Southern Gardening

Mississippi gardeners are always looking for plants that will be reliable and colorful at the end of a hot summer. I want to share a few that I’m sure will not disappoint. If I could choose only one plant for late summer it would be gomphrena. It likes it hot….like hot as Hades, and it grows like, well….you know. A newer series that you need to check out are the Ping Pong gomphrena, which deliver a blast of color in any landscape bed. These are a medium sized plant growing to about 16 inches. Flower colors include white, purple and pink and I consider them to be must haves.

Did you know that now you can have Southern Gardening with you everywhere you go? We’ve taken the plunge into Social Media and share gardening information on some of the most popular apps and websites. Last year we introduced our Southern Gardening Facebook page. This has been a popular way to share our latest articles and answers questions directly from you. But following our other Social Media apps gives you more information on a DAILY basis from me! You have access to behind the scenes pictures and videos. Even a few selected bloopers, that don’t make it into one of the TV segments.

A backyard pond is one of the most rewarding features in any landscape setting. I’m visiting with Terri and Jeff who built these ponds and certainly enjoy the fruits of their labor. All around the ponds, large flagstone creates a hard edge defining the pond edges, with smaller stone filling in the spaces. The water lilies give the pond an exotic feel. The white flowered lilies are night bloomers called Trudy’s Shalom, surrounded by the large coarse-toothed floating leaves. The others are a hardy variety having variable pink to white flowers.

In the heat of the summer season one my favorite gardening activities is creating colorful combination containers that would look great on any patio. Today Southern Gardening is visiting the back patio landscape of Master Gardeners Terri and Jeff. I’m so impressed that Jeff built this gorgeous pergola structure that creates the perfect setting to relax around the center focal point fireplace. Colorful combination containers are the perfect choice to add color and interest. I love this set of blue ceramic containers, different sizes and set on different levels.