This fall plant is a knockout (if you can get your hands on it)
Marjorie Harris
Globe and Mail
Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011
Lespedeza Thungburgii ‘Gibraltar’ (Bush Clover)
Why you should plant it
This old-fashioned end-of-season plant is a knockout, but it has been hard to get this year. This new cultivar is spectacular in autumn, with rich, rosy pink blooms that will last until frost. The fountain-like shape of the plant will fill out a dusty, boring area even though it is somewhat anonymous-looking the rest of the year.
Where to plant it
Choose a sunny-yet-shady area with well-drained but not rich soil and it will be quite happy. After it’s well established, it will even tolerate drought. It’s Zone 5, but in a protected spot with really good snow cover it might be worth trying one zone colder. By early autumn, it grows into a fountain-shaped, 1.2-by-1.2- metre form.
What it offers
The overarching shape and pea-like flowers are enchanting. The plant blooms on new growth and might die back to the ground in winter. If not, cut it back in spring and it will bloom beautifully all over again.
Source and cost
You’ll pay $15 for a one-gallon pot at Mason House Gardens in Uxbridge, Ont. (905-649-3532). Place orders now for next spring, when it will be available.
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How do you prune clematis?
Marjorie Harris
Q: I have four different kinds of clematis. In the fall, do I cut this plant to waist level? And do I do the same for all of them?
A: When to prune depends on the kind of clematis you have planted. You can leave them all alone, but then they won’t be floriferous.
Here is a very rough guide: If it blooms in early spring, cut it back after the flowers are finished (take out all the dead stuff and prune back to a manageable shape before the end of July).
Once autumn bloomers have finished, I generally cut them back so they don’t bang around during the winter, but many experts recommend waiting until spring (and you see new growth) and then cut them back to about 7.5 centimetres (three inches) from the ground. I usually put compost around the base and that does them very well. Check out www.gardenimport.com for more specific pruning dates.
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Who says you can’t look safe and stylish in the garden?
Karen Sealy
“Who says safety can’t also be stylish? I wear my EYE DIG IT SAFETY SUNGLASSES ($26 through www.digithandwear.com) all the time, whether visiting a job site or working on DIY projects in my own garden.” – Karen Sealy, principal at Sealy Design and host of HGTV’s Summer Home.
