BEST CORAL BELLS
Good choices for light shade
In recent years, there has been an explosion of coral bells varieties, bred for foliage color and pattern as much as the delicate dangling blossoms. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Plant Evaluation Program did a five-year trial of heuchera and found that these perennials grow best in light shade and soil that drains well but is consistently moist. They resist disease well but are less resistant to rabbits.
Of the 64 heuchera varieties that began the trial, 43 lived through all five seasons. The coral bells rated highest for flowering, disease resistance, habit, size, hardiness and other qualities were: Heuchera `Molly Bush,’ with dark purple foliage and a long season of greenish white flowers, and Heuchera sanguinea `White Cloud,’ with silver-flecked light green foliage and white flowers.
For a copy of “An Evaluation Study of Coral Bells,” send $3 to: Plant Evaluation Notes, Issue 21, c/o Richard Hawke, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe, IL 60022.
BEST SEED SET
All around the world
Gardeners young or old may enjoy “Global Gardening: Discovering the World Through Food” from Nichols Garden Nursery in Albany, Ore. It’s a set of nine heirloom seed varieties with origins all over the world, illustrating the global reach of our diets.
There are seeds for `Touchon’ carrots from Afghanistan and Pakistan; popping corn from Mexico; Misato radishes, from China; `Oregon Blue Lake’ pole beans, originally from South America; `Stupice’ tomatoes, a variety of a Central American plant bred in Czechoslovakia; romaine lettuce from the Mediterranean basin; `Small Sugar’ pumpkins from Argentina; `Mammoth’ sunflowers from North America; and `Crimson Sweet’ watermelon, originally from South Africa. The collection of nine seed packets is $12.95, plus shipping and handling, from Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 Old Salem Rd. NE, Albany, OR 97321-4580 (800-422-3985 or www.nicholsgardennursery.com).
DO IT
Plan now for perfect pots
While it’s too early to start planting, it’s a great time to be planning, says Mary Manning, manager of Tom’s Farm Market and Greenhouses in Huntley. That goes for container gardens too. If you didn’t empty containers of potting soil last fall, take advantage of warm spells to do it now, Manning says.
Use the soil to fill any depressions in your lawn (you can reseed come spring) or spread it around shrubs. Clean the pots with hot soapy water so they will be ready for planting in May. In the meantime, browse catalogs and magazines to plan your containers. Note whether your pots will sit in sun or shade, so you can make the right plant selections.
CLIP TIP
Get ready to start shooting
Soon gardens will begin to bloom, and before you know it, the time will come to enter the Chicago Tribune’s Glorious Gardens Contest 2004. Good photography is the heart of a great entry, and here’s a chance to pick up some tips for winning pix: Linda Oyama Bryan will teach a seminar, “How to Take Great Photos of Your Garden,” at 1 p.m. March 21 at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier. The seminar is free with admission to the show ($13 for adults). The show runs Saturday to March 21. For more information, see the Flower & Garden Show section in Sunday’s Tribune or call 312-321-0077.
