Southern Gardening from 2005
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
At the Jackson Garden and Patio Show, a new group of hibiscus made its debut and wowed everyone. Called Cajun hibiscus, this series comes in colors you only dreamed about. I got two at the show -- one called Black Dragon that is a deep burgundy with swirls, and then a yellow and red blend called Fais Do Do. Both are extremely large, measuring 9 inches at least.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Garden centers have had a good supply of one of my favorite plants, the gomphrena. Known botanically as Gomphrena globosa, this Joseph's Coat relative is native to Panama and Guatemala.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
I got a kick out of the man on late night television recently who had four hummingbird feeders attached to a hat, trying to lure the birds in for a little feasting. I kind of feel that way about these little birds myself.
Natalie Jordan of Raymond feels the passion, too -- the last time I checked in, she was using about 5 pounds of sugar a day for her feeders. But you better believe she also had every plant a hummingbird loves in glorious bloom.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
My neighbor down the street already has everyone gawking with a spectacular Mandevilla on her mailbox. It's been that way for a few weeks, yielding dozens of blooms every day.
Many gardeners shop for plants that will bloom all summer and right up until fall. That's a pretty tall order to fill considering our extreme summer climate, but at the top of that list has to be the hybrid Mandevilla Alice du Pont.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Not too many plants can look equally at home in a tropical garden and an old-fashioned cottage garden, but such is the virtue of the Texas Star hibiscus. This hibiscus, known botanically as Hibiscus coccineus, also is known by less enticing names like swamp mallow or scarlet mallow.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
As the weather heats up and sends us indoors to a cooler environment, salvias really start to show their beauty in the landscape. One that every gardener needs is the pineapple sage.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Pay attention as you're scurrying about this early summer and you will notice one of our finest shrubs blooming and attracting butterflies by the scores. The buddleia's fragrant blossoms attract butterflies and look great as cut flowers. It is referred to as butterfly bush in the United States, and summer lilac in its native China.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
This time of the year, we start heading for the shady part of the garden where it is lush and cool. We think of impatiens, begonias, hostas and caladiums for seasonal color in this area, but there is another plant that needs to be in many more gardens, and that is the crossandra.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
No matter where you go this summer the tropical look is hot, and one of the key ingredients to this Caribbean-style garden is the elephant ear.
With leaves that defy logic in size and proportion to other plants, it's not hard to see why this plant is so loved by Southern gardeners. It is not uncommon to see 6-foot-tall plants with 3-foot leaves on petioles reaching 4 feet.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Mississippi is a long way from Hawaii, but we still can enjoy a special Hawaiian flower in our landscapes.
Most people are familiar with the tradition of giving floral necklaces called leis to visitors to Hawaii. The flower used most commonly is a plumeria, also called frangipani. The plumeria has a tantalizing fragrance and commands attention whether grown in a container or the landscape. Once you start growing it, you will become hooked.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
No matter where you go in the South right now, the plant that seems to be in a constant state of standout performance is the alternanthera, or Joseph's Coat.
Of course, most of the Joseph's Coats we see are the lime green selections usually partnered with coleus or cannas. They are doing quite well at my house even though there is a baby cottontail trimming them for me nightly.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Ogon, the leading variety of Japanese sweet flag, is just beginning to attain all the wonderful landscape possibilities that it is capable of achieving. This year has given me a new appreciation for this member of the lily family.
Dwarf sweet flag, mostly called Japanese sweet flag, is known botanically as Acorus gramineus. Although still fairly new in our local markets, this grass is drawing increased attention.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
To say that blue passionflower is a vigorous vine is a huge understatement, and the flower production is also very impressive. The blue passionflower is known botanically as Passiflora caerulea and is cold hardy over the entire state.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Late yesterday evening, I was surveying the landscape and looking at the results of being gone for almost a week. The conclusion is it is time to begin some late-season planting. If you are like me and ready for a colorful pick-me-up, then late summer- to early fall-planted marigolds could certainly be what is needed.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Even if the heat has been oppressive, you must admit that late summer opens the door to one of the best times in the landscape for ornamental grasses. Just when you are ready to throw in the towel for the gardening season, these landscape warriors start sending up blooms and plumes demanding attention.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Knowing you live in an area at risk for hurricane damage is one thing, but watching a Catagory 4 or 5 hurricane barrel down on your home is a helpless feeling. When the time for recovery arrives, cleaning up landscapes can seem overwhelming, especially if a lot of trees are down. What took a few hours to bring down, may take weeks to clean up.
When disaster strikes, the little things take on more importance. Saving something from a site of total devastation can be a big boost, even if what is saved is just a tree or a special bush. As I travel around in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I have noticed a few things that could be overlooked by homeowners.
Water is critical...
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Mississippi's second planting season is here, bringing many choices to liven up tired landscapes. There are mums and marigolds, salvias of all sorts, late season zinnias and one of my favorites, the ornamental pepper.
Ornamental peppers have changed dramatically over the last few years to become real landscape assets. We now have choices like the colorful, Medusa, Chilly Chili, Masquerade and a new one called Black Pearl that will steal your heart for sure.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
After Hurricane Katrina, words like "uprooted," "transplanted" and "salvaged" are applied to many devastated lives, homes and communities. They also may be applied to the landscapes where homes once stood and where fallen trees now lie.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Landscapes are starting to look great as hurricane debris is cleared and fall mums are planted. There is something to be said about the way mums change your mood and brighten the landscape.