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Plant of the Week: Season 5

Episode 501: Variegated Greek Basil

Common Name: Variegated Greek Basil

Scientific Name: Ocimum citriodorum (‘Pesto Perpetuo’)

Greek columnar basil with an upright habit;
First variegated basil on the market

Size:
4ft. tall

Leaves:
Light to dark green with creamy white margins

Flowers:
No flowers, which makes this a great culinary basil

Culture:
Full sun

Other:
Fertilize weekly with liquid fertilizer for great growth
excellent for cooking, spicier than traditional basil
lives as a tropical perennial when brought indoors in winter
propagation is prohibited.

Episode 502: Nasturtium

Common Name: Nasturtium

Scientific Name: Tropaeolum majus

Type: Annual

Leaves:Rounded or kidney-shaped with wavy margins

Flowers:
Varying colors: red, pink, yellow, orange, scarlet and crimson;
late Spring to early Fall

Culture:
Full sun, well-drained soil

Other:             
Grows easily from seed; entire plant is edible; Nasturtiums are an attractive and nutritious addition to salads, and they make a beautiful garnish; can grind seeds and use like pepper.

Episode 503: Pitcher Plant

Common Name: Pitcher Plant

Scientific Name: Sarracenia

Type:
Herbaceous perennial

Leaves:
Modified leaf: tubular pitcher-shaped leaves radiating out from the growing point, and then turning upwards with their trap openings facing the center of the crown. The trap is a vertical tube with a 'hood' extending over its entrance; and below it the top of the tube usually has a rolled “lip” that secretes nectar and scents.  Insects get trapped in the tube and are digested by the plant.           

Flowers:
Varying colors: red, pink, yellow, orange, scarlet and crimson; late Spring to early Fall

Culture:
Full sun; soil that is NOT high in nutrients- sandy or peat moss

Other:
Carnivorous; native to North Carolina and the Southeast region

Episode 504: Variegated Gardenia

Common Name: Variegated Gardenia

Scientific Name: Gardenia jasminoides ‘Variegata’

Leaves: Variegated; a palette of greens and whites          

Flowers: Large; double, white flowers; fragrant

Culture:
Partial shade (not too much shade or it will produce fewer flowers); too much sun will cause leaf scorch; place in an Eastern location (morning sun/afternoon shade).                           

Other:
NOT drought-tolerant; use in shrub border, mixed border    
                           

Episode 505: Crocosmia

Common Name: Crocosmia

Scientific Name: Crocosmia sp.

Type:
Herbaceous perennial

Size:
Grows 18-36 inches depending on the cultivar

Flowers:
Mid Summer to late Fall
Red, red-orange, tangerine, golds, soft buttery yellows

Culture:
Full sun, well-drained soil

Other:
Grown from corns
Attracts hummingbirds
Grass-like
Upright habit

Episode 506: Coral Bells

Common Name: Coral Bells

Scientific Name: Huechera sp.

Type:             
Herbaceous perennial

Size:               
Grows 8-12inches tall

Flowers:          
Spikes of small flowers

Foliage:          
Selected for great foliage;
Variety of colors (pink, copper, burgundy, amber, purple)

Culture:
Mid-sun to part-shade

Other:
50 species; 300 cultivars available

Episode 507: Hibiscus

Common Name: Haight Ashbury Hibiscus

Scientific Name: Hibiscus acetosella ‘Haight Ashbury'

Type: Annual

Foliage: selected for great foliage
distinctive maple leaf shape with serrated leaves and an incredible variegation of red, copper and pink
multi-tonal shades of cream to pink to burgundy foliage

Flowers:
Deep burgundy flowers in late summer

Culture:
full sun; heat tolerant; drought tolerant

Height:
12-36" (Tall)

Habit:
Upright

Use:
Landscapes and containers; mixed containers and beds

Episode 508: Red Malabar Spinach

Common Name: Red Malabar Spinach

Scientific Name: Basella alba 'Rubra'

Size: 10-12 ft.

Flowers:          
Spikes of small flowers

Foliage:
Huge green leaves with a burgundy tinge underneath;
burgundy stems

Fruit:
small deep purple to black fruit;
can harvest seeds from the fruit and replant next season            

Culture:
Full sun; well-drained soil

Other:
Not a true spinach, but the leaves are edible

Episode 509: Ajuga/Carpet Bugle

Common Name: Ajuga or Carpet Bugle

Scientific Name: Ajuga reptans

Type:             
Evergreen groundcover

Size:               
3 to 4 inches                          

Flowers:          
Spikes of small flowers

Foliage:          
Glossy medium green oval-shaped leaves in tight rosettes

Fruit:              
Blue-violet flowers in spring on 4 to 6 inch spikes; spreads by stolons

Culture:         
Partial shade to shade; prefers sandy, well-drained soil but tolerates clay       

Other:
Cultivar: Chocolate Chip Carpet Bugle; Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chip’ 

Episode 510: Light-O-Day Hydrangea

 Common Name: Light-O-Day Hydrangea

Scientific Name: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Bailday’

Type: Deciduous shrub

Flowers:           
Lacecap; blue-ish flowers in Spring

Foliage:
Deep green leaves that are boldly edged in white or cream

Culture:           
Partial shade; produces little to no flowers in full shade;
wilts in full sun