Helenium Helenium autumnalis), aka sneezeweed, is a cheerful, daisy-like perennial wildflower that lights up moist meadows and stream banks across nearly all of North America with masses of golden-yellow flowers from late summer through fall (USDA hardiness zones 3–8). It has an unfortunate common name – “Sneezeweed”— which refers to a historical use of dried […]
Archive for the ‘Garden Maintenance’ Category
Heleniums Are Nothing To Sneeze At
Posted by Hugh on September 25th, 2026
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Helenium, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness 
No Comments »Tis The Season For Hardy Cyclamens
Posted by Hugh on September 18th, 2026
Two species of Hardy Cyclamen fill a void in autumn and late winter garden. Your choices include fall-blooming Ivy-leaf Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) and spring flowering Hardy Cyclamen (C. coum). Leaves of several varieties are splashed with silvery designs. Hardy Cyclamen fill a void in autumn and late winter in a shady woodland garden, I decided to […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Cyclamen (hardy), Deciduous, Fall Garden Interest, Hardy cyclamen, Landscape ideas, Non-native, Perennials, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, winter hardiness No Comments »Winter Berries For Birds
Posted by Hugh on September 12th, 2026
Spring-summer flowers lead to an attractive & bountiful harvest of berries in your landscape. In the cool autumn and snowy frigid winter months, our feathered wildlife feast on colorful berries that range from purple, red, pink, white, or blue. Listed here are 12 berry-licious plants. 1. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a deciduous holly native to […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Beautyberry (Callicarpa spp.), Bees and other pollinators, Chokeberry (Aronia), Coralberry (Symphoricarpus), Cornus sericea, Crabapple, Deciduous, Deciduous holly, Dogwood (Cornus), Dogwood shrubs (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Foster Holly (Ilex), Hawthorn (Crataegus), Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Non-native, Ornamental fruit, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation(grafting), Purchasing Plants, Serviceberry (Amelanchier), Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Viburnums, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness, Winterberry holly No Comments »Add Chinese Pistache To Your Landscape
Posted by Hugh on September 3rd, 2026
Chinese pistache tree (Pistachia chinensis) is a 25–40-foot small to medium landscape tree in the Botanical family known as Anacardiaceae. Branching habit is slightly upright that creates a narrow tree profile that is ideal for a small patio or a curb-side street tree. The bark of a young tree is silvery gray with a more rugged […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Chinese pistache (Pistacia), Deciduous, Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Landscape ideas, Medium sized Tree, mulching, Non-native, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Street tree, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness No Comments »Late Blooming Swamp Azalea
Posted by Hugh on August 28th, 2026
Native to the southern and eastern U.S., swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum) is a deciduous shrub in the Ericaceae (blueberry) family. This shrub generally grows 3 – 8 feet tall and nearly as wide. It is a spreading shrub that spreads slowly via underground stolons and is most at home in a moist humus-rich soil that […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Azalea (deciduous), Bees and other pollinators, Cercopora leaf spot, compost, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Fragrant, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Phytophthora ramorum, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Swamp Azalea (R. viscosum), Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Late Blooming Swamp AzaleaButtonbush
Posted by Hugh on August 11th, 2026
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), aka honeybells, pond dogwood, and swampwood, is a highly prized native shrub. Yes, in small landscapes, buttonbush tend to grow big @ 6-12 feet tall and wide. Their fragrant white orbital blooms are uniquely out of this world. Botanical member of the Rubiaceae (USDA hardiness zones 5-9), flowers appear from spring to […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Buttonbush (Cephalanthus), compact shrub, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ButtonbushGold And Silver Chrysanthemums
Posted by Hugh on August 3rd, 2026
Gold and Silver chrysanthemum (Ajania pacifica) is a shrubby herbaceous flowering perennial in the aster family (Asteraceae). This groundcover is native to central and eastern Asia. It is a mound-forming, rhizomatous perennial that is grown for its attractive variegated foliage from spring thru autumn. This groundcover is used seen more in Southeast gardens. Its dense […]
Posted in acidic soil, Ajania pacifica, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Chrysanthemum, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Non-native, Perennials, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Summer heat tolerant, winter hardiness Comments Off on Gold And Silver ChrysanthemumsHappy Summerific™ Hibiscus Week 2026
Posted by Hugh on July 27th, 2026
Rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) is a truly versatile perennial. Hardy from Minnesota to Florida (USDA hardiness zones 4-9), rose mallow bears some of the largest flowers compared to most other perennials. Blooms of some cultivars measure a huge 7-9 inches across. In addition, dwarf compact growing types are being developed that make perfect fits in […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Container garden, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Hibiscus (mallow) sawfly, Hibiscus moscheutos, Japanese beetles, Landscape ideas, Light requirement, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Happy Summerific™ Hibiscus Week 2026Dwarf Vitex Cultivars
Posted by Hugh on July 22nd, 2026
Chastetree (Vitex agnus-castus) is an 8–10-20-foot deciduous shrub or tree form. Branching habit is dense and vase-shaped (upright). Without question, ‘Shoal Creek’ is a very popular Vitex variety that measures around 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide (USDA hardiness zone 6 – 8). So… so many varieties that grow large and should not be […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flowering shrub, Fragrant, Landscape ideas, mulching, Non-native, Planting tips, Propagation(grafting), Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Street tree, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Vitex (Chaste tree), winter hardiness Comments Off on Dwarf Vitex CultivarsChalkbark Maple
Posted by Hugh on July 16th, 2026
Chalkbark Maple (Acer leucoderme), formerly A. saccharum ssp. leucoderme), is classified as a subspecies of the Sugar Maple (USDA zones 5b – 8). Also called whitebark maple and chalk maple, it grows in full sun to light shade, 20-30 feet height and 15-25 feet wide. It is classified as a large shrub or small tree, […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bees and other pollinators, Chalkbark maple (A. leucoderme), Deciduous, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Winter bark, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Chalkbark Maple
