What first catches your eye about perennial gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) is its light airy white (or pink) flowers (USDA hardiness zones 5 -9). Orchid-like blossoms are perched atop long thin stems. A faint breeze makes flowers flutter like a cloud of small butterflies above the dark green foliage. Also called […]
Archive for the ‘Drought tolerant’ Category
Colorful Oleanders For Hot Summer Climes
Oleander (Nerium oleander) is an attractive evergreen shrub for warm climates. Indigenous to the Mediterranean region, it is popular in warm regions of the U.S., namely in western, coastal, and southern states (USDA hardiness zones 8-11). Oleander prefers moist, well-drained soil and a sunny landscape site. Established shrubs withstand dry and windy conditions along coastal areas. Brightly colored […]
Obedient Plant For Late Summer Blooming
Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is native from the Central to Southern U.S. and northern Mexico (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). It is called “obedient plant” because each tubular flower will, upon being pushed in any one direction, stays in new position. From July to September obedient plant is valued for its late season pink or white […]
Sunset Cutie® Gaillardia
New from PlantHaven is a new 15-inch gaillardia (Gaillardia x grandiflora) called Sunset Cutie® with red-bronze flowers edged in creamy yellow. It will leave a bright fiesta feel to our home landscape. Sunset Cutie has a compact mounding plant habit. It will bloom nonstop on your patio this summer or in your perennial flower bed. It is hardy to Zone 5 […]
Winter Damage On Crape Myrtles
Extremely cold winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15 have damaged many cultivars of crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia x indica). Don’t assume that new crape myrtles are hardy; many are rated hardy only to zone 7. Several of the U.S. National Arboretum cultivars are hardy in zone 6. Gardeners living in the […]
‘Short and Sassy’ Helenium (Sneezeweed)
Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) is a bee/butterfly friendly perennial that blooms heavily from mid-summer into early fall. Helenium (“sneezeweed”) does not cause hayfever or irritate sinus passages. The genus Helenium is named for Helen of Troy. Its dried leaves were once crunched to make a snuff to promote sneezing. This tough prairie native thrives in full […]
Cosmos For Sunny Gardens
Cosmos, indigenous to Mexico and South America, are one of the easiest-to-grow flowering annuals. They start blooming in early summer and are at their best in late summer and early autumn. Two most popular species are Cosmos sulphureus and C. bipinnatus. Flower heads are composed of disc and ray flowers. Cosmos is a member of the aster […]
Fill Flower Gardens & Containers With Sweet Alyssums
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is one of the easiest annuals to grow. A member of the mustard family (Brassicaeae), it is native in the Mediterranean region and the Canary and Azores Islands (AHS heat zones 3-8). Modern day cultivars possess exceptional heat, humidity, and drought tolerance in summer months once fully established. Alyssums may be utilized in mixed […]
Chinese Fringetree Gains In Popularity And Availability
Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus) When in bloom in mid-spring (May), the fringetrees (Chionanthus spp.) definitely will catch your eye. Chinese fringetree (C. retusus), is one of the finest small to medium sized flowering trees, not to be confused with the U.S. native fringetree (C. virginicus) (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). Both produce spectacular white lacy flowers […]
Siebold Viburnum Makes Wonderful Small Tree
The genus Viburnum is no stranger to U.S. gardens. Many species and cultivars of viburnums are popular. Siebold viburnum (V. sieboldii) is a large spring flowering species from eastern Asia (USDA hardiness zones 5-7), but is under-planted in today’s gardens. This multi-trunk large shrub to 12 to 15 feet high or 25 […]

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