, is to select better varieties of flowers to begin with.
Each year, the National Garden Bureau designates several varieties of annuals and perennials as All-American Selections. Flowers that receive AAS status have been tested and proven to be vigorous and floriferous - many are downright spectacular in their capacity to send forth bountiful, beautiful and long-lasting blooms.
The good news is that you can grow these AAS flowers in your garden simply by ordering and starting seed prior to the growing season, or by buying these plants in spring from reputable garden centers.
There are many AAS flowers I haven't planted - they're still on my "wish" and "to-do" lists. Several that I have planted, and highly recommend to you, include:
'Purple Wave' Petunias - The name says it all...Purple Wave petunias send out wave after wave of brilliant purple blossoms from spring to late summer. I started Purple Wave petunias from seed in my basement in March and planted only four plants in a large half-barrel wooden tub. They quickly filled the container and sent dozens of runners over the sides. I've had a mass of purple blossoms up until last week, when I cut them back because they were starting to look a little spent. Now a whole new growth of foliage has started and I'll have more waves of purple right up to frost.
Many petunias bloom nicely for a couple of weeks and then get leggy and somewhat unsightly. Not so with Purple Wave - they just keep on blooming and sending out more blossoms on more runners. Burpee Seeds, my source for the seed, describes Purple Wave petunias as "the first-ever ground cover petunia. This 'magic carpet' of deep burgundy purple never gets over 4 inches tall. One plant will cover 3-4 feet of bed or fill a basket."
Purple Wave petunias are at their show-off best in window boxes, planters and hanging baskets.
Gloriosa Daisy 'Indian Summer' - This spectacular yellow daisy begins sporting its large 3-inch yellow flowers in July and keeps sending up more blossoms right up to frost. Like the petunias, I started them from seed in March and they bloom prolifically the first year. A member of the rudbeckia family, this black-eyed Susan-type flower should behave like a perennial and reappear next spring.
Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' - The 1992 Perennial Plant of the Year, this classy 14-inch plant sends forth hundreds of creamy-yellow flowers on thread-leaf foliage. This plant blooms right up to frost and is a terrific choice for the front of borders. My "moonbeams" started out in a clayey soil that was too wet and they did poorly. Last summer I moved them to a drier spot and ever since they've been just as happy as robins after a rain.
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' - Although not a AAS to my knowledge, this member of the stone crop family has been called "...arguably the best perennial that can be planted in Minnesota." Large, flat clusters of pink flowers emerge in late summer, then turn coppery red in fall atop mounds of silver-green fleshy foliage. Sturdy plants bloom right up to frost, then turn an attractive rusty color and stand erectly all winter above the snow. I don't cut off the stems until new growth begins appearing early in the spring - it's a showy 12-month Minnesota perennial.
As you plot future gardening strategies, include some All-American Selections. And then get ready for visitors asking you what your secret is for growing such spectacular flowers!
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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