Well, this spring has been a rollercoaster of weather events and work. Finally, I can focus a bit more on my display beds and propagating more odd plants. We have listed some of the hardy hibiscus with dark foliage.This group has now become a staple for hardy tropical landscapes here in Kentucky. I normally use 3 to 5 clumps of Musa Basjoo, encircling the corners of in-ground pools. It works great in contrast with the banana, and both are extremely hardy here.
Many of the stock plants have really taken off now. The Cannas are up and blooming earlier than we have ever offered them; most are getting too large to ship. The same can be said for many of the Colocasia and Alocasia. It seems all the hard work and the new greenhouse have really paid off in getting the plants up to size. I know a few plants have always been slow or troublesome, but the majority of them are getting overgrown.
The ferns, which felt like a risk this year, really turned out great. We grew them nicely, and many customers really liked the varieties I picked. I have a few places in my landscape that are shaded, and having options has really helped out. I hope to offer more shade-loving aroids in the future. I have also been experimenting with some tree cuttings and seeds. I am not a serious tree guy, but I find some species and varieties very interesting.
I have seeds of Magnolia macrophylla potted up and hopefully will see signs of life soon (that is if the mice did not get to them). Also, working with cypress tree cuttings. I really like the looks of both these trees and hope to offer some if I get good at propagating them, maybe later this summer. Well, I hope everyone is having a good spring. Hopefully, I will have more photos of things I am working on in the next newsletter.
