pansy

Thursday Finds in the Test Garden

Written on October 13, 2011 at 10:24 am , by Katie A Ketelsen

As the season goes in Iowa, temperatures have started to drop and it’s evident with this week’s stroll through the BHG Test Garden.  Some plants have completely lost their luster, while others are thriving. Take notes to know what to plant next year for  a long season of color.

Here fall-blooming mums mixed with pansies work well along a pathway.

Here’s a shrub you don’t see often in the landscape, but is perfect for adding color to  a shady garden: Dwarf fothergilla.

Depending on the season, fothergilla fall foliage can turn yellow, orange, or red.

Although the Test Garden is closed for the year, you can still enjoy the season’s colors! Right outside the east doors of Meredith several clump ginkgo are planted and have started to turn golden yellow.

Just a quick tidbit: it’s a rarity to find such awesome specimens of ginkgo in Iowa, let alone with multiple clumps. I’d highly suggest if you have a chance to see for yourself the magnitude of these trees, you do!

How’s you’re gardening looking this fall? What’s your favorite fall plant? I have to say Little Henry sweetspire is my favorite.

 

 

 

Who’s the Fairest of Them All?

Written on March 24, 2011 at 3:57 pm , by Doug Jimerson

Last week, for the third time in a row, I had the opportunity to judge the trial gardens at Costa Farms, near Homestead, Florida. At first blush, it seems an easy thing to do—just wander through bed after bed of beautiful flowers on a sunny Florida morning. But, in reality, it’s hard work, evaluating each plant on four important criteria: growth uniformity, foliage appeal, flower power/size, and consumer appeal. Fellow judges included Heather Will-Browne from Disney and Dr. Alan Armitage from the University of Georgia. Here are a few of my favorite picks (left to right, top to bottom) that you should watch for in your garden, this year or next.

• Lobelia ‘Techno Heat, Upright Light Blue’ from Syngenta
• Petunia ‘Blueberry Ice’ from Dummen
• Petunia ‘Littletunia Sweet Pink’ from Ecke
• Argyranthemum ‘Flutterby Yellow’ from Ecke
• Verbena ‘Royal Chambray’ from Proven Winners
• Hollyhock ‘Spring Celebrities Lemon’ from Takii
• Coleus ‘Burgundy Wedding Train’ from Ecke
• Coleus ‘Wasabi’ from Ball Flora Plant
• Viola ‘Sorbet Banana Cream’ from PanAmerican Seed
• Petunia ‘Violet Picotee’ from Ball Flora Plant
• Phlox ‘Phloxy Lady Pink’ from Dummen
• Impatiens ‘Sunpatiens’ (all varieties) from Sakata
• Pansy ‘Blueberry Thrill’ from Sakata

Shooting for Spring in the Fall

Written on October 7, 2009 at 10:58 am , by Eric Liskey

Frost is fast approaching, and with it, the end of the garden photography season. We have a pansy/viola story planned for BHG next spring, and there were a few new shots we needed to complete our story plan. Heavy clouds, 50F and 20 mph winds made it a chilly challenge, but we got it done. When you’re working with such happy little flower faces, it is certainly easier! We used old and new varieties from companies like Ball, Benary, and Goldsmith.