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 ‘Drought tolerant’ 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 ConfinementTulip Poplar And Cultivars
Posted by Hugh on May 15th, 2016
Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), aka yellow poplar and tulip tree, is a large stately deciduous tree of eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This fast growing native typically grows 60-90 feet tall. It is also an important timber tree. A member of the magnolia family, flowers attract large numbers of bees. Ornate 2-inch-wide goblet-shaped flowers are […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Aphids, Autumn foliage color, Bee Favorite, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Large Shade trees, Native Plant, Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Tulip tree (Liriodendron), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Tulip Poplar And CultivarsChinese (Kousa) Dogwood
Posted by Hugh on April 27th, 2016
Chinese dogwood, aka kousa dogwood, (Cornus kousa) is a small 25 to 35 foot flowering tree (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). It grows in either full or partial sunlight (4-hours sunlight minimum). Depending where you garden, kousa dogwood begins blooming from late April or in May, almost two weeks after our native […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, compact tree, Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Edible fruits, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on Chinese (Kousa) DogwoodNew Coreopsis Cultivars All The Rage
Posted by Hugh on April 12th, 2016
Threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata), also called tickseed, is a popular summer flowering perennial. Coreopsis are native to the U.S. and produces hundreds of pale-yellow blooms. Depending on cultivar, plant grows 12 to 18 inches tall and 2 feet wide. Some gardeners even plant old-time favorites like ‘Zagreb’ and ‘Moonbeam’ as annuals (USDA hardiness zones […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Coreopsis, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Native Plant, Perennials, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, watering tips Comments Off on New Coreopsis Cultivars All The RageSummer Blooming ‘Little Lemon’ Goldenrod
Posted by Hugh on April 10th, 2016
Goldenrods are members of the aster family (Asteraceae); approximately 100 species of goldenrods are native to North America. Across most of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., goldenrods are frequently spotted growing in moist soils in open farm fields, in ditches, and along edges of streams. The golden yellow blooms attract countless bees, butterflies and other […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Blanket flower (Gaillardia), Butterflies, Container growing, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Goldenrod (Solidago), Heat Tolerance, Helenium, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Stokesia, Stonecrop sedums, Summer flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Summer Blooming ‘Little Lemon’ GoldenrodCarolina Allspice Sweetshrub
Posted by Hugh on March 22nd, 2016
Carolina allspice sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus), aka strawberry bush, bubby bush, sweet Betsy, et al., is a trouble-free medium size spring flowering shrub. This dense rounded deciduous shrub is native to Eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). As its common name hints, flowers emit a sweet fruity fragrance. Intensity of floral fragrance is highly variable […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, container shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Green Privacy Screen, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Sweetshrub (Calycanthus), Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Carolina Allspice SweetshrubFothergillas Are Topnotch
Posted by Hugh on March 17th, 2016
In the Eastern U.S. two species, dwarf fothergilla (F. gardenii) and large fothergilla (Fothergilla major), are native. They are also labeled “witch alder”. Both species appear almost identical, except for flower and leaf size, and overall shrub size. Large fothergilla is indigenous to the mountain and Piedmont Regions […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, compact shrub, container shrub, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flowering, Fothergilla, Fragrant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Fothergillas Are TopnotchAttracting Monarchs To Your Garden
Posted by Hugh on February 21st, 2016
From Canada to Mexico, gardeners are being recruited to halt the decline of the Monarch butterfly populations across North America. One way you can help is to fill your garden with Monarch’s favorite flowering nectar plants and milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). Plants should be sited in open full sun and […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aster, Attracting Butterflies, Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Blazing star (Liatris), Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, Butterfly weed (Asclepias), Caterpillars, Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Eupatorium 'Gateway', Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate', Heat Tolerance, Ironweed (Vernonia), Lantana, Marigold, Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), Native Plant, Pentas (Egyptian star flower), Perennials, Pesticide recommendations, Planting tips, Salvia, Sedum (Groundcover types), Southern Appalachian Region, Star zinnia, Stonecrop sedums, Summer flowering, watering tips, winter hardiness, Zinnia Comments Off on Attracting Monarchs To Your GardenLittle Girl Hybrid Magnolias
Posted by Hugh on February 18th, 2016
Star (Magnolia stellata) and tulip (M. soulangeana) magnolias are early flowering magnolias. Early spring frosts destroy open flowers. In the mid-1980’s the U.S. National Arboretum released 8 shrub-type cultivars as a series called the “Little Girl Magnolias”. They are hybrid crosses between M. liliiflora and M. stellata. Four cultivars- […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Magnolia liliiflora, Magnolia stellata, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (layering), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Little Girl Hybrid MagnoliasDistyliums As Cherry Laurel Or Holly Substitute
Posted by Hugh on February 11th, 2016
Hybrid distyliums (Distylium myricoides × racemosum) are compact evergreen shrubs for full sun to partial shade USDA hardiness zones 7 to 9. They are heat and drought tolerant, and are not fussy, growing in average soil with subpar drainage. Distyliums are members of the witchhazel family (Hamamelidaceae). Their tiny reddish-maroon flowers appear in late January through March, but offer little ornamental value in the […]
Posted in acidic soil, Boxwood (Buxus), Cherry Laurel (Prunus), compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Distylium, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Ilex (hollies), Juniper, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering evergreens, Winter flowering, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Distyliums As Cherry Laurel Or Holly Substitute
