Archive for the ‘acidic soil’ Category

Summer Chocolate™ Mimosa Tree Worth A Try

Mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) is treasured as a four month landscape tree for its tropical-like foliage and flowering. This small deciduous tree grows 20 to 25 feet tall and its horizontal branching reaches out widely. Mimosa leafs out in late May with lush green, tropical-looking pinnately compound foliage and growth is very rapid. From mid-June […]

Give Lots of Space To Bottlebrush Buckeye

If you have lots of planting space, aggressive bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parvifolia) is what you want. This deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub grows 8 to 12 feet tall and 8 to 15 feet wide.A Southeastern U.S. native, bottlebrush buckeye is a late spring flowering shrub and requires little extra attention other than pruning. Plant in full sun […]

Why Some Vines Do Not Bloom

Why doesn’t my wisteria (Wisteria spp.) or climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) vine bloom? There are primarily four (4) reasons why these vines have not flowered. In order of importance they include: 1. The flower buds, which usually formed on the previous summer’s wood, may have been pruned off. Do not prune vine after […]

‘Bikini-tini’ Colocasia Creates Movement in The Garden

Colocasia (Colocasia esculenta), aka taro, ape plant, and elephant ear, among other names, is marginally hardy in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). The 2011 colocasia introduction ‘Bikini-tini’ has garnered high praise from neighbors and friends visiting my garden in the summer.  Bikini-tini is a strong stemmed thick-leaved plant that grows 4 to 5 feet in height. […]

Australian Fanflower A Hot Choice in U.S. Southern Gardens

Fanflower (Scaevola aemula) is a relatively new annual bedding plant choice. This Australian native thrives in tough environmental conditions, including the hot, humid summers in the Southern U.S. Fanflower grows well in hanging baskets, containers or garden beds. It grows in average, moderately acidic, well-drained soil and prefers full or partial sunny areas in the […]

Floral Fragrance Of Native Fringetree Fills The Spring Air

Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) is treasured for its billowy masses of fragrant white flowers in the spring. It commonly grows as a large 15-20 foot tall shrub, but can be easily trained into a 20-25 foot multi-stemmed small tree. Most gardeners call this native “fringe tree” or fringetree. Regionally, it goes by a number of colloquial […]

Chenille Plant Hot For The Summer Garden

Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida), aka firetails and redhot cattail, is a hot tropical plant which has jumped from house plant to garden plant use. Their pendulous vibrant red (other colors are available) tassel-like flowers mimic the furry tails of pets. Its lush dark green foliage is heart-shaped. Stems arch downward under the weight of the […]

Snow Fountains® Weeping Cherry Fits Small Gardens

Snow Fountains® (Prunus x ‘Snofozam’) is a slow-growing, weeping ornamental cherry that grows compact. It develops into a 8 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 12 feet wide tree. This cultivar is also listed as ‘White Fountains’ in some nursery catalogs. The cascading branches flow downward or may take on a green mound form. […]

‘Shaina’ Japanese Maple

The foliage of ‘Shaina’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’) starts out hot red in early spring. The deeply cut leaves are bunched together for a tufted or layered look. From mid-spring thru summer, the foliage, now maroon red, holds its color. Shaina grows naturally as a shrub, 8 feet high and 4 to 5 feet […]

Why Peonies Do Not Bloom

Herbaceous peonies (Paeonia x lactiflora) are among the easy to care for and long-lived garden perennials. If you plant them correctly in compost rich, well-drained soil and a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight, they will bloom for the next 30+ years. If peonies fail to bloom, here are 8 probable causes: 1. Planting crowns […]