Wouldn't you say it's about time for something green, something that reaches out to the next growing season? 

Here's a little treasure you may not have encountered yet –  the hardy annual Talinum paniculatum 'Limón'.

A native of the West Indies and Central America, talinum belongs to the Portulaca family.  The chartreuse leaves – which give the cultivar 'Limón' its name –  appear almost succulent.  Delicate pink flowers grow on airy stalks (called panicles) for much of the season, ripening into to tiny red bead-like fruits in mid October and remaining until frost.  In fact, these flower stalks can be harvested as a dried flower at season's end.  Cut fresh, they make a delicate addition to  flower arrangements.

PanAmerican Seed, a leading breeder and producer of F1 and open-pollinated flower seed, calls Talinum paniculatum 'Limón' a "hot summer survivor" because it "handles stress well, including heat and drought.  When exposed to stressful light, feed and water conditions, the foliage shows off an even more vibrant chartreuse colour."

But really, how could you resist growing a plant with the common name Jewels of Opar? 
It just sounds so exotic.

Cultivation Details
Talinum paniculatum 'Limón'
Blooming Season:  Late spring, summer
Hardiness:  Zones 8-11
Habit:  Mounded, Upright
Characteristics:  Drought and heat tolerant, low maintenance
Water:  Light
Fertilize:  Once a month
Spacing:  14-16" (35.6 - 40.6cm)
Height:  28-32" (71.1 - 81.3cm)
Width:  16-18" (40.6 - 45.7cm)
Exposure:  Sun
Source: Simply Beautiful Gardens

I am told talinum readily self-seeds when grown in the garden and that it is a good plant for attracting bees. 

I've had great success growing this plant in containers; the tiny rosy pink flowers serve as a nice colour echo for burgundy foliage and red blooms.  The container on the left shows the effect.

You are welcome to download the recipe for this container featuring talinum.  I call it Limón Sherbet.  Look for the file in The Potting Shed.

One more growing tip – talinum is vigorous when given good growing conditions.  You don't need many plants in a container to get plenty of impact.

Enjoy!

Want to read more?  Check out this plant profile.
Limón talinum is jewel for gardens (Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center, MSU)
Photo credits:  Plant start, plants in garden: Rob's Plants; Container: therebloomsagarden.com

This post is about decorative containers.  Each pot is like a garden in miniature.  Selecting the plants and arranging them for a summer-long display of colour and texture is, for me, one of the best parts of gardening.

I love decorative planters so much, I create recipes for my most successful plantings.  It takes practice to select plants that will complement one another in a container.  That's why I am busy creating recipes and sharing them in The Potting Shed.  If there are containers in your garden, I hope they are full and lovely now.  And that next year, you might try one of my recipes or others that I've linked to.

So what's this about Prada pots?

Early in the season, I took part in a greenhouse tour in my community.  The staff person who guided us mentioned that yellow was the 'hot colour' for 2013.  At the time, I sniffed at this; I have yellow flowers in some perennial beds, but it's not a go-to colour for container designs in my mind.  At least it wasn't.

In a strange and subtle way, as i visited that greenhouse and others, it was the yellow cultivars that stood out for me.  And before long, I was on to yellow as the dominant theme for my containers.

How could I resist the sweet wee blooms of Mecardonia 'Golddust' or the chartreuse leaves of 'Flashlights' Millet, 'Goldilocks' Creeping Jenny, and 'Wasabi' Coleus?  African Daisies (Osteospermum) with their subtle tones found their way into every pot.

What had happened?

Do you remember the movie, The Devil Wears Prada?  There is a memorable scene – you likely know it – in which designer-boss Meryle Streep explains how it came to be that her assistant (played by Anne Hathaway)  is wearing a sweater in a particular shade of blue.  That shade of blue was selected by the colour mavens.  They determined that it would be on the fashion runaways and, in time, in every shop.  It was not accidental.

It's like that in the plant world too.  There are 'fashion mavens' who select the new hybrids that are ready for market.  And we are influenced by them. 

I don't care one bit.  This year, it seems, I love yellow. 

There's a up side to the cool weather that has held across our region this spring.  It is ideal for growing cool season edibles like lettuce.  Growing very young greens – called mesclun – is both easy and healthful.

We have the people of Provençal (the region in Southern France) to thank for mesclun.  Traditionally, the French make a simple salad from an assortment of leafy greens that are mixed and grown together. 

In fact, mesclun comes from 'mescla' which means 'to mix'.  The traditional mix included chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive in equal proportions (from Wikipedia).

Today, many suppliers blend a range of salad leaves to create mesclun mixes with piquant flavour, appealing colour and interesting textures.  My new favorite – called California Spicy Greens and available from Renee's Garden – is a mix of arugula, curly endive, mizuna (Japanese mustard) and red mustard. The deeply cut and fringed leaves in the photo above are mizuna.

When planted in a small bed or a container, these greens are often referred to as a 'cut and come again' garden. 

Once the greens have grown to salad height, you can harvest what you need by cutting the plants with kitchen shears.  The greens will continue growing and you can come again to cut for many more salads.



Planting and growing mesclun
It's best to grow leafy greens in spring through early summer and to start another crop in early fall, as explained in the cultivation notes at Renee's Garden.  "Seeds just won't germinate well when the temperature of the soil and air regularly go above 80 degrees (26C).  Keep the soil in your bed or containers evenly moist as that will produce the sweetest, most succulent leaves from plants that grow quickly and without interruption.

"If you want to extend the salad season into hot weather, erect a canopy of shade cloth over the lettuce bed to moderate hot conditions. 

"It is also helpful to chill the seeds in the refrigerator overnight and plant at night so you have the coolest hours for seed to begin to sprout.

"Plan to harvest baby lettuces in the cool of the morning or in the evening after the heat of the day.  Growing staggered crops is a good way to have a constant supply of ready to eat salad."

One benefit to planting in a container is its portability.  Early in the season, I placed the container (pictured above) in a sunny location, sliding it under protection on the coldest nights.  Now I have it in location that gets morning sun, but afternoon shade so that the tender greens are not heat stressed.  Only regret ... I planted all my seeds!  I wish I had saved some for a later sowing. 

Why not follow the suggestions outlined here?  It's not too late to give mesclun a try in your garden.  You will love the tender, tasty addition to your summer salads.