Baptisias

'Purple Smoke' baptisia

Baptisia (Baptisia spp.) are beautiful long-lived low maintenance native perennials. Plants thrive in rich well-drained soil under plenty of sunlight. When planting, treat the roots as fragile and permit baptisia one year to establish itself. They will reward you with many years of spring flowering.

False blue indigo (Baptisia australis) was selected Perennial Plant Of The Year in 2010 by the Perennial Plant Association.  Most modern day cultivars are usually hybrids. Lovely spikes of purple (B. australis), lavender blue (B. minor), white (B. alba), bright yellow (B. sphaerocarpa) and bicolors appear in May (in Tennessee). Each species or cultivar blooms for 2-3 weeks.  Bloom stalks can be included in fresh flower arrangements

Plants grown in partial shade may appear stretched or leggy, requiring some staking. Fewer flower spikes are produced in shady places. I opt to remove the pea -like pods that form within a month after flowering because the weighty pods may detract from its shrub-like appearance. Plants are cut down to the ground in late fall and added to the compost bin.

Blue false indigo is a beautiful, long-lived, drought tolerant perennial with a robust habit and attractive steel blue-gray foliage. In late May, its intensely saturated violet-blue flower spikes rise above 3-4 feet tall multi-stemmed plants with bluish-green foliage.

Baptisias are at their best in full sun and in moist, well-drained soils. Fertilize sparingly to avoid the plant from flopping.  If grown in full sun, you do not need to stake baptisia. Baptisia is heat and drought tolerant and rarely troubled by diseases and insects.

The single plant spreads slowly by rhizomes and eventually will crowd out neighboring plants. Divide clumps every 5 -7 years and share divisions with your gardening friends or start new plantings.

Growing Siberian Iris

'Caesar's Brother'

Siberian irises are favored by many gardeners  over the more popular bearded irises for their ease of maintenance, longevity, and disease and pest resistance. Their flowers are smaller than bearded iris blooms, but their grass-like foliage looks attractive all season long. Siberians are also more cold and heat tolerant.

Siberian irises are mostly hybrids of two southwest Asian species, I. sibirica and I. sanguinea (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). The narrow, grass-like foliage forms a vase-shaped clump to 2 feet high. Autumn foliage turns rusty brown in late fall. Flowering stems rise above the foliage to 3 feet tall in May-June.

Siberians perform well in most garden soils, but are at their best in humus-rich, mildly acidic soil. In spring feed with 10-10-10 or an equivalent granular fertilizer. In early summer apply a water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro™ or Jack’s™.

In Northern states (zones 3-6), Siberians want full day sun (or 6-hours minimum). In Southern areas, shelter from the mid-afternoon sun. Ample spring moisture is key, along with adequate rainfall during the summer. These iris clumps tolerate moderate summer dry periods of a week or two.

Mulch iris in spring to conserve soil moisture and prevent weed infestation. Voles and mice may munch on rhizomes. Remove spent bloom stalks, and brown and withered leaves to keep planting looking attractive. In late fall cut back all leaves 1-2 inches above the ground.

Siberian irises are generally pest-free with very little susceptibility to the two main problems of bearded iris, namely iris borer and bacterial soft rot. Plants tolerate deer and rabbits.

Divide big healthy clumps into 2-4 fans in either late summer or fall, depending on where you live. In northern zones spring or late summer are the best time to plant or divide. In southern climes, early fall is a better time. Clumps can grow undisturbed for several years, unless they become crowded, plant vigor declines, or bloom size declines.

Over 200 varieties are available, principally from online iris nurseries.

Pennisetum 'Karley Rose'

Asian fountain grass cultivar 'Karley Rose'(Pennisetum orientale) is a four season eye-catcher. It is reliably hardy in USDA zones 5-9. It produces smoky rose colored flower spikes (plumes) in early summer, which persist thru the winter months. Its dark green foliage begins upright in form, 2 1/2 feet tall, achieving 3 feet in height in flower. By mid- summer the grass blades cascade down, true to the name “fountain grass”.

Grow ‘Karley Rose’ in full sun or partial areas with 6 hours sunlight to maintain optimum grass form and plume color. Despite proven drought tolerance, it prefers to grow in compost rich, well-drained soil. It has a wide soil pH preference from acidic to slightly alkaline (6.2 to 7.5).

This clump growing grass is quick to establish and prospers for many years. Annual maintenance is minimal. In late fall or late winter cut back the old foliage to 3-4 inches and feed with a high nitrogen lawn grade fertilizer. Fountain grass has no serious disease or insect problems and is deer resistant and salt tolerant.

The handsome foliage and attractive flower spikes of ‘Karley Rose’ provide excellent texture and seasonal color. Use as an accent specimen or group together in mass plantings.

'Buttered Popcorn' Daylily- Performs In The Mid-South

Daylily 'Buttered Popcorn' (Hemerocallis 'Buttered Popcorn') produces buttery yellow 6" flowers from late June thru mid-July. The 32-inch tall floral scapes are well branched and flowers are mildly fragrant. Bud count on each scape may average 10 or more.

This tetraploid cultivar is also well known for its incredible fall re-bloom. In the Southern Appalachian Region (zones 6-7), 'Buttered Popcorn' is rated as a better re-blooming daylily than popular favorite 'Stella de Oro'.

Daylilies require little care. They grow in almost any well-drained soil type. Daylilies grow best in full to partially sunny areas. Allow 6 hours of sunlight for high bud bloom count. Although drought tolerant, re-blooming varieties perform best with 1-inch or more of water (or rainfall) per week during the summer months.

In late fall, cutback daylilies to 3-6 inches in height. Remove the old plant debris. Daylilies possess good disease and pest resistance. Fertilize once with 10-10-10 and mulch plants in late winter or spring. Feed a second time in early June before flowering begins.

Daylilies are great additions to large containers or plant them in garden beds. The short (under 24-inch tall) daylily varieties are also utilized as ground covers along steep slopes.

Coreopsis 'Route 66' - A Riot of Color

Create a hot splash in your garden this summer. Threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) ‘Route 66’ is a new selection by Itsaul Nursery in Atlanta, Georgia (USDA zone 4 to 9). Coreopsis ‘Route 66’ originated in Pennsylvania (zone 5). Perennial gardeners have been planting yellow- flowered ‘Moonbeam’ and ‘Zagreb’ cultivars for over a quarter of a century.

The 2- inch wide yellow and red splotched flowers bloom continuously from June thru August. The center red pigment seems to bleed into the yellow petals. In the autumn the red tint becomes more dominant. No two blooms are ever alike. Deadheading will extend the blooming time span into October. Foliage is green and narrow (thread-like). Plant form is upright and well branched. Route 66 grows 2 to 2 1/2 feet in height, and a few inches wider than tall.

Plant in well-drained soil in full sunlight. Route 66 is a garden performer, a low maintenance perennial to enjoy in your garden for many years ahead. Route 66 exhibits exceptional plant vigor and flower power. One year old established plants demonstrate exceptional heat, drought and cold hardiness.