Archive for the ‘Heat Tolerance’ Category

Tall Sedum – The New Mailbox Plant

Tall sedums (Sedum x spectabile) are a popular late summer blooming perennial often nicknamed “showy stonecrops” (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Members of the succulent plant family, tall sedums have thick round leaves and are recognized for their drought resistance. Star shaped flowers are clustered in colors ranging from whites, pinks, and reds, depending on the […]

Caveats Before Planting Planetrees (Sycamores)

American sycamore, aka planetree, (Platanus occidentalis) is a native tree planted over a large area of the United States (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Its enormous size, often 70-90 feet in height, limits it to planting mostly on large landscapes such as parks, golf courses, and industrial parks. Northern U.S. cities have planted it extensively along […]

Smoketree – Reliable Urban Tree Or Shrub

“Smokin” may be a corny way to describe the billowy inflorescence (floral head) of common smoketree (Cotinus coggygria). It is native from eastern European to central China. U.S. native, American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus), is far less popular as its inflorescence is much smaller and less showy. Dusky 6-8 inch diameter ball-shaped inflorescences appear in late […]

Mexican Sycamore Thrives In Warm Wet Locales

Mexican Sycamore (Platanus mexicana) is a fast growing deciduous tree hardy in Northeast Mexico (USDA hardiness zones 7 -10) where it inhabits soils that are semi-arid and subject to periodic flooding. Summer leaves are medium-sized, only 8-inches wide. When leaves fall away in autumn its beautiful chalky white bark is a winter asset. The bark […]

How Hardy Is Chinese Fringe Flower (Loropetalum)

Loropetalum or Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinensis) has clearly caught on with professional landscapers and gardeners (USDA hardiness zones 7 thru 9). It is rated as marginally hardy in northerly zones 6-b, and has succeeded in consecutive mild winters in the past decade. The winter of 2014 had killed some established plants to the ground, […]

Sweetbay Magnolia

Sweetbay, aka laurel magnolia, (Magnolia virginiana) is a U.S. native tree. This small to medium-sized native species often 20-30 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide as a large shrub or multi-stemmed small tree. Finding a 50-60 feet sweetbay near by a lake or pond near where you live is not unusual (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). […]

Rooguchi Clematis: Let It Ramble

Combine two popular garden trends: climbing vines and vertical gardening. Vines may grow on a trellis or allow them to weave through an existing shrub or tree. In a small garden this can be a space saver. In the world of clematis, the cultivar Rooguchi, aka Roguchi, (Clematis integrifolia x C. reticulata) has become increasingly […]

Enjoy Moonvine In The Evening Garden

Moonvine (Ipomoea alba)is a fast growing tropical vine. Its dark green heart shaped leaves stay clean and pest-free the entire growing season. Pure white 6-inch wide flowers open non-stop from early summer until frost. Each showy white flower lasts one day, opening in late afternoon and withering late the following morning. Plants may be purchased […]

Blackberry Lily Is Easy Summer Perennial

Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis) is a summer flowering perennial native to China and Japan (USDA hardiness zones 5 -10). Don’t be fooled by its name. It is not a “lily” as it belongs to the Iris family. The iris sword-like leafy stalks stand 2 to 3 feet high. Blackberry lily blooms in early to mid-summer […]

Ice Plant – A Cool Plant For Dry Sunny Spots

From the extreme heat and dry climates of east and Southern Africa come the hardy ice plants (Delosperma spp.). There are two popular species, Purple ice plant (D. cooperi) and Orange-yellow iceplant (D. nubigenium), plus hybrid cultivars galore. Ice plants are dependable zone 6 winter hardy succulents. They’re excellent candidates for roof top and rock […]