BY L O I S T R I G G C H A P L I N
PLANT SNAPDRAGONS NOW
AMSONIA FOR FALL, TOO
If you haven’t grown snapdragons in a while, the much improved hybrids of this annual may surprise you with how well they perform through winter and into next summer. The main flower show is not until spring, but now is the time to set out transplants to give plants a head start. The main concern is to avoid wet spots during winter’s rainy weather. Be sure that they have a place with good drainage. Plants may be dwarf, upright and trailing. Trailing ones like 'Candy Showers' are great for pots and baskets. Dwarfs such as 'Magic Carpet' are good for bedding and containers, growing from 4 to 10 inches high and wide. Upright types grow straight up with a central flower spike. These can be encouraged to branch by snipping back the center of the plants when setting them out. Flower spikes will be slightly smaller, but more numerous. If you want extra-long flower stems for flower arrangements look for the Rocket series which can grow to four feet tall; staking helps them in case of heavy wind and rain. Plant in a sunny spot with excellent drainage and choose a fertilizer that contains a nitrate form of nitrogen, as it is the most readily available in cool soil.
Perennials are usually planted for their blooms, but Bluestar (Amsonia species) is just as worthy for the outstanding foliage color in the fall. Bluestar is named for its delicate, star-shaped, blue flowers that appear at the end of its stems in the spring. There are many species of Amsonia. By selecting carefully, you can choose the ones with leaves that make a brilliant second show of gold to orange fall color as the weather cools down in autumn. There are several species and selected cultivars of amsonia, some native to Alabama and other parts of the U.S. All are tough plants that do well in sun to part shade and in moist, but not soggy garden soil.For good fall color check plant tags for species and cultivars of Amsonia huebrichtii, Amsonia ciliata and Amsonia tabernaemontana. These include selections such as Storm Cloud and Blue Ice.
Amsonia
PLANT HERBS FOR WINTER
Snapdragons
With grocery prices continuing to rise, there is certainly no need to buy fresh or dried herbs when herb plants could yield more plenty of flavorful leaves in our gardens through winter.The most cold-hardy perennial herbs include rosemary, oregano, thyme, chives, October/November 2022
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