March Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Creeping Phlox

Blooms are everywhere today in my Georgia garden. After such a mild winter, everything is blooming much earlier than normal. Creeping Phlox is absolutely gorgeous on a slope or spilling over a rock wall. I have tried growing this tough little groundcover to spill over the brick retaining wall beside our driveway. But these pesky chickens (whom I love very much) won't let me have anything planted there. So far they've destroyed creeping phlox, Loropetalum 'Pixie', oregano, and ice plant in that spot. I have managed to keep some Lamb's Ear there by surrounding it with rocks. Wish me luck on that. But if you don't have free-range chickens roaming around in your garden scratching up your plants, Creeping Phlox will thrive for you, wherever you plant it. There's a fragrance too!

May Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Mock Orange

Philadelphus coronarius
Sweet Mock Orange or English Dogwood

Blooms are spectacular this year on my Philadelphus coronarius, most often referred to as Sweet Mock Orange or English Dogwood. Our established shrub is completely covered with the fragrant dogwood-like white blooms.

Philadelphus coronarius is a deciduous shrub that grows quickly into a large shrub, so give it plenty of room. 

Because of our very mild winter, Mock Orange bloomed a little earlier than usual this year. Usually blooming in late May, the Mock Orange reached its peak bloom the first week of May here in our Georgia garden.

The white flowers with 4 petals smell like orange blossoms, hence the common name Mock Orange and resemble blooms on the Dogwood Tree. Leaves are tender and dark green. On the Sweet Mock Orange, even the bark is lovely, which is exfoliating and orange-tinged. 

This large growing shrub will eventually be up to 12 feet tall and just as wide with a rounded habit, so it's perfect at the edge of the property. 

Philadelphus coronarius can be grown in full sun to light shade, but ours is in pretty much full shade here in Georgia. It might get a little peak of morning sun, but I don't think so. 

Although rich fertile soil is best, our soil is hard clay, and our large shrub gets no supplemental water. This year we received more than enough rain during the Winter and Spring, which might be why our plant showed out so well this time.

Mock Orange is a popular old-fashioned shrub in the Southeastern states, and although it might look delicate, it can be grown in most of the United States, since it is hardy in USDA Zones 4-7.

If you want a hedge of Mock Orange, for Summer privacy perhaps, space them about 5 feet apart for good screening. The shrubs will quickly grow to fill the space. 

If pruning is needed, do so immediately after blooming by removing old canes at the base and cut back remaining branches to create a rounded shape. If your space allows it, don't prune your Mock Orange at all. 

March Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Lady Banks Rose

One of the easiest roses of all to grow is the Lady Banks Rose. Rosa banksiae is a thornless rose producing soft fluffy blooms in early Spring. Lady Banks Rose is almost evergreen here in Georgia, if temperatures don't drop below the 20's. 

Lady Banks Rose is drought tolerant and disease resistant by nature. This lovely rose tolerates poor soil too.

Lady Band Rose is an easy care rose that is thornless and almost evergreen here in Georgia. It is a climbing rose that is beautiful growing on a pillar, arbor, fence, or trellis. 

Although Lady Banks blooms only once a year, in Spring it is absolutely covered with small fluffy double blooms.  Blooms are slightly fragrant and come in either yellow, Rosa banksiae 'Lutea', or white, 'Rosa banksiae 'Alba plena.' 

Rosa banksiae originated in China but was introduced to Europe in the early 1800's.  Lady Banks was very popular in the Southern United States during Antebellum times and was usually found on old plantations of the South. The largest rose in the world is a white blooming Lady Banks Rose that was planted in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1885. 

Plant your Lady Banks Rose in full sun for best bloom. This is a fast-growing strong rose that will quickly become very heavy, so plant it near a very strong support. Those inexpensive little trellises at the discount store will not work.

Lady Banks Rose is evergreen in USDA Zones 8-10, but is hardy in colder zones 6-7 where it will lose its leaves in winter. Banks Rose is said to withstand temperatures down into the teens, but we have single digit temperatures every so many years and our established plants lived through that. 

Once established, Lady Banks Rose is quite drought tolerant, but be sure to water regularly the first few years. Lady Banks is somewhat hard to find in nurseries, so you don't want to have to try to replace it.

Lady Banks, unlike many other roses, can be grown near the beach since it tolerates salt spray.

Lady Banks is not bothered by diseases and pests that infect most roses, so you won't need to spray at all.

If you don't have an arbor or trellis, Lady Banks can be grown as a free-standing shrub rose, but must be drastically pruned yearly to keep it in check. If pruning is needed, do so immediately after flowering. 

March Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Eastern Redbud

One of my favorite trees is the Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis. In very early Spring, deep pink/purple buds develop all along the stems before the tree leafs out. When driving along country roads I see these purple budded trees covering the edge of the woods all over Alabama and Georgia. 

The Redbud Tree is one of the loveliest native trees, growing wild all over the Eastern United States as far North as New Jersey and as far West as Texas.

Since Redbud is a small tree, it is beautiful near the patio even as a foundation tree, but also at the edge of the woodland. The Redbud Tree is beautiful even when not in bloom. Leaves are heart shaped and the tree has a graceful habit that is at home in any landscape style. Redbuds are usually multi-trunked, so do not prune away multiple trunks. As a matter of fact, prune your Redbud as little as possible, removing only cross branches immediately after bloom, to allow your tree to grow naturally.

Redbud Trees can be grown all over the country except for the Northwestern States where summers are too cool for them. Redbud is hardy in USDA Zones 4-9.

Mature Size is anywhere from 20-40 feet tall. 

Plant your Redbud Tree in either full sun or part sun. An excellent spot is in morning sun with afternoon shade at the edge of a woodland or naturalistic garden. 

Great companions for the Redbud Tree are Carolina Jessamine and Dogwood Trees which bloom about the same time. 

March Blooms in my Georgia Garden: Forsythia

Known by many as  the harbinger of Spring, Forsythia explodes with bright yellow blooms in very early Spring, or sometimes even in late Winter here in Georgia. Forsythia blooms reliably every single winter, no matter what the weather conditions have been. I have seen the blooms of Forsythia open as early as January or February, or not until March, depending on what kind of Winter we are having.

Forsythia is a deciduous shrub that blooms in late winter or very early Spring with bright yellow blooms that open before leaves appear. The common name, Yellow Bells, seems fitting, because the blooms do look like yellow bells dangling along the stems. 

Although Forsythia is widely grown in gardens all over the Unites States, it is native to China. 

Forsythia blooms well even in shade

Bloom seems to be most prolific when grown in full sun, but we have a few plants growing in the woods where the bright golden yellow blooms are visible from a distance and draw attention to the woodland garden.

Forsythia does not self-sow and become invasive in the landscape, but stem cuttings root easily if you want to make more plants for your garden.

Forsythia grows very large over time (8-10 feet tall and up to 12 feet wide), so

give it plenty of room. The cascading branches are lovely when allowed to grow naturally with no pruning. Stems will root themselves when allowed to touch the ground, and this is an easy way to get more Forsythia plants. Pruning isn't necessary or desired, except to remove old woody growth or dead wood. When pruning, remove old branches to the ground, making room for the growth of new stems. This should be done in Spring, immediately after flowering, since Forsythia will bloom next Spring on the stems from the previous year.

Forsythia, also known as Golden Bells, can be grown in most of the United States, since it is hardy in USDA Zones 5-10.

Forsythia is a fast grower, so you can start with a very small plant. The Forsythia shrubs in our garden have proven to be very drought tolerant and are growing in poor soil that was not amended at planting. 

Forsythia is a great shrub for forcing bloom indoors before it would bloom outdoors. I like to cut long stems in early January and place them in a large vase of warm water. I can watch the buds develop into blooms that will open indoors much earlier than they would outside, reminding me that Spring is coming!

Loropetalum Zhuzhou 

Purple Loropetalum is a beautiful companion for Forsythia. Not only do they bloom at the same time, but even the foliage will provide nice contrast in the garden--Loropetalum with its purple foliage is striking against the bright green leaves of the Forsythia. You'll have to imagine this vision, since I failed to get a photograph of the two together when in bloom. 

Kerria: Japanese Thornless Rose or Yellow Rose of Texas

Every year without fail, one of the first plants to bloom in our garden is Kerria Japonica. Whether you call it Kerria, Japanese Rose, Thornless Rose, or the Yellow Rose of Texas, we can all agree that this plant is spectacular in the early Spring garden. 

Often blooming before Spring has really arrived, Kerria keeps on blooming for well over a month, and then slips in more flowers off and on throughout Spring, Summer, and early Fall as long as it's happy.

It doesn't take much to make a happy plant out of Kerria Japonica. Kerria grows well in either sun or shade. Provide well drained soil and regular water, and she will reward you with more blooms each and every year.

Blooms are a bright golden yellow. Our garden is fortunate to have two different varieties of Kerria. Pleniflora has double yellow blooms that resemble pompoms. Shannon blooms are single and look like the flowers of a true rose. 

Kerria Japonica is available online at Shady Gardens Nursery.