Orthosiphon stamineus is an interesting tender perennial just starting to bloom outside the Wister Center.  This native of Eastern Asia, a member of the Lamiaceae family, has long been used for its medicinal properties.  In Southeast Asia it is known as Misai Kucing and is used to make Java tea which helps heal kidney and urinary problems; however, it is also commonly cultivated for its unusual flowers.  It gets its common name cat’s whiskers from its tall stalks of white flowers with long “whiskery” stamens, which makes it a unique plant for containers or garden beds. The flowers also attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds so it would make a good plant for a pollinator’s garden.  It is easy to grow and blooms continuously. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

Hedychium, the ginger lily, has been spicing up our container plantings during the summer with its striking architectural form.  Now it is starting to bloom, displaying brightly colored stalks of orchid-like blooms. Though commonly called ginger lily, it is not related to the lily family but is related to true gingers.  Many species cultivated have been shown to be hardy only to zone 7b, so will have to be taken in here.  These flowers have a pleasing honeysuckle fragrance and are attractive to hummingbirds. The Hedychium ‘Flaming Torch’ seen here in the Scott Entrance Garden containers has bright orange stalks of flowers. This variety can grow 6 to 7 feet tall and following its first flowering in mid-July it will send up new shoots which will bloom in mid-september. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’ is another herbaceous perennial consisting of short spikes of snapdragon-like pink flowers.  It is a handsome plant currently in bloom in the Fragrance Garden next to Clothier Hall.  There is an interesting story behind this perennial.  As legend goes, Chelone was a goddess who refused to attend Zeus and Hera’s wedding and in turn was transformed into a turtle.  Assop’s Fables tells it that Zeus invited all the animals to his wedding and Khelone the tortoise, who at that time had no shell, was the only one not to attend.  When questioned why she was not present she answered “there is no place like home,” where upon Zeus ordered her to forevermore carry her home around with her.  And the flowers of Chelone resemble turtle heads and so adopted the name and the common name ‘Turtlehead Flowers’.  This is a great long-blooming perennial, nice for borders and as a backdrop for shorter plants preferring moist soil and woodland conditions. Other attractive features are year-long red stems and bronze-green colored new growth in the spring. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

Sedums are known to be pretty easy to grow and quite durable in heat and dryness.  Sedum rupestre ‘Lemon Coral’, however, is an award-winning sedum.  This sedum is a low-growing, carpet-like groundcover with golden-yellow foliage and yellow star-shaped flowers.  In the winter, it might be tinged reddish-orange, providing some winter color.  It is very durable, and once planted will only need occasional watering.  It makes a great groundcover, adds a splash of color to containers or cascades down a wall and does well on rocky slopes.  Here, it is seen bordering a walkway in the John W. Nason Garden. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

The post Plants of the Week – August 13 appeared first on Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

Asimina triloba is a native tree of the Annonaceae family which is starting to produce its fruit, the largest fruit native to America.  This tree is native to the temperate woodlands of the eastern United States, has a small stature rarely growing higher than 25 feet tall, and has dense drooping foliage.  The tree’s claim to fame, however, is its fruit the pawpaw.  The pawpaw looks like a short, squat banana with a custardy texture and a tropical taste; many sources say it’s like a cross between a mango and a banana or a melon and a banana.  Not only is it a tasty fruit but current research says it is highly nutritious with double the calcium of apples, high levels of minerals, proteins, and antioxidants; and one source mentions it contains as much anti-oxidant as a cherry.  Although the pawpaw is rarely sold commercially, domestication is well underway.  If you would like to try growing pawpaws on your own, the trees grow best in deep and highly fertile soil that is well drained and slightly acidic.  Two trees may be required for cross pollination and fruiting. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

In the Harry Wood Garden, I found Euphorbia myrsinites planted next to a blue yucca.  This euphorbia is a low growing herbaceous perennial with a sprawling or trailing habit, beautiful blue foliage, and striking texture.  Paired with the yucca, the two strong forms create an attractive contrast.  Euphorbia myrsinites grows well in dry, well-drained soil in full sun and would make a great plant for a rock garden or edging stone walls as it performs well in poor soils.  It is an evergreen and keeps its foliage through winter, though in colder temperatures it may lose some foliage. In spring, it will bloom with clusters of small yellow flowers, but its blue spiraling foliage interests me the most. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

The Jewels-of-Opar have raised many questions this summer.  They were much overlooked until their flowers turned into a plethora of tiny multi-colored shiny spheres resembling jewels, hence its common name.  This self-seeding annual, Talinum calycinum, is  an intriguing annual with unusual seed heads and chartreuse foliage.  The Talinum found in the Scott Entrance Garden and Terry Shane Teaching Gardens were self-seeded from the previous year.  We let it grow in many places where it seeded due to the interest these little ‘jewels’ bring.  This annual likes rocky or sandy soil and requires the site to be well-drained.  I’ve even seen seedlings growing in cracks between bricks in a walkway. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

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Centaurea cineraria ‘Colchester White’, a dusty miller cultivar, is a superb plant, its silver and white deeply serrated leaves making a wonderful accent.  The leaves create a special display in the late afternoon when their silvery color reflects light and in the evening when they glow in the moonlight.  As a good accent plant it is great in a border or container.  It also takes sun, heat, and humidity well and even continues to look good through a drought.    Its elegant arching form never fails to catch my eye, standing out against the darker colored Capsicum annuum ‘Black Pearl’ it is paired with, as I walk through the gravel path above the Scott Entrance Garden. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’ is one of my favorite Clethras in bloom right now.  Its terminal panicles of flowers are rosy pink and give off a pleasing fragrance.  Here, it lines the stairs to Trotter Hall in the John W. Nason Garden, making an excellent border.  It is also a useful shrub that will tolerate clay soil, wet soil, deep shade, and is low maintenance.  Due to these tolerances it is useful as a hedge, for erosion control, or in a rain garden.  Also, for those interested in attracting wildlife to the garden,  it attracts many pollinators, especially butterflies. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

Firmiana simplex, an ornamental tree of the cacao, or chocolate family, is another tree which graces the summer with color.   It is a notable tree due to its green striated bark, large plumes of flowers, and large leaves which can reach up to two feet across casting deep shadows beneath the tree.  Other than its interesting features, the tree is also useful to us as it grows extremely fast, is easy to transplant and is a possible street tree.  The large panicles of light yellow flowers bloom from mid-June through beginning of July, followed by light green seed pods.  In fall, the large leaves turn yellow giving the tree nice fall color.  Its attractive green bark can be seen throughout the entire year.  This Firmiana simplex can be found reaching toward the bell tower in the John W. Nason Garden. photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

The post Plants of the Week – July 30 appeared first on Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

Though the common name for Oxalis regnellii is Purple Shamrock, this plant is not related to clover, which is the smaller, similarly foliated plant which is commonly found in lawns.  Oxalis regnellii ‘Purpurea’, is a beautiful ornamental perennial in the Oxalidaceae family with deep purple triangular leaves.  It blooms spring through summer, projecting little pink star-shaped flowers above its foliage which look charming against the purple back drop.  If you cut back the entire plant it will bloom continuously throughout the summer.   Oxalis regnellii is pretty easy to take care of, but there are things you can do to ensure success.  It likes cool air and moist soil while it is growing and prefers bright but indirect light.  Also, if used as an indoor plant it might go dormant in the winter and lose some leaves. But don’t worry! Let it be dormant for around three weeks and then it will refresh itself.  I love this plant in container gardens, its foliage making a nice filler, though it could also be used in the landscape.  Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

Oriempet lilies, crosses between Oriental and trumpet and Aurelian hybrids, are a relatively new type of lily.   These lilies were bred to have the beauty of the Oriental lily and the heat tolerance, garden persistence, and range of color of the trumpet lilies.  The oriempet lily Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ is the original clone, bred by Dr. Leslie Woodriff nearly 50 years ago.  It was the first of its kind and is considered a big step in lily breeding.  Now ‘Black Beauty’ graces our gardens with its famous black and red flowers and tightly curled-back petals.  It is extremely hardy, flourishes in every climate and if happy reproduces to create large colonies. Now, they can be seen in bloom in our Scott Entrance Garden and in Cosby Courtyard.  Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

Poliothyrsis sinensis is a tree of interest right now as one of the few trees displaying summer interest.  Its canopy is full of bushy yellowish-white flowers providing color whereas other trees are often showiest in spring and fall.  This is a medium-sized tree and useful in the landscape beyond its summer blooms as it is decently dry-tolerant and can withstand adverse conditions.  In fact, it might make a good street tree.  We have one in the entrance garden, displayed against the copper observatory dome, and two more next to the Wister Center.  Photo Credit:  J. Ahrweiler

The post Plants of the Week – July 16 appeared first on Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

In German, matrona translates to “a woman with a robust form.”  Sedum ‘Matrona’ lives up to its name having a lush, full-bodied form.  It is a large cultivar that can grow two to three feet tall with numerous stems which cover the ground.  Its stems are upright, sturdy, and pinkish purple while its thick succulent leaves are gray-green with rosy-red edges and veins.  It is a wonderful foliage plant and also has attractive flower heads, which are currently in full bloom.  Here at Swarthmore you can find this sedum growing along the Rose Garden Circle.  Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

Another attractive plant found in the Rose Garden Circle is the small deciduous tree Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, also known as purple smoke tree.  This is a fantastic accent plant as it has beautiful burgundy foliage spring through fall.  It can be used as a specimen or focal plant, or it can be arranged among other shrubs to accent its colors.  Besides having handsome foliage, however, it also displays puffs of smoke-like blooms from spring to early summer. To make this plant even more desirable it is deer resistant and very easy to care for.  Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

Plectranthus argentatus, also known as silver spur flower, is a member of the Lamiaceae family, or the mint family.  This Australian native can be seen gracing Cunningham’s front doorstep, its fuzzy gray green foliage cascading down two of the pots in our entrance display.  Due to its attractive leaves and fast growth, it is a great plant in potted arrangements and as a trailing ground cover. It can be grown in sun to part shade, though tends to grow fuller given some shade.  It is a perennial but is not hardy, so take it in during the winter if you wish to keep the plant.  If you do choose to overwinter Plectranthus argentatus it would be beneficial to cut it back every year to rejuvenate its growth.  Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

The post Plants of the Week – July 9 appeared first on Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

Verbascum thapsus has been around for a long time.  A species of mullein, Verbascum thapsus was used by Native Americans and, since ancient times, by the Romans as an herb for medicinal remedies.  It has also been called “Candlewick plant” because the dried flower stalks were used to create candle wicks.  When hung out to dry and dipped in tallow they were used as torches.  Today they are still used to an extent by herbalists to make teas, but are also used in gardens as an ornamental.  Seen here in the John W. Nason Garden, the tall flower stalks add architecture to the garden, contrasting next to the low-growing liriope and mugo pine beyond. Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ is a hybrid ornamental oregano (O. rotundifolium x O. scabrum).  Though ‘Kent Beauty’ does not obtain the necessary qualities for traditional culinary Oregano, it is celebrated for its outstanding ornamental uses.  Indeed, this oregano caught my eye as I approached the stairs to the Fragrance Garden.  It is a beautiful oregano, displaying arching stems clustered with papery pink bracketed flowers reminiscent of a hops plant. With its cascading habit, it also looks good in hanging baskets and window boxes. Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

Tropical plants are currently the trend in summer landscaping, providing large colorful foliage which stands out among our temperate plants.  Members of the pineapple family, known as bromeliads, are popular choices.  Among my favorites here at Swarthmore, however, is Androlepis ‘Paradise’.  This bromeliad has large glossy, leathery leaves which are apple green tipped in red, though it will turn entirely red if placed in full sun.  These colors are even more beautiful when hit by the morning or evening light, making the plant look like it glows.  It will also produce a tall flowering stalk with white to pink blossoms. This Androlepis ‘Paradise’ is currently on display in the Isabelle Cosby Courtyard. Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

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Acanthus caroli-alexandri, also known as bear’s breeches, is currently blooming in the Harry Wood Courtyard, catching the eye with its unique tall stalks.  These stalks support unique, two-lobed pink and pale lavender flowers hooded with colorful purple bracts.  At its base, the plant also has attractive finely cut, glossy dark green foliage.  Acanthus caroli-alexandri grows well in sun to part shade, is a great architectural plant, and can be used in flower arrangements.  Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

Astilbes are great plants for shaded areas.  Here, Astilbe chinensis ‘Vision in Pink’ stands out in the Harry Wood courtyard as it appears to glow in the evening sunlight.  The soft pink plumes are a pleasing contrast to its fern-like dark blue-green foliage.  Astilbes are one of the few flowers which give plenty of color to shaded areas.  Astilbe chinensis ‘Vision in Pink’ comes in a soft pink, but many colors can be found throughout the genus.  Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

A native plant to Pennsylvania, Spigelia marilandica, is currently in full bloom.  It can be found in multiple places around campus including the entrance to the Amphitheatre  (below) and along our Entrance Garden gateway. This herbaceous perennial displays showy trumpet-like red flowers, each yellow on the inside.  For those who love wildlife, try planting Spigelia because these flowers tend to attract hummingbirds. Photo Credit: J. Ahrweiler

The post Plants of the Week – June 18 appeared first on Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

Many Deutzia shrubs are overlooked.  But Deutzia x hybrida ‘Magicien’, seen here growing along a pathway to the Arboretum offices, has earned its place as a 2003 Gold Medal Plant.  Its most impressive display is when it blooms in May through June with fuchsia flowers edged in white.  It performs well as a border plant or on slopes and banks and would be a good fit for a cottage style garden. Photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

Aesculus  pavia, commonly known as red buckeye, is currently showing its spring bloom of red tubular flowers in the Pollinator Garden.  Aesculus  pavia does its part for the Pollinator Garden as its long tubular flowers attract ruby-throated hummingbirds.  At this time of year, the tree is at its best in full bloom and displaying shiny green leaves.  Other than attracting hummingbirds, Aesculus can be used effectively as a hedge or screen. Photo credit: J. Ahrweiler

Clematis ‘Alionushka’ is an herbaceous perennial, non-vining variety of clematis with a unique nodding bell-shaped flower.  This is an ideal plant for a perennial border, and can bloom continuously if dead-headed.  We have this Clematis growing in both the Scott Entrance Garden and the Harry Wood Courtyard Garden and it continues to provide color once other spring bloomers have dropped their flowers.  Photo credit:  J. Ahrweiler

The post Plants of the Week – June 4 appeared first on Scott Arboretum & Gardens.

The wonderful pastel pink and yellow combined with the black or blue; depending on which version you order shows the world you are ready for the cool spring days and nights. This gardenseeds.swarthmore.edu x http://www.dresshead.com/c/floral-jackets/ item is a very casual look colorful / baseball style jacket that is very comfortable to wear and easy to move in. You can wear this floral jacket with a nice spring dress or a pair of your favorite tattered jeans. You will be a vision of spring everywhere you go in this floral jacket and the colors will make you feel happy. The open front and slightly tailored fit will make your figure look extremely nice in this floral jacket. The thin sweater like material feels soft and silky against the skin and will not make you too warm. The pastel colors make this a great floral jacket to wear to your family Easter gathering. This colorful / baseball style floral jacket is also trendy and is going to become very popular this spring as it makes it way to the top of the fashion charts. The model is wearing a size small which is designed to fit an 88cm bust and a 35cm wide set of shoulders.

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