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Tower Hill Botanic Garden - Page 2

© Howard Deutch

is almost five feet in height. The leaves of the other varieties are over my head. Silberfeder, Silverfeather grass, has tall stalks topped with plumes of feathery flowers that appear in late summer. The strictus variety, known as Porcupine Grass, is aptly named. The stems are round and the leaves are horizontally striped in light yellow. Gracillimus has narrower leaves, a white midvein, and is of an arching nature. Propagation of these grasses is by division and growth is best in full sun. I purchased my plants from Limerock Ornamental Grasses, R.D.1, Box 111-C, Port Matilda, PA 16870.

The lower right photo in the above thumbnail emphasizes Coleus, with The Line as the pale one in front. Those who live in Zone 10 can grow it outdoors all year long. The rest of us handle Coleus as an annual that likes moist but well drained soil and light shade. The more than 60 hybrids and cultivars come in all shades as may be seen by these two extremes. They may be pinched and the flowers removed to retain a compact form. Coleus is easy to start from seed, indoors under lights. Cuttings can be rooted in water or wet sand. Check them for mealy bugs, whitefly, mites and aphids.

The striking variegated leafed plant in the upper left is a Euphorbia marginata, snow-on-the-mountain. It grows to a height of from three to four feet. Watch out for the sap. It is poisonous. Marginata can tolerate heat and drought and may self sow. The upper right image is of a scaevola aemula, saxlaol. The lower right is a Verbana bonariensis Vervain. It seems to have a multiplicity of occult uses from exorcism and anti-sorcery to love magick. Bonariensis is 2½  feet or more in height, likes full sun and self-seeds. It is a perennial in warmer climes. This is a tropical plant from South America that survives winters only south of Zone 7.

I just realized that I am shorting Suite101 Gardening visitors by restricting my Zone comments to U.S nomenclature. For this I apologize but I am not familiar with any worldwide rating. For those of you in Australia and New Zealand, please change south to north.

The lower left image is a Heliotrope, Heliotropium arborescens , Marine. In warmer areas it is a perennial, in colder an annual that does not reach 1½  to 4 feet in height but is more like one foot. It can take partial shade, should not be over watered and is best in warm summers and rich soil. Compactness is

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