Ornamental grasses `Blowing in the Wind’
Texture contrasts are key to the success of planting in our sub-tropic Gulf Coast. Now we all love our Evergreen plants down South, but too much same leaf-same green can get a little monotonous, so… enters the joy of plants with bold texture. And, as much as I love a big leaf plant (Split-leaf Philodendron, Gigantic `Elephant Ear’, Dwarf Red Bananas, yum-m-m), I have found full delight in the Miscanthus `Maiden’s grass’! Can you spot her to the right behind the little brick wall? Her soft, fine texture can boldly take on any leaf texture, big or small, that comes her way!!!
And, she brings life to the garden! The Maiden’s Grass gently dances in the wind (well, except in Hurricane winds, then she looks like she’s hanging on for dear life!), and she sparkles! That’s right! I have her outside my kitchen window, and in the morning, when the dew gently hangs from the tips of her foliage, she looks like she’s holding thousands of prisms refracting the morning light! Spectacular!!! What more can you ask for? She dances and sparkles, great texture… oh, and did I tell you, she blooms!!!
Actually, they’re more like feathery plumes that arrive in late summer, just in time for a great Fall season attraction. And, I personally think the winter form of the Maiden’s grass is delightful! Her foliage and spikey blooms dry to a beautiful taupe color, adding grace to her distinctive arching form. And…are you ready, she’s a low maintenance girl!
Maiden’s grass pefers sun-partial shade and is tolerant of semi-moist soils (but likes it dry). And though she has a fine, soft texture, Maiden’s Grass can become a full bodied girl (up to 5′ ht x 5′ width at maturity), so prune her (blunt cut) to 24-30″ in late February to mid-March (this allows you to enjoy her great winter form), feed her with a balanced garden fertilizer, and in 2-3 weeks…you’ll see her make her Spring debut with her soft, fresh-green foliage! Enjoy!!!
The Knockout Rose, yes or no? Yes!!!
If there is one most happy plant that blooms and blooms and blooms, without any fuss or hassle, it would be the Knockout Rose! She appeared on the scene about five years ago, and she has been `happening’ ever since. The `Original’ Red Knockout Rose is probably my most favorite, simply because she can add that vibrant splash of color that is her namesake — `Knockout!’ She’s really more bright fuschia pink, which makes her a great accent along with blues (Agapanthus), yellows, orange and white (as in yummy white Dwf Gardenias, oh, the secret to success with Dwf Gardenias is to plant them in hot afternoon sun, preferably raised beds, and they like it dry!). And, the Red Knockout is absolutely gorgeous in the tropical gardens with Dwarf Red Banana and Miscanthus `Maiden’s grass’, and, for the brave, the ever ramblin’ old-fashioned `Hen & Chick’ Orange Lantana!!!
But the big question `HOW DO YOU CONTROL HER SIZE??!!!’
The Knockout Rose loves to be pruned!!! The more you prune her, the more she blooms! And, that’s how you control her size. (like most plants, the bloom buds set on the new growth) You don’t have to prune, she’ll bloom anyway. But, she can get 5′ tall and 5′ wide (with thorns, so keep away from walkways!) I prefer to keep her about 3 1/2 ft tall, and we do that by heavy pruning, continuously. You have to be brave, and sacrifice some of her blooms and buds, but if you take control, she will produce more blooms with a tighter compact form and abundant dark green leaves! You don’t have to worry where you cut the stalk, just do it. Prune her on Valentines Day to 15″ height (like all roses), and then continue to remove approx 1/3 growth after the fading of a really heavy blooming (I also like to stagger my pruning, leaving a little something to enjoy as the new buds are being set). No more counting 5 leaves, but I do like the diagonal `slant’ cut, just because it’s a good overall horticultural practice. But, then again, my men shear the Roses with gas power trimmers, and, Wow!, do they like the prune! And, they love to eat! So, after a good heavy pruning, we feed them with Osmocote 14-14-14, or Grower’s Special 10-12-12.
They need approx 5 hrs of strong sun for peak performance, but we’ve planted the `Blush’ Knockout in filtered sun near the canopy of Natchez White Crape Myrtle, so the blooms were not as abundant, and the plant was a little more open in form, and, oh my, … I blush at her blush of the lightest pinkish-white hue bashful in the shade. Beautiful!, add White Caladiums and creamy white Lantana (yes, they can take filtered sun nicely)… hmmm, I have got to get better at taking those photos! So, yes, there are other wonderful colors of the Knockout Rose, the Pink Knockout (a true medium-color pink, and probably the best performer with a full dense body), the Blush Knockout (love her!!!, especially in a white garden, she’s white with a hint of light pink), and the Double Knockouts, smaller in structure and smaller blooms, but the bloom is a double, which means it has more petals on the flower (not double the bloom…she doesn’t have the Wow! that I love, but used as a border plant or large mass planting, I’m sure she’s fine!) Give her a try! Let the Knockout Rose show you her stuff! From Valentine’s Day to Christmas, this rose is a real `Knockout’!!!
Fun Dwarf Yew
I would like to introduce you a favorite new plant, the Dwarf Japanese Yew (the little short green guy upfront with fun foliage) Isn’t he great?!! He stays short (approx 15-18″ ht) and full (24″ width), and has little starburst foliage popping out all over. He’s evergreen and such little care, likes it hot and dry (definitely not wet soils, he get fussy with browning and rusty color foliage, which makes him a great compatible border plant with the above Knockout Rose. Can you see him in the distance under the Red Oak? Like other yews, he can tolerate some amount of shade, but most glorious in full sun. And, in a mass planting, well…that’s just fun..in a bigger mass!!!
Here’s a closeup (well, the Knockout Rose is kind of dominating this photo, and she’s another huge favorite, but she deserves her own blog, so we’ll save her for later…but isn’t her color so very happy!) Back to the handsome Dwf Yew, if he get a little out of control (a wild shoot here and there, or he wants to stretch himself), trim/prune him back to size but keep his fun free-form character. Just nip his end, and he’ll respond with more new buds making himself more full and healthy. And do keep him short and under control, we don’t want him to get to leggy and spindly. We like him short, fat and happy! Use him in a single little line under a low window for a breath of new texture instead of same old, same old (same old-same old round shrub, that is. Sometimes we just want a little different, right?) Isn’t he wonderful!
