Gardening

Growing and Blooming

We have almost sold out of our early spring vegetable plants and annual flowers, and what we aren’t selling I can’t resist planting in any nook or cranny I can find. We tried a couple of new varieties of violas this year that I was particularly pleased with; the Viola Bilbo Baggins (pictured first), and Viola Gem Antique Shades (pictured second).

I was also quite happy with the Pastel Shades Sweet Alyssum. The colors are very pale pinks and lavenders (which are hard to distinguish in the picture below). The Snow Crystals Sweet Alyssum are always a favorite as well.

I have collected seeds from the Scarlet Clematis pictured below, and I hope to have some ready for sale this fall. This is a native climber that features a bright red, pitcher shaped bloom. Check out the Aggie Hort site for a complete description of this native plant. Here are some highlights from that article:

Scarlet clematis is a beautiful, delicate vine that grows only in the Edwards Plateau, along streams, on shady limestone ledges, or on rich bottomlands. The brilliant red, urn-shaped flowers that appear in spring and early summer are actually sepals that curve backward at the tips. It is woody at the base but its stems are herbaceous, so it dies to the ground in the winter and blooms from new growth in the spring. The sepals are somewhat leathery, and give rise to the common name “leatherflower” for this and certain other Clematis species. Like all vining clematis, scarlet clematis needs a support for its twining leaf stalks, and likes to have its roots cool and shaded but its foliage in sunlight. It will do best in somewhat shaded, well-drained soil. It is extremely cold-hardy, surviving as far north as zone 5. Unfortunately, this beautiful clematis, endemic only to Central Texas, is an uncommon plant even there, and it is rare in cultivation, although hybrids such as ‘Duchess of Albany’, ‘Etoile Rose’, and ‘Princess of Wales’ are more commonly available.

My next door neighbor gave me some native scarlet penstemon divisions several years ago, and they are taking hold this year and starting to spread. I plan to collect seeds from them this year so I can propagate it for our customers. This plant is native only to the Edwards Plateau, attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, and produces increasing amounts of flowers every year.

I just noticed that my only surviving lavender plant is covered in buds. Hooray! I will take a photo as soon as the buds open.

They say we may get rain tomorrow…

Blessings,
Carol

© 2007 Lost Valley Gardens.