After a couple of days of 75F+ temperatures, I was rewarded by my first salvia blooms this morning. I was also ecstatic to see that my maple is beginning to leaf out. Beautiful weather we’re having in DFW today! The puppies were happy to be out too, exploring the new greenery.
I’ve been thinking about companion plants for callas, and I’m either going with coleus (annuals) or caladiums (perennials). While caladiums don’t boast the same color spectrum as coleus, they may be arguably the more budget-conscious choice, since they can return year after year with the proper care.
Here are the cultivars I’ve been considering:
Red Frill, strap, medium sun-tolerance
Red Ruffles, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
Pink Gem, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
White Wing, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
The Thai variety of caladiums have also recently popped up on the radar, offering bolder colors and variegations than the typical caladiums. I’m unsure of their sun-tolerances, habits, or heights, so I will have to do more research on them. But for now, a good source can be found at AsiaticNursery.com.
Meanwhile, outside of Pacific Callas and ZCallas, I have found a nice selection of Calla lily bulbs to be had at Lakeside Callas and Brent and Becky’s.
Good news, my Asahi Zuru passed the scratch test…it’s still alive. I just had to scrape various limbs and twigs to find the tender green living layer beneath the thin bark to know that the maple was still alive. I can’t wait to see it leaf out in spring.
Well, living in an apartment certainly has not quelled my fancy for gardening. I bought an Asahi Zuru acer palmatum 5-gallon specimen late October 2008 from Forestfarm. In the transport, it went into shock and dropped all its leaves. I potted it and left it in my shady patio, and all winter long I made sure to water it weekly. Of course now that it’s February, and the weather has become pleasant again, I’m filled with dread and anxiety that I am stuck with another skeleton of a Japanese Maple. This weekend I’ll be inspecting the tree for deadwood and will do some careful pruning to hopefully ease the burden on it. I found some very good cultivation and pruning guides at Davidsans and Oregonlive.
I’ve also been shopping around for Calla lilies to try on the patio. Both PacificCallas.com and ZCallas.com appear to possess a good selection of bulbs to try. I’m thinking I’d like to find some red and orange flowering varieties to go with my red salvias. But the blush, pink and white of the japanese maple begs for some calla coordination as well.
Also, another upside to my shady patio: I can now give caladiums a try!
Who would’ve thought I would be resurrecting the gardening section of this site?
I discovered that I had left the digital camera outdoors during some rain, so it is now completely inoperable. I will be shopping around for a replacement. Meanwhile, the daylilies are still blooming, especially the Crimson Pirates…and the white crepe myrtles are still in full flower.