In 2016 Mt. Cuba Center in Greenville DE enlisted a team of trained volunteers to monitor the visitation of hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies in the 40 cultivar beebalm (Monarda) trial. Their goal was to systematically observe and note the cultivars that were most frequently visited by these pollinators. Below is a listing of the five […]
Archive for the ‘Flower arrangments’ Category
Beebalm (Monarda) Varieties Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies And Moths
Posted by Hugh on July 16th, 2020
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, compost, Container garden, deadheading, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Downy mildew, Flower arrangments, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, Monarda (Beebalm), mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Powdery mildew, Purchasing Plants, Re-Bloomers, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering 
Comments Off on Beebalm (Monarda) Varieties Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies And MothsTorch Lilies (Kniphofia)
Posted by Hugh on July 1st, 2020
Torch lilies (Kniphofia spp.) are easy to grow long-lived perennials from South Africa that are remarkably (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). They go by a number of common names including red hot poker and tritoma. The colorful floral spikes (and a little imagination) resemble fiery torches or sizzling pokers, visited often by hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, deadheading, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Red hot Poker (Kniphofia), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Torch lily (red hot poker), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Torch Lilies (Kniphofia)Six Easy Perennials To Grow
Posted by Hugh on June 1st, 2020
Rozanne (‘Gerwalt’) Cranesbill (Geranium X ‘Rozanne’) – low growing flowering groundcover that forms a 20 inch tall by 24 inch wide mound; blooms almost non-stop from mid-spring to early fall. For a cranesbill, its 5-petaled, violet-blue flowers are huge (2.5 inches wide) with off-white centers; in bloom from late spring to early summer. (Zones 5-8). […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Alliums (onion), Aster, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Container garden, Cranesbill (Geranium), Deciduous, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Platycodon (Balloon flower), Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Sage (Salvia), Sedum (Groundcover types), Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Six Easy Perennials To GrowCalibrachoas (Million Bells*)
Posted by Hugh on May 16th, 2020
Gardeners have discovered Million Bells* (Calibrachoa x hybrida), a small flowering cousin of the petunia. Million Bells are prolific bloomers and produce one-inch mini-blossoms. They were first marketed to home gardeners in the 1990’s. They’re native to Peru, Brazil, and Chile, and are commonly grown as annuals in the U.S. Over the past twenty years […]
Posted in acidic soil, Annuals, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Calibrachoa (Million bells), Chlorosis (yellowing), compost, Container garden, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Calibrachoas (Million Bells*)Smoketrees For Their Multi-Seasonal Appeal
Posted by Hugh on March 11th, 2020
Smoketree or smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) is a large shrub or small tree native from southern Europe to central China (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). Over time it typically matures to 10-15 feet high and wide. Depending on cultivar (see list below), smoketrees have oval leaves tinted in rich purple, gold, or green shades. Generally, they grow […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, compact tree, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower arrangments, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Smoketree (Cotinus), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Smoketrees For Their Multi-Seasonal AppealRhododendrons You Should Be Growing
Posted by Hugh on March 1st, 2020
“A healthy plant in the right place with proper maintenance” is a rhododendron that has few problems. Rhododendrons and azaleas are acid loving plants meaning plants should be planted in humus-rich slightly acidic soil (pH 5.2 -6.5). If the soil is not well amended, rhododendrons will have trouble surviving long term. Once planted, water during […]
Posted in acidic soil, Azalea (deciduous), Azaleas (evergreen), Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Breeding Plants, Container garden, Evergreen, Flower arrangments, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, plant nutrition, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (layering), Purchasing Plants, Rhododendrons, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Rhododendrons You Should Be GrowingFebruary Blooming Hybrid Witchhazels
Posted by Hugh on January 26th, 2020
Witchhazels (Hamamelis spp.) are somewhat coarse, loosely-branched, medium to large, deciduous shrubs that typically grow 12-20 feet tall. (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). They are particularly noted for their strapped shape, often fragrant, mid- to late winter flowers which appear before the spring leaves emerge. Five cultivars were selected by Mr. Tim Brotzman, an Ohio nurseryman […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Caterpillars, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Flowers, Fragrant, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Pollination needs, Privacy Screen, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Winter flowering, winter hardiness, Witchhazel (Hamamelis) Comments Off on February Blooming Hybrid WitchhazelsPoinsettia Care
Posted by Hugh on December 21st, 2019
Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) have become a symbol of the Christmas and winter holiday season. Their colorful bracts (most people call them”flowers”) are actually modified leaves. The tiny “true” flowers are in the center of the bracts. Each year new poinsettia varieties hit the garden shops. In the mid-19th century, Joel R. Poinsett introduced the poinsettia […]
Posted in acidic soil, Annuals, Autumn flowering, Breeding Plants, Container garden, Disease resistant, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Flower arrangments, Landscape ideas, Photoperiod (Daylength), Planting tips, Poinsettia, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Staking, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Wind protection, winter hardiness Comments Off on Poinsettia CareTypes OF Tulips
Posted by Hugh on September 16th, 2019
Over the centuries Dutch tulip breeders have brought to market 15 groups of the spring blooming goodies (USDA hardiness zones 3-8). The properties determining the group to which each tulip belongs are the shape of its flower, its parentage and its flowering period. Let’s take a peak at “the world of tulips”. Here is a […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bacterial diseases, Bees and other pollinators, Botrytis disease, Bulb Crops, Container garden, Fertilizing plants, Flower arrangments, Flowering Bulb, Flowers, Landscape ideas, mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Rabbit/deer Protection, Root rotting, Rust diseases, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering bulbs, Tulips, Voles, winter hardiness Comments Off on Types OF TulipsZone 6 Hardy Camellias – Plant Now!
Posted by Hugh on September 1st, 2019
More and more people gardening in zones 6 and 7 have discovered that they can successfully grow camellias. Once considered an exclusively Southern plant, many camellia varieties are very cold hardy where winter temps drop to 0 to 5°F. Their floral buds burst open with bright whites, pink and red shades, and spotted color blends. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Camellia, compost, Container garden, Disease resistant, Environmental issues, Evergreen, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Flowering, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter blooming, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Zone 6 Hardy Camellias – Plant Now!
