Scorching summer is just a few weeks away in the north and has already arrived in warmer climates and right now is the best time to prepare your landscape for the blast of  heat by choosing plants that love to perform in high temperatures and dry spells. Visiting a garden center this time of year is inspiring and bewildering at the same time. Pretty splashes of colorful plants are spread on tables enticing you to buy them all. Which are the ones that sustain this vibrant color throughout the summer ahead? Which ones will give you the biggest bang for your dollar spent?

Most garden centers offer plants that are chosen for their outstanding performance in your climate.  Some suggestions for sizzling summer color all summer long  in Zone 7+ are New Wonder Fan Flower, Blue Princess Verbena, VIP and Laura Bush Petunia, Coleus, Gold Star Esperanza, Lantana and a new large-flowered Purslane. Watch for the enchanting but underused Torenia and Melampodium. Add these to splashy favorites of Zinnia, Begonia, Moss Rose, Mealy Cup Salvia, and Caladium in southern regions for a great list of nonstop summer color.

Hardy Hibiscus

Annuals offer the longest blooming period in any season, but there are some perennial exceptions. There are some new roses on the Superstar list; yes, you read that correctly! All of you frustrated with growing roses in Zones 7+ take another breath; dig another hole for Marie Daly, Earthkind and Knockout Roses. These roses defy rust, mildew and black spot while freely blooming from spring to fall. 

Perennials will bloom in one flush according to their individual flowering schedule.  I have found that coneflowers will continue blooming all summer as well as hardy hibiscus and cannas. 

Dare to use dramatic plants for pizzazz. Purple Fountain Grass, Crotons, ‘Black Magic’ and ‘Upright‘ Elephant Ears are impressive, and the Elephant Ears come back every year after moderate winters. Use some new varieties of colorful soft-leaf Yucca in your pots or landscape. Look for ‘Banana Split’ or ‘Margaritaville’. They are perfect pot plants to neglect and still have year-round color and interest.

A few final points that will help create vibrant summer color in your yard are to plant a mass of one plant. Professional landscapers do this to create visual impact. If you are thinking pots, think big ones using very drought tolerant plants. And always add mulch to finish off your planting to keep the soil cooler for the plant roots and conserve moisture. Bark chips, grass clippings, rock and compost are all suitable materials. Use these suggestions to be creative with plants that you can count on to sizzle in the hot days ahead.

Mourning the loss of Ninja

It is with sadness that I have lost my most beautiful butterfly koi to a critically low oxygen level in my pond. I was told by Creative Water Gardens, my sole source of pond fish that I need to immediately drain half the water and refill, adding dechlorinator which I luckily had on hand. I have never had a situation like this in the 7 years that I have had my pond. It is horrible that I did not know that oxygen levels could be depleted to a level that fish would actually suffocate, the larger fish effected first. I had seen him gulping bubbles at the waterfall edge; that was his effort to get more oxygen, but I did not recognize the sign. In the picture, Ninja is the bright orange fish with black spots.

Pond Hardy Lily has first bloom of the season

If I had to identify one favorite feature in my garden, without even a close second it would be my beautiful pond.  I have spent thousands of hours gazing into the pond with coffee, friends, children, garden tours, and evening coctails.  Fish are so colorful swimming in and out of the tunnels I have created for them.   I have 3 full grown koi and about 30 various kinds of goldfish.  Garden plants provide shade for them in the summer and my yellow hardy waterlilly, ‘Joey Tomocik’, just bloomed this past weekend.  I spent my time in the yard cleaning filters, waterfall and pumps to prepare for summer ahead.  It is all a labor of love and an enjoyabe time in my pond in a bathing suite. 

I have had the yellow water lilly return now for 3 years.  The tropical lilies often come through the winter with less vigor year after year.  The picture of the purple water lilly seeds offerd by Anazon are a tropical lily but very beautiful.  I have grown it years ago.

Dazzling Caladiums - plant NOW

Last night as I was watering my recently planted caladium bulbs in the dark, I decided I would blog about these wonder bulbs today. Growing caladiums are one of my favorite things about living in Texas. I grew up in Salt Lake City where the soil never warms enough to grow these tropical bulbs. Caladiums light up the shadiest nooks in the summer garden and are wonderful in containers. Each tuber provides an impressive foliage cluster 12-18”T all summer long. They are only hardy to zones 10-11.


Plant 2” deep after April 15th when the soil temperature warms up to at least 75 degrees. Consistently hot weather (day and night) is necessary for germination. The hotter the temperature, the faster they will grow. Bulbs can be planted in any direction. They will orient themselves as they sprout. If shoots are present when you get your bulbs, they should be planted upright for faster growth. Lack of water during germination can result in initially smaller leaves, hence my evening watering.

Although all caladiums will grow in the shade, some will do just fine in more light. Sun tolerant varieties include Aaron, Candidum, Lance Whorton, Festivia, Fire Chief, Florida Cardinal, Florida Sweetheart, Gingerland, Miss Muffet, Pink Beauty, Red Ruffles, Scarlet Beauty, Pink Symphony, Rosalie, White Wing, Postman Joyner.

One last tip, the larger the bulb, the more leaves; the larger bulbs are worth the extra money.

With Mother's Day coming up, an ideal gift for the mother you love who loves bulbs of any kind, buy her a bulb auger!  She will love it!

North Texas Great Gardening Weather

It is hard to complain about anything right now. Mornings are cool, the sun is up early, birds are flying high and singing an early wake-up call. I here their song and wake up with a smile on my face.