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Letter to the editor

Gardening briefs: azaleas add color

By Times staff and wires
Published February 23, 2008

Add some color to your late winter garden with azaleas, which bloom now and create an evergreen border or low hedge the rest of the year.

Choose a spot in partial shade; azaleas tend to become infested with lace bugs in full sun. The planting hole should be 12 inches wider than the root mass but not quite as deep as the root ball or soil surface in the container, the Pinellas County extension service says.

Forget a bouquet: This bud's for you

Are winter visitors headed your way? You know what the magazines say: A bouquet of fresh flowers in the guest room is a nice way to welcome them.

Rethink that, says Senga Mortimer, editor-at-large of House Beautiful magazine. "Don't overwhelm the bedside table with a huge bouquet. Two buds are enough." Our tip: Avoid heavily scented flowers unless you know your guests' preferences. Your idea of a pleasant aroma may be enough to overwhelm your guest.

Tips on what to plant where

Dry, sandy soil in full sun: Does that sound like anyone's garden out there? What to plant?

Try silvery-gray artemisia and rosy-purple Persian wallflower. That recipe for success comes from Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right from the Start, by C. Colston Burrell (Rodale, $22.95).

Do you live along the coast? Want to attract birds and butterflies? Want bold foliage combinations? Suggestions are here, with color photographs and drawings, schematics and tips for backyard gardening success.

Pansies, by many other names

As pansies brighten our gardens, it's fun to know that their nicknames include heartsease, love-in-idleness, godfathers and godmothers, call-me-to-you, and faces-under-the-hood.

Biblically, because of its tricolor, the pansy is often considered a symbol of the Trinity, the Albany Times-Union reports.

A touch of nature inside your home

Bring more of the outdoors in.

If you've got a plant with an extraordinary root system, grow one in water in a glass beaker to show it off in your home. Dutch Boy Paints includes a "Nature" palette - greens, browns, a rich "Purple Loosestrife" - in its trends for this year.

Compiled by Times homes and garden editor Judy Stark

[Last modified February 21, 2008, 18:29:12]