Showing posts with label cutting garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cutting garden. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Lisianthus Plant Profile

 

Lisianthus Plant Profile

Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is an annual cut flower plant with blooms that are typically pink, blue, purple, or white. Single forms resemble tulips, while double forms look like roses.

   Lisianthus is also known as Eustoma, Prairie Gentian, Tulip Gentian, or Texas Bluebell.

   Lisianthus will bloom starting in summer into fall.

      Lisianthus sold at garden centers are typically potted, dwarf variations, so they don’t get too leggy and flop before they bloom.

   Because they can be difficult to start from seeds, most cut-flower growers buy started plugs to grow them out Some growers disbud* the first two flowers on Lisianthus to allow the plant to develop more fully.

   Lisianthus can be planted in the garden in early April as they can tolerate a light frost.

  They prefer to grown in full sunlight in well-draining soils. They do well planted in combinations with Zinnias.

   It is hardy to USDA Zones 8 to 10.

   Lisianthus is native to Mexico and the Great Plains of the United States.  Lisianthus can sometimes be confused with the separate species that has the Latin name Lisianthius, which is found in the Caribbean and Central America, but there is no visual similarity between the two plants.

   They can grow anywhere from 20 to 30 inches tall in the garden, so they need to be supported. Most cut-flower growers use a horizontal netting typically strung about a foot high above the plants.

   Lisianthus can also benefit from a 10-10-10 dry fertilizer

Lisianthus: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio, video, and text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Koree Perry

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

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~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

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~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC


If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Bronze Fennel Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/bronze-fennel-plant-profile.html

~ Gentian Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/10/gentian-plant-profile.html

~ Larkspur Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/06/larkspur-plant-profile.html

 

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Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Love-in-a-Mist Plant Profile

Love-in-a-Mist Plant Profile

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella spp.) is an annual flower with beautiful blue, pink, or white blooms and fine, fennel-like foliage. The seed pods are quite striking as well.

It is native to southern Europe and northern Africa. It is hardy to USDA Zones 2 to 11. It is surprisingly deer-resistant.

It is a pretty cut-flower specimen in a vase whether in its flower or seed stages. It also dries well for an ever-lasting bouquet.

Love-in-a-Mist grows from 1 to 2 feet tall and it does best in full sun. It prefers well-draining, rich soils. It grows in the cool-seasons of spring and fall and will peter out in the heat of summer. So get the seeds started as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring.

Once established, it will self-sow and pops up in sidewalk cracks and the edges of plantings. You can pull and transplant these seedlings quite easily. You should also thin the self-sown seedlings to prevent over-crowding. Deadhead the seedpods, if you don’t want to let it self-sow.

It is an old-fashioned favorite and does well in mixed borders and cottage gardens as well as in containers.

Love-in-a-Mist: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Koree Perry

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC


If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Spider Flowers (Cleome): https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/10/spider-flowers-cleome-hassleriana-plant.html

~ Celosia: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/celosia-plant-profile.html

~ Brazilian Verbana: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/brazilian-verbena-plant-profile.html

~ Blue Mist Shrub: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/09/blue-mist-shrub-caryopteris-plant.html

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Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Larkspur Plant Profile

Larkspur Plant Profile

Larkspur (Consolida ajacis) is an annual flower with tall bloom spikes in late spring and early summer. The flowers are typically blue, purple, pink, or white.

It is native to the Mediterranean region and can be grown in zones 2 to 11 as an early season annual.

It grows best in full sun in well-draining soils.

You can direct sow it in early spring or in late fall in zones 6 to 8 for blooming the next spring. You can also starts seeds indoors in late winter under grow lights. Larkspur seeds need cool temperatures (below 55 degrees) in order to germinate.

It prefers cool weather and does not tolerate heat. Young larkspur plants tolerate frost well. 

Because Larkspur can grow to 3 to 4 feet tall, you may need to stake it especially in locations with strong winds.

Larkspur is a terrific cut flower.  Cut the stalks when the bottom two to four flowers have opened. The flowers will continue to open in the vase. You can also let them dry on the plant for dried flower arrangements.

After flowering, you can collect seedpods for planting next year or let them go to seed to self-sow themselves.

Larkspur is deer-resistant as it contains toxic alkaloids. It is visited by various pollinators including bumblebees and butterflies.

Larkspur: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Koree Perry.

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

 

If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Gentian Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/10/gentian-plant-profile.html

~ Spiderwort Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/03/spiderwort-plant-profile.html

~  Blue-eyed Grass Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/06/blue-eyed-grass-plant-profile.html

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Saturday, November 15, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 264: Black Flora with Teri Speight

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening and Beyond, we talk with Teri Speight all about inspiring Black flower farmers and florists. The plant profile is on the Katsura Tree and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on "Spud-tacular Crafts" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.


If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3dsr8eJQ7iXPfNML8VZnZy?si=G6wujxiaRVq8uOATKRs2FQ 

Show Notes: 01:40 Catching Up with Teri Speight 04:20 Teri shares her favorite garden travel destinations 06:10 Learn about her new book, Black Flora 07:00 How did Teri choose those profiled in the book? 07:56 Discussing some of Teri’s impactful gardening inspirations. 09:20 Listeners may be familiar with this person's work with the US National Arboretum! 10:39 More about Black Flora and its awards 11:48 Where does the writing come from? 13:58 Kathy and Teri discuss other inspirations, like legacy influences on gardening 15:45 Teri shares her family history and gardening roots 18:09 Teri explores how slavery impacted the knowledge of gardening for future generations 19:18 Reflecting on the beauty of growing something yourself 22:06 What’s growing in Teri’s home garden right now? 26:09 How do Teri’s neighbors react to her home garden? 27:25 Growing in a Community Garden 28:47 Where do you fit in herbs and aromatics? 30:22 “They always say rosemary is for remembrance…” 32:04 Find your next fall indoor arrangement outside! 35:49 Preserving flowers or letting them complete their life cycles 36:34 Favorite fall colors and plants: Where can you find foliage? 39:55 Who encouraged you to be a garden writer? 42:19 Connect with Teri on social media 45:08 Highlighting the importance of connecting with nature 48:09 KatsuraTree Plant Profile 50:10 What’s new in the garden this week? 51:06 Local gardening events 52:47 The Last Word With Christy Page: Unearth the Potential of Potatoes 56:23 Support the GardenDC Podcast!

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Cavit Ireland
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

You can order Teri's book Black Flora at https://amzn.to/4p6gWnq
(Note that is an affiliate link.)

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Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Mexican Bush Sage Plant Profile

Mexican Bush Sage Plant Profile

Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) is a perennial plant that has long wands of bright purple and white flowers with a fuzzy soft look. It is also known as Velvet Sage.

It is native to Mexico and Central America. It is hardy to USDA zones 7 to 10 and is only marginally hardy in our region.

In the Mid-Atlantic, it blooms in late summer and early fall, giving great color and texture to the late season garden until hit by a hard frost.

It thrives on full sun and good drainage.

Shear the Mexican bush sage a couple of times during the spring and summer to create a more compact plant, if desired.

Mexican Bush Sage makes a great cut flower and is a favorite of various pollinators including hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.

It is in the Mint family so it deer and rabbit resistant. It is also drought tolerant.

Mexican Bush Sage: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Ellen Isaacson

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

 

If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Salvia ‘Black and Blue’ Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/salvia-black-and-blue-plant-profile.html

~ Sage Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/12/plant-profile-sage-salvia-officinalis.html

~ Mexican Feather Grass

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/10/plant-profile-mexican-feather-grass.html

 

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Saturday, August 23, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 253: The Farm-to-Vase Movement

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Alex Mudry-Till of Quince Blossom Ridge, all about cut-flower farming. The plant profile is on Patrinia and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Travels with Iris by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 54: Flower Farming with Lisa Mason Ziegler

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-54-flower.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 104: Dahlias

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-104-dahlias.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 19: Floral Design with Holly Heider Chapple

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-19-floral.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0UmKbt3r9piKWEepxGAdyZ?si=yJRyOe29TsqqXZucvhjdFQ

Show Notes will be posted after 8-26-2025.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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