Nursery growers supply trees and shrubs to garden centers in any of five ways: Container Grown – Plants have been growing in a container or pot for one or more growing years. Some plants have been grown in containers or they were field dug and repotted into containers. These transplants are not likely to experience […]
Archive for the ‘Fruits & Vegetables’ Category
Understanding How To Purchase Nursery Stock
Posted by Hugh on February 23rd, 2018
Posted in Apple tree, Balled and Burlapped (b&b), Blackberries, Blueberries, Container garden, container shrub, Dwarf rootstocks, Evergreen, Evergreens, Landscape ideas, Pear (Pyrus spp.), Perennials, Planting tips, Plum, Potting Mix, Repotting plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Strawberries, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Winter Protection 
Comments Off on Understanding How To Purchase Nursery StockControlling Slugs and Snails
Posted by Hugh on February 4th, 2018
Slugs and snails are common pests of many common garden plants. They are particularly troublesome in shady woodland areas. They crawl across leaves and leave a slimy residue over the leaf surface. They feed primarily at night. Ecologically, their niche is to decompose organic matter. During the daytime hours they hide under leaves, mulch, rocks, stepping stones, […]
Posted in Broccoli, Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Cabbage, compost, Delphinium, Environmental Conservation, Herbs, Herbs, Hosta, kale, Landscape ideas, mulching, Perennials, Pesticide recommendations, Planting tips, Pulmonaria, Purchasing Plants, Slugs, Slugs, Snails, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Strawberries Comments Off on Controlling Slugs and SnailsSteps To Making Gardening Easier
Posted by Hugh on December 30th, 2017
Take an inventory of your gardening time, talley up of costs, and develop a plan how to make your garden space more beautiful with less work and cost to you. Plant Smarter Simplify! For example, in my zone 6 garden, bigleaf hydrangeas disappoint tow out of three years and they’re water hogs in the summer. Smooth (AG) hydrangeas (like […]
Posted in Annuals, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Bulb Crops, compost, Container garden, Crop rotation, Deer resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Garden Maintenance, Garden Tools, Globe amaranth (Gomphrena), Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, mulching, mulching trees, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Raised bed Gardening, Scaevola, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Steps To Making Gardening EasierProtect New Trees From Winter Sunscald
Posted by Hugh on December 13th, 2017
Across the northern U.S. and Canada, cold temperatures can damage many plants. Wide fluctuations in temperature can be particularly detrimental to newly planted landscape and fruit trees from late fall to early spring. Street trees are particularly susceptible. Sun scald is described by elongated, sunken, dried, or cracked areas of dead bark, usually on the […]
Posted in apple orchard, Apple tree, Asian Pears, Cherries, Cold tolerance, Crabapple, Environmental issues, Garden Problems, Honeylocust (Gleditsia), Landscape ideas, Linden (Tilia), Maples (Acer), Mountain ash (Sorbus), Peach, Pear (Pyrus spp.), Plum, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Street tree, Sun scald, Trees & Shrubs, Wind protection, Winter bark, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Protect New Trees From Winter SunscaldNew: The Bushel and Berry Collection Of Patio Fruits
Posted by Hugh on December 4th, 2017
Back in late 2016 Star® Roses and Plants* purchased the company formerly known as BrazelBerries®. In 2017 they have rebranded the plant offerings into the new Bushel and Berry™ Collection. Beside the old favorites, a new collection of edible berry plants are available at participating garden centers nationwide. I have successfully grown two varieties on the sunny portion of […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Blueberries, Cold tolerance, Container garden, Disease resistant, Downy mildew, Fertilizing plants, Fruits & Vegetables, Insect (Pest) Problems, Landscape ideas, Mites, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rabbit/deer Protection, Raspberries, Repotting plants, Sanitation, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on New: The Bushel and Berry Collection Of Patio FruitsProtect Young Trees and Shrubs From Voles, Rabbits And Other Critters
Posted by Hugh on November 27th, 2017
Rabbits, chipmunks, and voles (field mice) need a home for the winter. They often choose to nestle up near newly planted trees and shrubs and gnaw on their sweet sapwood, girdling the trunk and essentially killing the tree. Fruit-bearing plants often damaged by critters over their first 1-2 winters include: apple, pear, peach, redbud, blueberry, and cane fruits. Young […]
Posted in Apple tree, Asian Pears, Azalea (deciduous), Azaleas (evergreen), Blackberries, Blueberries, Deciduous Azaleas, Encore azaleas, Environmental issues, Evergreens, Fencing, Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, mulching, Peach, Pear (Ornamental), Pear (Pyrus spp.), Pests, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rabbit/deer Protection, Raspberries, Redbud, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Wildlife attractant, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on Protect Young Trees and Shrubs From Voles, Rabbits And Other CrittersTis The Season For Ornamental Kales and Cabbages
Posted by Hugh on October 27th, 2017
Ornamental cabbage and kale (Brassica oleracea) are very close related to the same vegetables that we eat at our kitchen table. They are edible, just not as tasty. Plants are biennials, e.g. they produce leaves one year and flower the following spring. Ornamental kales have deeply cut serrated or ruffled leaves while leaves of ornamental cabbage […]
Posted in acidic soil, Annuals, Aphids, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Biennial, Butterflies, Cabbage, Caterpillars, compost, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Insect (Pest) Problems, kale, Landscape ideas, mulching, Ornamental vegetables, Pesticide recommendations, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Rabbit/deer Protection, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on Tis The Season For Ornamental Kales and CabbagesHalloween Pumpkins And Gourds
Posted by Hugh on October 3rd, 2017
It’s Pumpkin Time!…celebration of Halloween across America. A local pumpkin farm had over 60 kinds of pumpkins to choose from. According to the Missouri Botanical Gardens website: “the term pumpkin really has no botanical meaning”. Pumpkins and gourds are classified as squashes in the Cucurbitaceae family along with cucumbers and melons. If you want to grow […]
Posted in acidic soil, Anthracnose, Aphids, Bees and other pollinators, Borers, Cucumbers, Disease prone, Downy mildew, Fertilizing plants, Fruits & Vegetables, Gourd, Melons, mulching, Ornamental vegetables, Pesticide recommendations, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Seed), Squash, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Weed control, Wildlife attractant Comments Off on Halloween Pumpkins And GourdsQuest For The Perfect Tomato Continues
Posted by Hugh on April 21st, 2017
Improved disease resistance, fruit color, firmness, and flavor continues to be the main goals of tomato breeders around the U.S. Leaf and root diseases vary from one region to another across the country. Here in the eastern U.S., late blight resistance is of key interest. Over the past 33 years, Dr. Randy Gardner, tomato breeder extraordinaire in […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bacterial diseases, Botrytis disease, Breeding Plants, Container garden, Disease prone, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Fruits & Vegetables, Harvest Time, Leaf diseases, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Regional, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Tomato, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Quest For The Perfect Tomato ContinuesControlling Rabbits In Your Garden
Posted by Hugh on February 14th, 2017
Rabbits make their homes in brushy areas such as along fence rows or untended areas between neighboring yards. They frequent nearby yards and gardens, perhaps your own, in search of vegetation to eat. Most people, particularly young children, adore them but a cute bunny can cause lots of damage in a flower /vegetable garden or […]
Posted in Apple tree, Cherries, Fencing, Fruits & Vegetables, Peach, Pear (Pyrus spp.), Perennials, Planting tips, Rabbit/deer Protection, root injury, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Wildlife attractant Comments Off on Controlling Rabbits In Your Garden
