Southern Gardening

It’s spring and the garden and landscape questions are pouring into my office. Let’s answer a couple. (from Becky in Port, Gibson, MS) Gary, I’m looking for a hanging basket plant that will have just loads of flowers all summer long. Any ideas? Becky, great question and do I have the plant for you calibrachoa, also called Million Bells. These plants are perfect for a hanging basket and will be completely covered by flowers up to an inch in diameter. Quite literally the plants seem to produce a million flowers.

The warmer weather of spring has arrived, and our landscapes are waking up. Today I’m visiting with my friends Angie and Mark in their wonderful garden. As you enter their garden, Angie and Mark have trained the native tangerine Beauty cross vine to scramble up and over this entrance arbor. It is simply covered in flowers. Tangerine Beauty cross vine is the well-behaved cousin to its rambunctious relative, trumpet creeper. The flower buds are a pinkish red, and open into funnel-shaped orange, salmon, and yellow flowers.

Early spring is always a good time in the landscape as our cool season annuals are putting on a show with the warming temperatures. My friend Catherine’s landscape never fails to put on a show. In my opinion Matrix pansies are the best for gardeners in Mississippi. These pansies have freely branching growth habits and will about eight inches tall and wide. When massed together, as pansies were meant to be planted, they create an impressive colorful landscape carpet. I love the mix of flowers with dark blotches and the pure color clears.