As Memorial Day and warmer weather approach, we look forward to summer and the accompanying outdoor activities that take advantage of our patios, decks, and yards. Plants are an important part of the outdoor area, providing structure to the design and adding color and texture to create a mood or theme. Plants provide shade to cool us, attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other types of desired wildlife, add fragrance, and provide us with tasty fruits and vegetables. Cottage Farms Direct is ready to help you with all your gardening needs but our shipping season is quickly coming to an end so don’t wait to order. Our shipping department is caught up from the spring rush and will fulfill your order promptly!

Memorial Day is a time to pause and reflect on the people we have lost and, of course, to remember and honor the servicemen and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. To commemorate these special people in your lives, many of you plant flowers at the gravesite of these loved ones in the time honored tradition of Memorial Day. If you are honoring a special someone in this way, be sure to choose drought-tolerant plants to maximize the effectiveness and help you minimize the care required. Drought tolerant plants are also a great idea for your own yard. Listed below are some low water plants that can be used in your own minimum water situation.

'Angelina' Sedum - A great plant for containers due to the extreme drought tolerance and the golden foliage which delivers color from the minute it is planted. The bright gold needle-like foliage cascades over the edge of the pot and is stunning with purple foliage plants.

'Tricolor' Sedum - Add instant color to your containers and landscape beds! Tricolor Sedum is a succulent plant that will tolerate dry conditions and loves full sun. Mix with other succulents like Angelina Sedum, Desert Rose, and Ice Plant to create an easy to care for container garden, perfect for hot sunny areas.

Desert Rose - This unique plant gives you the toughness of a succulent with the flowering of an exotic tropical plant! Beautiful tubular blooms cover the plant all summer long and it thrives in full sun and high heat. Excellent to plant with the Sedums listed above in a mixed container.

'Purple Queen' Ichroma - An Athens Select plant which means that this beauty will tolerate high heat and humidity and bloom profusely all summer long. This striking plant has green velvety leaves and whorls of purple tubular flowers that hummingbirds love. Growing 24" tall, this drought tolerant plant will bloom across the country from early summer until frost.

'Panama Red' Hibiscus - This Athens Select plant delivers color and texture the entire growing season under extreme conditions. The dark burgundy, cut-leaf foliage growing atop the burgundy stems creates color from the minute you plant it. This durable performer tolerates heat and humidity and can withstand period of dry weather like a champ. The almost black flowers are difficult to see due to the shiny burgundy foliage that will draw the eye.

'Red Riding Hood' Fountain Grass - One of the best container plants period, this dwarf growing grass gives you color, texture, and height in one package. The dwarf growing nature is perfect for smaller containers, where it will not make the planting out of proportion. The burgundy red leaves and the burgundy plumes bring the color while the wispy grass blades and airy plumes bring the texture. This is a great plant for full sun situations.

If you so choose and are not restricted by the caretakers of the cemetery, or if you just want to plant permanent plants in your own landscape, here are a few great plant ideas:

Peonies - One of the most permanent plants you can use in this type of situation, Peonies require very little maintenance and bloom in the May timeframe in a large percentage of the country. Click here to check out this week’s special offer.

Daylilies - The toughest plant we offer! Blooming later than Peonies, Daylilies are great plants for southern areas that bloom around Memorial Day. The reblooming varieties like Stella D’Oro create color all summer long.

Goldsturm Black Eyed Susan - The best flowering perennial for summer gardens provides color for over three months and needs little maintenance. Drought tolerance makes this an ideal choice.

Once the plants are established, their drought tolerance becomes outstanding and the amount of time and effort you need to give them becomes less and less but the color display becomes better and better!

Plants add so much to your outdoor living area. Plus, many plants do not require the constant upkeep to have terrific results. You can create your backyard vacation area and never have to leave your house! But do not wait. Cottage Farms Direct will be shipping for two more weeks and our supplies are limited.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday weekend!

Thought for the week!

~ James A. Garfield ~