Ground Breaking Banter - Rick
Whether you have a treasured plant that you’ve been bringing indoors for winter for years or just want to try bringing in something you really loved that you tried for the first time this year, now’s the time to do it. Normally, you want to do it before there are any frosts as the types of plants that you take in are not usually very tolerant of cold – but we get into all the details of what to bring in, how to do it, what to look for, and what to expect in the months following in this episode.
Watch our entire conversation on moving plants indoors at the YouTube link above or on your favorite podcast platform. Now, here’s this week’s Lim-A-Rick:
Oh the weather outside is frightful
But your windowsill’s delightful
Since we’ve got no place to go
Let it snow let it snow
(Might I add your planning’s insightful)
So we’re moving in together
To your living room I’ll tether
But here is a fair warning
I’m grumpy on a winter morning
My personality is fair weather
Can we survive together til spring
Will you take me under your wing?
By not throwing me in the trash
You’re going to be saving cash
Let’s say it together….Ca-Ching!
As gardeners, “the grass is always greener on the other side,” is something we feel deeply. If only I could grow….well, fill in the blank. For me, it’s avocado, citrus, and proteas, and in my time, I’ve heard from plenty of warm climate gardeners for whom it’s lilacs and peonies. Suffice it to say, we always want to grow things that wouldn’t normally survive in our area. While those in warm climates who wish to grow plants that need more chill, alas, you have no feasible options for making that happen – and no, ice won’t do it. Cold climate gardeners do have some options when it comes to being able to enjoy certain tender plants, though, by bringing them indoors. And that would be the case with today’s plant on trial, Jazz Hands Variegated loropetalum.
Also known as Chinese fringe flower, loropetalum have long been popular in warm climates as a hedge, specimen, and even a small tree due to their dark purple foliage and bright pink flowers. There are some green foliage varieties out there with pink or white flowers, but it’s the purple one that is by far the most popular. That foliage keeps this plant – which is evergreen in mild climates – attractive all year round, but it’s absolutely spectacular when it flowers. Closely related to witch hazel (Hamamelis sp.), each bloom looks a bundle of silky, bright pink streamers that unfurl from the base.
Loropetalum is one of those plants that’s so ubiquitous in the areas where it grows well that it has become a bit work-a-day. But along comes Jazz Hands Variegated to give this old standard a totally new look: it still has those dazzling pink streamer like flowers, but it adds really unique variegated foliage into the mix. Once the weather starts to get warm, the new growth emerges in an array of pink, white, cream, and dark purple, making what was already a pretty good foliage plant a fabulous foliage plant. This also opens it up to incredible design possibilities, especially in containers.
But alas, it’s still not cold tolerant: like other loropetalum, it is hardy USDA zone 7b/8 through USDA zone 9. But let’s say that you’re feeling inspired to grow Jazz Hands Variegated loropetalum in a container combination and you live in a cold climate, you can easily purchase a small plant online to enjoy for the season – especially since where it is not hardy, you are unlikely to see it in stores. I recently realized the potential for this plant in season designs when I was in Tokyo and saw it in a planting in front of a store combined with brown carex, a yellow and orange abelia, Salvia leucantha, anigozanthus, and a tibouchina tree:
But Jazz Hands Variegated is so loud and splashy that it would lend just as much pizazz in a more restrained combination, too – say alongside Supertunia Bordeaux and Rockin Deep Purple salvia. Since you’d be paying around $25 or so for that Jazz Hands Variegated, you might want to bring it indoors to see if you could use it again next year. And yes, you can.
The general rule is that the more cold tolerant a plant is, even if it’s not actually hardy, the less advisable it is to attempt to overwinter it indoors. Basically, the more cold it can tolerate, the more cold it needs – it actually requires a dormant period of bright sun, cool temperatures, and outdoor level air circulation to survive. But as we get into plants that are less cold tolerant, they become more amenable to spending winter indoors. Notice I say amenable, not happy about it, because all of these tender woody plants will struggle once they go indoors. For the best shot at survival of Jazz Hands Variegated loropetalum and really any zone 8-hardy woody plant you are trying to overwinter:
- Place it in the brightest, coolest spot available. Avoid places in the direct line of doors to the outside, which will result in blasts of cold air, as well as areas with direct exposure to radiators or heat vents.
- Water, but never too much. The plant’s water needs will be substantially lower than outdoors, but it can dry out, and if it gets stressed when it’s already growing in less than ideal conditions, that could be the end of it. Try to keep it evenly and lightly moist.
- Do not fertilize until late winter at the earliest, if even then. Better to wait until it can begin active growth again outdoors.
- Know that the plant is likely to drop all of its foliage. New growth may or may not emerge to replace it, but if it doesn’t, that doesn’t mean it’s dead.
- Finally, keep in mind that such plants merely tolerate being indoors for winter, they certainly won’t thrive. So don’t expect them to have the appeal of a house plant, think of it more as seasonal storage.
Jazz Hands Variegated loropetalum can grow in full to part sun, and is hardy in USDA zones 7b through 9. It reaches 4-6’ tall and wide in the landscape, but grown as a seasonal container plant, it will stay much smaller. Blooms on old wood so prune after flowering if desired.
If you’d like to add Jazz Hands Variegated loropetalum – or any of the 320+ Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs – to your garden or landscape, you’ll find a list of local retailers here.
Gardening Mail Bag - Stacey
As a bit of a follow-up to our Halloween episode, Nancy writes:
This Northwestern salamander was strolling through my garden earlier this week while enjoying a gentle shower. While I don’t find these spooky, this was the largest one I’ve seen in my yard.
It’s really a shame when things like this happen – even though it is clearly an accident, it’s also a symptom of how little respect people can have for trees, especially more mature specimens like yours. Now that the damage is done, though, there’s little you can do. “Wound dressings” for trees used to be popular 30+ years ago, but the general consensus from the arboriculture world now is to just let trees heal on their own. Fortunately, this would is relatively small and does not completely disrupt the flow of water and nutrients to the upper part of the tree, so it shouldn’t have a substantial impact on the tree’s health. In fact, healing from the wound is already in progress! Here’s a nice article from Purdue University to give you even more hope.
There are several possible reasons why your mum seedlings are turning red, and chief among them is too much water. The fact that you have fungus gnats – the bugs you describe, which are definitely not the cause – typically indicates that a plant is staying too wet. Try letting your seedlings dry a bit more between waterings and see if that doesn’t take care of it. If they remain red, some other explanations to consider include pH issues, too much fertilizer or the wrong type of fertilizer, as often, red foliage can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency caused by an over supply of a different nutrient. But try cutting back the water first and see if that doesn’t start to improve it over the next couple of weeks.
As for your second question, hardy hibiscus don’t typically need deadheading. Once the flower fades, it twists up, dries up, and falls off within a few days. But very often, a seedhead does form. These do not typically sow out and become a nuisance, nor does their presence deter continuous bloom in the way that allowing seed heads on some plants, notably annuals, might. But if you wish to deadhead them, you’d remove the entire stem that holds the seed head, not just the flower itself.
Do you have a question for us? We’re happy to help! E-mail us or use the contact tab above. Due to high volume, we may not get to your question, so if you need an answer quickly, please reach out via the Proven Winners website.
Branching News - Rick
- “Okra water” may just be the newest health craze…
- Keep an eye out for “zombie trees” this fall and winter.
- Does the growing season seem like it’s getting longer? It’s not just a “figleaf” of your imagination, at least here in Michigan. The growing season in Kent County has become 6 to 26 days longer than average.
