Master gardener plant sale to ensure on-time fall planting
September 29, 2005
by Diana Maley,
Master Gardener, Plant
Fall planting time is here - and although cooler temperatures may not arrive
any time soon, the master gardener fall plant sale will be here this Saturday
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sale will be held at the 4-H Activity Center located
at
Through the hot summer, master gardeners have planted seeds, propagated
cuttings and divided plants from their yards. Our greenhouse committee has done
the same with plants from our educational gardens. The plants were watched, tended
and pampered - all with the sole purpose of growing plants for the sale.
There are a large variety of plants ready for new homes. As chairman of the
sale, I can assure you each has passed the master gardener test of excellence
and endurance. They will be sorted, divided into groups and labeled with
growing information. We gladly do this to make selections easier for you. There
will be an information table manned by member volunteers to answer questions
and assist with selections. If additional information is needed we will have
plant reference books on hand. If you have a question or need some gardening
tips, feel free to ask. Master Gardeners like nothing better than to talk about
our gardening experiences.
For this sale we have four highlighted plants: duranta,
cigar plant, porter weed and ornamental sweet potato vine - the first three of
which are perennials and the last one an annual. All require very little care
and grow well in our hot, humid climate.
I will begin with the perennials. All will reward you with an abundance of
blooms. As an added bonus each is a magnet to butterflies and hummingbirds. I
have them in my garden, and I cannot express the joy I get when I see the
delight on my granddaughter's face while we watch the hummingbirds zip about
feeding on the cigar plant and porter weed or attempt to count the butterflies
on the duranta.
Duranta, also called skyflower
or golden dewdrop, is a shrub with arching stems. It can become very large if
not pruned but does not mind being thinned or pruned to keep it in shape. I
just can't bear to prune mine while it is blooming because there are so many
butterflies feeding on it. With full sun and regular watering, it will continue
to bloom until the first frost. During the winter, it may die back to the
ground. When spring arrives, it awakens and sends up new shoots to delight the
eye with its dark lavender blooms. The variegated variety is called cloud duranta. Although not blooming with the abundance of the skyflower, it has its own beauty. Its green leaves are
laced with white lines and have blooms of light blue.
Cigar plant is trouble-free and blooms prolifically through spring and
summer, with orange and red 1-inch tubular flowers. The cigar plant is a large
plant, up to 4-feet wide and 3-feet high, so give it plenty of space in your
bed. Plant in full sun and water regularly - then stand back and watch nature
at its best. You will have a busy "skyway" with all the visitors to
the cigar plant. Mine is literally buzzing with honeybees and hummingbirds.
Porter weed is a weedy perennial herb growing up to 5 feet. It is a fun and
different kind of plant to add to the garden. It has tiny purple flowers along
curled spikes but it doles out its beauty in small portions and produces no
more than four or five at a time on each spike. It is a versatile shrub that
can be pruned back or can be left to grow and spread out. Porter weed requires
full sun and regular watering. I saw my first one at a nursery in
Our featured annual plant is ornamental sweet potato vine. A vigorous
grower, it is a trailing vine growing up to 36 inches. It makes a great
groundcover, hanging plant, or mixed in a pot with other plants. We have two
varieties, Marguerite and Blackie. Marguerite has lime-green foliage, which is
a great contrast plant for any garden. It will do better in partial sun because
the lighter-colored foliage tends to burn in full sun conditions. Blackie has
deep purple to nearly black foliage, which can be grown in full sun. Blackie
and Marguerite bring out the burgundy and green in coleus and contrast
beautifully with both variegated plants and bright colors.
With the large variety of plants too numerous to list, the following is a
partial listing of those that will be available at the sale: Trees - golden
rain, orchid, peach, papaya, crepe myrtle, mountain laurel and candle stick.
Vines - cypress, passion and butterfly. Ferns - firecracker, river and holly. Tropicals - tua tua, plumeria, angel trumpets,
butterfly ginger, banana, cannas. Perennials - cat whiskers, Mona lavender,
Brazilian button bush, crown of thorns, blue mist, chocolate plant, Persian
shield, golden goddess bamboo, umbrella plant, queens tears, salvias, beach vitex and many more. Vegetables: malabar
spinach, better boy and celebrity tomatoes, and cauliflower, broccoli and
ornamental cabbage plants.
For those of you who like to plant seeds, we will be offering them that have
been collected from our yards. They are dried, packaged, labeled and ready to
plant.
While at the plant sale, take time to tour the
Due to Hurricane Rita, the plant sale was postponed from last weekend. Make
the time this Saturday to come shop the Master
Gardener plant sale and begin your fall planting on time.