By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
After three years, I am hooked on the New Guinea-type impatiens series called SunPatiens. The heat over the past few weeks has made gardening a real struggle. But every day, I pull into the driveway next to SunPatiens putting on a show.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Red Emperor ginger is one of those plants people treasure even if it never blooms. I did not know much about this plant but received a cluster of them from my daughter, who had been using them as a thriller plant in a mixed container for a special event.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
It’s easy to love Shasta daisies, but when they look like shredded coconut on top of round cupcakes, they seem good enough to eat.
Last week we filmed a Southern Gardening segment in Mississippi’s hot Delta at the Wister Gardens in Belzoni. It’s called The Delta’s Garden, but the readers of Mississippi Magazine recently honored Wister as Mississippi’s Best Garden.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Many of us who live in Mississippi’s heat have wished for geraniums with blooms as tough as our summers, and we finally have Caliente and Calliope to make life more enjoyable.
Each year when I visit the big flower trials in California, I drive from San Diego to San Jose. I get green with envy seeing the ivy geraniums growing almost like weeds along the more than 700 miles I travel between these cities.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
At this time of year, you could plunk me down in a woodland setting surrounded by hydrangeas and I would be in total bliss. I love all types of hydrangeas, including the most elegant of all: the lacecap.
Each year I get three or four calls, emails or letters asking what went wrong with a hydrangea because it did not form a large, mophead shape. Sadly, these gardeners aren’t enjoying the exquisite beauty of this particular type of bigleaf hydrangea.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Move over Red Abyssinian, there is a new banana in town – the Siam Ruby. Siam Ruby showed up at garden and patio shows and local garden centers last year, and quickly found favor with tropical plant nuts like me.
Before I go further, please know I am still a fan of the Red Abyssinian. It is just that the Siam Ruby is so colorful, you can’t pass it up. The trunk and leaves of this exotic tropical are burgundy with irregular iridescent lime green variegation in the foliage.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Spring landscapes with azaleas, rhododendrons, dogwoods and redbuds look simply incredible. But as magnificent as these landscapes are, they are not complete without the addition of a Japanese maple with its lacy, fern-like foliage.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
The clematis looks like it was created for royalty, but in my area it’s the preferred mailbox bloomer. We have plenty of mandevillas and confederate jasmine, but in the end, the real winner in the popularity game is the clematis.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
If you love hydrangeas and lament when they quit blooming for the year, then you should buy the 2009 Mississippi Medallion Award-winning Limelight hydrangea. This hydrangea gives an extended season of incredible blooms from midsummer through fall.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
If you are one of many gardeners wondering what native plants to put on your arbors or trellises, consider honeysuckle.
Mention the word honeysuckle, and many people get as irritated as they do when imagining bamboo or kudzu in their gardens. Of course, most are thinking of the Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
If you choose the right flowers, your garden can have an exciting, festive atmosphere all summer long. If you’re looking for the life of the garden party, you need to look for the 2009 Mississippi Medallion award-winner Senorita Rosalita.
This outstanding new cleome creates interest and excitement in the garden by offering an intricate, spidery flower structure.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Gardeners across the country cherish phlox, but it is one of dozens of plants that get passed over because it is typically not in bloom when it’s shopping time.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
As you shop your local garden center this spring, keep your eyes open for the 2009 Mississippi Medallion award-winning Flambé chrysocephalum. It has the ability to make itself at home in your garden, and it is one of the toughest plants you will grow.
The Mississippi Medallion award program began in 1996 when it recognized New Gold lantana and Blue Daze evolvulus. This year’s award went to Flambé for its stalwart performance in Mississippi’s extreme heat.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Whether you are interested in an edible landscape or a plain old vegetable garden, you will want to try the 2009 Mississippi Medallion award-winning Slim Jim eggplant.
Slim Jim is the fifth vegetable to win the Mississippi Medallion award. The others are Purple Ruffles basil, Mini Charm tomato, Tequila bell pepper and Red Giant mustard. You'll find these and other vegetables and herbs at your local garden center.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
A trip to any garden center this spring will likely show that petunias are increasingly popular. Though there are dozens of varieties from which to choose, one group rising to the top is the Supertunia.
Many trial reports have given top honors to the bright-pink Supertunia Vista Bubblegum and the reddish-purple Vista Fuchsia. However, shoppers at a recent garden and patio show preferred the Supertunia Raspberry Blast and Supertunia Royal Velvet.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
It won't be long until you start thinking about designing your mixed containers, and when you do, remember Wojo's Gem. This exceptional variegated vinca gives an incredible performance as a spiller plant.
When we mention the formula of “thriller, filler and spiller” or “tall, small and fall,” I think sometimes we put too much emphasis on the thriller plant and let the filler be treated as an afterthought.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
It's always interesting to see the crowd favorites at garden shows, and the winners at the recent Gulf Coast Garden and Patio Show appear to be Kangaroo Paws and skullcaps. These are the plants the throngs of gardeners were elbowing each other to purchase last weekend in Biloxi.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
A lot of gardeners ask me what they can grow in shadier parts of the garden to add color and pizzazz. If you find yourself asking that same question, it's probably time to let Kong loose.
The Kong series of coleus was selected as a Mississippi Medallion winner a few years ago, and it has continued to be one of the largest-leafed selections and tops in color.
By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
Mention complementary color schemes in the garden and your first thought is probably of flowers. The idea can be carried further to include shrubs and small trees, and spring is a great time to put it on display.