Weigelas, a Swan in the Garden

By Ms Sherry

Tri colored tubular flowers in shades of white, pink and, dark pink populate the same shrub.

The weigela shines during spring! When this deciduous shrub is not in bloom, it may almost be considered the ugly duckling in the garden. But once spring is here this plain Jane turns into a swan. Weigelas appear bullet proof; they bloom in hot sun to part sun, don’t seem very picky about the soil, are not prone to disease or insects, and can easily survive the drought. However, they can get very big, soon taking over the space around them. To me they are best in a supporting rather than a main role. But their wonderful springtime show earns the weigela a place in every landscape, if you give your weigela the right amount of room to flourish. Depending on the cultivar weigelas can reach 15 feet tall and almost that wide. However, there are also dwarf selections (for example ‘Minuet’)  on the market. I made the mistake early on in my gardening career of planting three together; eventually, they took over. I also discovered, when they were not blooming they were not especially attractive. I am not sure of the name for the weigela in the photograph but its claim to fame is three colors of flowers on the same bush. It is magnificent. (The label and my recall for the names of all my shrubs have disappeared). When the blooms diminish and the leaves come out, it will become a nice background plant. This weigela is about 8 feet tall and 6 around. I also have a weigela with wonderful variegated foliage which continues to be beautiful after the blooming show has passed.  Pruning is best done by cutting the oldest canes to the ground. THE SOUTHERN LIVING GARDEN BOOK also suggests that you can cut the whole plant back halfway every other year. I personally have not tried this method as mine still seems vigorous and healthy. I do prune out any dead canes when necessary.

A weigela is proof positive that you don’t have to be a star every minute of the year but, when it is your turn to shine, you will wow your audience.

(Please remember that I garden in East Central Alabama in an area that varies between hardiness zones 7B-8A; should you decide to plant any of the items mentioned in “The Inquisitve Gardener” in your own garden. please do check for plant hardiness in your area.)

A Froggy Visit

By Ms Sherry

One of the wonderful surprises in the garden is that you never know who might choose to make a home there. Just a day or so ago as I added water to my bird bath I discovered this charming little creature perched on the side. The bird bath has a pump so that I have moving water to attract the birds.  I had no idea the water would also attract frogs. What kind of frog this is and how it got into the bird bath, which is a full three feet off the ground, are mysteries to me. Perhaps there are some frog experts out there who might answer both of those questions.
I certainly did enjoy the visit and hope this little thing makes a habit of bathing in my front yard.

Peonies—Garden Queens

By Ms Sherry

Another Tree Peony

Herbaceous Peony (probably ‘Festive Maxima’)

This week two more peonies (which I—and THE SOUTHERN LIVING GARDEN BOOK) refer to as garden royalty are blooming in the garden – an herbaceous and yet, another tree peony, one with yellow flowers.

Herbaceous peonies die back to the ground each fall, unlike tree peonies which have a woody trunk that remains all year. We have a joke at my house that we can’t move because of my peony (the herbaceous one) which is just about the very first thing I planted over 30 years ago. Their blooms are drop-dead gorgeous!  Peonies like cold temperatures, so in my area of Alabama they don’t always bloom as well as they can depending on our winter. They perform best in part to full sun – getting some shade in the afternoon. They need good drainage, well amended soil, and a nice layer of mulch. Peonies don’t like to be moved. Since they can reach three feet tall and get about as wide, plant then in a spot where they can stay. It is a good idea to deadhead spent flowers and to cut back and remove the foliage in the fall.

From my perspective there is just nothing more spectacular than a peony in bloom. After seeing my photographs, I think you will agree with me.

Tomatoes are in the Garden

By pbarnett

The Tomato plants that I started in the Aerogarden are now planted in our garden. One thing that I have learned is that February 1 is too early to start tomato plants when using an Aerogarden. We had to take them out after 3-4 weeks when they outgrew the Aerogarden. So we have had tomato plants in the house for a couple of months, under an Ott-Lite and the spillover from the Aerogarden lights. We lost a couple to breakage. The major advantage to this system was the thick tomato stems. They never got leggy. Some broke, when they got top-heavy, from us moving them in and outside. All but one are doing fine, and I have two more plants not quite ready to transplant.

I also planted asparagus crowns in my raised bed, after adding more soil with fertilizer and turning all the soil. All the bed had last year were a couple bush green beans and a sweet pepper plant, which flourished despite the fire ant colony.

For my next gardening adventure, I have ordered edamame seeds and soybean inoculant. (Anyone need any? There’s a lot of it.) The edamame are going directly into the ground. No Aerogarden experiments.

Tree Peonies—Garden Royalty

By Ms Sherry

Walking through the garden has almost become a dizzying experience these days. The colors are swirling: purple columbines; chartreuse hostas; hot pink azalea flowers; red-leafed maples; white clematis. Whew! But nestled among the verdant greens and bright colors are what I call the garden queens – the tree peonies. And royalty they are. Tree peonies, unlike their relatives herbaceous peonies, are deciduous shrubs instead of perennials. Tree peonies command a hefty price; I saw some plants on the internet selling for hundreds of dollars (however, younger ones may be purcchased for less money but it takes longer for them to bloom). The flowers come in a range of colors; I have posted pictures of my red one and my white one; my yellow one blooms just a couple of weeks later than these two and I will post that photo when it does bloom. The red flower measures 7 inches in diameter but the blooms on some selections can get up to a foot across for some lucky gardener. It takes several years for a tree peony to reach its full potential but the rewards for the patient gardener are great. These are not fast growing plants, so one can be tucked into an area where it is sheltered from harsh winds, gets part sun, and is planted in wonderful rich, fertile well-drained soil.

Every garden should have at least one tree peony; watching it bloom is reason enough to get out of bed every morning and head outside.

(As I wrote my second blog about peonies I noticed that THE SOUTHERN LIVING GARDEN BOOK also referred to peonies as garden royalty—brilliant minds do think alike; but I wanted to make sure I gave that reference book full credit also.)