Caradonna salvia with Lightning Flash coreopsis. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

The roses (Rosa) are in full bloom for this Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, including the Flower Carpet and StoryBook brands. I love all of them even though I hate thorny plants.

This spring, I tore out the Knock Out Red because it was in the wrong place and because I was tired of it and tired of seeing it everywhere.

StoryBook Rose ‘Little Women’ pink; StoryBook Rose ‘Moby Dick’ white; StoryBook Rose ‘Showboat’ red. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

The StoryBook roses are well-named, lovely relief. The flowers are very floriferous and the plants are small and compact. They are the ones I see from my bedroom window.

The StoryBook roses came from Jo Robertson, a member of Garden Writers Association, who regularly attends the annual symposiums. She’s also the person associated with All-American Daylily, plants that are very garden worthy.

The Flower Carpet roses, introduced by Anthony Tesselaar International Plant and promoted by PR guru Sally Ferguson, also are quite attractive this year. They are a bit smaller than Knock Outs and their colors seems more pleasing to me. I particularly like Scarlet and Amber, two babes that make good companions for ‘Walker’s Low’ Nepeta.

A few weeks ago, I got another 32 rose plugs from a California grower. I have no idea what I’m going to do with them…maybe put them at the end of my driveway with a sign: Free!

Elsewhere, the ‘Caradonna’ Salvia fronts the light blue false indigo (Baptisia) that I’ve lost the tag for. Also in the bed are Blooms of Bressingham’s ‘Amethyst in Snow’ and ‘Amethyst Dream’ (Centaurea). The latter was moved from the front yard, along with a tall, yellow leaf coreopsis that I got years ago from Terra Nova Nurseries. But ‘Lightning Flash’ (Coreopsis tripteris) lost its gold color because it was in too much shade. Today, it is golden, making a nice contrast with the blue perennials already mentioned.

Penstemon Prairie Twilight. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Penstemon ‘Prairie Twilight’ has just been a delight. This is its third year and now I’m on the hunt for more penstemon. This spring to early summer perennials is another Blooms of Bressingham intro.

One of my mother’s favorite plants is blooming now, too, a mock orange (Philadelphus). It is hard to ignore because of the ever-so-brief fabulous fragrance. This particular plant was given to me by my friend Linda and it comes from her family’s farm in Illinois. We figure it’s more than 100 years old. White Dome hydrangea (H. arborescens) is ready to burst into bloom, too.

Thanks to May Dreams Gardens for being the host of Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. If you have a blog, consider posting what’s going on in your garden on the 15^th of the month.

Mock orange and White Dome. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

'Sugar Blues' iris blooms in spring and again in late summer. © Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Two favorites in the perennial garden are German or bearded iris and Siberian iris.

Siberian irises (Iris sibirica) are the easiest. They bloom about the same time as columbine (Aquilegia) and perennial salvias in late spring and early summer.

One of the oldest and most popular is ‘Caesar’s Brother,’ a deep blue, delicate beauty, but there are several others.

Siberian iris, a clump grower, is not terribly picky about soil. It prefers a moist, acidic site, such as a bog or edge of a pond, but it seems just as happy in an average perennial garden, including Indiana’s alkaline, clay soil. Once established, Siberian iris is quite drought tolerant. It can be grown in full sun to part shade.

Blade like foliage retains a healthy green hue until fall, when it turns lovely shades of red. Cut the leaves back to the ground in winter. If the center of the plant dies, lift, divide and transplant in spring, tossing the dead parts.

'Caesar's Brother' Siberian iris. Photo courtesy perennialresource.com

The big break through of bearded irises (Iris) is the rebloomers — they bloom in spring or early summer and then again in late summer or early fall. I have two, ‘Sugar Blues’, which blooms a bit earlier than ‘Immortality’, with white flowers.

German or bearded irises are a bit pickier. The plants do best in full sun. The rhizomes should be visibly growing along the soil surface. The plant will not bloom and will likely rot when rhizomes are planted too deep or in wet soil. These irises also may fall victim to iris borer, an insect Siberian irises seem less bothered by. To help control the bug, cut back and discard foliage in late summer or early fall.

Iris show at Holliday Park

For more information about irises, check out the Indiana Iris and Daylily Society’s annual iris show, 1 to 4 p.m., May 19 at the Nature Center at Holliday Park.

Indianapolis Museum of Art will give away lettuce seedlings to visitors during National Public Gardens Day, May 5, 2012. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

At least three sites in Indianapolis will participate in the 4^th annual National Public Gardens Day, held each year the Friday before Mother’s Day.

Public gardens offer inspiration and ideas, said Paul James, host of HGTV’s Gardening By the Yard and spokesman for National Public Gardens Day. The event is sponsored by the American Public Gardens Association in partnership with irrigation specialists Rain Bird.

Public gardens provide gathering places, demonstrate environmental stewardship and showcase the latest plant combos, James said in a phone interview from his Oklahoma home.

“They contribute to a community’s quality of life,” he said.

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Chad Franer, director of horticulture at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, oversees 150 acres of gardens and natural areas, ready for recreational activities or “just a space to relax and unwind.”

As an urban garden, the IMA “helps to reduce the noise and air pollution, while many of our spaces aid in reducing heat island effects and storm water retention,” he said.

The IMA will offer lettuce seedlings to visitors on Friday. There is no fee to visit the IMA grounds and museum.

Garfield Park

At Garfield Park, the $1 admission fee to the Conservatory will be waived for the day, said Fritz Nerding, manager of the Conservatory and Sunken Garden. There is no admission fee for the Sunken Garden in Indianapolis oldest city park.

“National Public Gardens Day is a perfect time for people to discover a new garden or a great reason to get out and rediscover their perennial favorite,” Nerding said.

White River Gardens

A horticulturist will be in the Knot Garden at White River Gardens 11 a.m. to noon May 11 to answer questions from visitors, said Judy Gagen, conservation communication specialist at the Indianapolis Zoo. There also will be a handout on growing orchids in the home. Regular admission fees apply.

“Public gardens add so much to our lives, especially gardens that are located in busy cities, where a place for rest, relaxation and reconnecting to nature is so important,” Gagen said

The gardens remind us that a “green and thriving environment is vital to individuals and communities,” she said.

Paul James, the Gardening Guy, is spokesman for National Public Gardens Day. Photo courtesy HGTV

Here’s a calendar of garden and nature related activities compiled as a public service by Wendy Ford of Landscape Fancies. Please click on the link below to download your copy.

Ok, native plant lovers…Carolyn Harstad will be in Indianapolis to speak at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 19, 2012. Carolyn is the author of “Go Native: Gardening With Native Plants and Wildflowers in the Lower Midwest” and “Got Shade? A Take It Easy Approach for Today’s Gardener” Her talk at Irvington Community School, 6040 East Pleasant Run Parkway, South Drive, will be on gardening with native plants. Sponsored by the Irvington Garden Club and Bookmamas, admission is free. Carolyn, a co-founder of the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society, and her husband, Peter Harstad, former head of the Indiana Historical Society, moved to Minnesota several years ago.

(C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Sustainable landscaping can be a challenge, especially when you consider reduce, reuse, recycle.

Each year the garden industry puts plants in more than 2 million pounds of plastic pots. The pots are usually No. 2, 5 or 6 plastic, which can be recycled through many curbside programs. Some garden centers allow you to return pots as part of a recycling program, so ask what’s available where you shop.

Check with schools with garden or horticulture programs to see if they accept pots for their growing projects. The first Saturday in October, the Indianapolis Museum of Art Greenhouse accepts clean pots for reuse in its operation.

Many avid gardeners also reuse these containers. Four-inch pots are perfect for starting seeds, growing seedlings or for propagating plant cuttings. These also are a good size for holding pencils, pens and plant tags.

One-gallon pots or larger work well for holding transplants or plant divisions until ready to plant. These pots also are handy for taking plants with you when you move from one home to another or to share with friends.

Three gallon or larger nursery pots can be filled with potting mix and planted with tomatoes, peppers, herbs and other vegetables, herbs or small, fruit-bearing shrubs, such as blueberry. The nursery pots usually are black and not wholly unattractive, making them usable for ornamental plants, too, such as annuals or small shrubs, such as a rose.

These larger pots are handy for stowing hand tools, gloves, plant tags, twine and other garden essentials. Nursery pots make a useful receptacle when weeding or cutting back plants.

As far as reduce, some growers have started providing pots made of papier-mache, plant fibers called coir, paper or other biodegradable materials. These pots decompose, so they can be planted with plants in them. Or, the plants can be removed and planted and the pots tossed in the compost pile, where they will break down.

Electric Lime coral bells were among plants damaged in the Hoosier Gardener's garden. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Even though this past winter was hardly noticeable and spring has raged between 80-degree and 29-degree days, the best time to plant warm season plants is May 10.

Most of what we eat are warm season crops: tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans, corn, eggplant, sweet potatoes and melon.

If you feel like you must plant something, go for cool season crops. These include cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, peas, lettuces, radishes, potatoes, collards and Brussels sprouts. These can be planted in March and April.

Basil and rosemary are frost tender, but parsley, sage, thyme and oregano can be planted early

Among annual flowers, warm season plants include geraniums, impatiens, petunias, salvias, coleus, zinnias and begonias. May 10 is best for planting these.

Osteospurmums, pansies, California poppies, larkspur and bachelor buttons are annuals that can take a bit of spring chill.

The summer-like temperatures have pushed growth on almost everything in the garden. The plunge back to the 20s more than likely took a toll on several perennials, shrubs and fruit trees.

If coral bells (Heuchera) got nipped, just snip off the damaged leaves. New leaves will flush out over the next few weeks. The foliage on late blooming bulbs, such as giant allium, also took a hit, but the flower buds seem fine. Don’t remove the damaged bulb foliage until it turns yellow or brown and falls flat.

Some ground covers, such as pachysandra, myrtle and ivy also may have been zapped. Cut back damaged pachysandra because the dead parts may contribute to disease. Other ground covers will out grow the damage.

Big leaf hydrangeas likely lost their flower power with the April frosts and freezes. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

All those lovely, finicky big leaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) that came through our mild winter unscathed probably will not fulfill our expectations of lush pink or blue blooms. Temps in the 20s took a toll on them, too. I suggest waiting a few weeks to see if any flower buds show up. If not, but them back as needed in early summer.

The Hoosier Gardener  takes you on a visual stroll through a collection of some of the best annuals, tropicals, bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees that make a statement by their leaves. Please register for this program.

From Rosie Lerner, Purdue University Consumer Horticulturist

Magnolia flower freeze damage. Photo courtesy Purdue University.

As most gardeners have marveled, we’re having one of the earliest “spring” seasons this year, with woody plants herbaceous perennials three to six weeks ahead of “normal.”

And then, perhaps inevitably, “normal” spring frost and freeze visited. Being so much further along in their development, plants are quite vulnerable to damage.

Note that freeze incidents are normal for this time of year. What is abnormal is the earliness of development, leaving the plants exceptionally vulnerable to freeze.

The good news is that woody plants, in most cases, will outgrow the damage.

Oak leaf freeze damage. Photo courtesy Purdue University.

Home fruit-growers have reason to be concerned: At 28 F, you can expect a 10-percent loss of flowers and young developing fruit. However, at 25 degrees F, that loss increases to 90 percent! In the Lafayette area, the temps hit 27 to 28 degrees F the morning of April 12, followed by 24 to 25 degrees F the morning of April 13 — a double whammy.

Bud counts were exceptionally high until the freeze, so in some cases, even just 10 percent retained fruit might still be a decent crop on our tree fruits. Grapes may also still have ability to crop on shoots that have yet to emerge. Strawberries are a bit easier to protect through frost and freeze, but only if you took measures, such as using floating row covers, recovering with straw, etc.

However, it is only mid April, and additional frosts and freezes are still possible.

Bottom line is that unless it is already a complete loss, you won’t really know the rest of the story for quite a few more weeks.

Peach bud freeze injury. Photo courtesy Purdue University

It is easy to check fruit buds for damage by cutting open the bud and looking for dark brown or black centers. Purdue Extension fruit specialists put together these videos to help you assess the spring freeze damage on:

 Apples


Peaches


Grapes

Strawberries


Blackberries


For ornamental trees and shrubs, plant response has been quite varied, depending on species, location and, of course, temperature and duration of that temperature.

Susceptible plants may have wilted leaves, brown or black necrotic spots on leaves, or perhaps dieback of entire twigs. Plants that were in bloom likely have brown petals or dropped flowers entirely. Here are some links to articles from previous spring freezes that will give more information.

Symptoms of Late Frost Injury

Spring Freeze Injury

Allspice flower (Calycanthus florida). (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Last Saturday was my first day back at the garden center, where I quit last summer. Maybe we both needed a break, because I was invited back to work a few months during the peak season and I accepted.

That day, my first customer had drawn a sketch of his garden and had a plant list. He also was carrying around The Indiana Gardener’s Guide. I eventually told him I wrote the book. After that, he really opened up and asked me many questions. He bought several plants.

Amsonia tabernaemontana. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

A young woman who recently moved here from Maine also was looking for plants for her new garden. She also had many questions, especially about how to screen an area of her yard from unwanted views. Initially, she asked about fast growing trees. I recommended using shrubs, such as leatherleaf or burkwood viburnums and why. She did not buy plants, but I feel like she’ll be back.

And, there were two women from southern Indiana and Louisville who had taken a snip off a plant where they had a meeting. They brought it in and I was able to identify it as eastern blue star (Amsonia tabernaemontana).

Each commented on how great it was to find someone who knows about plants and can answer questions. It made me feel good about the value I bring to this garden center and to gardening in general. My goal is always to help people succeed. When they succeed, we all succeed.

In the garden:

Firefly silene. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

‘Firefly’ Silene (S. dioica) came a few years ago from Blooms of Bressingham and it is one of the earliest blooming perennials I have. It’s about 20 inches tall and will get about that wide, planted in full sun. Great for cut flowers, too.

May Night salvia (S. x sylvestris) is blooming beautifully this year, grateful that the Knock Out Rose that blocked a lot of the perennial’s light, is gone.

Cool Wave pansies. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

The Cool Wave pansies from Ball Horticulture have weathered the weather with great stamina. They are beaming.

Soon, the blue balls on the big alliums (Allium) will unfurl, about a month early, just like about everything else. The leaves of the bulbs got nipped a bit by a couple of 20+ degree nights. The bulbs are a gift from May Dreams Gardens, the host for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day.

And, the ‘Electric Lime’ Heuchera also got nipped by the freeze. For this plant, I will snip off the damage leaves.

Frost-tinged heuchera 'Electric Lime'. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

One of my proudest successes is a native maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum), which spent the gosh-awful hot summer in a gallon pot before being planted to the ground last fall. A very sweet customer at the garden center brought me a clump from her yard last summer when she heard me say how I’d not been able to find any in the trade.

Two more Blooms of Bressingham plants earn high marks this time of year — ‘Amethyst in Snow’ and ‘Amethyst Dream’ Centaurea are in full bloom. These are great cut flowers, that’s for sure. And although a bit of a vigorous grower, it is easy to control.

The sweet woodruff (Galium odorata) is beginning to bloom. This is a great little under used ground cover for shadier areas with average to slightly moist soil.

Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) are among the last blooming spring bulbs, making them a lovely surprise just when you think season is over.

Spanish bluebells. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp