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PRONOUNCED:
a-KIM-ih-neez
COMMON:
Cupid's bow, Magic flower, Nut-orchid,
Orchid pansy, Widow's tears,
TYPE:
Rhizome
COLORS:
White, lilac, purple, red, pink,
salmon or yellow.
STORAGE
AND SPECIAL TIPS: This group consists
of 26 perennials from Central and South
America. They are related to the popular
African violets and gloxinias and need a
fertile, well-draining soil. Plant 5 or 6
to a pot, 1-inch deep in the spring. Can
be used in the flowerbed or in containers.
Pinch out in early growth. Lift, dry and
store or leave in pots, unwatered, in
warm, humid spot. BOTANICAL:
Agapanthus
orientalis (syn: A. praecox var.
orientalis)
PRONOUNCED:
ag-uh-PANTH-us
or-ee-en-TAY-liss
COMMON:
African lily, Lily-of-the-Nile.
TYPE:
Tuber
COLORS:
Blue or white
STORAGE
AND SPECIAL TIPS:
Plant
1-inch deep in the spring. Allow container
bulbs to become root bound, and only
divide every 5 years. Additionally, if
planting inground, these beautiful plants
tolerate winter frost well, and they can
recover fully even if they freeze. To help
them along in winter, apply mulch around
their base and plant them closely
together. Planting near the foundation of
the house also helps provide protection
from frost. If planting in extremely cold
winter areas, store over winter in their
pots, under cool storage conditions. PRONOUNCED:
AL-ee-um a-flat-un-EN-see
COMMON:
Ornamental onion, Purple
allium.
TYPE:
Bulb
COLORS:
Purple or lavendar.
COMMENTS:
Plant 8-inches deep, 10-inches
apart.This is one of the loveliest
ornamental onions and a native of
Turkey. The 2-1/2 inch bulb produce
3-inch, round-headed flower heads with
hundreds of tiny florets opening into star
shapes above 6 to 8 gray-green leaves.
Make initial plantings 8-inches apart in
early fall in an average, well-drained,
sandy soil. All allium demand a
well-drained site. Once allium start
blooming, the leaves begin to yellow.
Planting them among lower plants hides the
fading foliage, or remove unsightly
foliage.. PRONOUNCED:
AL-ee-um MOW-lee
COMMON:
Golden garlic, Lily leek.
TYPE:
Bulb
COLORS:
Bright
yellow
COMMENTS:
Plant 4-inches deep and 3-inches aprt.
A native to the Iberian peninsula and
extremely hardy and very showy when in
full bloom. The flowerheads, 2- to
3-inches across, stand out erect from
1-inch wide, light green, fleshy leaves.
Will succeed in average soil providing it
is well-draining. Plant the bulbs 3-inches
part and 4-inches deep. The leaves tend to
flop untidily after blooming but I cut
mine off as soon as they begin to yellow
without causing harm, evidenced by an
increasing patch size. A. Moly is
inexpensive and multiplies well. PRONOUNCED:
an-THER-ih-kum lil-ee-AH-go
COMMON:
St. Bernard's lily
TYPE:
Tuberous rhizomes
COLORS:
White
COMMENTS:
Reasonably simple to grow, the
tuberlike rhizomes require a full season
after initial planting to establish the
large root system it needs for blooming.
Basal clumps of narrow, reedlike foliage
up to 1ft. long surround the single flower
stalk with its 10 to 20 star-shaped,
1-inch, fragrant florets. It needs a rich
moist, sandy, humusy soil with abundant
water when in bloom. PRONOUNCED:
be-GON-yuh rex
COMMON:
Beefsteak, Painted-leaf begonia, Rex
begonia.
TYPE:
Rhizome
COLORS:
Grown for their colorful textured
leaves.
STORAGE
AND SPECIAL TIPS:
Use
3 or 4 tubers per grouping, 8- to
10-inches apart, planted stem side up,
tops slightly above soil in the ground or
in pots and hanging planters. The
ornamental heart-shaped leaves can be up
to 1 foot long, with striking patterns in
variations of red, black, silver and green
with a rippled or pimpled surface. They
grow in a mounding habit to approximately
1 foot in height and vary in width to
18-inches. The small flowers are
inconspicuous. B. rex appear to be
a favorite among hybrizers who manage
create the most extraordinary leaf
patterns. Place them in pots in the shade
garden during the summer, and bring them
indoors for the winter. Fertilize lightly
but regularly, and do not allow them to
dry out. The soil must be highly fertile
and very well draining. Lift, dry and
store over winter under cool conditions.
Hardy in Zones 10 - 12. Proven Winners
introduced two interesting cultivars in
2003: PRONOUNCED:
be-GON-yuh x
too-ber-HY-brid-uh
COMMON:
Nonstop begonia, Tuberous begonia
TYPE:
Tuber
COLORS:
All but blue and purple in pastel or
very vivid colors.
STORAGE
AND SPECIAL TIPS:
Use
3 or 4 tubers per grouping, 8- to
10-inches apart, planted stem side up,
tops slightly above soil in the ground or
in pots and hanging planters. Plant away
from traffic as the stems are easily
snapped. Keep moist but not wet. Lift, dry
and store over winter under cool
conditions. Hardy in Zones 10 - 11. PRONOUNCED:
broh-dih-EE-uh, also known as,
die-kel-OH-stem-uh &
try-TELL-ay-uh
COMMON:
Cluster lily, Spring starflower.
TYPE:
Corm
COLORS:
Blue, purple, lavender, yellow or
white.
STORAGE
AND SPECIAL TIPS:
Plant
2-inches deep, 4 to 5 corms inground or in
a 6-inch pot. To store in the pot over
winter, leave unwatered, and store under
cool conditions. An umbel of several,
funnel-shaped flowers at top of a leafless
stalk with a few long, very narrow basal
leaves that are usually withered by
flowering time. Gardeners report that
brodiaea can survive frost. Inground, they
should be protect with a heavy mulch over
winter. Look for these
brodiaea: PRONOUNCED:
kuh-MAS-ee-uh
kus-IK-ee-eye
COMMON:
Camas, Camass, Wild hyacinth.
TYPE:
True bulb
COLORS:
Blue, violet or white
COMMENTS:
Plant 4- to 5-inch deep in early fall.
Zone 6 is borderline hardy for this plant.
Either mulch heavily inground, or lift,
dry and store under cool conditions.
Star-shaped florets with golden stamens
closely set on the spike. The green
foliage is 1/2-inch wide and up to a foot
tall. Prefers fertile, moist sites and
will accept light shade. It dislikes being
relocated. Either mulch heavily inground,
or lift, dry and store under cool
conditions.
PRONOUNCED:
KAN-uh
COMMON:
Canna, Indian-shot.
TYPE:
Rhizome
COLORS:
White, red, apricot, pink, yellow or
blue, and bicolored.
COMMENTS:
Plant 3- to 4-inches deep after soil
has warmed. Accepts average soil. Plant 2
ft to 4 ft. apart. Canna have been
hybridized of the years, and now are there
is an amazing array of cultivars of
varying sizes and colors available. Look
for the varieties with variegated leaves.
They are very attractive. Canna leaves
tend not to be attractive, so plant
something smaller in front of them. Not
all canna are hardy so check the plant
tag. Lift non-hardy rhizomes, dry and
store under warm storage conditions.
Although I garden in Zone 6, I have
successfully overwintered canna without
any special attention. Many are hardy to
zero degrees F. PRONOUNCED:
KOHL-chik-um aw-tum-NAH-lee
plen-ee-FLOR-um
COMMON:
Autumn crocus, Meadow saffron.
TYPE:
Corm
COLORS:
Pink or white
COMMENTS:
Plant 3- to 4-inches deep in the fall
in a sandy, organic
soil.
The
planting of these large corms should occur
as soon as they appear in the local garden
nursery or arrive by mail, as they flower
very early even out of the earth. Capable
of producing its elongated blossoms just
sitting openly on a windowsill (because
the bud was long pre-formed), this plant
should be planted in moist, well-drained,
average soil. Do not remove any foliage
before it fades or the corm will diminish
in vigor or possibly fail to bloom. Shown,
C. a. pleniflorum, is a
double-flowering variety. Crocus can be
distinguished from the Colchicum by the
number of stamens; the Crocus has three,
while the Colchicum has six. PRONOUNCED:
kon-vuh-LAIR-ee-uh
maj-AY-liss
COMMON:
Lily-of-the-valley
TYPE:
Rhizome
COLORS:
White or pink
COMMENTS:
Plant
pips 1- to 3-inches deep, 4- to 6-inches
apart, in the fall. Slow to develop, but
once established requires little
maintenance. This sweetly fragranced plant
has been a favorite since the 16th
Century. It thrives in rich, moist, humusy
soil. An annual topdressing of compost is
useful. When overcrowded, the blooms
diminish, therefore, division is needed.
The very fragrant flowers turn to
brilliant red
berries.
Hardy to minus 40 deg. F, this hardy plant
forms dense seasonal mats. Mulch over
winter until established. BOTANICAL:
Crocosmia
masoniorum x crocusmiiflora 'Lucifer' (syn:
Monbretia, Tritonia)
PRONOUNCED:
kroh-KOZ-mee-uh mah-so-ee-NOR-um
kroh-koz-mee-eye-FLOR-uh
COMMON:
Crocosmia, Monbretia, Montebretia.
TYPE:
Corm
COLORS:
Brilliant red, yellow or
orange.
COMMENTS:
Plant corms 3- to 5-inches deep in
spring. Crocosmias are members of the iris
family and have swollen underground corms
that increase freely to form sheaves of
sword-shaped leaves. Unsurpassed for
blazing color and elegance, the robust
plant displays intensely colored and
unusual blossoms which hang on the end of
arched, wiry stems. Best planted in large
displays but may need to be lifted in Zone
5, or very heavily protected over winter,
although the picture is of a plant I have
successfully grown inground for many
years. Provide a well-drained, moist,
humusy soil. Highly attractive to
hummingbirds. PRONOUNCED:
KROH-kus
COMMON:
Crocus
TYPE:
Corm
COLORS:
White, purple, lavender, orange,
yellow or gold.
COMMENTS:
Plant 5-inches deep in the fall.
Excellent in pots, in the lawn and the
mixed border. Very easy to grow requiring
little or no attention. One of the first
spring flowers to bloom. Congested clumps
may need to be dug and divided. This
should be performed after the leaves have
withered. There are numerous cultivars
available: PRONOUNCED:
SIK-luh-men PER-see-kum
COMMON:
Florist cyclamen
TYPE:
Tuber
COLORS:
White, purple, red, pink or salmon,
and bicolored.
STORAGE
AND SPECIAL TIPS:
To
store over winter, leave in pot and store
in warm, dark place, keeping soil moist,
not wet. Needs 60°F. to 65°F.
day temperatures and 40°F. to
50°F. at night to be successful.
Dislikes large fluctuations in
temperature.
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