Southern Gardening

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Many gardeners want plants that will bloom all summer right up until fall. The first option always seems to be New Gold lantana. Believe it or not, there is a tropical vine that will bloom until the first freeze as well. It is called Brazilian Jasmine, or Mandevilla.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Gardeners everywhere seem to be searching out vines for that special fence, trellis or arbor. The passionflower, one of my favorites, is not only one of the most beautiful and exotic blooms in the world, but the fruit also yields one of the favorite flavors in tropical fruit juices.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The firebush, known as hummingbird bush and scarlet bush, is a Texas Superstar plant that would qualify in Mississippi as well. The Texas Superstar designation is similar to our Mississippi Medallion award.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

As you drive down Mississippi's highways and by-ways, don't lament that we don't fare well with blue bonnets, because this year our own wild phlox, coreopsis, Queen Anne's lace and Indian Pinks have been as pretty as a painting.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

With spring bedding plant season in full swing, many gardeners are faced with trying to add beds of color to shady areas of the yard. There are a lot more choices than most gardeners realize.

The first plants to consider for these areas have to be impatiens. Impatiens are impressive with their vibrant colors that can yield tremendous floral displays from now until fall if watered thoroughly throughout the summer.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Sages or salvias represent some of Mississippi's finest plants for the perennial garden, or for those who are seeking the cottage garden look. Their future looks even brighter based on Mississippi State University trials.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center 

Purple coneflowers, known botanically as Echinacea, may be named after a hedgehog or a sea urchin, but these wonderful Mississippi natives are one of my favorite perennials.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Butterflies, hummingbirds and gardeners will love the Mississippi Medallion award-winning Butterfly pentas. This group, or series, of herbaceous plants proved almost conclusively that butterflies not only have a unique flying ability but also an underrated intelligence. Apparently, butterflies can read.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The tears rolled down my cheeks, and my lips felt singed and blistered as I ate what I thought was the most wonderful chicken in existence. I may have muttered something like "it hurt so good." This happened at a beach side restaurant in Negril, Jamaica. The street vendor in the town of Gosier on the French Island of Guadeloupe, however, equaled the experience with his own scorching version.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

If the varieties Aztec, Babylon and Tukana don't ring a bell with you, they should. These are among the best new verbenas that will be in the market this spring. If you look around now, you will see verbenas stealing the show in many flowerbeds.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Landscapers and homeowners are always looking for what is new and outstanding in shrub selection, and this year's Mississippi Medallion winner fits that category. The plant is the Burgundy Loropetalum.

This is a great new shrub in the witch hazel family. You might ask yourself, wasn't there a white-flowered loropetalum? There is, and at the risk of offending either nurserymen or gardeners who have them, I will say I have never seen one that I thought was attractive.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

If I had a singing voice, I might do a few bars of the Hallelujah Chorus. The fourth Mississippi Garden and Patio Show was a huge success, but even better was the fact that the native azaleas had to be among the hottest plants getting carried out of the buildings.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Planning, growing and maintaining beautiful gardens is not always an easy task. Gardeners who rely on expert advice typically have the prettiest, most successful gardens, but finding that expert advice can be difficult during the spring rush using traditional sources such as local nurseries, catalogs and books.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

An outstanding feather reed grass variety named Karl Foerster is the Perennial Plant of the Year, according to the Perennial Plant Association.

This Perennial Plant of the Year will work well in Mississippi, too. As a highly acclaimed cultivar, Karl Foerster is one of the most versatile, attractive and low maintenance ornamental grasses around. The deep green, shiny foliage appears in early spring and lasts until early winter.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

All landscapes reach a point where they need a little re-engineering. This year's storms have created problems across the state that will require repair efforts for years to come.

Re-engineering is a popular word today. Corporations use to describe changes they are making in their market focus or their corporate structure. Re-engineering basically means looking at where you are and assessing how you can capitalize on what you have.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Kathy Ann, a native yaupon holly from Stone County, Miss., leads an impressive list of plants that have been announced as Mississippi Medallion winners for this spring.

You won't have to go to Stone County to find the Kathy Ann yaupon holly as this exquisitely formed small tree already has found its place in the hearts of landscapers from Texas to Georgia and the Carolinas.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Some gardeners believe roses have lost their fragrance, but I have stuck my nose in more than a few that deliver delightful scents for season-long enjoyment.

Double Delight has been one of the most popular hybrid tea roses for almost 20 years. An outstanding rose with a creamy white color contrasting with bright strawberry red, it has a fresh fruity scent you can smell up to 10 feet away. In 1986, the American Rose Society awarded it as the most fragrant.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Yarrow is considered an herb, a perennial and a leader for cut-and-dried flower arrangements, yet it is still overlooked by many Southern gardeners.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

This coming spring has all the signs of being a good year to bring back that old-fashioned plant, the nasturtium. I considered writing about plants for cold, saturated conditions, but decided to write about a plant that is beautiful, edible, suitable in the flowerbed and perfect for tucking in containers.