Archive for the ‘Heat Tolerance’ Category

Jazz Up Shady Garden Areas

From brilliant green to rich gold hues, fabulous foliage and flowers can wake up any dark or colorless, shade area. See below a list of great plants that wake up a blah area of your shade garden. Plant list is suitable for gardens in plant hardiness zones 5-8. Exciting colorful and/or tropical-like foliage or showy flowers. Hostas, […]

Baptisias – Long-Lived Native Perennials

Wild indigos or Baptisias (Baptisia spp.) are long-lived native perennials. Baptisias are tap rooted perennials that will reward you for many years. They’re sometimes mistaken for Carolina lupine (Thermopsis caroliniana). Modern day cultivars are hybrids of 4 Baptisia species: purple (B. australis), lavender blue (B. minor), white (B. alba), bright yellow (B. sphaerocarpa). Several bicolors are also […]

Tips On Repotting Container Plants

Eventually, all potted plants outgrow their containers. This includes potted roses, Japanese maples and other small trees, shrubs, dwarf conifers, elephant ears (Colocasia, Alocasia), cannas, lotus, papyrus, and lots more. A rule of thumb is to transplant every 2 years in early spring before bud break. In the case of perennials and tropicals, this is a good […]

Fifteen Garden Perennials Which You Can’t Kill (Or Almost)

Here is a list of flowering perennials that need little care after planting. Ornamental grasses and ferns are not listed here. One steadfast rule that you must follow if this group of plants are to work for you: “choose the right plant for the right site”. Shady plants in full sun and terrestrial plants in swampy ground […]

Winter Blooming Winter Jessamine

Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is one of the most beautiful native vines in the South (USDA Zones 6 to 9). In February and March, its bright yellow flowers are commonly seen growing along roadsides in the Southeastern U.S. It is frequently mistaken for forsythias a shrub that rarely blooms in winter. Vines grow vigorously, 20 feet […]

Five Evergreens For Small Garden Spaces

The following five evergreen shrubs are smaller versions of the larger growing species. They make a better fit in smaller urban gardens. Gyokuryu Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica ‘Gyokuryu’) is a fast-growing, broadly conical selection with coarse bluish-green evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green through most of the winter in zone 6 and […]

Amur Cork Tree

Amur corktree (Phellodendron amurense) is native to Northern China, Korea and Japan (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Amur corktree is a fast growing, upright branched tree that makes an excellent yard or shade tree. Corktree grows in a wide range soils, and tolerates soil pH between 5.0 to 8.2. It does best in moist, well-drained soils, […]

Comparing Heritage® Vs Duraheat® River Birch

In general, most species of our native birches (Betula spp.) grow best in cool, northern areas of the U.S. They are found growing along the sides of rivers, lakes, streams, and mountainous areas (USDA Zones 4-9). Most birches (not all) are recognized for their distinctive gray to white bark. Birch species with the whitest of bark […]

First Days Of Fall…. Bring In Your House Plants

The final days are summer are over. It’s time to move your tropical plants indoors before night temps in the low 40°F arrive. These plants thrive outdoors in summer temperatures and high humidity, but cannot survive being left outdoors. Container plants such as Ficus (rubber) trees, orchids, Norfolk Island pines, scheffleras, bromeliads, gardenias, palms, and […]

Sizing Up Crape Myrtles (Including Most Recent Introductions)

Hybrid crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia fauriei x indica) have undergone significant makeovers over the past quarter century.  Several new cultivar series continue to arrive garden centers, including: Black Diamond™ series, Enduring Summer™, Delta™ series, and Magic™ series. In landscape terms size is very important and gardeners often make a serious error when not calculating the size of […]