This article first appeared as "Spotlight on Ornamentals: Time to Think Spring!" in IR-4 Newsletter 44(3):5 Plant Information Crocus and other early spring flowers are the harbingers of warmer days after a cold winter. Easter lilies and hyacinths commonly are given to celebrate the spring holidays. Daffodils, tulips and Frittilaria brighten up an otherwise dull [...]
This first appeared as "Spotlight on Ornamentals: Cyclamen - The Persian Violet" in the IR-4 Newsletter 42(4):10 Plant Information With ethereal blooms hovering above heart-shaped, variegated leaves, cyclamen almost glows in wintry light. Cyclamen, originating in the Mediterranean, is hardy to zone 7, and, although it can be grown outside in some areas of the [...]
This first appeared as "Spotlight on Ornamentals: It's Mum Season" in the IR-4 Newsletter 41(4):13. Plant Information Blooming in September through November and with the prevalence of orange, red, gold and yellow cultivars, chrysanthemums are the epitome of fall. As the third largest single ornamental horticulture pot crop (behind orchids and poinsettias), mums possess an [...]
This first appeared as "Spotlight on Ornamentals: Poinsettia" in the IR-4 Newsletter 39(4):2. A sea of red/pink leave Ice Crush poinsettia plants at Poinsettia Field Day at Raulston Arboretum. Native to Central America, poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) has become one the the most beloved holiday plants in the United States. With dramatic red bracts and crisp dark [...]
