Photograph Copyright 2005 Thomas Brown Enterprises

Green Thumb
by
Rosemary Fern

Rosemary is a published writer with 40 years of experience gardening. She has written many articles on gardening. Gardening is becoming a lost art. She enthusiastically tries to spread the word and save our seeds for future generations. She has a special interest in heirloom and endangered plants and seeds. Her latest project is teaching her five-year-old granddaughter the wonders of the garden.

Fun plants to try in your Flower Garden

Hellebore are outdoor plants that is shocking to see blooming sometimes in the snow. There are many varieties. They are perennial which means they come back year after year. These are best planted in shady areas, but where they will get sun in the winter, for instance under leafed trees or something of that nature. What is so unusual about hellebores is that they bloom somewhere between Dec. and March. There are very few plants that do that! One variety is called a Christmas Rose. These plants are usually purchased at a nursery.

Sweet Annie is actually an fragrant annual herb, in the worm wood family. The seed is very fine and you sow it in direct sunlight in the spring after all danger of frost is gone. Sweet Annie can get up to 6 feet tall. In the fall cut it to the ground and dry it.. It can be used filler for dried flower arrangements, and it can also be bound with fine wire to form a wreath base of its own. Simply tuck in other dried flowers here and there around it and you've got a beautiful dried floral wreath with a fragrance to die for!

Another unusual one is called Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate. Yes, this really is the name of a plant! Its official name is Polygonum orientale. It's an old-fashioned annual knotweed used for bold effect. It has large heart shaped leaves and pendulous clusters of small pink flowers. In rich, moist soil and full sun it can go to six feet tall. Best to sow the seed in fall or early spring where it is to grow.

Lastly another unusual plant to try is the Balloon Flower. These are perennial, meaning they will return year after year. The latin name for these are: platycodon grandiflorus. They are very hardy, durable plants and very beautiful. Balloon flowers are about the size of a ping pong ball and look like little "balloons". Once they fully open up they split and you can see the center portion and the bloom then resembles a star. They usually come in shades of purple, pink and white. Very cute, the plants only get about 2 feet tall. Try one!

I have a love for funky, fun and unique garden plants. Here's one to try. It is called Sea Holly, and it's actually in the thistle family. Sea Holly is a perennial garden plant, which means you plant it once and it comes up year after year, somewhat depending on your climate. This plant never did fail to bring attention and comments from people seeing my garden. It grows about 3-4 feet high, very branchy and the branches are a brilliant electric blue color. It's stunning!

The only drawback to this lovely plant, in the fall you must cut it to the ground and burn or compost the plant. Do not let it go longer than that, casting it seeds or you'll soon discover it's family trait of being in the thistle family. It is an easy plant to grow and does best with full sun. You can search for Sea Holly seeds in seed catalogs.

Evening Scented Stock is another unusual plant to include into your garden. It is an annual plant that needs to be sown early spring, directly into the soil where it is to bloom and grow. I recommend planting it nearby windows and doors, porches, etc. This plant really doesn't look like much in and of itself, it's not a pretty plant, but in the evening the fragrance will fill your house and garden. This plant has a VERY powerful fragrance similar to hyacinths or lilacs!

This one is called Autumn Crocus. You generally purchase this large perennial bulb at your local nursery. In the spring it shoots profuse foliage, this is preparing the plant for it's autumn blooms. Allow this plant to send out foliage and then die back. In late August/early September, when most of the flowers are past their prime and the garden is starting to look sparse, out comes the Autumn Crocus, with their beautiful lilac colored blooms. They bloom for quite a long time when few things are blooming.

Rosemary Fern

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