| Gardening Daily Tips by ArcaMax, sponsored today by: | Enter to win the keys to a brand new Lexus(R)GS! Just take a short survey, and you'll be automatically entered to win. Don't want a new car? Then take the $50,000 cash instead. Enter here |  Plant type: Perennial
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a to 10a
Height: 36" to 48"
Spread: 24" to 48"
Exposure: partial shade partial sun to full sun
Bloom Color: Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Yellow
Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer
Leaf Color: Green
Growth Rate: average
Moisture: moist
Soil Condition: Acidic, Clay, Loamy, Neutral, Sandy, Well drained
Form: Irregular or sprawling, Upright or erect
Landscape Uses:
Border, Container, Ground cover, Massing, Seashore
Special Features:
Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers, Fragrant flowers Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Sponsor | | Question: Now that the impatiens have frozen and have to be pulled from my flower boxes, what are some good fall and winter flowers to plant?
Answer: I'd plant pansies, chrysanthemums, ornamental kale, snapdragons, calendula or even primroses for fall and winter color. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Question: My Russian Sage grows tall but is not full and the stems are weak. What are some options to correct this?
Answer: Russian sage does best in a rich soil with full sun all day long. Lack of sun can cause a wispy plant. There are also some varieties that are heftier than others and there may be some variation among seed grown plants in terms of the plants' bulk. You might try trimming it back hard in late spring to force it to branch more. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Question: I would like to start a moon garden and am having a hard time finding information. Can you recommend a garden design and some night-blooming plants? Our yard is small, so space is a factor. In addition to night blooming plants, could you also recommend some white plants?
Answer: Generally, it's good to mix annuals and perennials, since annuals blossom all season long if deadheaded regularly, and perennials tend to have a shorter period of time when they are in peak bloom. Since many night-flowering plants are very fragrant when evening sets in, plant them where you are most likely to catch their scent, such as under a window, or next to a garden bench or walkway. Some evening bloomers include: moonflower vine, night blooming jasmine, evening primrose, nicotiana, and night phlox. Some lovely perennial choices for you include: Phlox paniculata 'David' or Mt. Fuji', Echinacea purpurea 'White Lustre' or 'White Swan', delphinium 'Galahad', tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, iris, liatris, Achillea 'Snowsport', candytuft "Snowflake', lilium 'Snow Trumpet', Monarda didyma 'Snow White', Queen Anne's Lace, astilbe, Shasta daisy, white Thalictrum (meadow rue), and Veronica speedwell 'Alba'. Some rugosa roses have white flowers. Annuals include: Moonshadow sunflower, white impatiens, French Vanilla Marigold, alyssum, White Sonata cosmos, Misty White nigella, Pearly Gates morning glory, German statice, helichrysum, white geranium. Good luck and have fun designing your white garden. I hope it's near the house so you can appreciate its nighttime glow more easily. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Frost and freezing temperatures will eventually end the tomato harvest season. But tomato fruits harvested prior to a heavy frost can be stored and used for several weeks. Select the largest fruits first. They should be solid, firm, and green. Wrap each fruit in an individual piece of newspaper and pack loosely in a carton or box. Store the box at 55 to 60 degrees F. Remove them from the box as you need them and allow them to ripen for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. Sort through the stored tomatoes occasionally to remove any that are deteriorating or that show signs of ripening. The fruits won't be quite as good as vine ripened but will taste better than imports. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | Get old blankets and sheets ready, or purchase special frost protection fabric, in preparation for the upcoming cool weather. If temperatures are predicted to drop into the 40s, cover beds by mid afternoon to hold in the heat. Print | Comment | Tweet It | Facebook It | | | | | More Gardening Daily Tips from ArcaMax.com | | | | |
