ChrysantenfeestinLahr-Duitsland

It is amazing how flowers can be used as art.  In January you can enjoy the Rose Parade in California, but now in October you can enjoy display of art in Germany.  Take a few moments to watch this slide show. Do you create art with your garden mums?  Leave a comment of which picture or display you like best.

Thanks to my Friend Robyn for this slide show. Enjoy.

One of the most popular and versatile annuals found in the horticulture world is the petunia. You can probably find any shade of color that you want and would be able to plant it anywhere other than a deep shaded area in your garden. If you can give it sunlight it will grow.

However, not every petunia is the same. There are a couple of distinctive characteristics that are set petunia apart from each other. So distinct that petunia are separated into different classifications: grandiflora, multiflora, milliflora, trailing and mounding types.

Petunia Hybrid Grandiflora: Grandiflora types produce the largest flowers of all petunia, however they will bear the least amount of flowers. These plants can grow as tall as 24 inches and certain varieties or strains can give you a spreading habit of 24-36 inches wide. Some of the more popular strains are Ultra, Storm, Magic and Frost.

Petunia Hybrid Multiflora: This is also known as a floribunda. Plant growth or habit is similar to that of the Grandiflora varieties, but the flowers are smaller, usually only producing flowers that are 2 inches across. Certain strains offer a neat compact habit that makes them excellent for mass planting in flower beds. Prime Time, Celebrity, Plum, and Whispers are strains that can offer the widest range of colors for your garden.

Petunia Hybrid Milliflora: These are cute dwarf petunias growing in mounding habits of about 6 to 8 inches in height and width. One of the best features is that there is no need for pinching or pruning to keep these babies in tip top shape. Dainty flowers cover the whole plant offering a burst of color in containers or in your garden. Plant them where they can be seen and not covered over. You will find these as Fantasy or Tiny Tunias.

Trailing and Mounding Petunia: You might have heard or seen the Purple Wave petunia, but have you seen the Tidal Wave or even the Ramblin’ petunias? These phenomenal petunias definitely have made a splash in the cascading flowering plants. Some of these varieties can grow up to 5 feet wide. That is a lot of color to have in one area.

Petunias are a flower that everyone has had in their garden at one time; personally I think you should have them somewhere all of the time. I find that the purple ones, no matter which variety offers the best fragrance to enjoy from your garden. Plant them and enjoy.

One of the most popular perennials that most gardeners have in their gardens is the Shasta Daisy.  This wonderful flower standard has many traits and characteristics that will help it stand out above the rest in your garden: A must for all flower gardens.

The Shasta daisy does come in several different varieties offering many growing conditions for you.  You can find tall varieties along with short ones, single layer of petals too almost full heads of petal layers.  The taller varieties will need to be staked or they will probably tip over as they can grow up to 3 feet in height.

No matter which variety that you plant in your garden, the white flower head with its bright yellow center will attract bees, butterflies and birds to your garden.  Bloom time can vary from early summer to late fall: truly offering a long range of beautiful blooms.

A couple of very positive attribute is that the Shasta daisy is deer resistant, and drought tolerant. However, it still needs to be watered and does prefer to be planted in loose soil offering good drainage. Though Shasta Daisies prefer full sun, this perennial will tolerate partial shady conditions. You will need to divide your plants every few years too.

Shasta daisies will offer a graceful and elegant touch to any garden.  You won’t have any regrets planting this wonderful perennial in your yard.

Is the Daylily the perfect perennial for your garden?

Have you ever had to really wonder if the perennials, that look so wonderful at your local garden center, would actually grow in your yard once you got them home? We are prone to buy blooming flowers on impulse and then figure out where we are going to plant them after getting them home.  One perennial that doesn’t take a lot of thought about having the perfect growing spot is the Daylily (Hemerocallis).

Hemerocallis comes from two Greek words meaning “beautiful” and “day”. For a daylily is true to its name in that that a bloom will only last one day.  However there are usually several blooms on each stem and several stems to a plant allowing for a long blooming period of time.

Daylilies are quite adaptable to many if not all growing conditions.  They can grow in drought conditions and also along the ditch bank or waterway.  They will grow in full sunlight, which is best, but then you can get them to grow in partial shade.

I remember one customer of mine, who would come into the greenhouse, looking specifically for new and interesting daylilies that we might have gotten in to sell.  She asked me to also keep a lookout for the unique and unusual. Diane had developed a daylily garden in her yard and at that time she had over twenty different varieties of daylily in this specific garden, with many more planted throughout her whole yard.

You can find varieties that bloom early in the season, and then they are done and will then only offer green foliage for the rest of the year. However there are varieties that will bloom mid-season, late, multiple times.  There truly is a daylily out there to suit your wants and desires.

There are more than the traditional yellow and oranges to choose from: you can have pinks, reds, maroons, purples, chiffons, almost any color that you want. According to The American Hemerocallis Society, you can purchase daylilies anywhere from $3 to over $500.  It just depends on what you want.

Don’t let diploids and tetraploids or scapes confuse you. If you see a daylily that you like, buy it and take it home and plant it.  However you might find out some of the basic information if you need; but for the most part plant it and enjoy it.  Daylilies might just be the perfect perennial for your garden.

How many daylilies do you have in your garden?

To help inspire you and bring a little sunshine to your day, we thought you might enjoy the following video that is filled with flowers that are to come.  It really makes your fingers itch to get into the dirt and have some fun. We hope it brings a smile to your face and a lightness to your heart that Spring really is closer than it looks right now.