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FROM THE BOARD 



Growing Tips 



Hot Annuals for Sunny Locations 



Roger "barren 



This is the information used on one of the three sheets prepared for dis- 

 tribution at Farm & Forest. These were meant to promote both the Asso- 

 ciation and the products it sells. There were two other sheets — one pro- 

 moting Astilbe and the other, crab apples. Are these available at your 

 business? Do you have suggestions for other plants for other years? 



LITTLE-KNOWN 



Scaevola Aemula Blue Wonder' 



"The ultimate blue hanging basket 

 plant" — One-inch blue fan-shaped 

 flowers — heavy flowering and very 

 fast growing. Loves heat and hu- 

 midity. Water frequently. (Hanging 

 baskets, planters or as ground 

 cover.) 



Sun-lovers 



Fast-growing, heat-loving, ever- 

 blooming petunia-like — use in 

 hanging baskets, planters, or as a 

 ground cover (will trail or spread to 

 six feet). 



Pampas Fire — violet/magenta 

 flowers 



Sweet Victory — hot pink 



Cupfiea fiyssopifolia Lavender Lace' 

 (Mexican Heather) 



Hot summer days and lots of water. 

 A multitude of miniature purple 

 flowers on glossy lace-like green 

 foliage. (Hanging baskets, planters, 

 or in the garden.) 



TRIED-AND-TRUE 



Gazanla 



Hot colors for sunny, dry areas. 

 Must have well-drained soil. Or- 

 ange, white, yellow, pink, rose, 

 gold, russet, and bi-colors. Three- 

 to-four inch flowers close at sunset 

 and on cloudy days. Use as bor- 

 der plant along asphalt or pave- 

 ment. Excellent in the rock gar- 

 den. Look for: 'Mini-Star' (six 

 inches high); 'Daybreak' series 

 (eight inches); Chansonette (ten 

 inches); 'Pinata' series (twelve 

 inches) 



Portulaca (Moss Rose) 



loves hot, dry, well-drained — even 

 sandy — soil. Low-growing (three 

 inches at most) border, container. 



or rock garden plant. Wide color 

 range: red, pink, yellow, coral, and 

 white. Look for: 'Sundial' series; 

 'Calypso;' 'Sundance.' 



Verbena 



Lies full sun with ample watering, 

 but is drought-tolerant. Very heavy 

 flowering. Use to edge a bed, car- 

 pet a slope, cascade over a wall, or 

 in a planter or window box. Look 

 for: 'Imagination' (violet/blue); 'Val- 

 entine' (red with white eye); 'Val- 

 entine Light Blue;' or 'Romance' 

 series. 



Cosmos and Cleome 



Tried and true tall accent plants. 

 Cosmos: 'Sensation' series (three-to 

 four-feet, mixed colors); Sonata' 

 (dwarf white — two feet); 'Diablo' 

 (gold, orange, or red). 



Cleome (Spider Flower) is tall and 

 airy, reaching at least three feet 

 and is available in pink, rose, 

 purple, and white. 



Wax begonias or Fibrous-rooted 

 begonias 



This is an old-time, but underused, 

 bedding plant in New Hampshire. 

 Low maintenance, flowers and foli- 

 age provide reliable color all sum- 

 mer. They can tolerate more sun 

 and heat than is generally be- 

 lieved, especially here in the 

 north. Flowers are pink, red, or 

 white against green or bronze foli- 

 age. Look for 'Cocktail' series 

 (bronze foliage); 'Wings' series; Am- 

 bassador or 'Party' series; also the 

 newer 'Cherry Blossom' or 

 'Richmondensis.'>* 



Those of you who would like lo comment 

 on the "Crowing Tips" sheets can send 

 a post card to: Roger barren, Box 318, 

 Meriden, NH 03770. 



HOW ABOUT HERBS 



In planning for this period 

 next year, think about 

 herbs. Herbs can be just the 

 right amount of green for a 

 customer's post-holiday win- 

 dow sill. 



Basil is a good choice be- 

 cause it's popular in cooking 

 and can grow in low winter 

 light. Sweet basil, lettuce 

 leaf basil, and the purple 

 "Dark Opal" are all fine. 

 Lemon, licorice, and cinnamon 

 basils have the flavors of their 

 names. 



Seed directly into bright 

 cheery pots. (For lanuary 

 sales, start in mid-December.) 

 And encourage the customer 

 to nip out the top leaves for 

 salads — this'll keep the seed- 

 lings sturdy and encourage 

 new growth. These aren't 

 meant for holding over for the 

 garden, but for use right now. 



Mint — spearmint, pepper- 

 mint — is another good herb 

 for the winter sills — but you 

 need a stock plant: cuttings 

 work best. Small chive plants 

 are nice too. Pot up small 

 clumps of onion or garlic 

 chive from stock plants that 

 have already had some cold 

 treatment. Cut them back 

 and let them regrow. As they 

 grow again, the customer can 

 snip off the greens for cook- 

 ing. 



Not big items — just some- 

 thing to fill the snowy gap be- 

 tween Christmas and Valen- 

 tines Day. »•- 



Tanya \ackson, well-known area 

 herbalist, can be reached at 

 (603) 431-6774. 



February &. March 1994 



