Gardening

Manettia cordiflora can be propagated by taking stem-tip cuttings when the plant is in active growth, usually around mid-summer. Nodal cuttings are more likely to succeed, since some plants will not root internodally. Prepare each cutting from new growth, up to 4 inches long, by making a clean cut just below the node. Insert carefully in planting medium, water thoroughly with a fungicidal solution so that the medium is moist right to the container bottom.

Semi-ripe cuttings are used by taking the current season’s growth that has begun to firm; the base of the cutting should be quite hard, while the tip should be actively growing and therefore quite soft. Take semi-ripe cuttings in mid-to late-summer or even in early autumn. Take between 21/2 to 4 inches for the cutting. Remove the side shoots, and trim the cutting. Wound the stem and apply a coating of rooting hormone, shaking off any excess.

Semi-ripe cuttings may be rooted in a variety of situations. One suggestion is an outdoor nursery bed that has been amended with soiless potting mix and can be covered and protected so that the cuttings don’t scor or dry out. They require a humid environment for the rooting process to take place. A cold frame or container will work well also. During the winter inspect the cutting regularly and remove any fallen leaves. Water if the medium shows signs of drying out. Gradually harden off the cutting in spring before placing it in the garden.

Although grapes can be propagated from seed, this is rarely done because most grape plants are cultivars and won’t come true from seed. But you have three other options. The first option is to take hardwood cuttings. All grapes grown in the U.S., except Muscadine, can be propagated from hardwood cuttings. In the winter, take one-foot cuttings that have three buds and store them in moist sand or sawdust until early spring, when they should be planted with the top bud level with the surface of the soil. The cuttings should produce vines by the end of the first or second season.

Your other options are to take softwood cuttings or to layer a vine. Both methods work with all grapes, including Muscadine. Softwood cuttings should be taken before the stems harden in early summer and planted immediately. Layering involves taking a vine growing on the parent plant, breaking—but not severing—it at a node, and burying the node in the soil alongside the parent plant. Once roots form—usually within a year—the new plant can be separated and transplanted.

Unlike their agricultural counterparts, Ipomoea batatas ‘Marguerite’ and ‘Blackie’ are bred for ornamental properties rather than edible roots. ‘Marguerite’ is grown for its broad, heart-shaped, chartreuse foliage on trailing vines, and ‘Blackie’ is becoming a favorite in the garden for its dark purple, deeply lobed foliage that makes a great companion for plants with brightly colored flowers or foliage.

According to Janet Bohac at the USDA’s Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, ‘Marguerite’ seldom produces a “usable” edible root and ‘Blackie’ almost never does. If, by chance, such a root is produced, there is no reason it could not be eaten.

Bohac adds that while it is possible to propagate these varieties from slips produced by their roots, propagation from cuttings is much easier.

It sounds like you have the vintner’s ancient scourge, grape black rot. It usually starts with small spots on the foliage that enlarge and are surrounded by a darker brown border. Spots also appear on the fruit, but, as you noticed, not until they are about half grown. They enlarge quickly, rotting the entire grape in a few days. The diseased fruits turn black, shrivel, and dry up; they look very much like raisins and are known as mummies.

Grape black rot is caused by a fungus, Guignardia bidwellii, and is a serious problem for grape growers, since all cultivars are susceptible. Wayne Wilcox, a specialist in grape diseases at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, explains that sanitation is of utmost importance for control. The fungus produces two types of spores: The overwintering spores survive on mummies and these are airborne, thus any infected fruit left on the ground or on the canes becomes the primary source of infection. Later, the disease is further spread through waterborne spores that develop on infected fruit. Remove all mummies from the vines and from the ground beneath. Mulching to cover any remaining overwintering spores creates a physical barrier that will help reduce infection.

David Austin has had mixed success until recently breeding red roses. Most

older red English Roses (such as 'Fisherman's Friend', 'Prospero, 'The

Squire' and 'William Shakespeare') have produced beautiful fragrant dark red

flowers on weak plants that are disease-prone (especially to blackspot).

Recent crosses, especially with the vigorous and disease-resistant Mary

Rose, have attempted to improve on those weaknesses and seem to have

produced some very good new red English Roses, 'The Dark Lady', 'The Prince'

and 'L.D. Braithwaite'.

* The Dark Lady

* The Prince

* L.D. Braithwaite

'The Dark Lady' (1991, 4'x5', 'Mary Rose' x 'Prospero') has flowers that

have been described as dusky crimson or deep pink. It has a strong Old Rose

fragrance. It is a very good repeat bloomer.

'The Prince' (1990, 2.5'x3', 'Lilian Austin' x 'The Squire') has some of the

darkest flowers of any rose, described as either dark red or purple-red. It

is very fragrant. It is a good repeat bloomer, but the flowers have a short

vase life. Its glossy modern-like foliage may have problems with blackspot.

It is a very small bush, even in the warm climates, so it is probably best

planted in groups of three (or more). It may be a good candidate for

planting in a half-whiskey barrel.

The care of English Roses is similar to that of Modern Roses with some

exceptions.

Hardiness: Most English Roses can be grown in Zone 5 or warmer. 'Constance

Spry', 'Mary Rose', 'Charles Rennie Mackintosh' are some of the hardiest

English Roses. 'Graham Thomas' and other yellow varieties may need some

winter protection in cold climates.

Disease: Some varieties of English Roses seem to be rather resistant to

blackspot and other diseases. However, this depends greatly on the

particular variety and climate. In particular, many of the red English Roses

have been rather susceptible to blackspot and other diseases and have been

weak growers.

Planting: While English Roses can be grown as individual plants, group

plantings of two or three plants of one variety planted closely together are

often recommended if there is room in the garden. A group planting will

produce a fuller looking growth and more flowers in an area than a single

planting. An odd number of rose bushes planted in a particular location

usually looks more natural than an even number of bushes.

Blue laceflower (Trachymene coerulea) is listed in older references by its former name, Didiscus coeruleus. It is a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae, and has finely divided leaves on slender, branching, erect stems. The small flowers are in rounded umbels two or three inches across, held aloft on stems one to two feet high. The lacy flower does resemble that of Queen Anne’s-lace, but is pale blue or lavender. The species is a native of Australia and the islands of Southeast Asia, and our references make no mention of it being naturalized in the United States. Catalogs tout it as a cut flower. It is a sun-loving annual or biennial that does best in porous, well-drained soil of moderate fertility. In greenhouses, blue laceflowers can bloom from fall to late spring. Seeds are available from several retail mail-order companies.

I do not wish to give the impression that all English roses are beautiful

disease-resistant shrubs with large long-lasting old-fashioned flowers. Here

are some of the problems that some or many varieties of English Roses have.

Cut flowers: English Roses can make beautiful cut flowers, but most have two

disadvantages when used as cut flowers. First, most of them have rather

narrow short stems when cut, not nearly as long or stiff as the long-stemmed

Hybrid Teas. Second, the petals are usually more delicate than those of

Hybrid Teas, and some varieties don't last long when cut. 'Heritage' blooms

are famous for lasting only about a day on the bush and only hours when cut.

'Graham Thomas' doesn't last very well either and fades, but 'Abraham Darby'

and Evelyn both have many petals and peform well as cut flowers.

Size: Some English Roses that are medium-size plants in England, where they

were bred, grow very large (often twice as large) in warm climates, such as

the Southern part of the United States. Examples of large plants in warm

climates are 'Graham Thomas', 'Abraham Darby', 'Othello' and 'Evelyn'. This

should be taken in mind when purchasing English Roses.

When he was an amateur hybridizer, David Austin crossed the Gallica 'Belle

Isis' with the Floribunda 'Dainty Maid'. 'Belle Isis' has small, light pink,

very double flowers and is a once bloomer. 'Dainty Maid' produces single

flowers and is a repeat bloomer. Among the seedlings of 'Belle Isis' x

'Dainty Maid', one, in particular, was outstanding. 'Constance Spry', as it

was named, produced surprisingly large, beautiful, pink flowers. The flowers

were deeply cupped in the Old Rose tradition. In addition, 'Constance Spry'

has a strong fragrance described as 'myrrh'. It was introduced in 1961.

'Constance Spry' had nearly all of the qualities David Austin was trying to

achieve, excellent Old Rose flowers with good color and fragrance, all on a

vigorous bush, but it was once blooming. Since the repeat blooming gene in

roses is recessive, a cross between a once blooming old rose and a repeat

blooming rose almost always produces once blooming seedlings, so 'Constance

Spry' was once blooming. However, 'Constance Spry' was crossed with a repeat

blooming rose, and some of the seedlings were repeat blooming. With these

seedlings, David Austin had what he desired, repeat blooming roses with Old

Rose style flowers and good fragrance. So far, David Austin only had pink

roses.

Like most hardy bulbs, alliums are best planted in early fall, but you may get away with planting them in early spring if you can store them in a cool, dry place. Another option is to plant them now in a large container and place it outside or in an unheated garage so they will get enough chilling to bloom. Make sure the soil around them stays slightly moist but not waterlogged.

Some other hardy summer-flowering bulbs to consider include Sicilian honey garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum) and native spider lilies such as Hymenocallis caroliniana and H. liriosome, which are hardy to USDA Zone 7. “Crinum lilies would be really good for Chapel Hill,” says Nancy Goodwin, creator of Montrose gardens in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Crinums and spider lilies have an advantage over some other summer bloomers in that they don’t mind clay soils, and some even thrive with wet feet. Despite references that indicate these bulbs are hardy only in Zone 9 or 10, Goodwin has had no problem growing Crinum ‘Ellen Bosanquet’, C. ‘Milk and Wine’, or Amarcrinum memoria-corsii, a hybrid between Amaryllis belladonna and Crinum moorei. Good choices for lower-growing bulbs, according to Goodwin, are rain lilies such as Zephyranthes candida, Z. flavissima, and Habranthus robustus, which flower after rainfall throughout the summer. Old favorites include Gladiolus, Crocosmia, and, of course, many, many lilies (Lilium spp.)

One of the oldest known cultivated plants, the broad bean or fava bean (Vicia faba) is a legume related to vetch. Native to Africa and the Middle East, it is also known as Windsor bean, Scotch bean, and horse bean.

Broad beans make an excellent substitute for lima beans in cold, short-season areas where the latter cannot be grown successfully. Plant them in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked (at the same time as peas). They need the long cool springs to set their pods; warm weather—above 70 degrees Fahrenheit—inhibits flowering and pod setting. Broad beans will survive frost but not a heavy freeze. Their taste has been described as between that of a garden pea and a lima bean, with rich nutty overtones.