Most artemisias (aka “wormwood”) can not cope with the summer heat and humidity in the mid-South. Their silvery foliage tends to burn out (some say “melt out”) in mid to late summer. ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia is truly the exception. Powis Castle is likely a hybrid (Artemisia arborescens x A. absinthium Powis Castle is a bushy, woody-based perennial […]
Archive for the ‘Disease resistant’ Category
Powis Castle Artemisia Is Exceptional
Posted by Hugh on March 16th, 2012
Posted in Artemisia, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Perennials, plant nutrition, Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Powis Castle Artemisia Is ExceptionalEfforts To Solve Japanese Barberry Invasive Problem
Posted by Hugh on March 11th, 2012
Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) is a very popular landscape shrub. Japanese barberry is indigenous to Eastern Europe and Asia and is commonly planted in USDA hardiness zones 4-8. There is justified concern over the invasive nature of Japanese barberry. A number of states have declared most barberry species (Berberis spp.) to be invasive and have […]
Posted in acidic soil, Barberry (Berberis), Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Invasive plant, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Efforts To Solve Japanese Barberry Invasive ProblemRedbuds With Very Few Messy Seed Pods
Posted by Hugh on February 27th, 2012
A few years back my church pastor complained about the ugly load of seed pods covering the redbud branches (Cercis canadensis) on the property in the fall. My suggestion to avoid messy seed pods is to plant seedless redbud cultivars. A number of native redbud (C. canadensis) cultivars produce few to no seed pods. Let’s start with the cultivars ‘Ace of Hearts’ and sister seedling ‘Little […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease resistant, Heat Tolerance, Native Plant, Redbud, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Redbuds With Very Few Messy Seed PodsParrotia: A Great Medium-sized Landscape Tree
Posted by Hugh on February 16th, 2012
Parrotia (Parrotia persica), aka “Persian ironwood”, is native to Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus region. Parrotia forms a lovely carefree medium sized lawn or street tree. Tree framework is vase-shaped, initially narrow at the base and flaring out in the canopy as it ages. Mature tree height varies 25-40 feet, depending on location and the seedling or cultivar planted. Rated hardy in USDA […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Medium sized Tree, Parrotia (Persian ironwood), Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, winter flowering tree Comments Off on Parrotia: A Great Medium-sized Landscape Tree‘Quasimodo’ Vernal Witchhazel
Posted by Hugh on February 7th, 2012
Vernal witchhazel (H. vernalis) is a dense growing 8-12 foot native shrub which blooms in mid-winter in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). It is winter hardy to zone 4. Small ½ inch wide yellow to red flowers, flushed red at the base, emit a pleasant witchhazel aroma in February. Often, it is the […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Native Plant, Southern Appalachian Region, Uncategorized, Winter flowering, Witchhazel (Hamamelis) Comments Off on ‘Quasimodo’ Vernal WitchhazelWhat Can Be Done About Phytophthora
Posted by Hugh on January 10th, 2012
Phytophthora disease (Phytophthora spp.) is the fatal cause of root rots, stem cankers and crown rots. Several hundred species of plants are susceptible, including redbuds, dogwoods, rhododendrons, camellias, white pines, firs, yews (Taxus spp.), and fruit trees. It thrives in warm moist saturated soils. Phytophthora may lie dormant in the soil for several years, waiting for a […]
Posted in Azalea (deciduous), Azaleas (evergreen), Camellia, Disease prone, Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, mulching, mulching trees, Pines (Pinus spp.), plant nutrition, Planting tips, Redbud, Rhododendrons, root injury, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips Comments Off on What Can Be Done About PhytophthoraPrickly Pear Is Easy Care
Posted by Hugh on December 17th, 2011
There are over 200 species of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) worldwide. Several make great container plants in the garden or inside the home. Prickly pear cacti may grow to heights of 10 feet or more in the arid regions of the Southwestern U.S. Eastern prickly pear (Opuntia compressa var. ‘humifusa’) grows 12- 18 inches tall and 30-36 inches wide. […]
Posted in Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreens, Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Native Plant, Prickly cactus, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Prickly Pear Is Easy CareTrifoliate Orange –The Barbed Wire of the Plant World
Posted by Hugh on December 12th, 2011
Trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) is a hardy citrus native to China. T-orange is hardy to -15° F. This strong growing large shrub or small tree can reach 15 to 20 feet in height. Its foliage is deciduous and compound, compared to citrus trees with single simple evergreen leaves. T-orange prefers full day or partial (minimum of 6 hours) […]
Disease Free Apple Varieties
Posted by Hugh on December 6th, 2011
Over the past 30 years, the goal has been to develop good eating and storing apples which are not susceptible to four major diseases. The first 3 cultivars released were ‘Prima’, ‘Priscilla’, and ‘Sir Prize’, but they lacked great flavor and storage quality. Apples are susceptible to four serious diseases: apple scab, cedar-apple rust, fireblight, and powdery mildew. Scab, rust and mildew […]
Posted in apple orchard, Apple tree, apple varieties, Disease prone, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Fruits & Vegetables, Insect (Pest) Problems, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering Comments Off on Disease Free Apple VarietiesDwarfing Rootstocks for Apple Trees
Posted by Hugh on December 3rd, 2011
No more climbing ladders to pick apples. Less waiting for first harvest for newly planted tree. These are some of the reasons for planting dwarf apple trees. Over the past 100 years numerous dwarf rootstocks have been introduced. In addition to the degree of dwarfing, some rootstocks are more disease and insect resistant. The original East […]
Posted in Apple tree, Disease resistant, Dwarf rootstocks, Fruits & Vegetables, Southern Appalachian Region, Staking Comments Off on Dwarfing Rootstocks for Apple Trees
