Verbena Homestead Purple

Old favorites, like Verbena 'Homestead Purple', have a very subtle odor, but they are a butterfly magnet. This special verbena was discovered on an old homestead by Allan Armitage, the University of Georgia at Athens renowned Horticulturist/Professor and Michael Dirr, retired Professor/Horticulturist known as the Woody Plant Guru.

They were driving back to Athens and turned around when they saw the purple verbena growing alongside the road. It wasn’t anything like the verbenas they were familiar with, so with the homeowner’s permission, they took cuttings back to the University.

The rest is history, as this verbena has become a much-loved meandering staple in many gardens. Homestead Purple loves the sun and good drainage. If it quits flowering, just give it a good deadheading and it will come on strong again.

The Coneflower ‘White Swan’ came to live in my garden last fall. I was amazed not just at the large flowers on compact plants but at the intense fragrance too. I love all coneflowers, but this one is the most fragrant I have grown so far. Moreover, it has a very wide butterfly landing-pad.

A real surprise was the Syringa x Bloomerang™ PPAF. I trialed this brand new plant and pretty much figured it wouldn’t do anything in my hot southern garden. Lilacs just don’t blossom without cold winters.

So, I stuck it in a pot in part-sun and forgot it. Late this summer, I found it again, growing unnoticed under a shrub. The lilac was blooming! The flower was small, but definitely a lilac on a dwarf plant. It even had the intense lilac odor that everyone loves. I sure hope it blooms again this coming summer. Time will tell if this is a keeper for the south or another winner for the northern garden.

I hate to admit it, but my garden is a jumble of shrubs and flowers, often shoved together without any perception of where or how large they will grow. That’s why my lilac got lost. Sometimes, especially after moving many plants, I just needed them in the ground.

This past fall, I rediscovered another old friend, Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia). It was growing in the wrong place, peeking from behind a double red Knockout Rose and a very large Leonotis leonurus, Lion’s Tail. Red and orange might not be your cup of tea. I sometimes like the color play, but didn’t like this particular combination.

Lost behind all of these plants was the low-mounding Carefree Wonder rose (Rosa Carefree Wonder PP#7,783). All have been moved now and I hope they will thrive in their new locations.

If something is in the wrong place, if the position isn’t pleasing or the plant declines, just dig and move it. I like trying out new combinations in new areas and under different conditions. Sometimes, moving is the only way to salvation-the plants that is.

The best time to dig and move or to plant from a pot is the fall, winter, and spring, while the plants are resting (dormant). It is much easier on us gardeners, too, since the sun is usually kinder to us in the cool months, making working in the garden a pleasure.

Now, while the garden sleeps, is a good time to look at the size, width, and form of your plants and their relationship in the garden. Think about how you will use your space. Enjoying the garden takes more than color and form. Scents make memories.

---Posted by Coach Anne January 7, 2009---