february blooms

Looking back at my garden notes from Februaries past, one thing’s for sure, plants are blooming earlier. This has been a whacky winter; and by whacky I mean mild and wonderful. I’ve actually enjoyed spending time outdoors throughout most of this winter, which is in stark contrast to the incredibly snowy winter Nashville saw last year.

Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles), Daffodils (Narcissus), Lenten Rose (Helleborus), and Witchhazel (Hamamelis) lead the charge (and the Camellias are still blooming!). The thought of grouping all late-winter blooming plants together in one composition seems a perfect way to combat winter blues. And while ordinarily opposed to such theme gardens, this is one I’d like to try.

greenhouse adventures

The greenhouse is usually a welcome respite in the gardening adventures of winter. But this mild winter it hasn't been nearly as necessary. Regardless, I'm trying my hand at growing indoor plants and rooting shrubs. The top image is of an asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus) flowering! The images below are of my dogwood rooting project.

Asparagus fern is a fantastic warm season container plant which will do well in partial shade to full sun situations. It is related to the favorite spring time vegetable and prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soil. This is a great plant for indoor and outdoor applications, serving as a wonderful foil to a variety of summer annuals, or stealing the show in a pot by itself.

During the holidays, part of an indoor flower arrangement placed near a window began to sprout. I removed the sprouting twigs from the floral foam, removed any flowers and reduced them to 5” cuttings, dipped them in rooting powder, and placed them in potting soil in the greenhouse. After a few weeks, two of the cuttings are not only alive, but pushing new growth!

I’m fairly certain this is Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea). Which is a native large shrub/small tree whose red stems are used in the floral industry. Cuttings of this plant will flower in water and root well with a hormone treatment, though best success is generally achieved in warmer months. 

Blue Suede Blueberry

At a continuing education conference this week at the University of Georgia, I obtained lots of good stuff: new landscape design knowledge, signed copies of Vince Dooley’s books, and a new blueberry bush! Vaccinium x ‘Blue Suede’ is a new highbush variety introduced by UGA which boasts large, early ripening fruit and the ability to self-pollinate.

While ideal for edible gardens, blueberries also do well among other acid loving plants such as Rhododendrons, Camellias, and Hollies. Other native highbush blueberries that do well in our area include: Blue Jay, Jersey, Legacy, Patriot, and Sunshine. A few of these varieties are currently available at local garden centers.

Between the spring flowers, summer fruit, and outstanding red fall color, Blue Suede will provide three seasons of interest in the garden. Researchers anticipate it will perform well in zones 6a-9a. (Most of Tennessee is now squarely in zone 7a, according to the new USDA Hardiness map). Now I just have to find a sunny spot to place the new addition!

Image is from the American Society of HorticulturalScience