You are here

With all of the bright, colorful summer annuals we’re planting this month, I find myself looking for more out-of-the-ordinary plants for my landscape. One that always creates a bit of a stir and generates questions is an old plant called papyrus.

Papyrus, similar to the plant grown and used by the ancient Egyptians to make paper, is easy to grow and has few pests. If you’re intrigued by this plant, you will be happy to learn there are three selections suitable for use in our Mississippi landscapes.

A short papyrus plant grows in a metal cauldron.
Tall stems of papyrus plants are topped by feathery flowers.
Upright stems of a papyrus plant are topped by umbrella-like rays.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- At about 2.2 million acres, soybeans are easily the state’s biggest row crop with a flexible planting window that puts them in the clean-up position when farmers cannot plant other crops on time.

 Small soybean plants stand a few inches tall against a blue sky.
Tiny green plants grow in rows converging at the horizon.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Catching a northern snakehead fish may not seem like such a big deal until you realize that this unique critter is not native to the U.S. and it’s illegal to transport, sell or possess live snakeheads in Mississippi.
 
A northern snakehead is an invasive fish that can reach lengths of about 33 inches and are generally golden tan to a pale brown with dark-brown mottling.

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 includes amendments to the Dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP). MPP-Dairy was originally established in the Agricultural Act of 2014. Its goal was to reduce market risk of dairy producers associated with the all-milk price and average feed costs. However, difficulties with the program led to low enrollment, and many stakeholders called for changes to the program design. In response to these problems, Congress revised various parameters of MPP-Dairy on February 9, 2018, through amendments to the Agricultural Act of 2014 in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

If you’re still looking for a favorite plant for our hot summer landscapes, consider Superbells. I love their funnel-shaped flowers and great growth potential. Their variety of colors can even rival petunias.

Superbells are tough plants with good summer heat tolerance. One of their attributes that I like best is, after a rainstorm, these plants recover and perk up faster than many other summer-flowering annuals, even my vaunted petunias.

These plants look great in containers, hanging baskets and mass plantings in landscape beds.

White flowers with deep purple centers  lie above green leaves.
Dozens of yellow flowers crowd the leaves of a green plant.
Several yellow and pink flowers bloom from a mass of green leaves.

I love cooking eggs for breakfast. However, my omelets end up being more scrambled than the fancy folded-over works of art served in restaurants. With that in mind, I’m usually looking for quick and creative scrambled eggs ideas. (Photo by Zac Ashmore and Jonathan Parrish)

The Food Factor Logo

Pages