Gardening Ideas » Plant Gardening Ideas

Zenobia

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:07:00 +0000

pulverulenta 6′ Zone 5 Dusty Zenobia

The Dusty Zenobia is an overlooked nativeAmerican plant from the southeastern U.S.Closely related to the blueberries, it has white,bell-shaped flowers, 1/2 in. across, on slendernodding flower stalks in mid-June. The foliageis a beautiful gray to gray-green and it turns a fine red color in the fall. Doing well in sandy,acid soil, it is used chiefly for its fine gray-green foliage, especially as a contrast withnormally green-leaved shrubs. Also, it faces theground well and can be used as a specimenplant which, if pruned occasionally and keptfrom growing too tall, stays in a well-rounded mass of foliage and has gracefully upright,arching stems.

Propagation

Easily propagated by layers or division ofplants in the early spring before growth starts.Also softwood cuttings can be rooted.

Zephyranthes

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:06:33 +0000

Smallbulbous herbs, of the Amaryllis Family, nativeto the southern U.S., Mexico or South America;leaves grasslike with funnel-shaped, singlyborne, white, yellow, pink or red flowers at theend of a single stalk, mostly in autumn. If thebulbs are to be stored over winter they shouldnot be allowed to dry out but should be storedin moist sand in a cool place. Propagated byoffsets.

tamasco 3′ Zones 7-8 Zephyr-lily

This grows in moist meadows and at the edge of woods from Va. to Ala., and Miss. The slender,shiny, grasslike leaves, la in. long, are bright green and persist after flowering. The upright,solitary flowers, white, occasionally tinged with purple, are borne on stalks 10-12 in. long. Each flower has a funnel-shaped corolla with 6 segments. A very attractive plant, it may be used to advantage in colonies, much as crocuses are used, but only in those areas where the ground does not freeze deeply. Seeds may be sown inApril in leafy soil and the bulbs may be divided in early summer.

ctendida 1′ Zone 9 Autumn Zephyr-lily

Leaves linear, flowers white, sometimes tinged rose, 2 in. wide, appearing in summer or early fall. Native to South America.

grandiflom 5″ Zone 9 Rose Pink Zephyr-lily

Flowers rose to pink, 4 in. wide, blooming inspring or summer, native to Mexico and Guatemala. Popular among gardeners because of its large flowers.

longifolia 6″ Zone 8 Copper Zephyr-lily

Flowers bright yellow and copper colored outside, about t in. wide. Native to western Tex. and Mexico.

rosea Zone 10 Cuban Zephyr-lily

Similar to Z. grandiflora but the leaves are broader, the flowers smaller and they do not bloom until fall. Not as conspicuous in flower.Native to Cuba.

Zingiber

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:05:19 +0000

officinale 3′ Zone 10 Common Gin,

A plant native to the East Indies, the rhizome ofwhich is the ginger of commerce. The coated-ginger is the rhizome with the rind still on andthe “scraped” ginger is the rhizome with therind scraped off This is a very beautiful,tropical plant, the flowers developing into aconelike cluster with overlapping bracts, eachbract enclosing 1-3 blossoms. It takes to monthsto a year for the plant to mature sufficientlyto be dug. Easily propagated by division of therhizomes. Not to be confused with the genusAsarum which contains several ornamentalspecies popularly called “Wild Ginger.”