Plant of the Month-June 2010-Reds, Whites and Blues

From In the Garden

This month's Plant of the Month sees three plants as all stars-and appropriately enough their colors are: red, white and blue. The red, white, and blue theme colors not only showcase my patriotism (a favorite color scheme) but allow me to highlight three top plants for the past month and continuing this month. The three plants are: hardy amaryllis (Hippeastrum x johnsonii), oak leaf hydrangea, and mophead hydrangeas.

The hardy amaryllis pictured above was given to me a very experienced gardener here in my small town of Woodlawn. Each time I look at it I think of her and her generosity. It is to these experienced and generous gardeners that I owe a big thanks to for a good many of my most special plants; plants that may be hard to find in nurseries and plant catalogs. Most know these hardy amaryllis as passalong plants so you almost have to know someone to get some. If you ever acquire a hardy amaryllis you might ask "Is it hardy?" Yes indeed! I grow mine in partial shade in a couple of spots. There is a fabulous stand of them near the road that is paired with Verbena 'Homestead'. This soil is fairly poor but those flowers shine for more than a month in the tough conditions. I don't do anything special for them-although I do try not to plant over them! Each year these bulbs multiply and the flowers just shine even more in their bright red colors. Hardy amaryllis come in other colors too and I think I like them all.

From In the Garden

My white plant can be no other than the oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia). This year has been an excellent year for all hydrangeas in my garden. We did not have that typical late freeze to come and kill all the flower buds. To say the show is stunning is an understatement. My mother's blue hydrangea in the first picture is simply a taste of what is to come. We'll save the other hydrangeas for a later post because today's post belongs to the oakleafs. There are several cultivars you might chose from when choosing an oakleaf hydrangea; which makes them even more interesting. I grow 'Alice', 'Snow Queen', and 'Vaughn's Lillie'. All of the oakleafs make a stunning white when in full in bloom. They need acid soil that is well drained, can take sun or shade, and are drought tolerant once established. This is a super hydrangea-er-white plant of the month.

From In the Garden

Following along with my patriotic theme my blue plant is the hydrangea. The hydrangea pictured above is my mother's hydrangea and a miracle plant if ever there was one. This hydrangea started life as one of three cuttings I took in December 2003 when I visited my mother in Maine. I left her home and forgot the cuttings in her refrigerator. My mother then mailed them to me in Tennessee. One of the three cuttings was rotten but I tried to start the other two and was successful with this lovely. It is now a ripe old age of 6.5 years and has finally reached a glorious stage. It is a beautiful blue that goes right along with my red white and blue these for this month's Plant of the Month. Or should I say Plants of the Month?

Okay, now that I have highlighted my three Plants of the Month I bet you are thinking I'm cheating a bit-huh? Yes, just a bit, but blogging is like that-we set our own rules. The true top Plant of the Month for June is, appropriately enough since it comes first in the patriotic colors, the hardy amaryllis-the reds!

What is your choice for Plant of the Month in your garden?

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Amaryllis: Size Matters!

From In the Garden

Size matters in all things right? No, not really-at least not in my opinion. But in the case of bulbs it is true that size matters. The larger the bulb the larger the flowers. How many of you have read those glossy bulb catalogs that say something like this, "large number one bulb size" or this "the largest bulbs of all dealers"? The inference is of course that the larger the bulb the larger the flowers and the healthier the flowers. It makes sense since the bulb is a complete plant all wrapped up in a handy little package. Smaller bulbs put out smaller flowers and the larger bulbs put out the largest flowers. One of the bulbs you most want to buy large is an amaryllis and I'll tell you why.Amaryllis is such a lovely flower and it flowers at a time of the year when we most need some vivid color in our lives. We've all grown amaryllis at one time or another in our lives and my friend Sandy is no stranger to amaryllis bulbs herself. She is an extraordinary gardener and one of my gardening mentors here in my community. She has a green thumb through and through. She happened upon a big secret to growing amaryllis and she shared it with me and now I'm sharing it with you. Size matters!

Sandy went to a special gardening camp last year and purchased the bulb that brought forth the extraordinarily large amaryllis you see above. This is the first year it has bloomed while in her care but wow! What a bunch of blooms! It is a giant amongst amaryllis and she tells me it dwarfs her standard amaryllis. She had a total of nine blooms on this one bulb and the show lasted for weeks. Size matters!

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden