Category: Home & Garden

Hi GPODers—it’s your editor, Joseph, here.

Last week I took a trip down from my home in northern Indiana to Raleigh, North Carolina, and got a little prelude of spring. At home we’re still in the snowdrop stage of things, but down in Raleigh things were growing and blooming.

I stopped by the JC Raulston Arboretum, and right in the parking lot I was greeted by this beautiful mass of Helleborus foetidus (Zones 5–9) in full bloom. The flowers might not be as colorful as some of the hybrid hellebores, but I really love them. The finely cut, dark green foliage looks great every day of the year and contrasts so beautifully with the light green flowers.

Each nodding green bloom is edged with a line of purple that I love.

Iris unguicularis (Zones 7–9) blooms super early in mild climates and is one of my very favorites. The flowers are huge compared to those of other early-blooming plants like crocus or snowdrops. And they smell good too!

I spotted this little treasure in the crevice garden. It is Tetraneuris acaulus ‘Las Vegas’ (Zones 5–9). It has no flowers yet, but who needs them when the foliage is this beautiful?

This hardy winter-blooming Cyclamen coum (Zones 5–9) looks gorgeous in the shade garden.

Who can resist a sunny clump of daffodils?

I also took a hike in Umstead State Park, just up the road. At first glance, it still looked pretty wintry there . . .

. . . but look what I found—a little hepatica (Hepatica americana, Zones 4–9) in bud and about to bloom! I love these little wildflowers. They bloom so early, and as you can see, the foliage stays evergreen and attractive all winter long.

This shot is from last year, but it likely represents what that little hepatica will look like soon once the flowers fully open.

What signs of spring are you seeing in your gardens?

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

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Almost every house has a foundation planting, something that should help the large, man-made structure somehow blend with the natural landscape it was dropped into. More often than not, the foundation planting is done by the builder, who adds a line of common, usually evergreen shrubs to make things seem not so out of place in the hope that the buyer will be much happier with the property. The plantings are often bland and not in scale with the house. Even worse, these humdrum plantings are often ignored until they become so large that making changes is more of a job than one is willing to take on.

But you should take it on—or at least address your lackluster planting before it is too late. These two approaches show how a little creativity and skill can give you something most houses don’t have: a successful foundation planting.

Design 1: Small Space

With limited room your space has to work

Your first thought when encountering a small space might be that you won’t have room to do much. Jane LaFlash’s small garden in Madison, Wisconsin, proves that isn’t true.

The short distance from the sidewalk to the house means that this foundation planting can’t employ a deep bed to soften the connection of the ground level and the two-story house. Jane uses a framework of small trees to quickly provide height to the bed and a certain level of screening for the house. These trees are underplanted with shrubs and perennials that carry the eye down from the trees to ground level.

The plant density and wide array are impressive and reveal one of the benefits of a small space. This much variety in a larger bed would feel chaotic; but, on a limited scale, it is exciting and impactful. Still, there needs to be some harmony to make it feel like a design rather than a bunch of plants in the ground. The subdued color palette of green and chartreuse provides the harmony, and the shots of red add a touch of jazz. Some sedges (Carex spp. and cvs., Zones 3-10) bookend the bed, while the repeated forms of hostas supply more unity in a bed full of texture and form. These themes extend around the corner, where more hostas and chartreuse ‘Sun King’ aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’, Zones 4-8) and ‘All Gold’ Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’, Zones 5-9) ensure that the unity of the front carries on around the house.

Perhaps the most important thing this planting does is reflect the personality of its creator. There can be no doubt that a plant lover lives in this house. For such a little bed, it sure is getting a lot done.

Key elements:

1. ‘Atropurpureum’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’, Zones 5-8)
2. ‘Asplenifolia’ buckthorn (Frangula alnus, syn. Rhamnus frangula* ‘Asplenifolia’, Zones 3-7)
3. Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia, Zones 5-9)
4. ‘Striptease’ hosta (Hosta ‘Striptease’, Zones 3-9)
5. ‘Amethyst Mist’ heuchera (Heuchera ‘Amethyst Mist’, Zones 4-9)
6. ‘Oehme’ palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis ‘Oehme’, Zones 4-9)
7. ‘Nana Aurescens’ yew (Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana Aurescens’, Zones 4-7)
8. ‘June’ hosta (Hosta ‘June’, Zones 3-9)
9. Northern maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum, Zones 3-8)
10. Gray sedge (Carex grayi, Zones 5-9)

Design 2: Large Space

It’s all about connection and balance

Because it is seen from farther away, this Portland, Oregon, foundation planting, the work of garden designer Linda Meyer, needs to do more to settle the house into the landscape. The design has to balance the strong horizontal lines of the house while also visually evening out the slope of the land. The distinctly vertical habit of the plants provides contrast to the lines of the house, while the shape of the bed and the masses within it echo the lines of the house. Because the ground slopes away to reveal more house, the visual weight leans more toward that side. The Heritage® river birch adds the necessary bulk to the other end of the house. The result of the design is a planting that suits and balances the home behind it.

The homeowners also wanted to create a small seating area for respite from the harsh afternoon sun that ravages the back patio. The design gave them the opportunity to include one. The tall grasses and the river birch provide just enough privacy to make the place to feel cozy. A small water feature and some flat stones surrounded by ‘Superba’ Himalayan fleece flower (Persicaria affinis ‘Superba’, Zones 5-8) further enhance the atmosphere . To ensure year-round interest, the grasses and black-eyed Susans are complemented by a variety of plants, including Shasta daisy, Mexican orange blossom, and many spring bulbs.

Key plants:

1. Heritage® river birch (Betula nigra ‘Cully’, Zones 3-9)
2. Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum, Zones 5-9)
3. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Zones 5-9)
4. Fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides cv., Zones 5-9)
5. Mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata, Zones 7-10)
6. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida, Zones 4-9)

*Invasive alert: Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus, syn. Rhamnus frangula)

This plant is considered invasive in CT, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, NH, NY, OH, PA , VT, WI, and WV.

Please visit invasiveplantatlas.org for more information.

Steve Aitken is the editor.

Illustrations: Elara Tanguy

Reports show that the population of bees has continued to fall, putting food security at risk as they play a crucial role in pollination. The fast population decline can be attributed to the continued use of agricultural chemicals, climate change, and other factors such as urban development.

When landscaping or setting up your garden, don’t only think about how good the flowers will look or how pleasant the smell of your garden will be. Consider creating a bee-friendly environment to support honeybees and pollinators for a balanced ecosystem to continue enjoying pure honey and the fruit of their pollination. If you’ve no idea what bee-friendly plants to use in your landscaping, here are a few options that bees love.

1. Lantana

Lantana is a drought-resistant plant that can survive in dry areas. It comes in a variety of species with flowers ranging from orange, white and pink. You can add lantana to your garden or plant it against the fence. Since some people may not like the strong scent, be sure to smell it first when buying so that you get one that appeals to you

2. Bee Balm (Monarda)

If you are looking for region-specific plants in North America for your landscaping that are ideal for supporting honey bees, bee balm is what you need. It is one of the bee-friendly plants native to the North American regions of Ontario, Georgia, and Minnesota. Monarda can grow to 35 inches and has spiky pink, purple, or red flowers that open up like fireworks. Since bee balm can thrive in wet marshy soils and, therefore, can withstand clay soils.

3. Lavender

Bees feed on nectar, and lavender produces a large amount of it. Not only does lavender attract a variety of bees, including bumblebees, mason bees, and leafcutter bees, but its inviting fragrance makes it ideal for adding to your food and drinks. Lavender can grow up to 3 feet tall and wide and thrives in landscape zones 5 – 10. By incorporating it into your landscaping, you can be assured of a beautiful midsummer when they blossom with their purple flowers. The versatility of the lavender plant means you can plant in pots, in the garden or a flowerbed.

4. Aster

Aster is a perennial late-season plant that bees will thank you for when you include it in your landscaping plans. It has daisy-like flowers and blossoms towards the end of summer or early fall, with flowers ranging from whites and pastels to blue and pinks. Asters are bee-friendly plants that are not only tough against disease but deer-resistant as well. With over 200 aster species that are native to America, you can find some as short as 6 inches or as tall as 6 feet, although most species range from 1-4 feet. Asters grow well in well-drained soils, full sun and cool temperatures, and a little shade.

5. Honeysuckles

When it comes to honeysuckles, you have two options when landscaping: you can go with the climbers, or you can opt for a bush. The honeysuckle, famous for its captivating scent and tubular flowers that are a bee-magnet, can grow too big and take over the garden or space if not controlled. As such, you will want to leave enough space for this plant to flourish. You can grow it around the patio so you can indulge your senses with its fragrance when you are outdoors with your loved ones.

6. Mahonia

Mahonia is the bees’ winter savior. While it grows all year round, this robust bee-friendly plant blooms with vibrant yellow flowers and produces nectar during winter when bees are having a hard time foraging. You can use mahonia for landscaping in zones 6-8. What’s more, mahonia produces edible fruits. To flourish, you need to plant mahonia under full or partial shade.

7. Hyacinth

This short and bulbous plant is among bee-friendly plants that you can incorporate into your landscaping to make a beautiful outdoor space and conserve bees. They need typically cold temperatures to grow, so plant them in autumn. You can grow hyacinth in a glass bowl hydroponically or in a container but also plant it in well-drained soils. Hyacinth flowers in the spring and winter.

8. Borage

Borage, or the starflower, not only produces blue flowers but also has edible leaves and a myriad of herbal uses. Add Borage to your landscaping plants and you will have your health and eyes to please bees. They are the pollinators’ favorite because they produce nectar and typically refill two minutes after the bee has had its taste. Borage blooms from June to September and grows in any landscape zone.

When landscaping, consider region-specific plants that thrive in your locality. Go for native plants and mix plants that bloom in different seasons to give bees no reason to leave when the blooming season ends. Likewise, use natural pesticides and fertilizers if you must, and don’t forget to leave spaces for burrowing bees and water baths.  To support honey bees and beekeepers, buy yourself pure and natural honey in Colorado by making your order today!

Today we’re visiting with Lee, who gardens in central New York State. We’ve visited Lee’s garden before (Early Spring Blooms from the Mohawk Valley).

Greetings from the Mohawk Valley. We’re in our winter lull, as most of us are in the top half of the country. It has been a mellow winter thus far, and I’m looking for that to continue, though one storm can change the entire ballgame. Here are some pics of beautiful tulips I put together—nothing really special but lots of color.

I wish everyone an early transition into spring so we all can get going.

The color of this classic, brilliant red tulip and the distinctive blotch at the center of the bloom are thought to have developed to promote pollination by beetles around the Mediterranean where wild tulips are native.

As wonderful as brightly colored, bold tulips are, the soft tones have their own subtler attraction. This white tulip with dew on it is an elegant beauty.

Double-flowered tulips boast extra layers of petals that totally change the look of the flower. This one also adds dramatic flames of red to the bright yellow petals. Just what you need after a long winter!

Not fully double, a few extra petals add interest to this lovely pink tulip.

This double is so full it almost doesn’t look like a tulip anymore. No wonder such flowers are sometimes called peony-flowered tulips.

Here are two different red-and-yellow tulips. The ones in the back are called fringed tulips because each petal edge is lined with a delicate fringe. The intricacies of these blooms beg to be looked at up close, so site them near the edge of a path or cut some to enjoy in a vase.

Fringed AND double, this pink variety is a frothy spring confection.

Parrot tulips have unusual petals that look a little shredded rather than fringed and often twist into unusual shapes, sometimes marked with splashes of green. This one looks like the classic variety ‘Black Parrot’.

What blooms are you most looking forward to seeing this spring?

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

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Armeria maritima

Sea thrift, Ameria maritima, aka sea pink, is a flowering herbaceous perennial for USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8.

It is a member of the large Plumbaginaceae family of plants, which includes lavender-blue plumbago commonly found in the Mediterranean.

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A. maritima thrives with minimal water in poor soil and has a high salt tolerance. In the spring, it produces showy flowers in lavender, pink, or white.

Please note that all parts of this plant are toxic due to the species’ ability to absorb and bind heavy metals, such as copper, from the soil.

Read on and learn how to grow and care for sea thrift in your outdoor living space.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Let’s start with some background.

Cultivation and History

A. maritima is native to seaside locales across coastal Britain, northern Europe, and the North American Pacific Coast.

Upright clumps of flowering sea thrift are commonly found growing on windswept seaward cliffs and coastlines, where the soil is gravelly, well-draining, and saturated with salt. Deep taproots hold them in place.

The foliage is green and grass-like with bare flower stems that sport bobbing, rounded clusters of five-petaled blossoms enclosed in purplish, papery bracts from spring to summer.

This slow-spreading, non-invasive species reaches maximum dimensions of six to 12 inches tall and wide.

There are numerous subspecies, like the pink-flowered California sea pinks, A. maritima subsp. californica, and pink or white A. maritima subsp. sibirica, which is native to Alpine regions and is found growing wild in Colorado and northeastern Utah.

Plants have a high tolerance for drought, poor or rocky soil, heavy metal contamination, salt, and wind.

Sea thrift prefers full sun but tolerates part shade. It can’t tolerate dense, fertile, or moist soil. The crowns, where the stems and roots meet, rot under these conditions.

We strongly caution against consumption because we know that this plant may contain toxic heavy metals.

Historically, it was used by Scottish herbalists to treat conditions ranging from tuberculosis to hangover.

The species enjoyed a brief period of fame between 1937 and 1952 when an engraving of three spherical sea thrift flowers graced the reverse side of a three-pence British coin, aka the thruppenny bit.

The notion of the lowly coin representing thrift is the likely reason the species was chosen.

Let’s talk about how to start a plant.

Sea Thrift Propagation

There are four ways to propagate sea thrift: from seeds, basal cuttings, divisions, and from nursery transplants.

Note that A. maritima has no seed pods. Instead, each blossom bract disperses one individual seed covered in papery chaff.

If you collect seeds from an existing plant, sow them in the fall, or store them in an airtight jar in a cool, dark, dry place to sow the following spring.

From Seed

To start from seed, you’ll need to collect them from a species plant rather than a cultivated variety if you wish to produce a true replica of the parent plant.

You may read otherwise, but seeds do not require any type of treatment prior to sowing.

Sow seeds directly outdoors in the spring after the last spring frost date, when nighttime temperatures are reliably 40°F or above.

Alternatively, start seeds indoors in egg cartons or biodegradable seed starter pots about eight to 10 weeks before the last frost date to get a jump on the growing season.

You can also sow seeds directly outdoors in the ground or containers eight to 10 weeks before the first average frost date.

Press the seeds gently into moistened, gritty, well-draining potting or garden soil with a low nutrient content. They should remain at the soil surface or be barely covered.

Keep the soil moist but not soggy, and seeds sown in pots indoors should be kept in a brightly lit location. Expect sprouts in approximately 21 to 28 days.

Flowers started from straight species seed bloom in the second year. We’ll soon learn that there are cultivated varieties that bloom in the first year.

From Basal Stem Cuttings

Basal cuttings can be taken in spring or summer.

In spring, you can remove the new shoots that grow around the edges of a parent crown.

Here’s how:

Water the plant the day before so the soil is moist.

Reach under a clump of fresh, green foliage and bend it back to expose the shallow roots of the new growth. The edge of the clump should come away easily.

Sever the more mature roots underneath to lift part of the clump away from the ground.

Use your fingers to separate the individual new shoots. Each should have its own small tap root.

Replant as desired.

You can also take basal cuttings during the summer.

Use a clean, sharp knife to slice straight across individual stems at the soil level.

Dip the cut or heel ends into rooting hormone powder.

Work the garden soil to a crumbly consistency. Push the cut ends into the garden soil.

The depth should be just enough for the stems to stand upright when backfilled with soil.

Keep the soil moist but not soggy during the weeks it takes for roots to establish. Foliar growth follows root regeneration and signifies success.

By Division

You can also divide existing clumps of sea thrift before they bloom in early spring or at the end of the season in early fall.

To divide sea thrift clumps:

Water the clump one to two days before you plan to divide so the soil is easy to work.

Use a long-handled shovel to dig down at least a foot and unearth an entire clump. Place your shovel blade just outside the perimeter of the foliage and angle it toward the clump’s center.

Slice straight down through the clump to create multiple sections, each with roots and foliage.

Replant the sections as desired at the same depth and at least six to 12 inches apart.

Transplanting

After all danger of frost has passed and nighttime temperatures are above 40°F, you can transplant your seedlings or nursery starts.

Acclimate them to the outdoors gradually, for a few hours each day, over the course of about a week.

Work your garden soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Do not add any organic amendments. The earth needs to be low in microbial activity and nutrient content.

For multiple plants, space them six to 12 inches apart. Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged for the first year after planting.

Now, let’s talk about growing.

How to Grow Sea Thrift

Choose a location with full sun. Some shade is tolerable.

The soil should be very lean, with a gravelly, well-draining consistency. The ideal pH is in the 4 to 10 range, meaning it can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline.

Established flora has a high tolerance for drought, salt, and wind. Overwatering and excess ambient humidity are detrimental and may result in pest and pathogen issues.

Once established in a pot or garden bed, plants should only need supplemental water during prolonged dry spells.

Sea thrift requires no fertilizer.

Growing Tips

Cultivation is easy when you remember to:

• Use a nutrient-poor, gritty, well-draining potting or garden soil.
• Do not amend the soil with organic matter or apply fertilizer.
• Allow a container depth of at least 9.5 inches for the long tap roots.
• Provide a full sun location.
• Keep the soil moist during establishment in the first growing season.
• Avoid overly wet conditions.

The final point is the most crucial – ironically, waterlogged conditions are the nemesis of this plant in spite of having “sea” in its name!

Pruning and Maintenance

Clumps spread slowly, gradually increasing their presence in the landscape. You may want to divide them to redirect their path or establish them elsewhere.

Divide them in early spring before flowering or post-season in early fall.

At this time, you can also remove the dead centers of clumps that may have succumbed to rotting from overly wet conditions.

Prune back dead foliage as needed and deadhead spent flower stems during spring flowering to promote sporadic reblooming during the summer.

Alternatively, you can let the flowers run to seed and collect those of species plants to sow in the fall or spring.

Allow the evergreen leaves to remain in place post-bloom.

Sea Thrift Cultivars to Select

If you want to grow the species plant, with its vivid magenta-pink blossoms you can find plants available from Nature Hills Nursery in #1 containers.

A. maritima

Cultivated varieties are also available to home gardeners. Remember, if you intend to collect seeds for propagation, only those from the species plant will grow true.

Alba

A. maritima ‘Alba’ has white flowers and grows to heights of three to six inches with a spread of six to nine inches. It’s hardy in Zones 4 to 8.

‘Alba’

‘Alba’ is available from Hirt’s Gardens via Walmart in quart-sized containers. 

Splendens

‘Splendens’ is a little more cold hardy than the species plant and is suitable for cultivation in Zones 3 to 8. It reaches a mature height and width of eight to 10 inches.

‘Splendens’

Bright rose-pink flowers grace the landscape in late spring.

‘Splendens’ is available from Nature Hills Nursery.

False Sea Thrift

In addition, there is a species called false or great sea thrift, A. pseudarmeria.

It has broader leaves, larger bloom clusters, stiffer stems, and a taller stature than A. maritima. Mature specimens are eight to 10 inches tall and wide and will possibly grow taller in fertile soil that causes leggy stems.

‘Ballerina Red’ is a A. pseudameria cultivar suited to Zones 6 to 9. Like A. maritima, it prefers full sun but will tolerate partial shade.

Globular clusters of bright red spring flowers bloom from mid to late spring in the first year.

‘Ballerina Red’

Ballerina red is exceptionally heat and salt-tolerant. With deadheading, there may be sporadic summer blooms.

‘Ballerina Red’ is available from Nature Hills Nursery.

Managing Pests and Disease

A. maritima is not especially prone to pests or pathogens, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for the following:

Leafhoppers

Leafhoppers are sap-sucking, hopping insects of various colors.

Their feeding causes light-colored speckling and their excretions are a breeding ground for sooty mold. Large infestations can cause leaf yellowing and desiccation.

Treatment with food-grade diatomaceous earth may be effective.

Slugs

Slugs favor overly wet conditions and defoliate flora with their voracious chewing.

If you find slug damage or evidence of their presence, read our guide to learn more about how to deal with them.

Disease

Overly wet conditions, especially with organically-rich, poorly draining soil, may promote the proliferation of fungal conditions like leaf spot, rust, and stem and root rot.

Leaf Spot

Leaf spot disease is caused by a number of different fungal pathogens and appears as brownish spots with a yellowish halo and sometimes visible dark specks in the center.

Leaf drop follows. Removing affected foliage and treating with a fungicide should be effective.

Rust

Rust has similar symptoms, and is also caused by a variety of different fungi. Rust-colored leaf spots become blister-like, spreading and causing leaf drop.

Removing affected leaves may be effective, but many types of rust are fungicide-resistant.

Stem and Root Rot

Rhizoctonia solani, a soil borne fungus, causes stem and root rot. Symptoms include lesions on the stems and foliage near ground level and root decay.

Plants in the seedling stage and those in overly wet soil are most susceptible.

The best approach to this pathogen is to act preventatively by buying high-quality, disease-free seed. If your plants are infected, remove affected parts and sanitize garden tools.

Contact your local agricultural extension for details about which fungicides are currently recommended.

Best Uses for Sea Thrift

Sea thrift is a versatile flower naturally suited to salty coastal beds, borders, and containers.

With a three-gallon pot or larger to accommodate its long tap root, you’ll find it an excellent companion to aubretia coreopsis, geranium, and loosestrife.

Its petite stature and spreading growth habit make sea thrift ideal for edging and mass-planting as a ground cover. Sprawling companions include fleabane, gumweed, stonecrop, and sand verbena.

The showy flower heads and straight, upright stems are desirable in a cutting garden, where the plants attract beneficial bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, and moths.

And finally, A. maritima shines in rock gardens and naturalistic, low-moisture xeriscapes.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Herbaceous perennial	Flower/Foliage Color:	Pink, lavender, white/green
Native to:	Coastal Britain, northern Europe, North American Pacific Coast	Tolerance:	Deer, drought, dry/poor/rocky soil, heavy metal contamination, rabbits, salt, wind
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	4-8	Maintenance:	Moderate
Bloom Time:	Spring, sporadic summer with deadheading	Soil Type:	Lean, rocky, sandy
Exposure:	Full sun to part shade	Soil pH:	4.0-10.0
Spacing:	6-12 inches	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Planting Depth:	Surface sow (seeds), same depth as original container (transplants)	Attracts:	Bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, moths
Height:	6-12 inches	Companion Planting:	Aubretia, columbine, coreopsis, dianthus, fleabane, geranium, gumweed, loosestrife, sand verbena, and stonecrop
Spread:	6-12 inches	Uses:	Coastal beds and borders, containers, cutting gardens, edging, ground cover, mass planting, rock gardens, xeriscapes
Growth Rate:	Slow	Family:	Plumbaginaceae
Water Needs:	Low	Genus:	Armeria
Common Pests and Diseases:	Leafhoppers, slugs; leaf spot, rust, stem and root rot	Species:	Maritima

A Seasoned Seaside Beauty

Don’t be deceived by sea thrift’s quaintly bobbing blooms. Beneath their dainty appearance is a tough plant that is accustomed to battering winds, nutrient-poor soil, and sea spray.

A. maritima is a star in the home garden because it is not prone to pests or diseases, spreads non-aggressively, and is ideal for a water-wise landscape.

Avoid excess moisture, provide excellent drainage, and skip the fertilizer to enjoy years of perky springtime blooms.

Do you grow sea thrift in your outdoor living space? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you found this article helpful and want to read about more flowers for your garden, we recommend the following:

Fatsia japonica

With big, bold leaves, put fatsia on your wish list if you’re looking for a pet-friendly houseplant or one that will tolerate low light levels.

Take one look at its emerald green leaves and you’ll want to move it to the top of the list!

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Perhaps you’ve already taken the plunge and brought a Fatsia japonica plant home.

Or maybe fatsia is on your wish list and you’re here to decide if it will tolerate the growing conditions you’re able to provide.

In this article we’ll cover all of this houseplant’s growing needs so whether you’re troubleshooting a problem or preparing to bring a specimen home, you will be ready to proceed with confidence!

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What Is Japanese Aralia?

Fatsia japonica – also known simply as fatsia – is an evergreen shrub that has a rounded, open, spreading growth habit.

Though it can reach up to 16 feet tall when grown outdoors it usually grows to around six feet tall and wide as a houseplant.

Fatsia has glossy, emerald to dark green palmate leaves that are deeply lobed, grow to be eight inches wide or larger, and are held on long petioles.

These leaves have an odd number of lobes – usually seven, nine, or 11 lobes per leaf – though younger specimens typically have fewer and shallower lobes.

When new fatsia leaves unfurl, they are covered with small, orange-tinted hairs, so if you notice some fuzz on your houseplant’s foliage, don’t panic.

Though Japanese aralias grown as houseplants don’t often bloom, when cultivated outdoors these plants produce fragrant white blooms in fall, which attract pollinators such as wasps.

Flowering is followed by attractive clusters of dark blue berries, which enclose seeds that can be used to propagate new specimens.

Cultivation and History

F. japonica is native to the Korean peninsula and Japan, and is a member of the ivy family, Araliaceae, related to other stars of the houseplant world such as false aralia and umbrella tree.

Also called fatsi, Japanese aralia, paperplant, big leaf paperplant, glossy leaf paperplant, Formosa rice tree, figleaf palm, and false castor oil plant, this species was categorized taxonomically in 1854.

However, thanks to their cold tolerance, fatsias are grown outdoors as ornamental shrubs just as frequently as they are enjoyed as houseplants.

In Korea and Japan, these plants aren’t just admired for their beauty – fatsia sprouts are eaten as a delicacy.

Japanese aralias can be grown outdoors year round in USDA Hardiness Zones 7b to 10b.

Japanese Aralia Propagation 

Japanese aralia houseplants can be propagated from seeds, cuttings, and transplants.

If you’re hoping to propagate a cultivar, you’ll need to do so via cuttings, since the seeds of cultivated varieties won’t grow true.

And if you’re new to propagating, you might want to read our guide to houseplant propagation for beginners first!

From Seed

Growing new paperplants from seed is an easy and cheap option.

You’ll need to start by procuring some fatsia seeds.

Houseplants are unlikely to flower or produce seeds, but you may be able to collect seeds from a plant growing outdoors if there are any in your area – be sure to ask first!

In all cases, the seeds need to stay warm and moist to germinate.

We discuss these methods in detail in our guide to propagating Japanese aralia from seed.(coming soon!)

From Cuttings

While starting Japanese aralia from seeds is easier, if you’d like to propagate a cultivar, you’ll have to do so by taking cuttings.

Use semi-ripe Japanese aralia cuttings – the base of the cutting should be woody, while the tip should be green. Late summer to mid-autumn is the best time to take cuttings in their semi-ripe stage.

Use sterilized garden snips to take cuttings to avoid spreading diseases, and take more cuttings than you need, since they may not all survive.

Take cuttings that are four to six inches long, cutting right below a node, which is the swollen place along the stem where leaves emerge.

Cuttings can be propagated either in water or in growing medium.

To propagate in water, place the cuttings in a jar of water, and situate them in a warm location with bright, indirect light. Change the water every few days. Roots should develop from these cuttings within a month.

You can pot up water-rooted cuttings when the roots are at least an inch long, following the instructions in the transplanting section below.

To root your cuttings in growing medium, take the cuttings and trim off all the leaves on each stem except the top one.

Dip the ends of the cuttings in rooting hormone, such as Olivia’s Cloning Gel, available in an assortment of sizes via Arbico Organics.

Olivia’s Cloning Gel

Place each cutting in individual four-inch nursery pots, filled to within an inch of the rim with moist growing medium.

Place the pot in a warm location with indirect, bright light, keep the growing medium moist, and expect the cutting to root within a month.

The rooted cutting should be grown in the same pot until it starts drying out too quickly, indicating it needs repotting.

Learn more about propagating houseplants from stem cuttings with our guide.

From Transplants

When you bring a new specimen home, you might wonder if it will need to be transplanted into a new pot right away.

The answer is – it depends!

If the plant is drying out too quickly between waterings or is tipping over because the container is too small to support the mass of the plant’s growth, then yes, go ahead and transplant the specimen into a larger container.

Otherwise, leave it in the same nursery pot, or transplant it to a decorative container of the same size.

When repotting paperplant specimens that have outgrown their current containers, choose a new one that is just one size larger, and make sure it has drainage holes.

Check the top of the root ball – it should be around an inch below the rim of the new pot. If it’s too high, remove some of the soil beneath the plant – if it’s too low, add a little more.

When the plant is situated at the right level, fill in along the sides of the root ball with growing medium, making sure not to cover the crown of the plant, then water, and return the plant to its normal location.

How to Grow Japanese Aralia

Ready to learn more about the light, water, soil, and climatic needs of these gorgeous green houseplants?

When you bring a fatsia home, first check it for pests and diseases. You’ll learn more about what to look for later in the article, so keep reading!

Even if the plant looks healthy, if you have other houseplants, it’s best to quarantine a new specimen for two to four weeks in case there are any critters hiding in the soil.

As I mentioned earlier, Japanese aralias can adjust to a variety of indoor light conditions, as long as they aren’t exposed to too much direct sunlight.

Indirect bright or medium light levels are optimum for Japanese aralias, but they also put up with low light, and many houseplant enthusiasts choose these plants for their tolerance of darker conditions.

But let me tell you from experience – what seems like “low light” to the human eye may actually be too dark for Japanese aralias grown indoors.

To be sure you’re taking good care of your houseplants, there are a wide array of light meters that can help you make sure your cherished plants get the luminosity they need – and these glossy beauties need at least 75 to 200 foot candles.

Read our guide to learn how using a light meter can help you provide your houseplants with optimum light conditions.

When growing paperplants outdoors year-round or just during the summer months, place them in shade or dappled shade.

Once you have located a spot with the perfect light conditions for your Japanese aralia, you’ll want to make sure you get the watering right too.

Keep the plant’s soil moist but not soggy, and bear in mind that they really don’t like to dry out!

In fact, fatsias will let you know when you have gone too long between waterings by wilting quite dramatically.

As you get to know your fatsia houseplant, keep in mind that this is a common reaction when these plants need water – and try to time your visits with the watering can so that you avoid such pitiful displays.

Water Japanese aralias when the top of the growing medium is dry to the touch, and use a houseplant watering can with a narrow spout to make sure you water the soil evenly.

You can learn more about watering houseplants in our guide.

These plants will adapt to a variety of soil types as long as it’s rich in organic matter and well-draining, but they do prefer slightly acidic growing mediums with a pH range of 5.5 to 6.0.

As for temperature, a range of 60 to 80°F during summer is best, but in winter Japanese aralias prefer cooler temperatures in a range of 45 to 55°F, but shouldn’t be exposed to temperatures below 10°F.

You might find a good spot for a fatsia houseplant on the north side of your home – for those in the Northern Hemisphere – where the sun’s rays don’t warm the home as much.

When it comes to humidity, a level of 60 percent or higher is best.

If you’re trying to grow this houseplant in a climate that has low humidity, you can set a humidifier near the plant which can raise humidity levels in a small room from 40 percent to 60 percent in a few hours.

Growing Tips

• Grow in indirect bright, medium, or low light.
• Keep soil moist but not soggy.
• Provide 60% relative humidity or higher.

Pruning and Maintenance

Once you have a Japanese aralia plant that outgrows its pot – either one purchased from a nursery, or propagated from seeds or cuttings – eventually you’ll need to repot it to a larger container.

It’s time to repot if the Japanese aralia specimen is drying out too quickly between waterings, roots are emerging from the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot or from the surface of the growing medium, or the plant has grown so top heavy that it’s tipping over.

As noted earlier in the article, when repotting Japanese aralias, choose a pot that is just one size larger than the current container and only repot when the plant has outgrown its current container.

Make sure your chosen pot has drainage holes.

If your fatsia becomes leggy or you wish to reshape it, you can prune back one third of the plant at a time. Removing more than one third of the leaves will make it hard for the plant to recover.

When pruning, be sure to sterilize scissors or garden snips with hydrogen peroxide in between different specimens to reduce the risk of disease spread.

As for fertilizer, you can offer your fatsia worm compost from your vermicompost bin, or provide a gentle, balanced fertilizer once a week during the growing season, such as Dr. Earth’s Pump and Grow Indoor Houseplant Food.

Dr. Earth Pump and Grow Indoor Houseplant Food

You’ll find Dr. Earth’s Pump and Grow Indoor Houseplant Food in 16-ounce bottles available from Arbico Organics.

Hybrids and Cultivars to Select

When choosing a fatsia for a houseplant, there are several options including a variety of cultivars as well as the straight species. 

The straight species, F. japonica, is a beauty in its own right.

With glossy, emerald green leaves, it’s easy to find a place in the home for such a classic foliage plant.

Fatsia Japonica in 1-Gallon Pot

Ready to welcome one of these into your home? You’ll find two-foot tall specimens in one-gallon pots available from 9EzTropical via Amazon.

Here are some common cultivars you may find at your local nursery or online:

Annelise

‘Annelise’ has impressionistic, marbled patterns that might remind you of the prayer plant cultivar ‘Fusion White.’

The foliage of this cultivar displays inner variegation – the center of the leaf is light green, and then darkens towards the leaf margins.

Annemieke

‘Annemieke’ (x Fatshedera lizei ) is an intergeneric hybrid – a cross between F. japonica ‘Moseri’ and Hedera helix, better known as English ivy.

This hybrid, also called “tree ivy” or “bush ivy,” has five-lobed leaves with the beautiful veining of ivy.

The cultivar ‘Annemieke’ has beautiful yellow variegation on the leaves, and can be cultivated as either a vine or a shrub, with regular pruning to encourage bushier growth.

Of note for those interested in fatsia as a nontoxic houseplant – this intergeneric hybrid likely loses that property, since English ivy is toxic to humans and pets.

Spider’s Web

‘Spider’s Web’ is an F. japonica cultivar that has speckled white variegation at the margins of the leaves, which transitions to green at the centers. Some leaves may be entirely white.

‘Spider’s Web’ Fatsia

If you’d like to buy one for a houseplant, you can find a ‘Spider’s Web’ fatsia in a 10-inch grower’s pot from the National Plant Network via Walmart.

Managing Pests and Disease

Fatsia is prone to the same pests and diseases which commonly plague houseplants.

As mentioned above, you’ll definitely want to check any new specimen you bring into your home and quarantine it from other houseplants for two to four weeks, if possible.

After that, check for pests underneath the leaves whenever you water your Japanese aralia, and give it a thorough inspection before bringing your plant indoors after it has spent the summer outside.

Keep an eye out for aphids, mealybugs, and scale, all of which are sap-sucking insects that will suck nutrients from these plants, weakening them to the point of death if left unchecked.

Personally, I’ve had the biggest issue with scale on newly arrived Japanese aralia specimens.

Check under leaves, along leaf veins, and on stems for these well-camouflaged insects – they sometimes look like little bumps or imperfections and may be black, gray, brown, green, or white.

If scale is an issue for your Japanese aralia plant, you may notice leaves that appear deformed, or showing discolored spots.

These insects may leave oily looking liquid on the houseplant’s foliage – this is known as honeydew, and its presence can encourage fungal growth, giving you a two-for-one plant catastrophe!

Luckily, it is possible to rid these houseplants of scale, aphid, or mealybug infestations. My treatment of choice is neem oil, which is nontoxic to humans, dogs, and cats.

Monterey Neem Oil

Monterey Neem Oil comes in an assortment of sizes and is available from Arbico Organics.

Apply the product once a week for three to four weeks, making sure to coat the plant well, and spray the surface of the soil too.

For further guidance on handling scale infestations, be sure to read our article.

When it comes to diseases, the problem you are most likely to experience with this plant is root rot – a malady which can be avoided with proper plant care.

If your plant is wilting, yet its growing medium is damp, it’s highly likely that root rot is the problem.

When it comes to root rot, prevention is key!

Make sure your Japanese aralia is planted in a well-draining growing medium, a pot with drainage holes, and keep the growing medium moist but not soggy.

Learn more about controlling root rot in houseplants in our guide.

Best Uses for Japanese Aralia

In addition to serving as a large green foliage plant in your home, Japanese aralia is excellent for interiorscaping thanks to its tolerance for low light conditions.

Paperplants are also safe for households with pets or small children.

But based on my experience, this is certainly not one of those houseplants your cat will leave alone.

My cats are particularly drawn to my Japanese aralias and are intent on mauling them, so if you have felines, you too might need to keep these out of their reach by placing them in hanging planters or wall planters.

I’m assuming my cats love to chew on this plant so much because of its tasty foliage.

While I haven’t tried sampling it myself, as mentioned above, fatsia is edible and the young sprouts are considered a delicacy in Japan and Korea.

And as a reminder for those of you in warmer zones, fatsias can be planted outdoors in shady areas in USDA Hardiness Zones 7b to 10b.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:	Evergreen shrub	Flower/Foliage Color:	White/emerald green, variegated green and white, variegated green and yellow
Native to:	Japan, Korea	Water Needs:	Moderate
Hardiness (USDA Zone):	7b-10b	Maintenance:	Low
Bloom Time/Season:	Fall	Tolerance:	Cool conditions, humidity, low light
Exposure:	Bright, medium, or low indirect light (indoors), dappled shade to full shade (outdoors)	Soil Type:	All-purpose houseplant growing medium
Time to Maturity:	3-5 years	Soil pH:	5.5-6.0
Planting Depth:	1/8-1/4 inch (seeds), top of root ball (transplants)	Soil Drainage:	Well-draining
Height:	6-16 feet	Uses	Foliage houseplant, shade plant
Spread:	6-16 feet	Family:	Araliaceae
Growth Rate:	Moderate to fast	Genus:	Fatsia
Common Pests and Diseases:	Aphids, mealybugs, scale, spider mites; leaf spot, root rot	Species:	Japonica

A Bold and Beautiful Foliage Choice

Big and bold, fatsia won’t fade into the background and hide – and now you are equipped with the care knowledge you need to keep your Japanese aralia looking beautiful in the foreground.

Now it’s your turn to show off photos of your own Japanese aralias – just use the comments section below! And if you still have any unanswered questions about caring for fatsias, feel free to drop them there as well.

Looking for more indoor foliage options for your home or office space? Keep reading right here:

WHEN SHOPPING the seed catalogs, I realize I’m probably more likely to consider a tomato or pepper I haven’t grown before, or some unusual annual flower, than to try some new-to-me herb. But what a shame. I need to modify that behavior and spice things up a bit.

I need to move beyond what today’s guest, Hudson Valley Seed Company’s co-founder K Greene, calls “the must-have,” more standard types of herbs. And give some garden space to ones he labels the “try these, too” kinds.

K Greene is co-founder with Doug Muller of Hudson Valley Seed in Accord, New York. With their team on their certified organic farm there, they produce much of the seed they sell. Their catalog is a mix of vegetables, flowers, and herbs—our topic today. All of them open-pollinated, and include many heirlooms. (Above, Klip Dagga, a tropical mint relative from Africa and India.)

Plus: Enter to win a $25 gift card for Hudson Valley Seeds by commenting in the box near the bottom of the page.

Read along as you listen to the Feb. 26, 2024 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).

try some new herbs from seed, with k greene

Margaret Roach: It’s good to talk to you again, K, and I don’t think we’ve talked about herbs specifically in all the years that we’ve known each other [laughter].

K Greene: I don’t think we have, but to be here to talk about something new.

Margaret: So you labeled them “the must-haves” and “try these, too.” What are a couple must-haves for you? I’ve got to have parsley, I know that.

K: Yeah, I think parsley is a must-have. And particularly the ‘Gigante d’Italia,’ the flat-leaf.

Margaret: Oh, me, too. That’s my parsley. Yeah, yeah.

K: That’s the one. And one thing about parsley that is a question we get sometimes: I don’t think folks realize that it takes longer for those seeds to germinate than other seeds. And so there can be a little bit of impatience [laughter] of, “My windowsill, what’s wrong with the seeds? Why isn’t this happening?” They take a little bit longer, but it’s totally worth the extra wait.

Margaret: Yeah, I usually start those closer to when I start my onions—not as early—than to when I start say, my peppers or tomatoes. Do you know what I mean? It’s in the middle there somewhere, longer than my quicker things. So yeah, I give them a couple of extra weeks. You have some interesting ones? You have one that I have never heard of. I don’t even know how you say it. ‘Menuette’ [below] or something?

K: ‘Menuette.’ Yeah. It’s somewhere between a green and an herb I would say. But you’ll see it mixed more in like a salad mix.

Margaret: Mm-hmm. I think it says in the catalog the texture’s like confetti, the leaflets are more fine or something. Yeah, it’s really interesting looking.

K: We try to add things that are both things that people are really looking for. But as I’ve learned more about herbs, because I’m not a culinary expert, that’s not my bent, but we hear from people who are cooks and they’re looking for more specific herbs than I would be familiar with.

And for me, actually, one of them—and maybe this is silly [laughter], but the difference between oregano and marjoram always eluded me. But people are very specific about it in terms of dishes and cooking.

And so a couple years ago we did one of our art packs for marjoram to really educate ourselves, but also hopefully share with people who were like me, who were like, “What’s the difference?” [laughter] to really start to understand that there’s a different flavor profile for each of those.

Margaret: Yes. Well, the ‘Menuette’ parsley, it looks a little shaggy almost. It actually looks like it would be easier to chop and like as you say sort of tear and throw into a salad. And you wouldn’t get all those kind of flat leaves that were just stuck to other things maybe.

K: And it’s like a mouth-feel thing. And with herbs, I think about all of the senses really, when I think about herbs: that they’re beautiful and ornamental. There’s the flavorful culinary quality. There’s a fragrant aromatic-ness to your garden when you’re growing herbs. And then for culinary folks, especially the fresh-eating herbs, there’s this mouth-feel that is so important. And when you’re putting together a salad mix, you want to have those different textures in there, as well as the colors and the shapes and the flavors. But the texture is important, too.

Margaret: Yeah. And some herbs out in the garden are pollinator magnets. A lot of them actually are in the mint family, and that’s always a popular family with insects, pollinators. And other ones, some of them are composites, daisy-shaped flowers like feverfew, I’m thinking of, for instance. And those are real magnets for insects as well. Some are medicinal, some are used for crafting—all kinds of different things.

K: Yeah. For pollinators, I love having both chives and garlic chives. They bloom at different times, they’re very different-looking blooms. The chives have that beautiful purple tuft to them. And then the garlic chives has that globe that has those beautiful five-pointed-star white flowers, and you always see pollinators around them, and they’re perennial.

So when I am thinking about designing an herb garden, I always start with, “Which are the perennial herbs?” Those are my anchor plants. And I know they’re going to spread and they’re going to come back. And then I think about where I’m going to put my annuals in between those anchoring perennials. And it’s almost like having a miniature cottage garden kind of feel where you have lower mounding and higher and spiky and things blooming at different times. It’s a great way to miniaturize garden design in a manageable way [laughter]. And also, then not worry so much about the deer as well, because the deer don’t like a lot of the herbs that we like.

Margaret: Yeah. No, I have an edge in one area, an edge of garlic chives and it’s just great. I don’t know if it’s high summer or a little later even, I’m not sure; I can’t quite picture at the moment what the timing is. But speaking of abuzz, it is just unbelievable the number of species of insects that are interested in those flowers.

So yeah, there’s lots of other… So we could talk again in any of those directions: perennial, annual, culinary, medicinal, whatever. You have a number of different perillas or shisos.

And that’s one that I always used to grow. I used to grow the purple one that I think they use it in vinegar, rice vinegar, to tint the sliced ginger in Japanese restaurants and so forth. It gives that pink tinge. But you have a couple of different ones; you have a green one also [‘Ao’ shiso, below].

K: Yes. It’s so delicious. They grow so well here. It’s a little controversial [laughter] because we do get people who say that it’s an invasive, or that it will take over. And it’s not technically an invasive in the Northeast. There are a couple states where it is. And so we don’t ship to those states, but it is opportunistic. But it’s super-easy to get rid of if it’s self-seeded in your yard. It’s not a problem plant for us at all. And the flavor is amazing. And I have never found an insect that messes with it. I talk about an ornamental edible. It is just beautiful the whole season.

Margaret: Yeah. And I see that you recommend in the catalog that it can be used—and you say this about a number of things, dill for instance—that it can be used as microgreens, that you can sow the seeds as microgreens. So do you guys do that? That’s interesting.

K: We do. We just added microgreen kits recently, and we’ve been creating larger pack sizes for microgreens because you do so much succession sowing with the microgreens. But for me, the microgreens really are about flavor. Sometimes I want something really spicy with the microgreens to put on top, but the herbs, they have their flavor at that microgreen stage. So you’re doing basil, like cinnamon basil or lemon basil or ‘Genovese’ basil; it’s going to have that cinnamon or lemon or ‘Genovese’ flavor to it, which is just so easy to add to a sandwich. Parsley actually is great, too, but again, you have to be a little patient. Chervil. Do you like chervil?

Margaret: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

K: Yeah. I love chervil. That’s another one that at a microgreen stage has this slight anise flavor. And then at its mature stage, has that same mouth feel like the parsley that we were talking about, like the crinkly texture to it.

Margaret: Well, so you mentioned basils and you’ve got plenty of basils, and that’s one place where we could… As gardeners, we may each do the ‘Genovese,’ the classic Italian basil. But there’s other directions to go. And some of them are used for different things. So do you have particular favorites or-

K: I love the cinnamon basil.

Margaret: Oh!

K: I don’t know if I would’ve named it cinnamon basil myself. But it does have a quality that would remind you of cinnamon or allspice, that it’s an undercurrent of the flavor. It’s not overpowering. So I love that. But related to basil in a distant way is the sacred basil. Have you grown the Kapoor sacred basil that we have?

Margaret: Yeah, I think some people say holy basil, right?

K: Yeah. I sometimes grow it just for the aroma in the garden. It is so fragrant, you can smell it from 15 feet away as you walk through. So I really love that one.

A herb that is a flower that I grow that’s in the mint family called Klip Dagga is probably my best all-time favorite herb/flower of the year last year. And I am going to grow it forever and ever and ever [laughter]. I love it so much. And the hummingbirds love it. And it’s just spectacular.

Margaret: And that’s an oddball. So it’s a Leonotis technically. And there’s also a perennial Leonotis, Leonotis leonurus, but this is Leonotis nepetifolia. And again, is another thing that’s in the mint family, but it can get really tall. Each little flower on these crazy balls that are up the stem, every so often up the stem, it looks like something from outer space to me with these crazy flowers coming out of it. It can get taller than 6 feet, surely.

K: Oh, yeah. No, when I grow them, they’re around 10 feet.

Margaret: That’s crazy.

K: And they have those whorls, I don’t know how to say it.

Margaret: Whorls. Yeah.

K: Yeah. Don’t think you’re supposed to say the H, but I do, because I don’t want people to think that I’m whirling. The whorl grows all the way around the square stem, and then it looks like a lion’s mane around the stem from the orange flowers.

Margaret: And they’re like little tubular flowers, like something in the mint family. Again, it looks like outer space to me. It’s like these space stations going all the way up this giant, 10-foot pole [laughter].

K: I grow them right in front of our big picture window because the hummingbirds love them so much, and it’s a living hummingbird feeder. So the hummingbirds come up and they’re less than a foot away from our window, and they go in a circle right around the flower, around the whole stem, hovering like that, and I can just sit there and watch them up close. I love it.

Margaret: So this is a plant that comes originally from parts of Africa, and India, and so we grow it as an annual. You said it’s called Klip Dagga [detail above], but it’s again, Leonotis, technically. Even though it’s tropical, it’s a fast-growing annual for us. It’s fascinating. I think in the catalog you say it’s Dr. Seuss-ish, and it is.

K: Yeah. And a good companion for that. If you want to go really Seussian, is the Spilanthes.

Margaret: Oh.

K: So that’s low-growing, and it has those button type flowers. They almost look like the center of a Coreopsis or of an Echinacea without the petals. And they’re yellow, and it’s low-mounding, and it does have medicinal properties as well. It is grown as a medicinal herb, but just for me, the look of those two together just really tickles me.

Margaret: Is that the one we called toothache plant or something like that?

K: Yeah.

Margaret: Spilanthes [above]. I think one of the traditional uses was to numb the gum or who knows what, but at any rate. Yeah, Spilanthes: the toothache plant. So that’d be a crazy combination. You’re right.

K: Yeah. Great.

Margaret: All right. Cool. You have another perennial that I’ve probably had for at least 25 years, if not longer—speaking of being a real perennial—is lovage. And you say in the catalog “this will be your new favorite herb.” And I can’t believe that it’s not in every garden, because-

K: Why isn’t it so popular?

Margaret: It’s unbelievable. To say this tastes like celery is not doing it full justice, but that’s the closest flavor I know that it tastes like.

K: It’s rich. It’s just so rich. And just a little bit of that in soup stock. It changes your whole soup, period. And it’s perennial and it’s so pretty. It’s an elegant, elegant plant to grow.

Margaret: And it looks a little bit like celery, not the stalks in the same way, not as thick or anything, but do you know what I mean? The leaves. Anyway, it’s lovely. It doesn’t ask anything of you. It comes up every year, but lovage—I just can’t imagine why people don’t want it. Even though it’s a perennial, it can be grown from seed. Yes?

K: Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. And you’re reminding me also another one that some folks don’t realize you can grow from seed that’s perennial, that’s beautiful, is lavender, and we offer them ‘Munstead.’ We’re celebrating that one this year, which is associated with Gertrude Jekyll and her homestead. But it’s important to realize with lavender, I think part of the reason people don’t think about growing it from seed is it does have inconsistent germination. So unlike a lot of our seeds where we’re trying to offer things that have 90 percent germination rate. With your lavender, you’re going to get about 50 percent of the ones in the pack germinating. And that’s not a problem with the seed lot. That’s just how it behaves.

Margaret: That’s right.

K: It behaves that way. But once you get it going, you’re going to have it forever. It’s going to spread…and talk about aromatic. And last year, anytime I needed a gift for anyone, I just went out and cut lavender, and made little bundles to dry. And it was just like a lovely way to celebrate the garden, and to share that with someone who maybe isn’t a gardener, but wants to have something from the garden in their life that they can enjoy.

Margaret: Sweet. A little tussie-mussie of dried lavender. That’s sweet. Yeah, that’s very sweet. I hadn’t thought about that.

Again, similar to the fact that you have that unusual parsley: In the cilantro world, you have… One of the things about cilantro for people who like it—and I know it’s a love-hate thing for a lot of people, ’cause it is an oddball taste—but one thing about it is even if you love it, it’s not going to last. You really need to almost sow it like every 10 days or two weeks, a small amount every 10 days or two weeks, so you keep having the leaves. Otherwise, it’s going to bolt. But you have a suggestion about that. Yes?

K: Yeah. Well, it’s an interesting one because sometimes we get used to the common name of something and it’s easy to be cilantro with cilantro, but there’s many varieties of cilantro, and the different varieties have different qualities. And so the ‘Caribe’ that we added to the catalog is more heat-tolerant. So instead of bolting so fast, which the common cilantro does, you’re going to are getting a longer period of time of harvesting it, so you don’t have to do as frequent sowing because you get a little bit more time.

It’s great to actually use both. So in the cool season, you can start with the common cilantro. When you’re starting to approach the warmer season switch to the ‘Caribe,’ and use that for the summer. And then you can switch back to the other cilantro. But the other thing that I love about cilantro and bolting is that when it goes to seed, it’s coriander.

Margaret: I know. And we forget that. We get frustrated because we went out to get some cilantro to chop over the burritos or whatever [laughter] and or put in the salsa and it wasn’t there. But we forget if we just left the plants, they would provide something new.

K: And you get to be a seed-saver. So letting it bolt and collecting the seeds means you have seeds for the next year, and you have spice for your spice drawer. The other thing I would just say is there is a real qualitative difference between “fresh” coriander seed and what you’re buying in the store, which is much older. Those have been around longer. You can just tell. It’s just like the way we think about tomatoes. There’s a big difference between the tomato on a shelf in the grocery store and the one that you went out back in your yard and picked. Even if it’s the same variety, there’s going to be a different flavor quality. So I think that’s true of the coriander as well.

Margaret: There’s so many possibilities. You have so many great things, interesting things. One that I think I knew about it, and I haven’t thought about it in a long time, but you have this ‘Mexican Mint’ marigold, which is a marigold [Tagetes lucida] that tastes like tarragon [above]. Yes?

K: Depends on who you talk to, Margaret.

Margaret: [Laughter.]

K: Some people would be really offended if you said it tastes like tarragon. I think it has qualities of tarragon. The reason I think some people lean into the tarragon nature of it is because you can’t start true tarragon from seed; you have to get the plants. And so this is something that you can sow, that you can grow and harvest that has some of the same culinary properties. So I’d be careful who you tell [laughter] that it tastes just like tarragon. Let’s say tarragon with a little bit of anise.

Margaret: Hints of tarragon and anise. How about that: Hints? [Laughter.]

K: Just to say, “Hey, it’s not the same thing, but you can pretend.”

Margaret: Yeah. And then was one that really surprised me, that’s a perennial actually. You have watercress, which is a nasturtium, a perennial species of nasturtium. And you even say that we can grow it in containers, which that just sounds like fabulous to me, to have some watercress that I could spice up a salad or whatever, if I have pots of it.

K: If you have running water somewhere, cold, cool, running water somewhere, you can establish it, and have it forever. But if you don’t, you can grow it in a container. You want to refresh the water periodically; it’s not like you’re just going to leave it sitting, especially when it gets hot. It doesn’t want to be that hot. So refreshing that with cool water is good.

But part of the reason that I wanted to add it is there’s research that shows that this is one of the oldest plant-human relationships. We can look thousands and thousands maybe 10,000 years back, in terms of the relationships that people have had with plants and how we are interdependent. We depend on each other. And so watercress is one of those really ancient relationships. And the artwork that we commissioned for it was all about telling that story of how long we have been in love with watercress as humans, and still today. And that’s one of the reasons I wanted to add it, plus the flavor.

Margaret: And you just said artwork, and one of the things that Hudson Valley Seed is known for is its art packs. You can buy some of the seeds in these beautiful packs with just pieces of artwork on them and just very, very special. And that’s just been a signature of the company since the start, I think. So we didn’t even get to calendulas. Oh, so many other things.

K: Calendula. Oh, man.

Margaret: I know. And we could make salve, but we’ve run out of time, of course.

K: I’m sorry. I can talk about plants forever with you.

Margaret: Yeah, well, it’s addictive. I know both of us. But I do appreciate you making the time. I hope I’ll talk to you again soon. In the meantime, I’m ordering some herbs, ASAP [laughter].

K: It was great to chat again.

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MY WEEKLY public-radio show, rated a “top-5 garden podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper in the UK, began its 14th year in March 2023. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station in the nation. Listen locally in the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Eastern, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the Feb. 26, 2024 show using the player near the top of this transcript. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).