Moya Andrews talks about euphorbias. The genus Euphorbia is large—about 2000 species—and there is great variation between forms.  Some plants look a bit like cacti, and many of the species have flowers that are actually bracts.  Many of the plants are tropical and sub-tropical, though some members of this genus survive well in temperate regions.  At the holiday season we see many poinsettias, native to Mexico; they are the best known euphorbias in commerce. They are imported or are grown in cold regions in greenhouses.  Those that grow in the outdoors in cold regions are often referred to as milkweed or spurge and include Euphorbia polychroma with bright chrome-yellow clusters of flowers in zones 6 to 9. Like many in this genus, it exudes a milky sap when picked.  Euphorbia marginata grows in zones 4 to 10 and is native to North America. It produces bright green leaves margined in white and broad petal-like bracts surrounding small flowers in summer. It grows quickly to two feet and is a pretty foil for any brightly colored neighboring flowers.  Euphorbia schillingii or Schilling’s spurge is a frost-hardy, clump-forming perennial, growing to three feet and was discovered in Nepal by Tony Schilling in 1975. The flat flowers are produced from mid-summer to mid-autumn, and the fall foliage is often colorful in zones 5 to 9.  Euphorbias are becoming more popular with gardeners recently, as they are versatile, easy- to-grow and deer resistant. This episode originally aired December 4, 2014.

Moya Andrews talks about Corydalis. Many of us have seen a ferny plant with tiny yellow flowers growing on walls and in cottage gardens in England, where it self-sows enthusiastically. This plant is Corydalis (kor RID ah liss), and it grows from rhizomes. It resembles the habit and form of Bleeding Heart, and it likes similar growing conditions. It has delicate lacy-looking foliage and racemes of spurred flowers in the spring.  There are about 300 species of Corydalis, both perennial and biennial, belonging to the poppy family. Give these plants full sun to partial shade where summers are not too hot and well-drained soil with regular moisture.  Most of the species resent being transplanted, but they can be divided in spring or fall if watered well to smooth the transition. However, they grow best where they self sow, and they seem to find very pleasing sites for themselves. For example, they have self sown at the edge of stone steps in my garden and look charming there despite the fact that there seems to be little dirt to nourish them.  There are blue-flowered varieties now available, but I have not been able to get them established in my own Midwest garden. The yellow ones, such as Corydalis ‘lutea’, bloom well over a long season, however, and their blue-green foliage is attractive all of the growing season. This episode originally aired April 22, 2010.

Moya Andrews reads a poem about ajuga, a.k.a., bugle weeds. Ajugas are perennials that are commonly known as bugles or bugle weeds, and there are about 40 species in the genus.  Ajuga reptans (reptans means creeping), is often used as a ground cover that carpets the ground with glossy rosettes of spoon-shaped leaves and spikes of violet-blue flowers in late spring.  Cultivars with variegated foliage are less vigorous than those with green or bronze leaves it seems. It is hardy zones 3-9 and prefers light shade, though it will grow in sun too.  In evenly moist well drained soil, Ajuga reptans spreads vigorously, so choose a site carefully. Cicely Mary Barker, wrote a poem about this plant and called it, as you might guess, “The Song of the Bugle Fairy.” Here it is:                  At the edge of the woodland                  Where good fairies dwell,                  Stands, on the lookout,                  A brave sentinel.                    At the call of his bugle                  Out the elves run,                  Ready for anything,                  Danger, or fun,                  Hunting, or warfare,                  By moonshine or sun.                   With bluebells or campions*                 The woodlands are gay,                 Where bronzy- leaved bugle                  Keeps watch night and day. NOTE:  *Campions are Lychnis (e.g., rose campion) plants. This episode originally aired March 31, 2011.

Moya Andrews talks about bellflowers. Campanulas, or bellflowers to use their common name, are plants with bell-shaped blue or white blooms, and they range in height from ground-hugging dwarfs to plants that grow to 6 feet. A gardener who plants a number of different types can have bloom for most of the summer.  Varieties and Growing Habits They need a moderately rich well-drained soil and full or partial sun. C.persicifolia is the popular blue peach leaf, and the white equivalent is ‘alba’. These are best for humid southern summers. Cut bellflowers last well in a vase, which is a big asset, as far as I am concerned. C. ‘Telham Beauty’ has three inch lavender blue flowers on 3 foot stalks and mixes well with astilbe, either in a bed or in a vase. It will naturalize in woodland settings in light shade.  The new campanula punctata ‘Cherry Bells’ is quite a departure from the older varieties because it has red tubular flowers edged in white so provides an early summer treat for hummingbirds. An old standby that has stood the test of time is the clustered bellflower C. glomerata, which is hardy zones 3-8 and has upward facing violet bells on 1-2 ft plants. This is a very reliable plant. The newer gold leaf Adriatic bellflower ‘Dickson’s Gold’ is a short variety which provides a striking contrast of blue flowers against gold foliage that looks wonderful spilling over walls or used as a groundcover. This episode originally aired July 22, 2010.

There are roughly 900 species of salvia, which is the largest genus in the mint family. The common name is sage, and the genus includes annuals, perennials, and sub-shrubs. Remember that sub-shrubs have the woody base of a shrub and soft top growth. When pruning a sub-shrub such as sage or lavender, do not cut into or injure that woody base. Salvias have tubular flowers with two lips and are ancient plants, which were probably taken to England by the Roman legions, as the name is derived from the Latin salveo, meaning “I am well.” There is an old Arabic proverb: “How shall a man die that has sage in his garden?” That hints at the plants links with immortality. It was said to have the most power medicinally in May, just before the appearance of the blooms. Of Mediterranean origins, salvias like full sun and good drainage. The flowers can be most colors but are rarely yellow. The blues, purples, and reds are most admired.  Culinary sage is named Salvia officinalis and is a short-lived perennial with grey-green leaves and purple flowers in summer. In your flowerbeds, try two to three feet tall hybrids sylvestris ‘May Night’ or ‘Blue Queen’. ‘East Friesland’ is also pretty but shorter. All have violet-blue spires on neat green clumps in zones 4 – 9. This episode originally aired June 1, 2017.

Moya Andrews talks about marigolds. I used to be quite a snob about flowers that grow so easily that they seem to be growing everywhere. For instance, I used to be quite dismissive about marigolds, as I disliked the smell. It took me years to realize that many commonly grown flowers, in addition to being pretty, possess other reliable characteristics, such as drought and heat tolerance and resistance to pests.  After failing with zillions of more finicky plants that died as soon as a heat wave or drought struck, I finally decided that marigolds are actually quite appealing. When deer began to frequent my yard, I actually fell in love with marigolds. Now when people ask me about my favorite flowers, I rattle off a list that includes only deer resistant species. The defining attribute for any plant to win my popularity contest, is that it is not popular with deer.  Of course deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough. One year I noticed that they did not eat my butterfly weed, so I didn’t bother to spray it. Since I sprayed everything else, guess what they then gobbled up?  Adversity, (and that for me is currently spelled D-E-E-R), is a great teacher. It has taught a gardener like me to cherish every flower that blooms, no matter what its color or its smell. Because, of course, we eventually come to realize that at different times and in different places in our gardens, any type of flower may suddenly seem to be just perfect.  This episode originally aired June 13, 2013.

Moya Andrews talks about nasturtiums. Nasturtiums are annuals that grow well from seed. The genus is Tropaeolum (trop EYE oh lum), which is from a Greek word meaning “to twine,” as some nasturtiums will climb on a support. Tropaeolum minor was first found growing in Mexico and Peru and introduced to England in 1574. The English called the plant Indian Cress because the leaves tasted sharp. The peppery taste and characteristic scent led to the name “nasturtium,” which is from the Latin word meaning “nose twister.”  Sailors once ate the pickled seeds of this plant, which were similar to capers, to help prevent scurvy during long sea voyages, and all parts of the plant are edible. The flowers and leaves are eaten raw in salads and are also used as garnishes.  The flowers have five petals and are spurred and come in cheerful reds, yellows, oranges and creams. The leaves are round with radial veins like fairy umbrellas. Nasturtiums survive in warm regions for several years and often self seed but are only reliably hardy in zones 8-11.They are good in containers and withstand drought better than most annuals but do best in moist well-drained soil in full to part sun. If the soil is too rich they produce mainly leaves instead of flowers. They are susceptible to aphids, and cabbage moth caterpillars like them.  A bouquet of nasturtium flowers in a short vase is enhanced by the addition of a few of the round leaves, and these unprepossessing flowers last in water about 4-5 days.

Moya Andrews talks about balloon flowers. Balloon flowers have unique buds that look round and full of air just like a balloon and so their common name is descriptive.  The genus name comes from 2 Greek words “platys” meaning broad and “kodon” meaning bell, and members of the Platycodon genus usually have blue flowers, but there are some varieties that are white or  pink.  Balloon flowers belong to the Campanula family because when the blooms open the petals flare out so that the bottom of the flower is broader than the top and shaped like a bell. Plants usually grow about 20 inches tall, but there are some dwarf varieties.  Balloon flowers enjoy sandy, well drained soil in full sun or partial shade and after planting they do not like to be disturbed, so cannot be divided. Seeds can be sown in the spring, but most gardeners buy young plants from garden centers so that they will bloom the first summer they are planted.  Perennial balloon flowers make good cut flowers if they are picked late in the afternoon or early evening and immediately plunged into deep water. Strip off the leaves and re-cut the stems the next day.  These flowers are native to China where they were used extensively for culinary and medicinal purposes. They also grow very well in Japan so I have been told. Originally aired May 27, 2010.

If you want to see a well-behaved garden, visit one that is about 3 years old.  Three years is about the time it takes for plants to settle in and grow a bit. But it’s not long enough for most plants to get out of hand and start moving around. Even in the first seven years or so it is usually still possible to see some semblance of the original design that the gardener intended.  Actually, though, I once read that most gardens need to be redone about every seven years. Unfortunately, I read this useful information too late to help my own garden. It had definitely already taken the leadership role away from me by then.  I am beginning to believe that unless the gardener is a very disciplined individual, the plants are really in charge of a garden after just a few years. Look at the way they hop around and self-sow and get out of their original bounds. One day we put them here, and quite suddenly they are there.  Many plants are extraordinarily adaptable. This sometimes happens when trees die and suddenly a shade garden is in full sun. I have some vigorous and healthy masses of epimedium and hellebores that seem to love living in full sunshine, even though they are supposed to prefer growing in the shade.  Mature gardens, like mature people certainly seem to have minds of their own. The good news is that a little serendipity in a garden certainly seems to add to its charm.

Although non-native, lilacs are a much-loved and well-behaved import to North America.

There are about 70 different types of phlox, both short and tall. The short ones are used as groundcovers, and their palette is made up of the cool colors.

Most of us, including those who are not space challenged, like to experiment with plants in containers. It is like playing at micro gardening. The drawback of containers, though, is that as we water them the nutrients in the soil leach out. Therefore, we need to start by filling our pots each season with a rich growing medium and follow through with regular feedings during the summer. Slow-release granules are often used for this purpose.  Also some gardeners say it is good to mix a little compost with the potting soil to aid water retention and to put a layer of bark chip mulch on the surface of each pot to lessen evaporation of moisture. Water-retaining granules can also be added to the upper third of the soil mixture in the pot. Always make sure that pots have good drainage holes, as if a pot has no holes or clogged holes, the plants will rot, and the soil will start to smell unpleasant. To prevent the holes becoming clogged, many gardeners use pieces of old clay pots or styrofoam peanuts, which are not as heavy when the pots need to be moved around to follow the sun. However, another solution is to recycle old pantyhose by putting them over the drainage holes or lining the bottom of the pot with about 10 layers of newspaper. This retains moisture and soil while the water drains. The smaller the pots the more frequently they must be watered as small amounts of soil dry out quickly. Especially in hot weather, most containers outdoors need daily watering.

Amy Stewart, in her book Flower Confidential, says that florists practically invented Mother’s Day.  It was actually invented in 1908 by a woman named Anna Jarvis who wanted the celebration to be on the second Sunday in May because it was the anniversary of the death of her own mother. “Crowd it and push it,” she urged florists, noting that May was a month when flowers are plentiful and therefore cheaper.  Florists jumped on board, and Jarvis’s idea worked as people saw it as a chance to honor their mothers, as well as daughters, wives, grandmothers, and friends who were mothers.  Jarvis, however, became upset with the floral industry because she wanted white carnations to be the exclusive flower of Mother’s Day. This was because the holiday actually began as a day when children (both boys and girls) would honor their mothers by wearing a white carnation in their buttonhole.  Florists, understandably, were in favor of using a wider variety of flowers, partly because their suppliers couldn’t supply sufficient quantities of white carnations. Mother’s Day is now a truly floral holiday, and flowers can even be wired world-wide.

Many of us who love to grow tulips in our gardens have visiting deer who love to eat them. It seems to be such a violent death for a bud or flower.   The poet E. J. Scovell, when she wrote the following poem in 1991, must not have had deer in her garden because she describes a more gradual demise. Here are some excerpts of her poem:  I would, if I could, choose  Age, and die outwards as a tulip does;  Not as this iris drawing in, in-coiling  Its complex strange taut inflorescence, willing  Itself a bud again—though all achieved is  No more than a clenched sadness,  The tears of gum not flowing.  I would choose the tulip’s reckless way of going;  Whose petals answer light, altering by fractions  From closed to wide, from one through many perfections,  Till wrecked, flamboyant, strayed beyond recall,  Like flakes of fire they piecemeal fall. Most of us prefer tulips in a vase when they are closed or just partly open, rather than splayed outwards, wide open, just before the petals fall. Though perhaps, opening wide, is their last defiant gesture of farewell. This is Moya Andrews, and today we focused on the death of a flower.

Deadheading spent booms on plants is important, especially with perennials.   Many modern annuals have been bred so that the plant will keep blooming without deadheading. Wave petunia was the first annual where breeders managed to achieve this, but now it is rare for any type of petunias to need deadheading.   However, this is not the case with perennials, where deadheading makes the plants bloom longer. Otherwise, many perennials will waste their energy producing seeds. After a main stem has finished flowering, cut it down to the base. Many plants will then send up a second smaller set of flower stems.   With plants that have many flowers on one stem, pinch off individual flowers as they fade.   With fall flowers, such as asters, you can cut off clusters of the faded flowers so that the plant can produce more.   With plants that produce just one plume per stem, such as Shasta daisies, cut off each spent flower stem at ground level.  With flowers that produce large numbers of tiny flowers, such as wood asters, shear off all spent blooms with shears or scissors after the main flush of flowers is spent.  Dead flowers turn into seeds, and unless you are collecting seeds, don't allow your perennials to waste their energy producing them.   This is Moya Andrews and today we focused on deadheading.  

The genus Sidalcea is made up of species from western North America, and the best of the species is Sidalcea malviflora, so named because the flowers resemble mallows. The scientific name is actually a combination of two related plant forms, “sida” and “alcea,” because it resembled both the mallow and the hollyhock.  The most used common names recently are miniature hollyhock and prairie mallow. Other common names in the past were checkers and checkerbloom because of the alternate placement of the flowers on the stem.  The flowers are cup-shaped and grow on spikes and have five pink petals. The plant adapts well, though it prefers afternoon shade in warm climates, and tolerates most types of soil as long as it is well watered. More flowers are produced if the dead flower stems are cut back. 

The scientific name Sidalcea is actually a combination of two related plant forms, “sida” and “alcea,” because it resembled both the mallow and the hollyhock. Common names are miniature hollyhock and prairie mallow. Other common names in the past were checkers and checkerbloom because of the alternate placement of the flowers on the stem.

Globe amaranth has the botanical name Gomphrena globosa and adult butterflies love this pretty annual. The little round flower heads bloom for a long time in the sunny summer garden and into early fall and dry beautifully for winter bouquets. The pink and orange varieties are especially striking and hold up well in a vase, especially if only one bloom is cut per stem. Fortunately, they have long stems so that is useful for many types of flower arrangements. 

Cimicifuga racemosa, commonly called bugbane, black snakeroot, or black cohosh, growing wild and planted it in his Pennsylvania garden. He then sent seeds to his friend Peter Collinson in England.   The Native Americans told the colonists to use it to treat fevers, lumbago, rheumatism, and snake bites with a medicine made from the roots. Its common names became bugbane and squawroot. The leaves are coarse and toothed, and the plant produces clumps of leaves, as well as tall, slender racemes of delicate white flowers that can grow up to six feet in midsummer.   The plant likes light shade, rich soil, and frequent water. The flowers are not available commercially but are used as cut flowers from the garden where they can be striking in arrangements. The spires have also given rise to the folk name of fairy candles.   Note: Cimicifuga racemosa has been reclassified as Actaea racemosa. Additional common names for this plant are black cohosh and black snakeroot.

The plant variety that produces double flowers is Saponaria ‘Flora Pleno’, which is pale pink and white with a delicate scent.  Common names are soapwort and “bouncing bet.” The plant spreads a lot, as it will grow almost anywhere and is often found along railroad tracks and even in dust heaps. In gardens, it is best confined to the outskirts not the main flower borders. My advice is that it is best grown only in pots.