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Saturday, October 2, 1999

Plant garden for colorful floral designs
Ornamental grasses, roses, tropical plants a good start

For many people, the perfect garden is one where there is always color and where you can cut flowers for use indoors. That may seem like a far-fetched fantasy to most Corpus Christi gardeners, but it can be a reality if you (1) plan your landscape endeavors for year-round color, (2) consider non-traditional plant materials for your designs, and (3) put your imagination to work.
   A well-planned garden can provide flowers and greenery for an abundance of floral designs. Annual flowers can be added seasonally with selections like snapdragons and zinnias; however, any plant with a long-lived flower and a strong, relatively long stem will work. That allows the year-round cut flower garden to be filled with perennials and flowering shrubs as well.
   Ornamental roses
   Roses are a logical, traditional choice for the cut flower garden. However, the best form may not necessarily be hybrid tea roses. Floribunda and miniatures can be used in smaller designs and often have more blossoms, more fragrance and versatility. Adding ornamental grasses is a must. Both the long leaves and the plumes can be used to add for line and texture. Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) provides maroon foliage and small fuzzy plumes while dwarf pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) has much larger plumes. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) can also add some fragrance t
   o your design. Others to consider include Muhley grass (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri) and zebra grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus').
   Tropical plants like gingers, heliconia and bird of paradise add a flare of the exotic to your yard and your designs. Ti plants (Cordyline terminalis) provide wide, strap-like leaves that may be green, red or variegated. The tropical turk's cap (Malvaviscus drummondii) provides red flowers that hang down and last for well over a week since they never completely open. Bougainvillea blossom can also be used since their color comes from bracts, specialized leaves that provide long term color.
   No rights or wrongs
   There are also some native plants that do well in designs. They can often provide a rustic look for special occasions. Tropical sage (Salvia coccinea), Shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana), and Mexican honeysuckle (Justicea spicigera). Yellow bells or Esperanza (Tacoma stans) is another great native plant that works well in design along with its non-native cousin, cape honeysuckle (Tacoma capensis). Just remember that there are no absolute "rights" and "wrongs." The sky's the limit. Again, the one thing to remember is to avoid any short-lived flowers like hibiscus. Floral design requires finding plants that can last for multiple days. Also avoid flowers with short and/or weak stems. To learn more about designing a yard that meets your specific needs and living requirements, consider signing up for the Home Landscape Class that begins on Tuesday evening. It runs from 6:30-9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Oct. 5-26. There are still about 10 spaces available. Cost is $50.
   Also, the Nueces County Extension Horticulture Program is sponsoring a floral design workshop in mid-October to be held at the Auditorium of the County Building in Robstown. It will begin on Oct. 20th, 1 -5 p.m. and conclude the following day from 8:30 a.m. -noon. The $30 fee includes all workshop materials. Space is limited to 30 participants.
   Lisa Whittlesey, an Extension Program Specialist and lecturer with the Benz School of Floral Design, housed with the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M, will teach you many of the tricks of the trade to inexpensive floral designs. Each participant will create a traditional design, a holiday design and a design "from the backyard." For registration information for either of these programs, call the Nueces County Extension Office at 767-5217.



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