Archive for January, 2018

Best Annuals Of 2017

Each year Greenhouse Grower* magazine compiles a listing of the best annuals selected by field garden  staff and garden visitors to 19 public and seed company trial gardens across the U.S. Talleying the resuts, thirty-five (35) varieties appeared more than once, with Salvia ‘Mystic Spires Improved’ and Alternanthera ‘Purple Prince’ appearing five times. Before proceeding further, keep in mind […]

Seven Shrubs That Bloom In February*

  If you garden in zones 6 to 8,  there are a number of shrubs that bloom in the wintry month of February. Usually, a warm period lasting a few days to a week may spur flower buds to open. Nightly lows may cause some flower injury, but additional flowers soon follow. All seven listed below […]

Uniquely Different Monkey Puzzle Tree

Monkey puzzle tree or Chilian pine (Araucaria araucana) is an evergreen conifer that is native to forested volcanic slopes of the Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina (USDA Zone 7b-11). It is the national tree of Chile. Monkey puzzle typically grows to 60-70 feet tall and 30-35 feet wide, but may reach heights greater than 100 […]

Winter Honeysuckle Totally Ignored In The landscape

Winter honeysuckle, aka fragrant honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is a treasured old-fashioned shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8). It can still be found growing in older urban neighborhoods and parks. Winter blooming fragrant honeysuckles are a harbinger of spring. Budded branches may be cut and forced indoors. This vigorous durable shrub grows 6 -10 feet in […]

Small Landscape Tree – Try Chinese Pistache

Chinese pistache tree (Pistachia chinensis) is an underplanted small 30-35 foot landscape tree native to China, Taiwan and the Philippines (USDA hardiness zones 6b-9). It is related to the edible nut pistache tree (Pistachia vera). Foliage consists of pinnate compound, dark green leaves (to 10 inches long), each leaf typically having 10-12 lanceolate leaflets (to 4 inches […]

Four Top Rated Coreopsis You May Not Know

In 2016, Mt. Cuba Center in Greenville, Delaware reported the garden performance of 13 different perennial coreopsis (tickseed) species, hybrids, and related cultivars native to the eastern U.S. Over a period of three years, plants were assessed for their habit, floral display, disease resistance, and longevity. In the trial many popular tickseed cultivars performed poorly […]

Pest Alert: Deep Freeze Negatively Impacts Hemlock Adelgid Populations in the Smokies

GOOD NEWS! The recent cold snap is having a negative impact on the invasive hemlock wooly adelgids in the Smokies. Since 2002 this insect has killed millions of hemlock trees in the U.S. Biologists in the Great Smoky Mountains report that the recent spell of frigid temperatures has killed off overwintering hemlock adelgids. Over 15 […]

Key Landscaping Tips

To develop a successful landscape plan, first do a walk-a-round before you start digging and planting.  Record your landscape’s sun patterns, soil types, wind and water movement. This information will help you select the kinds of plants that will prosper under existing conditions. Sun exposure shifts daily and seasonally. Observe the garden at different times to gain […]

Common Street and Landscape Trees

Across the U.S. and Canada, city planners, landscape architects, and property owners now enjoy a wide selection of landscape trees to plant on city streets, along roadsides, and in yards and gardens. Over the past half century new and improved varieties (cultivars) are disease and pest resistant and exhibit better branching and architecture. We now know to avoid […]

Crypts (Cryptanthus) Are The Easiest Bromeliads To Grow

Crypts (Cryptanthus spp.), members of the bromeliad family, are an ideal low care choice for house plant collectors. Currently, there are over 1200 varieties of Cryptanthus species and hybrids available today. Compare to other bromeliads, which grow in trees or rock outcropping, crypts grow in soil or rock ground.   Plants prefer an airy, porous, moist soilless media favored by most […]