Some plants are incredibly aggressive. Herbicides like Roundup™ won’t phase them. They often escape and take over other areas of your garden or neighborhood. Four notorious examples are ditch lilies (Hemerocallus fulva), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana), and pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa). You can grow these four weedy offenders in confinement. All will survive […]
Archive for the ‘alkaline soil’ Category
Hold In Confinement
Posted by Hugh on May 18th, 2016
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Container garden, Daylilies, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Evening primrose (Oenothera), Heat Tolerance, Invasive plant, Milkweeds (Asclepias), Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Ruellia (Mexican petunia), Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Weeds, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Hold In Confinement‘Sun King’ Golden Aralia Glows In Summer Garden
Posted by Hugh on May 12th, 2016
Plants with golden foliage brighten up a dark area in the garden. Sun King golden aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’) is no exception, hardy in USDA hardiness zones 3-9. Bright golden compound leaves emerge in mid-spring and Sun King aralia retains its bright color through the summer months. This long-lived perennial […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Aralia 'Sun King', compost, Container growing, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, mulching, Ornamental fruit, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Sun King’ Golden Aralia Glows In Summer GardenAvoid Spotted Spurge in Lawn And Garden Beds
Posted by Hugh on May 4th, 2016
Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) is a dreadful perennial weed that can quickly take over a lawn or garden bed. It often grows in poor compacted soils or in-between cracks in pavement. Once established, it is difficult to eliminate it from your garden. Ideal temperature range for seed germination is 75 to 85 °F, and spurge will germinate […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Garden Problems, Herbicide management, Lawn Care, mulching, Planting tips, Poisonous or toxic, Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Spotted spurge, Weed management, Weeds, Weeds Comments Off on Avoid Spotted Spurge in Lawn And Garden Beds‘Palibin’ Lilac A Good Choice For Small Landscapes
Posted by Hugh on April 15th, 2016
Dwarf Korean lilac (Syringa x meyeri ‘Palibin’) forms a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub, 4 to 5 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide, with rounded top or canopy (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). It branches low to the ground. Flower buds form which are distinctively violet in color. In mid-spring this diminutive lilac is covered by billowy panicles of fragrant purple […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Butterflies, compact shrub, compact tree, container shrub, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Lilac (Syringa), Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Palibin’ Lilac A Good Choice For Small LandscapesChanging Bigleaf Hydrangea Flower Color
Posted by Hugh on February 14th, 2016
Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), aka “hortensia” hydrangeas, bear pink flowers in low acidic and alkaline soil and blue flowers in mildly acidic soil. Some tips about regulating soil pH and flower color in bigleaf hydrangeas follows. First, a short review about soil pH. Soil pH measures soil […]
Posted in acidic soil, acidify soil, alkaline soil, Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla), Container growing, container shrub, Fertilizing plants, Hydrangeas, mulching, plant nutrition, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Changing Bigleaf Hydrangea Flower ColorSoil pH- What’s It All About
Posted by Hugh on January 18th, 2016
Soil pH is an indicator of the relative abundance of hydrogen (H⁺) ions and hydroxyl (OHˉ) ions in garden soils (Table 1). These ions play a very important part of soil fertility and a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. The pH scale runs from 1 (highest acidity) to 14 […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Blueberries, Fertilizing plants, Garden Maintenance, plant nutrition, Rhododendrons, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region Comments Off on Soil pH- What’s It All AboutWhat’s In Your Garden Soil
Posted by Hugh on December 10th, 2015
There are two basic rules in gardening: 1. the right plant in the right place, and 2. properly feeding the soil that nourishes the plants. Many problems in lawns and gardens can be avoided if the gardener knows what the fertility and pH of the soil is. What is soil pH? It is a measure of the soil acidity […]
Posted in acidic soil, acidify soil, alkaline soil, applying sulfur, compost, Fertilizing plants, Garden Maintenance, mulching, organic gardening, plant nutrition, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Soil Testing, Southern Appalachian Region Comments Off on What’s In Your Garden SoilStop Destroying Forsythias
Posted by Hugh on November 24th, 2015
Forsythia (Forsythia spp.), also called “yellow bells”, is an extremely popular spring flowering shrub (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). Their bright yellow flowers signal the coming of spring. However, many gardeners do not know how to prune them. Tall 8-12 foot forms of F. x intermedia are commonly sold at most U.S. garden centers. Forsythias grow from 2 to 10 […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Forsythia, Heat Tolerance, mulching, Overcrowding, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rabbit/deer Protection, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Stop Destroying ForsythiasPurple Heart Tradescantia
Posted by Hugh on August 15th, 2015
Purple Heart tradescantia (Setcreasea pallida ‘Purple Heart’), formerly Tradescantia purpurea), is an annual trailing groundcover with purple stems and violet-purple foliage. This flowering vine is primarily grown for its vibrant foliage. Purple Heart is utilized in garden beds, large containers or hanging baskets. By summer’s end individual plants may grow 8-12 […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Aphids, Container garden, Container growing, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Ground cover, Interior (house) Plants, Mites, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Setcreasea 'Purple Heart', Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), Virus diseases, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Purple Heart Tradescantia‘PeeDee Ingot’ Liriope Brightens Dark Areas
Posted by Hugh on July 6th, 2015
If you live in the Southeastern U.S., another variety of liriope probably will not impress you. Here we call it “monkeygrass”. PeeDee Ingot liriope (Liriope muscari ‘PeeDee Ingot’) is no ordinary ground cover (USDA hardiness zones 6-10). ‘Peedee Ingot’ liriope is named after the Peedee River in South […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Disease resistant, Evergreen, Ground cover, Liriope, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Uncategorized, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘PeeDee Ingot’ Liriope Brightens Dark Areas
