Southern Gardening
Deadheading is the important garden task of removing spent flowers.
Container gardening is a great way to grow plants in areas with no access to soil.
Instead of resisting weeding, try embracing this important aspect of garden caretaking.
Superbells are a great hybrid plant that will bring summer colors to your garden.
Keep your hanging baskets simple by planting just one type of plant.
Today Southern Gardening is visiting our friend Catherine in her pleasant and pretty landscape. The focal point of her front landscape is the lace-leaf Japanese maple, known botanically as Acer palmatum dissectum. This is a special tree for Catherine, because it was moved from Atlanta when Catherine moved to the Mississippi coast.
I’m asked all the time about landscape design, as if there are rules to follow. Pfffft……That’s exactly why I like to visit my friend Jane’s garden. Now don’t get me wrong Jane is serious about her landscape. I love her front plantings which consist of an eclectic mix of nice plant material. Approaching the front door, I like the spring growth on the golden thryallis displayed on the rusty brown stems. In July these shrubs will put on a display of bright yellow flower clusters each tinged with red stamens and pistils.
A group of plants I’m a fan of for their landscape performance are salvia farinacea. These are tough plants and perfect for our Mississippi landscapes. Let’s take a look at a few. Mealy cup sage is also called blue sage. Dark-blue tubular flowers are densely congested in whorls along the upper stems, creating a three to nine inch spike. The plant will typically be two to three foot tall. Gray-green, lance-shaped leaves are numerous, especially in the lower portion of the plant.
Mississippi is called the Magnolia State and what better tree to represent the state……. the Southern Magnolia. Southern Gardening has highlighted the early spring deciduous magnolias displaying beautiful pink flowers before the leaves emerge. These are absolutely gorgeous, but for many gardeners when they hear the word magnolia, it is synonymous with our native evergreen, the Southern Magnolia. This is the classic magnolia with its large, thick and glossy leaves. The individual oblong leaves are five to eight inches long and feel leathery.
Many yards have narrow spaces between the house and fence that can really challenge home gardeners. Let’s take a look at how Southern Gardening friend Jane has tackled this troublesome area in her coastal landscape. The first thing you notice is the meandering sidewalk down the side of the house.