Cosmos - Perfect for a Child's First Garden

Cosmos is a beautiful and easy-to-grow flowering plant known for its bright and showy flowers. Cosmos bipinnatus (KAHS-mos bye-pin-NAY-tus) come in shades of white, pink, rose, red, burgundy and bicolors. Cosmos sulphureus (KAHS-mos sul-FER-ee-us) are shades of yellow and orange. Cosmos are heat lovers, native to Mexico and Central America. Plants have fine, ferny foliage that grow to heights up to six feet.   

They are easy to start from seed and are an excellent choice for introducing children to gardening. Wait until soil has warmed, then scatter seeds where they are to grow and sprinkle with a little soil or rake lightly. Do not cover too deeply. Keep soil moist until germination occurs. Established plants are drought tolerant; they do not like to be overwatered. Plants readily self-seed.

Avoid planting in areas with strong winds or they may require staking. Should tall plants flop, they can be cut back to 12-15 inches and will rebloom in a few weeks. Cosmos attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, making it a great choice for pollinator gardens.

Bleeding Hearts for St. Valentine's Day

For Valentine’s Day centerpieces or spring-featured woodland gardens, few plants can top the showy, romantic flowers of Bleeding Heart. Formerly known as Dicentra spectabilis, it has been renamed to Lamprocapnos spectabilis (pronounced lam-pro-CAP-nos speck-TAB-il-iss). The description spectabilis means showy, and this flower lives up to its name. The outer petals (pink, rose, or red) form a heart shape, while the inner petals (white) extend below the point, looking as if love is oozing out. The description belies the beauty of the individual blooms, which remind me of traditional Irish jewelry, the Claddagh (symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty). These heart flowers (from seven to fifteen) appear on one side of the arching stem. The foliage is coarsely lobed.

Bleeding Heart is ephemeral, which means it comes up in early spring, flowers, then goes completely dormant in summer, fall, and winter. This disappearing habit means they pair well with hostas and ferns, which will expand to conceal holes left by their vanishing act. Their delicate color pairs well with blue and pink Mertensia virginica (bluebells) and yellow Primula vulgaris (primroses).  

Site Bleeding Heart in a part-shade to all-shade area with neutral to alkaline soil. They tolerate most soil types, sand to clay, but are more demanding with water needs. They want to be dry when dormant, and have plentiful moisture but not constantly wet while in growth and flowering. Plentiful organic matter in the soil will produce larger plants with more flowers.

Bleeding Heart is perennial in zones 3-9. After a year or two, they will reach heights of three feet with a two foot spread. The cultivar ‘Alba’ has white flowers, and ‘Gold Heart’ has yellow foliage. Both these cultivars will tolerate more sun than the straight species. ‘Gold Heart’ needs a little bit of sun to achieve best leaf color.

Plants are toxic if eaten. Sap causes contact dermatitis to sensitive skin. Bleeding Heart is not browsed by deer or rabbits, and is rarely troubled by insects.

Spirea, One Tough Shrub

Spirea (pronounce spy-REE-ah) is a tough-as-nails, fast-growing deciduous shrub. The garden of my childhood home had two varieties, one with flat-topped clusters of rose-pink flowers in summer and the other with long, arching branches dotted with clusters of white blooms along their length in early spring. The latter was identified by my mother as Van Hootie. I now know that it was not Spirea vanhouttei, but was actually S. prunifolia, commonly called Bridal Wreath Spirea.

There are numerous (40+) species within the Spirea genus, but all are hardy in zones 5-8 (at least), prefer full sun, and are tolerant of all soil types. Newer cultivars have been introduced with brightly colored foliage. ‘Goldflame’ and ‘Limemound’ make good specimens or foundation shrubs, with eye-catching yellow or chartreuse foliage on a smaller stature plant (3 feet or less). I am especially partial to a recent Proven Winner gem, Double Play® Candy Corn® Spirea. In early spring, new growth emerges red, then changes to yellow. After the change to yellow, new growth emerges orange. It is not uncommon to see all three leaf colors at the same time, and when the rosy-purple flowers appear – Oh My! It is like Mother Nature has given us a terrestrial rainbow.

Spireas bloom on new growth, so prune in winter to increase spring flowers. Those flowers attract butterflies by the score, and deer usually leave them alone.

Bee Balm is Nature's Form of Fireworks

Fireworks exploded across the nation Monday night in celebration of Independence Day. In the garden, Bee Balm (Monarda didyma and Monarda fistulosa) blooms are exploding into Nature’s version of fireworks. Monarda is pronounced moe-NAR-da.

Bee Balm is a heat-loving, native perennial that should be in every sunny pollinator garden. Its square stems tell the gardener that it is a member of the mint family. Like mint, it spreads aggressively by underground runners and can become invasive if not restrained. Plants are hardy zones 4 through 9. They prefer acid to neutral soil, and tolerate heavy clay. They are heat-tolerant, but moist soil produces a prettier, healthier specimen.

Bee Balm can be propagated by seed, division, or cuttings. To prevent spreading, create a collar by cutting the top 4-5 inches off a nursery pot, then sinking it a couple of inches into the soil around the plant. The collar will serve as a STOP sign to encroaching roots. Be alert for any small plants that manage to evade the barrier. After a couple of years, lift congested plants, divide, and replant.

Plants can reach four feet or more, and may need staking to keep them upright after summer thunderstorms. They tend to flop when grown in part-sun areas. Older cultivars developed a bad reputation for their proclivity to disfiguring mildew and rust. New introductions are both disease resistant and shorter to reduce the need for staking. ‘Jacob Cline’ (red) and ‘Grand Marshall’ (fuchsia to purple) are two mildew-resistant cultivars. Good air circulation helps prevent mildew problems. If your plants fall victim to mildew, try to ignore the ugly leaves rather than using fungicides that may have a negative impact on pollinators.

Bee Balm blooms have a complicated structure which is better demonstrated by a photo than description. Plants have an extended flowering period even if they are not deadheaded, although removing spent flowers make a more attractive show.

Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love the flowers, while deer and rabbits leave plants alone. This may be because of the strong fragrance of the foliage. Bee Balm is one of the rare plants that will grow well near Black Walnut trees. The leaves and flowers can be used to make teas or flavor jellies. Presumably, the Oswego Indian tribe brewed the leaves, because a common name that has fallen from wide use is Oswego Tea.

This Bee Balm appears to advantage when seen against a fence.

The equivalent of an “Eat Here” sign for pollinators.

This sign made me giggle. The nursery hired someone who wasn’t familiar with Bee Balm, so the new employee labeled it as he heard it: B Bomb. (I blurred the name of the nursery out of respect.)

Catnip As A Mosquito Repellant

Does catnip  (Nepeta cataria, pronounced NEP-eh-tuh kat-AR-ee-ah) repel mosquitos? A recent article in iScience says, “Yes.” (Read the full text here.)

A perenial herb, catnip is among a group of plants that produce compounds, called iridoids, which discourage insect attacks. Two of these compounds are nepetalactol and nepetalactone. The latter substance attracts cats, who often nibble the leaves or rub against the plants. A couple of our felines prefer to dive into the middle of mine as if they are wading pools on a steamy day. Then they aimlessly race around (“the zoomies”) for a while before they collapse for a nap. If disturbed, they may open their dilated eyes and acknowledge my presence with a little chirp, almost as if saying, “That’s some good Nip, man.”

Now, science tells us that those same compounds are an effective mosquito repellant. A research collaboration between Northwestern University and Lund University (published in Current Biology journal) indicate that crushed catnip can be as effective as the synthetic compound DEET and is safer. Silver vine (Actinidia polygama), a relative of the Kiwi vine, has even more insect-fighting substances although it is less commonly grown.

Simply growing catnip near your deck, pool, or treehouse will not do the deed. Leaves must be damaged (torn or bruised) to release the mosquito-fighting magic. The oil from crushed catnip leaves also repels fruit flies.

Catnip is easily started from seed or can be divided. It will grow in full sun to part sun in any well-drained soil, zones 3 through 9, preferring part sun in hotter zones. It has attractive spikes of blue-to-purple flowers that bees and butterflies love. As a member of the mint family, square-stemmed catnip is a vigorous grower and can become woody and shrub-like with age. Prune it back hard after blooming to encourage repeat flowering and keep the plant compact. The next time I prune those in the Mary Snoddy garden, I plan to put squashed leaves and stems around the deck to test out the mosquito-repelling scheme.

Nom, nom, nom.

Elderberry (Sambucus)

Along partially shaded roadsides, Elderberry is putting on its summer show. Elderberry, Sambucus canadensis (pronounced sam-BYOO-kus can-uh-DEN-sis) is an American native that thrives in moist soils but will survive in wet or dry locations, acidic to neutral soils, full sun to mostly shade. It seems to prefer areas that have previously been clear cut, such as under power lines. Mature plants grow up to 12 feet tall and 12 feet wide. This deciduous shrub is hardy in zones 4 to 9. It is very heat tolerant. If suckers are not removed, shrubs spread by underground runners to form dense thickets. Birds, especially quail, like to nest in their branches.

Flat-topped clusters of white Elderberry flowers are favored by bees and butterflies. The flowers are followed by blue-black berries. According to Texas A&M University, up to 45 species of songbirds eat the fruit, as well as deer and other mammals. Berries are toxic to humans if eaten raw but once cooked can be enjoyed in jelly, pie, or other desserts. Do not allow horses to eat any part of the plant. Both flowers and fruits can be used to make elderberry wine. I’m told that it is delicious, but I can’t get past the toxic-when-raw issue.

Aside: In the delightful play or movie Arsenic and Old Lace, elderberry wine conceals the poison used to permanently relieve unsuspecting visitors of loneliness. A couple of movie versions exist. I recommend the 1943 release, directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant. It is set on Halloween night, but is an enjoyable watch any month of the year.

Plant breeders have elevated the desirability of this common roadside plant by introducing non-green foliage varieties. Proven Winners offers Black Lace® Elderberry a finely cut plant with pink flowers against purple-black foliage. Affordable price, fast growth, and undemanding nature makes it a great alternative to Japanese Maple. I managed to walk away from Black Lace®, but I simply couldn’t resist another Proven Winners introduction, Lemony Lace® Elderberry. Its finely cut, chartreuse foliage looks fabulous in a grouped planting or standalone. Both these Lace cultivars are smaller (5 feet for Lemony Lace® and 8 feet for Black Lace®) than their wilder cousins, which means they could be grown in containers. The reduced size comes at a cost. They are less heat tolerant, and only recommended as far south as Zone 7. Both are “deer resistant.” We shall see…

Elderberry flowers and buds

Elderberry shrub growing on an uncultivated roadside

Check out the color and texture of Lemony Lace — Be still my heart!

Elderberry fruit cluster
Image by EM80 from Pixabay

A typical location to find wild Elderberry: underneath power lines