IN THE GARDEN TURN YARD INTO A PURPLE PARADISE.Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN Q: We just bought a house at the base of a hillside. The back yard is one-third grassy lawn bordered by privacy bushes; beyond that is a hillside covered with shrubs and moderate-size trees. Steps lead up to a gazebo gazebo Lookout in the form of a turret, cupola (small, lanternlike dome), or garden house set on a height to give an extensive view. Few late-18th- and 19th-century rustic gazebos survive, but 17th-century turrets built up in an angle of the garden wall are not uncommon. . I love purple and lilac colors and want to make this my dream yard. What's the name of the plant that blankets the sides of freeways in purple? I'm wondering if that plant would work on our little hillside. And would a lilac tree do well here? What other purple/lilac plants or trees could I add? - Lorelei Smith, Chatsworth A: The plant that blankets freeways in purple is trailing lantana lantana (lăntā`nə): see verbena. lantana Any of more than 150 shrubs that make up the genus Lantana in the verbena family, native to the New World and African tropics. (Lantana montevidensis), and it would grow fine for you, assuming your slope is sun-exposed. I would definitely plant a passion vine (Passiflora) with purple flowers to climb up your gazebo. Actually, you are in luck, since many drought-tolerant plants have purple, violet or lilac flowers. One of the most prolific bloomers is a wallflower wallflower, Mediterranean perennial (Cheiranthus cheiri) of the family Cruciferae (mustard family), particularly popular in Europe, where it flourishes on old walls. known as Erysimum ``Bowles Mauve.'' It is a small shrub that grows only a few feet in height, but when it is in bloom, it has no rival for flowering brilliance. You should also consider butterfly bushes (Buddleia buddleia or buddleja: see logania. buddleia or butterfly bush Any of more than 100 species of plants constituting the genus Buddleia, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the world. species) in both lilac and purple. There is also the blue potato bush (Solanum Solanum a widespread plant genus of the family Solanaceae which contains a number of valuable crop plants but also some poisonous ones. Poisoning may be due to (1) the presence in the plant of toxic glycoalkaloids which cause diarrhea, (2) alkamines, e.g. rantonnetii), improperly named since it actually has purple flowers. This incredible shrub is typically grown as a 3-foot-tall lollipop tree. This a great injustice, in my opinion, because when it is confined in size, the blue potato's flowering is curtailed. Left to grow as a large shrub or legitimate 12- to 15-foot tree, the blue potato bush flowers regally for months on end. Keep lavender in mind. There are many types of lavender, and lavender flowers cover a color spectrum in the blue to purple range. Finally, though few in number, there are true lilac (Syringa syringa: see saxifrage. For the genus Syringa, see lilac. syringa of Idaho. [Flower Symbolism: Golenpaul, 630] See : Flower, State ) varieties that bloom in the Valley. Ask your neighborhood nursery to special-order them for you. TIP OF THE WEEK: When staking a tree in a windy area, place the stakes in the direction of the prevailing wind prevailing wind A wind that blows predominantly from a single general direction. The trade winds of the tropics, which blow from the east throughout the year, are prevailing winds. See illustration at wind. Noun 1. . In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , if the wind generally blows from the north, your stakes should be placed on the north and south sides of the trunk. Stakes should be 12 to 18 inches away from the trunk and driven 18 inches deep into the soil. Use plastic or rubber ties. No tree should be staked for more than two years. Trees staked beyond two years are increasingly susceptible to wind damage and to falling over once stakes are removed. |
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