Cleaning up vegetable and flower beds requires some thought. Most gardeners desire to get a start on next spring’s clean up in the fall. They may rototill garden beds in fall, particularly if soils are too moist to work in early spring. Turning the soil also kills lots of weeds, including winter weeds which have […]
Archive for the ‘Summer flowering’ Category
Fall Clean Up Of Garden Beds
Posted by Hugh on October 1st, 2020
Posted in acidic soil, Annuals, applying sulfur, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Bulb Crops, Canna lily, Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Globe amaranth (Gomphrena), Landscape ideas, Lavender (Lavandula), mulching, Native Plant, Purchasing Plants, Rosemary, Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne', Soil Conservation, Soil pH, Soil Testing, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Tennessee Coneflower, Weeds, Weeds, Wildflowers, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness, Zinnia 
Comments Off on Fall Clean Up Of Garden BedsFall Color Of Ornamental Grasses
Posted by Hugh on September 21st, 2020
Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergeri capillaris) grows 3-4 feet with blemish-free green foliage all summer long. By early fall, its bright colored floral seed heads (inflorescenses) are showing up, which gives Muhly its decorative look. ‘Pink Muhly’ tends to grow floppy and struts pink-hued inflorescenses that shimmer in a breeze. ‘White Cloud’ is a white flowering form […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bin bluestem (Andropogon), Calamagrostis, Container garden, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Fountain Grass (Pennisetum), Landscape ideas, Muhly grass, Native Plant, Ornamental Grasses, Pennisetum spp., Perennials, Planting tips, Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus), Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Switchgrass (Panicum) Comments Off on Fall Color Of Ornamental Grasses13 Native Trees For Fall Color
Posted by Hugh on September 11th, 2020
1. Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) – large 60-80 feet tall tree whose fall color is a brilliant mixture of yellows, oranges, purples and reds. Zones (5b)6-9). 2. Black gum, tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) – large 50-50 feet tall tree produces spectacular scarlet fall color. Lots of good cultivars including Green Gable®, ‘Wildfire’ and Red Rage® (Zones […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn foliage color, Beech (Fagus spp.), Black gum (Nyssa), Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Franklinia, Kentucky coffeetree, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Maples (Acer), Native Plant, Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Persimmon (Diospyros), Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra), Poplar (Populus spp.), Purchasing Plants, Red oak (Quercus), Sassafras albidum, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Street tree, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, winter hardiness 3 Comments »Perennials With Great Autumn Foliage
Posted by Hugh on August 21st, 2020
Bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) – short 9-12 inches high clump forming groundcover that bears purple flowers in May-June. Its deeply cut foliage green leaves turn shades of red after first frost. (Zones 3-8). Red leaf mukdenia (Mukdenia rossii) – fanned, maple-like leaves emerge bright green in spring, age to bronze-green in summer, and finish green […]
Posted in acidic soil, Amsonia (blue star), Attracting birds, Autumn fern (Dryopteris), Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Bin bluestem (Andropogon), Calamagrostis, compost, Disease resistant, Environmental Conservation, Fall Garden Interest, Ferns, Flower Arranging, Honey bees, Landscape ideas, Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium), mulching, Native Plant, Ornamental Grasses, Pennisetum spp., Perennials, Planting tips, Plumbago (Leadwort), Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Solomon's seal, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Switchgrass (Panicum), Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on Perennials With Great Autumn FoliageMarginal Plants For Wet Areas
Posted by Hugh on August 16th, 2020
Most perennials demand well-drained soil. They perform poorly or die out when in ground that is constantly wet and soggy. However, a small number of perennials tolerate and even thrive in moist soils. Most plants listed here are all hardy within zones 5-8, and grow best in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Most are okay getting their feet (roots and crown) wet for […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Baneberry (Actaea), Bayberry (Myrica), Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Bin bluestem (Andropogon), Birch (Betula spp.), Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Butterflies, Calamagrostis, Canna lily, Carex (Sedges), Container garden, Cornus sanguinea, Cornus sericea, Dawn redwood (Metasequoia), Deciduous, Eupatorium 'Gateway', Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate', Farfugium, Ferns, Filipendula, Ground cover, Hakone grass, Hardy begonia (B. grandis), Hellebores, Hibiscus coccineus, Hibiscus moscheutos, Hosta, Hummingbird, Hydrangea arborescens, Ilex (hollies), Iris, Kerria, Landscape ideas, Lobelia (cardnial flower), Magnolia virginiana, Maidenhair fern (Adiantum), Milkweeds (Asclepias), Muhly grass, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Nepeta (catmint), Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium), Obedient plant (Physotegia), Ornamental Grasses, Papyrus, Perennials, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, river birch, Rodgersia, Sedges (Carex), Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Summersweet (Clethra), Switchgrass (Panicum), Toadlily (Tricyrtis), Tradescantia (Spiderwort), Trees & Shrubs, Virginia sweetspire, watering tips, Weigela, Winterberry holly Comments Off on Marginal Plants For Wet AreasSix Architecturally Tall Perennials
Posted by Hugh on August 11th, 2020
Here are six showy architectural gems to grow in your garden. All six are “big guys” and are valued for their bold presence, disease-free foliage, and their attractive flowers, that are also great pollinators. Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula rubra) is a U.S. native perennial that mimics an astilbe on steroids. This tall, upright, clump-forming […]
Posted in acidic soil, Annual rudbeckia (R. hirta), Annuals, Biennial, Butterflies, Compass Plant (Silphium), compost, Container garden, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental Conservation, Fall sunflower (Helianthus spp.), Fennel (Foeniculum), Fertilizing plants, Filipendula, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Hibiscus coccineus, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rosinweed (Silphinum), Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne', Soil Conservation, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Staking, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Transplant problem Comments Off on Six Architecturally Tall PerennialsCelebrate Summerific® Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) Week
Posted by Hugh on August 6th, 2020
Perennial hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos) is commonly known as rose mallow or dinner plate size hibiscus. Blooms measure a huge 7-9 inches across. Plants are exceptionally hardy, and can withstand winters as cold as zone 4 (-20°F to -30°F) in Minnesota (zone 4) and the heat of zone 9 (20°F -30°F) in Florida. Each flower lasts […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Breeding Plants, Container garden, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Hibiscus (mallow) sawfly, Hibiscus moscheutos, Hummingbird, Japanese beetles, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Celebrate Summerific® Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) WeekSeven Late Summer Perennial Gems
Posted by Hugh on August 1st, 2020
The following seven (7) perennials provide gorgeous floral color in mixed perennial beds in late summer and into fall. Flowers attract pollinators, including lots of bees, butterflies, and an occasional hummingbird. ‘Blue Fortune’ Giant Hyssop (Agastache x ‘Blue Fortune’) offers lavender-blue flowers during a long hot summer extending into early fall. Leaves emit a minty-anise […]
Posted in acidic soil, Agastache (Hyssop), Aster, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, Chrysanthemum, compost, Container garden, Culinary, deadheading, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Fragrant, Ground cover, Heuchera (coralbells), Hummingbird, Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Plumbago (Leadwort), Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Russian sage (Perovskia), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Symphyotrichum (asster), Turtlehead (Chelone), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Seven Late Summer Perennial GemsLovely Fruit Capsules Fill Sweetheart Tree In Late Summer
Posted by Hugh on July 26th, 2020
Korean sweetheart tree (Euscaphis japonica) is a large flowering shrub or small deciduous tree that is native to mountain valleys, open forests and thickets in China, Korea and Japan (USDA hardiness zones 6 to 8). Dr. J. C. Raulston discovered Korean sweetheart tree in 1985 on the Korean Peninsula during a plant expedition. Yet, it […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Landscape ideas, mulching, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Sweetheart tree (Euscaphis), Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Lovely Fruit Capsules Fill Sweetheart Tree In Late SummerFavorite Native Shrub Pollinators
Posted by Hugh on July 21st, 2020
These eight (8) shrubs amaze me by the numbers of bees and other pollinators that their flowers attract when blooming. Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is an erect, rounded, broad-spreading, deciduous shrub with arching branches. Itea grows 3-4 feet (less frequently to 5 feet) tall with similar spread. Fragrant, tiny white flowers borne in cylindrical, drooping racemes […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn foliage color, Autumn Fruiting, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Blue mist (Caryopteris), Bottlebrush buckeye, Chokeberry (Aronia), Container garden, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant, Elderberry (Sambucus), Environmental issues, Fertilizing plants, Fothergilla, Landscape ideas, Large shrub, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Propagation (layering), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Summersweet (Clethra), Trees & Shrubs, Virginia sweetspire, Wildlife attractant, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness, Witchhazel (Hamamelis) Comments Off on Favorite Native Shrub Pollinators
