Southern Gardening

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Your first thought of shrubs for your home is probably the staples like hollies or ligustrums and showy bloomers like azaleas or camellias. Those are great choices, but I want you to consider using some conifers.

While many conifers are tall trees like pines or bald cypresses, shorter conifers like the shrub-type junipers offer a lot for the landscape.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A trendy new word used throughout the landscape design industry is “nesting,” and the outdoor fireplace certainly has become a focal point in new nests. While the phrase “feather your nest” may be for the birds, each of us has that opportunity as well.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Flames are dancing in the fireplace and I know an arctic blast is on its way, but I am looking at photos of Cotton Candy, Wine and Cheese, and Roccoco, which sounds like a delightful chocolate. These tasty-sounding names are all new selections of verbenas.

While we're stuck inside waiting for warmer weather to arrive and the rain to stop, this is a great time to plan which plants you will use this year in your landscape and mixed containers.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A lot of people dread winter because the landscape starts looking a little like Siberia, but it doesn't have to be that way if you remember the “three Bs”: bones, berries and bark.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

I've decided to go where no garden writer I know of has gone before and give a “Family of the Year” award for 2008. Time magazine recognizes people of the year and Barbara Walters lists her 10 most interesting. I want to recognize the Acanthus family as my “Family of the Year.”

I was inspired to give this award this fall when a couple from Brookhaven sent me a photo of a 4- to 5-foot-tall plant with the most amazing blooms I have ever seen. They wanted me to identify it.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

At this time of the year, some people look back and reflect and others look to the future. Joey, a hot new plant from Australia that is coming this spring, will have us looking to the future.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

2009 looks to be the Year of the Begonia. This is not an official proclamation but my expectation of the incredible new begonias that will debut this spring. From hanging baskets to the landscape, begonia lovers can rejoice.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A few Pennies can make your winter landscape look like a million bucks.

I'm not talking about the proverbial penny saved or even the penny found lying on the sidewalk. The Penny I am talking about is not copper-colored but perhaps a rich orange, deep blue or one of more than 20 other colors.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

With few flowers blooming, our landscape's main interest at this time of year comes from differing textures.

I recently stumbled on a combination planting that featured natives in an awesome show of texture. Had I kept my eyes open, I would surely have seen Mother Nature, rather than a landscape architect, do it first. Nevertheless it struck me as a partnership worthy of writing about and photographing.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Winter is often cold and dreary, but the pyracantha, a member of the rose family, helps landscapes remain beautiful, interesting and a great source of food for cedar waxwings.

The pyracantha gets its name from the Greek word “pyr,” for fire, and “akanthos,” for thorn, hence the common name firethorn. This is very appropriate, as the pyracantha has sharp, painful thorns. I remember as a child reaching in to retrieve baseballs from the branches and coming out screaming.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

You may have heard the term black gold in your lifetime. While it is most often associated with oil, gardeners worth their salt will associate the phrase with compost. Compost is that dark, crumbly, organic material that is often a prerequisite for the green thumb.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Pinks or dianthus are among the most loved cool-season flowers. While they are described as cool-season flowers, varieties like the Amazon series perform in the cool season and for much of the summer, too, giving us combination possibilities we may never have considered.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Pansies and violas are planted in the fall, and they bloom until late spring when temperatures get too hot. Without a doubt, these are the best value for your gardening dollar. They are so good that I wonder why some people don't take advantage of these colorful, workhorse-type flowers.

I attend the California Pack Trials each April and am always amazed by one group of pansies produced by a company called American Takii, located on the outskirts of Salinas.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

An old masterpiece may be tucked away in your potting shed or garage just waiting for you to bring it to life. This masterpiece is an empty piece of old pottery or even a concrete planter with a chip or two missing and moss or lichens growing on it.

I saw a cool-season container like this a year or two ago that took my breath away. The designer had carefully placed the plant material to create a living work of art.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Muhly grasses native to the southern United States offer dazzling performances for the fall landscape. One of the most picturesque is commonly called Lindheimer's muhly, or blue muhly.

The blue-gray-green color and fine leaf texture would make this grass a winner even if it never bloomed. But it does, sending up plumes on 4-foot-tall plants. The blossoms begin as a creamy pink that turns whiter and finishes tan.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The cardoon is a plant the Romans and Greeks ate as a vegetable, but today its popularity is sweeping the South as it is the newest Mississippi Medallion award winner.

Although the ancients ate it, at Mississippi State University's Truck Crops Experiment Station, we use it for its looks. Botanically, cardoon is Cynara cardunculus, and it is related to the globe artichoke.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

You'll be seeing the stars of next year's gardens and landscapes if you are among the thousands expected to attend the 30th annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest Oct.17-18 at Mississippi State University's Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The change in gardening seasons has given many gardeners a renewed enthusiasm for getting some dirt on their hands. One reason to celebrate the cool season is that it holds great promise for creating small perfume factories near outdoor areas where visitors gather or family frequents.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Cooler temperatures mean it's almost time to use pansies and violas to add a breath of color to landscapes and containers. There is nothing quite like going to the garden center with brisk fall temperatures in the air and seeing all the vibrant colors. You'll probably notice enticing fragrances, to boot.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

This time of the year, “mum” is the word at Mississippi State University's Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs, and it certainly should be at your home, too. We have hundreds of species of flowers from salvias to roses to tropicals, but what would fall be without the garden mum?