IN THE GARDEN BY Betty Morrell

IN THE GARDEN BY Betty Morrell

As the gardening season begins with the month of October, now is the time to refresh your landscape with colorful additions, including butterfly bushes like Flutterby Petite.

October is the beginning of the gardening season, and it’s time to re-arrange old plants, transplant seedlings, and find plants for spaces waiting for something new.

Star Roses “Bloomables” has introduced a new and exciting butterfly bush. For those that don’t have room in the landscape for a large one, this is your answer: Flutterby Petite. Blue Heaven is its given name, and for a good reason. Blue flowers are one of the most difficult colors to find in nature. This eye-catching cutie has a true blue flower.

Butterflies and hummingbirds will be attracted to this lovely mounding, spreading, compact bush, which grows to 2 feet by almost 3 feet. Blue Heaven sports fuzzy silver-green foliage that accents the vibrant blue flowers. The blooms appear from early spring to first frost. This plant will thrive in containers and small gardens. It is ideal for mass plantings, and it loves full sun and regular watering.

Southern Living Collection will be coming out with a new Hydrangea next spring. What a beauty. Its flowers form

uniquely with petals up and down each stem, resulting in white lace cap flowers from spring to fall. These stunning petals offer intricate shapes in crisp white hues as classic as a delicate lace.

This Cloud Nine Hydrangea (PP) is known as “Princess Bride” as she shows off her beautiful white lace caps. It grows to 3 to 4 feet in height and width, and it is hardy to 5 to 10 degrees F. Princess Bride attracts birds and butterflies. It is an easy-care bush, blooming from spring to summer. Use it as an accent plant, as a low hedge, in mass plantings, and in containers. Feed this new beauty throughout the growing season.

I always liked to use a few Society Garlic plants to fill in empty spaces. If you don’t like them, take a gander at something new: Tulbaghia “Flamingo.”

Flamingo has bright lime and apple green upright foliage with a neon pink base, which keeps giving throughout the season bringing great color to the landscape. Some shade is preferred for this low-maintenance beauty.

Plant along the house, in containers on the porch or patio, or plant in masses in the garden for an outstanding statement. Dainty pink-violet colored blooms rise above the grass-like foliage in early spring, and then intermittently during the year. Easy, heat-tolerant, and evergreen, its mounding clumps quickly reach up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, giving it year-round interest.

Another new plant appearing in the spring is a beautiful Colocasia called Royal Wedding “Waikiki.” This beauty sports glossy green foliage with flamboyant white-and-flamingo pink veining. It has a clumping habit, growing 3 feet tall and wide. It’s great in containers or in the garden. Waikiki likes partial sun. Remove the dead leaves during the growing season. Some gardeners collect these Colocasias and create a bed with a variety of their

TIP OF THE MONTH

It’s time to get ready for the season! Pick out your favorite colors of mums (hopefully in tight bud), pumpkins, and corn stalks for a great start to the fall season.

If you have any questions, email me at bamorrell33@gmail.com. In the meantime, Happy Gardening!