Plant Highlight

Berry Good Pick for Winter Interest

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By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Winterberry shrub with no leaves and bright red berries.
Winterberry shows winter interest with no leaves and bright red berries. Photo by dmp2024

Looking for a splash of color in your yard amid winter’s dreary landscape? Check out one or more of the many winterberry (Ilex verticillata) cultivars. This deciduous member of the holly family sports bright, shiny red berries from early fall through late winter. Branches may be cut and used in holiday arrangements.

Winterberry can be found growing throughout eastern North America from Canada down along the east coast and west to Texas. Look for the brilliant red berries when driving past marshy areas in particular. While winterberry will grow in well-drained soil, it is a great candidate for areas that stay moist and aren’t particularly well drained. These plants naturally occur in forested wetlands as well as along the banks of streams, ponds or other water sources.

There are several factors to consider when selecting a winterberry bush for your yard. One of the most important is the mature size of the plant. Cultivars are available that vary from dwarf, 4-foot, compact plants to 15-foot, more rangy specimens. ‘Red Sprite’ and ‘Berry Poppins’ are two red-berried, compact cultivars. ‘Winter Red’ and ‘Sparkleberry’ typically top 10 feet. Check out suggested cultivars for Connecticut with the UConn Plant Database (https://plantdatabase.uconn.edu/). While initially slow growing, winterberries may eventually form clumps through suckering and depending on the cultivars, may form dense stands if allowed.

The berries on most cultivars are a brilliant red. There are, however, some that have gold or orange fruits. ‘Goldfinch’ boasts golden yellow berries while both ‘Aurantiaca’ and ‘Afterglow’ offer delightful orangey fruit.

Do realize that plants are dioecious, meaning that individual plants may be male or female. Only the female plants produce berries. The male plants supply the pollen to fertilize the female’s flowers so that berries are produced. One male plant can fertilize at least 10 females if located within 50 feet or closer. Look at tags so a compatible male cultivar is chosen. Appropriate pollinators should be listed on nursery tags.

Unless plants are in bloom or have berries, it is not possible to tell males from females, but they should be marked on their tags at the nursery. When in bloom, the female flowers have tiny green immature berries in the center while the males have fluffy, yellow, pollen-bearing anthers. Occasionally the female flowers have non-pollen bearing anthers, probably effective is luring pollinators to fertilize their flowers. Although not common in Connecticut, one native species of cellophane bee, Colletes banksi, is a specialized pollinator of winterberry.

Winterberry with full berry display.
Photo by dmp2024

Winterberries do best in full sun to partial shade. The shadier the site they are grown in, the fewer blossoms and berries they will produce. Being native New Englanders, they prefer acidic soils rich in organic matter. If your soil pH is between 5 to 6.5, plants should happily grow. Once plants are established, only minimal fertilization is usually required. For the first few years, about a cup of a complete organic or synthetic fertilizer could be lightly worked into the soil surrounding the plant each spring.

Plants can be used in foundation plantings, as a hedge, in rain gardens and when setting up areas attractive to wildlife. Not only are pollinators attracted to the flowers but over 48 species of birds feed on the berries, typically after they soften following periods of freezing and thawing.

Pruning can be tricky and is best kept to a minimum so selecting the right sized cultivar for your particular site is crucial. Winterberries have an upright growth habit but may sucker. They bloom on old wood meaning the flower buds that open in the spring were formed last fall. If grown as a multi-stemmed shrub, a few stems can be removed if plants seem crowded.

Complaints about little or no berry production may be due to lack of a male pollinator, too much shade, young plants that have not established a good root system, improper pruning or excessively dry conditions. In general, winterberries are rewarding, easy to grow shrubs that make quite the impact when little else in the landscape stands out.

For questions about selecting or growing winterberries or for other gardening queries, contact the UCONN Home & Garden Education Center, toll-free, at (877) 486-6271, visit their web site at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.

 

 

Do You Dig Dahlias?

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By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Dahlias in a bed at Enders island
Dahlias at Enders Island. Photo by dmp2024

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate to visit the spectacular dahlia gardens on Enders Island in Mystic. For those unfamiliar with this retreat, an 11-acre seaside estate was donated to the Society Edmund by Mrs. Alys E. Enders in 1954. This Roman Catholic religious community offers ministry, retreats and respite to many. The grounds are open to all for contemplation or just unbound appreciation of nature and horticultural beauty.

Gardeners will delight in the gorgeous, well laid out garden rooms but especially be entranced by the vast array of dahlias. The gardens at Enders Island are filled with over 300 varieties of prize-winning dahlias in all colors (except blue), shapes and sizes imaginable. A Dahlia Preservation Trust was established to preserve the dahlia collection that is rated as one of the largest in New England.

Any of us growing dahlias while appreciating their cheery, attractive blossoms lasting long into the fall, do realize they are not winter hardy, even with milder winters attributed to climate change.  Dahlias are native to Central America. In fact, they are Mexico’s national flower. Those wishing to save the tuberous roots for replanting next year, must dig them up and store them over the winter.

Ideally, gardeners should wait until a frost blackens the foliage. Then, if possible, wait a week so any carbohydrates left in the above ground tissue can make their way to the roots to enable good sprouting next spring when the tuberous roots are replanted. This has been a particularly confusing fall to both plants and gardeners. Frosts have hit some areas but often not severe enough to affect all plants and dahlias in more protected sites are still blooming their heads off, a trait most appreciated by pollinators such as bees.

On the other hand, it is November. Time to reign in gardening activities and begin preparations for the holidays. What’s a gardener to do?

Since my plants were losing bottom leaves to disease and looking a little ragged, I just decided it was time to dig them and move the tuberous roots into the cellar. Before digging any dahlias, be sure to note their names. If tags were not written out when planting, make them out now if color and flower type are important.

Cut back stems to 2 or 3 inches and carefully dig the tubers starting at least 8 inches away from crowns so tubers do not get sliced or speared. Use a spade or pitchfork but dig in carefully. This year the soil is so dry that it was not necessary to leave the tuberous roots in the sun for a few hours so the soil clinging to them could dry and be shaken off. Every one I dug up was dry enough so that practically no soil clung to the roots. Each was placed in a separate container with repurposed labels.

Dahlia tubers with a white tag
Dahlia tubers tagged for storage. Photo by dmp2024

Perusing through online sources, many suggest washing tubers off with a hose and letting them dry before storing. I have let them dry out in wet falls and shaken dried soil from them before storing but have never hosed them off. Maybe follow the approach that makes most sense to you. If any remaining soil is washed off, the tuberous roots should most likely be stored in lightly moistened peat moss or other slightly damp organic material, so they will not desiccate over the winter. For me, leaving a bit of soil around the roots that are stored in pots in the cellar over winter helps to keep tubers from shriveling with only a sparse sprinkle of water once or twice a month.

When happy, dahlias will multiply but it is probably best to leave the whole clump together and separate it before planting next spring when multiple buds or eyes can be seen. Keep the tuberous roots at 45 to 55 degrees F and check every 2 to 3 weeks for signs of decay or desiccation.

For an early start, the tuberous roots can be set into beds usually by late April unless unseasonably cold weather is predicted. If you have questions about overwintering dahlias or for other gardening questions, contact the UCONN Home & Garden Education Center, toll-free, at (877) 486-6271, visit their web site at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Gorgeous Grasses

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By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Autumn shines a spotlight on ornamental grasses. With their rustling blades and fluffy seedheads they are star performers in late season gardens going head-to-head with asters, mums, Montauk daisies and boltonias. Plus, they are great in fresh or dried cut flower arrangements.

The huge selection of grass species available is great for gardens but makes selecting difficult. Heights range from a few inches to more than 6 feet; colors from deep green to chartreuse, burgundy to black. Solid or variegated?  Would a clump former, spreader, or self-seeder best fit your needs? Are seed heads important for fall and winter interest? Is this grass planted as an ornamental feature in your garden bed or landscape or are you looking for natives to support pollinators and perhaps serve as food for birds and others? Answers to these questions may guide you in grass selection.

Two favorite non-natives grown for their ornamental value are cultivars of Miscanthus and Pennisetum. While the miscanthus species has been listed as potentially invasive in CT, a number of attractive cultivars are available for purchase and can be striking if well positioned in the garden. Two outstanding selections are ‘Gracillimus’ and ‘Zebrinus’. The first has shimmering silver veined green leaves growing in graceful mounds. Reddish flower plumes emerge in fall changing to a light silvery hue. Plants are clump formers but can reach 6 feet or more in height.

‘Zebrinus’ is more commonly known as zebra grass for its definitive yellow and dark green striped foliage. This plant gets big over time. Mine is now 6 feet across and probably 10 feet high. I wrap a rope around it in the late summer to keep it upright through fall rains and winds. Stalks have been used quite effectively as a substitute for cornstalks around the lamppost.

Pennisetum alopecuroides
Pennisetum alopecuroides. Photo by dmp2024

My Pennisetum alopecuroides was grown from seed probably 20 years ago. These plants are absolutely gorgeous in the fall. Despite the many bottlebrush seed heads, I’ve never found a seedling. The fine, arching foliage resemble flowing water hence the common name, fountain grass. Cultivars of this graceful, flowing grass range from 18 inch ‘Piglet’ to 5 foot ‘Fox Trot’.

Native grasses are soaring in popularity and much easier to find at garden centers than they used to be. One switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivar, ‘Heavy Metal’, is quite popular for its upright, striking blue-green foliage. If happy, it can reach 4 to 5 feet in height. The wheat-colored seed plumes are attractive to us during the gloomy winter months but also as a food source to a number of bird species.

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a favorite also of humans and wildlife, including both birds and butterflies. This upright native grass is pretty ubiquitous along roadsides and in fields and meadows. New growth begins a clean blue green but, by the end of the growing season shifts to deep bronze and chestnut hues. This is a tough plant content in sandy soils and reaching about 2 feet in height. The silvery seed tuffs are retained for most of the winter. Little bluestem combines well with a number of perennial wildlings like rudbeckia, pearly everlasting, goldenrod and species of asters.

Chasmanthum latifolium
Chasmanthum latifolium. Photo by dmp2024

Also commonly found along roadsides, purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis) grows on sites from full sun to part shade. This is a very well-behaved grass in the Poa (bluegrass) family. It is native to eastern and central U.S. and produces those airy pink seedheads you might admire as you drive.

Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) has very distinctive, but attractive seedheads. Native to the eastern and southern parts of the U.S., it is hardy from zone 5 to 8. Northern sea oats is a clump former with showy panicles of flowers in late summer that mature into wide, drooping seedheads. This grass likes moist but well-drained soils and is a larval plant for several species of butterflies as well as serving as a food source for several mammal and bird species.

Other native grasses worth investigating include side oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), big bluestem (Andropogon geradii) and prairie dropseed (Sporabolus heterolepsis). Check out both native and exotic ornamental grass offerings for their varied textures, colors, forms and flowers.

For more information on growing ornamental grasses or selection or for other gardening questions, contact the UCONN Home & Garden Education Center, toll-free, at (877) 486-6271, visit their web site at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Spectacular Sedums: Your New Favorite Groundcover

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By Abigayle Ward, UConn Dept. of Plant Science & LA Graduate Student

A bee on a cluster of pink sedum flowers
Sedums are very attractive to pollinators. Photo by dmp2024

With varieties native to North America, tolerance to frigid temperatures down to minus 40 degrees F, and nearly 500 species described, sedums subvert all expectations of a succulent. Also known as stonecrop, sedums have been a garden favorite since the 17th century, and it’s easy to see why. Their visual interest and tolerance of harsh growing conditions make them well-suited as groundcover for the landscaper with an artistic eye.

You can purchase either tall or creeping varieties of sedums. Also known as ‘clumping’ varieties, tall sedum varieties can grow up to 3 feet tall although many will only grow to 1 foot tall or less. Tall, top-heavy varieties can be prone to falling or flopping over especially if overfertilized or if they receive too much water. They are well-behaved perennials that are clump formers, and thus can be useful as focal points in garden beds. Alternatively, creeping varieties of sedums grow from 2 to about 6 inches tall.  These creeping varieties will spread a few feet in every direction but do so very slowly. If you wish to fill your bed with sedums, you can stick vegetative cuttings throughout the area you want them to grow. Keep moderately moist until well rooted. Once they root, they will usually fill out your bed fairly rapidly.

With such a large variety of leaf shapes and sizes, interesting bed textures can also be created with sedums. Some varieties have large, broad, spoon-shaped leaves while others have many short, pointed leaves surrounding the main stem. You may wish to combine different textures together into one bed to make a wild, visually striking design, or try taking advantage of certain textures for specific locations in the bed. For example, you could choose short creeping varieties with small leaves for bed edges, and select slightly taller creeping varieties with larger, broader leaves to build up to the bed’s focal point.

Variegated sedum with yellow flowers
Some sedums come in a variety of leaf shapes and colors. Photo by dmp2024

Sedums come in a smattering of delightful color combinations from electric green to deep purple, red to teal; there’s a color of sedum for any design. Many keep their color year-round, and produce delightful bunches of tiny, colorful flowers between summer and fall, depending on the species or cultivar. The magenta, yellow, and lilac-colored petals attract pollinators in great numbers, especially between August and September here in Connecticut. The flowers persist until wintertime, when they dry out and turn brown as the plant goes dormant. While you may choose to remove the flowers before the winter snowfall, you can also leave them on the plant to add some color contrast in your garden as the brown stalks are surrounded with snow. Additionally, leaving the dried flowers on the plants may help creeping varieties spread, as the tiny seeds fall to the ground and germinate come springtime.

While generally very tolerant of adverse growth conditions, sedums do best in sunny spots with well-drained soil. Luckily for those of us in Connecticut, many of our soils are well-drained. Sedums require little nutrients to thrive and typically are happy with just a spring application of an all-purpose garden fertilizer. Since sedums go dormant in the winter, no fertilizer should be applied later in the year. While other groundcover plants may need water in a drought, sedums, like most succulents, can go extended periods of time without supplemental irrigation. To top it off, their foliage is bitter, and thus unlikely to be damaged by grazing wildlife. The limited maintenance requirements of sedums make them attractive candidates for both lawn alternatives and green roofs alike.

While resistant to consumption by mammalian wildlife, the juicy sedum leaves are sometimes appealing to hungry aphids and thrips. To manage aphids and other sap-sucking insects, you can simply spray sedums with water to knock off the pests – just be mindful of overwatering, as the sedums may rot. Alternatively, you can try attracting ladybugs and other aphid predators to your sedums by planting marigolds, dill and other predator attracting plants nearby. The ladybugs will partake in the pollen and snack on the sapsuckers. Avoid spraying insecticides, as they will kill both pests and beneficial insects, including pollinators. Leaving leaf litter in your garden over the winter gives a place for ladybugs to hibernate. Come spring, newly hatched ladybug larvae will be on the hunt for a meal, ready to vigilantly defend your sedums from attacking aphids.

Your next groundcover selection can be both visually appealing and low maintenance. If you’re looking to update your groundcover, consider picking up some sedums at your local garden center in the spring or summer.

If you have questions on growing sedums or on other gardening topics, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.

Coleus: A Victorian Dream

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By Abigayle Ward, UConn Dept. of Plant Science & LA Graduate Student

Red coleus in the middle of a flower garden
A bed of red coleus surrounded by magenta celosias, and baby pink and purple petunias, complete with a walking path dividing the bed in two. This circular bed is located at the end of Mansfield Road within the University of Connecticut Storrs campus.

Seen anywhere from great-grandma’s ornamental garden to your neighbor’s hanging basket, coleus are the colorful, velvet-textured leafy cousins of oregano and deadnettle. Native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, it is thought that Dutch botanists introduced the fascinating foliage to Victorian England in the mid 1800s. Coleus were readily welcomed into homes as parlor plants and into ornamental gardens. They were especially coveted in so-called “carpet bedding” gardens, where bedding plants of equal height are used to create colorful designs such that they appear like “carpets” when viewed from above. Other than coleus, the Victorians enjoyed using colorful flowers such as petunias, asters, and zinnias as carpet bedding. Carpet bedding is still popular today; we have at least one such garden featuring coleus and petunias on display at the University of Connecticut Storrs campus. To design a carpet bedding garden, try combining simple shapes and lines to make symmetric, harmonious patterns. Use green vegetation, such as sedums, or even a green cultivar of coleus, to contrast with the bright colors of flowers and the mulch or soil below.

For those of us lacking yard space comparable to an English country house, a large carpet bed garden might be impractical. Instead, coleus can be planted alongside other flowers for a splash of color in a flower bed against a house or fence. Coleus are the perfect complement to the colorful clapboard siding characteristic of houses in New England – draw attention to the colors of both by putting reds with greens and yellows with purples. If coleus are planted directly into the ground, slugs are one major pest to look out for. In particularly wet summers, such as those in recent years, slug populations can devour entire coleus plants.

To avoid slugs, container gardens may be a wise option. Sitting above the ground and out of field soil, slugs will have more difficulty reaching the tasty, tender leaves. For those with outdoor space around their apartments, container gardens are also generally a renter-friendly option. Coleus grow well in window boxes and other small containers, and they can help add a warm, friendly atmosphere to the entrance of any home. Most cultivars of coleus available on the market today are tolerant of both shaded and sunny conditions, and thus are well-suited to either covered or open porches. In containers, the main pests to look for are thrips, mealybugs, and aphids. These three pests can cause discoloration in leaves, such as silvery/gold, yellow, or black spots. Outside where predators of these pests thrive, infestations should not progress to the point of killing entire plants, but affected foliage may be unsightly. While systemic insecticides may help keep these types of pests off coleus, they also can kill bees. Avoid applying systemic insecticides to coleus outdoors whenever possible. Try moderately forceful sprays with water instead, insecticidal soap or other least toxic controls.

The Victorians also kept coleus as houseplants, and so can you. In plant hardiness zones 6a-7b in Connecticut, coleus are very tender annuals. They will grow prolifically when temperatures are above 60°F, and will experience cold injury if temperatures fall below 50°F. When temperatures plunge below 40-50°F and overnight frost becomes a possibility, leaves will start to blacken and die. At the end of the growing season before the first frost, consider planting stem cuttings in pots and bringing them indoors for colorful, year-round foliage. Coleus as houseplants will do best in north-facing or east-facing windows. Avoid placing them in windows where they experience too much direct sunlight for too long during the day. If windows are unavailable, coleus also grow decently under grow lights.

No matter where they are grown, the main attraction of coleus is its brilliant foliage. Plants grown in containers may benefit from occasional nitrogen additions to keep them growing all season long. Like others in the mint family, coleus grow flower spikes when stressed or when the plant is near the end of its life cycle. While the flowers on the spikes are not very attractive from an aesthetic standpoint, bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators flock to them. While the spikes can be pruned off if they appear too early in the growing season to encourage further vegetative growth, consider leaving the late-season spikes on, so that bees can collect nectar to sustain their hives over the winter.

While the selection of coleus cultivars were limited in Victorian England, decades of horticultural breeding efforts have given us access to over 1,000 varieties today, including sun-tolerant cultivars, with endless colors, leaf shapes, sizes, and growth habits. Consider adding this versatile Victorian dream to your home garden for splashes of colorful summer foliage.

If you have questions on coleus or on other gardening topics, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.

Great Hostabilities

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By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Hostas in a garden
Image by dmp2024

So versatile and ubiquitous are hostas that I have yet to visit a garden that doesn’t have at least one whether left by a previous gardener or selected by the present one. Hostas certainly are workhorses of the garden renowned for their shade tolerance, hardiness and longevity. Plus, few plants have such large variations in size, leaf color and texture. According to the American Hosta Society, there are more than 3000 varieties of hostas covering 45 species including stalwarts of our gardens such as Hosta sieboldiana, H. elegans and H. montana. Now the hostas you purchase are likely complex crosses of multiple species.

Hostas are native to Asia and came to the United States through Europe during the 1800s. Many of us older gardeners referred to them as plantain lilies because their broad leaves resemble a common weed (or herb depending on one’s perspective), plantain. The young leaves are reputedly edible. In fact, the Japanese are said to serve them raw, boiled or fried in tempura. Their palatability probably explains why gardeners around here half-jokingly refer to them as ‘deer candy’.

Hostas are divided by size into 5 groups. Minis are less than 6 inches tall, small range from 7 to 10 inches, medium from 11 to 18, large from 19 to 28, and giants are greater than 28 inches. ‘Gentle Giant’ and ‘Empress Wu’ are close to 4 feet tall with a spread of over 5 feet, if you’re looking for a plant to make a voluminous impression. Keep in mind a plant’s full size when incorporating them into your planting beds.

A notable feature of many hosta cultivars is leaf variegation. On marginally variegated plants the edges of the leaves are light in color, maybe cream or yellow. Medio variegated types have light colored centers with darker edges. There are also 5 groupings for color: green, blue and gold, plus the 2 types of variegation. The gold and variegated cultivars do best in part sun to dappled shade. Placed in a heavily shaded area, they can lose some of their color as only the green parts of the leaves photosynthesize.

Hosta leaves up close with raindrops
Image by dmp2024

Leaf shapes range from thin and smooth to ridged and heart shaped. Sizes range from 2 inches on ‘Mouse Ears’ to over a foot and a half on giant hostas.

While grown mainly for their attractive foliage, hostas do bloom once a year. Most have delicate-looking, tubular flowers in various shades of purple that are attractive to hummingbirds and bees. Fragrant white ‘Royal Standard’ grace part of a patio in my white garden. Their heady scent is especially pronounced on warm summer evenings. ‘Royal Wedding’ is another fragrant, white-flowering variety. Cut down the flower stalks once flowering is finished.

Growing hostas is a breeze. These tough, dependable plants put on their best show when not located in full sun as the large leaves can scorch during periods of hot, sunny weather. That being said, there are some cultivars like ‘Guacamole’ and ‘Paradigm’ which can tolerate full sun with adequate moisture.

An ideal location would be a semi- to fully shaded site in a soil with a pH in the mid 6s and moderate fertility. Hostas are often planted under trees as once established they can tolerate dry shade to some extent. Remember that a tree’s roots will be competing with the hostas and your plants would benefit from extra water and fertilizer.

The two major pests of hostas are slugs and deer. Ragged holes and tears on leaves are a sign of slugs. These soft-bodied creatures feed at night or on cloudy days but slime trails on the leaves or ground may be visible in the morning. Controls include hand-picking, beer traps, diatomaceous earth and slug baits.

Deer can make short work of a bed of hostas. Three strategies are to use repellents, fence them out or plant your hostas amid less appetizing plants. Some have reported less deer damage to blue leaved hostas, maybe because they have a waxy coating. If you’re growing hostas in deer country, you’ll have to figure out what works best for you.

At the end of the season, frost will flatten the leaves of your hostas. Cut them back and remove the foliage from your garden to give both slugs and diseases less places to overwinter. Plants typically need division every few years if they are outgrowing their allotted spaces. Dig up and divide in the spring when the new stems start to poke through the soil but before the leaves unfurl.

If you have questions about growing hostas or any other gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu

Hearts for Valentine’s Day

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 Hearts for Valentine’s Day
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

While there’s always the traditional Valentine’s Day gifts of flowers and candy, why not give that special someone a plant with heart-shaped leaves that will likely last much longer than chocolates or bouquets. There are actually a number of plant species to choose from with some being quite easy to grow.

Perhaps the cutest, as well as the easiest is the Sweetheart hoya (Hoya kerrii). Hoyas are a very slow growing, vining plant with stems that may reach 13 feet in length. Typically, it is grown in a wreath form or on a trellis. The pink or white flowers are fragrant but not produced in great abundance.

While this plant has the most adorable heart-shaped leaves, the ones that are sold as a single leaf in a pot will, in most cases, remain as a single leaf. Unless a piece of stem was left attached to the potted leaf, the plant is not able to initiate new leaf or stem formation. This makes for a simple plant to care for, however. Keep your Sweetheart hoya leaf in a bright sunny spot with temperatures in the 60 to 80 degree F range and water when dry.

Sweetheart Hoya
Sweetheart Hoya - Image by dmp2024

Another plant for small spaces with charming marbled, heart-shaped leaves is the String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii). While the dainty individual stems can grow 12 feet long, they can be trimmed to keep the plant compact. The grey-green leaves are small, only about ½ inch in diameter. String of Hearts is a succulent best grown in a potting mix labeled for cacti and set in bright, filtered sunlight. Let plants dry out slightly between waterings. Keep away from drafts and note that plants may go dormant if the temperature falls below 60 F.

Philodendrons (P. hederaceum) have been grown for ages and with good reason. These tough, vining plants with heart-shaped leaves tolerate the lower light levels found in many homes. Stems may grow 3 feet or longer and plants are best suited to a hanging basket or trellis. Exciting newer cultivars such as ‘Brasil’, ‘Cream Splash’ and ‘Rio’ offer variegated leaves. Grow plants in bright, indirect light and avoid overwatering. Trim plants if they overgrow their bounds.

More recently, anthuriums with their flashy colored spathes in red, orange, pinks, and purples have been livening up the holiday plant scene. Both the spathes, which are modified leaves, and the true glossy, green leaves are shaped like hearts. Plants grow to about 16 inches high and if content will produce long-lasting colorful spathes several months of the year. Tiny flowers are on the tail-like spike that emerges from each spathe. Anthuriums also appreciate bright but indirect light, a well-draining, acidic soilless potting media and to be kept moderately moist.

Similar in care to anthuriums, syngoniums have heart-shaped leaves and new varieties come in various shades of pink, purplish red and even variegated cultivars. Syngoniums are evergreen climbers but can be maintained as a shrubby houseplant if trailing stems are removed. As the plant ages, leaves become more arrow-shaped. Plants enjoy warmth and humidity and do best in moderately moist potting mixes and in bright diffused light.

Syngonium
Syngonium - Image by dmp2024

A little harder to find but worth the search is the Heart Fern (Hemionitis arifolia). Like many tropical ferns, it prefers indirect light in a warm, humid location. Plants may reach 10 inches tall and wide. The leaves are dimorphic, with the sterile fronds being heart-shaped and the fertile ones resembling arrowheads. Unlike most ferns, the foliage is thick and leathery. Being an epiphyte, plants should be grown in a light, airy potting mix and kept moist at all times.

Lastly, there are varieties of English ivy (Hedera helix) with heart-shaped leaves. ‘Sweetheart’ and ‘Heart’ are two common cultivars. Blue-green leaves form along stems that can be trimmed to any length. Grow as a hanging basket or in a decorative pot. English ivy enjoys cooler temperatures and bright but diffused light. East or north facing windows are ideal locations.

This year, mix it up a little for Valentine’s Day and give the heart-felt gift of a plant with heart-shaped leaves. Do note that some of the above plants are toxic if consumed so should be kept away from children and pets.

If you have questions about these plants or if you have any other gardening questions, contact the UConn Home & Garden Education at (877) 486-6271 or www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Alluring African Violets Chosen as 2024 Houseplant of the Year

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Alluring African Violets Chosen as 2024 Houseplant of the Year
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center 

 This last decade or so has seen a burgeoning interest in houseplants. While this has led to the introduction of some new and exciting species, classic stalwarts are still in demand as evidenced by the National Garden Bureau naming African violet the 2024 Houseplant of the Year. They are from Africa, as their name implies, but they are not related to the violets we commonly encounter in our gardens. These plants were discovered in the mountainous regions of Tanzania and Kenya where they grew in shady, rocky locations.  

 The first person to successfully send plant material back to Germany where it eventually reached the Royal Botanic Gardens at Herrenhausen was Captain Baron Walter Saint Paul in 1892. This new species of plant was placed in the Gesneriad family and given the Latin name, Saintpaulia ionantha. A number of additional species were described over the next half century. More recently, after DNA analysis, African violets were put in the genus, Streptocarpus.  

 Regardless of their classification, African violets are endearing plants showering their caretakers with an almost continuous parade of blossoms if properly taken care of. Maybe the most difficult part of growing African violets is deciding which ones to grow. They can be found as miniature, standard, and trailing varieties and there are thousands of cultivars. In fact, the African Violet Society of America (www.africanvioletsocietyofamerica.org) has a Master Variety List of over 16,000 recorded species and cultivars.  

 Flower color ranges from white to pink, purple, blue, violet as well as bicolored cultivars. They can be single, double or semi-double, ruffled or picoteed. Leaves can be a handsome green, some with burgundy overtones while others can be variegated or mosaic. Whichever type or cultivar of African violet you choose, care is similar.  

Pink African Violet
Photo by dmp2024

 The proper amount of light is key to good flowering. Plants need lots of bright indirect light. East windows are usually ideal as they get morning sun. If only a west or south facing window is available, filter the light with sheers. African violets do exceptionally well under fluorescent or LED lights. Consider artificial lighting if natural light is limited.  

 Temperature is also important. African violets mostly thrive in the same temperatures we do, around 65 to 70 degrees F. Place them where nighttime temperatures do not drop below 55 F. This is more likely to be a problem during cold winters when plants are left too close to windows. Often exposure to cold results in the plant starting to wilt. Daytime highs ideally should not exceed 75 F. 

 When watering your African violets, avoid getting water on the hairy leaves as this may cause spotting. Many African violet enthusiasts choose to water from the bottom. Plants can be grown in special ceramic African violet pots where a well is filled with water, and it keeps the root ball just moistened enough. Plants can also be watered using a watering can with a long narrow spout so water can be directed at the potting mix and not land on the leaves. The potting mix should stay moderately moist at all times but should not be saturated. If watering from the top and excess water drains into a saucer, be sure to empty it. Soggy soils promote crown and stem rots.  

 African violets like a very well-draining potting mix rich in organic matter with an acidic pH. One can purchase specialty mixes for African violets, or a standard soilless commercial potting mix will do. While plants do need to be fertilized during their period of active growth, which is usually spring and summer, note if when repotting the mix you are using already contains fertilizer. If it does, don’t start fertilizing until plants start looking a little light in color. If no fertilizer was added to the potting mix, you can use a half strength liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks or so from mid-March until about mid-October.  

Plants bloom best when slightly pot-bound. Often the plant can be lifted once a year and then groomed and reset back into its original pot with some fresh potting media or in a slightly larger one. Remove spent flowers to encourage more flower buds to form.  

Sometimes cyclamen mites, spider mites or root rots can be a problem so pay attention to your plants and see that they are receiving the proper care. Always isolate new plants for 30 days before introducing to your collection.  

For questions about African violets or if you have any other gardening questions, contact the UConn Home & Garden Education at (877) 486-6271 or www.homegarden.cahnr,uconn.edu or your local Cooperative Extension Center.