Sleep. This is something I can relate to. And it is something I have to always remind myself of when I’ve purchased a new plant and it doesn’t seem to be very happy where I’ve planted it. The old saying about perennials goes, “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep and the third year they LEAP!” And that is pretty much true. Patience is a gardener’s best friend.

    Seeing as how I have run out of places to plant at my home and that I’ve been working at Meridian Activity Center long enough to see plants LEAP three times over, it seemed like a good idea to talk about some of the plants that have been winners at the center – and to mention the East Mississippi Master Gardeners annual plant sale on April 28, beginning at 7 a.m.

    Master Gardeners sell primarily natives and perennials at their sale. You’ll find a few annuals by way of herbs, tomatoes, etc. Once you understand what “perennial” means (recurrent, returning) and that in the right location or zone (we are 7B, though I grow Zone 8 plants) you can keep plants year by year.

    Annuals must be replaced or pulled up once they quit blooming. Former Meridian Community College horticulture instructor Gail Barton was big on native plants, so we began to appreciate the beauty of our natural woods. Check out the Buckeye tree or the Eastern redbud at the EMMG sale. Hopefully, they will have some oakleaf hydrangea. I know they will have plenty of a “Pearlbush” which grows large, but is really pretty in bloom in the background. Look around town for a Beautyberry (another of my favorites), sweet shrub or yellow jessamine if you want to have more native plants.

    A most popular plant sold every summer is the angel trumpet, long 6-10” trumpet shaped dangling blooms which come in white, yellow and peach…unless you happen to get the mother plant or datura. Those blooms stand erect.  A favorite rose which I’ve had luck in taking cuttings of is Natchidoces noisette, a small sweet pink climber. It just blooms and blooms and …

    My favorites from New Orleans are tibouchina and firespike, which hummingbirds love. Because we do not have the long hot summer New Orleans has – believe me, we don’t! – these plants begin blooming in September and later. It takes all summer to build up enough mmmph to burst forth in bloom. Another favorite is a princess bush, with tiny white flowers all over, called serissa foetida. It’s a quiet shrub, loves the sun, gets a bit sparse in winter, but I wouldn’t call it deciduous, loosing all it’s leaves. It is very popular by the Japanese for use in bonsai. All three plants are very easy to propagate by taking cuttings. Oh, and the toad lily – when I had more of a shade garden I loved these for their tiny orchid-like blooms up and down the stems.

    Gardening is another reason to take a computer class at the Meridian Activity Center. Check out Mississippi Native Plants online; also, we do have a statewide organization which meets quarterly, I believe. The center offers computer classes Monday night, Wednesday and Friday mornings. We’re looking for another teacher to fill out some of the other days. With summer fast upon us and some of our instructors taking holiday, we could do with some ‘new blood’ over here teaching workshops in various topics, cooking, cake decorating, gardening – what have you got to offer?

    With help from one of our supervisors and the county, we are doing some much needed work in our back yard and will need some new plants come fall. Planting in the fall allows a full three or four months of winter rain and cool weather to settle the roots and allow the plant to become accustomed to its new home. No sense in fighting for life in high heat and drought of summer! If you have anything you’d like to share, give me a call at (601) 485-1812.

    Meridian Activity Center is located at 3300 32nd Ave. We are off 29th Avenue and 36th Street, down 32nd Avenue – which ends at our facility. Fenced in, warm and welcoming. Safe.

    Come for a visit. Look for our trunk sale notice on May 12th.

    • Barbara Wells is director of Meridian Activity Center. You may e-mail her at mactivitycenter@gmail.com