Gardener's Corner
YOU GROW, GIRL Ainsley Thompson, the Club's Gardener, has curated a beautiful summer display for all to enjoy, here are some highlights including environmentally friendly and edible plants for the Club's Food & Beverage team
COLEUS
VICTORIA BLUE SALVIA
Plectranthus scutellarioides Coleus, made popular as Victorian-era bedding plants, and one of my personal favourite plants. This tender annual comes in many shades of colour, leaf texture and sizes. Coleus is in the mint family. Leaf colours include green, yellow, pink, red, purple, and maroon. The plant does bloom occasionally at the end of the long stalks. Remember to trim flower spikes in late summer in order to extend the life of the plant and growth of new colourful leaves.
Salvia farinacea This variety has masses for beautiful spikes of royal blue flowers rising above the foliage from early summer to mid fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting and compliment any dried arrangements.
Coleus cuttings can be taken from plants before the first frost in the fall and placed in water to root. Plant the rooted cuttings, start with a large pot that the plant can grow into, otherwise, you’ll be repotting this fast-growing plant before you know it. Keep near a sunny window for the winter.
Victoria Blue Salvia is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Don't forget to clean away the deadheads to encourage new blooms.
GERANIUM
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Pelargonium The sun-loving plants that we commonly call “geraniums” were introduced to Europe by Dutch traders who brought them from South Africa in the early 18th century. Since these new plants resembled the hardy, wild geraniums already growing in Europe, botanists mistakenly grouped them together into the same genus.
SUCCULENT SEASON
When it was later discovered that these new “geraniums” differed from the European geraniums in the shape of their petals, the number of stamens, and other factors, they were reclassified under Pelargonium, meaning “stork’s bill” a reference to the long, sharply pointed shape of their seedpod. Their original common name stuck, however, and we still say “geranium” when we actually mean “pelargonium."
Succulent plants are easy to love. They can tolerate dry, indoor conditions, and they don’t require much watering. Their thick fleshy leaves and stems, as well as their enlarged roots, allow them to retain water. They’re like living sculptures, and you can use them to make indoor gardens. You don’t have to plant your succulents alone. Succulent plants “play nice together,” so you can put several varieties of succulents in the same container to create a beautiful, low maintenance and diverse arrangement for your home.
The Bark s p r i n g 2022
