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Penny Carnathan
Penny’s a Nurture And Hold (NAH): Nah, I won’t pull that out yet, it’s still got a green shoot. She likes dragonflies, lady bugs and new stuff only after weeding, pruning and fertilizing.
Kim Franke-Folstad
Kim’s a Want It Now (WIN): Everything pretty, everything now. She will resort to full-spectrum insecticides in desperate situations, and believes it’s her duty and right to buy new plants every weekend.
Both advocate Plant Choice (SOMEthing besides crotons. Please!), lots of color and low maintenance. We don’t agree on everything, but we’re smart enough to learn from each other - and from you.
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Spring brings tried-and-true blooms (and surprises) to Tampa gardens
Posted Apr 3, 2011 by Penny Carnathan
Updated Jun 28, 2011 at 10:05 AM
It’s so nice to hear visitors say, “Wow, your garden looks great!” this time of year. I’m always kind of surprised. Being a sun-scorched-burnt-earth kind of garden, I hit my peak in July. This time of year, I’m still in comeback mode.
But I’ve been trying to make my flowers more of a year-round affair, and thanks to lots of suggestions and cuttings from you all, the picture in my new picture window is a heck of a lot prettier in April.
The photo at top is salvias I bought before I knew there are about a gazillion varieties of salvia. I have no idea what these are, but they come back year after year. Behind them are the Vista Bubblegum petunias I’m trialing for Proven Winners (they’re doing wonderfully), and behind those, BubbleGum Pink Double Knock Out Roses. (Can you say, BaZOOka?)
These desert cassia flowers are a huge surprise. I’ve been growing these small trees (it’s not really a cassia, true name is Senna polyphylla) for nine years and never, never have they bloomed before October or after January. This tree, about 5 years old, put on a great show this winter, went to seed and, CRAZY, is blooming again.
(Desert cassia is one of my favorite plants. Even when it’s not blooming, it’s a pretty little tree that attracts tons of fun-loving sulphur butteflies. Very easy to grow from seed.)
Bleeding heart vine is new to my garden, thanks to Dipity. I always thought this was a shade-only plant, but she said, “No!” This one’s in a container, purchased at a winter sale and destined for my mom’s shade bed, but I’ve had it in the sun for months just to test Dip’s proclamations. (Sorry Dip. Bleeding heart in the sun? That was hard to believe.) I have a cutting from last fall that will be finding its own place in the sun soon.
This beautiful ground cover is saddled with a really troubled name. The vendor I bought it from said, “It starts with ‘L’. ’’ I spotted it a few months ago and wrote down the name on a slip of paper, which I actually kept. That name was Liaprodromigis. I’ve Googled it and all I get is people with the last name Prodromidis.
If you know this guy, please share. It’s a very pretty ground cover that has survived, and sprawled, for a year in my garden. Which is saying something.
Common, but wondeful. Confederate jasmine is the guy we dated in high school who was super sweet, cute, romantic and wonderful. But, ho-hum, way too easy. In my younger years, I left plants (and guys) behind in search of the Big Challenge. I’m not in high school anymore! Easy is good, these days.
Confederate jasmine – and pretty much all the jasmines – don’t need water in a drought, don’t need covers in a freeze, and deliver sweet-smelling blooms when they hit their season. If you’ve got an ugly chain-link fence in full sun, plant a Confederate jasmine.
I thought this was an Easter lily, but I’ve since learned (after sharing on Facebook) it’s an amaryllis. It’s one of my memory plants. I’ve never done lilies or amaryllis, and I (obviously) had no idea what this was when I salvaged it from my mother-in-law’s home more than a year ago, after she went into a nursing home. It was a pretty nasty looking sprawl of long, broken leaves.
When it started producing what was obviously a bud last Easter, I repotted it and brought it to Leila’s room in the nursing home. She was starving for her plants. (She whispered to me more than a few times – if her roommate with the window bed died, make SURE I get her that bed!)
Sadly, Leila never got the window bed. But her amaryllis produced several huge blooms, and she loved having it in her sun-less side of the room. Passers-by in the hallway would catch sight of it and detour to ask about it. She loved that!
Today, the first flower opened. Leila died in August, and I miss her. She was a wonderful, loving, strong Southern woman. And here she is, blooming again
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Reader Comments
Posted by (HeronGarden) on April 03, 2011
I think I have your ground cover and it does not freeze, flowers all Summer and seems to be trouble free. Comman name Golden Globe. Mine has green leaves and I wonder if you have a variegated variety:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53706/
Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on April 03, 2011
Hummingbirds have arrived!!!!!!!!!! I spotted my first one, but had to wash and fill my feeders before I told you guys. The plant I was it on was the firecrackers bush.
Penny, Your garden looks great!!! Pumpkin
Posted by (Gardendipity) on April 03, 2011
Penny thanks for a great blog. I am so touched by your memories of Leila. I hope she lived long enough to know how you inspire so many gardeners with your garden writings and the gardening community you have created. I know she’d be so pleased with you.
I was in Home Depot on Saturday and they had two Cassia trees full of blooms.
I’m glad you are enjoying your sunny Bleeding heart. I really want to spread my cuttings around the whole yard, it is so beautiful and blooms nearly year-round in shade or sun.
Pumpkin, we also have new hummers in our yard AND they are fighting over our fire cracker bushes with the hummers that stayed here all winter. They are migrating now. Congrats on your first hummer of the season!
Posted by (Gardendipity) on April 03, 2011
Regarding the Bleeding Heart, glad I could help. I think the hummers are attracted to the BH too. And, it blooms beautifully in the shade also. I think it’s the perfect plant. Looks real pretty with Purple Queen underplanted, which also does great in both sun and shade. It’s a match made in heaven.
Posted by (HeronGarden) on April 04, 2011
Penny, Lysimachia p. spreads as one would expect of a ground cover and thus cuttings seem to root easily. Once it needs pruning many of the cuts will have roots. Perhaps you could share a cutting of your variegated variety in lieu of kisses and my wife will keep me around. BTW I have some Achimenes tubers left over from repotting if you’d like to try some. Dormant in Winter, they make a nice pot or hanging basket. Soon they will be sprouting. See http://www.willowcreekgardens.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=116
Posted by (kgardens) on April 04, 2011
Penny, your garden is beautiful and it’s only April! Love that view with all the bubble-gum pink. I think you’ve figured out your “scorched-earth” garden.
Posted by (MiMi) on April 05, 2011
Your Photos are lovely as always! My garden is gettting there…Where ever did you find “Golden Globe”? MiMi
Marla Sloan
Posted by (MiMi) on April 05, 2011
Penny, sent e-mail to George. If he has plant, will he bring to USF plant sale. If he does not work out, I will let you know.
Seems we buy from some of the same plant folks, Annie and George. We must meet one day.
Thanks for your help.
MiMi
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on April 06, 2011
Thanks herongarden for the ground cover name. I have been wondering what to use (the peanut one, the wiregrass one) but when Penny says it lasted through the winter—-give me that one.
Love the color so far in your garden, Penny. My bleeding hearts is still small from the freeze so I don’t have flowers yet. And since I dug up The Monster it’s in full sun too.
I saw my first Hong Kong orchid tree in some one’s yard when I stopped at a small nursery the other day. Wow! What a stunning bloom. How did Kim’s do during the cold snaps? And how long does that thing flower?
Posted by (MiMi) on April 11, 2011
Penny, George brought me two one gal. containers of golden globe. They are from last year planting. They are a little brown on some of the leaves from the winter. I am so looking forward to planting those babies. Do they seperate easy? If so I can get several from each container. Will keep you posted. MiMi