Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine

*PERENNIAL PLANT OF THE WEEK. DIANTHUS OR PINKS - (Dianthus spp.) Many varieties of Dianthus are showing-off around the state this week. This low-growing ground cover plant is great for rock gardens, perennial borders or placed along the edge of the garden. The foliage forms a mound of green, silver or blue-green and the flowers range from white to pink to red; the flowers of some varieties are fragrant. These plants do great in poor soil conditions and prefer hot dry weather; they may "melt-out" or rot in the center during rainy and humid seasons. There are a number of cultivars that provide excellent color in the garden. When the plants finish blooming, shear the dead flowers and the foliage looks great all season. 'Tiny Rubies' has a tiny rose-pink flower on a 3-4" stem; the plants form a very tight mound that grows about 8" wide. 'Firewitch' is a newer cultivar with incredible raspberry-red flowers that are around 6-8" tall.

*WOODY PLANT OF THE WEEK. DWARF FOTHERGILLA - Fothergilla gardenii. Dwarf fothergilla is in full bloom in central Ohio. It is a small shrub, reaches 3‑5', and has unusual bottlebrush‑like 1‑2" frilly white fragrant flowers blooming before or as foliage emerges. Attractive foliage is dark green in summer and turns to combinations of yellows, oranges and reds in fall. 'Mt. Airy' is one of many cultivars with excellent flower and fall foliage. Plant in moist, acidic, well‑drained soil. It is an excellent ornamental shrub for partially shaded areas.

For more information, see:

• Deciduous Trees and Shrubs with All‑Season Interests

*THE WEEKLY WEED. This week's weed is currently gracing some landscapes and farm fields in central and southern Ohio with a smattering of canary yellow. The weed producing the display is CRESSLEAF GROUNDSEL (Packera glabella), (a.k.a. BUTTERWEED (Senecio glabellus)). This member of the aster family (Asteraceae; a.k.a. Compositae) sports flowers that are daisy-like and seed heads that look like miniature dandelion puff-balls. The flowers are borne at the ends of thick, erect, stems that are green with reddish-purple streaks. The plant's cress-like leaves are responsible for the common name.

Cressleaf groundsel is a native winter annual found in the northern United States. It is a heavy seed producer, and the seed can remain viable in the soil for a number of years. For reasons that are not clearly understood, this weed has become unusually common in Ohio in recent years in cultivated fields, nurseries, and landscapes. Past reports indicate the weed may have some tolerance for 2, 4-D and may require high rates of glyphosate to be controlled. Hand pulling is an effective option in landscapes, but plants must be destroyed prior to seed maturation. Cultivation prior to flower production is also effective. Both approaches will reduce future infestations.

For more information, see:

• USDA Plant Profile