Dayton "Dirt' August 15

Aug 15

August seems to be the month for perennial Hibiscus as they just love that sunny weather!

At the nursery, Lord Baltimore (red), Blue River II (white) and some others are dressed in their huge 7-8” blooms. The perennial Hibiscus is very hardy and forms a great background for the perennial garden or it can stand on its own to flaunt it’s beauty.

Although we’re sold out of many of the varieties, we still have a good selection of Yoder’s Carafe series of perennial Hibiscus in Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir which are white and red respectively. The Carafe series is more compact than many of the older varieties in that it only grows to about 36-42” compared to others which can attain 6 feet.

August is the month for Black-Eyed Susans that seem to be taking the place of the daylilies which now seem to be winding down. Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’) are easy to grow and spread quite nicely by self-seeding and by the clump size increasing every year.

Think about a combination of Rudbeckia with the different varieties of Coneflower to put on a spectacular mid-summer show!

I’m still on the road investigating new and unusual perennials, annuals and dwarf conifers and I’ll have to admit my ignorance of some of these beautiful plants that have been in the nursery trade for years but are not well-known.

Extra long needled dwarf pines, zebra-striped conifers and “extra” dwarf Chamaecyparis with lustrous green or yellow foliage would add interest to any boring landscape as well as giving your home a customized, detailed look instead of the ordinary suburban look so many of us are accustomed to as gardening sometimes takes a back seat to media rooms, bathrooms with hot tubs and 3-car garages.

Added interest in many homes is the fact the patio-backyard area becomes an extension of the inside house living area especially in spring, summer and fall although many trees and shrubs do add much winter interest too if the planning is done right.

The results of my “plant safaris” will become evident when I tell you about the new items we’ll have at the nursery next spring.

Look for information on all these new items on our website and on our radio show “Ready-Set-Grow” every Saturday morning from 8:00 to 10:00 am on 1590 AM WAKR.

Well, I’m off again.

Tom