Deborah Silver is an accomplished and experienced landscape and garden designer whose firm first opened its doors in 1986.
steel planter
vintage French wine barrel
Italian terra cotta pot and plinth
ridged concrete pot
Italian terrra cotta
ribbed concrete bowl planter
limestone urn
terra cotta basketweave box
terra cotta long tom
terra cotta planters
steel boxes
terra cotta boxes
The family of plants known as dogbane includes a genus of very handsome plants known as mandevillea. Mandevillea is a vining plant native to tropical climes-in central and South America. Michigan in no way resembles the tropics, but this vine is willing to perform here during the summer. Older forms of mandevillea, including the cultivar Alice du Pont, regrettably, are magnets for both insects and disease. In 2003, Suntory Flowers Ltd in Japan released a new series of mandevillea called Sun Parasol. Their breeding efforts produced plants with great vigor and disease resistance. Their near continuous bloom and ease of cultivation is as attractive as the flowers themselves.
Mandevilleas do require some sort of support to climb. This does not have to be fancy, since a well grown vine completely cover a pole, wire or trellis in short order. The vines do not attach themselves to a support, they wind around it. I have on occasion planted small mandevilleas as trailers in containers. Their natural inclination to curl gives them a very lively and wired appearance in a pot.
All six containers in the front of the shop have white mandevillea as their centerpiece. Additionally, the windowboxes at the shop are framed by white mandevillea vines. That decision was made long before the weather warmed up enough to plant. A cool and rainy summer would not have been so friendly to my choice. Mandevillea loves hot weather-the hotter, the better. They also like to be kept on the dry side. This summer-a perfect summer for them.
Mandevilleas only bloom on every third set of leaves. This means the look of the leaves is every bit as important as the flowers. The dark green, glossy, and healthy foliage is beautiful in its own right. My Jeannie le Joie climbing roses are a dream come true in the spring, but the foliage right now is nothing much to look at.
This week I have been catching up some of the plantings I did in May. I was happily surprised to see that every mandevillea we planted was growing strong. If I plant mandevillea as a centerpiece in a pot, I gradually remove its bottom leaves. Layering plants in a container requires some grooming, so one layer does not shade the other.
The dahlias in these pots are healthy and strong, but their peak bloom season will come in the fall. Of course the petunias have revelled in our heat just as much as the mandevillea. This mandevillea variety is simply known as Giant Pink.
4 10′ natural bamboo stakes provide support for the vine. We wind individual tendrils around each of the stakes, and tie them up with flexible garden tie. If new tendrils sprout from the base, or loose their grip on the pole, we may provide more ties. The Surfinia sky blue petunia in this pot-another outstanding annual cultivar bred by Suntory Flowers.
Red flowered mandevillea is an intense and deep crimson red. No so many summer flowering plants sport this color, but the Caliente deep red geraniums in this container come close. This vine is supported by 4 1/4″ diameter steel poles. The part of the pole that goes in the ground is straight. The upper part of the pole angles out slightly. We make these poles to mimic the natural growth of the plant. Once the vines reach the top, they can be left to their own devices.
What the small flowered cultivars lack in flower size, they make up for in sheer numbers. In another few weeks, these vines will be completely covered with flowers. Though I primarily use them in containers, they can be equally effective planted in the ground near a light post, railing, or fence.
The large flowered mandevilleas are slower to come into bloom than the smaller flowered cultivars, but if the warm season is long enough, they will catch up. Given how difficult our summer season has been, I really appreciate the breeding that has made this plant weather tolerant, florifierous, disease resistant, and easy to grow.
This is the hottest spot of any spot I garden. A stone terrace and brick wall facing south makes this terrace feel like the desert on a hot day. I see no signs of stress here whatsoever.
Mandevilleas are not tough to overwinter. The need a spot which does not dip much below 40 degrees. They will drop some leaves when brought in. I water them on occasion over the winter-not much. I do cut them back, but not much. They will need those stems to get going again in the spring.
Summer blooming hydrangeas appeal to almost every gardener. Each flower head is substantial. Comprised of hundreds of tiny florets, a single cut stem is a bouquet that celebrates the beauty of the summer season. One shrub in full bloom delights the eye. There are no end of cultivars-some white, some pink, some blue on occasion. They are broadly tolerant of a variety of conditions, but appreciate their fair share of sun, space, and water. I plant Limelight hydrangeas, and the new dwarf version, Little Lime, more than any other variety. They are vigorous growers, and bloom reliably.
My zone is a little too chilly and unfriendly for a good many hydrangeas. This is just me talking, but I only have one westside client who has been successful in growing blue hydrangeas. Her success is a mystery to me. The pink flowering varieties, available in my zone are easy to grow, but so reluctant to bloom. Sporadic bloom on a sizeable shrub makes me look like I don’t know how to garden. My clients on the east side of the metropolitan area have no problem cultivating pink and blue hydrangeas. I can’t help but think Lake St. Clair mitigates seasonal extremes.
I am satisfied to grow the hydrangeas that do well in my area. This means Annabelle,and Limelight. White hydrangeas, these. They are easy to grow, and so willing to bloom. Come June, the Annabelles delight every gardener with their snowballs. My favorite place to site them is on a slope, as they are stubbornly floppy in habit. Come the first of August, the Limelights transform the garden. 
Their greenish white conical flowers develope over a period of a few weeks. Chubby, luscious, and very large, the showy flowers dominate the summer landscape. I have 25 or 30 of them in the ground at our landscape yard. They are planted in gravelly soil, and make due with whatever water comes from the sky. They are a quarter of the size of these plants; the flowers are tufts. Plant hydrangeas in compost enriched soil that gets regular water.
Large growing hydrangeas can be stalky-leggy. Skillful pruning in the early spring can help keep them green and blooming to the ground. But a good underplanting gives them a very finished look. I like to face down most large growing shrubs with a smaller growing shrub or perennial. Boxwood does a great job of concealing those inevitably gawky Limelight legs. They do a better than great job of giving the hydrangeas some winter interes
This block of limelights is wedged in between a hedge of yews, and an L of boxwood. In a different, cooler, and more rainy summer, the tops of those yews would be dark emerald green, rather than the color of toast. But the lime green second flush of growth on the boxwood is a beautiful textural contrast to the hydrangeas. No legs on display here.
I prune my hydrangeas as soon as the buds swell in the spring. I give them a shag haircut, by shortening the long branches on the top. I rarely prune the bottoms. Heading back the long top branches allows light to reach the bottom. Good foliage and flowers requires good light. It is so easy to see in this picture that the heaviest bloom is occurring where there is the most exposure to light.
Limelights can be pruned as low as 24″-30″ in early spring. Hard pruning produces fewer, but larger flower heads. I prune my hydrangeas lightly, as I like them tall, and I like lots of flowers. They make a beautiful backdrop for this pot in August. They hydrate the look of my summer landscape.
My blocks of hydrangeas are sequestered behind a pair of yew hedges-one formally pruned, another left shaggy. Thuja nigra backs them up, and sets off the white flowers to good advantage. This is the juciest moment I have had to date in my garden all season-you bet I am enjoying them.