you should grow this – Doug Oster

You Should Grow This: Anemone ‘Queen Charlotte’

Doug Oster — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 19:32:57 +0000

The late blooming flowers of anemone ‘Queen Charlotte’ make them a start in the summer garden. This perennial is tough and beautiful.
The You Should Grow This video series is all about extraordinary plants which thrive in my garden when growing in less than ideal conditions.

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You Should Grow This: Japanese pieris

Doug Oster — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 20:10:56 +0000

Pieris japonica is an indestructible evergreen shrub which is also deer resistant. It has pretty, bell shaped buds which transform into fragrant blossoms in early spring. Another bonus is mature specimens also have beautiful exfoliating bark.

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You Should Grow This: ‘Big Duck’ marigolds

Doug Oster — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 18:17:35 +0000

This is the second year I’ve grown ‘Big Duck Yellow’ marigolds from seeds. There’s two other cultivars in the series that are just as prolific. These big marigolds will bloom just about anywhere. I’ve got them planted in containers, and they are not getting nearly the sun they would want.

I can’t imagine what they would do out in full sun. This series of plants are All-America Selections. Anything with an AAS certification means they have been judged blindly from growers all over the country. I grow lots of AAS winners, they have never let me down.

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You Should Grow This: ‘Amistad’ salvia w/hummingbird footage

Doug Oster — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 17:39:30 +0000

This ‘Amistad’ salvia was a gift from the Penn State Master Gardeners of Armstrong County. I was supposed to speak to their group, but COVID put a stop to that.

I spoke to the group the year before at their annual plant sale and they discovered my love for another annual salvia, ‘Wendy’s Wish.’ On a visit to Vandergrift Children’s Garden for a story on a kid’s garden without kids during the pandemic, Andrea Woodhall gave me some ‘Wendy’s Wish’ and ‘Amistad’ salvia. In exchange, I brought a few tomato plants for the garden including ‘Golden King of Siberia,’ and variety introduced to me by Betty Robison from Robison’s Acres. It’s a very cool place in Scenery Hill which includes a long trail of fairy gardens.

I love both plants, but the combination of black and purple on ‘Amistad’ is stunning. One day while standing in the garden a hummingbird visited the flowers and I was able to film the hovering bird enjoying the nectar of the flowers. Here’s the video, I think you’ll enjoy it.

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Debut of new video series “You Should Grow This.”

Doug Oster — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 14:07:19 +0000

I’ve seen lots of videos where people are showing their favorites growing strong in perfect conditions. This series is completely different, it’s highlighting plants growing in my lousy garden! Or growing in places they shouldn’t. When these plants flourish, you know they are winners.

The seeds of these two bean varieties from Kitchen Garden Seeds were literally thrown onto the ground. One right behind a bed of garlic and the other after the garlic was harvested. They both produced more beans than my family could eat.

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