A Siam tulip sharing a garden bed with coleus. (Photo by Fernando Montalvo)

While I’ve mentioned some pretty well known plants in the previous plant guides, I’d like to shine a little attention on a not-so-well-known perennial called a Siam tulip or Curcuma alismatifolia (also known as curcuma ginger, Siamese tulip, and summer tulip).  These small, tulip-like curcumas (hence the name) can give a tropical gardener a chance at some tulip-style landscaping.  The plant is easy to grow and there are very few pests that will give you trouble.  Northern gardeners will have to bring it indoors for winter, but, in other regions, the plant will thrive year-round.  It is a very versatile plant in the landscape, looking just as awesome on its own as it does in a mass planting.  It is definitely worth giving it a try in the summer landscape.

I originally fell in love with this plant back in 2001 when I was using it to accent a small corner in a customer’s garden.  Since then, I used it quite a few more times, but a few very cold seasons put it on the backburner as far as my designs go.  Recently, I decided to give the plant another try and I’m definitely regretting ever letting it sit on the sidelines.  Heck, even some of the originals I planted in 2001 are still visible at my customer’s property.  This guide is geared towards the specific species C. alismatifolia and the advice given here may not work on all Curcuma species plants.

Siam tulips are natives of Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand and Cambodia; although the plant in the picture above is native to some warm greenhouse in a south Florida nursery.  The plants have leathery-leaves that somewhat resemble a tulip’s leaves.  The tulip resembling, but also cone-shaped “flowers” (does that make any sense?  I wrote it and it confuses me!) produce colorful bracts, but the actual flowers are borne below.  The entire inflorescence is very showy and is found in a strong pink or a greenish-white color.  The white colored blooms tend to look faded sooner.  Flowers are slow to emerge in early summer, or late spring for warmer regions.  However, once out, the blooms last a very long time and make excellent cut flowers.

So where do you start to “tulipize” you summer garden?

At the garden center naturally!  The roots (rhizomes actually) of curcuma gingers can be purchased at various online/catalog nurseries, as well as at many garden centers, including places like Wal-Mart (yes, I know… Wal-Mart isn’t exactly gardening heaven).  These rhizomes are easily planted in the ground and your new curcuma will be around in a few weeks.  While this is an easy process, it doesn’t save you that much from getting a full-sized, flowering plant at a garden center/nursery.  Plants generally start becoming available in late spring and are sold until about mid-fall in some regions.  Some plants’ choice varieties are sold as rhizomes, but Siam tulips are not one of these plants.

Selecting your Siamese tulip is even easier than growing them.  Look for healthy leaves with no browning (a little at the tip of the leaf is OK if you’re having a hard time finding healthy plants) and flowers that don’t look as if they’re done for the season.  For the white-flowered Siam tulips, check for inflorescence browning, which can be more common in that variety.  Finally, check the plant for slugs or snails, which are one of the few things that may mess with your curcuma.  Leaves should be a light, almost pastel green and you want to look for the straightest growing plants.

If you’re planning ahead for next year and are looking to get a discount on the cost of these beauties, you may want to try buying Siam tulips at a national retailer after the plants have passed their prime.  You may get a 50% discount and you can then plant the curcuma in your garden.  The plants will come back the following year in all their glory.  Prices of Siam tulips are in the $2.70 – $4.95 range for a single plant here in central Florida (prices will vary by region).

Looking for that special place.

Finding a place to plant your Siamese tulip isn’t all that hard, unless your entire landscape beds are in a strong shade.  While the plants are generally labeled as full sun plants, capable of withstanding most of the day in direct sun, I find that the plants do just as great in filtered sunlight.  Nope, you don’t have to pass your sunlight through a coffee filter, but placing the plants at the very edge of shaded areas or under a palm tree canopy has this effect.  The plant in the picture above is grown with about six hours of direct sunlight every day (unless clouds are around or a really tall guy stands between it and the sun, but you know what I mean).  The plant does grow in the partial shade and on some stronger shades, but blooming performance will be quite bad and possibly not non-existent.  In summary: sun and filtered sun – good, but under a 2,000 year-old oak tree that was last pruned when it was 2 years-old -  bad.

Watering requirements are easy to remember, but it does have its quirks.  The plant likes moist soil during most of the growing season.  That doesn’t mean river’s edge moist, but you shouldn’t let it get bone dry (are bones really that dry?).   Regular watering should suffice.  Since the plants hail from climates that have wet and dry seasons, it is important not to water during the plant’s dormancy season.  Watering may cause the roots to rot.  The plant’s leaves die back during its dormancy period.  As soon as leaves emerge or growing resumes, resume regular watering unless it is raining regularly.

While you may want to crowd Siam tulips as you would regular tulip plants, you need to respect the difference between the two plants and give the Siam tulips some room to breathe between neighbors.  A good spacing would be about 1.5 feet or more apart; although a foot apart is OK if you need to get a more packed-in look and you are not willing to wait for it.  After new “stems” emerge in the second season, the plants may be about 2 feet wide, so plan your spacing for this.

Cold hardiness is where this plant’s weakness lies.  Like other curcumas and the white-haired folks who frequent Florida in December, Siam tulips do not like the cold very much.  Cold tolerance can vary, but you’re pushing this plant’s limit below 30°F.  I should point out that I know gardeners who claim to have made these survive to 10°F lower, but I usually start seeing attrition below 30°. Always protect the rhizomes from the cold by adding a layer of mulch over the planted area (this layer of mulch can be all those leaves that fell from your trees in fall or the fancy bagged stuff at the garden centers).

Like tulips, you don’t really prune curcumas.  About the only time you use those nifty garden-shears on these suckers is after the growing season or in late-winter, when the visible part of the plant has turned brown.  Simply cut that part off and wait for new shoots to emerge in spring.

Fertilization is just as easy.  You can go two ways.  As soon as new shoots start to emerge, place a nice, slow-release fertilizer on the plant (preferably one labeled for tropical plants).  Or, if you like to work twice as hard, use a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly.  I’ve had success either way , although I use the once a year technique on my own curcumas (I should note the soil in which my curcumas are planted is top-notch).

A very short and useless pest control section.

Because Siam tulips get sick less than the last man standing on earth risks getting venereal diseases, your real pests with this plant will probably be people.  The only problem I ever had with this plant was when a formation of giant grasshoppers landed on a customer’s garden over seven years ago.  They ate some of the leaves, but nowhere near as bad as a lot of the other plants.  In fact, it almost looked like they tried the leaves and moved on.  Maybe they didn’t like Thai food?  Slugs and snails can be a problem, but this is also rare.  A readily available slug control product should do the trick.

Otherwise, your Siam tulip’s greatest danger is the cold.  It really is that simple to grow.  So there you have it!  An easy guide to sort of growing tulips were tulips don’t grow or seeing a summer tulip landscape in places where real tulips grow.

I welcome comments and suggestions in the comment section below.  Also, I try to answer all your Siam tulip concerns as quickly as I can.

Other posts in the Gardenipedia Plant Guide Series:

• A Guide to Growing Gerbera Daisies
• A Guide to Growing Hibiscus
• And Another Guide, This Time For Blanket Flowers.

Gaillardia × grandiflora. (Photo by Fernando Montalvo)

Gaillardia, which depending on the species may also be known as blanket flower and Indian blanket, is one of those plants which has been around for ages, but has never really gone mainstream in the landscape (I’m talking Lady Gaga fame here, not Wayside Gardens cover model).  However, the plant definitely deserves its place in the landscape as one of the easiest to grow and showier plants you could own.  One of the neat things about blanket flowers is that they can handle living just about everywhere in the US (with a few exceptions, such as my neighbor’s garden… they don’t seem to do well there).  If you’ve been losing sleep for months over where that fancy genus name “Gaillardia” comes from, as I have, then you would be pleased to know that it is homage to M. Gaillard de Charentonneau, an 18^th century Frenchman.  At least that is what the good, nerdy folks at Wikipedia have to say on the matter (yes, I had to look that up… I don’t carry that kind of knowledge around).  If you’re like me and look at wildflowers as you drive down the road instead of actually paying attention to your driving, then there is a good chance that you’ve seen these beauties by the side of the road as summer approaches.  This practical guide is geared toward the entire range of species in the genus, although I will try to note the differences when possible.

As I mentioned above, blanket flowers are not new comers to the landscape.  The genus encompasses over thirty species of annuals, biennials, and perennials.  They can be found in grassy, open areas in much of North America and some parts of South America (and, no… Louisiana and its bordering states are not what I mean by South America – but the plant can be found growing there nevertheless).  Gaillardia has very showy flowers that come in a variety of colors (though mostly variations of a few color hues).  Flowers can be found in reddish-orange or orangeish-red (depending on your degree of color blindness) with yellow on the tips, as well as just yellow, just red, or just that orangeish red.  The flowers also come in a light, pastel yellow, in a sunflower yellow, and in colors with wine names such as burgundy.  While most flowers have petals similar to those seen in the picture above, various cultivars are available with much more petals or petals with flaring toward the tip.  While the plant gets its respect in the gardening world, it never seems to explode into popularity as other plants do.  This may be due to two reasons.  For one, the plant is not as easy as others to get in numbers.  Also, the most common color combination that the plant can be found in (see above), isn’t really a combination that is popular among the mainstream population.  Flowers are slow to emerge, last a few days, and leave showy seed heads behind.

The plant itself is leafy and grows in small mounds or along the ground in a carpeting fashion.  Flowers begin to show up in late-spring or early summer and the flowering show can last for a very long time after that.  In warmer parts of the country, such as here in central Florida, the plant can flower for most of the year.  Common species are Gaillardia aristata, Gaillardia × grandiflora (see above), and Gaillardia pulchella (which is the actual plant that carries the Blanket flower, Indian blanket name).  The plants can handle the cold quite well and most varieties will survive winter temperatures well below freezing.  Expect annuals to die at the end of the year (otherwise they wouldn’t be annuals now, would they?).  One exception, though, the G. pulchella species and its cultivars do not like the cold as much as other species and may not tolerate even mild winter temperatures, so be careful.

“I want a blanket flower NOW!!!”

Geez!  You’re not even going to finish reading this post, huh?  Ok, I’ll tell you where you can get them and then you can be on your way.  For those of you with patience, a deep-rooted love of plants, and a true green-thumb (or you just like a life of frustration), you can buy seeds of blanket flowers and grow them that way.  The seeds are often found in wildflower mixes and the process for growing them can be as easy as throwing the seeds in the ground, shooting at birds that come near them, and making sure the area gets adequate water.  However, some varieties require more care and attention, so check the instructions in the packet for what you need to do (I’d give you a detailed run down, but it has become clear to me that I absolutely suck at growing specialty gaillardias from seed so you’re better off with the instructions).  The seeds or seed mixes for gaillardia can be found anywhere, from the Burpee catalog to a remote, hidden corner of Wal-Mart garden centers (right next to the pool chemicals).

If you’re like me, though, you will much rather get your fix by buying the plants themselves.  For unusual, specialty, or just released into the wild varieties, you’re better off using an online or mail-order nursery such as the aforementioned Wayside Gardens.  You can also find them in a local, well-stocked nursery.  The more common varieties can be found in national retailers as well, although the numbers are sometimes limited.  If you go the online/catalog route and you have never done so before, I always like to warn you that the plants will likely be much smaller than anything you were expecting.

Selecting blanket flowers is a very easy process, assuming you’re not trying to “select it” off another shopper’s cart.  A common problem I’ve noticed with the plant, especially at national retailers, is that they allow it to wilt.  While established blanket flowers have exceptional drought tolerance, some growers allow the plants to become accustomed to heavy watering.  When the plant arrives at the nursery, it wilts and may eventually become stunted.  A stunted plant will not grow well in your landscape and may look wilted even after watering.  Do not buy any wilted blanket flowers and check for excessive leaf browning as a sign that the plant may have spent quite a bit of time wilted before you saw it.  Also, check the leaves and flowers for any holes which may signify a slug problem.  Looking at the base of the plant may also help you discover them.  Any white spots or leaf spots on the plant could also be a sign of a major problem (see below).  As I always point out in these plant guides, you may think that you can take care of a pest or disease when you get home, but why would you want to introduce a problem in your landscape that could spread to other plants?

“Do I have to plant Gaillardias only when there is a full moon?”

Nope, contrary to the popular belief of the Ubikitu tribe in a remote corner of New Mexico (yes, I made that up), Gaillardias are very easy to plant and grow.  The most important thing to keep in mind when planting blanket flowers is that they must absolutely, positively have full sun for best performance.  Not 75% or 85% of sunlight, but the full 100% of glorious, cancer-causing rays from the sun.  Sure, you may get one or two flowers in a very slightly shaded environment, but full sun is the way to go.  Find a nice spot in your garden with no shade of any sort and plant these puppies between 6 inches and a foot and a half apart.  You don’t want to crowd the plants, although blanket flowers do a bit better with crowding than other plants do.  For annual varieties, you may want to find a spot that shelters the plant from colder winds so that you get a little extension on the blanket flower’s growing season.  As far as soil conditions, the plants can handle a wide variety.  As long as you don’t have a drainage problem or completely infertile soil, you should be good.  The plants in the picture above are grown in a sandy, slightly infertile soil mix.

Watering the plant is fairly easy and in places with regular, at least twice a week rain, you may not have to water the plant at all.  Otherwise, water only when the soil is dry, but don’t wait too much or the plant may wilt.  If the soil is too dry, especially in a potted plant, it may have difficulty absorbing water.  In that case, water until the soil shows signs that it is absorbing water and that it is not running off.  Fertilize with a light fertilizer mix only if you notice the plants are performing sub-par.  A slow-release fertilizer in spring (or late-winter in the southern parts of the country) is the way I prefer to feed my blanket flowers.

To encourage flowering, cut (or deadhead) the flowers when they start forming seed heads.  While this will get rid of the often showy seed heads, it will result in a much more prolonged flower display.  In colder climates, cut the plant back no later than late-summer.  This will give the new growth enough time to acclimatize and be ready for winter.  As I mentioned before, some species do not tolerate colder weather.

“Where da’ bugs at?”

While blanket flowers are generally pest resistant, they do have problems from time to time.  One of the most common pests, especially in the wetter parts of the country, are slugs and snails.  Sings of slugs include holes in the leaves or flowers and the little beasts can be found by the base of the plant or under nearby rocks.  Taking care of them is relatively easy.  You can pick them off and feed them to your significant other, but a much more reasonable and marriage-friendly method would be to use one of the many commercially available products in the market.  Ortho’s Bug-Geta is one such product that works as advertised, while Garden’s Alive Escar-Go is a suitable earth-friendly alternative that I’ve successfully used before.  Expect to use repeated applications during the growing season regardless of the product you use.

(Photo by Fernando Montalvo)

As is common with herbaceous perennials (or annuals), a number of other diseases can affect the plant., such as downy and powdery mildew.  Downy mildew is identified as light green or yellow spots.  Powdery mildew looks similar, but has powdery spots.  While downy mildew infestations generally require that you remove the plant from the landscape, powdery mildew may be treated with various products on the market.  Look for a garden disease control product such as the ones Ortho makes and check if it treats powdery mildew.  It may be easier, however, to use these products as a preventive measure rather than as a pest control.

Rust (no, not that thing in all your garden tools) can also affect your plants and will usually require that the plant be removed from the garden.  There are more than a few products available that claim to treat rust, but I have not had much success with them.  However, other gardeners swear by some of the available disease controls so feel free to try them and form your own opinion (let everyone else know in the comments below if you find something that works well).  This is as good a time as any to discuss some garden hygiene.  If you’re working with a plant that you know has a fungal or other infection, make sure you don’t use the same gloves or tools to work with other healthy plants.  You will only end up making the healthy plant sick.  So get a cheap group of tools together, call it your “Hazmat Kit”, and use it only for sick plants.

Other diseases that you may find on your blanket flowers are leaf smut (also called white smut), bacterial leaf spots, and septoria leaf spots.  For white smut, remove the plants from your landscape immediately.  It can be identified by white spots that grow into yellowish or brown lesions on the plant.  The leaves eventually die.  Bacterial leaf spot is usually identified by brown spots with yellow borders in the leaves of the plants.  There is no cure, so plants should be removed.  Finally, identify septoria leaf spots by searching for brown spots on the leaves that grow outwardly.  It can be hard to distinguish from other diseases so a professional may need to look at your plants.  Remove the affected leaves and apply an appropriate fungicide to the infection.  It should stop the spread if applied properly.  While I did mention that blanket flowers tolerate cramped conditions better than other plants, you do want to space your plants a bit to improve airflow which will help, in turn, to control diseases.

Don’t get me wrong, blanket flowers aren’t sickly plants and are generally one of the easiest to grow.  Most of the time, your plants will be perfectly fine with an occasional slug or snail infestation which is easily dealt with.  Gaillardias should provide an instant-impact in your garden with their bright colors.

I hope gaillardias become a permanent part of your landscape.  I welcome comments and suggestions, as well as your growing experiences, in the comments below.

Other Gardenipedia plant guides:

• A guide to growing Gerbera daisies.
• A guide to growing Hibiscus.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Fort Meyers'. (Photo by Fernando Montalvo for Gardenipedia.)

I can think of very few flowers that evoke a stronger image of a tropical paradise than a hibiscus.  Sure, Hawaiians have their lei flowers and everyone goes crazy about orchids, but for an easy,” let’s-get-this-garden-tropical-quick” solution, the hibiscus is hard to beat.  While the hibiscus genus has some species and cultivars that hail from temperate climates, most of the plants are from tropical and sub-tropical regions.  One of the most common types of hibiscus at garden centers, particularly in the warmer parts of the world, is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, which is also known as Chinese hibiscus, Hawaiian hibiscus, Rose of China, and, of course, by the name hibiscus all by itself (it is also known by the name “that plant in my yard” by one of my good friends).  Chances are its flowers are the ones you are most familiar with of all hibiscus species.  This particular practical guide is geared toward this specific species of hibiscus and its cultivars, although I assure you that I will address other species in the genus, such as the beautiful Rose of Sharon, in future posts.

Hibiscuses are most definitely not new comers to the landscape.  While the plant may be a little out of style at the moment, new cultivars are continuously being developed.  People commonly know the red or pink flower common in the genus, but there are a lot more variations than just those available.  In fact, there are dozens upon dozens of cultivars available in the market.  Because the plant has been spreading throughout the world for hundreds of years now, it is difficult to pinpoint just exactly where H. rosa-sinensis comes from.  However, most people believe it was original to parts of tropical Asia and was spread throughout the world by European explorers (although like Republicans and Democrats, there is always disagreement).  Most hibiscuses are fast growers and, in warmer climates, this can be a problem if you intend to keep them in a small space or they are sharing space with smaller, less aggressive plants.  Mature plant size may vary and larger plants will generally be found in warmer zones with longer growing seasons.  Expect some plants to grow as big as 15 feet high and 7 feet across, while others can barely reach 5 feet in height and may be as narrow as 3 feet.  As I mentioned above, flowers come in many colors and they can have more than one set of petals.  Common hues are red, pink, orange, yellow, and white, with mixed colors available.  Flower size can vary with some plants producing quite large, eight inch flowers.  The flowers tend to last one day, but the plants are very prolific bloomers.  Expect the plants to bloom for most of the growing season.

Where do I get one?

Being a very common plant, hibiscuses can generally be obtained at most garden centers.  Expect to find them year-round in warm parts of the country, while they may be locked up indoors with the Christmas ornaments in winter.  Most colors are available at national retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart, but you’re likely to find more interesting, unexpected varieties at more select garden centers where employees usually know what they are talking about.  For even more select varieties, try an online plant catalog, such as logees.com.  However, if you have not ordered online or through the mail before, do note that the plants are generally higher priced than garden center varieties (which is OK for the rarer varieties) and are usually a lot smaller in size.  They may also take a bit more time getting used to your garden’s conditions due to the shipping process.

Selecting a hibiscus is generally a very easy process.  Plants should generally look healthy and you should avoid any plants that look wilted.  While you may assume the garden center has not gotten around to watering it on the day of your purchase, you don’t know how long it has been wilted or if the dry condition it is in has already permanently stunted its growth.  This is an especially common problem at national retail chains.  About 50% of the plants at a Lowe’s I visited this past week were wilted.  Most hibiscus plants should have a deep green to their leaves, although some cultivars are variegated or have colored leaves.  If you are unsure of the green hue it should have, compare it to the other (same cultivar) plants around.  In most cases, the deepest greens indicate healthier plants.  Avoid plants with excessive yellowing of the leaves, but one or two yellow ones are not a problem.  Check the soil condition to make sure it is not too dry and look at the stem for signs of scale, which can be a problem with hibiscuses.  The scales will look like small, raised darkish spots on the stems of the plants.  The presence of ants going up and down the plant is not a problem by itself, but usually indicates the presence of other insects such as scales or aphids.  I’ve found that ants can be quite common in hibiscus pots so if you’re trying to avoid them, shake the pot a bit so that you don’t end up taking an entire colony to your house.  If quite a few ants come out of the pot, then the pot likely has an established colony, eggs and all, inside.  Spots of different colors on the leaves (assuming that it is not a variegated or colored leaf variety), such as yellow or brown spots, should be a concern if they are present throughout the plant.  Next, check the underside of the leaves for insects or fungal infections.  Remember, while you may consider it easy to get rid of certain insects like aphids once you take your plant home, do you really want to risk introducing a pest to your landscape?  Also, while it may have been easy for you to kill an insect or fungus before, there are no guarantees that the new insect/fungus is not resistant to your pesticide practices.  So, be careful!  Finally, check the price of the plant.  It should be equal to, or less, than the money you have in your wallet, debit card account, or credit card balance.

How do I keep my new hibiscus plant from living the short life of my last few roses?

Hibiscuses are some of the easiest to upkeep plants out there.  Most varieties, like California girls, require full sun to flower well (note: quite a few varieties will do OK in partly shaded to shaded environments, but blooming will suffer greatly and may be almost non-existent in regular shade).  If you’re not sure what a hibiscus friendly full sun area is, use one of the aforementioned California girls and have her find a place in the garden in which she can get direct sun for six hours or more (I don’t know where you can find a California girl, this is a gardening site after all).  Once you’ve located the most skin-cancer friendly spot in your backyard, you need to make sure your hibiscus plants get enough space.  There is some difference between cultivars, of course, but most plants need quite a bit of space around them for proper ventilation.  Don’t plant your hibiscuses within two feet of each other.  In very warm southern regions where people don’t know what a sweater is, your hibiscus plant will need more space than in the cooler parts of the country, where your plant will likely die back (or just die) each winter.  You can plant them as close as three feet apart for some of the smaller varieties in cooler climates to as much as 5 feet apart for some of the more vigorous growing ones in warmer climates; it really depends on location and species.  Someone planting a hibiscus in Gainesville, Florida may find that it could die back each winter and they may be OK with it 3 feet from each other or other plants.  However, a Miami jardinero may find that the plant dominates its immediate area and needs quite a bit of pruning.  If you have consistently cold winters, plant your hibiscus in a pot and bring it indoors for the season.  Gardeners with mild winters or who live in areas of the country where you get excited about 2 grains of sleet in the rain, can grow the plant outside, but should be wary that it may die back a bit in winter.  Try to protect the plant in very cold days.  The plants are hardy to about 40°F; although, I’ve seen quite a few survive down to 28°F on occasionally cold nights with some leaf loss.

Once you have cleared the land for miles around your hibiscus for extra spacing security, it’s time to plant the…well… plant.  Make a hole about twice as wide as the pot in which the plant came in and just a bit deeper.  This is especially important in clay or heavily compacted soils.  Backfill the hole a bit with your garden’s soil (if it is of good quality) or purchased garden soil so that the root ball’s top (where the plant comes out of the soil) is even with the ground in your yard.  Set the hibiscus in the hole and finish backfilling it.  Tamp it down a bit so the soil doesn’t settle or run off when you first water it.  Gardeners with harder soils or in root-bound gardens often times may leave a plant a bit higher than the surrounding soil causing any water you put on it to wash off.  Be careful you don’t do this.  Add mulch if you want to (and because I want you to), leaving a bit of spacing between the plant and mulch at the base.

Depending on your nursery’s beliefs concerning water conservation, you may find yourself watering the plant on a daily basis at first, while the plant gets established.  Hibiscuses generally like slightly moist, but not waterlogged soil.  Most native species are from tropical rain forests and don’t thrive in dry environments.  After your plants become established, cut back on the watering a bit until you reach a more natural, river friendly watering rate.  Hibiscus plants prefer rich soils, so fertilize often with a light fertilizer (7-2-7), such as those sold for ixora plants.  Preferably, use an organic fertilizer or, if you would rather go BP on your yard, use a regular chemical one.  Most hibiscus experts stay away from very high phosphate – “good for blooming”-fertilizers as they claim it has a detrimental effect on the plant.  Who am I to argue?  Also, a very high nitrogen fertilizer will encourage leaf growth at the expense of flowers.  Don’t fertilize in the colder, winter months as this may encourage tender growth when it is most vulnerable.

Because most hibiscuses tend to be vigorous growers in the landscape, it is important to understand that pruning will likely be necessary to keep them in good form (which is not to say their natural form isn’t beautiful in itself).  Pruning is usually done to restrict its fast-growing nature and to encourage more flowering.  Towards its northern outdoor range, prune towards late-March, when you can see where new buds are coming out for the new season and which parts of the plant are dead.  Remove all dead branches as they may attract diseases such as canker.  When cutting, look for new growth and cut up to that point.  Cut down about a third of the plant and any lateral shoots which look out of place.  In warmer climates you may find yourself pruning twice a year, depending on your needs.  You should exercise caution with younger plants and wait until hard wood has formed before you begin any pruning program.  If you wish to renew the plant, you can usually cut it down aggressively, taking care to leave a few visible growing shoots.  Hibiscuses generally come back quite well, but some dieback of woody branches may occur.  If you’re just cutting for shape, cut hibiscus down a bit past your desired size so that re-growth and flowers end up at about the size you want.  I’ve never been a fan of keeping hibiscus as a formal hedge as this often ends up in very ugly plants (although I do admit some gardeners are quite good at getting the desired effect).

I think my hibiscus is doing cocaine.

Nope, that is definitely not what is wrong with your hibiscus.  That white stuff under the leaf is probably something else, unless you live in Lindsay Lohan’s house (sorry Lindsay).  Mealybugs, a common pest, can sometimes look like feathery powder from afar, but upon close inspection you will see the whitish insects.  The aforementioned scale is very common and often times looks like it is part of the plant’s stem.  Both insects, along with aphids, can easily be killed with a judicious insecticide program.  See your garden center’s staff for advice on what to use (at least until I have the pest control section of the site set up).  As mentioned above, if you see ants on the plants, there is a good chance there are bugs somewhere on the plants, although ants are attracted to the flowers as well (ants think they’re pretty; they told me so).

There are a few diseases which can afflict the plant and are more common when the plant is outside its native range.  While these are harder to identify than insects, they can be even harder to get rid of.  Rust, which looks like its namesake or as black and orange dots, can be a serious problem and is usually best handled by cutting back the plant carefully (spores fly when you disturb rust).  There are various products out there that will work and these should be applied after cutting back the plant.  If you’re worried it will spread throughout the garden, then dispose of the plant accordingly.  Leaf spots, which can be caused by various conditions, can be identified by (and I don’t mean to insult your intelligence) spots on the leaf.  These are best consulted with a book or internet guide (search “hibiscus leaf spots”) as they can vary and be hard to identify.  Other diseases, such as bacterial blight (which starts out as spots) will likely kill the plant.  Infected plants should be removed.

One final note, especially for Florida and Hawaii growers, is to keep an eye out for excessive falling buds.  This can be an indication of the larvae of a tiny, mosquito-type insect called a blossom midge. See: http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/mannion/pdfs/HibiscusMidge.pdf (University of Florida) for more information.  Remove fallen, affected buds as a precaution as soon as possible.

But don’t fret, cared for appropriately, hibiscuses are very easy to grow plants and should give you years of carefree enjoyment, unless your neighbor’s teenage son plows over them with his new car (which, as you all know, is always a problem).

Hope you enjoy your new hibiscus.  I welcome comments and suggestions, as well as your growing experiences, in the comments below.

Other Gardenipedia Plant Guides (Ok, I only have one more at this point…):

• A practical guide to growing Gerbera Daisies.

(Gardenipedia is an Amazon.com affiliate.)

Gerbera daisies (photo by Fernando Montalvo for Gardenipedia.com)

If you’re ever in the need for some really vibrant color in your landscape; something approaching neon Crayola® crayon colors, then the gerbera daisy is your flower.  Seriously… don’t even read the rest of this post, just go get some right now, try growing it, and get back to me in a few months.  I’ll wait.  This fifth most popular flower in the world will definitely do the trick.

For a lot of people who are used to hearing the words rose, tulip, or sunflower, a gerbera daisy may seem like a recently discovered flower, but gerberas were discovered a very long time ago and have been around in gardens for a while now.  They have been widely gaining in popularity over the past decade.  Gerberas were discovered by Scotsman Robert Jameson in 1884 near Barberton, South Africa and the name gerbera is homage to the German naturalist Traugott Gerber, whom I am sure did something important in his life that merited the homage.  There are more than forty species of Gerberas, although the most common one in gardens by far is Gerbera jamesonii, which is known as a Barberton daisy, Transvaal daisy, or just good-old gerbera daisy (which is the name that I suggest you use when talking to your garden shop-guy or florist-lady, at least here in the US).  These plants have a native habitat that encompasses temperate and mountainous grasslands in Africa and Asia.  The plants are usually very small and the leaves look like some kind of leafy-green edible thing, not particularly pretty by themselves, but OK in numbers.  The flowers, however, are very showy and come in an incredible variety of very vivid colors.

How do I get one?

Gerbera daisies are readily available in most garden centers, as long as it doesn’t have a name like “Tulips Only Garden Center”.  You can go to one of those fancy garden centers where people know what they are talking about or you can go to a national retailer, like Home Depot.  In warm places like Florida, they are available year-round, while in colder climates they can be found in the indoor plant section of your garden center or supermarket during the winter and are easily available in the outdoor section the rest of the year.

Unlike when picking a podocarpus, picking Gerbera plants requires a lot of special attention.  If a plant looks sick or is yellowing all over, leave it (unless you like wasting money).  If you’re looking forward to the flowers (and frankly, who isn’t?), make sure that you see new flower buds emerging from the plant.  Any flowers that are already “out” will most likely wilt and die soon and there will be a long wait before new ones emerge.  Your best bet is to buy ones with emerging flowers, so that they open after a few days of being in your home.  Look at the leaves; are there any squiggly patterns on them? (See below)  Check under the leaves for slugs (or Osama Bin Laden) which will leave your plant looking like Swiss cheese before moving on to other garden delicacies in your home.  Make sure the plant looks healthy and is not stressed in any way.  The soil under them should not be bone-dry; something my local garden center doesn’t seem to understand.  Finally, check the flowers.  A lot of these “modern” flowers found in garden centers have gone through a lot of genetic manipulation to become as pretty as they are and sometimes you get some varieties that yield crazy amounts of deformed flowers or double-flowers (in which two flowers are joined together by the stem).  Try staying away from varieties that exhibit this, unless of course you actually like the look.  If the ideal plant conditions are met and you don’t end up running home, screaming like a little girl due to the price (yes, they are a little more expensive than similar sized plants), put a few of these in your garden cart and head home (pay for them first).  For indoors, one or three plants is fine, but if you’re going to be making a border, make sure you get a lot of them as they are much prettier in numbers.  Don’t be like my neighbor and expect three gerberas to steal the show.

OK, I’m home… how do I plant them and what do I have to do to keep them alive?

Hopefully, either you have tools or bought some at the garden center while you were getting the gerberas, because we are going planting.  First, find a full-sun spot (preferably in your yard and not your neighbors’).  What’s full sun, you ask?  Well, it’s that place in your yard where you’re likely to get skin cancer the quickest in summer and makes you happy for its warmth in the winter.  Where nothing (or very few things) blocks the light coming from the sun or those full-spectrum light bulbs you use to grow your marijuana in the basement (you know who you are!).  Once you’ve located the spot, make sure you have enough space.  In general, gerberas should be planted about a foot from each other and other plants around them.  This gives them ample room to spread without overcrowding, which can lead to deadly diseases (for the plant, not for you).  A quick note… if you live in a warm climate area, plant the gerberas where only morning sun hits them or in a place with slightly filtered sunlight.  Otherwise, the plants will appear to wilt on a daily basis.

Dig a hole about two times the width of the pot and just a bit deeper.  Backfill the hole a bit so that the root ball’s top (where the plant comes out of the soil) is even with the ground level in your garden and set the plant in the hole.  Depending on your soil’s fertility levels, either use the same soil that was in the hole to refill it (lucky you!), or use a bag of good quality garden soil (buy professional for less weeds).  Tamp it a bit so the soil doesn’t settle or run off when you water.  Make sure the plant doesn’t end up in a soil pyramid as this will only make the water wash off the soil near the plant’s roots when you water.  Add mulch if you want to (and believe me, you want to), but make sure you don’t get the mulch too close near the plant that it may rot it or make it too easy for slugs (or Carmen Sandiego) to hide near the plant.

Once it is in the ground, water the plant regularly at first, making sure to keep the soil moist, but not water logged, and as the plant gets established, the need to water it will be greatly reduced.  I don’t water some of mine at all anymore and I once grew them in a very dry, Central America garden with very little water problems.  As far as fertilizing, use a liquid fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro® every month or so, except in late-fall or winter.  The cold temperatures may hurt fresh new growth that comes out as a result of your fertilizing.  Once established, this perennial will give you a long life, although outdoors in colder climates it may behave like an annual and die from the colder temperatures (below 32°F).  Cut off old flowers to keep the plants pretty and, for potted plants, plant in a larger pot every year.  They do flower a bit better with some crowding on the pot, though.

What the heck is that on my gerbera?

The flower or the slimy thing next to it?  Gerberas are susceptible to plant diseases or pests, just like you’re susceptible to the swine flu and getting taxed every year.  Expect slugs and leaf miners to be common problems.  You should know what slugs look like and they are easily removable by hand-picking them (GROSS!) or adding an organic (or earth-harming) “slugacide” near the gerberas.  I recommend earth friendly Escar-Go by Gardens Alive to do the trick.  I’ve actually hand-fed it to slugs with good results.  Leaf miners are a little bit tougher to tame and they leave a squiggly line on your gerbera leaves as they tunnel their way around.  There are many products out there that will kill these larvae before they become full-fledged adult insects.

Early stages of leaf miner damage on a gerbera. (Photo by Fernando Montalvo for Gardenipedia.com)

Other pests and diseases that may affect this plant are aphids (kill them with soapy water), thrips, whiteflies (which are a bit hard to kill), gray mold (see comments below), powdery mildew, blights, and rots.  I won’t go into the specifics of fighting each one of these conditions as those are future posts.  Deer may seek other plants in your yard when encountering gerberas as the plant is somewhat deer resistant, but starved-zombie deer may still opt to eat them.

On another note, some people complain about the flowers dying quickly after they buy the plant.  Don’t fret!  Maybe the flower had been open for quite some time and was due to wilt or simply moving the plant from the loving and overprotected care of a commercial nursery to your home may have affected the plant.  The new flowers that emerge will most likely be fine.

Hope you enjoy your new gerberas.  I welcome comments and suggestions, as well as your gerbera growing experiences, in the comments below.