Southern Gardening

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Some of my most enjoyable days as a horticulturist are those when my work is my hobby and I get to experience unusual plants. This column was borne out of those days.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

You read about all sorts of plant enthusiasts claiming certain flowers are the Queen of Flowers. To a rose lover it's the rose, to a camellia lover it is the camellia, and so the story goes with daylilies and hostas.

For the vase, for color, for butterflies and for ease of growing, there is much to be said for the old fashioned zinnia as the Queen of the Flower Garden. Many a young grower gets their gardening teeth cut on this flower.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

It is remarkable when a plant performs equally well in soils that are acidic or alkaline. It is even more wonderful when that plant has large pink flowers in soils with the higher pH and blue blossoms in the soils with the lower pH.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Few things are prettier than a daylily garden that looks like a changing kaleidoscope of color for weeks. There are thousands of spectacular daylilies for sale, some even approaching the cost of my first car.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Many gardeners shop for plants that will bloom all summer right up until fall. That's a pretty tall order to fill considering our extreme summer climate, but there are several that will fill the bill.

Tropical plants offer us some of our best options for plants with five or six months of continuous bloom. At the top of that list has to be the hybrid Mandevilla Alice du Pont.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Many people who have watched some of my Southern Gardening segments on TV may believe I have more rocks in my head than they have in their yards. It may be Mississippi's lack of natural stones that makes me have rocks on my brain this week.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

When you look at a tropical hibiscus blooming on your deck or patio, it is not hard to conjure up visions of the Caribbean and the sounds of a steel band. It's funny how plants can mentally take us to where either our budget or time won't allow.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

There are a couple of hot, new begonias causing quite a stir in the garden world. They are called Sunbrite, or Dragon Wing, and Torch. Both are angel-wing types.

With all due respect to the Begonia society, I am afraid I must admit to being rather nonchalant when it came to this plant. Although I liked them, I just would pick other plants first. Not anymore.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

One of my favorite plants since I was a child has been moss rose. It is native to Brazil and has a ground hugging habit that means you cover much more space with fewer plants.

Known botanically as Portulaca grandilfora, it has green, fleshy, succulent leaves with unbelievable flower power. A similar plant, though weedier and not as showy, is Portulaca oleracea, known as purslane.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

During last October's Fall Garden Day in Crystal Springs, people kept asking about a plant they thought was gorgeous. This really did my heart good because I could see these gardeners had arrived at a special plateau.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Many gardeners are making their spring trek to the garden center for flowers with little thought as to what they will buy. Shoppers may base their purchases on what looks the freshest or which plants have the most color showing. A little forethought toward particular colors will make your efforts more rewarding.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The Biloxi area is celebrating its tricentennial this year -- 300 years! Like this beautiful city captures the hearts of visitors, the 1999 Mississippi Medallion winner, Biloxi Blue verbena will snare the hearts of gardeners throughout the state.

Biloxi Blue is one of four outstanding plants chosen as a 1999 Mississippi Medallion winners with Indian Summer rudbeckia, Tonto and Sioux crape myrtles rounding out the list.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Virginia willows, which are native to Mississippi, have received awesome reviews in Texas, North Carolina and Louisiana where they have been chosen as plant of the year.

You may know Virginia willows as the sweetspire or Virginia sweetspire. In addition to those names, selections like Henry's Garnet and Sarah's Eve may be available at your local garden center. Virginia willow is known botanically as Itea virginica. "Itea" is Greek for willow.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

American writer Joyce Kilmer may be most famous for his poem "Trees." I have often wondered what tree, if any, the New Jersey native was thinking about when he wrote that famous poem.

The tree that most assuredly is causing the traveler to pause now and gaze at her beauty is the dogwood. The bloom of the dogwood alone should make you want at least one for your yard, if not several.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Growing fresh produce for the picking doesn't always mean having an intensive garden, a square-foot garden or an acre or more. It can be as simple and fun as growing a basket of petunias, and baskets are where I would like to start.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The environment where I grew up made azaleas out of the question, so the site of all our azaleas erupting into spectacular blooms astounds me.

I'm further amazed that the native azaleas haven't caught on around here. Perhaps it's because growers haven't perfected the mass production of these azaleas or that demand is so great for the other azaleas. Maybe it is simply not worth the time, expense and effort to grow these on a grand scale.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A trip to a favorite garden center can be similar to walking into an ice cream shop. The push of spring blooms, coupled with warmer weather may have you chomping at the bit to get out planting. But before you buy some of everything, stop and do a little thinking or planning.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Ornamental grasses can really make a difference in our landscapes. The varieties abound for just the right look and location.

Dwarf sweet flag, mostly known as Japanese sweet flag, is one of the prettiest grasses we can use in the landscape. Although new in our local markets, this grass is drawing increased attention.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Every week I try to tell you what's arriving in the world of plants, but this week's column is dedicated to what's old and still wonderful. Mississippi and much of the South provide some outstanding old homesteads with long-standing plants announcing spring's arrival.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

To promote 1999 as the year of the salvia, the National Garden Bureau sent me pages and pages of information, but failed to mention my favorites. In defense of the National Garden Bureau, Mother Nature provided us with more than 900 species of salvia.