Monday, May 11, 2009

Plant of the Month-May 09

'Chardonnay Pearls'
'Pink Minor'
I have chosen Deutzia as May's Plant of the Month. Deutzia scabra 'Pink Minor' is a fairly new acquisition to my garden but it is a star. I purchased this particular plant last summer when it was on clearance and in sad shape. I planted it in a fairly sunny area on the edge of one of my gardens and left it alone. This spring I trimmed it up to make it neater. I really was not sure if I should do this or not as I've read where deutzia blooms on old wood, but as you can see from the pictures this deutzia has bloomed wonderfully with no ill effects of a late trim. A very important criteria I use when choosing my Plant of the Month is that the plant must bloom for a long period of time and be easy to care for. I will also prefer that more than one cultivar be commonly available. This deutzia fits the bill to a T.
Here is a long shot of my 'Pink Minor'. There are tons of deutzia and surely there is one to fit any need a gardener may have in their garden. Deutzia are usually small and compact shrubs. They literally cover themselves with blooms in the spring and are not picky about soil. Mine has been drought tolerant even in the first year of planting, does not require pruning or fertilizer (with well amended soil), and plays well with its neighbors.

In fact, I am liking deutzia so very much since it is easy to care for and very reliable that I have added another cultivar to my garden. I recently purchased 'Chardonnay Pearls' , aka Deutzia gracilis 'Duncan' . This cultivar has lime/chartreuse foliage and just look at the 'pearls' on the shrub. I know Catherine really likes this stage, and it is pretty cool. The 'pearls' are actually the buds of the flowers. To see it in full flower, look at the first picture. I am looking for good things from this plant just like I have received from 'Pink Minor'.

Deutzia are winners all around and I am thrilled it is in my garden this wonderful month of May. Some back up choices I considered for my choice for May's Plant of the Month include: clematis, iris, bleeding hearts, peony, 'Darling' daisy, dianthus, and salvia. It was a hard choice, but I wanted to spotlight the Deutzia as many may not be familiar with it, so it won out.

What is the May Plant of the Month in your garden?

in the garden....

28 comments:

  1. Good morning, Tina. I do not grow any of the Deutzias but you have made a strong case for adding them. The lighter leaf color of C. Pearls appeals to me and I love the pearly buds too. Good pick. :-)
    Frances

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  2. Hey there Tina !
    I also have Chardonay Pearls. One in the front garden and one in the back because I LOVE them too ! .. They are wonderful duetzia that don't seem to have a problem in two different lighting areas .. and YES ! when those pearls get ready to burst into all those perfect white stars .. they are so pretty ! I'm glad to see this as one of the show case plants girl !

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  3. I like this shrub, although, it didn't do well in clay soil ...But that was a dozen years ago before I learned to amend soil...The pearls are fantastic. Hope you had a marvelous Mother's Day weekend. Gail

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  4. So glad you did spotlight this plant Tina--I have never heard of it,but sounds like a good one. I think Salvia Hot Lips might be my plant of the month..or maybe coreopsis. :)
    Have a great day!

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  5. Good morning all!

    Frances, yes, I like making cases it seems:)

    Joy, I like them because they are SO easy and just give and give. So great to hear they are not picky on light conditions.

    Gail, Probably just drainage is what they need. A nice plant! I bet PPPP would be your Plant of the Month?

    Linda, Very good choices both! I bet the reds and yellows look super right now!

    Everyone have a great day!

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  6. What a great shrub. It is one I do not have at home, though it is in the Learning Garden. I haven't given it much notice in past years. I will have to give some thought to my plant of the month for May. Seems like since we got back from graduation all the Tradescantia have exploded...they will bloom off and on through the summer. Then in the back yard the Yellow Flag Iris, Iris pseudacorus is electric yellow. Amazing what opened over a 4 day period.

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  7. Morning Tina, excellent choice. I haven't tried Deutzia but I really like yours. Those tiny pearls are so cute.

    Good idea to showcase plants that have long bloom periods and are pest free. Those are things we all look for.

    Lilacs would have to be my plant of the month. They don't have a long bloom time, in fact they usually last less than 2 weeks but they are just so perfect when they bloom.
    Marnie

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  8. I saw and liked Deutzias when shopping for my two shrubs. (I like to look at them all, even if I can only buy a certain amount.) I also liked kerria, but they only had double blooms, and I prefer single. I notices something at this nursery, where I hadn't been in maybe two years: all their shrubs were about half the size they used to be, but cheaper, too. I guess it makes sense int he economy: they don't have to care for them as long and the price is cheaper; plus they're easier to handle. I would have paid twice for a larger Pieris, but I guess they didn't know that! I'm curious now how things look at the other locally-owned nursery I sometimes go to. (Since I start so much from seed, I'm not in nurseries too much.)

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  9. Pretty flowering shrub! I have strawberries blooming of all things!

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  10. Good Morning Everyone.
    Tina that plant will for sure get put on my "want" list. They are gorgeous & sounds like my kind of plant. Not much care.
    I too like the little pearls.
    I will have to pick Jasmine as my plant of the month. It is so fragrant that you can smell it everywhere.
    Hope you had a lovely Mothers Day.
    Have a wonderful day all.

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  11. Another new one to me. I like drought tolerant plants so this would be a good one in my garden...

    Plant of the month in my Georgia garden would have to be the wonderful scented Jasmine! It is opening up and smelling so lovely now. It actually over powers the honey suckle scent…

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  12. Lola, we posted at the same time and picked the same Plant of the Month! How ironic...

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  13. Deutzia is a wonderful plant, one that I have been meaning to add to the garden.

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  14. I've never grown this plant before, but after seeing yours it is on my list to consider. Anything that is low maintenance & long blooming wins points in my book. :) Peonies or Roses would be my Plant of the month for May in my garden.

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  15. These are pretty - would look nice planted together, too. I just saw my Lily of the Valley is blooming! So that is my effortless May plant of the month.

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  16. Oh I am with everyone else in liking the pearls. The way you like Iris I would have guessed you would have them for plant of the month. For me, my Bleeding Heart that Christy bought me last year is gorgeous right now in the temp place that I stuck it last year (mostly sandy soil). So go figure, maybe I should leave it there.

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  17. It's a new plant to me. Thank you Tina, for expanding my garden vocabulary!

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  18. These are great shrubs aren't they? We must be on the same wavelength this morning, I actually posted a picture of my 'Chardonnay Pearls' in bloom today :) I think it's pretty in bud or bloom.
    I can't wait for my 'Pink Minor' to bloom, it's very close. Great choice for plant of the month.
    I'm not sure what mine is for this month yet, can it be a tree? If so it's the Pink Flowering Dogwood.

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  19. Interesting how different shrubs appeal to people in different ways. As my plant of the month I have gone for Fothergilla but am now having second thoughts.

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  20. That's a great plant pick. I love the one with chartreuse foliage and white pearls. Deutzias have somehow not made it onto my radar before now. I'll have to investigate further.

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  21. I for one am not familiar with the Deutzia, thanks for sharing it with us.

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  22. Oh, Tina, the Deutzia is gorgeous. I love the little pearls hanging everywhere. I think it's a shrub fit for a princess garden. :-)
    I have never grown it before but like Frances, I'm thinking about it now... Hope you had a good Mother's Day.

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  23. They are pretty little shrubs and as you say, so easy to grow which is always a big plus for any plant.
    My May plant would be Wisteria. Very impressive and easy to grow as long as you keep it well pruned!

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  24. That's strange Skeeter. Mine has been blooming for about a week now. It sure smells good.

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  25. Hi all, Long day in the garden and house. Got lots and lots of irises dug for the master gardener plant sale. The gardens look so good with the editing.

    Janet, the blue is so pretty!

    Marnie, Oh how I love those lilacs and their wonderful scent.

    Monica, Good thing you had your poker face on and did not spill the beans on paying twice the price!

    Dawn, Yeah for strawberries!

    Lola and Skeeter, Too funny jasmine is both of your plants!

    Sweetbay, you simply can't beat them for ease of care. I like that part the best I think!

    Racquel, I thought you might choose those two. I think choosing between them would be hard, but I'd have to pick roses even though I love peonies more!

    JGH, I just love the smell of those lily of the valleys. So sweet!

    Mom, I truly love irises, but after all the digging I've done to get rid of them today, not so sure I want anymore! My goodness! They must be happy here and I've never been able to part with them. Finally it feels so good to get rid of them. I still have some, just need room for other plants now. I like their rainbow colors, but the deadheading-oh so much. They would make a lovely lovely plant of the month, but just not quite there for me yet.

    Tatyana, you are welcomed and as much as you know of plants, I am honored I could introduce you!

    Catherine, For sure, any plant you wish! Pink dogwood are lovely!

    Hortoris, Welcome, and now you must tell me why you are having second thoughts on fothergilla (a lovely plant). What would be your runner up?

    Megan, I was so surprised the deutzias (at least these ones) are so easy to care for. I need tough plants here, they must fend for themselves at times because I can't baby them all. A good thing!

    Darla, You bet!

    Kathleen, A good princess plant indeed with those elegant pearls. I had an okay Mother's Day I guess. Spent it working of course, but hey, such is life. Hope yours was great!

    Easygardener, Oh yes, wisteria is MOST impressive. A friend of mine has one on an arbor he built. It is fairly well contained and gets some help from me and my pruners each time I visit:) His is simply beautiful. I have two here, both in the shade and that sure helps with pruning-think less but no flowers. So glad to hear you love wisteria!

    Lola, Skeeter is maybe just a bit behind you in time. But isn't it neat you two can enjoy the same?

    You all have a great night.

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  26. Good to know another care free and drought tolerant plant. Thanks for the great posting.

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  27. It's nice Tina to share the same interest. I will have to send you a pic of my "other" Rose & explain.

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  28. I've only read about Deutzia in peoples posts, never seen it that I know of. It is beautiful though and I like the long blooming time. Hmmm my plant for May - hard since I'm still waiting on blooms. Maybe Columbines since they are just ready to all burst any minute. Oh and my Verbascum has started opening up. Hooray - finally flowers blooming!!!

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