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Home , Iris (plant)

Every Blooming Thing July - August 2015

Clockwise from left: ‘Grateful Red,’ ‘Invitation,’ ‘Devil’s Riot,’ ‘Purr,’ and ‘Tanzanian Tangerine.’ Photos courtesy Schreiner Gardens Sneak Peek! Our 2015 Bearded Iris Collection arrives this August We can’t say enough good things about bearded in the ever-popular red// Visit our Pinterest irises, Iris germanica and numerous . spectrum, our 2015 collection includes varieties Iris board to see all They’re hardy, long-lived perennials that we in just about every color of the rainbow, with the 2015 varieties! affectionately refer to as ‘jewels of the perennial tall, intermediate and dwarf varieties as well Scan Here garden.’ Each August, NHG brings in a as some that are fragrant and re-bloom. collector’s selection of bearded iris Thanks to all who participated in our April/ (the fleshy, root-like terrestrial stem from which May photo contest featuring the beauty Bearded Irises POP UP Class the grow) in time for late summer/early of bearded irises in their home gardens. Saturday, August 22, 10-10:30am Get planting instructions and long fall planting. Here are quick highlights from the We hope their images inspire you to term care of these easy-to-grow, more than 30 great varieties due to arrive in some of your own! drought tolerant . mid-August: ‘Grateful Red’ is a well-branched tall bearded iris with stems bearing up to eight buds each. Its ruddy-red color and deeply ruffled blooms make it a standout in the garden. ‘Rave On’ is a striking tangerine-orange tall bearded with subtle melon-pink hues. Its vibrantly colored blooms are produced on well-branched stems with 8-9 buds per stem. ‘Invitation’ is another tall bearded iris with pristine white standards and peach-apricot falls. Once established, it has a strong tendency to re-bloom in fall. Our winning customer entries from our April photo contest: ‘Beautiful Vision in front of a Liberty Holly’ by While these highlights all feature selections Linda White. ‘Peachy purple bearded iris, orange beard,’ by Nicole Jones. ‘Lavender iris’ by Hillary Keys. Success: The Water-Wise Garden of Paula Spletter By Cody Hoya, NHG General Manager

Paula’s house when it was first purchased.

Lush shade plantings like Farfugium japonicum ‘Gigantea’ use far less water than lawns.

Certified Master Gardener Paula and after that, the gardens fell into place.” Spletter has crafted a lush, eclectic garden in As a self-described ‘eclectic gardener,’ the north Texas that’s as thrifty with water as it is challenge of finding different plants to suit the generous with beauty and interest. evolving garden was a welcome one. “There Not all water-wise gardens are sparse xeriscapes, were seven separate sections, and I patiently and they don’t all rely solely on gravel and observed each one. Other than two having cactus. “It was created out of necessity when similar sun exposure and access to irrigation, the trees we planted grew so large that they they were all different.” By carefully selecting The entire landscape is filled with thriving plants and shaded the grass, making it difficult to grow” perennials and groundcovers best suited to each places to observe and enjoy. says Paula. “I removed the remaining plantings space, the established plants are less stressed and started with a clean slate. Mapping out and require less irrigation and care. Plantings flagstone paths was the first item of business, are layered to provide subtle variations in hue and texture, with various plants providing focal interest throughout each season. How I Created Paula gained more than just beautiful space and My Water-Wise good exercise: she found that gardening grew relationships, too. “I took my time completing Landscape each . My neighbors would come by just to see which section I was working on and to with Paula Spletter cheer me on to completion. Who knew I would Winner of the 2012 Dallas get to know so many of my neighbors! It was a Water-Wise Landscape Tour garden social every day.” Saturday, August 1st, 11-Noon With raised beds for vegetables and an impressive collection of specimen succulent Get a firsthand account of how plants in a variety of containers, the garden is a seasoned Master Gardener full of colors, textures, flavors and fragrance. made her residential garden With the addition of four rain barrels, Paula drought tolerant and beautiful. estimates she’s cut her landscape water needs in FREE. Plant tour to follow. half. “The garden is ever-changing, and I enjoy Though much of the front yard is in the shade of trees that. It’s an ongoing labor of love.” Paula planted, these agaves and enjoy full sun. Visit NHG.com for calendar event details July-August 2015 Events Plant, imagine & create! Now is the Indoor Gardening Workshops for Kids New for the month of August guided by Education & Outreach Coordinator Rusty E. Allen, TCNP Wednesdays from 2-3:30pm Time Enjoy light refreshments in our air-conditioned classroom Plant Tomato Transplants Cool Texas Wildflower by mid-July for Succulent Fun Balls fall harvest August 5th August 26th Everyone loves the Seed balls are an easy, shapes, forms and effective way to start Keep colors of succulents! Create a small a native wildflower garden to bring Hummingbird naturalistic grouping of your choice. butterflies and birds to your garden. feeders and Materials include an 8” terra cotta First we’ll read The Legend of the birdbaths clean pot, and your choice of up to eight 2” , by Tomie dePaola. Next and filled to support plants for your creation. Embellish we’ll create a wildflower-inspired these visitors with natural branches, mosses and art project and blend clay and soil to in the heat. stones to produce a bit of nature, ideal make 5 seed balls to take home along for a windowsill or sunny desktop. with a copy of the book. Fertilize & Fairy & Miniature Gardens Prune August 12th in mid-August to Create your own encourage a fall flush world in miniature. All of blooms. materials are included to create the beginnings of your own tiny garden: 10” container, potting soil, moss, a Seed selection of stones and your choice Wildflowers of five 2” terrarium plants. Afterward, in August! stroll our collection of accessories to Plan and prep Scan to register online your space personalize your creation. My First Herb Pot $25 per workshop Includes one set of materials. Have your August 19th A hands-on class to Space is limited to 25 gardeners Irrigation create a fragrant and ages 5-10 for each workshop. System audited tasty herb container Parent or guardian is free to attend. before your garden you can use for cooking. Please register by noon on the summer vacation. Materials include 5 herbs from our Monday before the workshop Dallas Water Utilities extensive collection, plus container of your choice. is conducting FREE automatic irrigation and soil. system check-ups.

Plant Urban Chicken Ranching Bearded Iris Summer Chicken Care: On the 4th Saturday of each from our new month, John & Emily Ramos will be here for classes from 3-4pm collection in mid-August. & pullet sales from 4-5pm. Upcoming dates: Saturday, July 25 & Saturday, August 22. Pullets subject to availability. PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit # 1845 Dallas, TX

7700 Northaven Road, Dallas, TX 75230 214-363-5316 www.nhg.com

4th OFF for the 4th SALE Monday, June 29th – Sunday, July 5th We celebrate Independence Day each year with a week-long sale! We announce planting 25% off ALL PLANTS: guidelines & new arrivals annuals, perennials, regularly on social media. shrubs & trees! Connect with us! In-stock plant material only. While supplies last. Get here early & grab your favorites!

Create Your Own Butterfly Retreat By Robyn Morris, TCNP, Assistant Manager Native Texas wildflowers support butterflies pattern: sweep across, then once more up and and other important pollinating insects. The down until the entire area is uniformly covered. best time to plant their seed is in August, so Afterward, simply walk over the site to gently here are some tips for starting your own patch: push the into contact with the soil— Choose a spot that has full sun (at least six there’s no need to bury them. You can also hours). Prepare your site by removing any turn a light rake over and carefully draw it existing grass or vegetation and raking the across the area. soil clean. It’s not necessary to amend the soil; Unless you’re making large areas of wildflowers the key is seed-to-soil contact. and depending on rainfall, you’ll need to water Make sure you select wildflower your seeds carefully with a gentle sprinkle. native to your area. NHG carries both mixes Keep the soil surface from drying out while and single-species packs from which you can seeds are sprouting; once they’re about 1” high select. Annual types will germinate through fall you can gradually reduce watering. and winter, bloom beautifully in spring, and Wildflowers require minimal maintenance. then set seed in late summer. Left undisturbed, Be on the lookout for invasive weeds and they’ll set the stage for next year’s show. More grasses, such as Bermuda, that can smother perennial types can last for many years and your planting. Remember to allow the flowers can be planted in spring as well as fall. Good to go to seed and let the seeds ripen and dry choices to try are coneflower(Echinacea) and before you mow or remove any spent plants. black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia). This way, your wildflowers will spread and An American lady butterfly sips nectar from a wild Lightly scatter seeds over the soil by hand. return each year on their own. fleabane (Erigeron). Coneflower (Echinacea), which If the seeds are very small, mixing them with Try a wildflower patch this year; you’ll be so is inluded in many wildflower seed mixes, attracts a lightweight carrier such as coarse sand can glad you did! honeybees and other pollinators. help distribute them evenly. Try a ‘crossword’