HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-05-07, Page 21THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1997 PAGE 21.
Home & Garden 1997
Association selects perennial plant of the year
The Perennial Plant Association
announced that Salvia 'May Night'
('Mainacht') has been selected as
the Perennial Plant of the Year for
1997.
Salvias, members of the large
mint family, are known for their
aromatic foliage, attractive leaves,
and long season of bloom. May
Night is one of the most versatile
cultivars.
Bred and introduced in 1956 by
the famous German plantsman and
philosopher Karl Foerster, it is
thought to be a hybrid between S.
prate ns is and S. nemerosa.
It has the typical square stem of
the mints, deliciously fragrant
foliage, and its flowers are
attractive to honey bees and other
garden-flower pollinators. Leaves
are slightly blue-gray in colour,
finely toothed, hairy, and about 2-
3" long.
Salvias love sun, and May Night
is no exception. It will grow in a
variety of soils, but does best in
moderately rich soils, and even dry
ones that occasionally stress the
plant during short-term summer
droughts.
The growth habit of 'May Night'
is distinctively stiff and upright,
forming a small mound.
But it is the gorgeous floral
display that sets this gem apart
from its plainer cousins. Florets are
borne on upright spike-like
inflorescence which are deep, rich,
indigo-black, outlined with delicate
Feeder
function
first
Continued from page 20
fence or pole mounted feeders
attract cardinals, chickadees, wrens,
sparrows and grosbeaks. If seed
spills onto the ground, don’t worry.
Ground feeding birds, such as blue
jays, sparrows, juncos, towhees and
mourning doves — not to mention
squirrels — will clean it up.
Finally, when selecting a feeder,
be sure form does not interfere with
function. The purpose of a feeder is
to attract birds, the experts point
out, not to mimic bams or covered
bridges. Be sure the feeder is
attractive and easy to use by birds.
Too many feeders discourage birds
because they are beautiful to
behold, but impossible to use.
Now, position your feeder where
you can see it, fill it with seed, sit
back and enjoy year-round fun and
excitement watching the antics of
your new backyard guests.
purple bracts. When mature, this
plant will be 2 - 2 1/2 feet tall and
1-2 feet across.
The main flowering time for
'May Night' is in May/June and the
bloom time extends into July.
Place 'May Night' in the middle
of the perennial border, or use it as
a specimen plant.
'May Night' does best in
hardiness zones 4 through 8, and it
likes a winter mulch in colder
areas. However, as with so many
perennials, placing it in soils that
are well drained during the winter
increases plant vigor and extends
its life.
It has no serious disease or pest
problems, although in hot humid
areas it will occasionally be
attacked by spider mites.
Propagation
'May Night' is moderately easy to
propagate either by division or by
cuttings. If dividing is done, it is
best to do it in the early spring
bet ore the shoots start to elongate.
If propagated by cuttings, it is
important that it be done before the
hot weather of June arrives, and the
moisture content of the propagation
bed is critical.
Intermittent mist can be used, but
be sure that the cuttings are misted
only for a few days, or just enough
to allow the plant to form new
adventitious roots. Then turn the
mist off and syringe by hand once
per day while providing light
shade.
Rooting hormones are generally
not necessary, but if they are used,
a concentration of no more than
1000 ppm IBA is all that is
required.
Cultivation
In northern gardens, Salvia
prefers sunny locations, but would
probably benefit from light shade
in the more intense summer heat of
southern gardens. Plant 'May Night'
in a soil that is moderately well
drained, especially during the
winter.
'May Night' can be easily
established from container-grown
plants anytime during the growing
season, or from bare-root field
divisions during spring. When
planting, be sure to dig a hole twice
the diameter of the plant, and place
at the same depth as it was in the
container or in its previous
location. Firm the soil around the
plant and water-in thoroughly.
Salvias do best in a moderately
rich soil, so a spring application of
an organic fertilizer or general
purpose fertilizer such as a 10-10-
10 or a 10-6^4 at the rate of 1-2 lbs.
per thousand square feet is
adequate.
Landscape Uses
In the perennial border, 'May
Night' is especially good in
combination with the yellow
Achillea 'Coronation Gold' or with
pink or red herbaceous peonies.
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Beetle problem serious
By H. J. Smith
Agriculture & Rural Representative
The Colorado Potato Beetle
(CPB) is a serious pest of concern
to both the commercial potato
grower and the home gardener.
These beetles are striped yellow
and black and about 3/8" long.
The grower will control the CPB
by using plastic lined trenches,
propane burners or Admire, a
newly registered insecticide.
These are not practical
alternatives for most gardeners as
the cost cannot be justified for a
small plot. All is not lost, however,
as there are alternatives. The CPB
overwinters in the soil and begins
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emerging when the air temperature
rises to 70°F and starts looking for
a potato plant to lay eggs on. There
can be up to 400 orange coloured
eggs laid on the underside of leaves
by each female.
The next stage, the larvae, are
brick red with rows of black dots
and cause the most damage. For
this reason, it is very important to
Continued on page 22
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