Crape Myrtles in Midwest

Crape mytles are a small woody ornamental in the South. However, we can push the envelope and have a small shrub here in zone 5b. It may burn down to the ground or you may have some amount of the wood from the previous season hanging on. Don't panic when your plant doesn't bud out until early summer. They will be the latest shrub to get going each year.

Consult your local garden center pro to find out the hardiest for our area. If you can carry more wood through the winter, the more mature plant is more impressive. If you like to increase your chance of more wood in the spring, Larry Limburg of Clearfield Farms in Douglas County recommends putting a wire cage around the plant just like rose care. He stresses putting a foot of hay, as opposed to straw, inside the cage to insulate the plant. The average soul may consider this to be high maintenance butis not necessary to be successful

Plant on the south side of the house is the best advice Ken Wood of Family Tree Nursery and Garden Center can give you. In this type of microclimate, Ken estimates you will burn all the way to the ground every six out of every 10 years.

So have a little fun googling crape myrtle images and lust over the tree form. But take solace in knowing you can have a beautiful shrub.
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green flowers

i'm reading a great book titled - "green flowers - unexpected beauty for the garden, containers or vase." i've always had a thing for green flowers and have enjoyed the book. here are some of the selections for our zone:

columbine 'chocalate soldiers' - brown petals with larger green bracts.

clematis 'plena'

amaranthus 'viridis' green form of love lies bleeding - looks great with burgundy one in vase

kousa dogwood -early spring flower is beautiful with a tan and white/green combo flower

snow-on-the-mountain 'silver queen' great volunteer in the garden (above left)

lisianthus 'piccolo green' simply elegant form of texas bluebell

green snowdrop 'virescens'

helleborus 'double green' grow close to house so can be seen in early march

daylily 'green flutter'

hydrangea 'limelight'

bells of ireland - easy to grow annual is favorite of hip florists

nicotiana 'Lime Green' - stunning in garden or vase

rudbeckia 'green wizard' - imagine yellow form without petals

tulips 'spring green' 'greenland'

calla lilies 'green goddess' 'captain eskimo' great name!

Iris dichothma - The Vesper Iris

The Vesper Iris opens in late afternoon in a matter of minutes just as the evening vespers would have been heard in old monasterys. Iris ditchoma has traditionally been the last of the iris family to bloom but some reblooming bearded irises hasve taken that title away
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I was genuinly excited to pick up three small plants at the Powell Garden Plant Sale last spring. i'm planning cvan evening garden by our patio and the star of the show with 4ft high flower stalks will be the vesper irises. Being Australian both the blackberry lily and pictures of the vesper remind me of my dear kangaroo paws. Apparently, both blue and white flowers can appear on the same plant.

For the love of a rose.

Photography courtesy of Michael Gordon

It brought a big smile to my grandmother's face when she recounted the story of how the rose Peace was created. The Meilland family in France were the hybridizers and were successfully trialing it around Europe before the beginning of World War II. On the last Clipper flight to leave France before the Nazis came in was a box of cuttings sent to a notable rose hybridizer.

The family was unsure if the plane had been shut down by the Nazis or if the cuttings had made it into usable condition. After no communications for four years, they received a letter from the grower informing them that 3-25-40 had been a complete success. The huge flower with yellow petals with touch of pink blush had enchanted rose growers around the world and the introducer was inspired to call the rose Peace. The date it was first introduced to the rose world, was Sunday, April 29, 1945 -- the day Berlin fell. And on the day it received the All-American Rose Society Award, Japan surrendered. This is the hardest thing for me to grasp, within the first nine years over 30 million bushes were sold. And Francis Meilland was the leader for worldwide plant patents, so he made a ton of money and built the Eiffel Tower (just kidding!)

Of course, this was before I surrendered to blackspot. So I just have the memories of my grandparents plant and the huge Climbing Peace bush that was front and center in front of the old house in Sydney.

The Mitchell's Daylily Backyard Paradise

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After forty years in the gardening world, I was six when I started, I can only think of three times my breath hss been taken way and when I entered the Mitchell's Prairie Village backyard was one of those times. Jock had invited the Joco Master Gardeners to tour on the weekend before our visit but I can't get the wheelchair around in crowds. So Jock invited to my mother and I for a private tour.

When you pull up to the Mitchell's unassuming front yard, you have no idea that when you open the gate you will be greeted by hundreds and hundreds of blooms. This garden is more than just the flowers. Jock and his wife have crafted flagstones surrounded by small pebbles to meander through the entire backyard. The center of the garden is divided by a glorious waterfall complete with tropical water lilies and lotuses.

Jock is a retired doctor and has focused on hybridizing daylilies since retirement. All his plants are meticulously and subtly labeled to aid in his hybridization work. The program is all about self-satisfaction not getting named daylilies to the market. The last image above is his latest creation he is most proud of to date. So far there are only three rhizomes and I can't wait to get my hands on one when he gets enough rhizomes to share.

Jock has graciously offered to create new garden beds with daylilies for me at Trinity. Jo Roderson of American Daylillies & Perennials in has also graciously offered to provide me with daylillies at no cost to me. BTW, if your looking for the highest quality of plants, check out their website at http://www.americandaylilly.com/.

Thanks Jock for taking my breath away. Somehow I think it will be a long time before somebody else or some plant takes my breath away again.

Patrick's Picks - Compact Grasses

The long and thin blades of ornamental grasses weave into the broader leaves of perennial plants to create captivating displays and provide winter interest in the garden. But what makes including grasses in garden design difficult is that most varieties are far too are large for the average sized garden.

All three of our professionals this month recommend the same plant for the first time since I began writing this column. Alan Branhagen, the director of Powell Gardens in Kingsville, MO, describes Sporobolus heterolepis ‘Prairie Dropseed’ as a "lovely tuft of fine blades that somewhat reminds me of Tina Turner’s hair. The inflorescences are not colorful but open, airy and light reflective. ‘Prairie Dropseed’ has the Plants of Merit distinction from the Missouri Botanical Garden and matures to 2' x 2'.

Branhagen is also excited about the characteristics of Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Little Bluestem’.He says "This is one of the most beautiful native grasses in fall when it often turns russet reds, bleaching to more sandy through the winter. It is not seedy and remains in a clump, while the inflorescences are not showy but sparkle when backlit. Bluish leaved forms add to its interest in the summer." Little Bluestem grows to 3 feet tall with a 2 foot spread

The last selection from Branhagen is Sideoats Grama, Bouteloua curtipendula . He says "The inflorescences are lined on one side with spikelets of scarlet anthers. They turn dry sandy blond for winter and remain ornamental". The plant is locally native and grows to only 18” to 3 feet tall with inflorescences and 18” wide. Sideoats requires full sun or only part shade in average to dry soils with good drainage.

Jan Vinyard and her husband Wayne operated Longview Garden in Lee's Summit, MO, for 27 years before retiring in 2007. Her first choice, Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Dot' has a nice 3-4' height habit with "plummy-red" inflorescences to 5'. "Distinctive gold cross bars make it show up in the garden to brighten up dull spots in the border. It spreads slowly and should be divided about every 3 years.” tall. Jan recommends Gaillardia 'Goblin', Sedum telephium 'Autumn Fire' and Aster nova belgii 'Professor Anton Kippenberg' as good companions.

Panicum virgatum 'Shenadoah' has a stunning combination of red-burgundy foliage through the summer and delightful tawny-pink influorescence. This is a native switch grass cultivar will grow well in places too wet for other grasses. Jan recommended good companions including Rudbeckia nitida 'Goldsturm', Monarda fistulosa 'Clair Grace' and Liatris spicata. Dried heads of these flowers all compliment each other in a winter landscape and offer great seed for finch.

I hope these relatively compact plants can help you take another look at including ornamental grasses in your perennial or mixed border. Life is too short and fertile garden soil is too valuable to put up with an underperforming plant.

Hail Mary!

I lived in St. Louis for about three years. On "The Hill", known for its fantastic Italian restaurants, is surrounded by beautiful older homes. Most homes feature a statue of Mary front and center.

Of course being a gardener, mine had to be tied into the landscape. Since Mary is traditionally known for blue, I had to have a blue clematis bred in Japan named "Roguchi”. I read about the breeder and his plants in Horticulture several years ago. Once again, I bookmarked the plant in my head and had to have it. The nodding flowers grace Mary on my weathered statue. Hail Mary full of Grace, pray for us.

Iris Butterflies In Flight

The other memorable plant for me in Ken's presentation was Iris 'Butterflies in Flight'. I have seen this Japanese Iris before and I remember bookmarking it in my mind. I was wondering its timing was about the same as 'Caesar's Brother' Plant of Merit Siberian Iris. I doubt it but it creates a beautiful picture in my mind.

Everybody needs a mentor -- even gardeners!

After being a gardener for 35 years, I must stress I was only six when I began, you can't help it but develop a know it all attitude. But the spring I learned that every gardener needs a mentor. I went to the now retired Longview Gardens with an extensive list in hand for both the annuals and perennials. Then Jan Vinyard laid some magic on me and in the course of less than 45 minutes she redesigned my new perennial garden and had tons of other suggestions for my annuals. Being this veteran gardener, I thought I was cheating but I got over quickly.

As a society, we talk about child mentors, professional mentors and spiritual mentor. If you know a gardener, no matter what skill level, I'm sure they would be flattered if you ask them to be your mentor.

Iris Pseudatas; The New Eye Shadow Irises

I just came back from a Master Gardener training session with Ken O'Dell maven plantsmen and a long time volunteer for the Overland Park Arboretum. Ken was a wholesale grower since retired and his major push with the Arboretum is a the major grower for their spring plant sale. Ken presented a wide ranging discussion of working with perennials. It was a standing room only crowd of over 300 people andKen overwhelmed us all with three hours of PowerPoint slides.

However it was two types of rare species iris that inspired me to ask a volunteer sitting next to me to write down the names for me. Iris pseudatas is a cross between iris pseudacorus and the Japanese iris ensata. By water these irises can reach 5 feet but generally around 3 feet in common garden conditions. They are hardy in our area and reportedly bloom over three weeks, but who knows in Kansas at this time of year.

Pictured is 'Beyakuya No Kumi' or Land of the Midnight Sun.

Variegated horseradish

Photography courtesy
Rob's plants



The first time I ever saw this stunning plant was in my favorite gardening book, The Collectors Garden by Ken Druse. It looks like regular horseradish until after three or four years the leaves explode with a mass of cream leaf with some limited green variegation. Being the plant head that I am, I had to wonder how the plant could survive with such limited chlorophyll in the green parts. But after I got over my OCD, I was determined to find this plant. The only source I found was at Forestfarm nursery in a 1 gallon size. I bought two plants and I am at the beginning of the third year. I know I need some help, but I'm really excited to find four leaves that have a significant piece of variegation (as seen in picture above. I guess I will just have to keep looking at Ken's book until I have my own explosion in the garden. I'll keep you updated.

The Most Beautiful Tree for The Midwest

Photos courtesy
University of Georgia Atlanta



The first time I saw the Fringe Tree was at a Rose Society meeting. This of course was before I had surrendered to blackspot. A woman brought it to make an arrangement that included the tree. The whites blooms looked like fringes of lace and I decided at some point I had to grow it.

Years later, I found a 3 foot Chinese variety, as opposed to our American native variety, in a 2 gallon pot at Arbor Village Nursery in Holt, select key Missouri. I planted it to close to a window that it looked great for about three years. I had to give it up when we moved to a ranch dueto my spinal cord injury.

I went back to Arbor Village, and this time through their catalogue. It was really nothing more than a stick and with limited garden space I had to put it in a cramped location. It grew too large very quickly and I had to move it last summer. Anyway, it didn't make it through the winter so I went in search of another one. Last wee fringe, one of my best friends and I traveled Skinners Garden Center in Topeka, Kansas, which was the only place I could find any dwarf white redbud. I was so impressed with the quality of their material, I decided to head back there for a day nether fringe tree. I was not disappointed. They had a both American and Chinese and five and 10 gallons and 1 1/2 caliper trees. At the 10 gallon Bush style for about 150 bucks. The the 1 1/2 caliper was 180 and I didn't think my wife would go for that. But when I came home she was like why did you spend the extra 50 bucks to get a tree. So I am trying to figure a way to get my went back to the Topeka and bring back the larger size in a pickup truck.

I was helped by Aaron in their shrub and tree department. He had done some on-the-job training at Gage Park in Topeka he told me there are some mature trees in the park so I can't meet to check them out when they bloom next spring. He also Said that the birds like the black berries that come in the summer. He said that they were responsible for seedlings in the park.

Without a doubt, this is the most beautiful tree for the Midwest. Go check it out.

Give Me Spots on My Flowers,

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(From top)
Iris dichotoma - Vesper Iris

Parancanda norissi - Candy Lily

Belacamda chinensis - Blackberry Lily

I have had a long fascination and admiration of mottled flowers. From classic lillies to , the leopard patterns I fing graphically stimulating. When I moved to our most recent garden, I planted thr traditional orange and had a great surprise to find a pink one

Window Boxes at Trinity Nursing Home

Life has been very difficult as a quadriplegic since my spinal chord injury nine years ago this spring. But the hardest chapter began last August when it became necessary for me to move into a nursing home at age 44. I have always believed I was a strong person but learning to not only survive but THRIVE in a nursing home is now one of my proudest accomplishments. So I have been reborn at Trinity Nursing Home in Merriam, KS.

Based on my executive training background, i began building relationships with the leadership team here. One of the first things I brought to their attention was they had been scammed by a disreputable landscape company. Although on paper the front of the facility faces south, the company shoved in sun plants last August in beds under two 50 + year old pin oaks and two mature crab apples. I'm sure the fact sun plants due to their volume are less expensive than shade plants was involved in the scam. As soon as I arrived I brought attention of the scam to the director however the company would not return phone calls. But this terrible chapter has been a great opportunity for this handicapable man.

Strategically I decided to push the landscaping back until the fall when there would be more time available for recruiting volunteers and I would have time to get to know the environment better for designing a garden. There are thirteen 30" window boxes surrounding the two covered patio areas at the front of the building. I have decided to focus my efforts on these hopefully distracting the visitors' eye from the remains of the scam artists. Since the patio cover and trees provide varying degrees of light exposure I need to learn better for the future, I've decided to go with a simple combo of Sunpatiens and vinca vine.

The Sunpatiens were discovered when a cross of a New Guinea impatiens and a traditional impatiens lead to a hybrid with the preponderence of blooms of the bedding plant variety with the thicker leaf of the New Guinea allowing the plant to thrive in the sun. As I wrote in my column in the Kansas City Gardener, my only fault I see with Sunpatiens is the marketing behind it. There are three plant forms under the Sunpatiens brand name: Compact, Landscape and Cascade. But because the marketing company has them all under the same series there is more than enough reason for consumer confusion and frustration.

So I have three plants of each color with two vinca vine between them. The patios are on each side of the main entrance. I have the same colors in each box in the same position on each patio for maximum impact. I'll keep you updated with photography through the growing season.

Patrick's Picks -- Larry Moore's Tomatoes

Patrick Picks
February, 2009

HEADLINE: Patrick's Picks: Stretching the Tomato Season with Larry Moore.

It takes skill and experience when selecting your tomato varieties to ensure a harvest from the Fourth of July to the first major frost. Larry Moore, the co-anchor of KMBC Channel 9 News since 1972, is a passionate tomato grower, who through trial and error has developed a season-long program with hybrids that deliver excellent flavor.

Larry's enthusiasm for growing tomatoes is regularly demonstrated on air when he shares his bounty with co-anchors. Larry says "I keep growing tomatoes because there is nothing more tasty and delicious than home-grown red-ripe tomatoes. Tomatoes like sweet corn are best if eaten within 8 hours."

Larry always selects five varieties of tomatoes each year. He says "Early Girl Hybrid assures me of red ripe tomatoes by the Fourth of July weekend." As the name implies, Early Girl is one of the earliest producing varieties with tennis ball sized fruit in as little as 52 days. However, the later varieties will always have superior taste.

His favorite main producer is Celebrity ripening in about 70 days. With superior disease resistance, this All American Selection from 1984 has stood the test of time as a high-yielding variety. Larry says "They turn out 7-9 ounce tomatoes during the most trying of conditions--too much rain, drought, cool nights or extreme heat. The flavor is superb and the yield is tremendous."

Larry says "Big Girl and Big Boy come on in late July in or around 78 days".According to Gerald Klingaman, a retired extension agent with the University of Arkansas, Big Boy was one of the first hybrid vegetables, coming to the market in 1949 and is often listed among their top five all-time flavor favorites.
and is often listed among their top five all-time flavor favorites. pumpkin

The last of Larry's favorites is Burpee Supersteak Hybrid producing its fruit on average around 80 days. Like any of the steak tomatoes, Supersteak is known for its rich "beef steak" flavor and meaty texture. "They turn out two-pounders and each one is to die for. They are significantly affected by weather. Usually I get two to three two-pounders off each plant. However, this year because of cool
weather and fluctuating conditions, I got only two two-pounders off our plants. They produce lots of other tomatoes, too. Not all of them are two-pounders."

Larry says "My favorite moment with Supersteak tomatoes is when I pick a big one and duck into the kitchen. I get two pieces of toast, a leaf of lettuce, and three big slices of bacon, put them all in sandwich form, and then add a slice of this steak tomato with a dob of mayo. What a feast! It makes the growing of tomatoes well worth the work.”

To ensure all five varieties are producing through the end of the season, Larry applies two handfuls of soybean meal to each plant. Soybean meal is a high nitrogen (7-2-1) organic fertilizer manufactured in a pelleted form. Applied during Labor Day weekend, all his five varieties will still be producing until the first killing frost. Larry said "I'm still picking lots of tomatoes this year and it’s late October”.

CAPTION: Larry shares his bounty from this year’s mid-season variety Celebrity.
Patrick Muir is a Johnson County Master Gardener living in western Shawnee. You can find column archives and a listing of retailers participating in the Patrick's Picks Program at patricksgarden.com.

Moulin Rouge Sunflower

PA Smith's favorite and he is able to fit in two crops per season. I think these tall types of sunflowers are best used as a backdrop in a perennial border. That way when they're spent, you don't have to look at the unsightly mess the plant turns into soon shortly after flowering. I like the richness of Moulin's blooms. These burgundy hyprids are the only ones I grow. Yellow is so pedestrian and living in Kansas, if I want to see yellow sunflowers, I just look outside my house or car windows.

Patrick's Picks -- Perennials

A natural progression in the education of a gardener is to break free from annuals and discover the benefits of growing perennials. The most obvious benefit is the joy of seeing plants return year after year but the diversity of perennial plant material can weave a beautiful tapestry in anyone’s garden. It's also important to remember you can't think of a perennial garden as a static endeavor. Each year is an opp on successes and replace any lackluster performers.

For this month's column, I interviewed three area gardening professionals to find some outstanding perennials for those gardeners starting fresh or for those looking to improve an existing perennial garden.

Finding compact shade plants to complement hostas has always been a challenge. But Matt Archer of Soil Service in Kansas City, MO believes the variegated Japanese Sedge Grass ‘Evergold’ boldly meets that need in the garden. Each graceful thin blade has dark green edging with a bright yellow stripe in the middle. Matt says "with fountain-like growth, ‘Evergold’ adapts well to moist, shady conditions but also has worked at our nursery in mostly-sunny locations and seems to also be drought tolerant. It is an excellent specimen for bordering or clumping in gardens as well as container accents".

Archer is also a big fan of Sedum 'Angelina'. With its trailing habit, Angelina’ is a hardy plant with succulent foliage reaching a final size of 3 to 6 inches high by 12 to 14 inches wide. The chartreuse plant changes to a burnt orange-red in autumn.. It prefers sunny locations and will adapt to most sites as long as there is bright light and well-drained soil "We like to use chartreuse heucheras such as a ‘Dolce Key Lime Pie’ in the spring and the amber tones of heucheras such as ‘Peach Melba’ work great in the fall for our containers." When using perennials in your containers, be sure to replant in the garden by mid-October to ensure their usage for another season.

The common name for baptisia is false indigo based upon the blue flowers of the common species. But, since baptisia grows 3 feet to 4 feet tall and the same around, it requires some serious garden real estate. If you have the space, Duane Hoover of the Ewing and Muriel Kauffamn Memorial Garden in Kansas City, MO, really likes the yellow flowered ‘Carolina Moonlight’. Duane says "the 18” racemes in May through June compliment our garden very well. We also like all the baptisia because they attract butterflies. Even when this plant isn’t in flower it is stunning with its blue/green foliage and later on the almost black “inflated” seed pods".

Hoover’s other selection is Stachys ‘Hummelo’, a variety of Lambs Ear, The compact size of 12 to 18 inches high and 18 to 24 inches wide makes it an excellent candidate for a grouping of three in the average sized garden. The deep rose-lavender blooms begin in July and last through September. He says "the glossy basal rosette leaves are very attractive and easy to maintain in the garden. After the late summer flowers fade, the foliage will last well into fall and winter.

The intense breeding programs for Echinacea have delivered a stunning array of colors, plant habits and flower forms in recent years including ‘Prairie Splendor’. Julie Wendlandt of Audrie Seeley & Co in Kansas City, MO. says this variety is a “a beautiful rose red and our experience has seen the plant flower 100% of the time within the first year". Julie says ‘Prairie Splendor’ "makes its presence known earlier than others in June and continues until the first frost, making it the longest flowering coneflower on the market today. As it is more compact than the normal Echinacea purpurea , it is more versatile in garden".
Some gardeners hesitate to replace a poor performing perennial plant because they invested $4.99 for a small plant. But life is too short and fertile garden soil has too much potential to put up with an underperforming plant. If you're cooking and burn a steak, would you just add some garnish and serve it to your guests hoping they won't

Ferry Seed Store Display Box pre 1929

If you've ever participated in ebay, you know the thrill of winning after days of waiting. As I'm writing this I'm in the middle of that thrill. I just got the positive news about this vintage store display box. I did a little research about the D.M. Ferry Seed Company. Around 1860, Dexter Mason Ferry wanted to earn some money to go to college. He took a job doing the books for a Detroit seed company. In a short amount of time, he bought out the owners. He was the first to sell seeds in stores and guarantee their freshness. He grew seed crops for some of varieties he sold.

Ferry merged his company with the C C Morse Seed Company of San Francisco to form the Ferry-Morse Seed Company. So I feel good in knowing my seed box was being used in the twenties. Ferry-Morse is now headquartered today in Fulton, Kentucky.

You will find their product today in local garden centers that carry a broad selection of seed companies. Dexter Mason Ferry would be glad to know the brand is known for reasonably priced seed.

Coming Soon: 'Bloomerang' Reblooming Lilac

I don't even waste my time thinking about lilacs. For ten days of bloom, you have to see this mangled bunch of stems going in all differrent directions. It has to be one of the least desirable tree/shrubs in the gardening repetoire. And even the fragrance with the association of masking outdoor toilet stenchs make its only strengths a huge liability for me. My Australian grandmother didn't have one, so there is absolutely no emotional attachment at all.

But according to the folks at Proven Winners, the growing season of 2011 will completely blow up all the reasons I despise lilacs and its name is 'Bloomerang.' She starts off the season with the traditional flush of blooms but then she takes some time to regroup and returns mid-summer to bloom through the end of the sesson. Sure the later flushs don't have the punch seen in the spring but they are respectable. She'll be a sight for the very bloodshot eyes of many patient gardeners even including me. Talk about 180 degrees.

'Bloomerang ' is only available at White Flower Farm and Wayside Gardens for somewhere over thirty bucks but you can be assured that will get you a few bareroot sticks. The majority of the available stock is probably growing an additional year to be sold under the Proven Winners brand. If PW is marketing 'Bloomerang', it is not just another novelty destined for the chopping block/shredder. I'm still trying to grasp the reality I can't wait to see a lilac. Anything is now possible.

Native American 'Three Sisters Garden'

I've always been fascinated by the Native American tradition of the three sisters. The basic concept is to plant beans, corn and pumpkins in a large mound. The corn gives structure for the beans to grow, the beans, a legume, fixate the nitrogen for the corn and the pumpkin.

For more information see attached an excellent article from one of my favorite seed companies, Renee's Garden. She has created a collection of three excellent varieties .Let me know if you try this and give me your feedback.

http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.htmlhttp:/vinformationpermission /www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.html