Asiatic Lily, Perennial of The Day

 

Lilium 

Asiatic Lily

Type    Perennial
Hardy range    4A to 9A
Height    24" to 36" / 60cm to 90cm
Spread    18" to 24" / 45cm to 60cm
Growth rate    Average
Form    Upright or erect
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Bloom Color    Orange, pink, red, white and yellow
Bloom Time    Spring and Summer

The flowers are fragrant and suitable for cut flowers.

Environment
This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy.
The pH preference is  a neutral soil.

Leaf Color    Green

Culture Notes
Plants will be less productive if allowed to seed.  Plants can be easily divided in by lifting and propagating the bulb in early spring.  Flowers produced in the summer can be various colors.

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Lantana, Evergreen Groundcover of The Day

Lantana x 'Gold Mound'
    Lantana

Type    Groundcover, woody plant
Hardy range    9A to 11
Height    24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m
Spread    36" to 6' / 90cm to 1.80m
Growth rate    Fast
Form    Spreading or horizontal
Exposure    Full sun
Persistence    Evergreen

Bloom Color    Yellow
Bloom Time    Year 'round

The flowers are very showy.

Environment
This plant tolerates drought.
This plant will grow in very dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color    Green
Fall Color    No change in fall color
This plant has fragrant foliage.

Culture Notes
Surviving on poor soil and hot, dry, sunny locations, Lantana may produce fewer blooms if given too much water and fertilizer.  Plants should be pruned in spring or late winter to remove dead wood.  No other maintenance is required.  Plants will grow back from the roots in the spring in USDA hardiness zone 8b and south.  Plants grow all year long in climates that do not receive freezing temperatures.

Planting and establishing shrubs

The most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep.  Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery.  In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off.  The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider.  In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole.  Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.

Weed suppression during establishment is essential.  Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth.  Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk.  If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer.   This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry.  Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water.  Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You

Bismarck Palm, Evergreen Tree, Woody Plant Of The Day

Bismarckia nobilis 

Bismarck Palm

Type    Tree, woody plant
Hardy range    10A to 11
Height    25' to 50' / 7.60m to 15.20m
Spread    10' to 15' / 3.00m to 4.60m
Growth rate    Slow
Form    palm and upright or erect
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun to full sun
Persistence    Evergreen

Bloom Color    White
Bloom Time    Spring

Environment
This plant tolerates drought, occasional wetness and some salt.
This plant will grow in very dry to occasionally wet soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to slightly alkaline (less than 6.8 to 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color    Blue
Fall Color    No change in fall color
This plant has attractive foliage.

 Culture Notes
Bismarck Palm can grow in full sun or partial shade on any soil that is not continually wet. The palm has good drought and salt tolerance, and has now become popular due to its striking blue color. It cannot be transplanted until a trunk develops and is visible at the base of the plant. Container-grown Bismarck Palms can be planted any time of year.  Most field nurseries routinely root prune this palm prior to digging to help it survive transplanting. Survival on Bismarck Palms not root pruned prior to transplanting can be poor. Pollen from male plants can cause significant allergy in certain people; female plant do not produce pollen.

Potassium deficiency is the most important problem on palms in south and central Florida, but this palm is usually seen without nutritional deficiency symptoms if provided with a moderate fertilization program. Potassium deficiency can develop on older leaves and shows up early as translucent yellow or orange or necrotic spotting. New foliage is usually not affected unless the deficiency is severe and has been present for some time. There may be necrotic areas along the sides of the leaflets, but usually not the tips. The frizzling that follows is more prominent toward the tips of the leaflets. As the deficiency progresses, younger leaves will become symptomatic. New foliage emerges chlorotic and the trunk begins to become thinner toward the top. Late symptoms can be confused with Mn deficiency.

Do not prune older symptomatic leaves from the palm as this will further the decline. Provide 2-4 pounds of sulfur coated potassium sulfate and 1-2 pounds of magnesium sulfate 4 times each year to treat and prevent this problem. Symptomatic foliage will not green up but new leaves will emerge green and normal. Fertilizers containing a ratio of 3N-1P-3K-1 provide a reliable maintenance program for most palms. In alkaline soils it is also a good idea to include manganese and iron at a ratio of about 0.5. Nitrogen should also be supplied in the slow release form. Spread fertilizer at least out to the edge of the canopy.

Transplanting palms

Any soil above the top-most root in the root ball should be removed before planting.  Plant so the top of the root initiation zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball joins the trunk) is located just above the surface of the soil.  If the palm is planted too deep, it may decline slowly or appear to die suddenly several months or years after planting.  Soil amendments, including mycorrhizal-forming fungi and fertilizer, are not needed in backfill soil of newly planted palms in most situations.  Regular watering in the months following planting is best for rapid establishment.  Apply about 2 to 5 gallons per inch trunk diameter daily for several weeks when planting in summer. If you apply fertilizer at or soon after planting, apply a slow release product and place it no closer than about 12 inches from the trunk to prevent damaging the root initiation zone located at the base of the trunk. Leaves should be untied after setting the palm in the planting hole. Once new foliage appears, supporting stakes can be removed because roots are growing into the landscape soil.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You

Bergamot, Deciduous Perennial Of The Day

Monarda didyma 'Blue Stocking'     

syn. Monarda coccinea
    Bee Balm,  Bergamot,  Horsemint,  Oswego Tea

Type    Perennial
Hardy range    4B to 10A
Height    36" to 5' / 90cm to 1.60m
Growth rate    Average
Form    Upright or erect
Exposure    Full sun
Persistence    Deciduous

Bloom Color    Purple
Bloom Time    Summer

The flowers are fragrant and suitable for cut flowers.

Environment
This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy.
The pH preference is  a neutral soil.

Leaf Color    Green
This plant has fragrant foliage.

Culture Notes
These plants can be easily divided in the spring.  Cultivars will not come true from seed.  Monarda should be planted in areas with good air circulation in the full sun.  Attracts pollinators.  In the spring, remove dead foliage only. In the fall, cut back to 6", and deadhead spent flowers after blooming is done.  The blossoms and foliage of this fragrant plant can be used either fresh or dried in salads, wines and fruit drinks.  Other possible uses include pot pourris and, as a purported calming element, Bergamot tea or milk.

This plant is often infected with mildew after flowering.  If so, cut down to new foliage.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You

Calico Bush, Evergreen Shrub, woody plant Of The Day

Kalmia latifolia 'Bullseye'
    Mountain Laurel,  Calico Bush,  Ivy

Type    Shrub, woody plant
Hardy range    4A to 8A
Height    6' to 10' / 1.80m to 3.00m
Spread    6' to 10' / 1.80m to 3.00m
Growth rate    Slow
Form    Oval
Exposure    Full shade to full sun
Persistence    Evergreen

Bloom Color    Purple and white
Bloom Time    Spring

The flowers are very showy.

Environment
This plant tolerates some drought.
This plant will grow in dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to neutral (less than 6.8 to 7.2) soil.

Leaf Color    Green
Fall Color    No change in fall color

Culture Notes
Mountain Laurel does best on moist, acid soils of moderate fertility and drainage and can tolerate sunny locations, if provided with sufficient moisture and not allowed to dry out. Plants in a sunny spot flower better. Mountain Laurel is not salt tolerant.  Mountain Laurel is ideally suited to natural landscapes and other low-maintenance gardens where it can be allowed to grow to its natural form and size, with pruning only to remove spent flower heads and dead branches. Provide good drainage or plants die. Like many shrubs, amending the entire planting bed, not just the planting hole, with organic matter such as pine bark or peat improves root and shoot growth. Buds on this cultivar are deep purplish-blue and new growth is reddish.

All parts of the plant are poisonous causing watering of the eyes, nose and mouth followed by vomiting, abdominal pain, and low blood pressure. Plants perform poorly in zone 8B and south. Young plants in 3 gallon containers can be forced to produce flowers in spring with spray applications of certain growth regulators. In spring or early summer, all plant surfaces need to be covered with the spray in order to be effective.  No shoot growth takes place in the growing season they are sprayed so perform any necessary pruning well before application.

Planting and establishing shrubs

The most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep.  Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery.  In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off.  The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider.  In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole.  Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.

Weed suppression during establishment is essential.  Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth.  Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk.  If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer.   This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry.  Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water.  Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You