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PA Native & Invasive Plants

2010 Perennial Plant of the Year ™

Baptisia australis

Blue false indigo grows three to four feet tall and three to four feet wide in an upright habit. This exceptional perennial grows across a wide range of zones and is one of the most adaptable native species.

Newly emerging shoots produce violet-blue, lupine-like flowers in erect 10- to 12-inch racemes atop flower stems extending well above the foliage mound of clover-like, trifoliate, bluish-green leaves. The spring flowers are present for three to four weeks. The flowers give way to inflated seed pods which turn charcoal black when ripe and which flower arrangers consider to be ornamental. The common name, blue false indigo, refers to the use of this perennial by early Americans as a dye.

Baptisia australis is an excellent plant to anchor the back of the border. It is also valuable for cottage gardens, native plant gardens, and native area of prairies and meadows. It is best as a specimen or planted in small groups. Blue false indigo can be used with bulbs and other spring flowering perennials to make interesting combinations.

• Light - Plants thrive in full sun. Plants grown in partial shade may require staking.

• Soil - This North American native is easily grown in well-drained soil and is drought tolerant after establishment.

• Uses - This spring flowering shrub-like perennial may be used to fill the back of the border or in the wild garden.

• Unique Qualities - The combination of flower and leaf color is dramatic in the early blooming season. Flowers are followed by inflated seed pods that are useful for dried flower arrangements.

• Hardiness - USDA zones 3-9

And the Award Goes to…

2010 All-America Selections Winners

You’ve probably seen the logo for the All-America Selections Winners – with its bright red, white and blue shield on seed packets and starter plants – but what’s it all about? Does it mean a particular plant is among the best, will grow just about anywhere and anytime, and will probably be a great addition to your garden? Well, if you’re into new plant varieties, the answer is yes, yes and yes!

The All-America Selections logo means you can be assured it’s one of the best new varieties on the market.

All-America Selections (AAS) is a well-established horticulture group with the mission of promoting “new garden seed varieties with superior garden performance judged in impartial trials in North America.” The group was the brainchild of Southern seedsman Ray Hastings back in the “dark ages” of gardening in 1932.

Ray came up with the brilliant idea of establishing a network of trial grounds for new varieties of flowers and vegetables throughout the country. He figured the plants could be grown and assessed by impartial judges to find out which ones were top picks. With the help of the Southern Seedsman’s Association (of which he was president), Ray set up 20 trial grounds nationwide. And that was just the beginning. Now there are nearly 50 trial grounds and about 200 display gardens growing AAS plants throughout the US and Canada!

Today, seed professionals all over the world vie for the chance to win the coveted award and be added to the list of AAS winning varieties. And we home gardeners benefit, too – we don’t have to wade through countless packets of seeds to find the best! Instead, we can just look for that AAS logo to find out what’s new, as well as determine which plants have better disease resistance, earlier bloom or yield, good uniformity, new flower colors and better veggie flavor.

Of course, that said, not every AAS winner is going to be a winner in your garden every time. (There are just too many variables to make that happen.) Nevertheless, you can be assured that if the seed packet or plant tag bears that AAS logo, you’re trying to grow something new and different in your garden or container that has grown well around North America.

So what are the winners for 2010? Let’s check them out!

Antirrhinum majus ‘Twinny Peach’ is a snapdragon with double, lipless flowers, so technically they don’t snap. The “butterfly” blooms offer soft shades of peach, yellow and light orange and appear on abundant flower spikes that can be enjoyed outdoors or cut for indoor bouquets. ‘Twinny Peach’ reaches 11 ¾ inches tall and 7 ¾ inches wide. It likes full sun, is reportedly easy to grow and has exhibited heat tolerance. Try growing it with the blue tones of Salvia farinacea or purple foliage plants for a stunning display.

Citrullus lanatus ‘Shiny Boy’ produces globe-shaped, red-fleshed watermelons with dark seeds. The vine can grow up to 12 feet long, and melons can reportedly weigh up to 20 pounds (some larger). Don’t let this size intimidate you: ‘Shiny Boy’ can be grown vertically in full sun, so you don’t need a large space to grow this tasty fruit. The plant should grow successfully in any geographic region with warm summers.

Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow Wild Berry’ offers 3- to 4-inch, deep rose-purple flowers that tend to retain their color longer than other purple coneflowers. Hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 3, the plant reaches 20-24 inches tall and 12-16 inches wide in a full-sun garden and reportedly blooms continually without deadheading.

Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Mesa Yellow’ features 3-inch, daisy-like flowers and globe-shaped seed heads throughout summer. The blooms attract butterflies or can be cut for bouquet enjoyment. Reaching 16-18 inches tall and 20-22 inches wide, the plant likes full sun and adapts well to small-space gardens and containers.

Tagetes erecta ‘Moonsong Deep Orange’ is a 12- to 15-inch-tall, 11- to 14-inch-wide marigold with intense deep-orange, fade-resistant flowers. The 2 ½- to 3 ½-inch, double blooms continue to flower while temperatures are warm and favorable. This vigorous plant likes full sun and can tolerate heat or drought stress.

Viola 'Endurio™ Sky Blue Martien' is a unique, spreading/mounding viola that has ¾-inch, sky blue flowers. In mild southern regions, the plant blooms throughout winter. In northern temperate climates, it flowers after first frost when planted in autumn, then will reportedly flower again come spring. Sky Blue Martien can also be planted in early spring, covering planters and landscapes with its flowers well into summer. Growing 6 inches tall and 10-12 inches wide, the plant is also suited for spring-planted window box gardens, hanging baskets and balcony/patio container.

Zinnia ‘Zahara Double Cherry’ features fully double, 2 ½-inch, cherry-red flowers that bloom profusely during the warm growing season. The bedding plant grows well in the full-sun garden or in containers that are 4 inches or larger, and it can be cut for indoor arrangements. ‘Zahara Double Cherry’ reaches about 12 inches tall and wide at maturity and has shown excellent heat and drought tolerance, as well as dependable resistance to leaf spot and mildew diseases.

Zinnia ‘Zahara Double Fire’ offers a compact stature, excellent heat and drought tolerance and profuse flowering from spring until the end of the growing season. Featuring 2 ½-inch, fully double, fire-red flowers, this zinnia requires little garden maintenance. Mature plants reach about 14 inches tall and 12 inches wide. It performs best in full sun and thrives on summer heat.

Zinnia ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ boasts clear white daisies with a rich cherry-red mark at the base of each petal. The mid-sized plant reaches about 12-14 inches tall and wide at maturity and makes a bold statement in the full-sun garden or in containers. Cut the stems for long-lasting enjoyment in indoor flower arrangements. ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ also offers excellent heat and drought tolerance and has proved resistant to leaf spot and mildew.

So keep an eye out for that bright and distinctive AAS logo this spring when you’re searching for your flowers and veggies! You many just find these beauties are winners in your garden and containers, too!

Gerald Burke--Reprint from Learn2Grow.com

Please use the link above to All-American Selections Winners to see the photos.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

2010 Gold Medal Trees & Shrubs

Please use link to find complete descriptions and photos.

Penn State expert offers tips on growing healthy tomatoes

Last year an epidemic of late blight disease on tomatoes not only forced many home gardeners to throw out their plants, but also threatened the crops of thousands of growers throughout the state. Along with cool, wet weather, the distribution of infected plants through big-box stores spurred along the widespread outbreak.

Led by Beth Gugino, Penn State assistant professor of plant pathology, the University responded with targeted, timely information to Extension educators, growers, master gardeners and the media. Among the advice was to throw out the plants and move on -- eating a tomato from an infected plant is generally discouraged, and canning carries the risk of botulism.

With springtime approaching, Gugino offers some tips that home gardeners can start thinking about now.

• Kill the Potatoes. The disease hits spuds, too, and while the winter will kill off any infected tomato plants, potato tubers can survive the cold and therefore, so can the pathogen. Make sure potato plants are pulled up and thrown out in the trash (if composted improperly, the potatoes can be a source of the disease this year).
• Rotate crops. Arrange your garden so that you rotate out of a plant family for two to three years. For example, the nightshade plants include eggplants, tomatoes and peppers. "The idea behind rotation is that many pathogens tend to be problems on multiple members in a given plant family, not just individual crops," said Gugino.
• Avoid Overhead irrigation. It's best to water from below to keep leaves as dry as possible. This helps prevent the spread of the fungus as well as other common tomato diseases. If you only have access to overhead irrigation, water by mid-morning so leaves dry quickly.
• Plant healthy transplants. There was a gardening boom last year (seed companies reported an increase in sales) and infected transplants were sold. Look at transplants for unhealthy characteristics such as pale green or brown lesions.

http://live.psu.edu/story/45235

Written by: Melissa Kaye, Penn State Outreach

http://live.psu.edu/youtube/D4_TiXrd1Mg

 Video by : Jamie Curott, Penn State Outreach

Longwood Gardens has launched its Plant Explorer website.  Plant Explorer allows you to look up any plant by name and provides unprecedented access to Longwood’s plant records, plant images, garden information and interactive maps.

You can access Plant Explorer at http://plantexplorer.longwoodgardens.org/