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Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago - I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum , more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for

Coleus "Kong"


Earlier this summer, I was looking for a colorful annual to go in a large pot next to our back door. The spot is shady and under a small porch roof. I was going to go with the old stand-by - impatiens - but saw this at the nursery and decided to try it. It has been spectacular.



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. I plant to use more coleus next year. The coleus I planted in the arbor garden this summer, like your 'Kong,' is still going strong. It is shrubby and quite beautiful.

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  2. Those big colorful coleus are certainly worth growing. They are so sturdy, not a bit fussy about light or water. Just give them room to grow.

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  3. I love all the Kong coleus series for the shade garden. They are simply the best.

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  4. Wow. Very eye catching.

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  5. Beautiful coleus. Will you be bringing a lot of your pots and garden ornaments with you to your new digs in P town?

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    1. I don't think I will bring any plants. Some pots and one or two statues but I am leaving the majority. :(

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  6. I'm a big fan of coleus, but I don't grow this one very often. But when I did, it was huge and lovely! I've always had good luck taking cuttings of coleus over the winter, and they make pretty house plants while you wait.

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  7. I've become a big fan of coleus lately. Such tough, undemanding plants. Kong is a beauty. :o)

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  8. I keep meaning to try 'Kong' as I do love coleus, but, here in the uk they take so long to get going, and are still little toddlers in July, even when planted under heat in February. Kong is a lovely size, and looks so healthy. Coleus remains somehow under the radar , a lovely annual which gets overlooked. Is it just out of fashion, or does it get overlooked when it is compared to annuals with big, showy flowers ?

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