Beebalm (Monarda spp.) is one of our great native perennials and herbs. Native Americans used beebalm as a tea, brewing it for colds, minor bronchial and digestive complaints, and also as a poultice to soothe insect stings. During the Boston Tea Party, rebellious colonists utilized beebalm as a tea substitute, calling it “Oswego tea”. […]
Archive for the ‘Heat Tolerance’ Category
Powdery Mildew: The Bane of Beebalm
Posted by Hugh on June 9th, 2012
Posted in Bee Favorite, Butterflies, deadheading, Disease prone, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Herbs, Hummingbird, Monarda (Beebalm), Native Plant, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips 
Comments Off on Powdery Mildew: The Bane of BeebalmDwarf Southern Magnolia Cultivars
Posted by Hugh on June 1st, 2012
Small 5-6 Year Old ‘Little Gem’ Magnolia Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is remarkably hardy in USDA zone 6. This evergreen magnolia prefers a moist well-drained, slightly acidic soil, and planted in a partial to full sun location. It is a long-lived large 70-80 feet tall tree, best suited to large commercial and residential properties, golf […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Butterflies, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Heat Tolerance, Magnolia grandiflora, Medium sized Tree, Native Plant, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant Comments Off on Dwarf Southern Magnolia Cultivars‘Helene Von Stein’ Lamb’s Ear Is More Behaved
Posted by Hugh on May 30th, 2012
Stachys byzantina is a dense gray woolly perennial ground cover, which earns it the common name “lamb’s ear”. ‘Helene Von Stein’ is the single best cultivar, displaying larger leaves, and is more heat and humidity tolerant. Sometimes listed as ‘Big Ears’, it rarely produces flowers which may tarnish its lovely silvery gray foliage appearance. Lamb’s ear grows […]
Posted in Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Lamb's ears (Stachys), Perennials, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, watering tips Comments Off on ‘Helene Von Stein’ Lamb’s Ear Is More BehavedEvaluating Weeping Bald Cypress Cultivars
Posted by Hugh on May 9th, 2012
Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a large 75 -80 foot deciduous conifer tree. They are long-lived, often 100 years or more. Bald cypress is incredibly hardy from the warm humid Florida swamps to the cold winter temperatures and loamy soils of central Michigan. Bald cypress is tolerant of a wide range of soil and moisture […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bald cypress (Taxodium), compact shrub, compact tree, container shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, DWARF CONIFERS, Heat Tolerance, Native Plant, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Staking, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering evergreens, winter hardiness Comments Off on Evaluating Weeping Bald Cypress CultivarsVariegated Tapioca Plant Thrives In The Summer Heat
Posted by Hugh on May 3rd, 2012
Add some tropical flair to your garden with variegated tapioca plant (Manihot esculenta ‘Variegata’), aka Cassava. Variegated tapioca is a spectacular foliage plant (zone 8 – 11) which excels as summer’s heat and humidity arrives and lingers. Tapioca plant is not likely to be sold in every garden center and you’ll likely need to order one or more on-line. […]
Posted in Fertilizing plants, Foliage plant, Heat Tolerance, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Tapioca plant (Manihot), Tropical Plants (non-hardy), Uncategorized, watering tips Comments Off on Variegated Tapioca Plant Thrives In The Summer HeatPinxterbloom Azalea
Posted by Hugh on May 1st, 2012
Pinxterbloom (Rhododendron periclymenoides), formerly R. nudiflorum, is a hardy deciduous azalea native to a large geographic area of the eastern United States. Pinxterbloom naturally grows nearby streams in a light woodland setting, but appears to tolerate dry rocky sites equally well after 2 years established. Shrub heights vary from 4-8 feet. Pinxterbloom spreads by underground stolons and shrubs may become […]
Posted in acidic soil, Azalea (deciduous), compost, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Native Plant, Pinxterbloom azalea, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant Comments Off on Pinxterbloom AzaleaExceptional Describes ‘Major Wheeler’ Climbing Honeysuckle
Posted by Hugh on April 25th, 2012
Climbing or coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a native vine. It can be spotted growing on fence rows along roadsides and in woodlands from Connecticut to Nebraska, and south to Texas and Florida. ‘Major Wheeler’ is one of the better climbing honeysuckles noted for its non-stop production of bright red trumpet flowers and green mildew resistant foliage. Red […]
Posted in Aggressive grower, Butterflies, Climbing honeysuckle (Lonicera), Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Native Plant, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Staking, Summer flowering, Uncategorized, Vine Comments Off on Exceptional Describes ‘Major Wheeler’ Climbing HoneysuckleFountain Grasses Are Summer Sizzlers
Posted by Hugh on April 21st, 2012
Purple Pennisetum Grass in Hot Parking Lot Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ) is a warm season grass native to Northern Africa (USDA zones 8-10). It is a dense clump-forming grass with several topnotch cultivars. Most popular are purple fountain grasses (varieties ‘Purpureum’ and ‘Rubrum’) for their heat resistant dark reddish purple foliage. The pink to […]
Posted in acidify soil, alkaline soil, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Fountain Grass (Pennisetum), Heat Tolerance, Ornamental Grasses, plant nutrition, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips Comments Off on Fountain Grasses Are Summer SizzlersBotrytis Disease in Marigolds Can Be Avoided
Posted by Hugh on April 10th, 2012
Botrytis Disease in Marigolds Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) have been long time favorite summer annuals in Southern Appalachian gardens (USDA zones 6 and 7). Marigolds come in three sizes: 18-36 inch tall “African” marigolds, 12-18 inch medians and 8 -12 inch “French” border types and in two color choices- orange and yellow. Begin planting in April or May after […]
Posted in Disease prone, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Garden Problems, Heat Tolerance, Marigold, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips Comments Off on Botrytis Disease in Marigolds Can Be AvoidedKatsura Tree Comes Home To America
Posted by Hugh on April 1st, 2012
Katsura tree (Cercidophyllum japonicum) is a large 50-60 feet tall tree from Japan and China. Katsura became extinct in North America during the Pleistocene Age and was re-introduced in 1862 by botanist Thomas Hogg. It is truly a beautiful tree, yet is still rarely planted. Katsura is hardy in zones 4-8. It prefers a moist well-drained, compost-rich soil […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease resistant, Heat Tolerance, Katsura tree (Cercidophyllum), Large Shade trees, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, watering tips, Weeping habit, winter hardiness Comments Off on Katsura Tree Comes Home To America
