Short Hort Notes

March 3, 2006

*Three Sunday Supplement Ads for Miracle Plants! In the newspapers the last couple of Sundays there were several ads in the coupon supplements for miracle plants! These sound too good to be true - and probably are.

• One of the was for “Canada Green” turf grass seed – “Amazing new grass seed mixture guarantees you a lush, green lawn in all four seasons, in every climate” gushes the headline. The ad goes on to say “No preparation. Just broadcast seed…Even grows in impossible spots.” Problem? We’re not aware of any turf type that will grow everywhere all year round. Plus, there is no mention in the ad of what types of grass seed are in this miracle mix.
• Another ad touts the “Super growing flowering shade tree – grows roof-high in just one year!” This is the Royal Paulownia or Paulownia tomentosa, empress tree or princess tree. It is in the Scrophulariaceae family (sometimes placed in the Bignoniaceae family) and is rated for zone 5 or 6 to 9. It is native to China and was introduced here in 1834. It has escaped from cultivation from New York south to Georgia. It is a fast-growing tree and hence is brittle and tends to be short-lived. Plus, it probably would not withstand our Wyoming winters.
• The third ad, for hardy lavender, might be a bit more believable. The Latin name is actually included, although it’s not exactly right – Lavendula Officinalis. The genus name is actually Lavandula. The second name, or specific epithet, is never capitalized in botanical nomenclature. At any rate, there aren’t any indications of zone hardiness – the ad does say “Improved – Northern sub-zero.” But for how long? Typically, lavender does not do particularly well here in our cold, dry climate.

Bottom line? Buyer beware!

*Quiet Winter: Things have been fairly quiet this winter, probably due to the weather. Most people are not thinking spring quite yet. But if the weather stays warm like this, our phones will be ringing off their hooks.

* Second Horticulture/Master Gardener Train-the-Trainer in the Works: We will be holding our second Horticulture Train-the-Trainer session in late May. Right now the dates are May 25 and 26. We hope to hold it in Riverton or Lander, either of which would make it easier for our Western Wyoming educators and Master Gardeners to attend. We will keep you posted on specifics as they become available.

*In the Panter Back Yard: We have been watering quite a bit lately as there has not been much snow cover and the weather has been in the upper 40s during the day for the last week or so. Nights are still frigid - down in the teens - but at least there is a hint of spring in the air. We are awaiting the first emergence of early spring bulbs like crocus and some of our iris.

Inside, it's been spring all winter with many of the orchids happily blooming away. We rooted about 20 bougainvillea cuttings over the winter from an old, mature plant that was on its way out. They are slowly growing new root systems (very slowly) and sending out new shoots. Soon it will be time for the hoya vine to bloom - we can always tell almost without stepping into the room because the flowers have a VERY pungent fragrance. The hoya is commonly known as "wax plant" or "wax flower" for good reason. The flowers are a beautiful pink and they are very shiny and waxy. And they will appear all over the plant.

Upcoming Events

*Horticulture Train-the-Trainer Program, May 25-26, 2006, location and speakers to bbe announced.

*American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference, July 27-30, 2006, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana. Contact: www.ashs.org.

*Wyoming Groundskeepers and Growers Association Annual Conference, January 17-19, 2007, Parkway Plaza Hotel, Casper, Wyoming. Contact: www.wgga.org.

*ProGreen Expo, January 22-26, 2007, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado. Contact: www.progreenexpo.com or info@progreenexpo.com.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Glen Whipple, Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071.

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Where brand names are used, no endorsement is implied.

Karen L. Panter, Ph.D.
Extension Horticulture Specialist
Plant Sciences - Department 3354
1000 East University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
phone 307-766-5117
fax 307-766-5549