Spring Home, Lawn & Garden MSU EXTENSION SERVICE/GARY BACHMAN
Pow Wow Wild Berry coneflower is a 2014 Mississippi Medallion winner. It stands only about 20 inches tall and has superior branching that keeps it blooming continuously.
Southern Gardening
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Medallion winners include flower, fruit and vegetable
hile Ameriflower is worthy of its secan athletes lection as a 2014 Missisrecently sippi Medallion winner. headed for This plant grows only to the winner’s podium at about 20 inches tall. The the Sochi 2014 Winter foliage and stems have Olympics, a flowering stiff, hairy surfaces that perennial, a vegetable might remind you of and a fruit made the medium-grit sandpaper. podium as 2014 MisPow Wow Wild Berry has GARY sissippi Medallion superior branching, BACHMAN winners. which results in more These are going to flowers that bloom conbe some outstanding tinuously. plants for our Mississippi garAlthough this plant requires dens. less deadheading, I still recomWho can resist plants that mend it to help encourage rehave 2- to 4-inch flowers with peat blooming through the bright purple petals and dark summer and to prevent reseedcenter cones? Nobody can, ing. Once established, coneflowwhich is why gardeners love ers are among our hardiest coneflowers in the summer. plants, able to withstand the Typically, coneflowers are large, hot, dry summer. Feed sparingly back-row plants in perennial in the spring with a balanced, beds or borders. But plant slow-release fertilizer. About two breeders are developing smaller tablespoons per plant is enough. plants worthy of the front row. If you prefer, you can use highPow Wow Wild Berry conequality compost or other or-
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ganic fertilizer instead of commercial fertilizer. Pow Wow Wild Berry was also chosen as an All-America Selections winner in 2010. Tumbling Tom tomatoes are a great choice for the patio and hanging baskets. It’s easy to see why these are 2014 Mississippi Medallion winners. The plants have a compact, trailing growth habit and look fantastic with their delicious, cherry-type tomatoes cascading over the edge of a container or window box. Tumbling Tom tomatoes come in both bright red and sunny yellow. For the best tomato production, keep moisture consistent in the container. This is good advice for growing any tomatoes, either in the ground or in large containers. Fertilize frequently. I like using the water-soluble fertilizers formulated just for tomatoes, which allows them to produce enough leaf growth to
support abundant fruit harvests. The Rabbiteye blueberry is a great 2014 Mississippi Medallion selection. Not only do you get delicious fruit in the early summer, but this plant also has great foliage color. The foliage is bright blue-green in the summer, and it colors up with nice reds and oranges in the fall. Rabbiteye blueberry requires cross-pollination for the maximum fruit set, so plant two or three different varieties. Select early-, medium- and late-season bearing varieties to prolong the fruit and your enjoyment. For the best growth, Rabbiteye blueberries need consistent soil moisture and benefit from a thick layer of organic mulch. Keep the soil pH in the 4.5 to 5.5 range and feed with acid-forming fertilizers like those formulated for azalea or camellia. Early-season varieties include Austin, with moderately vigorous, large blueberries; Bright-
well, with vigorous, medium blueberries; Climax, with large, medium-dark blueberries; and Premier, a vigorous plant with disease resistance and large, flavorful fruit. Mid- to late-season varieties include Tifblue, a vigorous plant, possibly the most productive, with light-blue fruit; Powderblue, a vigorous, disease-resistant and productive selection; Centurion, a vigorous plant with dark-blue fruit that ripens later, adding one or more weeks to the season; and Baldwin, a productive, late-ripening, dark-blue fruit well adapted to backyard plantings. These and other varieties are available in the nursery industry.
GARY BACHMAN is an associate extension research professor of horticulture at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. His Southern Gardening column appears in the Daily Journal Home & Garden section twice a month.
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Section E I Friday, March 7, 2014 I A special supplement to the Daily Journal