National Garden Bureau

Three Types of Celosia

If you have never started annual flowers from seed, let this be the year you begin. One of the most rewarding (easy to germinate, long blooming, humidity tolerant) is Celosia, the National Garden Bureau’s 2023 Annual of the Year. Commonly called Coxcomb, this colorful, low maintenance plant should be in every garden.

Celosia argentea (pronounced sell-OH-see-ah ar-jen-TEE-ah) blooms are grouped into three main classes. Plumosa or plume-type have flowers that look like fluffy paintbrushes. Spicata or spike-type have narrow blooms that look like spikes of wheat. Cristata or crested-type have convoluted flowers that make me think of brains or coral. All three grow in full sun or mostly sun and neutral soil, zones 2-11. They prefer moist, well-drained soil but will survive in less favorable soil if given fertilizer and water. Extended dryness will cause the leaves to wilt, detracting from the beautiful flowers that come in yellow, red, rose, pink, orange, and magenta. These are long-lasting in arrangements, and will hold their color well if dried.

Seeds are available for each of the three bloom types. Celosia seeds are small – one gram measure will contain about a thousand seeds. Start with pre-moistened seed starting mix. Tweezers are helpful in placing seeds in the center of starter cells. Cover seeds with a quarter-inch of vermiculite and maintain a temperature of 70-75 degrees. Keep the starter mix barely moist (not wet) to reduce damping off disease. Bottom water to avoid dislodging seeds. You should see signs of germination in 10 days.

Deadheading will cause the plants to produce more flower heads, but I always leave a few spent flowers to encourage self-seeding. Celosia argentea var. spicata may reseed a little too enthusiastically for some gardeners. Plants reach to 24-inches with a 12-inch spread in good soil. Taller plants may need to be staked. Skip the staking by purchasing some of the newer, dwarf cultivars, available as plants.

Celosia is a good choice for pollinator gardens and cutting gardens. It is not a space hog, and will work well in small beds. Plants look especially good when planted in masses. Dwarf types can also be grown in containers.

The accompanying photos are courtesy of the National Garden Bureau. #NGB #YearoftheCelosia

Hydrangea Help - To Prune or Not?

“How and when do I prune my Hydrangeas?” This is one of the most common questions I receive. The answer is, “It depends.” It depends on whether your Hydrangea blooms on old wood or new wood or both. If you cannot identify the cultivar in your garden, it is hard to know when to prune. I saw this article from the National Garden Bureau, entitled The Hydrangea Danger Zone. I think it will help, so I’m passing it along to you, my wonderful gardening friends.

https://ngb.org/2021/03/18/hydrangea-danger-zone/

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Lavender Scent for Stress Relief

Politics and pandemics. Hurricanes, wildfires and home schooling. Many of us are feeling stressed. In times of increased tensions, it is tempting to turn to food or drugs to regain our equilibrium (read: to avoid lashing out at the ones we love). The scent of lavender is a natural time-tested anxiety reliever.

Folk medicine has long proclaimed lavender as an effective stress reducer. (Fans of the Downton Abbey series may remember Anna stuffing a sleep-inducing pillow with dried lavender blooms, circa 1920s.) Now the scientific community agrees. A study released in 2018 indicates that linalool, the magic substance in lavender, must be inhaled rather than injected directly into the bloodstream to be effective. In this instance, the marketing world has a head start. There are laundry detergents, candles, deodorants, lotions, air fresheners and even a pillow spray containing this calming aroma. The good news is that home gardeners can grow their own.

Lavender is a member of the mint family. The most common types are English lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) and Spanish or French lavender (Lavendula stoechas or Lavendula dentata). English lavender is the hardiest type, being cold hardy into Zone 5. ‘Hidcote,’ ‘Superblue,’ and ‘Munstead’ fall into the English family while ‘Bandera’ and ‘Primavera’ are Spanish rebloomers. Modern crosses between the two types produce heavy blooming, cold hardy types like ‘Torch,’ ‘Provence’ and ‘Edelweiss.’ All these have flowers in the blue to violet range, but pink and white cultivars are available.

Lavenders are challenging to raise from seed, with low germination rates and slow growth. Start with a purchased plant and propagate from cuttings or layering. Growing Lavenders in clay soil and high humidity of the southeast can be challenging. Like other plants with felted gray leaves, they are heat tolerant but prone to rot if the leaves stay damp. They must be sited in full sun. Water only until plants are established; avoid wetting foliage. They are quite drought tolerant thereafter. Because plants need good drainage and good air circulation, they are ideally suited to rock gardens or container culture. Bagged potting soils labeled for cactus work well. Plants prefer a lean, alkaline soil, so do not add fertilizer but do add lime to keep a pH of 6.4 to 8.2.

Plants may eventually reach heights of 4 feet or more. Tall plants tend to flop open in the middle. This can be prevented by selecting dwarf cultivars or pruning (remove up to 1/3 of the foliage) immediately after they bloom – a perfect opportunity to harvest the flowers for potpourri or even food use. I enjoyed a delicious lavender shortbread cookie several years ago at a gardening event. Lavenders bloom on new growth, so pruning keeps them compact and increases the number of flowers. If pruning is neglected, plants will eventually develop leafless woody stems at lower levels. Once this occurs, replace the plant with a new one. Plants rarely throw new growth when pruned down to this woody section.

Lavenders are evergreen to semi-evergreen. Both flowers and foliage are fragrant. They are not browsed by deer, are not aggressive and are not invasive. Blooms are long-lasting. Bees and butterflies love them.

Lavender is the National Garden Bureau’s Perennial of the Year for 2020. They have kindly provided the accompanying photographs.