The Jethro Tull Experience

Jethro Tull can refer both to the famous British farmer or a British "progressive" rock band. Both had big hair, which gives them some connection. Both enabled big business as well, perhaps unwittingly. But I'm not sure how much further that connection goes, having never heard even one of the band's songs.

Jethro Tull is also the name of a flower hybrid, a fluted coreopsis. It is a hearty southern plant that grows a brilliant yellow fluted head. I have two that I planted in my garden, neither of which has done horribly well. Both are somewhat disease prone, and I, being both a conscientious organic gardener and decidedly lazy, have neglected to treat them with some insecticide.

Until now. I finally dropped some 3 in 1, which I detailed in another post. It is my sincere hope that this makes the Jethro Tull blow up, as I quite like the flowers. They also last a week or more as cut flowers, which makes them wonderful to pair with herbs, miniature roses, and other small flowers for bud vases.

Big hair, big style

UPDATE: since this post seems to be attracting traffic from real gardeners, any advice on controlling disease or helping the plant thrive would be most welcome.

fertilizer

Fertilized the garden again yesterday. Fertilized tomato plants, begonias, jethro tull (and whole front bed), and Maia's patch. I also added compost to the half-ass herb garden and to various backyard plants, such as the Lantana.

The Orange Blossom tomatoes are popping. The Sunny Boys are beginning to fruit as well.

new garden planting

How ya like me now

In an effort to spruce up the dead space around the mailbox, I have planted an assortment of purple sage, Cuphea (Mexican Heather), French Thyme, and Fluted Coreoposos "Jethro Tull". Vinca Major is still growing from transplants, and I've tried a couple of golden pineapple sage cuttings, which don't really seem to be taking root.

The Fluted Coreoposos "Jethro Tull" is by far the most interesting planting so far. A carefree and everblooming new introduction. Compact habit. Bright yellow blooms with unique fluted petals. Spent blooms should be removed to encourage continuous flowering. It sits at one foot right now and will grow another foot before it is all over.

The fluted petals are pretty cool

I have begun laying down my own compost mix in with my flowerbeds. The compost has quite a bit of pine straw in it, so it makes for a good mulch. My hope is that the watering draws down the nutrients into the soil (trickle down gardening?) and the pine straw serves as a weed barrier. It is definitely "dirty mulch," but it could always be covered should one want to go that route.

I also planted BW Pink Begonias along with Coleus "Training Red" in the front planters and Ivy Geranium (Burgundy) and Kuai Rose wishbone flowers in the back planters. Finally, some color...

The Bee Balm finally blooms