Archive for the ‘Heat Tolerance’ Category

Long-Blooming Tennessee Coneflower

  Native to a two-county area of mid-Tennessee, Tennessee coneflower (Echinacea tennessiensis) is a popular favorite among gardeners across the U.S. because of its long blooming season. It has also spawned a few hybrid selections. The pale pink, flat-topped flowers with green and burgundy centers (cones) follow the tract of the sun across the sky. From July […]

Oriental Spruce Stands Up to Southern U.S. Heat and Humidity

Oriental spruce (Picea orientalis) stands as a tall spire in the urban landscape. A mature tree may reach 50 to 60 feet tall and makes a narrow stature or footprint of 15 to 25 feet in spread. Lateral branches uniquely bend downward while the growing tips sweep gracefully upward. Annual growth rate is slow at 12-15 inches. Two-thirds of the short dark green needles lay flat. Needles are lustrous on the […]

Butterfly Weed – Long-lived Flowering Perennial That Nourish Monarchs

Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), aka butterfly weed, is a tuberous rooted perennial native in the Eastern and southern U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9). It grows in dry/rocky open woodlands, prairies, farm fields, and along roadsides. Individual plants typically grow as a clump to 1- 3 feet high and 1 ½ feet wide. Unlike many of […]

Buttonbush Offers Year-round Interest

              Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), aka Button-willow or Honey Bells, is a medium to large native shrub with many fine landscape attributes. This unique flowering shrub is a favorite in attracting beneficial wildlife. It populates bogs, swamps and pond areas, as well as dry limestone bluffs in the eastern U.S. […]

Three Native Landscape Grasses To Try

These three native grasses are easy to establish in average, dry to medium moist, well-drained soils and in full sun. They tolerate a wide range of soils including dry rocky sites, and are exceptionally drought tolerant. Figure on 1 to 2 years for each to become fully established. Blue Lyme Grass (Leymus arenarus ‘Blue Dune’) is a vigorous spreading cool […]

Six Summer Annuals Your Grandma Did Not Know About

              Angelonia (“summer snapdragon”)… are outstanding performers in the summer flower garden, yet so many gardeners have never heard of them. Angelonias demonstrate outstanding heat and humidity tolerances. Serenita™ (12-14 inches high), Serena™ (15-18 inches high), and Archangel™ (12-14 inches tall high) series, are available in purple, lavender, pink, […]

Hold In Confinement

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 […]

Tulip Poplar And Cultivars

  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 […]

Summer Blooming ‘Little Lemon’ Goldenrod

  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 […]

What To Know About Flowering Vines

For some gardeners planting vines is not for the faint of heart. Vines need space, support, training, and for some – lots of pruning. Some vines don’t demand lots of room while others chew up lots of space. Small vines like clematis or annual morning glories (Ipomoea) may be grown in a large patio container for many years […]