In the southeastern U.S., ferns are important additions to shady perennial and woodland gardens. Ferns can be used as a ground cover to soften the hard edges of water features, rocks and paths, and make wonderful filler for mixed container plantings. Ferns do not flower or seed, but instead, reproduce by spores that usually form […]
Archive for the ‘Spring flowering’ Category
New Soiree Kawaii® Vincas
Vinca (Catharanthus), also called Madagasar periwinkle, is a popular summer flowering bedding plant. Soiree Kawaii® series of catharanthus hybrids from Suntory (C. roseus) continue among the favorites at California Spring Trials since their introduction three years ago. Vincas start blooming, and continuously thereafter, from spring planting to the first frost in autumn. Soiree Kawaii vincas perform […]
Fragrant Snowbell
Fragrant snowbell (Styrax obassia) is a small deciduous tree or large shrub that grows 20 to 30 feet tall (15-25 feet wide). It is indigenous to Japan, Korea, and Manchuria (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). Fragrant snowbell exhibits multi-season interest: spring flowering, showy fall leaf color, and an attractive bark. Fragrant, bell-shaped, white flowers (racemes) are […]
Love in A Mist (Nigella)
Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) is a popular cool weather annual. It is also known by several other names including “ragged lady” or “devil in the bush”. Nigella belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) and is native to southern Europe, North Africa and southwest Asia. In its natural habitat, nigella is found on neglected, damp patches of […]
Six Early Spring Wildflowers To Grow In Your Woodland Garden
Celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) is a popular Eastern U.S. native loved for its 12-18 inch tall 4-petaled, yellow flowers. Its blue-green, pinnately lobed leaves are silvery on the underside. It seeds-in readily, which is a good thing, as plants disappear by late May and comeback early next spring in abundance (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Virginia bluebells (Mertensia […]
Growing Japanese Maples In Containers
Many slow-growing and compact cultivars of Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) and full moon forms (A. japonicum) grow for 3-5 years in containers. Japanese maples develop a decorative canopy, and their lacey foliage turns yellow, orange and/or red in autumn. Most Japanese maples perform well in partial to full day sunlight, but not in full shade. […]
Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia)
Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), aka blue dogbane, is a native herbaceous perennial that is becoming more popular with U.S. gardeners (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). This erect, clump-forming plant produces terminal, pyramidal clusters of ¾ inch, soft light blue, star-like flowers in mid- to late-spring atop erect 2-3 feet tall leafy stems. Narrow, willow-shaped, dull green […]
Evercolor® Series Of Japanese Sedges
Japanese sedges (Carex oshimensis) are fine-textured variegated sedges that typically grow in a low, grass-like mounded clump to 10-16” tall and wide. This tough colorful sedge was originally found growing in dry woodlands and rocky slopes throughout Honshu Island, Japan. Brownish flower spikes, mostly inconspicuous, form on triangular stems in spring. Japanese sedge are evergreen […]
New Landscape Roses With Exceptional Fragrance
Over a century of rose breeding has rewarded gardeners with so many gorgeous garden roses: hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda and shrub types. Rose breeders have concentrated on plant vigor, flower color, disease resistance, and greater numbers of flowers over the growing season. Over the years, floral fragrance has been mostly ignored. In the past two […]

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