Compleat Home Gardener: It's the ideal time for some lovely additions
Thursday, September 27, 2007 7:17 AM PDT
By Marianne Binetti, columnist
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E-mail this articleThe end of September is a good time to add new plants to the garden. Nurseries put lots of trees and shrubs on sale this time of year and the return of the rainy season means you won't be stuck hand-watering your new additions.
This is also the week to plant bulbs for more spring and summer color. Tulips, daffodils and crocus are traditional bulbs to plant now but fall is also a good time to plant lilies. Unlike most bulbs that have a fall or spring preference lilies never really go dormant so you can buy bulbs or plants most any time of the year and transplant them into the garden. Just don't let your lily bulbs dry out before planting so, unlike dry tulips and daffodils, lily bulbs should be kept in their plastic bag until planting time.
When choosing a spot for bulbs make sure the water drains away rather collects in the area. This means no low, wet spots or your bulbs will rot. Lilies are especially sensitive to wet soil so here's a planting tip that could keep them from drowning: Dig a hole at least 6 inches deep and lay the lily bulb in sideways. This way water will be less likely to collect in the scales of the bulb.
Now let the fall fun begin. See how many of these cool new plants you can find at area nurseries and snatch them up for your garden.
Lil Kim Hibiscus -- This is a unique dwarf hibiscus plant that looks tropical but is winter-hardy. The huge flowers appear late in the summer and look very Hawaiian with their bright red throats and white petals. Like all hardy hibiscus, this compact variety has rather mundane foliage and a stiff upright growth habit. Lil Kim stays 3 to 4 feet tall instead of the usual 12 to 15 feet so gardeners with small yards or those who want something for a container will love this plant.
All plants have some weak qualities, however, and the garden gossip on hardy hibiscus is that the foliage falls early from the shrub and doesn't return until late May. You'll have a naked shrub for at least half of the year.
Pinky Winky Hardy Hydrangea -- This is not your grandmother's hydrangea with the big blue balls of bloom. Pinky Winky is a Hydrangea paniculata or Pee Gee hydrangea and can be grown as a shrub or small tree. The flowers are creamy white, huge and pointed at the end. This variety is new because the plant not only has more pink color in the late summer blooms but is more compact as well.
Then there is the size of the flower panicles. The blooms are just huge and cover the entire shrub.
This hydrangea will bloom no matter how or when you prune and despite the soil or climate. It's a really tough and showy new shrub.
My Monet Weigela -- Another tidy dwarf shrub and this one is a painter's masterpiece. The leaves are colorful all summer long with green and white stripes and the deep pink blooms appear even in a partly shaded location.
"My Monet" also attracts hummingbirds with its tubular shaped summer blossoms.
You can use this shrub in artistic sweeps of color along a lawn or as a focal point in a large pot. It is not evergreen but the foliage hangs on through most of the fall and returns in mid-spring. If you know someone that loves the poetry of flowers and foliage plus the artistic dance of humming birds, plant "My Monet" weigela right outside a window and you'll make a great impression with a living masterpiece to admire.
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