- 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)

The dianthus family was known as early as 300BC; Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia. Common names include carnation (D. caryophyllus), pink (D. plumarius) and sweet william (D. barbatus).

Origin of name: from the Greek ‘dios’ which means divine and ‘anthos’ meaning a flower.

The species are mostly perennial herbs, a few are annual or biennial, and some are low subshrubs with woody basal stems. Most Dianthus produce richly fragrant flowers in the spring or summer, sometimes extending right up until the first frost, and most varieties will grow 18″ to 24″. The flowers have five petals, typically with a frilled or pinked margin, and are (in almost all species) pale to dark pink.

Growing Conditions: Can be grown from seed or from cuttings. If using seed, you can either use them directly, or grow them indoors and transplant later. Given that they prefer warm weather, if planting outdoors, start in spring once the weather turns a bit warm. Dianthus seeds can be started indoors around 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost is expected in case you want same year blooming. Once the seeds are sown, they should be covered lightly with soil, and planted around 10- 11 inches apart. But, you can even plant them with a bit of crowding since they look good in clumps. Do not mulch them.
Should be planted such that they receive 4-5 hours of sun a day. There should not be water-logging, so avoid too much water; so the soil should be fast-draining, fertile, and mildly alkaline (pH of approx between 6.7 – 6.8). Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. Fertilizer should be added monthly. Once flowers have bloomed and then dried, the spent flowers should be removed, and the plant pruned to stem level.

Carnations (one of the varieties): The plants have grayish-green foliage and fragrant, semi-double rosy, purple or white flowers. There are many hybrid varieties in a variety of colours and sizes with no fragrance. They are great plants to grow in gardens and can be used as cut-flowers.
Cuttings can be taken off any carnation, but the best shoot come from cuttings off a year-old plant after it has bloomed (what helps is that this is the part of the plant where there is enough length of the stalk to form a cutting).

Coreopsis is a member of the Aster family. This plant is also called “Tickseed” or “Calliopsis”. Most varieties are perennials, with some annual varieties. They are natives of plains in the U.S. Coreopsis are sunny flower border work horses. They are great additions to any garden design, blooming most of the summer. Coreopsis make great garden edging as well as nice cut flowers. Coreopsis produces daisy like flowers. Flowers grow on sturdy stalks that grow from 1 1/2′ to 4′ tall. Brilliant colors include yellow, gold, red, maroon, or a combination of these colors.
The annual Coreopsis is C. tinctoria and in a full sun garden it can reach three to four feet in height. Easily grown as a hardy annual (you can sow it outside) this showy yellow and dark red daisy puts on quite a flower display. The drought-tolerant nature of the Coreopsis makes it a great plant for container gardens, xeriscaping or near the road or mailbox where it won’t get watered everyday. Give it a prime spot in the cut flower garden as well.

Zone: Tickseed, or Coreopsis, is hardy in zones 3-8.

Exposure: Full sun Bloom Period/Days to Harvest

Bloom Period/Days to Harvest: Early summer through Fall

Growing from transplantation: Shop for coreopsis plants in the spring in cold regions or year-round in mild climates. Choose healthy-looking plants with signs of new growth in leaf or flower bud. (In early spring you may need to look closely in the pot for the dark stems emerging from the soil.)

Grow Coreopsis from seed: Directly seed them into your flower garden in early spring. Sow seeds early in the season, covering lightly with coarse or sandy soil.

They grow well in average soils. Soil should be well draining. Mix in plenty of compost prior to the first planting. Keep the soil moist until they germinate, about one of two weeks. This versatile plant grows in dry or wet climates. Water only during extended droughts. Plant coreopsis in full sun in well-drained soil. Add a little organic fertilizer to the planting hole. Water weekly throughout the first summer.
Coreopsis will bloom longer if deadheaded. However the profusion of delicate blooms can make deadheading a nightmare. An easier solution is to simply wait until the first flush of bloom wanes and sheer the entire plant back. It will recover quickly. Add a light application of organic fertilizer in spring. Water infrequently once the plant is established – just two or three times during the summer. Dig up your Coreopsis clumps every three years or so to divide in the fall after blooming or in the early spring. The taller varieties will benefit from staking.