Page 96 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2018

HOME & GARDEN bloomin’
EASY SHRUBS
Since not every homeowner has a green thumb, the question is often asked, what are some easy shrubs to grow in this area? Mississippi State University
Extension Service horticulturist Gary Bachman has a few suggestions.
Camellias and azaleas have been prominent stalwarts
in Coast gardens for many years, but Bachman has some updated ideas. “One camellia I think is fantastic — and if you’ve never grown it before, it’s the one to grow — is the Shishi Gashira. It’s a great performer and has been around a while,” he said. “It’s a Mississippi Medallion winner and and Louisiana Super Plant and is just gorgeous.”
This camellia stays small, growing to two-three feet tall, tops. “You really can plant it year round, but fall and winter are the best times,” he added.
For those who want to go the azalea route, Bachman recommends Encore azaleas. “There are 18 different colors and they won’t get as big as the Southern India that grows all over the South,” he said.
like to see more people here growing them. “Hydrangeas are very tolerant of our hot and humid summers and very suitable especially if they get morning sun and afternoon shade,” he said. “It doesn’t matter when you prune them; they will still bloom because the blooms come from the new growth.”
He likes the Limelight hydrangea, which is great for cut flowers, and also recommends the Oak Leaf hydrangea, which is
a native plant to Mississippi.
A good solid plant for a green foundation base is Dystilium, the Mississippi Medallion plant for 2018.
“It can be a replacement foundation plant for an old favorite, Indian Hawthorne,” Bachman said. “It’s a tough plant and grows to three by three feet. The Rosa Linda Hawthorne is a big pink flowering shrub that can be
pruned
to keep
it manageable. Yaupon Holly is another native plant with the dwarf version being good for foundation plantings.”
Lantana is always popular and comes in a variety of sizes and colors. “It flowers like crazy and blooms in the spring and fall,” Bachman says. “All varieties are a magnet for butterflies and Humming Birds. The Lantana Lace
Bug will de-foliate
Lantana, but the plant
will leaf back out, so
it’s not a big deal.”
Bachman has 30
years of experience,
ten with MSU. He is
the host of Southern Gardening on public broadcasting and writes a gardening column that is featured in 104 publications.
Gary Bachman
96 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • March 2018 FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
This informed gardener really likes hydrangeas and would
Recommended for Home Gardeners
story by Lynn Lofton
photos courtesy of Gary Bachman
Camellia
Azalea
Lantana
Limelight Hydrangea