A showy shade tree, seed-shopping time, golden crabapples, top-rated roses - gardening tips

Sunset, Feb, 1995 by Jim McCausland, Lance Walheim, Lauren Bonar Swezey

As winter loosens its grip, gardeners can begin the processes that lead to first-rate summer gardens. Depending on where you live, this is the month to plant spring flower color outdoors or start it indoors, to order or plant summer-blooming bulbs, and to sow cool-season vegetables. And it's a great time to set out bare-root plants, including shade trees like the beauty shown at right. It's a variety of flowering locust called Robinia ambigua 'Purple Robe' (also sold as R. pseudoacacia 'Purple Robe'). This deciduous tree is fast-growing, with a shapely crown; it reaches about 35 feet at maturity.

'Purple Robe' puts on a three-season color show: New reddish bronze foliage appears early in spring. Then from mid-May to early summer, 'Purple Robe' earns its name, bearing fragrant rosy purple blossoms in big clusters that hang delicately among dark green leaves. In fall, the leaves turn bright yellow before dropping.

'Purple Robe' is an excellent shade tree, especially in hot, dry summer climates, where it does well on little water after it's established. Locust can be grown in all climate zones. Although branches of 'Purple Robe' are less brittle than those of other locust trees, it should not be planted in windy locations.

Seed sources for the inland West

When you shop for flower and vegetable seeds to plant this season, you might start by considering regional sources, which tend to specialize in seeds that perform well in your part of the West. Here are 10 sources and some of their specialties.

Burreli Seeds (Box 150, Rocky Ford, Colo. 81067; 719/254-3318); flowers, vegetables, herbs; catalog is free.

Garden City Seeds (1324 Red Crow Rd;, Victor, Mont. 59875; 406/961-4837); heirloom and open-pollinated annuals, herbs, vegetables; catalog is free.

Native Seeds/SEARCH (2509 N. Campbell Ave., Box 325, Tucson 85719; 602/327-9123); Southwestern natives, wild food plants; catalog $1.

Northplan/Mountain Seed (Box 9107, Moscow, Idaho 83843; 208/882-8040); native wildflowers, shrubs, trees; seed list $1.

Plants of the Southwest (Route 6, Box HA, Santa Fe 87501; 505/471-2212); native flowers, vegetables; catalog $3.50.

Roswell Seed Co. (Box 725, Roswell, N.M. 88202; 505/622-7701); flowers, grains, vegetables; catalog is free.

Seeds Blum (Idaho City Stage, Boise 83706); annuals, vegetables, herbs; catalog $3.

Seeds of Change (Box 15700, Santa Fe 87506; 800/957-3337); catalog is free.

Seeds Trust, High-Altitude Gardens (Box 1048, Halley, Idaho 83333; 208/788-4363); open-pollinated herbs, vegetables, wildflowers; catalog $3.

Seeds West (Box 27057, Albuquerque 87125; 505/242-7474); short-season and heirloom vegetables, herbs, wildflowers; catalog is free.

A new golden crabapple

After years of trials at the Northwest Washington Research and Extension Unit, Washington State University-Mount Vernon has recommended some excellent new crabapples.

One especially attractive small-fruited variety is 'Golden Raindrops'. It flowers well in spring and produces scads of pea-size golden fruits in fall.

'Golden Raindrops' is a vigorous plant, growing 12 to 15 feet tall, with an upright habit and oak-shaped leaves. It also resists scab.

Look for bare-root plants at retail nurseries this winter. Crabapples grow in Sunset Western Garden Book zones 1 through 21.

Top-rated roses: here are 17 proven performers

Every year, the American Rose Society (ARS) surveys more than 23,000 members to determine ratings for new roses. The results of the Roses in Review survey are published in the Handbook for Selecting Roses, a buying guide from the ARS (Box 30000, Shreveport, La. 71130; $3).

The survey rates roses on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being a perfect score, and lists the color and classification of each rose. Only 17 roses have received a rating of 9.1 or higher.

If you're looking for a good garden rose that will perform well under a wide range of conditions, you might try one of these top-rated roses: 'Jean Kenneally' (apricot miniature, 9.7); 'Touch of Class' (orange-pink hybrid tea, 9.5); 'Sally Holmes' (white shrub, 9.5); 'Minnie Pearl' (pink blend miniature, 9.4); 'Pierrine' (orange-pink miniature, 9.4); 'William Baffin' (deep pink Kordesii shrub, 9.4); and 'Snow Bride' (white miniature, 9.3).

Roses with 9.2 ratings are 'Pristine' (white hybrid tea); 'Jeanne Lajoie' (medium pink climbing miniature); 'Mme. Hardy' (white damask); and 'Pink Meillandina' (medium pink miniature).

Those receiving 9.1 ratings are 'Olympiad' (medium red hybrid tea); 'Dortmund' (medium red Kordesii shrub); 'Henry Hudson' (white hybrid rugosa shrub); 'MEIdomonac' (medium pink shrub); 'Rise 'n' Shine' (medium yellow miniature); and 'Lady Banks' (Rosa banksiae, a white species rose).

Get ready: the hummers are coming

Lori Newman, a gardener in Perris, California, has made a science out of feeding hummingbirds, and she offers-some solid, time-tested advice. Hummingbirds start moving north this month, so you can put these principles into practice as hummers show up in your area.

Basic feeding formula. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1 cup water and microwave it for 4 to 5 minutes (the sugar must dissolve completely). This small a quantity cools quickly and is easy to handle.