North Haven Gardens Newsletter
September - October 1996

In this issue:

Magnolias for small gardens:

One tree stands alone in defining the ultimate Southern Garden. Its large glistening white flowers lend the most exquisite fragrance to the garden where it resides. This evergreen tree also gives its rich textured branches to home decorating for weddings and during the Christmas season. Magnolia grandiflora, the stately southern favorite, can reach heights of over 100'. In most gardens, especially here in Dallas (heavy clay soils), they reach about 50'. The largest Magnolia recorded ,in Mississippi, was 52' in height with a 92' spread! Truly a magnificent tree!
Most urban landscapes cannot support such a large tree. So, are those of us with small gardens to be denied the luxury of having a Magnolia? Of course not!
Thanks to dedicated horticulturalists we have some fine selected cultivars with compact growing habits that will fit nicely into smaller, scaled down gardens. So be sure your southern garden has the traditional Southern Magnolia to add fragrance and beauty throughout the year. These two smaller compact varieties of Magnolia will fit nicely into your Southern Garden!
'Little Gem' : A medium sized tree reaching 25' in height. Compact narrowly columnar habit. Deep green foliage with a heavy brown felting to the back of leaves. Long bloom season.
'Goliath' Compact tree with a densely foliated round head. Leaves are wavy with very little brown backing. Cultivated for its very large
flowers . Reaches a height of 25 to 30 feet.

For those gardens with plenty of room for a
standard sized Magnolia, here are some cultivars
worth looking into:

Samuel Sommers: Selected for its very large flowers with strong fruit fragrance. Samuel Sommers has a larger leaf and blooms at an earlier age.
Ferruginea: An upright compact tree with large white blooms. This tree has outstanding foliage, large shiny leaves with deep rich green coloration. Rusty brown felting on leaf back creates a dramatic contrast.

Lavender for the Kitchen:

When most people think of Lavender, they recall sweet perfumed fragrances used in bath oils, soaps, sachets and potpourri. But did you know that you can eat lavender? Queen Elizabeth I drank sweet lavender tisane every day, and frequently served lavender conserve. The Queen knew how to use lavender, but for us, lavender is a new flavor in the kitchen. Lavender blends well with citrus (orange and lemon) fruits and herbs such as Basil, Tarragon, Parsley, Marjoram. and Lemon Geranium. Remember, use lavender in moderation, as you would all herbs. Lavender can be used to make Lavender Jelly, Lavender Orange Duck, Lavender Basil Chicken, Lavender Raspberry Cheese Cake and many other delights. We'll be selling an assortment of lavender jellies in our shop, The Herbal Haven. Lavender Orange, Lavender Lemon Geranium and Lavender jellies are now available. So, come by and try some. English and French Lavender in your culinary garden will produce flowers with the most fragrance and the best flavor. Lavender can be a little tricky to grow here. Its worst enemy is too much water. Plant your lavender in a raised bed with extra sand or small pebbles mixed into the soil. Lavender benefits from a mulch of sand, gravel or rocks. This helps to keep it drier. It is said that the lavendins, which are hybrid lavenders, will tolerate a little more water. Two varieties that we offer are, 'Seal' and 'Provence'. Another variety of English lavender, that we grow, is 'Hidcote'. This dwarf variety gets only 18" tall and is known for its showy deep purple flowers. Weather you grow lavender for its fragrance or flavor or just for its beautiful silver foliage and blue or purple flower spikes, it is a delight to grow and experience in the sunny garden.

Fall Lawn Care:

September in Texas can be very confusing. While the calendar says fall is near, temperatures can still soar into the 90's. Your lawn needs attention now to maintain its health through the winter and be ready for re-growth in spring.
Now is the time for the last application of fertilizer for St. Augustine and Bermuda lawns. We recommend 100% organic fertilizers such as North Haven Organic, Texas Tee, Sustain or Milorganite. These products add slow-release, low concentrations of many nutrients that will feed the root systems of grasses over the coming months. They will not promote excessive top growth that can be subject to cold damage this winter. Apply at 10 - 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. Use the heavier rate if you've been using organic fertilizers less than two seasons.
If your grass needs some extra help, these are optional steps to improve it :
1 Aerate the lawn before applying the fertilizer. The simple addition of oxygen to the soil can make a dramatic improvement. Ever wonder why golf courses look so good frequent aeration.
2 Apply a granular humate such as Greensmith Humic Acid at the rate of 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. This material is simply million - year- old compost which adds organic matter to the soil and more importantly, makes the nutrients from your fertilizer more available to your grass.
3 Apply one of the rock powders at the rate of 10 - 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. These include lava sand, greensand, granite sand or zeolite. These materials add trace minerals to the soil (greensand is 20% iron) and increase the exchange capacity of the soil.
Now is also the time to overseed winter grasses in your landscape. If you want to cover some bare spots temporarily or if you want to add grass to a shady area, the cool - season grasses are your choice. In sunny areas, you may use annual or perennial rye. In shady areas or under deciduous trees, the fescue varieties can be used. If you choose to overseed, you would not fertilize at this time. Instead, a light fertilization could be done in November and again in February if necessary.
The fall lawn care program should include leaving the clippings on the ground, mowing high, and watering deeply (1 inch at a time) and infrequently (every 5-7 days) depending on rainfall.
Taking care of your grass now will help it to breeze through the Texas winter and green up vigorously next spring .

Naturalizing Bulbs:

The beautiful washes of red and yellow, or pink and white color given by masses of Tulips and Hyacinths in the Spring are very impressive. However, their beauty often belies the hard work put into creating such a display. Tulips from Holland require several weeks of chilling to perform properly and planting when ground temperatures are around 50 degrees (mid-December). Once the display is over, so are the tulip bulbs you worked so hard to plant. I love tulips but, I want my tulips to come back! So I plant specie Tulips that return reliably each year. Two varieties that are well adapted for the south are Tulipa clusiana, from Iran and Tulipa chrysantha from India. Tulipa clusiana or Lady Tulip loves hot summers and alkaline soil. Lady Tulip sends up delicate red and white blooms in mid spring. Each flower has a long life, opening and closing as the sun rises and sets. Looks great planted with yellow Narcissus Trevithian another great naturalizer. Tulip chrysantha,a relation of clusiana, likes the same conditions but blooms a striking yellow and red flower. Chrysantha has a shorter habit and blooms a bit later. Ornithogalum umbellatum or Star of Bethelehem is another of my favorites. Expect an early spring eruption of white flowers from this prolific spreader. Flowers have an interesting green stripe on the back of each petal. Plant these great naturalizers with Bluebonnets, Pentstemon cobea or other naturalizing bulbs for an easy care spring floral display. Other naturalizing bulbs that are a must for southern gardens are: Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily) fall display of red spider like lilies. Lycoris Sqamigera, pink amaryllis like blooms in fall. Once planted these hardy bulbs will multiply and come back each year without constant care.
They're Naturals!

Cool Season Color:

Those cool breezes of fall that we have waited so longingly for are almost upon us. With the change of the season also comes the change in our landscape. Time to discard those dog-eared begonias and bedraggled Impatiens with the fresh faces of fall and winter. Chrysanthemums usually kick off the season with their multitude of color and form. However, the Mari - Mum, in shades of yellow and orange, has taken its rightful place in the fall line-up. Pansies are the true star of our cool season team. Their colors range from the most delicate of pastels to the vibrant jewel tones.
Wonderful companion plants to the pansies are Dianthus in shades of red, pink and white. Fragrant Stock in purples to pink and white. Dusty Miller for silvery-gray accent, ornamental Cabbage and Kale with their gorgeous ruffled foliage and Alyssum to create that beautiful carpet of white and purple.
For shadier spots in your yard look for Primrose which is the only flower to boast every primary color and Cyclamen in shades of pink and purple and red and white. Your winter garden need only be as limited as your imagination.

Longstem Tips:

Achillea, the genus for Yarrow includes over one hundred species found throughout North America, Europe and North and West Asia. There are four or five common species in the U.S. that are used both for commercial and garden flowers.
The genus Achillea was named for Achilles, the hero from Homer’s Iliad. Legend has it that Achilles gave the plant to his soldiers to help stop the flow of blood from their wounds during the Trojan War. Yarrow has been called the "all-healer." This perennial contains chemicals that help blood to clot. It has been used to fight fevers, increase appetites and help alleviate earaches, head colds, bruises, burns and toothaches.
Yarrow is available in many colors, however, yellow is its most common hue. Other colors include lavender, pink, white, mauve and red. Purchase fresh yarrow when the flower is fully open and stem is straight and sturdy. If the flowers are cut too soon, they shrivel, if to late the color fades. This wonderful flower is excellent for drying naturally, and retains its beautiful color after drying. Use yarrow in dried arrangements or your newest fall wreath. Contact NHG'S Florist for special orders.
Don't forget 2 to 6 on Fridays ... Cut Flower Happy Hour.

Foliage Color:

Flowering plants give the most outstanding show in the landscape. However, most blooms last but a short time and require careful planning in order to have color accents throughout the year. Color and contrast in the garden can be accomplished year round through the use of foliage color. First to mind is the brilliant fall foliage of deciduous trees such as Red Oak, Chinese Pistache, Sweet Gum, and Maple. Summer foliage color from ornamental trees can be achieved by planting Japanese Red Maple, Forest Pansy Red Bud, and Purple Leaf Plum.
The most dependable and long lasting foliage color comes from shrubs such as Texas Purple Sage, Elaeagnus, Nandina, Gold Dust Aucuba, Barberry, Vicary Privet, Chinese Fringe Flower, Osmanthus, and Burning Bush Euonymus. For brilliant color contrast and to add depth to your plantings use these in small repeating groupings according to height in front of a back drop of evergreen shrubs.
Foliage color in ground cover can make a striking statement in the planting scheme. Variegated Liriope, varying from shades of light green to almost silver in color makes an exciting contrast to darker ground covers such as Asian Jasmine or Ophiopogon in shady areas.
Gardeners utilize foliage color when planting many of our most dependable traditional annuals and perennials. What landscape would be complete without at least a few of the many outstanding color combinations possible from Caladiums, Coleus, Copper Leaf, Kale, Dusty Miller, Artemesia, Variegated Hydrangea, Lambs Ear, Amaranthus, and Houttuynia. Use these in combination with flowering annuals and perennials to compliment and expand the color bed. I like to use a small grouping of Dusty Miller in annual color plantings. The silver gray of the foliage seems to emphasize the brilliant colors of blooming plants. One of my favorite combinations is the burgundy, white, and pink array that can be achieved by planting Burgundy Sun Coleus as a background, Candidum Caladiums next and then Gin Begonias in the foreground.
Large sunny expanses can come alive with the color contrasts of ornamental grasses, from the very large Pampas Grass with it's tan plumes to the smaller Variegated Japanese Silver Grass, and Purple Fountain Grass with it's rich burgundy hues.Shady areas can be brightened by the many variations of leaf color and variegated patterns of Hostas. Even our old shade favorites, the ferns, can give us foliage contrast of gray blending of Japanese Painted Fern compared to the medium green Wood Fern and the darker green foliage of many other ferns.
The use of foliage color is often overlooked or happens by accident. Whether you want subtle, complementary, or contrasting color differences, these can be achieved by planning and designing foliage color into your garden.
Have fun!

COPYRIGHT 1996. NORTH HAVEN GARDENS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE.
Revised: May 5, 1997