Apartment renters and townhouse and condominium owners till the soil in containers on their patio and deck. For containers the shorter growing determinate type tomatoes are a better choice. Spread out the harvest interval, by not planting all your tomatoes at one time. Start your last tomatoes from seed for June planting and harvest beginning […]
Archive for the ‘Fertilizing plants’ Category
Growing Tomatoes in Containers
Posted by Hugh on May 10th, 2010
Growing Blueberries
Posted by Hugh on May 5th, 2010
Both the highbush and rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) are hardy in the Southern Appalachian region (zone 6-b to 7-a). A hot summer is a nemesis for highbush and an extremely cold winter limits where you can grow rabbiteye within zone 6-b. Blueberry bushes grow 8-15-feet tall, requiring annual pruning. Its dark green foliage turns brilliant […]
Posted in acidic soil, acidify soil, Bees and other pollinators, Blueberries, Container garden, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Fruits & Vegetables, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering 
Comments Off on Growing BlueberriesLo and Behold ‘Blue Chip’ Buddleia Is Late Summer Gem
Posted by Hugh on March 21st, 2010
photo taken at JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC in June 2009 Lo & Behold® ‘Blue Chip’ is a very dwarf butterfly bush (buddleia) for the summer garden. Its compact 3 x 4 foot height and width is an excellent choice planted in a garden bed or in a container on a sunny patio deck or patio. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, mulching, Planting tips, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Lo and Behold ‘Blue Chip’ Buddleia Is Late Summer GemBest of Perennial Veronicas for Gardens
Posted by Hugh on March 17th, 2010
Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) has published the results of a 10-year study of speedwells (Veronica and Veronicastrum) in its 33rd issue of Plant Evaluation Notes, “A Comparative Study of Veronica and Veronicastrum“. Seven speedwells received good-excellent ratings for their overall performance, including Veronica ‘Fairytale’, V. ‘Giles Van Hees’, V. austriaca ‘Ionian Skies’, V. longifolia ‘Blue […]
Posted in acidic soil, Fertilizing plants, Perennials, Propagation (Cuttings), Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Veronica (speedwells), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Best of Perennial Veronicas for Gardens‘Sky Pencil Holly vs ‘Dee Runk’ Boxwood
Posted by Hugh on December 28th, 2009
Boxwoods and hollies are mainline evergreen shrubs, utilized for low hedging, privacy barriers. Single shrubs are planted solely for their architectural accent. Both hollies and boxwoods grow best in moist, well-drained soils and in full sun to partial shade. Both prefer soils with a pH of slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Boxwoods tend to be more shade tolerant than […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, Boxwood (Buxus), Container garden, container shrub, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Fertilizing plants, Ilex (hollies), Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Weak branching, Wind protection, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Sky Pencil Holly vs ‘Dee Runk’ BoxwoodGrowing Hardy Camellias
Posted by Hugh on September 22nd, 2009
Growing camellias in Tennessee is no longer a dream. Through the efforts of several plant breeders, particularly Dr. William L. Ackerman of the U.S. National Arboretum (retired) and Dr. Clifford Parks of Camellia Forest Nursery, as many as 40 cultivars of winter hardy camellias to -15 °F are now available in nursery commerce. Flower colors […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Camellia, compost, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Growing Hardy Camellias
