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The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Services provides many Yard and Garden Resources for Arkansans and gardening. Check out the information for the following interests by clicking on the picture.
Keeping landscape plants healthy and beautiful can be a challenge. Sherri Sanders UAEX White County Agent and colleagues developed this guide for identifying and managing Arkansas' most common #landscape problems caused by weeds, insects, and diseases. Download this guide for FREE by clicking the link. https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/MP-468_2020.pdf All of our garden flowers originated as wildflowers. Most were developed by breeding and selection during the gardening explosion that occurred in Europe between 1820 and 1870. Not surprisingly, in the current gold rush mania that gardening has become in the last decade, plant breeders have again gone back to the wild to look for new garden plants. In the last decade, breeders have reinvented one of these – the coneflower – to produce stunning new perennials with totally new colors. Save one, all of the six or so recognized species of coneflowers (Echinacea) are found in the Ozarks. Most are prairie plants or glade dwellers in the open woodlands. The purple coneflower (E. purpurea) has long been grown in gardens with the other species mostly left alone in the wild, at least until recently.
Beginning in 1997, Dr. Jim Ault of the Chicago Botanic Garden, began hybridizing coneflowers. He crossed the familiar purple coneflower with E. paradoxa, the yellow coneflower found in limey soils of the southern Great Plains. The several hundred seedlings produced from this first-hand cross were uniformly purplish pink. These initial hybrid seedlings - the F-1 hybrids in breeding parlance - were crossed amongst themselves and seed saved. This second generation (the F-2 generation) flowered for the first time in 2001. These seedlings segregated into a rainbow of colors ranging from pink to yellow and all shades in between. Many showed a distinctive orange color. From this population, 50 distinctive new color forms were selected. One of the best of these was Orange Meadowbrite, a 30- to 36-inch tall coneflower released in 2004. It’s like the typical purple coneflower in growth habit except for the unusual shade of its three inch wide flowers. Orange Meadobrite flowers from late May through early summer, producing blooms that are a unique shade of orange. Some call the color tangerine, which is close but still not exactly right. The color changes shades under different lighting conditions and as the blooms age. Because it has undertones of other colors besides orange, it blends well with other perennials. Uncharacteristically, Orange Meadowbrite flowers have a distinctive spicy orange fragrance. Orange Meadowbrite is a hybrid between the familiar purple coneflower and the yellow coneflower. It’s one of the many new hybrid coneflowers making their way into our gardens.Ault has produced upwards of 20,000 coneflower seedlings during the last decade and continues to release new introductions. Mango Meadowbrite (a branch sport of Orange Meadowbrite) was introduced in 2005. Ault’s 2006 release is Pixie Meadowbrite, an 18-inch tall, long flowering pink with E. tennesseensis parentage. He describes Pixie Meadowbrite as having “an incredibly long bloom time and small perky flowers”. Future releases from the Chicago program will include clones with plants having various shades of red, apricot and white. These new clones are mass produced in tissue culture and have become hot items amongst gardeners wanting the newest plant introductions. Other than requiring at least four hours of sunlight and good drainage, coneflowers are easy to grow. They do best in a rich soil and have good drought tolerance once established. Trimming off the blooms can encourage a later flush of flowers. But, because finches love to pick the seeds from the mature cones in the fall, many gardeners prefer not cutting the plants back after flowering. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - July 28, 2006 When choosing color for your garden, make sure you have something blooming in every season. Annuals are plants we need to replant every year, so you don’t want a yard that is all annuals, or you have to replace the entire garden twice a year. We have warm season annuals for summer color and cool season annuals for fall and winter color. Perennials are plants that come back for more than one year, and often they come back larger each season, so give them room to grow. Plant your seasonal color in a concentrated block of color to make the biggest impact in the garden. Consider entryways or other visible parts of the garden. Annuals and perennials do well in containers or planted in the ground. Group plants together that need the same conditions — sun, water and fertilizer With annuals, fertilize frequently to keep them blooming. Water needs will vary from plant to plant, but all plants need water to get roots established. Perennials typically need less fertilizer than annuals, but more than trees and shrubs. Some good choices for annual flowers include plants in the Arkansas Diamonds program — a partnership between the Arkansas Green Industry Association, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, local growers and independent garden centers with the goal to educate Arkansas gardeners about annual plants that consistently perform well in our state. For 2016, three new summer annuals have been added to the Arkansas Diamonds program. The plants chosen are two sun lovers – “Graffiti Red” pentas and “Sriracha Pink” cuphea, and the shade-loving “Velvet Elvis” plectranthus.
Some additional shade annuals include the wishbone flower, torenia, or begonias, impatiens and coleus. And don’t forget tropical flowering plants. Although some gardeners do overwinter them indoors to extend their life, they can also be planted in the garden and treated as summer annuals. From the pink-blooming mandevilla to a wide range of tropical hibiscus blooms, they thrive on heat and humidity, and provide plenty of seasonal color. Perennial plants typically have a season of bloom and a season of green. Some bloom in the winter, some late winter to early spring, some for summer and others for fall. Choose a variety to extend the bloom periods in your garden. Some great summer choices include the milkweeds — Asclepias tuberosa is the showy orange butterfly weed that blooms for months in the summer and is a great host plant for monarch butterflies. Echinacea, or purple coneflower, now comes in a wide range of colors and is a long-season bloomer, provided the blooms are dead-headed after flowering. Hardy hibiscus love water and sunlight, and bloom from June through August, and gaillardia or blanket flower, gives you a sea of color all summer in the sun. If you have shade, try some hardy geraniums; they look nothing like the annual flowering plants, or heuchera (coral bells), with foliage in almost every color of the rainbow. Woodland poppies provide bright yellow flowers, and while hostas are grown more for their foliage, they do produce flower spikes. By: Janet B. Carson, "Add Pizzazz to Your Garden." http://arkansaslivingmagazine.com/article/add-pizzazz-to-your-garden/ Common Characteristics: Approximately 1 in. in length, these needles don't even fall when they're dry, providing excellent needle retention. The color is a bright green. The most common Christmas tree in the U.S., the scotch pine has an excellent survival rate, is easy to replant, has great keep ability and will remain fresh throughout the holiday season. Description:
Scotch or Scots pine is an introduced species which has been widely planted for the purpose of producing Christmas trees. It is an extremely hardy species which is adaptable to a wide variety of soils and sites. As a Christmas tree, it is known for its dark green foliage and stiff branches which are well suited for decorating with both light and heavy ornaments. It has excellent needle retention characteristics and holds up well throughout harvest, shipping and display. The needles of Scotch pine are produced in bundles of two. They are variable in length, ranging from slightly over 1-inch for some varieties to nearly 3-inches for others. Color is likewise variable with bright green characteristic of a few varieties to dark green to bluish tones more prominent in others. The undersides of Scotch pine needles are characterized by several prominent rows of white appearing stomatal openings. The bark of upper branches on larger, more mature trees displays a prominent reddish-orange color which is very distinctive and attractive. Large amounts of cones are likewise produced which often persist on the tree from one year to the next. Like most pines two growing seasons are required to produce mature cones. On excellent sites within its native range mature trees may reach a trunk diameter of 30 inches or more and individual trees may exceed 125 feet in height. Range: Scotch pine is native to Europe and Asia. From the British isles and Scandinavian peninsulas through central Europe south to the Mediterranean and east through eastern Siberia, Scotch pine can be found at varying elevations. Scotch pine was introduced to North America by European settlers and has long been cultivated, especially in the eastern United States and Canada. It is adaptable to a wide variety of sites and accordingly, has been widely planted for both Christmas tree and ornamental purposes. Although plantations have been established in the United States for the purpose of producing forest products, the species does not perform as well as in its native habitat. Propagation: Scotch pine is reproduced from seed. More than thirty five different seed sources or varieties are commercially recognized. Seed is obtained by international collectors and marketed through reputable seed dealers. A few seed orchards have been established in the United States from which seed is locally collected. For Christmas tree production purposes seed is usually sown in the spring and the resulting seedlings are allowed to grow for two years in the nursery bed before they are lifted and sold to Christmas tree producers. There has been some research by university personnel to identify and produce genetically improved planting stock, although these efforts have not been totally successful. Uses: In Europe and throughout several countries in Asia, Scotch pine is an important species of high economic value. Forest stands containing Scotch pine are managed to produce pulpwood, poles, and sawlogs from which dimension and finish lumber is produced. Logs from trees of large diameters are processed into veneer and used in manufacturing plywood. The species is also valued as an ornamental and landscape plant and has been widely planted in parks and gardens. As a Christmas tree Scotch pine is probably the most commonly used species in the United States. Because of its ease of planting, generally high planting survival and favorable response to plantation culture it has been widely planted throughout much of the eastern United States and Canada. For several years it was the favorite species of large eastern wholesale growers because of its excellent harvesting and shipping qualities. It is also a preferred species for many choose and cut growers in much of the eastern and central United States. When established in plantations usually 6 to 8 years are required to produce a 7 to 8 foot tree. The tree requires annual shearing, usually beginning the second or third year following planting and continuing on through the year of harvest. Scotch pine is host to a number of insect and disease problems, and continued protection from foliage and stem damaging agents is necessary. The species is not demanding with respect to fertility or moisture and supplemental fertilization or irrigation is not considered necessary. As a Christmas tree Scotch pine is known for its excellent needle retention and good keepability. It resists drying and if permitted to become dry does not drop its needles. When displayed in a water filled container it will remain fresh for the normal 3 to 4 week Christmas season. Like all natural trees it is readily recyclable and has many different uses following the Christmas holidays. Prepared by Dr. Melvin R. Koelling, Michigan State University Copyright © 2017 National Christmas Tree Association Trees are a natural resource in this, the Natural State. But because we have so many trees, we have become accustomed to them, we often take these valuable assets for granted. They become overlooked until a problem arises, and then we worry. Take a look around you and imagine the landscape without the trees. Shade trees that are properly located on your property can cut summer utility bills by 20 percent or more. For energy efficiency it is best to plant deciduous trees on the west side of your house. Trees planted in these locations provide shade during the intense heat of the day. If you use deciduous trees, they'll lose their leaves in the winter, allowing the sunlight in to help warm things up during the coldest times of the year. It will also help if you shade your air conditioner. This can increase the cooling efficiency by as much as 10%. Best tree species for shade: There are numerous species of trees that make great shade trees, from many of the oaks, (including willow oak, shumard oak, cherrybark oak and pin oak), to tulip poplars, bald cypress, and even sweetgum. Not only are these large trees giving us shade but they are also helping to clean the air. Leaves on trees absorb carbon dioxide, and filter pollutants from the air. They also catch airborne dust and dirt, and give off oxygen. Not only do they work on air pollution, but also noise pollution. They absorb sound, and can create a buffer between you and a busy street. How trees prevent erosion: Tree roots are often blamed for many problems, but rarely thanked for controlling erosion. The canopy of the tree shelters soil moisture and helps in erosion, but so do the trees roots. Trees planted along a riverbank can slow the water and reduce flooding. If you live in an area with high winds, a diverse planting of trees can act as a windbreak if properly planted. Think of the beauty of trees, from the massive trees fall foliage to smaller trees flowers. Dogwoods have been the most popular blooming tree in Arkansas for years, but others are coming to the forefront now. For more sunlight look at the Kousa dogwood. There are sweetbay magnolias, golden raintree, chinese fringe tree and redbud. Japanese maples are popular under story trees and flowering cherries and crabapples are a nice addition to springtime color. Tree Planting Tips:
Now that you realize how valuable a resource trees are, consider planting one. The third Monday in March is the day we celebrate Arbor day in Arkansas. Select a tree for your landscape based on what you need. Do you need and have room for a large shade tree? Do you want a small under story tree for color? Before you plant a tree, look up. Make sure power lines are not going to interfere with growth. Try to locate trees no close than 15 feet from the foundation of your house. Check the drainage. Trees come in three ways: balled in burlap, bare root or containerized. They also come in many sizes. Choose one that you can easily manage. For larger and more instant shade, there are now professionals with giant tree spades that can move large trees. Container grown plants can be planted any time you want to. Balled in burlap trees should be planted before the heat of summer sets in or again in the fall. Bare root trees need to be planted when they are totally dormant since there is nothing inside the plastic sleeve to sustain plant growth. Fall foliage is an added bonus to some tree varieties that offer visual interest to home landscape When you plant your tree, be sure to plant it at the level it is currently growing or slightly more shallow. Work up the planting hole wider than necessary to encourage the roots to spread out. Avoid amending the soil in just the planting hole, or you encourage the roots to stay in the planting hole. Avoid fertilization at planting, but do water well. Mulch around the tree to keep grass and weeds away which can compete with the young root system. And continue to water once a week all season to help the tree get established. Celosia are noted for their brilliant "rooster comb" plumes. Celosia makes a very showy, unusual display in borders and as edging. While the brilliant reds are by far the most popular color, Celosia, or Cockscomb, also come in yellow, orange, crimson, rose, and purple flowers. Celosia are wonderful for bouquets, fresh or dried. To dry these flowers, hang them upside down in a cool dark, and dry place, for about two months. Other Names: Celosia are also called Cockscomb and Woolflowers. Plant Height: up to 30" Plant Propagation:
Celosia are grown from very fine seeds. They can be directly seeded into your flower garden or seeded indoors for transplanting later. If planting outdoors, sow Celosia seeds after the soil has begun to warm in the spring. We recommend starting them indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost date for your area. Seeds need to stay moist, and require warm soil to germinate. Sow seeds early in the season and cover lightly with 1/8" of fine soil. Water thoroughly and keep soil moist. Days to Germination: 10-15 Plants come and go in the nursery trade with a dizzying rapidity. Here today, gone tomorrow. The causes for this seeming fickleness are many, but ultimately it boils down to growing what people will buy. Sedums, in their many and varied forms, are popular plants across the land but two species, the lowly stonecrop (Sedum acre) and stringy stonecrop (S. sarmentosum) have fallen from favor and are seldom seen in commercial offerings. Both plants are often called goldmoss sedum. Sedum acre is a mat forming succulent perennial that grows about 3 inches tall with tangled stems that spread horizontally by means of a shallow rhizome. The rounded quarter-inch long leaf is tightly held against the stem. The small but showy yellow flowers appear in mid-spring on flat-topped cymes. Individual flowers form five-pointed stars with protruding stamens. Sedums are members of the succulent crassula family. Sedum acre is native to a wide swath of Eurasia and was introduced early into North America. It has escaped cultivation in most of our northern states and most Canadian provinces. It grows as far north as zone 2, at least when protected by snow cover. It does not appear to have escaped in the South. As an escapee, it is primarily found on open, barren and rocky ground where little else will grow. In certain fragile ecosystems, such as “balds” and broad limestone ledges where there is almost no soil, it can displace native species. Sedum sarmentosum, stringy stonecrop, is a Chinese native, with arching above ground stems that produce succulent, triangular leaves about a half-inch long that decrease in size towards the ends of the branches. Plants have a chartreuse look about them, especially in the spring. It is a sprawling plant that grows to about 4 inches tall, with most of the action above ground, whereas Sedum acre spreads primarily by underground rhizomes. Stringy stonecrop is the most aggressive spreader in the South and has escaped cultivation in the eastern states, where it is sometimes called graveyard stonecrop. Gardeners seem to love or hate goldmoss sedums in about equal numbers. Their aggressive ways make them sure survivors in almost any site, and if your site is sunny and open it can spread and become invasive. But, because they stay on the ground and only sprawl sideways, they will not spread far under the shade of tall growing perennials or shrubs. Some gardeners use them as “living mulch” by allowing their thick mat of foliage to cover the ground and suppress weeds. The gardeners at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia have planted Sedum acre between the granite slabs marking President Kennedy’s grave, where it has persisted for almost 50 years. Sedums of all kinds, including both species of goldmoss sedum, have found new life in recent years as a major component of living roofs. The green roof movement, while not common in Arkansas, is being used extensively in many large cities. The green roof concept relies on a very permeable soil that is usually composed of a lightweight coarse aggregate that comprises 85 percent of the soil volume. This allows for rapid water penetration during rains, but means the plants must be both heat- and drought-tolerant. Sedums have served well in this capacity. Both goldmoss sedums are hardy from zones 3 through 8 (9) and will grow in almost any soil, but must have at least 6 hours of sun to survive. If the soil conditions are fertile, it might be a mistake to plant such aggressive growers, but it the site is harsh, then they may be a good choice. They can be easily restrained by pulling the shallowly rooted plants from areas where it is not wanted. New plantings can be established by plopping a handful of plants on top of the soil and then occasionally watering it until new roots establish. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - June 17, 2011 Fall has arrived and it is time to think about spring. Much of the beauty of the spring garden derives from the bulbs gardeners plant in the fall. The word "bulb" is used as a general term by gardeners for any of the flowers planted at this season even though some might be corms (crocus), tubers (anemones) or tuberous roots (ranunculus). But, come spring, the most spectacular flowers are produced by the true bulbs. To the botanist a bulb is an underground storage organ with a vertical stem axis surrounded by swollen leaf bases. The botanical term geophyte is used to describe all the storage types - bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes, etc - that gardeners collectively call "bulbs." True bulbs are found only among the monocotyledonous species; those plants with one seed leaf at germination. Most of the true bulbs are found in two plant families - the lily family or the amaryllis family - although many botanists are now breaking these old classification categories into many subsets at the family level. The bulbous habit of growth occurs almost exclusively in temperate parts of the world beyond 30 degrees north and south latitude. The geophytic lifestyle developed as a protection mechanism to allow plants to get through hard times, especially drought and cold. Most bulbous species are native to either grassland habitats or mountainous regions. In grasslands, bulbs are usually spring-blooming, with foliage dying down by early summer when the grasses suck all of the available water from the soil. In mountainous areas the bulbs flower quickly during spring, mature their foliage during the short summer and then disappear below ground during the long, cold winter. Bulbs have all the parts and pieces of an oak tree but they have gotten rid of all the superfluous stuff, leaving behind just a dormant bud. The stem of a bulb grows vertically, just like our oak tree, but it is only a few millimeters long. Called the "basal plate," it has nodes where leaves and new branches are produced and, at the end of the stem, a flower is formed. At the base of the stem, roots form just like a normal oak tree. The accompanying photo shows a cross-sectional view of a tulip, a hyacinth and a daffodil bulb. These species are what we call "tunicate" species, with the leaf bases enclosed in a papery covering. Lilies have "non-tunicate" bulbs, with the individual scales not encased in this protective sheath. Generally the tunicate species show more drought tolerance than the non-tunicate species. The three bulb species shown in the illustration above have three distinct means of maintaining the bulbous lifestyle. The tulip, native to the cold and dry steep regions of Central Asia, replaces its bulb each year after flowering. The food reserves of the original bulb are depleted to produce the stout stem, leaves, and flowers we so admire in April. If the climate is perfect - with cool conditions and just the right amount of moisture - the foliage will persist long enough to regenerate a big healthy bulb for the next season. But when, as in most gardens, conditions are not so good, the big bulb that was planted is replaced with a small bulb, and after two years it is too small to flower. A bulb too small to flower produces just a single leaf that splays out across the ground. Hyacinths, and in fact most other bulbs, retain their bulb from year to year and build on what they started with. If conditions are good the bulb will grow a bit larger; if not so good it will be a bit smaller. But it doesn't start over anew each year, so this lifestyle choice makes these kinds of bulbous plants more dependable repeat bloomers in the garden. Obviously, allowing the foliage to remain as long as possible helps ensure a bigger bulb for the coming season. The daffodil (Narcissus) shown is doing what oak trees do, branching. Some bulbs, like daffodils, branch freely while others, such as hyacinth, are slow to branch. In bulbs this characteristic is referred to as "producing offsets." Because daffodils branch freely it is not uncommon for a clump formed from a single bulb to become so crowded it stops flowering after 5 years or so. Digging, dividing and resetting the bulbs will allow the bulbs to grow large enough to flower. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - October 23, 2009 When I was walking my dog at Cooper Park recently, I saw this plant in front of the Shot Gun Cabin that I had never seen before. Of course I had to take a closer look. I thought it was lovely so I looked it up when I got home. It is native to Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. "WILDFLOWERS-OF-TEXAS' by Dorothy Thetford COMMON NAME: Snow-on-the-Prairie BOTANICAL NAME: Euphorbia bicolor FAMILY: Euphorbiaceae Snow in September? On a prairie? In Texas? Sure....
Our native wildflower, commonly called snow-on-the-prairie Euphorbia bicolor, attracts attention to the hot, dry prairie with its cool, green and white bracts. These three to four-inch bracts are longer than the leaves of the plant, and completely dominate the tiny white flower structures. Actually, the white structure is not a flower, but a cyathium (the specialized inflorescence of Euphorbia, consisting of a flower-like, cup-shaped involucre which carries the several true flowers within) as defined by M. Enquist in his book WILDFLOWERS OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY. Each 5-petaled structure, only 1/4 inch diameter, looks like it's been tucked into the base of the bracts as an afterthought, almost hidden by the long, wispy bracts. Snow-on-the prairie is a single, stout, hairy, 3 to 5-foot stem which splits, midway up the stem, into a perfect triangular set of (three) branches. With ample moisture, these three branches may grow 6 to 10 inches taller and split into additional sets of three branches. One to two-inch, hairy, lanceolate, alternate leaves line the stem up to the first branch split, and at that point, three opposite leaves encircle the base of the split. This interesting leaf arrangement is repeated with each new symmetrical branching. A milky latex weeps from any broken stem, leaf or bract. All Euphorbias contain this milky sap, which can cause dermatitis to sensitive-skinned persons, and, is toxic. Since livestock does not eat this plant, snow-on-the-prairie is normally found in very large colonies throughout the Grand Prairie, Blackland Prairie, east to east Texas, and from Montague County southwest to Johnson County. A single plant is intriguing, but a colony is breathtaking. As flowers mature, green, hairy, 3-seeded capsules develop and stay on the plant until they dry, harden, pop open and disperse seeds. This ballistic dispersal of seeds explains the scattered arrangement of plants on the prairie. If you plan to collect seeds from this annual, you must monitor the maturity and collect after the pod dries, but before it pops open. Texas Woman's University, under the direction of our Trinity Forks member, Camelia Maier, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Biology Department, is currently researching E. bicolor to identify the chemical composition of estrogens within the plant for future medicinal purposes. Our sunny prairies and roadsides are extremely enticing with this grande native wildflower. While E. bicolor is in full bloom, take time to touch the leaves, and, use a magnifying lens to closely inspect the downy-soft, hairy details of this uniquely beautiful wildflower. I think you'll appreciate having snow-on-the-prairie, especially in Texas during the heat of August and September! I’ve always suspected that possums have that smirky grin because they are fantasizing about the coming persimmon feast. Country folk enjoyed the persimmon too. The mushy native fruit was a diversion from their humdrum diet. Our old friend, the persimmon, is a botanical trickster and folk who have fallen victim to its puckering ways hold grudges. The alternately arranged, ovate leaves are four to six inches long and gray-green in color. They may turn a yellow-brown in the fall but color production is unreliable. The bark of old trees is blackish with square, reptilian plates that give trees a handsome winter appearance. Persimmon flowers are white to yellow-green with four petals and sepals. Usually plants are dioecious with either male or female trees, but sometimes flowers of both sexes are found on the same tree. The flowers are not especially showy being small and mostly obscured by the leaves that emerge first. Considerable variability exists in persimmon fruit as to size, color, time of ripening and sensory characteristics such as texture, taste and sweetness. Four large sepals reflex from the top of the fruit, which is yellow, golden or orange in color and covered with a waxy bloom. The usual fruit is about the size of a golf ball-and according to non-believers -- about as tasty. Fruit ripening occurs from September through November with fruit hanging on the tree until early winter. Since the time of the rapid western expansion following the Civil War, agriculturists have been predicting that the persimmon is just on the verge of becoming an important fruit crop. But, alas, it didn’t happen then and it still hasn’t happened. It probably never will. While the Japanese and Chinese have developed over 1000 cultivars of a closely related species they call "kaki," only a few improved selections have been made of our native species. The first European to come into contact with the persimmon was Hernando DeSoto when he crossed the Mississippi River near Memphis in 1541. He found dried fruit and loaves of bread made from persimmon at the ancient Indian village of Casqui which is now the Parkin Archeological Park. Captain John Smith, the founder of the Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1607, wrote of the persimmon: "If it not be ripe, it will drawe a man’s mouth awrie with much torment. When it is ripe, it is deliscious as an Apricock." A uniquely Ozarkian legend has it that one can prophesy the severity of the coming winter by inspecting the seeds of the persimmon. Seeds are cut lengthwise to reveal the embryo suspended in a field of white endosperm. If the embryo is shaped like a knife, it will be a bitterly cold winter. If the embryo is spoon shaped, expect lots of snow. If it is fork shaped, a normal winter is in store. While most consider such prophecies as unfounded superstition, there may be some basis for the observation. If one assumes that summer weather patterns are a predictor of winter weather conditions, it is not illogical to reason that morphological changes could be reflected in the embryos of seeds formed during those summer months. About a dozen cultivars of persimmon are described and a few specialist nurseries offer them over the Internet or through their mail order catalogs. In the garden the persimmon is easily accommodated in about any sunny site. The fall webworm that produces the dirty gray webs in persimmons every fall are more ugly than harmful, a fact you should remember when they invade your tree. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - October 11, 2002 Even in difficult drought years, our gardens can amaze and amuse us. We see tough little plants do their thing under some of the most adverse conditions imaginable. One of these durable little plants is the autumn crocus, which recently began blooming -- a reminder that droughts always pass and better days lie ahead. The soft pink flowers grow about 8 inches tall with blooms 3 inches across. As the plants become established, each corm may produce three to eight stems, each bearing a single flower. The corms are 3 inches across and poisonous.
The plant blooms without foliage. It just appears, as if by magic, as the hottest days of summer begin to pass away. The foliage is broad and almost hosta-like in appearance. It emerges in late winter and withers away with the first hot days of May and June. White-flowered and double-flowered selections are available, as are hybrids such as ‘Autumn Queen’ (violet), ‘Lilac Wonder’ (pinkish-lilac) and ‘Waterlily’ (double-form, lilac mauve). The autumn crocus is not really a crocus. It’s a member of the lily family. It’s widely distributed from northern Africa through southern Europe. Colchicums have long been favorites of gardeners, but before that they were favorites of the early doctors who used them for various medical treatments. The bulbs produce a toxic alkaloid called colchicine that’s still used today to treat gout and rheumatism. Colchicine also has a part to play in creating new and improved garden plants. In 1931, a Bulgarian scientist experimenting with eggplant in his greenhouse used a nicotine spray to control a bug problem he was having. Upon examining the seedlings of those eggplants, he discovered that many seedlings had undergone chromosome doubling -- the creation of tetraploids. This started other scientists looking at related compounds. In the mid-1930s, the husband and wife team of Nebel and Nebel from Geneva, N.Y., discovered that colchicine was the most effective at causing this doubling phenomena. When plants have extra chromosomes, they usually have larger characters: bigger flowers, bigger fruits and larger, thicker leaves. The strawberry, for example, has eight sets of chromosomes that arose naturally from chance doubling and crossing. With the discovery of colchicine, David Burpee’s plant breeders, caught up in the "better living through chemistry" mania that swept post WW II America, began using the drug to double the chromosome numbers of most of their major crops. Their tetraploid snapdragon appeared in 1946 and was soon followed by the enormous cactus-flowered zinnias and tetraploid marigolds. This bigger-is-better philosophy has been carried to extreme in some plants. The delicate beauty of the flower is lost to a Frankensteinian rendition of its former self. In the garden, one would hardly suspect the role that the lovely autumn crocus played in the sex life of marigolds and zinnias. Colchicum is best planted in sunny or partly shaded sites in well drained soils. The corms are planted with the nose of the corm 2-3 inches deep in drifts of a dozen or more. Because the foliage is large, plants should be given at least 8 inches on center spacing. Once planted, the plants should remain undisturbed as long as they are thriving. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - September 15, 2000 County fairs are a curious amalgam of nostalgic and contemporaneous events that remind us of the way it was in rural America in a supposedly simpler time. Competition to have the biggest and best in the county is keen and comes in many forms. The giant sunflower heads the list of the most unusual in plant exhibits. These sunflower giants may have been grown down on the farm in bygone days, but they were in grandmother’s flower garden not in grandfather’s fields. The story of how this all-American weed became an important crop plant bears a closer look. The sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is a member of the daisy family with wide distribution across the United States. Sunflowers are large plants with two distinct architectures. The wild type can grow 10 to 12 feet tall with considerable branching, each of which terminates in 5-inch diameter blooms. The cultivated sunflower has lost the ability to branch and can grow to 15 feet tall with a single flower head atop the stout stem that may be the size of a garbage can lid. When European explorers arrived in the 1500s, they found native Americans growing this unbranched mutant wherever they went. Sunflower never became a part of the diet of the more advance cultures of southern Mexico.
A sunflower bloom is not really a flower but a specialized flat inflorescence that bears hundreds of tiny individual flowers. When the sunflower arrived in Europe, it was a big hit because people were amazed by the rank growth and gaudy spectacle of the flower. It quickly spread throughout Europe but remained a curiosity in the garden. By the early 18th century, the seeds were considered nutritious poultry food, but otherwise the plant remained a novelty of little value. The Russians were credited with the rise of sunflowers to agricultural stardom. They developed two types of sunflowers. The large-seeded types were developed as a snack food, much as peanuts were used in the rest of the world. The sunflowers grown in the U.S. today are descendants of varieties the Russians sent us at the close of the 19th century. The more important sunflowers though were the small seeded oil types. During the Communist era, Russian agriculturists increased the oil content of these selections from about 28 percent to over 50 percent. The oil was used in everything from cooking to paint and by 1980 sunflower was the second most important crop oil in the world. After all of those years being berated for having named a weed the state flower, Kansans could finally hold their head up proudly. During the 1990s sunflowers were rediscovered by American gardeners and interior designers. The rise in the specialty cut flower market - especially at farmers markets around the nation - has lead to the development of a number of sunflower selections suitable for this purpose. The sunflower motif became popular theme in interior decoration and has been plastered on about every imaginable surface. Using sunflowers in the garden requires special consideration. They require full sun and a fertile, moist soil to reach their full potential. Unlike most garden plants, sunflowers should never be grown in a pot but instead the seeds planted in hills containing three to five seeds directly where you want the plant. Thin the hills to one vigorous seedling when the seeds emerge. Plant the hills 2 feet apart to achieve the largest possible plants. Because sunflowers just produce a single flower, their bloom time is short. Plant new hills every three to four weeks to ensure continual bloom. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - September 6, 2002 Moonflower is a fast-growing, old-fashioned annual vine that seems to have been forgotten by gardeners as they explore the new offerings of the garden industry. Who has the patience to actually grow a plant from seed and wait several months for it to bloom? We want it now, thank you. Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is a close relative of morning glory and, like it, produces a long, slender, twining vine capable of growing a dozen or more feet high in the course of a year. The vine is capable of climbing a string, a chain link fence or sprawling over nearby shrubs.
It’s now established as an escaped plant throughout most of the world’s tropical areas, but it probably originated in Central America. In the deep South it forms a tuberous root and will survive as a perennial, but in most of Arkansas it’s annual. Plants grow quickly from seed, forming large heart-shaped leaves up to 6 inches across. The moonflower blooms best in late summer and early fall, provided it doesn’t get too dry. The delicate, ephemeral white blooms are solitary and 5 to 6 inches across with a long, slender tube. Each blossom is marked with a narrow, five-pointed star in a slightly different shade of white. Blooms open in late afternoon and are closed by the morning. Though I’ve not seen it, I suspect the large luna moth with its 6-inch long coiled proboscis provides pollination services. Moonflower vines coil clockwise, regardless of where or how they are grown. Charles Darwin published his Movement and Habits of Climbing Plants in 1875 where he detailed his experiments and observation. He observed that some species twined in one direction while some went the other way and was unable to reverse the direction by applying different stimuli. The often heard statement that twining is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere is not correct. They’re programmed to rotate in only one direction. Moonflower seeds were studied in the 1970s to see if they contained lysergic acid, a natural alkaloid called ergine which is remarkably similar in chemical structure to the hallucinogenic drug LSD. Unlike the common morning glory, moonflower was found to have no hallucinogenic properties. Growing moonflowers from seed is easy. Because they have a hard seed coat, nicking the seed coat with a knife tip or rubbing seeds with a piece of sandpaper will improve germination. This is probably not necessary with seeds obtained from the seed companies but may help with pass-along seeds. Seeds can be planted it in any reasonably good garden soil that receives at least six hours of bright light during the day, but don’t plant until the soil temperature has warmed above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re in a hurry, seeds can be planted indoors in a container and then transplanted to the garden when the soil warms. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - September 16, 2005 The ebb and flow of plants in the garden world is nonstop with some plants gaining popularity while others disappear into the void, only to return as a new generation of gardeners discover them. Forty years ago as I drove the back roads of Arkansas I used to see some large dahlia plantings, but today I would be hard pressed to even find a single plant. However, that could change as a new wave of black leafed dahlias becomes better known. Dahlias are herbaceous perennials of the daisy family native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America. They were cultivated by the Aztecs during the time of the Spanish conquest (1519-1524) but were not introduced into Europe until 1789. There are about 27 species of dahlias known with most of the garden hybrids derived from crosses between Dahlia coccinea and D. pinnata. In nature dahlias are large, frost-tender herbaceous plants growing 6 to 20 feet tall with fleshy tuberous roots. When first introduced to Europe they were touted as a new food crop to compete with potatoes but it was soon discovered the tubers were “edible but not agreeable” and even rejected by livestock. By the 1830s, dahlias were one of the most fashionable plants in European gardens and several hundred cultivars were available during this period. By the 1880s, they had gained their own plant society and new momentum when the large cactus flowered types began to appear. Over the past two centuries, more than 50,000 cultivars have been named. The large traditional dahlias are a hands-on kind of garden flower. To keep them looking well they must be tended, fussed with and cultivated. The large types require staking and pruning to keep them looking their best and a considerable amount of room in the garden. At the end of the growing season the tubers must be dug and stored over winter in a frost free area. This commitment of time and energy in today’s busy world has cut into the popularity of the plants. Attempts at remaking the image of the dahlia as a foot-tall bedding plant that is grown from seed have been ongoing over the past five decades, but has never really caught on with the gardening public. Newer attempts to introduce selections with an intermediate form for use in containers and mixed into the garden border may be more promising. Black-leafed selections add color and contrast to the garden even when plants are not in flower. Verwer Dahlias, a Dutch company established in 1967 near Haarlem, Netherlands, has taken the lead in developing many new dahlia clones including the black leafed Dark Angel series that average around two feet tall with 3-inch single or anemone type flowers in shades of pink and red. Dahlias need full sun, a rich garden soil and attention to watering needs during the summer months. They do best in areas with bright, warm days and cool nights where they will flower during the summer and fall. Most of the modern cultivars are considered ever-blooming but in hot climates the blooms will be more concentrated during the latter part of the summer and fall when night temperatures have begun to drop. Deadheading and pinching is required to keep the plants full and floriferous. Tubers should be lifted after the first light frost and stored in dry peat moss in a well ventilated, frost-free area. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - October 19, 2012 In this busy world we live in, sometimes what we think we see and know is but a caricature of reality. The lowly four o’clock, a common flower of our great-grandmother’s garden, is a plant that looks like your typical plant, but in reality is anything but typical. Four o’clock is a tender perennial that grows from 18 to 30 inches tall with stout stems and an abundance of late summer flowers that open about four o’clock in the evening, after the heat of the day is past. The flowers are not responding to an internal clock but to temperature. The flowers are responding to the patterns of a moth that avoids the heat of the day to make its daily rounds. Usually, the flowers close the following morning, but if the day is cool, they will stay open until the new flowers open. Four o’clock flowers are trumpet-shaped, with the throat as much as 2 inches long and 1 inch wide with five lobes. Flowers are produced in shades of white, yellow and about every shade of pink imaginable. The striped flowers appear to be infected with a virus disease that creates the interesting patterns. The flower is an enigma in that the four o’clock completely lacks petals. The showy portion of the flower is actually an outgrowth of the sepal, which in most plants is green and leaf-like. The small leafy structure from which the flower emerges is made of bracts formed from modified leaves. While the absence of petals is rare in the plant kingdom, it is a common characteristic of the family Nyctaginaceae to which four o’clock belongs. Each flower that is pollinated produces a pea-size black "seed." But, again the seed is not really a seed but a fruit. A true seed is produced inside something -- for example, inside a pea pod or the capsule of a petunia. In this case, each flower produces one seed that is enclosed inside the ovary. So, in reality the "seed" is a "fruit." Even the name of the plant is a misnomer. The name Mirabilis was given by Linnaeus in the middle 18th Century and shortened from the Latin word "Admirabilis" which gives us "admirable" and is a reference to the showy flowers. The name "jalapa" is due to botanical confusion. The fleshy roots of this plant were thought to be the source of "jalapa," a drug that was used in Central and South America as a laxative. In reality, the jalapa was from a member of the morning glory family. Four o’clock is one of our oldest garden flowers and was originally shipped back to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors. It does well in sunny, warm sites throughout the state. It forms dahlia-like tubers that will usually live through the winter and permit the plant to come back from the roots. It will also reseed in an area but is not really broad spreading. The flowers are fragrant and produce a subtle and delightful fragrance during the early evening hours when the wind is not blowing. Hummingbirds and lunar moths both seem to like to visit the flower for the abundance of nectar. The stems and roots can cause serious stomach upset if consumed and some people have experienced dermatitis from handling the tuberous roots. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - October 8, 1999 Tree Peony Latin: Paeonia suffruticosa Tree peonies form flowers as much as 8 inches across when they bloom in late April.As Americans, we tend to take an egocentric view of the world, often assuming that other places and cultures have little to offer. Because really old and rich civilizations such as China baffle and bewilder us, most Americans dismiss them as backwards, if they think of them at all. But, for gardeners we must embrace China for she has provided many of our most cherished garden flowers, including the stunningly beautiful tree peony. Paeonia suffruticosa, the tree peony, is a deciduous woody shrub growing to 6 feet tall and wide. It has stout, sparsely branched stems and coarse, compound leaves with nine leaflets. The leaves are bright red when they emerge in early spring. As the season advances, the flower buds begin to swell, reaching the size of a small apple before issuing forth in late April with a flower the size of a salad plate. Double forms are most common with the blossoms in delicate pastel shades of red, pink, white and yellow. The beauty of the flower is unsurpassed, making it easy to understand why the Chinese treasure tree peonies as Western culture does the rose. Tree peonies have been mentioned in Chinese literature since the 4th century BC and have been an important garden plant since at least the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Chinese scholars look to this dynasty as a long, stable reign of rulers who promoted learning and the arts, including gardening. This progressive age saw the elevation of women in Chinese culture, in large measure due to the efforts of Wu Zetian (625-705). Empress Wu was born into a noble family and, as a young girl became one of the ruler’s concubines. Through a series of deft maneuvers and palace intrigues, she had herself named Empress when her own son resigned the throne in 690, breaking with the long held Confucian teaching that only men could become rulers. Empress Wu’s connection to the tree peony is probably pivotal in the development of the flower, for she is said to have banned it from her gardens and palaces because it failed to bloom as precociously as she felt it should. This banishment was the catalyst for breeders to develop the free-flowering forms that are found in gardens today. When European merchants and plant explorers introduced the plant to Europe, they simply purchased them from retail sources that had been growing and selling the plant for over 1,000 years. Tree peonies can be grown in all parts of Arkansas but are less common in gardens than their herbaceous cousins. Their rarity in cultivation is because they’re difficult to propagate. The Chinese learned early on that they could be grafted onto the rootstock of an herbaceous peon, a straightforward but not necessarily easy grafting procedure. Many of the 350 named cultivars listed are old Chinese selections, simply given new names when they were introduced into Europe. Tree peonies do best in a fertile, well drained garden soil. They will grow in full sun or light shade and are easy to grow if well sited. They should be watered during dry periods and fertilized with a topdressing of compost each spring. The flowers are susceptible to wind and weather during the time they are open, so afternoon shade and wind protection helps preserve the length of their all too short bloom display. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - April 1, 2005 Verbenas are long blooming annual or perennial flowers that possess the virtues of heat tolerance and an extremely long bloom season. Many perennial verbenas are relatively short lived, but their vigor and heavy flowering make up for this defect. They do well grown as annual flowering plants also, since they bloom quickly during the first season after planting. Height/Spread
Verbenas vary considerably in size. The ground skimming moss verbena and trailing verbena reach 1 foot or less in height and spread from 2 to 5 feet wide. Verbena rigida usually grows 1 to 1½ feet tall, while purpletop vervain and the native blue verbena can reach 4 to 5 feet tall, but only a foot or two in width. Growth Rate Verbenas generally grow moderately to quickly, and unlike many perennials, bloom well the first season after planting. Some varieties, such as 'Homestead Purple', are extremely vigorous. If plants outgrow their assigned space, they tolerate trimming back well. Ornamental Features Verbenas are mainly grown for their remarkable length of bloom with most blooming from spring until close to frost if trimmed back once or twice in mid summer. Flower color ranges from white through pink, red, lavender, blue and purple. Landscape Use Verbenas require a location that receives full sun throughout the day. They must have well-drained soil. They will not tolerate overcrowding with poor air circulation, shade or soil that stays overly moist. Most problems of verbenas occur in improper growing conditions. Verbenas are best planted in the spring or summer. Pinch the tips of the branches at planting time to encourage dense branching and a fuller plant. Newly planted verbenas will need to be kept moist for the first few weeks until the roots have spread into the surrounding soil. While established verbenas are drought tolerant, performance, bloom, and growth rate will be reduced if they are too dry for a long period. During their blooming period, give them a thorough watering once a week if they do not receive an inch of rain that week. Avoid overhead watering. If bloom slows during the summer, trim the whole plant back by about one fourth of its height and spread, water thoroughly and fertilize lightly. The plant will return to bloom within 2 to 3 weeks. A light application of a complete fertilizer such as 16-4-8 in mid- to late spring and again after trimming back will revitalize plants, but additional fertilization is not generally required. Plants growing in very sandy, poor soil may need more frequent fertilization. In the fall you can trim back verbenas lightly to give a neater appearance to the garden, but do not cut severely until spring as new growth begins to appear. Overly severe fall pruning can reduce cold hardiness and plants may not survive a cold winter. Most verbenas are short-lived, so you should plan on replacing them after two or three years. However, some species can re-seed and naturalize in the garden. Verbenas, especially the trailing and moss types, grow very well in containers. Fertilize container grown plants either with a controlled-release fertilizer, or with a liquid fertilizer once a month. Container grown plants should be watered more frequently, and not allowed to dry out. All verbena will attract numerous butterfly species, bumblebees, and hummingbirds. Problems Verbenas can suffer from a variety of problems, but most occur when they are grown in low light, poorly drained soil, or when the soil stays excessively moist from excessive watering. Poor air circulation from over crowded conditions can also lead to disease problems.
Verbenas are relatively pest free
Cultivars & Species Tall growing Purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis)
Trailing Verbena (Glandularia canadensis; formerly Verbena canadensis) Trailing verbena is a native perennial throughout South Carolina. The plants have a low spreading form and will flower profusely all summer. Creeping stems often root into the soil or mulch. Plants are tolerant of heat and drought, although best growth will occur with plenty of water and fertilizer. Like most verbenas, they need excellent soil drainage. There are numerous cultivars available. Many are trailing verbenas are hybrids of G. canadensis with other species.
Rigid Verbena (Verbena rigida) This South American verbena forms spreading patches of brilliant purple. It is widely naturalized along roadsides throughout South Carolina. It spreads by long white rhizomes (underground stems) which spread out in all directions and form dense colonies. Because of this growth habit, it forms a very effective ground cover. Rigid Verbena is hardy and drought resistant.
(Glandularia pulchella; formerly Verbena tenuisecta) Native to South America, but naturalized throughout the southern United States, moss verbena is so well adapted as to be commonly believed to be native. It is generally hardy in the lower parts of South Carolina, and often survives mild winters in the Upstate. Moss verbena has finely cut leaves and a very low growing habit, explaining its common name. Many of the cultivars are hybrids with other species.
(Glandularia x hybrida; formerly Verbena x hybrida) Annual verbena is a relatively common garden bedding plant. Most varieties will decline once summer heat increases. Perennial type verbenas will perform better in South Carolina, and will bloom quickly the first season of planting. Source: Clemson University Cooperative University Latin: Gladiolus x hortulanusGladiolus are too common and mundane to be cool in the garden. The omission of gladiolus from the garden is understandable because its blooms are fleeting - usually lasting for less than a week in any kind of pristine state - and its form is somewhat wanting. Yet, surprisingly, the gladiolus is one of the most important summer "bulb" crops with some production in every state of the Union. Gladiolus plants have been known since ancient times but it was not until the introduction of the African species into European gardens in the 18th and 19th centuries that hybridizers began to create the garden forms we know today. About 250 distinct species of gladiolus are described with about 15 species native in the Mediterranean region. Only the African species have been used in developing modern hybrids. The most notable of the African collectors was James Bowie (1789-1869) who initially collected for Kew Gardens in England, but was let go when the plant collecting budget was halved in 1820. His dismissal may have also reflected the riotous life style he developed while afield in remote parts of the world. Unable to find a governmental sponsor, Bowie returned to South Africa as a private collector where he worked on a consignment basis. The glad’s 15 minutes of fame came early in the 20th century when hybridizers such as Lemoine in France and Luther Burbank in California focused their attention on the plant. In 1910, the American Gladiolus Society was founded to promote the growing of glads and to standardize nomenclature. But the gladiolus craze seems to have subsided by mid century, primarily because gladiolus is just not a tidy garden plant. Another contributing factor to the flower’s decline in popularity was psychological. Florists began using it as a cheap and readily available funeral flower, and only the most intrepid supporter will stay faithful to a flower associated with bereavement. The gladiolus, a member of the iris family, does not produce a true bulb but instead reproduces by means of a corm. If cut in half, a corm is a solid starchy mass with no apparent internal structure such as you find in a true bulb. If the tunic is pulled away and the surface of the corm inspected a series of concentric rings will be found which correspond to the nodes of a typical plant. Each year, the corm is consumed to accomplish the above ground growth of the plant with a new corm formed atop the old one as the plant begins to flower. In addition to the main corm a number of pea-sized cormels will be produced which will attain flowering size in two growing seasons. The vegetable garden is probably the best place to grow gladiolus corms. By making multiple plantings from early to mid April until late July, cut blooms can be enjoyed all season long. If you wish to use the plants in the flower border, plant the corms in clumps of a dozen or so in an area about the size of a dinner plate. A wire support, such as a tomato cage, will be required to keep the plants from toppling, but the spiky four foot tall inflorescence can add some nice vertical lines to the flower border. Single colors are best for this use. Gladiolus can be left in the garden year round in most parts of the state, but hard winters which freeze the soil to the depth of the corm will kill them. Most people that grow gladiolus for cut flowers dig their plants each fall and store the corms in a dry, frost free area over winter. By: Gerald Klingaman, retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Extension News - July 14, 2000 |
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