Johnsons's Garden Centers Text File document - copyright 2002
PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/newsletter/nurseryplants.html
PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/newsletter/flowers.html

Extreme Gardening
April 2002
Jeremy Johnson, Johnson's Nursery Buyer

    Extreme sports are popping up all over the place.ÊFirst it was
mountain biking, then bungee jumping, now street luge?ÊWith the coming
of X Games and other nontraditional sports competitions, it seems that
"extremes" are popping up everywhere.Ê

    Thinking about this about a year ago, frustrated with the way some
things were going in my gardening, I began thinking to myself that to
garden in the Kansas climate is really "extreme." With all of our
variations in weather, plants have got to hate us for the seemingly
minimal care that we are able to give them during certain times of the
year.

    While compiling things for our 2002 Plant Guide, I was asked to come
up with a list of "Extreme Plants" for the landscape.ÊThese are plants
that I have found to do very well in our climate. These stand up well in
the heat of summer and also tolerate our wildly varying winter
weather.ÊDon't get Extreme Gardening confused with xeriscaping, which
deals with water conservation in the landscape (though many Extreme
Gardening plants also would be considered xeriscape plants).ÊWhile this
list is nowhere near inclusive, here are a few of my favorite Extreme
Garden plants.

    In the realm of perennials, there are many choices of great plants
for your Extreme Garden.ÊAchillea or Yarrow is a plant that blooms the
entire summer, making dazzling cut and dried flowers.ÊAt Johnson's we
offer several varieties. My favorite is 'Summer Pastels,' which provides
a mix of pink, red, and yellow blooms all on one plant!Ê

    Another great extreme perennial is the 'Moonbeam' Coreopsis.ÊWhile
it may not be the most spectacular plant in a container, once they get
established look out!Ê'Moonbeam' is enjoyable because its creamy yellow
flowers bloom the entire summer, tolerating drought and heat.

    While there are many wonderful Extreme Gardening shrubs, I will just
cover a couple of favorites (at the moment)!ÊChastetree is a plant that
has highly aromatic, very pointed leaves. When backed by the light blue
flowers in summer, this plant is stunning.ÊIt is a fast grower that may
actually be pruned as a tree form and enjoyed in that manner, or treated
as a perennial and cut back to the ground each year.ÊYou just have to
love the versatility that this plant provides.

    My other personal favorite (at present) includes all of the
Crapemyrtles.ÊThis broad group of plants ranges in size from 18 inches
at maturity to over 10 feet, depending on the severity of the winter.
Once these plants get established in the landscape, that pretty much
takes care of everything.ÊThey begin blooming their whites, pinks,
purples, and reds in mid-June and stop when the frost comes in the
fall.Ê

    This is just a small sample of Extreme Gardening plants. Listed in
our 2002 Plant Guide are many more plants that are well suited to our
weather conditions. While Extreme Gardening may be a new concept, it's
actually the same thing that successful Kansas gardeners have been doing
all along, and continue to do in order to beautify their surroundings.