---------- Could you give some tips on making a mixed container of annuals? I love the effect they make. Many gardeners are very successful with mixed containers, using several varieties of flowers and foliages in pleasing combinations of color and texture. Almost any type of plant can be combined with a few guidelines. Design the container plantings for shade or for sun, combining only those flowers which do well together. Semperflorens bronze- leaved begonia or any of the green-leaved begonias or medium- flowered tuberous begonias, impatiens, salvia and browallia all work well in containers for shade. For a sunny location, the choice is almost unlimited. Include plants for height (e.g. Shasta daisies or geraniums), plants for spread (e.g. petunias,) and plants to grow down over the edges of the containers. Trailing foliage plants are useful here as well as those that flower such as hanging fuchsias and verbena. Plant too much rather than too little. Err on the side of extra plants for a lush, full effect. But to compensate for extra plants fertilize and water properly. Apply a slow release fertilizer for summer-long feeding. Water abundantly throughout the summer. Here are a couple of ideas for container planting combinations that work well. Pink and white full sun container: pink Begonia, white Nicotiana, rose-pink Geranium, white Petunias, white Snapdragon, white Dimorphoteca, pink Vinca. Blue and pink shade container: pink Impatiens, pink Begonia, violet Impatiens, Browallia, Dusty Miller, and Alyssum. ------------- What is a Mourning Bride or a Pincushion Flower? Both are common names for an admirable all purpose annual flower, Scabiosa atropurpureus. However, pincushion is the more apt name, as it describes blossom size and appearance. Interpreted literally, the botanical name means a dark purple plant that cures the itch, a totally incorrect description. Pincushion grows rapidly from large, sure-sprouting seeds. Plants are rather open and floppy because of the long stems. Try growing 2 or 3 plants inside a 2 ft. high cylinder of chicken wire, 8 to 9 inches in diameter. After a while the wire will be virtually invisible. Seeds can be sown early out-of-doors; young plants are frost hardy. Pincushion flowers will withstand quite a bit of heat if spent blossoms are removed and the plants are watered frequently. Seed breeders have selected a wide range of pastel pink, rose, lavender and orchid colors while retaining the deep wine and purple shades. Few other flowers can match pincushion for production of long stemmed, long lasting cut flowers. ------------- Can I grow Liriope or lily grass here in southwest Virginia? The information I've read says it's only hardy from Zone 7 south. The lilyturfs, those grass-like, Oriental evergreen groundcover and edging plants of the genera Liriope and Ophiopogon have long been considered plants for the South and the Pacific Coast. However many of them today are grown successfully where tempera- tures go as low as -20 degrees. Give it a try! They may be damaged in especially cold winters but should recover. ------------ I'm looking for an unusual carefree tree. My neighbors all have the large maples, oaks, etc. I would like something smaller. Have any ideas? A good choice for your needs may be the American Yellowwood, (Cladrastis lutea). Yellowwood is a native tree of the southeast considered by many to be the foremost American flowering tree. Its fragrant white blooms occur in 8 to 14 inch panicles in June. The tree is also noted for its attractive bright green leaves and smooth beech-like bark. Another asset of this species is the low incidence of disease and insect problems,including gypsy moths. The tree should be placed in full sun and well drained soil. It is of medium size and spread (average 40 feet in heaight and 45 feet in spread), making it an ideal tree for smaller properties. ------------ I recently moved into a ground floor apartment which has a beautiful back patio surrounded by a wooden wall. I may only be here a year or so and would like to enhance these walls and the narrow planting beds without spending a lot of money on plants which I'll just have to leave when I move out. What kind of suggestions can you give me? To give quick color and brighten your walls consider planting several different kinds of annuals vines along with other long blooming annuals such as marigolds. A good choice for easy blooming along the walls is the scarlet runner bean which can be planted successively during the growing season for continuous bloom. It is excellent for attracting hummingbirds. Another easy to grow and inexpensive blooming vine is the morning glory which now comes in many new and exciting varieties that make it a choice plant for quick color. Though native varieties are known to be a garden pest, new cultivars are not rampant self seeders and can be grown safely without fear of invasion. These varieties include 'Heavenly Blue,' 'Scarlet O'Hara' and 'Pearly Gates.' A little known but potentially popular vine to try is Cobaea or Cathedral Bells. This perennial, which is usually treated as an annual, climbs to height of 10-20 feet and comes in shades of deep blue and white. An unusual vine that may quickly become your favorite is the Black-eyed susan vine (Thunbergia alata). This vine has characteristic yellow blooms with a black eye making it a unique addition to your blooming wall. It is a good choice for low walls, growing to height of four feet. If you plan to provide evening entertainment, you may wish to plant the Moon Vine which blooms from dusk to dawn. The fragrant white blooms of this vine will captivate your guests as well as brighten any gloomy corner of your patio. Any of these selections are easily affordable when purchased as seeds and sown where they are to grow. As a precaution you should check with your neighbors before planting the larger spreading vines along common fences. They may not be as enthusiastic about having vining plants as you are, on the other hand, who would complain about free flowers? If you suspect a problem stick to varieties which grow no larger than your fence. ----------- I love dogwoods. Is there any way I can extend the blooming season of these plants? If you miss the effect of the flowering dogwood after its blooms are gone, you can extend the spring dogwood season by using Kousa dogwood, (Cornus kousa), in addition to the native varieties. Kousa dogwood is a native of Japan and Korea which blooms two to three weeks after our American varieties have ceased. The pointed, creamy white bracts occur in June and can last up to six weeks or longer. The tree develops a beautiful exfoliating bark which provides unusual winter interest. It has an effective red to purple fall foliage as well as pinkish red drupes from August through October. The branching pattern is horizontal which is distinctive to the dogwood family. Kousa dogwood has no serious disease or insect problems. Kousa prefers a sunny, well drained, organically amended soil while native dogwoods grow in a variety of situations. Kousa dogwoods are slower growing than natives but more drought resistant. When planted at the corner of a house the Kousa, with its horizontal branching habit, will break up the dominant vertical lines of the house. The tree will slowly reach a height of 20 feet with an equal spread. Purchase young specimens either in a container or balled and burlapped. -End- -Title- VA TECH HORT FACTS -State- Virginia, Va -Region- Southern, S -Doc- VA TECH HORT FACTS March Notes * Plant roses and bare-root shrubs while they are still dormant, about 4 weeks before the average date of the last frost. * Buy some new perennials for your flower border. Spring is a good time to renew and add variety to your landscape. Visit a local garden center or secure catalogs from your favorite nursery. * Cannas for early flowering may be started in boxes or large pots in a warm cellar or enclosed porch. Cut the rhizomes into pieces of convenient size and plant in a soil mixture containing adequate sand for good drainage. The developing plants are tender to cold and may be set in the garden about a week after the average date of the last frost in your area. * Complete the pruning of shrubs, ornamental trees and fruit trees before growth starts, except for spring flowering shrubs. Prune those which bloom in spring as soon as they finish flower- ing. * Repot houseplants that have grown too large for their con- tainers. Cut back leggy plants to encourage compact growth. Root the cuttings in moist media to increase your supply of plants. * Don't plow your garden when the soil is wet. It will form clods which are difficult to break up and interfere with cultiva- tion during the summer. * Don't rush to remove mulch from perennials and strawberries. Leave it over your plants to protect them from later cold spells. When plants start to grow, the mulch must be removed to allow leaves to develop in the light. If leaves develop under the mulch, they will become etiolated and yellow from lack of chlorophyll, and may be burned and die when they are exposed to the sun. * Shrubs and trees in the home landscape break up sound waves and reduce the nerve-shattering noise of modern society. Plant some new shrubs and trees this spring to improve the beauty and ambience of your home. * Apply a liberal side dressing of 5-10-5 fertilizer on your asparagus bed and around your rhubarb plants. Use about 4 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. and scratch it into the top 2 inches of soil. Renew the organic mulch to a depth of about 1 inch to help conserve soil moisture during the summer. * Unsterilized soil may contain organisms that cause damping off, a disease that can make young seedlings wither and die suddenly. Use a sterilized potting mix in clean pots or flats.