New Flowers for Spring
- • Begonias bulbs can be started indoors now and set out after danger of frost. You’ll enjoy their beautiful flowers this summer.
- • Plant lawns now from seed. Reseed established lawns to fill in bare patches.
- • Azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias provide lots of beautiful flowers for the shady spring garden. Choose them now.
- • Fertilize established roses now and begin spraying them for insect and disease problems. Neem oil is a very effective, less toxic spray that works against both insects and diseases.
- • Enjoy the bright yellow colors of goldfinches outside your window by putting up thistle feeders for them.
What’s New?
“It’s Spring again, and birds on the wing, again…” Spring is finally here and we’re all looking for something new and unusual to brighten up the yard.
Daisies are always fun and offer their bright flower faces up to the sun. The ‘Margarita Bronze Bicolor’ Osteospermum dairy is a most unusual color. This bronze African Daisy has long, ridged, daisy-like petals of a rosy-bronze with a halo of pastel yellow surrounding the dark eye. It is really striking and a perfect addition to your flower arrangements. It’s sister plant, ‘Margarita Pink Flare,’ has rich, pink flowers with a white center that “flares” out from the dark blue eye. Growing 12-15 inches high, they will look nice planted with white alyssum.
A new group of Nemesias are called Sunsatia® and their ‘Raspberry’ is a rich, warm color. Nemesias are related to snapdragons and grow in part sun, with abundant raspberry-pink flowers all through the spring season. Growing 12-18 inches tall, they can be used in flower beds or as fillers in combination pots.
For a really big splash, try the new Sunbather® Gazanias. This new generation from Australia have a dense growth habit and large brightly-colored flowers. ‘Sunbather’s Sunset’ offers amber-orange double flowers that stay open day and night. It grows 18 inches tall and wide, and loves the full, hot sun.
Now, for something really different, you’ll have to see the new Supertunia® ‘Pretty Much Picasso’®. Its unique flowers are rose pink edged in lime green with a dark purple eye. The vigorous plants are great for mixing in combination pots. They will grow 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide. Try them with Lysimachia, an evergreen groundcover with rounded, yellow-green leaves, and white alyssum.
Another great new petunia is ‘Double Cascade Blue.’ Floriferous and cascading, the dark purple-blue double flowers cover the large, vigorous plants. Mix them with double ‘White Sonata’ or single pinks for a showy combination.
New varieties are always coming out in Impatiens. As part of the new Dazzler™ series, we now have ‘Lilac Splash’ and ‘Blue Pearl.’ Dazzlers™ put on a big show of 1.5-in. blooms over rich, green foliage all summer long. The flowers of ‘Lilac Splash’ are a deep lavender-pink with a red eye, and ‘Blue Pearl’ is more of a light magenta with a purple eye. Both will brighten up your shady flower beds and pots.
Don’t overlook snapdragons for taller plants in the flower border. A new series called ‘Freesong’ grows up to 18 inches high. The well-branched plants make excellent cut flowers in cherry, crimson, pink, scarlet, white, yellow and orange.
Spring is here and it’s time to get planting!
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