Spring is here! (appearing in Shop280 and Beyond magazine)

Spring is always an exciting time of the year. Trees and shrubs begin to bloom. Temperatures start to get warmer. What a great time to work in the yard! I love the spring because it means that I can replace my pansies with new colorful summer fl owers. This year when you buy your summer annuals, be adventurous! Ask for information about different plants and try something new. Plant breeders are introducing many new cultivars of annuals each year. A lot of these plants are familiar, just improved. There is bound to be an annual that will fi t your situation. If youre prone to forget to water your plants, buy flowers that tend to be more drought tolerant. Purslane, purple heart (Setcreasea), and lantana are hard to beat in hot, dry conditions. If your pots or fl ower beds are in sun and you will water your plants, the possibilities are endless! Try some of the new sun tolerant coleus varieties. They are grown in almost every color you can imagine and will add height to your pots or fl ower bed. Their heights range from about 8″ to 3′ or more! Also, there are several new vinca cultivars (‘Cora’ and ‘Sun Devil’ series) that have performed very well and require little effort on your part. I used these in many of our fl ower beds last year, and they were wonderful. With endless blooms on big, full plants, they are everything you could want in an annual. If you use these though, make sure your soil drains well. Vinca does not like to stay wet. If you need plants for the shade, look for caladium cultivars. They have white, red, and pink shades and add texture to an area with their foliage. Some of the new cultivars have leaves that look ruffl ed. Wishbone plant (Torenia) and impatiens are other options for shady areas. Not only will these two bloom throughout the summer, but they will also cascade over the edge of a pot if they’re planted with enough room to grow.

If you love the look of fl owers, but hate working in the yard, give us a call. Blackjack Horticulture is a full service landscape company offering a variety of installation/construction, maintenance, design, and floriculture services, both residential and commercial. Our company can do everything- from planting fl ower pots to maintaining your entire yard. We would love the opportunity to work with you. Visit us at www.blackjackhorticulture.com