My favorite cottage garden plants are old-fashioned hollyhocks (Alcea rosea). With a long blooming period, hollyhocks are a great addition to any bed. Hollyhocks grow best with lots of sun and moist, but well-drained soil. Planting in full sun in an area with good air circulation helps prevent rust fungal disease.
There are many varieties of hollyhock to choose from. Here are some of my favorites. 'Chater's Double' is a double, ball-shaped red, pink, white or yellow flower. 'Indian Spring' is a mix of white, pink, red, and yellow single flowers. 'Majorette Mixed' are dwarf forms growing only 30 inches high, with large, semi-double flowers in pastel colors. 'Nigra' has dark maroon flowers, turning almost black in the center. 'Powderpuffs Mixed' are double flowers a full 1-inch larger than other double hollyhocks with flower colors of yellow, white, pink, scarlet, and salmon.
Classification: Perennials
Growing Zones: 4-8
Sun Exposure: Part Shade - Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist, well-drained
Soil Types/Tolerance: Normal, loamy, Clay, Sandy
Bloom: Early Summer to Early Fall
Uses: Cut Flowers, Border, Beds, Ornamental
Showing posts with label Perennials and Ornamentals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perennials and Ornamentals. Show all posts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Ornamentals That Love the Sun - Hollyhocks
Got a bright, sunny spot that needs some company? Over the next three days we will discuss three ornamentals that will fill this void - today we'll feature Hollyhocks.
My favorite cottage garden plants are old-fashioned hollyhocks (Alcea rosea). With a long blooming period, hollyhocks are a great addition to any bed. Hollyhocks grow best with lots of sun and moist, but well-drained soil. Planting in full sun in an area with good air circulation helps prevent rust fungal disease.
There are many varieties of hollyhock to choose from. Here are some of my favorites. 'Chater's Double' is a double, ball-shaped red, pink, white or yellow flower. 'Indian Spring' is a mix of white, pink, red, and yellow single flowers. 'Majorette Mixed' are dwarf forms growing only 30 inches high, with large, semi-double flowers in pastel colors. 'Nigra' has dark maroon flowers, turning almost black in the center. 'Powderpuffs Mixed' are double flowers a full 1-inch larger than other double hollyhocks with flower colors of yellow, white, pink, scarlet, and salmon.
Classification: Perennials
Growing Zones: 4-8
Sun Exposure: Part Shade - Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist, well-drained
Soil Types/Tolerance: Normal, loamy, Clay, Sandy
Bloom: Early Summer to Early Fall
Uses: Cut Flowers, Border, Beds, Ornamental
My favorite cottage garden plants are old-fashioned hollyhocks (Alcea rosea). With a long blooming period, hollyhocks are a great addition to any bed. Hollyhocks grow best with lots of sun and moist, but well-drained soil. Planting in full sun in an area with good air circulation helps prevent rust fungal disease.
There are many varieties of hollyhock to choose from. Here are some of my favorites. 'Chater's Double' is a double, ball-shaped red, pink, white or yellow flower. 'Indian Spring' is a mix of white, pink, red, and yellow single flowers. 'Majorette Mixed' are dwarf forms growing only 30 inches high, with large, semi-double flowers in pastel colors. 'Nigra' has dark maroon flowers, turning almost black in the center. 'Powderpuffs Mixed' are double flowers a full 1-inch larger than other double hollyhocks with flower colors of yellow, white, pink, scarlet, and salmon.
Classification: Perennials
Growing Zones: 4-8
Sun Exposure: Part Shade - Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist, well-drained
Soil Types/Tolerance: Normal, loamy, Clay, Sandy
Bloom: Early Summer to Early Fall
Uses: Cut Flowers, Border, Beds, Ornamental
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Ornamentals That Love the Sun - Sedums
Got a bright, sunny spot that needs some company? Over the past three days we have discussing three ornamentals that will fill this void - today we'll feature Sedums.
Sedums, also called stonecrop, are versatile plants. You don't need a green thumb or hours of spare time to grow sedums. They thrive in almost any sunny site as long as the soil drainage is good. They're drought tolerant and not picky about soil fertility or pH. They're also easy to propagate, which makes them a definite favorite of mine.
For gardeners new to sedums, you will love sedums because they are easy to grow and widely available. The foliage typically until early fall. it produces clusters of intensely pink-red flowers. 'Ruby Glow' grows to about 8 inches tall and is perfect as an edging plant for a perennial border
Classification: Perennial
Growing Zones: 3-10
Sun Exposure: Loves - Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist, well-drained
Soil Types/Tolerance: Normal, loamy, Clay,
Bloom: Early Summer to Early Fall
Uses: Cut Flowers, Border, Beds, Ornamental
Sedums, also called stonecrop, are versatile plants. You don't need a green thumb or hours of spare time to grow sedums. They thrive in almost any sunny site as long as the soil drainage is good. They're drought tolerant and not picky about soil fertility or pH. They're also easy to propagate, which makes them a definite favorite of mine.
For gardeners new to sedums, you will love sedums because they are easy to grow and widely available. The foliage typically until early fall. it produces clusters of intensely pink-red flowers. 'Ruby Glow' grows to about 8 inches tall and is perfect as an edging plant for a perennial border
Classification: Perennial
Growing Zones: 3-10
Sun Exposure: Loves - Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist, well-drained
Soil Types/Tolerance: Normal, loamy, Clay,
Bloom: Early Summer to Early Fall
Uses: Cut Flowers, Border, Beds, Ornamental
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