Gardening the Amana Way

Chapter 6. Favorite Plants in Cottage-In-The-Meadow Gardens

e6d ————————————————————————————————— Favorite Plants in Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens I ’m often asked what my favorite plant is. Invariably, my mind goes blank. There are so many, and I like them all! But one thing I can do with easeistellyouwhatplantsI’mcurrentlyusingtocreatemyvignettes.Like all gardens, ours are a work in progress, so my vignettes are always evolving. Here are some tried-and-true plants that I use quite often. The last three are historic potted plants that I treasure. Coleus (See photo 7 in color section.) As mentioned in chapter 5, coleus is versatile and easy to grow, making it a popular garden staple. It first burst onto the garden scene during the Victorian era, coming originally from Indonesia and Africa where it is native. Dutch traders carried several species to Europe in the mid 1800s, where plant breeders began to hybridize them. Each hybridizer tried to create a new hybrid with leaves more wildly variegated and colored than those created by his or her competitor. New plants often commanded outrageous prices. In the 1890s, both English and American gardeners adopted coleus with great enthusiasm, and the coleus craze was born. They not only incorporated coleus into their garden beds, but they took cuttings in the fall to use as houseplants during the winter months. In modern times, the popularity of coleus waxes and wanes. As evidenced by the increasing number of varieties available at garden centers, in mail order catalogs, and online, coleus is once again on the upswing. There are currentlyanincredible1,431namedvarietiesonthemarket.Manygobysuch 66 chapter six fanciful names as ‘Bada Bing’, ‘Between-the-Lines’, ‘Careless Love’, ‘Darth Vader’, ‘Gatorade Gal’, ‘Holy Guacamole’, ‘Nearly Nothin’, ‘Radical Butterbean ’, ‘Peuce Snit’, and ‘Religious Radish’, my personal favorite, not only because of its beautiful pink, red, and dark maroon colors, but also because my family name means “radish” in German. Hardiness: grown as an annual in all but zones 10 and 11 Height: 18–24 inches, some varieties even taller Spread: 9–15 inches Bloom time: late summer, early fall Bloom description: insignificant flowers, usually removed Light: ranges all the way from full shade to full sun, depending on variety Water: moderate Maintenance: low flanders Poppy This hardy annual/biennial, native to Europe, has an interesting Amana connection. Although the Inspirationist religion is a pacifistic one, the story goes that a few Amana men volunteered to serve in the armed services during World War I. Finding themselves in Belgium in the fields of Flanders, they marveled at the fire-engine red poppies whose blossoms set the countryside afire. They collected seed and brought it back with them on their return to Amana after the war. The gardening conditions here were ideal for growing poppies. They grew vigorously and self-sowed liberally. Even today, some gardens, including our own, sport drifts of red in spring and early summer. Depending on when the seed germinates, the Flanders poppy is either an annual or a biennial. If the seed germinates in the fall, small plantlets will appear before the first frost. The plantlets winter over, even here where winter temperatures often dip below zero. If the seed germinates in spring, the plants will produce flowers and then die, right along with those that have wintered over and flowered at the same time. All poppy varieties resent being transplanted, due to any disturbance of their long taproots. Flanders poppy seedlings that start in fall will have Favorite Plants in Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens 67 no taproot yet when they begin growing again in early spring. At that point they’re transplantable. Care must be taken to dig them with enough soil, so that the roots are not exposed. Ideally, the soil should be quite moist, so that it doesn’t crumble away from the roots in the transplanting process. Hardiness (fall seedlings): zones 5 and up Height: 12–18 inches Spread: 10–12 inches Bloom time: mid spring to early summer Bloom description: bright red with a black polka-dot at the base of each petal Light: full sun Water: moderate Maintenance: low flowering spurge (See photo 22 in color section.) This plant is native in the United States and grows in pastures, prairies, abandoned fields, stream banks, glades, open woods, inland dunes, railway beds, and roadsides. It ranges from Maine, south to Florida, west to Texas, north to South Dakota, and northeast to Minnesota. The cultivars available in the horticultural trade are every...