Southern Gardening

Most gardeners like plants that lend a tropical feel to the landscape. Some of the easiest tropical plants to grow that have a big impact are elephant ears. There are two species commonly found in our Mississippi landscapes, Alocasia and Colocasia, and they’re both called elephant ears. But today we’re just going to look at Colocasia, which is also called taro. These all feature big leaves and big texture, but they’re not all green. In fact, there are Colocasia with black leaves. A couple of fantastic examples are Black Coral and Diamond Head.

There’s been a big increase in home vegetable gardens over the last few years. Many home owners want their gardens to provide healthy food, and fit in as an attractive component of the landscape. My friend John’s vegetable garden is a perfect example of this landscape integration. The garden is defined by the decorative picket fence and surrounded by a variety tough and hardy flowering perennials. Early Sunrise coreopsis has bright and sunny yellow flowers that contrast well with the tiny blue flower heads of lollipop verbena.

Vertical flowers add height and excitement. For this reason, every gardener should add some spicy spikes to their landscape. A plant with vertical flowers that isn’t planted enough in Mississippi is foxglove. A variety that is sure to be a hit in your garden is the Camelot series. The large bell-shaped flowers are produced on spikes up to 18 inches tall. A closer look at the outward facing flowers reveals a unique speckled throat that adds interest. Colors include rose, lavender and creamy white. A favorite in any Mississippi summer garden is Angelonia, also called summer snapdragon.

I just love plants with round flowers. They are bright and cheery and really liven up any garden. Today we’re at the LSU AgCenter in Hammond, and I have to say the sun garden is looking good with some of my favorite plants with round flowers. I think I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m crazy for coneflowers. Though named for the color purple, newer selections like Cheyenne Spirit with orange, yellow, and red flowers.

Can you name a native shrub that has white flowers in the spring and has oak-like leaves? Well you’re right if you said oakleaf hydrangea. Today Southern Gardening is visiting our neighbors at the LSU AgCenter in Hammond and enjoying their oakleaf hydrangeas. In the spring the flowers are the main attraction and made up of many smaller individual flowers grouped in cone-shaped clusters that can be up to a foot in length. These plants need ample space to grow and spread; in fact this plant has the potential to reach eight feet tall if left unpruned.

With Mother's Day coming up, consider putting together a beautiful combination container to brighten up a shady corner on her porch or patio. Not all plants will perform well when placed in a shady corner, so let's look at some plants that will be perfect for Mom's present. For this container, I’m looking for plants that like shade and partial shade. There are plenty of plants with colorful and interesting foliage. For example, Kong coleus is perfect with its large colorful leaves that feature incredible patterns. Another plant with striking foliage is Charmed Wine oxalis.

Columbine are one of my favorite spring plants with their interesting flowers and makes the perfect addition to any garden or landscape. Columbine are fascinating plants. The foliage is reminiscent of maidenhair fern, but the flowers are the main attraction. The flowers are suspended on thin, wiry stems, and either turn up or nod down. A notable feature of the columbine flower are the spurs attached to each of the five petals. These spurs resemble an eagle’s claw for which the Latin translation is “aquila” which is related to the columbine genus name, Aquilegia.

People yawn when the talk turns to using grass in the garden. But many ornamental grasses are fantastic landscape choices and can really add color and textural interest in any garden. Pennisetum is a grass that offers many different varieties. It must be treated as an annual everywhere except right along the coast; it will grow up to 3-feet tall, and exhibit a wispy flowing grace of color and texture. Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’ has upright arching burgundy-tinted foliage that has that classic true fountain grass habit. Pennisetum ‘Fireworks’ is a great choice for its pink and white variegation.

In the woods and fields of Mississippi, there are beautiful native plants that are also right at home in our gardens and landscapes. In this state, we’re all familiar with pink indica azalea. But there are also several varieties of native azaleas, which typically begin to bloom in late March on nearly naked stems. The flowers can be up to 1½ inches across, but it’s the way the stamens and pistil extend out of the flower that I find most attractive. The late afternoon back-lighting on these false tailed bracken ferns creates an almost ethereal glow.

Today I want to share a newer gardening trend of growing in sub-irrigated containers. These containers are great for those that have small yards or even just a porch or balcony. This is the commercially available model that I use extensively in my garden called an Earthbox, but there are others available. It features a reservoir where the water is wicked up into the growing mix like a sponge. This keeps the root zone moisture very consistent. Let’s put one together. Always use potting mix that is designed for use in containers. Never use garden dirt.