'Autumn Forest' Coneflower: Featured Plant of The Day

Rudbeckia hirta 'Autumn Forest' 
syn. Rudbeckia flava

Black-eyed Susan, Coneflower, Gloriosa Daisy

Type Biennial, perennial

Hardy range 4A to 8A

Height 18" to 36" / 45cm to 90cm

Spread 24" to 30" / 60cm to 75cm

Growth rate Fast

Form Rounded and upright or erect

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Bloom Color Orange, red and yellow

Bloom Time Summer and Fall


Environment
This plant tolerates salt well. This plant will grow in dry soil. Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy or sandy. The pH preference is a neutral soil.


Leaf Color Green

The flowers are showy and suitable for cut flowers.


Culture Notes
This plant is a short-lived perennial or biennial and is often grown as an annual. It self-sows easily, and cuttings can be taken in late summer and rooted in the cold frame. This plant prefers a sunny spot, with a well-drained fertile soil. Plants serve as butterfly nectar sources.


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'Ruby Glow' Egyptian Star Flower: Featured Plant of The Day

Pentas lanceolata 'Ruby Glow'

Star Cluster, Egyptian Star Flower, Pentas, Egyptian Star Cluster

Type Perennial

Hardy range 8B to 11

Height 24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m

Spread 12" to 36" / 30cm to 90cm

Growth rate Fast

Form Rounded

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Evergreen and semi-evergreen

Bloom Color Red

Bloom Time Spring through Fall

The flowers are showy

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

Leaf Color Green
This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes Tolerant of a wide-range of soil types, Pentas prefers fertile, well-drained soils, regular moisture, and will grow quickly in full sun or light shade. Plants will flower fairly well with as little as 2 to 3 hours of sun each day. Plants can be dug, cut back, and stored in a container of soil over the winter in climates that receive freezing temperatures. Water occasionally to keep roots from drying out and replant and fertilize in the spring. Heavy mulch applied over the crown of plants cut back to the ground will help plants survive winter in hardiness zone 8. In most years, plants regrow from the partially buried stems in the spring. Plants can be clipped as a hedge but flower production will suffer. They are best left unclipped so flowers are free to develop on new growth. Plants serve as butterfly nectar sources.

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Thank You

Japanese Primrose: Featured Plant of The Day

Primula japonica 

Japanese Primrose,  Candelabra Primrose

Type    Perennial
Hardy range    3A to 8B
Height    12" to 18" / 30cm to 45cm
Spread    12" to 18" / 30cm to 45cm
Growth rate    Average
Form    Rounded
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun
Persistence    Deciduous

Bloom Color    Pink, purple, red and white
Bloom Time    Summer

The flowers are fragrant and suitable for cut flowers.

Environment
This plant tolerates occasional wetness.
This plant will grow in moist to wet soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy.
The pH preference is an acidic to neutral (less than 6.8 to 7.2) soil.

Leaf Color    Green

Landscape Uses
-    Container plantings
-    Rock garden
-    Woodland garden
-    Border
-    Specimen
-    Groundcover

Attributes and Features
-    Naturalizing
-    Grows submerged

Culture Notes
Reseeds easily.  Seeds can be collected in the summer and sown under glass in the early spring.  Division of the clump can be done once dormant.  Does well if planted alongside stream banks or pond margins.  This plant will even grow in water.  Likes boggy ground locations.  Japanese Primroses are among the easiest to grow, featuring wrinkled foliage and brilliantly colored flowers.

Most Primula species resent hot, humid weather and boggy conditions.  Contact with the hairs on its foliage may irritate the skin.  Do not mist foliage, as its hairs can trap water and result in unnecessary rotting and/or gray mold (botrytis).

Sapphire Flower: Featured Plant of The day

Browallia speciosa 'Major'

Bush Violet,  Sapphire Flower

Type    Annual
Height    30" to 39" / 75cm to 100cm
Growth rate    Slow
Form    Irregular or sprawling and spreading or horizontal
Exposure    Full shade to partial sun

Bloom Color    Purple
Bloom Time    Year 'round

The flowers are showy.

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

Leaf Color    Green

Landscape Uses
-    Container plantings
-    Border
-    Massing
-    Specimen

Attributes and Features
-    Extended bloom season

Culture Notes
These plants are grown for their abundance of trumpet-shaped, attractive flowers.  There is a white flowered cultivar of this species also.

'Marshal's Delight' Bee Balm: Featured Plant of The Day

Monarda didyma 'Marshal's Delight'  syn. Monarda coccinea
    Bee Balm,  Bergamot,  Horsemint,  Oswego Tea

Type    Perennial
Hardy range    4A to 9A
Height    36" to 4' / 90cm to 1.20m
Spread    24" to 36" / 60cm to 90cm
Growth rate    Fast
Form    Upright or erect
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Bloom Color    Pink
Bloom Time    Summer

The flowers are showy, suitable for cut flowers and suitable for dried flowers.

Environment
This plant tolerates occasional wetness.
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.

Landscape Uses
-    Border
-    Massing

Attributes and Features
-    Naturalizing
-    Attracts birds
-    Attracts butterflies

Culture Notes
As one might guess from the name, Bee Balm attracts both bees and hummingbirds.  Its fragrant leaves are used to make tea and in potpourri mixtures.  It has a tendency to become invasive, so division is necessary every few years.  In the spring, remove dead foliage only.  Deadhead spent flowers after blooming and, in the fall, cut back to 6".    The flower heads of 'Marshal's Delight' are tighter than most in the species, and it appears to be mildew resistant.  Plants serve as butterfly nectar sources.