tesselaar

Well, this past week, I had the privilege of joining Tesselaar Plants at the Independent Garden Center Expo 2010, held on Chicago's beautiful Navy Pier.

The show gave us all an exciting sneak peek at all the new plants, products for sale to the nation's 20,000-some independent garden centers for 2011. Here are some highlights – look for more in my next post!

First of all, here's a beautiful display of bromeliads – one of the tropical plants I've pushed in the past (like in this post) to try in the garden (even if you live in colder climates, like I do here in Zone 6a). This selection is from Rainflorest Flora, one of the largest growers and suppliers of bromeliads, tillandsias (air plants) and other exotic plants in North America.

Speaking of tropical, Monrovia featured this eye-popping gold-and-plum display of Tropicanna^® cannas, pairing the yellow-striped leaves of Tropicanna Gold with the deep-purplish-black foliage of Tropicanna Black (now in wider distribution for 2011).

And here's a shot of some of the products being featured in the new Burpee Home Gardens To Go program. I also wrote about this in an earlier post, and with vegetable gardening such a hot trend right now, I'll be sure to look into what's new for 2011.

All the stylish, colorful garden containers at the show, meanwhile, made me realize that garden design isn't just about the plants - it's about the container, too. I'd love to have one of these ceramic, glazed beauties by Alfresco Home, for instance, instead of the black plastic standbys I find shoved behind my husband's car restoration project in the garage:

These colorful, contemporary pots, meanwhile, come from German ceramics manufacturer Scheurich.

Scheurich, one of the more high-end lines of garden containers on the market, is a more European approach to container design, with the focus just as much on the pot as on the plant or flower within (often one flower or bloom, or a simple element repeated several times).

Outside, we also got a chance to see all the lovely landscape installations along the Navy Pier. This one features Festival Burgundy cordyline light purple scabiosa and calibrachoa and coleus in red, orangeish-gold and purple.

Tesselaar colleague Laurie Riedman and I had a lot of fun on the Navy Pier and in the city of Chicago. Here we are in a bicycle rickshaw (a very eco-friendly way to travel) riding back to the hotel. I also tried a Chicago-style hot dog for the first time (after seeing them on the Food and Travel channels) and we took a trip to the world-famous Garrett's gourmet popcorn for a gigundo tub 'o love … Good thing I didn't have time to make it to the American Girl store, or I know I would've blown a ton of money buying a Bitty Baby and matching jammies for my 3-year-old daughter!

Well, that's certainly enough for this post – the next one will feature some more of the videos I took. In the meantime, check out some of the other blogs on the IGC show, at Garden Rant, Garden Girl and the Blogging Nurseryman by Trey Pitsenberger.

"Green Thumbs Make Better Thinkers."

That was the headline of a featured article in this past Sunday's (Aug. 8, 2010) edition of Australia's Sunday Herald Sun. It was sent to me by Anthony Tesselaar, head of Australia's Tesselaar Plants (developer of Flower Carpet^® roses, Tropicanna^® cannas, Bonfire^® begonias and more):

"Spending time gardening," read the feature, "is linked to improved reading, writing and numeracy skills in children, reports a new United Kingdom study."

According to the study – in which researchers surveyed 1,300 teachers and looked at 10 schools to examine the impact of gardening on kids – teachers who encouraged students to get involved in school gardens as part of their education said the children who did so displayed more independence and were better at problem-solving.

The report also claimed that the changeable nature of gardening projects – where weather and plant disease can affect outcomes, for instance – encourages children to become more flexible and better equipped for problem solving.

School garden participants (image courtesy www.isles.org):

Who knew?

Us gardeners did, I suspect.

And I would add, after writing a newspaper story (for the Democrat and Chronicle, a Gannett newspaper in Rochester, NY) on the impact of school gardens on at-risk youth, that gardening also develops confidence, compassion, healthy eating and a respect for the environment. Those I interviewed for the stories, for instance, said that they were able to indirectly teach the concept of nurturing without having to be preachy. Their kids also reported liking vegetables (many of which they'd never tried before) and wanting a food garden at home. The kids understood, they added, that food came from the world around them instead of just magically appearing in the store and that this fostered a sense of greater connection to their world. The responsibility and ownership of their part of the project, meanwhile, instilled in them a sense of pride and contribution to something larger. This, in turn, set them up for success.

So the next time someone kids you about puttering around with posies, be proud of your Plant Nerd status! Just tell them: Green Thumbs Make Better Thinkers!

So here we are this past week, buying – and tasting – fruit from the farm stand down the road:

Maya (our 3-year-old daughter), delighted in feeding Jeff and me blueberries. We also picked up some peaches for a fruit salad I was bringing to my brother-in-law's birthday party.

I'd made a point of going to the farm stand (run by Sunscape Farms, which happens to grow its plants in the field right next to our subdivision) instead of the grocery store. I think sometimes we just run computer programs in our head like "Go to Grocery Store" or "Go to Home Depot" every time we need something. And I realized I needed to stop running on autopilot and start patronizing more fruit and veggy stands, farm markets and independent garden centers. I'm glad I did, since I've found so many sales (like $1 packs of annuals at the farm stand and family-friendly activities like an ice cream stand (and a haywagon to eat it in) at Wambach's garden center):

I'd first heard the rumblings of a growing "buy local" movement a few years back when Rochester, NY food, wine and gardening show host Michael Warren Thomas started a Savor Independents project, encouraging people to patronize local restaurants and eateries instead of the big chains. "Did you realize that we could add millions of dollars to the local economy by patronizing local, independent businesses? he asked. "for every $100 spent at a chain, only $13 stays in our community," he added.

Then, as I started to join and read garden blogs and web forums, I noticed how people kept mentioning "localvores" and how they were going out of their way to patronize independent garden centers and farm markets. It wasn't just that they wanted to boost the local economy – they believed that locally grown and sold plants would thrive better in their landscapes.

Indeed, I saw evidence of this when shopping at one of the local independent garden centers in my area – Bristol's Garden Center in Victor, NY, which I love because I know I'll find the Volcano^® Phlox, Bonfire^® begonias and large selection of Flower Carpet^® roses I know I won't find at Lowe's, Walmart or Home Depot. On the ground near me was a nicely designed plastic plant tag from a white-bloomed peony, "Locally Grown - to thrive in your landscape."

Then, just a few days after that, I got a notice from local legislator David Koon (D), encouraging everyone to "buy local."

I have to admit: It's all too easy to buy garden plants at the big-box stores and produce at the supermarket. But it only takes a few minutes more (not even that, sometimes) to patronize local businesses growing and selling garden plants and produce. Take the challenge, and try to buy local at least once before the summer's over!

Do you make a point of buying local when it comes to your garden and the food on your plate? Post a comment and tell me all  about it!

Well, it's been a month since the invasion of the Japanese beetles, and they still haven't touched my Flower Carpet roses. I saw one or two at the beginning of the season, sprayed the shrubs with neem oil and haven't seen any since. The Flower Carpet roses elsewhere in our yard, which I never sprayed with anything at all, also got passed over by the Japanese beetles.

The one exception has been some slight nibbling on the Flower Carpet Scarlet roses I'd planted in a container along with one of my dad's cannas, but the beetles went straight for the cannas and left the Flower Carpet roses alone. Only after I removed the decimated canna and threw it out did some of the lurking Japanese beetles in the area give the roses a try. They soon lost interest, however, and seem to have disappeared altogether. I find them occasionally drowning in our swimming pool or hopping a ride in on some veggies I've brought in for dinner. But other than that, they've been a real eat-and-run kinda gang.

My gardening friend documented a similar situation, in which she'd planted Flower Carpet Scarlet next to other easy-care shrub roses. As you can see, the Japanese beetles devoured the shrub roses while passing over the Flower Carpet Scarlet.

Shrub roses (left) Flower Carpet roses (right)

She does have some Japanese beetles eating the blossoms of her Flower Carpet Yellow and Flower Carpet Amber, she says (although mine have remained unscathed). But again, she notes, they're just nibbling on them and it's just a few leaves here and there, whereas almost all her shrub rose varieties are a mess, some more than others.

When it comes to deterring Japanese beetles, I prefer the neem oil spray. When I first began growing roses several years back, I tried the handpick-and-drown strategy I'd seen employed by my best friend's mom. But I guess I'm just a wuss. After my first two drownings, I felt so guilty I just couldn't do it anymore. Plus, I was too impatient to wait till the next morning (when they're all groggy and too slow to fight). The beetles were eating my plants THEN!

I know, I know, neem oil ALSO kills beetles (similar to hormones in their body, it makes them "forget" to eat, breed and even fly) but then again, I'm not physically holding them down and watching them implore me with their little shiny, Japanese beetle eyes to let them go home to their little Japanese beetle families. 

My friend has luck with the Bonide^® neem spray on the Flower Carpet roses, as well, but says it does nothing for the shrub roses, evening primrose, sundrops and some cranesbill geraniums.

Flower Carpet roses' Japanese beetle-defying ability has also been noted in an article by Associated Press garden writer Dean Fosdick. The article, which talked about using shrubs as "green furniture," ran most recently in the July 24, 2010 edition of the Nevada Appeal (Carson City, Nevada's daily newspaper).

"Flower Carpets have glossier, disease-free leaves," wrote Fosdick, "and seem to be more resistant to Japanese beetle infestations than do other rose varieties." 

Good news for those of us looking for low-maintenance plants and easycare gardening!

So, how do Flower Carpet roses hold up against Japanese beetles in your garden? How do other shrub rose varieties do? Post a comment, and tell me all about it!

In my previous post on ways to funkify your shade garden, I became so obsessed with finding new shade plants that I had to break it into Part 1 and 2.

So here's Part 2 – get an eyeful of these sexy plants! Me-OW!

6) Love me some lilies

Seems anything with the word "lily" in it can tolerate the shade. Here are just a few luscious examples:

Toad lily (this image courtesy This Garden is Illegal):

Bush lily (this image, of Clivia miniata 'French Hybrid,' courtesy Monrovia):

Daylily (this image of Earlybird Cardinal daylily courtesy of the Daylily Lovers Blog):

Flax lily (this image of Gold Stripe flax lily courtesy of Monrovia):

 7) Go for some groundcovers

"In dense shade and problem areas where it's hard to tend plants, there are several perennial groundcovers that can be used effectively," says Deborah L. Brown, extension agent at the University of Minnesota, in her article "Gardening in the Shade."

"Most evergreen groundcovers like Japanese spurge and periwinkle require the insulation of a good snow cover to carry them through the winter," she continues. "Other groundcovers such as wild violets, lilies of the valley, goutweed, and wild ginger are more durable. Many of these tough groundcovers can survive in a root-filled location that would be impossible for annuals or other perennials."

Jeepers Creepers® Golden Creeping Jenny (image taken by me at Bristol's Garden Center in Victor, NY):

Yellow Archangel creeping lamium (taken by me at Bristol's):

 8) Plant some spring bulbs in fall

"Spring flowering bulbs can be planted in deep shade provided you treat them as annuals, planting new bulbs each fall and then digging them up and discarding them once they've bloomed," says Brown (above). "The bulbs you buy already have miniature flowers inside. All that's needed is a cold winter in the ground for those flower buds to emerge in spring."

Some spring bulbs, she says – such as crocus, scillas, snowdrops, and species tulips – bloom and produce leaves early enough, before the trees leaf out, so that they receive adequate amounts of sun to blossom annually in a lightly shaded area. "Daffodils naturalize beautifully in an open wooded area," says Brown. "The tuberous begonia is another bulbous plant that grows well in light shade, since its delicate blossoms cannot stand full sunlight. Tuberous begonias are very tender, though, and must be stored indoors over the winter and not set out until frost danger has passed."

9) Add some veggies – yes, veggies!

 Again, I have to quote Brown: "Vegetables all do best in bright sunlight from early morning to nightfall, but a few of the leafier types can be tried in light or partial shade," she says. "These include plants that are grown for greens rather than for fruits or roots. Vegetables such as leaf lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, and beet greens will be thinner leaved and less robust when grown in light shade rather than full sunlight, but they will be tasty even though their growth is not luxurious."

I particularly like purple ornamental kale (this image courtesy of Sunset.com):

And who could say no to the rainbow-stemmed Bright Lights swiss chard (image courtesy All-Natural-Mama):

10) Don't forget the shrubs!

Just as shrubs and other woody perennials give you good "garden bones," or a framework on which to build, this rule even applies to shady, less-formal-seeming, woodland retreats. I think Nikky Phipps' "Shade-Loving Shrubs" article on GardeningKnowHow is great, especially since it includes my absolutely most coveted plant in the entire world: Carolina Allspice. Her other suggestions: Honeysuckle shrub, gardenias, viburnums, witch hazel, goatsbeard, yews, barberry, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas and boxwood.

Carolina allspice (very fragrant; image here from bhg.com):

Honeysuckle shrub (image courtesy Allan Becker - Garden Guru):

 Goatsbeard (image courtesy of My Little Patch of Green):

Before I go, I also have to share this great shade container recipe from a May 23, 2010 article in the Ottawa Citizen called "Shady Performers" by Ailsa Francis (pictured here, putting the combo together):

The ingredients:

Cimicifuga Pink Spike: A perennial (dark leaves, in back) that provides vertical interest and a focal point. (Image courtesy Van Bloem Gardens).

Lysimachia procumbens Aurea: This tender perennial with golden foliage (left) trails over the side of the pot. (Image courtesy Magnolia Gardens Nursery).

Astilbe simplicifolia Key West: A moisture-loving perennial that provides feathery texture and mid-season flowering. (Image courtesy Van Bloem Gardens).

Fuchsia Gartenmeister Bonstedt: This tender plant blooms all season long and is upright and bushy. (Image courtesy Dave's Garden).

Hakonechloa All Gold: A golden-colored perennial grass that provides luminosity and movement. (Image courtesy A Way to Garden).

Bonfire^® Begonia: This choice begonia trails and will bloom continuously through the summer. (Image courtesy Tesselaar Plants).

Stained Glassworks™ Solenostemon: A novelty coleus grown for its colorful foliage.

"What can I add to my new shade garden – that is, besides hostas and ferns?" my cousin asked last week, after showing me this hidden retreat she just carved out of the woods in her back yard:

She had already gotten creative with a corner planter box of bamboo:

And this large-leaved guy she said was elephant ears (colocasia), but I'm not so sure (anyone know?):

And so started my latest obsession: finding ways to funkify that ho-hum shade garden. I hit the garden centers, talked to some gardening friends and read some recent articles on the topic. Here are some of the tricks I learned:

1) Bring on the begonias

As noted in a number of recent articles (like this shade gardening plants story at Canada.com), tuberous begonias can add brightly colored blooms to the shade all season long. (Indeed, my Bonfire^® begonia (below) lights up my shady front yard like fireworks in the night sky). And in cold-climate gardens like mine (Zone 6a), it can be overwintered indoors.

Or, you can forget the flowers and go for the colorful foliage of rex begonias, which can take part- to deep shade. (Here are a few pics I took at the Garden Factory in Gates, NY, although Logee's has a great Web site where you can buy or just explore the wide variety of funky foliage offered by rex begonias):

2) Try the "Three Hs"

That stands for hakenochloa, heuchera and hellebores – three shade lovers that give you your money's worth in the shade. Below are pics I took of these lovelies at Bristol's Garden Center in Victor, NY.

Hakonochloa, or Japanese Forest Grass (below) is hardy in Zones 5 through 8 and the yellow-green variety is especially great for brightening up dark spots:

Heuchera (coral bells, below – my apologies if some of these are tiarellas or heucherellas – I sometimes get them mixed up), has been the darling of shade gardeners and foliage lovers for at least a decade now, with its shades of amber, lime, purple, burgundy black and more:

Then, of course, you can't leave out hellebores (who could, anyway, with a Perennial Plant of the Year designation in 2005, shiny, (mostly) evergreen foliage, a broad spectrum of bloom colors (including white, yellow, burgundy, pink and even black), late-winter/early spring blooms and an adaptability to a wide variety of climates and conditions, including shade?). This here is the beautiful 'Green Corsican' early-spring bloomer from the Helleborus Gold Collection.

(For unmatched variety when it comes to hellebores, by the way, be sure to visit Sunshine Farm and Gardens. I once sat, mesmerized, all the way through a talk by its irreverent, tie-dyed shirt owner, Barry Glick. He's passionate about hellebores and a really funny guy … he and Plant Delights owner Tony Avent should get together and go bowling).

3) Funkify your foliage

Many tried-and-true shade or woodland plants now offer colorful or variegated foliage that's a new twist on an old favorite.

Here, for instance, is ColorFlash^® Astilbe (burgundy and purple leaves) and ColorFlash Lime:

“I got my greedy little hands on ColorFlash Lime,” wrote “bloomingwriter” blogger in a May 29, 2010 post, “Focusing on Foliage (mostly).”

And About.com Gardening Guide just called ColorFlash astilbes “a personal favorite of mine” in a May 21, 2010 post on bromeliads.

 “As if astilbes weren't wonderful enough, with their lacy foliage, colorful, long-lasting flower plumes and minimal maintenance needs, ColorFlash Lime has added a whole new dimension,” she wrote in an earlier post, “ColorFlash Lime Astilbe: A Perfect Plant Made Even Better.”

“Two-tone gold /lime leaves are edged with a slightly darker lime border. This burst of sunshine works well as an accent plant, particularly in partially shaded borders. Paired with its pink feather duster flowers, it commands the eye.”

Variegated-white varieties of tried-and-true shade plants are also a way to brighten up dark areas. Here are just two of the many variegated shade perennials I found while browsing through Bristol's:

Variegated pachysandra (a little bit classier, in my opinion, than the overused, plain-green pachysandra everyone had at their tract houses when I was growing up in the '70s):

Variegated Solomon's Seal:

4) Add tropicals or houseplants

As I mentioned in my previous post about using tropicals in the garden, houseplants (many of which actually thrive in low-light conditions) are a great way to jazz up the shade garden.

"Nearly all indoor foliage plants will benefit from outdoor growing conditions if they are protected from the hot midday sun, in such locations as a spot under a tree or on the north side of a house," says University of Minnesota extension agent Deborah L. Brown in her article, "Gardening in the Shade." Pots may be sunk into the soil to conserve moisture, she writes, "but with frequent watering they also could be set right on the soil surface, an ideal way to make use of those shade areas that are compacted with tree roots."

Some houseplants with fabulous foliage that I'd love to try include croton, bromeliads, tradescantia (Wandering Jew or spiderwort), triostar stromanthe and elephant ear (alocasia).

Tradescantia (the purple stuff):

Croton (the rainbow-colored ones):

Triostar stromanthe (image courtesy Monrovia):

 Bromeliad:

Elephant ear (alocasia):

5) Sneak in some "throwaway annuals"

"Annuals work well, except in dense shade," says Brown (see "Gardening in the Shade" article above). "Browallias, coleus, wax begonias, dwarf salvias, and other shade-tolerant annuals will begin blooming soon after frost danger is past if you start with robust young bedding plants."

Browallia (image courtesy EM Canada):

Well, that's enough for now. There are so many options I have to split this post into two parts. Look for the next five tips next week! And please let me know if you have any great suggestions for beyond-the-ordinary shade garden plants!

The cold, rainy weather here has really been a drag. All my plants are in a holding pattern, while inside, my 3-year-old and I stay in the basement for more Evil Art Therapy. Bored, Maya gives her dolls a makeover with craft paint. And I, in a skunky, rainy-day mood, go ahead and let her. Here's her handiwork: scientific proof that gardening and the great outdoors improve wellness, while staying indoors just makes you go crazy:

Rainy periods like this (My 2010 Farmer's Almanac "Gardening By the Moon" article, by the way, said that these specific dates would be barren for gardening) are also a great excuse to go to hit the independent garden centers. After reading a recent garden trends survey that said gardeners (especially Gen X gardeners like myself) are into everything moss – moss-covered rocks, moss-covered containers, moss-lined terrariums – you name it — I indeed found this big, moss-tastic display of SuperMoss bagged reindeer moss at the Garden Factory in Gates, NY.  The moss (which came in colors like lime-green, dark green, white, beige and even purple) was also available in pre-cut moss sheets for use as a liner in wire garden planters, a birdhouse roof and even as a table runner. I also saw rocks covered in faux moss used around the water garden display.

 I also liked the Garden Factory's collection of already-designed container gardens, especially the ones using the rex begonia (read this great article on using rex begonia for colorful, fantastic foliage in the shade). Go check them out in your own independent garden center, or view and order them online at Logee's Greenhouse.

 Another garden trend very popular these days: the use of succulents as drought-tolerant plants for water-wise, low-maintenance, and just plain architecturally interesting landscapes. At left is some sedum next to your typical cactus – and behind that, and orange-and-yellow pencil cactus that looks like coral you'd see in an aquarium! Super cool!  

Always in colorful foliage lust, I've already incorporated an aeonium into one of my containers on the patio (below, with Tropicanna^® Black, Tropicanna^® Gold, white-flowered bacopa, nasturtium and purple flowering ornamental kale). Why not add some succulents to your container garden as well for added shape, color and texture. You might also want to add a small rock to create a desert scene or miniature landscape.) 

Of course, visiting garden centers always leads to spending at garden centers. At least that's what happened when I ventured out to Bristol's Garden Center in Victor, NY and came home with a red Volcano^® phlox and a Bonfire^® begonia. Both are holding up well in the shade and the rain, waiting for the sun to return.

Red Volcano phlox

 Bonfire begonia in a hanging basket in the shade

Speaking of drought-tolerant, my rainy-day boredom and search for more easy-care gardening ideas also inspired me to set up a container garden-watering experiment. Curious to know the easiest, most cost-effective way to water the containers on my deck, I filled four pots each with the same amount of soil, water and drought-sensitive plants (regular ol' petunias) in them. Only in the first pot, I put in Miracle Gro's moisture-retaining potting mix with fertilizer. In the next one, I used regular potting mix (also with fertilizer) but covered it with mulch. In the third, I again used the regular potting mix, but put it in a self-watering container. The fourth I left as a control, with just the regular potting mix. Here's the experiment I set up, and as soon as it warms up and dries out here, I'll let you know how they compare:

What about you? What do you do in times of bad weather during the gardening season? Post a comment and tell me all about it!

Today's guest blog is from Abbie Jury, a New Zealand garden writer whose husband, Mark Jury and father-in-law, Felix Jury, created Festival Burgundy cordyline, available in most Lowe's or Home Depot stores and at most of the larger independent garden centers. Abbie's column regularly appears on her and Mark's blog, Tikorangi: The Jury Garden.

Abbie Jury

Festival Burgundy (called Red Fountain by Abbie, because that's its name in Australia and New Zealand) features a fountain of burgundy-red, glossy, strappy leaves that look great planted in masses in the landscape especially with white or bright-green plants. Festival Burgundy has become widely popular as a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, versatile plant that grows well in sun or shade. But it also looks as good as it works, offering a colorful, vertical, architectural element and a small footprint great for tight spaces: 

On a personal note, I love to use Festival Burgundy as a sophisticated, contemporary element for needed height in containers, and this year have had fun mixing it with sempervivum, lime ipomoea (sweet potato vine), purple ornamental kale and coleus in lime, white and burgundy:

The History of Festival Burgundy

By Abbie Jury

More than 30 years ago, Felix and Mark were both fascinated by the habit and appearance of our native Astelia chathamica (often sold under a cultivar name of Silver Spear). There was little that needed improving in the pointed, silver leaves of this clump-forming plant, but both father and son saw the potential in trying to develop a new colorway with red foliage. So began a 20-year effort before Mark pulled the plug, deciding that his red astelias were just too difficult and too unreliable to market widely. We still have them in cultivation in the garden here and a few of the selected clone were released by us onto the market. Other seedlings found their way onto the market by devious means on the part of a third party (that is a story best kept in-house). But clearly, others found the plant just as difficult to build up – and indeed to keep alive at all – because it has never been a huge commercial hit, despite the demand. Sometimes breeding directions are more blind alley than interesting path and Mark reluctantly abandoned the red astelia.

Undeterred, Felix looked to the cordyline genus, where he crossed two lesser-known New Zealand forms – banskii and pumilio. In this country, where Cordyline australis is far and away the most common form around (called cabbage trees and an icon of our country), cordylines are expected to have trunks and grow several meters tall (1 meter equals about 3.28 feet). When Mark raised the seed from this cross, there was the lucky break that came to be known as Red Fountain in the first instance (but also marketed in the US as Festival Burgundy).

Festival Burgundy is clumping, rarely putting up a trunk much above 10 cm (about 4 inches), with exceptionally good coloring in shiny burgundy red, which lasts year round. The narrow, strappy leaves are relatively soft and fountain out from the base. The tall, arching flowers are pale lilac and highly fragrant.

We have been delighted by the success of this cultivar on the international market, thanks to the efforts of Anthony Tesselaar International acting as our agent. Less delighted, one might say, with the efforts of competitors to come in behind it with ring-ins and substitutes, some even raised from Red Fountain (how we wish they would show some originality and come up with their own ideas) but we are confident that nothing yet has appeared that is the equal of Red Fountain.

Mark has continued with the cordyline breeding, but with the market being flooded with different cordylines from other sources, many proving difficult and unreliable, he as yet has put any further releases on hold.

Thanks for contributing, Abbie!

How 'bout you? Have you ever grown Festival Burgundy (or Red Fountain, as it's called in some parts of the world)? If so, what was your experience with it? Any design tips or pics? By all means, send them in!

Looking for a colorful, heat and drought-tolerant landscape plant that lasts in containers and hanging baskets or that fills a lot of space in the garden and landscape? Then check out today's guest post on the red-hot, Bonfire begonias, from Sabina Reiner, brand manager for Selecta First Class, Inc.

The Bonfire series, which now includes the Bonfire Choc varieties featuring dark "chocolate" foliage, was developed by Tesselaar Plants and is now sold through the Ball Horticultural Company network as part of the Selecta First Class catalogue of products.

There are lots of begonias on the market, but Bonfire has brought them to the forefront again. Tell us all about it, Sabina!

Sabina Reiner

Bonfire begonia

Bonfire — the HOTTEST begonias on the market

By Sabina Reiner

The Bonfire series of begonias is not only one of our best-selling single varieties — it's one of the top consumer plants out there. Bonfire begonias are a great convenience plant for consumers, first and foremost, because they require less water and recover easily from drought stress.

Bonfire begonias also take the heat and perform like a champ, with brilliant, dramatic color all summer long.

These beautiful begonias are a great choice for visual appeal and interest in your garden or on your patio. They're high-impact, low-maintenance plants, creating continuous color and vibrant floral displays with a minimum of effort.

As a home gardener, I tested this series in my own garden. The key, I learned, is to not overwater it. It flowers from early summer through early frost, handling more heat and cold than many other begonia varieties. It also loves humidity. Although it'll tolerate shade or partial shade, it'll flower most profusely and produce the most vibrant color in full sun.

And yes, you can overwinter Bonfire begonia indoors (see "Overwintering Bonfire" below).

Last year, Selecta added Bonfire Scarlet (with brilliant red-orange blooms) to its product collection:

Bonfire (Scarlet) begonia in hanging basket

Bonfire in the landscape

Now, for 2010/20111, we're adding the dramatic, dark-foliaged Bonfire Choc series.

In addition to exciting, new, dark "chocolate" foliage, the Bonfire Choc varieties offer a great upright to mounding habit, making them perfect for containers, hanging baskets and landscaping. And like the original Bonfire series, Bonfire Choc varieties are extremely drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant while delivering colorful flowers and fantastic foliage all summer long.

Bonfire Choc Red

Bonfire Choc Pink

Bonfire Choc won rave reviews when it was introduced at this year's California Spring Trials (the annual event unveiling many new plant introductions about to hit the market). Choc Red, in fact, was one of garden guru Allan Armitage's top picks at the trial! Southern Living's Grumpy Gardener also praised the Bonfire series there.  

Design tips

I've found that the Bonfire and Bonfire Choc varieties look most provocative when paired or grouped with deep burgundies, true purples and/or silver foliage. 

Overwintering Bonfire

Gardeners in cold climates can overwinter Bonfire begonias indoors. Just let the plant rest in a cold (not freezing), dry place. The images below show the progression of Bonfire coming back to life in the spring.

Pancake-like Bonfire begonia tubers starting to wake up:

1½ months later:

 And I look forward to it returning to its glorious state:

Thanks so much for contributing, Sabina!

Also check out the great post by Margaret Roach, author of the popular A Way to Garden blog, on her love of Bonfire begonias and her success in overwintering them. Bonfire begonias were also the Featured Plant of the Week in this May 19 post by Valley View Farms (one of the largest and most complete independent garden centers in the mid-Atlantic region)!

The original Bonfire begonia was also named as one of 10 “basket-worthy annuals that can take the heat and the sun” in the May 7 PennLive.com post (featuring a picture of Bonfire) by George Weigel (garden writer for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Va., circulation 102,000).  Bonfire and Bellfire begonias also star in the annual edition of Container Gardening magazine (by Fine Gardening, circulation 140,000).

Have you grown Bonfire begonias, or tried to overwinter them? Please post a comment, and include some pics!

On my Bucket List (things to do before I die): Visit the world-renowned Chelsea Flower Show, being held this week May 25-29 at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London (image below courtesy a BBC story on the Chelsea Flower Show 2010).

My reasons for wanting to see the show are twofold: Of course, the first is the opportunity to see the world's top garden and flower show. Presented by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for 21 years now, the Chelsea Flower Show is known not only for its cutting-edge gardens designed by leading names but also for its showcasing of some of the newest, most exciting garden plants on the planet - kind of like the gardening world's equivalent of the Olympics.

According to the BBC article, this year's show has an optimistic, extravagant feel that's a stark contrast to last year's recession-inspired display with recycled exhibits and a lack of larger garden sponsors.

But second of all, I've been tracking down my family history and FINALLY tracked down my great-grandfather, Ernest Hutchurson, and the street – and even HOUSE – where he lived in West Ham, London (7 Addington Road - I Google Mapped it). So I desperately want to travel to London to see it and anything else relating to my family history.

Sadly, I won't be going this year. Tickets are sold out (unless I want to pick up one of the black-market tickets left selling for five times its original value). But I will be ordering the official Chelsea Flower Show DVD. If I did go to the show, however, I'd especially like to see the Chelsea gardens already in line for the gold, according British garden guru Matt Biggs. 

Of course, I'd also want to see the Tesselaar Plants in this year's show – Bluestorm Agapanthus and Tropicanna Canna (in a garden designed by Homebase – kind of like the British version of Home Depot). I just planted both on my deck out back (pics below, Bluestorm at top). But mine are just babies, with the Tropicanna canna shoots just starting to break out of the soil. So I'd love to see them at their peak, of course, in a professionally-designed garden at Chelsea! Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the Homebase garden at Chelsea. But I'm working on finding some after the show opens, and when I do, I'll be sure to post 'em!

Bluestorm Agapanthus

Original Tropicanna Canna (tangerine bloom, rainbow-striped leaves)

Tropicanna Canna Gold (left) and Tropicanna Canna Black (right)

Can't wait for the day when my Bluestorm agapanthus looks more like this:

And my Tropicanna cannas look more like this!

Until then, I'll just wait for my Chelsea Flower Show DVD to arrive – and try not to check on my cannas every five minutes!