A splashy show of color in the form of a bed of flowers or some overflowing pots can turn your landscape from meh into an eye-catching and inviting showplace. The Green Team plants tens of thousands of flowers each year and creates and maintains hundreds of pots for our clients, but you don't need to be a landscape professional to create your own beautiful flower displays.
In this recent interview with Greenscape Floriculturist and landscape professional Leslie Herndon, we asked for some input on how to get the best out of your flower beds and pots:
I just bought my first house and am getting ready to put flowers in the front bed. What do you recommend for a novice gardener?
It really depends on whether you want to plant annuals which need to be replaced each season or are interested in perennials that come back each year. Annual flowers are great eye catchers. They bloom all year round and give you constant color. Perennials, on the other hand, are great because you don't have to replace them yearly, but they are going to have a much more limited blooming cycle. Most perennials bloom only once a year for a span of 3-4 weeks while a few "rebloomers" bloom for 3-4 weeks several times during the summer. Easy annuals include lantana, begonias and coleus. Easy perennials include daylilies, coneflowers, and salvia! I am the queen of annuals and I think the little extra work is worth it!
Do all flowers have to be "dead headed" to encourage new blooms?
No, it really depends on the plant. For example, coleus has to be deadheaded to keep looking great but lantana does not. You really will have to check this out with each plant you buy. Very rarely will you "hurt" a plant by deadheading it, so go for it if you want!
What plants work best in pots?
Annuals and tropicals are my go-to plants for pots. I love elephant ears, coleus, dragon wing begonias, salvia, trailing vinca, heucheras, caladiums, palms, ferns..... I have over 40 flower pots at my house so this list could go on and on.....
What's your secret for great looking flower pots?
Regular fertilization and watering is key. And when planting pots, I ALWAYS overplant! Our crews shake their heads at how many plants I expect them to plant in a single pot.
I tried putting annuals in a pot last summer but they died when it got hot. Why did this happen?
Most likely you did not water enough. When we reach the peak of summer heat and our pots are fully grown in, there are hundreds or thousands of roots in that pot that need watering daily. In some cases at our commercial sites with a lot of concrete, they can need water twice a day on the hottest days. Also, make sure you are buying true "summer" annuals. Many garden centers have beautiful lobelia or sweet alyssum in spring and people go crazy for it, only to be disappointed when it does not make it through a true North Carolina summer. These are spring annuals and cannot take our heat.
I love tulips and daffodils. Can I grow them here in North Carolina?
Yes! Both grow well in our area. I recommend you plant these bulbs in clusters to add lots of color, and include other flowers around them so when the bulbs fade you will still have a pretty flower bed. If you want to plant bulbs, we recommend doing so in November.
I've heard roses are hard to grow. Is this true?
It isn't that they are hard, but they take a LOT of work. You have to constantly stay on top of black spot, water, deadheading, Japanese beetles, etc. If you have a true green thumb and love working in the garden every week or are going to hire the Green Team to do your maintenance, go for it. If your idea of gardening is watering your pots at the door a few times a week and mowing the grass, I'd skip the roses! Personally, I don't plant them because I simply don't have the time!
I had geraniums last year but they ended up getting long and leggy, then the leaves turned brown and fell off. What happened to them?
I have decided that I have a black thumb when it comes to geraniums. They too can be finicky. I personally don't plant the regular zonal geraniums, but I love the ivy geraniums. However, my mother has beautiful ones every year. If you are growing them there are a few tips you can use: 1) Make sure the soil is well drained; 2) Geraniums like their water "just right" - not too dry and not too wet. Stick your finger two-inches down and if the tip is dry, it's time to water; 3) Feed me! Geraniums are regular "eaters" and need to be fed every 2 weeks with a water soluble fertilizer such as a 20-20-20 solution; 4) Keep them clean. Geraniums are susceptible to fungal problems due to heat and humidity. Keep the old blossoms deadheaded and the discolored or brown leaves removed; and 5) They love full sun, so if they are in partial sun, move them out!
There is a narrow strip of ground between two concrete areas that gets really hot in the summer. What flowers might do well there?
First question: how much do you want to water? You can plant anything in an area near concrete; it just depends on the work you want to put in. If you are looking for shrubs, try low growing hollies or my personal favorite, ‘Little Henry' Itea. If you are looking for perennials, go with any full sun, drought loving flower - daylilies, Russian sage, sedum, and perennial lantana are a few examples. If you want to plant annuals, lantana is my go-to for this type of situation. Vinca may also work but are lower to the ground and might be easier to run over!
What types of flowers work best in hanging baskets?
I have to say, I am a sucker for a good Boston fern basket - classic but doesn't require that much water! If you are looking for something a little different, try a basket of Firetails - Google "Acapha Chenile Firetails" for a photo! Wave petunias, portulaca, or trailing vinca are also great choices.
How often should I water my potted flowers?
This varies based on location, size of pot, exposure and type of plant. I have pots at my house that need water daily and others that need it once a week during the summer. A great rule of thumb is to stick your finger two-inches down and if the tip is dry, it's time to water. Watering is actually a highly trained skill in any garden center. It is easy to both under and over water, and garden centers don't let just anyone loose with a hose on their plants! Neither should you.
What are some new and different annual flowers on the market?
I am always checking around to see what is coming out. There are several new flowers coming out this year that I am interested in trying. These include:
- "Boldly" geraniums - a cross between a regular zonal geranium and a ivy geranium with double flowers (maybe I can grow this one!)
- Petunia Supertunia "Flamingo" and" Orchid Charm" - I love Supertunia Vista Bubblegum because it seems to be the ONLY petunia to survive a NC summer, and these new ones are supposed to be bred in the same family! We will see!
- Summerific "Cherry Cheesecake" Hibiscus - Love this bicolor flower
- "African Sunset" and "Cha Ching Cherry" are two new interesting petunias due out this year. These are supposed to be very uniquely colored petunias, but the jury is still out for me as to whether they will make it through a North Carolina summer
- Gomphrena "Pink Zazzle"- a larger flowering gomphrena which would work well in flower beds during a drought if it is as showy as they say!
If you've got flower questions, feel free to post them on our Facebook page and we'll see if we can answer them for you! Remember: Fresh air and sunshine are good for you! If the sun is shining and the temperatures are tolerable, grab a jacket, sunscreen, and sunglasses and make it your goal to Come Alive Outside®!
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Greenscape Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Holly Springs, NC, outside of Raleigh. Greenscape's Green Team consists of professional landscape architects, designers and horticulturists who specialize in residential and commercial landscape design/build, landscape management, and landscape specialty services including irrigation and landscape lighting. Under the Weed Man brand, Greenscape provides a full range of lawn care services customized for each property, including weed, insect and disease management, as well as aeration and seeding. Greenscape owns Weed Man® franchises in the Triangle area and Wilmington, North Carolina. www.greenscapeinc.com
