We’re trying to cover the North County with Crape myrtles! They’re in their prime right now – one of the best summer flowering trees that flourish in our heat. Crape myrtles are found in various sizes and colors. This particular specimen has gorgeous color and marvelous shape. You can, of course, start with a much smaller plant and shape it as it grows.
It’s taken time and patience but the citrus grove has arrived! We have lemons, oranges, limes and mandarins plants. These all need protection from the North County frosts. They can be grown in containers or in the ground. Other frost tender edibles include the strawberry guava and a variety of avocadoes. We have Haas, Reed, Lamb Haas and Stewart. Citrus benefit from a lightly acidic soil and we now have a special formula soil mix for their special needs.
Just when you bought two books devoted entirely to salvias, up pops a new one! This variety is ‘Hummingbird Falls’. The flowers are a brilliant dark blue like one of its parents, Salvia guaranitica, but its unique feature is the plant’s form. This salvia is perfect for containers and hanging baskets. It does best with afternoon shade.
The name of this Heuchera says it all – ‘Grande’. This is the most robust species of Heuchera we have seen so far. The dark leaves are huge and look to be very sturdy. Plant ‘Grande’ in the ground or in a container with plenty of shade. For contrast pair it with lime colored Heucheras or other light green shade plants.
We have a new compact, reblooming hydrangea ‘Pistacio’. The colors on this plant are quite unique – lime green with accents of rosy pink. The plant grows 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. Hydrangeas do require more water than many other shrubs, so keep that in mind. This variety would make an excellent container plant.
We are expecting the arrival of 1 gallon Echibeckias – ‘Summerina Yellow’ and ‘Summerina Sizzling Sunset’. These colorful perennials are a cross of Rudbeckia and Echinacea. The bright multi-colored petals are inherited from the Rudbeckia and the cold hardiness and slight downward form of the petals from Echinacea. Also on hand are the multi-stemmed sunflowers providing a great summer accent.
We have a new supplier of house plants – some quite exotic. Shown here is an unusual variety of Sansevieria and a colorful bromeliad. House plants have been very popular as of late. The old fashioned “Creeping Charlie” (Plectranthus) has seen quite a revival! Schultz fertilizer is a good product for house plants. You can also use the slow release product, Osmocote. It only needs to be applied once or twice during the year.