Plant Spotlight
From Aggiegreenhouse
Plant Spotlight: Tues, Oct 20, 2009
It's that time of the year. No, not the holidays. It's the WINTER CROP time of the year. Let's get it started in here! But, don't get too excited. What grows in cold weather and has played a HUGE role in transforming the lives of people since the founding of the U.S.A.? You guess it: C-O-T-T-O-N. It is, "spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fiber cloth in clothing today." Rayon came to us from France in the 1890s. Rayon and other synthetics compete with the natural fiber of cotton. The USA is the world leader in cotton exports with average price received by farmers at $45.30 this year. However, China produces almost 3 times more cotton.
Leading cotton-producing countries
| Top 3 cotton producers — 2009 (480-pound bales) | |
|---|---|
 PRC | 32.5 million bales |
 IND | 24.3 million bales |
 USA | 13.0 million bales |
| Source:National Cotton Council of America - Rankings | |
Plant Spotlight: Tues, Oct 6, 2009
Now everybody is putting out pansies. Pansy Sm-ansy, I say. All the cheap lawn and garden outfits have platters full of this stuff. Be different. Be creative. Live a little and mix it up a bit. How about thinking over an EDIBLE garden that flowers. YUM! Sounds tasty, YES! Onions, Garlic and Chives offer wonderful flower buds with the added bonus of kitchen ingredients! And don't fear, your lawn really can't be taken over by these. If you're worried, put it all in a plastic bag liner for the overall area.
These wild onions, garlic and chives are wonderfully small budding plants that really offer an alternative to the standard ho-hum of fall and winter gardens. At the very tip, the plants will bloom and pop out a unique flower I bet you've NEVER seen before in your neighbors' yard. Give it a try. Periodically you can even dig up and half the plants to have fresh ingredients in the kitchen and refresh the flower bed. You can never get enough fresh vegetables, so here is your chance. These plants can not take blistering heat or drought so now is the time of year to give it a try.
Plant Spotlight: Wed, Sep 23, 2009
During the colder autumn and winter months, flowering plants tend to have, well... exhaled their last puff of color. To liven up the settings, think about flowering shrubs and incorporate texture. The Waxleaf Ligustrum (pictured on the left) shrub is a durable plant. It is a plant that grows to fit where you want it. A small shrub under a window, or a large wind breaker, shrubs can do it all. Create shapes with informal styles or regular box shapes that reflect tradition and formal settings.
To show the versatility of shrubs there is Indian Hawthorn (pictured on the right). Over the growing season this plant also provides barrier protection, but develops berries (also call fruit) and has small flowers of various accent colors.
Plant Spotlight: Tues, Sep 8, 2009
Liriope (Liriope_genus) is a group of ground cover plants with many functions. Often it is used as a natural evergreen ground cover, because it does NOT require mowing and care. Liriope muscari is the most popular and plentiful at your local garden center.
It can be used as a border element providing soft small mounds of vegetation. Popular in two varieties with small Spike-like purple plumes of flowers at the right season. This plant lasts for years of enjoyment, and shows it's true versatility when used in transition zones.
Today's featured plant: Saturday, April 20, 2024
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The Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a highly versatile plant commonly thought as a multi-stemmed large shrub, but used more and more as a tree. Yes, as a tree! Cultivating makes plants into some of the most interesting things. This is the process where by humans domestic our surroundings. Who could think how many plants we enjoy daily from very simple beginnings?
Similar in presentation to a Rose of Sharon or Old-Fashioned Lilac, it has been nicknamed, Lilac of the South.
Currently in bloom all summer long, the plant can serve many purposes. It can be a small flowering pot, an accent plant to highlight and well, spotlight a feature, or rise as tall as a house. Providing color and shade are easy with this standard. It comes in red, rose, pink, purple, or white. It requires full sun, well drained soils, with low water needs. Deciduous, and grows well with heat.
Although the TLD of www.crapemyrtle.com is owned by someone who could use a good web designer, don't let that take away from this common, but versatile plant. Crape Myrtle can even be bonsai.
- Crape Myrtle information from NC Cooperative Extension
- Crape Myrtle varieties provided by PLANTanswers at Aggie Horticulture
- CRAPEMYRTLE - THE BEST LANDSCAPE PLANT FOR TEXAS by San Antonio Express News GARDENING, Etc. 9-4-2005
