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 […]
Archive for the ‘Drought tolerant’ Category
Parrotia: A Great Medium-sized Landscape Tree
Posted by Hugh on February 16th, 2012
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 Witchhazel‘Little King’ Birch For Small Gardens
Posted by Hugh on January 12th, 2012
Little King, aka Fox Valley™, (Betula nigra ‘Little King’) is a 10-12 foot tall shrubby river birch, which fits into small landscapes. Simple minimal pruning can shape it into a lovely small tree. Little King possesses the desirable traits of large river birches, including an oft-white exfoliating bark. River birch exhibits good heat tolerance in the Southeastern U.S. (USDA zones 4-8) and has […]
Posted in acidic soil, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Native Plant, Purchasing Plants, river birch, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips Comments Off on ‘Little King’ Birch For Small GardensPrickly 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) […]
Autumn Colors Conclude with Callery Pears
Posted by Hugh on November 23rd, 2011
Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) has been declining in planting popularity. But its scarlet red leaf color is both sensational and reliable every autumn in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). Most people identify the tree by its cultivar name, e.g. ‘Bradford’, Aristocrat®, ‘Cleveland Select’, ‘Redspire’ pear. There are many other cultivars. Callery pears are tough reliable medium sized trees which […]
Posted in Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bradford Pear, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Heat Tolerance, Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, winter hardiness Comments Off on Autumn Colors Conclude with Callery Pears‘Morgan’ Oriental Arborvitae
Posted by Hugh on November 12th, 2011
Among dwarf conifer collectors, ‘Morgan’ Oriental arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) has become one of the most sought out evergreens over the past decade. Its oval form and seasonal coloration makes Morgan a standout. It performs well in part sun, but its chartreuse-yellow foliage appears more vibrant in direct sunlight. Its dense foliage grows in vertical layers. Andy Pulte at the […]
Posted in acidic soil, Arborvitae (Thuja spp.), compost, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreens, Heat Tolerance, Platycladus orientalis 'Morgan', Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, watering evergreens, Winter Garden Interest Comments Off on ‘Morgan’ Oriental Arborvitae‘Snow Flurry’ Zone 6 Hardy Camellia
Posted by Hugh on October 31st, 2011
‘Snow Flurry’ camellia is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with good plant vigor. It was one of the first zone 6 cold hardy camellias hybridized by Dr. William Ackerman and released by the U.S. National Arboretum in 1986. Snow Flurry grows into a 4 feet tall by 6 feet wide shrub over a 10 year […]
Irrigate Evergreens This Winter
Posted by Hugh on October 28th, 2011
Fall slowdown in the garden brings many of us back indoors to prepare for the winter holidays ahead. A number of serious canker diseases attack evergreens in the fall and winter if soil moisture is not plentiful. These diseases include botryosphaeria, cytospora, phomopsis, and seiridium cankers. Each organism is capable of causing branch dieback or […]
Posted in Arborvitae (Thuja spp.), Christmas trees, Disease prone, Drought tolerant, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreen, Evergreens, Leyland cypress, Pines (Pinus spp.), Rhododendrons, Southern Appalachian Region, Spruces (Picea spp.), Thujopsis, Trees & Shrubs, watering evergreens, watering tips, winter injury, Winter Protection 1 Comment »Natural Evergreen Needle Drop in Autumn
Posted by Hugh on October 25th, 2011
Some needle loss on evergreens in the fall is natural. As night time temperatures cool, needles in the interior of many evergreen trees or shrubs regularly turn brown (or golden yellow) and drop off. Needle loss is most obvious on pines (Pinus spp.) and arborvitae (Thuja spp.) in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). The […]
Posted in Arborvitae (Thuja spp.), Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Pines (Pinus spp.), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Transplant problem, watering evergreens, winter injury Comments Off on Natural Evergreen Needle Drop in Autumn
