Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) is one of our most beautiful U.S. native trees. Trees often grow multi-stemmed or shrub-like to 20-30 feet or in tree form to 35-40 feet high and narrow in spread. Trying to establish a new tree can be challenging. In the wild sourwoods are often found growing in shallow soils on steep […]
Archive for the ‘Summer flowering’ Category
Getting A Sourwood Tree Going
Posted by Hugh on February 26th, 2017
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Sourwood (Oxydendrum), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Getting A Sourwood Tree GoingFour Very Different Annuals You Should Try
Posted by Hugh on February 23rd, 2017
I asked three regional horticulturists to identify an under-planted drought tolerant annual. Here are four (4) that they recommended: Drumstick flower or “Billy Buttons” (Craspedia globosa) produces a golden-yellow display of spherical flowers that often reach the size of golf balls (USDA plant hardiness zones 8-11). The silvery-gray foliage reaches about 2 feet tall and wide, […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Container garden, Drought tolerant, Drumstick flw. (Craspedia), Evolvulus, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, mulching, Planting tips, Plectranthus, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Salvia, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Four Very Different Annuals You Should TryExceptionally Hardy ‘Margarita’ Carolina Yellow Jessamine
Posted by Hugh on February 21st, 2017
Carolina yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is a lovely ignored native vine. It is native from Virginia to Texas to Florida, easily spotted growing in a sunny location growing on trees (USDA zones 6-9). It is the state flower of South Carolina. Grow it as a trellised vine or as a low shrub-like mound (ground cover). Flowers often serve as an early call […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Ground cover, Jessamine (Gelsemium), Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Staking, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Vine, winter hardiness, Winter Protection 
Tags: Vines Comments Off on Exceptionally Hardy ‘Margarita’ Carolina Yellow JessamineTransform These Three Shrubs Into Trees
Posted by Hugh on February 9th, 2017
Some large shrubs can be trained into lovely small flowering trees. These three flowering shrubs may be trained into small 15-25 feet tall, single or multi- trunk trees: Siebold viburnum (Viburnum sieboldii) is a tall upright branched deciduous shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4-7). This native from Japan grows to 15-20 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, compact tree, Container growing, Disease resistant, Flowering, Green Privacy Screen, Heat Tolerance, Hydrangeas, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Ninebark, Ornamental fruit, Panicle hydrangea, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Staking, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Viburnum beetles, Viburnums, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on Transform These Three Shrubs Into TreesButterfly Weed Named 2017 Perennial Plant Of The Year
Posted by Hugh on February 4th, 2017
Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), aka butterfly weed, is a long-lived tuberous rooted perennial indigenous to the southeastern U.S and mid-western U.S. and Canada (USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9). It grows in dry/rocky open woodlands, prairies, farm fields, and along roadsides. Individual plants typically grow as a clump to 2- 3 feet high and 1 -2 feet wide. Unlike many […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Butterfly weed (Asclepias), Container garden, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Native Plant, Overcrowding, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Transplant problem, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Butterfly Weed Named 2017 Perennial Plant Of The YearStop The “Crape Murder”
Posted by Hugh on January 28th, 2017
In Tennessee (where I live) and in the Southeastern U.S., bad crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x) pruning continues to be done by professional landscapers and homeowners (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). This practice, also called “topping”, reduces tree (or shrub) height. Over 25 years, Southern Living magazine called this “crape murder”. Crape murder is not going away. More crape […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, Cercopora leaf spot, compact tree, Container growing, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Downy mildew, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Messy Fruits, mulching, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Root suckering, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Weak wooded, Winter bark, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Stop The “Crape Murder”50+ Flowering Pollen/Nectar Plants For Bumblebees
Posted by Hugh on January 24th, 2017
Here are three key points in planning your pollination garden. To attract U.S. native bumblebees: First, add both early(*), mid-summer, and late(**) flowers in the mix for a three seasons long garden. Second, mass together many of the same kinds of flowers, not just one or two plants, so that bees will spot them easier and to visit the planting frequently. […]
Posted in Alliums (onion), Alyssum (annual), Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial Insects, Beneficial insects, Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra), Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Cosmos, Cranesbill (Geranium), Crocus, Culver's Root (veronicastrum), Flowers, Heather (Calluna), Hollyhock (Alcea), Liatris, Monarda (Beebalm), Native Plant, Nepeta (catmint), Pentas (Egyptian star flower), Perennials, Pollination needs, Rosemary, Russian sage (Perovskia), Sage (Salvia), Salvia, Sedum (Groundcover types), Snapdragons, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Stokesia, Stonecrop sedums, Summer flowering, Sunflowers, Verbena, Zinnia Comments Off on 50+ Flowering Pollen/Nectar Plants For BumblebeesOur Native Bumblebees In Trouble
Posted by Hugh on January 22nd, 2017
Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized ten more animal species as Endangered Species, providing them protections under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. These 10 species include 7 species of bees. Endangered status will afford the rusty-patched bumblebee protection under federal law. Bumblebees build their nests in the ground (and other places). Honeybees, however, […]
Posted in Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Bumble bees, Container garden, Dahlia, Environmental issues, Flowers, Herbs, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Pollination needs, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Wildflower, Winter flowering Comments Off on Our Native Bumblebees In TroubleFive Simple Pruning Tips For DIYers
Posted by Hugh on January 11th, 2017
Gardeners are frequently scared about making pruning mistakes. There are lots of gardening books filled with lots of before and after photos. Let’s face facts…your yard tree or shrub does look like the ones pictured in the pruning book. Here are my simple 5 steps for pruning: Why and When to prune: You can prune a […]
Posted in Amur maple (A. ginnala), Ash (Fraxinus), Birch (Betula spp.), Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Certified Arborist, compact tree, container shrub, Crabapple, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Dogwood (Cornus), Elms (Ulmus), Flowering, Forsythia, Fothergilla, Garden Maintenance, Green ash (Fraxinus), Hibiscus syriacus, Honeylocust (Gleditsia), Hydrangea, Hydrangeas, Insect (Pest) Problems, Kwanzan cherry, Lacebark elm, Large Shade trees, Lilac (Syringa), Linden (Tilia), Mealy bugs, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Okame cherry (Prunus), Ornamental cherry (Prunus), pin oak, Pruning, Redbud, river birch, Scale, Small landscape tree, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Trees & Shrubs, Vitex (Chaste tree), Yoshino cherry (Prunus), Zelkova Comments Off on Five Simple Pruning Tips For DIYersSmall Southern Magnolia Cultivars
Posted by Hugh on December 13th, 2016
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of nature’s magnificent landscape trees (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). This reliable large tree, native to the Southern U.S., is at home in well-drained clay soils and hot summers. The species typically grows to 60-80 feet tall with a pyramidal (young) to a rounded crown (mature tree). It is not uncommon […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Evergreen, Flowers, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Magnolia grandiflora, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (layering), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Small Southern Magnolia Cultivars
