14 JUStpUt
JULY 21, 2000
The Seduction
of Summer Blooms
Flamers in the garden
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s the temperature rises from warm to
hot, my interest in colors does the same.
1 have been well aware of this fact for
the past couple of years. It has become
something that 1 like to joke about with
my plant friends. Like clockwork, when the
mercury hits the 82-degree mark, 1 want bright,
flaming-hot, red-orange flowers. I warn my friends
when entering a nursery not to let me walk out
with every orange blooming plant 1 see. I have
been seduced by some of these flaming hotties
before, only to be disappointed by some. Now
when 1 get all hot and sweaty, there are a few
bright flowers that 1 know I. can really count on.
As always, there are some new ones, too.
available at retail nurseries. At the moment, my
Right when our first heat wave strikes, one of personal favorite might be Z. septentrionalis,
my favorite perennials starts to put on its best show. “Mattole Select.” It has exceptionally silver leaves
With traffic-stopping orange flowers that seem to and a low growing habit. 1 suggest checking the
never quit, the genus Zauschneria makes the hot height and spread of each variety because they can
days of summer oh so much better in the garden.
vary greatly. Most Zauschnerias you find will have
an orange to red flower and silver or gray
leaves. They attract tons of hummingbirds
and are fully drought-tolerant once estab
lished. How do you like that?
A new up-and-coming star in the
garden world is the orange Echinacea.
Only introduced a few years ago, it has
won the hearts of gardeners all over the
country, including at least a few of us here
in Portland.
1 have to be totally honest. 1 have yet
to plant one, but I am only waiting to find
the right place. 1 can, however, say that 1
have it from two good sources that
Echinacea “Sundown” is a really good
garden plant. I’m convinced. 1 have
grown Echinaceas before and have found
them to be near no-brainers.
There are reasons why plants become
“classics,” and I can understand why
Echinacea falls into this category. They
can tolerate almost any garden soil but
perform the best with rich, evenly moist
soil. Echinacea can also stand some short
periods without water and still look fine.
It can handle full sun to part shade, and
long after the petals have fallen off, the
seed cones still look good.
E. “Sundown” grows to nearly 3 feet
tall and about half as wide. The attention
Zauschneria produces traffic-stopping flowers that
grabbing orange flowers have just the
compete with summer temperatures.
slightest touch of pink. The overall effect
is a very rich, intense color that you can’t
This is one of those times when you should take my pass by. As with all Echinaceas, the flowers are
advice and run out to get some. 1 find Zauschneria great cut and attract their share of butterflies.
so useful in the garden. In the past, I have used it
Perhaps by this fall I will have figured out just
in more tropical-looking plantings to fire things up.
the right place to have my very own orange
1 have seen it used en masse on hillsides. It works Echinacea. But by the time November rolls around,
itself nicely into mixed borders, and it is more than
1 will probably have forgotten all about the colors
happy to be planted in a dry garden.
that compete with a 90-degree day. 1 will be won
There are two rules that I have found helpful dering what color goes best with the first frost of
when using this plant. One, avoid planting it where the year. Eww, shame on me for even mentioning
the f-word. ©
another plant might crowd it from above. Two,
don’t water it from above. Both of these things can
cause it to flop over. This makes for a sad-looking To reach DlRTY D an , who will answer any and all
plant and gardener.
of your gardening questions, simply e-mail
There are a number of species and cultivars dirtydthegar<iener@yahoo com.
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