Happy Gardening,

Karen

Abelia grandiflora is an oft overlooked option for the landscape because the older style of this shrub can become monstrously unruly, as evidenced by the tremendous hedge that lines the driveway to the house here in the nursery. Why don't we do away with it? One whiff of the fragrantly abundant tubular shaped white blossoms topped by an unbelievable display of nectar-drunken butterflies, hummingbirds and bumble bees in midsummer convinces us each year to leave the hedge in tact.

For the homeowner with less space, there are a number of new abelia cultivars that offer the same fantastic display in a more compact size. It's semi-evergreen nature, super pest resistance and adaptability make this a natural choice to include in the shrub border among other broadleaf evergreens or in difficult spaces. It performs well in full sun to light shade and appreciates the acidity of our NC soil.

One of our favorites among the compact varieties is "Little Richard" Abelia which was selected by a nurseryman here in North Carolina. Lustrous dark green foliage remains in a dense, 2 ½' - 3' mound and fragrant white flowers are cover the shrub from the end of May until frost. New leaf growth is an attractive bright red that darkens to green. This form usually stays evergreen even here in Mt. Airy.

For a larger flowering hybrid form with a superb lavender-pink bloom, 'Edward Goucher' Abelia grows 3'-5' and adds incredible interest to areas of evergreens or azaleas that have little to contribute to the landscape after their spring display. This is an unusually drought resistant plant once established, and will perform well in planters or other difficult spaces.

Another old time shrub with a new look is the Vitex. The older form of this large grower is often mistaken for Black Knight Buddlei (butterfly bush), but there are now other options available. White Vitex ('Alba') is a less vigorous grower with the largest flower spikes of any white flowering form.

The Cutleaf Vitex (Vitex negundo 'Heterophylla') has finely divided gray-green foliage that seems to be almost lacy in its airy form. Very hardy, this tremendous shrub has lovely lavender-blue flower spikes that seem to continue forever (June through August). Super for texture in the perennial border or to add height in a corner.

For an unusual look in groundcovers, look to the Round-leaf Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) with rounded blue-green leaves and a spreading habit that reaches only 1' to 2' in height. Flowers are bluish-purple spikes for most of the summer! This one even makes an excellent beach plant, as it is highly tolerant of salt air.

For excellence in enduring summer bloom with fragrance, the clethras or summersweets are tough to beat. 'Hummingbird' Clethra (Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird') is popular for its smaller size, 6"-7" long strongly fragrant white spikes of bloom and luscious deep green foliage.

For spaces that demand more height, other summersweets might fit the bill. 'Creel's Calico' offers variegated white and green foliage that appears almost paint spattered, while 'Ruby Spice' offers up deep reddish-pink flowers over vivid green foliage. There is even a Japanese offering of this plant (Clethra barbinervis ). Significantly taller than other forms, this clethra may reach 15-18' if allowed to form a small tree. Leaves are larger and more leathery than their North American counterparts and have great fall color in hues of reds and golds. Flower clusters are longer and the exfoliating bark has a polished warm tone. What a great choice for a multi-trunk tree with year round interest!

CHEF’S CORNER

Q.: Why did everyone at the little country church roll up their car windows and lock the doors during Sunday service last week?

A.: They were afraid that they would return to find the back seat full of squash from the neighborhood farmers!

Last year the "stupid squash jokes" were almost as abundant as the squash. This year, I looked for a "new look" in garden squash. To my surprise, my father-in-law called in frustration last Saturday morning to ask…"What do you do with these things? I'm not even sure what they are?" So we rode to the farm and had a "family squash festival" on Sunday.

The varieties I chose this year were:

• 'Spacemiser' green zucchini,

• 'Butterstick' golden zucchini,

• 'Goldbar' yellow summer squash

• 'Topkapi' light green Mediterranean zucchini

• 'Eight Ball' zucchini and

• 'Sunburst' pattypan

And as is usually the case with squash…we have a truckload. When we arrived we found that some of the eight ball zucchinis looked more like bowling balls…a little past their prime, and a few of the pattypans were large enough for aliens to board and use for spaceships, but on the whole, most plants were being kept up with…just no one knew exactly what to do with all these odd squash forms. Here are some of the recipes.

Stir-fried Zucchini with Orange and Garlic

is a Mario Batali recipe (Food TV network). We sliced an eight ball zucchini and removed the pith since it was a little past its prime. Use whatever zucchini you have available. Then we cut 1/4" thick slices from the bowls that remained and sautéed them until brown in olive oil. Add 2-4 cloves of garlic to suit your taste and sauté a minute more. Squeeze 2 fresh oranges (3 if not very juicy), over all this and let juice reduce by half. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper. (Recipe in its original form at www.foodtv.com).

2 cups grated squash or zucchini
1/4 cup grated onion
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 large egg beaten
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp. melted butter
8 chopped calamata olives (optional)

Grate together squash and onion. (Sometimes I add a little carrot too.) Mix in other ingredients and drop a tablespoon at a time into hot oil to fry until golden on both sides. Tip: I like to grate the squash and onion together ahead of time and sprinkle the seasonings on top. I then put this mix into a colander over a small bowl in the fridge to drain until I'm ready to use it. It makes the fritters firmer.)

1/4 cup chopped onion 2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 bottle Italian dressing 3-4 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 or 4 medium pattypans

Slice the pattypans to create large discs. Place in a large plastic ziploc bag with other ingredients. (Add enough soy sauce to make the marinade a muddy brown color.) Marinate at least an hour. Toast each side until done on the grill. (All squash is good this way.)

2-3 medium-sized squash
1/2 to 2/3 cup seasoned herb dressing
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 strips bacon
1/4 cup cheddar cheese or Queso fresco
Seasoning salt and pepper to taste

Cook whole squash until slightly tender. Meanwhile, fry bacon. Sauté onions in bacon drippings. Drain.

Cool squash to touch with running cold water. Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out interior leaving 1/4" of shell. Mix together squash, crumbled bacon, onion and cheese, seasoning salt and pepper. Add dressing so that mix is a sticky mass, but not so dry that it falls apart. Mound into squash shells and bake until cheese is melted. (Other ingredients that are good to sauté with the onions are fresh corn, carrots, jalapeño peppers, sweet red peppers, or anything else that calls to you from the garden.

Fresh tarragon (we use the abundant Texas tarragon from the herb garden) chopped and mashed into several tablespoons softened butter
1 zucchini per person

Slice the zucchini lengthwise leaving one end intact. Spread tarragon butter on the slices and grill until tender and lightly browned. Salt and pepper to taste.