The name Allium is from the ancient name for garlic, which is part of the genus. There are estimated to be around 700 species within the genus, and many cultivars. There are perennials and biennials. Many members of the genus give themselves away with the distinctive smell of onions when the bulb or foliage is bruised.

Characteristics of Purple Sensation – Allium hollandicum

- A fall planted ornamental onion bulb, will produce purple flowers.
- This flower is sure to turn heads with its 4-inch wide globes of tightly packed pink-purple florets which sit at the top of a tall, thick, bare stem.
- In summer it bears umbels 8cm (3in) across of 50 or more star-shaped, deep violet flowers.
- Contact with bulbs may irritate skin.
- They are great for ornamental value and widely used for both landscape and cut flower purposes.
- The Allium Purple Sensation is ideal for containers, mass plantings, borders, and cut flowers.
- These plants are rabbit, squirrel, and deer resistant.
- The Purple Sensation has a bloom period of about 3 weeks and they bloom in late spring to early summer.

How to grow Purple Sensations

- Flower bulbs should be planted at least two and a half times the height of the bulb.
- They should be far enough so that they do not touch.
- Frost should be avoided while rooting.
- When planting in grass areas mowing should not take place until the
leaves have died off (about six weeks from planting.)
- Do not tie up or knot the foliage as this cuts off food supply.
- Plant in groups of ten or more for an eye catching focal point.

Basic Requirements to grow Purple Sensations

- Soil should not be too wet.
- Soil should be well drained but should have good moisture retention as flower bulbs are not deep rooted.
- Plant bulbs 5-10cm (2-4in) deep in autumn.
- The ideal PH level is approximately 6.5.
- It grows well in full sun or partial sun.
- The growth rate is moderate.
- Fertilizer is not essential but a dressing of a high potash and phosphate fertilizer may prove beneficial.

Photos of Purple Sensation on Flickr (link)
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’) – Photo (link)
Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ (detailed photo) (link)

- Sunset Hyssop is an open herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth.
- The leaves are fine-textured with a gray-green color. In the summertime, sunset hyssop is covered in trumpet shaped flowers, each with shades of orange, pink and purple.
- Sunset hyssop is a surefire way to attract hummingbirds to your garden. The vibrant pink, purple and orange blossoms definitely catch your eye, adding pizazz to any yard. It is able to grow in many zones and soil conditions.
- It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.
- This perennial will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season.

Growing Tips For Sunset Hyssop

- Plant in a sunny location. It can tolerate part shade if needed.
- In the first season, they should be watered regularly to establish the root system. The soil should be well drained as sunset hyssop does not tolerate soil that is constantly wet. After it is established, it is very drought tolerant.
- During spring, you can divide established plants.
- Sow seeds directly in the garden once temperatures are above 55 degrees. Space transplants 12-18″ apart.

Maintenance/Pruning For Sunset Hyssop

- Cut sunset hyssop almost to the ground at the beginning of spring. This will promote stronger and more vigorous growth. Deadhead spent flowers to extend blooming season.
- In colder regions, mulch with pea gravel during the winter. Do not use wood mulches; these tend to keep the soil below very moist, which this plant cannot tolerate.

Soil Conditions needed for Sunset Hyssop

Sunset hyssop prefers a hot, sunny spot in well-drained, mineral-rich, humus-poor soil. Cut the fine-textured, somewhat brittle stems down close to the ground at the beginning of the growing season, even if much of the wood remains live, as it does in warmer zones. This radical pruning promotes sturdier, more vigorous growth.
Sunset hyssop is short-lived in damp, cool climates and resents moist winter soil. Otherwise it appears to adapt to most garden situations as long as it has full sun. Its warm colors and full, bushy texture combine well with late-season grasses such as Mexican feather grass and the taller big sacaton, two other lovely Southwest natives. Late- blooming, similarly drought- tolerant plants such as blue mist spirea, Russian sage, and Maximilian sunflower also make good companions. This recently discovered treasure offers lively color and delicious fragrance, while bringing wildlife into our late-season gardens.

There are some problems that are associated with Sunset Hyssop like : Mildew, rust, and downy mildew.

A large number of you must have seen Hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus on Wikipedia), you know those large red or orange flowers with the stamen. These are tropical plants, that can also easily grow in pots, and can live for a large number of years as long as you take good care of them. They go in a wide range with the flowers ranging in size from anywhere between 2 inches to almost a foot in diameter. Similarly, the plants can vary in size between bush sizes plants to tall ones ranging to 6 feet in height. As a result, you need to plan for the ones you need, since they could be used for pots, or in hedges, or for ornamental use in gardens.

Hibiscus and fear of frost

Hibiscus are however afraid of frost, so if you live in an area with frost, then they should be taken indoors; if in zones 9 and 10, then you can cover them and leave them outside when frost threatens (although covering in plastic should be the last resort, best to cover with mulch or straw). However, if you are in zone 8 or more north where the frost is thicker, then they should be brought indoors, else you are in danger of losing your plants.

Hibiscus and soil conditions

When planting anything, you should have read about the soil condition needed for the plant. For Hibiscus, the soil should be well draining, as the roots will rot if left in soil which is water logged. The soil should ideally be a good mixture of organic matter (peat, moss, or the universal favorite, compost), sand and topsoil. If you can ensure the pH condition of the soil, keep it between 6 and 7. Once you have planted them, ensure that you do mulching regularly, since this helps in retaining surface moisture present in the soil, and also improves availability of nutrients. Make sure that you have prepared the soil before planting, and this will ensure a long life for your plant.

Hibiscus and continuous care

Hibiscus normally are not very comfortable with lifting, which is why we mentioned in the beginning that you should plan for where you want to plant them. Once planted, monitor the pH and if necessary, add garden lime to adjust the pH levels. Add organic material when required to ensure that the soil has enough organic material in it. Hibiscus needs light and some amount of warmth to survive and thrive, even if this is only for a few hours every day. If not enough in winter, then use artificial light. In winter, the water may need to be heated to some extent to ensure that you are not watering with cold water.

Pruning of your hibiscus plant

Like any other plant, you need to ensure that you carry out pruning of the plant to increase the life of the plant, shape the plant, and to produce better flowers. You should carry out pruning of your plants before the growth of the new season, typically around September; this can be later, but should never be too close to the first frost. When the plant grows too woody (which happens every few years), then prune hard, cutting back to the main trunk and leaving a few branches. This will add a lot of life to the plant. Watch out for a lot of yellow leaves in the plant, since that means that the plant is under stress, and you need to worry about the cause of the stress (pests, low water, etc).

Link: Lots of articles for Hibiscus.
Lots of photos of Hibiscus at pbase (link)
Photos of Hibiscus at betterphoto.com (link)

Now you are onto the organic farming bandwagon, either convinced by the health and environmental benefits, or convinced by the economics of it (or a combination of both). Now you want to know what are some of the fertilizers you can use as a part of organic farming ? After all, it is not possible any more to use the chemical fertilizers since these are not permitted as a part of organic farming, and go against the principles of using organic additives.

Compost: Compost is an excellent organic fertilizer that provides a rich source of nutrients to the soil. Making compost is not very complicated, the only thing it takes is some attention and time required for converting the organic waste to compost (months usually). It also helps in utilizing waste such as leaves, kitchen waste (except for meat), etc.

Nitrogen: Nitrogen in the soil is provided through the system of plant rotation, where nitrogen enhancing plants (that provide legumes) such as Alfalfa (as another example, potatoes should be grown on soil where sweet corn has been grown, since sweet corn adds to the soil what potato needs).

Livestock manure: Livestock manure is a natural method of adding nutrients into the soil and making it richer, a practice that has been followed since the beginning of farming. It is only in recent times that fertilizers started getting used; however, getting livestock manure as fertilizer for organic farming works fairly well.

Seaweed and kelp: This is an additive that is often ignored, but should be used. For those near sea coasts, this is plentiful, and provides nutrients, including materials that are not found elsewhere.

Compost tea: This additive sounds a bit strange, but is actually rich runoff during the composting process. Make sure that you have provisions to collect it, and use it as another fertilizer. It works great with potted plants.

Naturally occurring minerals such as mine rock phosphate, sulfate of potash and limestone are also considered organic fertilizers.

Slurry: A mixture of animal waste and water is used as organic fertilizer

Vermicompost: This is a mixture of decomposing vegetable / food waste, bedding materials, and pure vermicast produced during the course of normal vermiculture operations. This mixture contains water-soluble nutrients and bacteria, and makes for rich fertilizer, ideal for organic usage.

Guano: It is the excrement (feces and urine) of seabirds, bats, and seals. Soil that is deficient in organic matter can be made more productive by addition of this manure. Guano is rich in phosphorus and is an effective phosphorus fertilizer.

Blood meal: Blood meal is dried, powdered blood used as a high-nitrogen fertilizer. It is one of the highest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen and if over-applied it can burn plants with excessive ammonia. Blood meal is completely soluble and can be mixed with water to be used as a liquid fertilizer.

Epsom Salts: Commonly used to provide magnesium and sulfur to the soil. Promotes bushier growth and more flowers.

Advertisement: