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SPRING PINKS

Southern Living, Mar 2008 by Riley, Ellen Ruoff

Welcome the new season with our top picks for your garden. You're guaranteed tons of blooms.

There's no more joyful palette than the full spectrum of pink. These are the flowers you want to dive into, flowers you want to wear, and flowers that stop you in your tracks. The first wake-up call of the new season resounds with the 'Okame' flowering cherry trees. As days grow longer ami warmer, a progression of blooms entices you to take time and enjoy the show. Here are some of our favorites.

More Articles of Interest: Make a Flowerbed; Enchanting Wisteria; A Cut Above; Blooming Trees; Tempting Two-Bite Desserts

'Okame' Flowering Cherry Spring's firstborn petals arrive on these earliest-blooming cherry trees. Billows of blooms dress the upright physique of 'Okame' flowering cherry (Primus 'Okame') in a cameo-colored cloud. This fast-growing tree matures at 25 feet tall ami 20 feet wide and proclaims the season's arrival in all Southern regions. Two other well-known flowering cherries. 'Kwanzan' (P. serrulata 'Kwanzan') and Yoshino (P. xyedoensis), continue the spectacular show later in the season.

Tulips While much of spring's floral outpouring flirts with flamboyance, tulips personify statuesque, elegant ladies. If you didn't plant bulbs in the fall or your region is too warm to enjoy them in the garden, purchase pots that have been coaxed into bloom. Keep the Bowers cool and the soil slightly moist to prolong the show. When done, tuck them into the Upper South garden, take a gamble on them coming back in the Middle South, and add them to the compost pile in the Lower and Coastal South. 'Pink Impression' ami 'Menton' produce single blooms in the soft pink spectrum. 'Angelique' delivers double, pale rose-colored blooms.

Azaleas When this most beloved shrub erupts into flower, subtlety has left the South. Every imaginable pink shade inhabits this large family, and, with proper plant selection, you can grow them throughout our region. Consult local nurseries for the best choices in your area. If your soil doesn't fall into the acid category azaleas love, try a few in large containers. The mounding Kurume Hybrid 'Coral Bells' produces vibrant pink blooms. Southern Indica Hybrid 'George Lindley Taber' offers gentle shades on loose, airy plants, and the Satsuki Hybrids such as 'Bunkwa' and 'Gumpo Pink' bring late blooms to the garden.

Peonies Voluptuous peonies hover somewhere between prom dress and tango attire. If you could wear this wonderfully fragrant flower, surely you would dance around all night. But like anyone who does, the peony also needs time to cool down. A winter chill is necessary for successful blooms, so this plant grows best in the Upper and Middle South. The warmer Lower and Coastal South must (and should) indulge in a few purchased cut stems. 'Sarah Bernhardt' offers pale pink blooms, 'Jacorma' dons bright pink petals, and 'Paula Fay' brings a deep shade and long stems for cutting.

Roses When roses unfurl their first magnificent show, give up the "gotta-goso-so-busy" race. Just for a minute, let the fragrance of an heirloom rose prompt a moment of meditation. Numerous selections, such as this 'Climbing American Beauty' (top, right), offer easy care and grow willingly throughout the South. There is a plant appropriate to every size garden or container. 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' drips in soft pink blooms, while 'Katy Road Pink' kicks up the color with vivid hues. The ultimate easy rose, 'Pink Knock Out,' offers oodles of blooms and takes on drought without flinching.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mar 2008
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

SPRING PINKS

Southern Living, Mar 2008 by Riley, Ellen Ruoff

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