Ice plants (Delosperma spp.) are perennial evergreen succulents from South Africa. Two species are most popular in U.S. gardens starting with hardy ice plant (D. cooperi) (zones 6b – 9) and yellow ice plant (D. nubigenum) (zone 4 – 10). There are also many hybrid cultivars sold at garden centers and on-line. North of zone […]
Archive for the ‘mulching’ Category
Ice Plants (Delosperma)
Posted by Hugh on June 23rd, 2017
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Container garden, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Ice Plant (Delosperma), mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Root rotting, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness, Winter Protection 
1 Comment »Less Invasive Butterfly Bush Identified
Posted by Hugh on June 20th, 2017
Butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a popular garden shrub in many areas of the U.S. Buddleia invasiveness is a serious issue in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Plant Division, has approved for sale these buddleia cultivars in the state. The approved varieties produce 2% or less viable seed, meeting Oregon’s standards for sterility. The […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, compact shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Fragrant, Hummingbird, Invasive plant, mulching, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Less Invasive Butterfly Bush IdentifiedPanicle Hydrangeas For Small Gardens And Containers
Posted by Hugh on June 13th, 2017
Panicle, PeeGee or PG hydrangeas (Hydrangea panculata) brighten up your July-August garden. They hail from China and Japan and grow almost anywhere in the U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 3 – 8). PG hydrangeas are far more reliable in northern areas (zones 3-5), than mophead hydrangeas (H. macrophylla). They flower at their best in full to partial day sunlight (6 hours […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compact shrub, compost, Container garden, Container growing, deadheading, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Hydrangeas, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Panicle Hydrangeas For Small Gardens And ContainersTidy Up These Perennials After Blooming Is Finished
Posted by Hugh on June 10th, 2017
Deadheading, the practice of removing the old spent flowers from perennials, is a way to improve a garden’s appearance and reduce overcrowding. Secondarily, many (not all) will rebloom after deadheading. Not all perennials respond to deadheading by reblooming. Most daylilies (Hemerocallis x.), coralbells (Heuchera spp.), and hostas (Hosta spp.) are prime examples of perennials that do not […]
Posted in Alliums (onion), Amsonia (blue star), Artemisia, Astilbe (false spirea), Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Baptisia (wild indigo), Bees and other pollinators, Bergenia (pigsqueak), Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Container garden, deadheading, Eupatorium 'Gateway', Failure to Bloom, Fall sunflower (Helianthus spp.), Fertilizing plants, Garden Maintenance, Heuchera (coralbells), Hibiscus moscheutos, Hosta, Hummingbird, Invasive plant, Iris, Iris (Tall bearded), Lamb's ears (Stachys), Lenten rose (Hellebore), Ligularias, Liriope, Messy Fruits, mulching, Native Plant, Nepeta (catmint), Obedient plant (Physotegia), Overcrowding, Perennials, Planting tips, Pruning, Re-Bloomers, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Sunflower (Helianthus), watering tips Comments Off on Tidy Up These Perennials After Blooming Is FinishedSee Your Perennials Blooming Again
Posted by Hugh on June 4th, 2017
Deadheading is the removal of old spent flowers and stems of many perennials. Many (not all) perennials will respond and bloom a second and even a third time. Deadheading also refreshes the plant’s appearance and reduces or eliminates the threat of seed dispersal. It redirects the plant’s energy away from seed production toward root and vegetative growth. […]
Posted in Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Blanket flower (Gaillardia), Butterflies, Butterfly weed (Asclepias), Columbine (Aquilegia), Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Container garden, Coreopsis, Culver's Root (veronicastrum), Delphinium, Dianthus (Pinks), Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Gaura, Heat Tolerance, Helenium, Heliopsis (False sunflower), Hummingbird, Indian pink (Spigelia), Lavender (Lavandula), Milkweeds (Asclepias), Monarda (Beebalm), mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Phlox, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Platycodon (Balloon flower), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Re-Bloomers, Red hot Poker (Kniphofia), Russian sage (Perovskia), Sage (Salvia), Sanitation, Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Stokesia, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Summer phlox (P. paniculata), Sunflower (Helianthus), Torch lily (red hot poker), Tradescantia (Spiderwort), Veronica (speedwells), watering tips, Weed control, Yarrow (Achillea) Comments Off on See Your Perennials Blooming AgainFall In Love With Haas’ Halo® Hydrangea
Posted by Hugh on June 1st, 2017
Anyone walking through your garden will stop to see Haas Halo®) hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens Haas Halo®). This native smooth hydrangea has intense blue-green, leathery foliage and huge pure white wide lace cap blooms (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Flowers stand tall on stout sturdy stems. Shrub branching is upright. This new hydrangea was found by Frederick H. Ray, […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, deadheading, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Hydrangea arborescens, Hydrangeas, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Re-Bloomers, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering hydrangeas, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Fall In Love With Haas’ Halo® HydrangeaSpring – Summer Care of Herbaceous Peonies After Flowering
Posted by Hugh on May 26th, 2017
Summer weather can be tough on the foliage of tree and herbaceous peonies tree (P. lactiflora). Here are some tips to ensure your peony plants will prosper for many years to come. Keep foliage disease-free and prune off all badly infected with mildew or black spotted. Some varieties naturally shed their leaves (go dormant) early. Itoh hybrids and most […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, Botrytis disease, Container growing, deadheading, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, mulching, Overcrowding, Peony, Perennials, Powdery Mildew, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Staking, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips Comments Off on Spring – Summer Care of Herbaceous Peonies After FloweringFive Perennial Staples For Your Summer Garden
Posted by Hugh on May 23rd, 2017
If you are designing a new perennial garden, here are five proven perennials to start out with. All varieties are standout garden performers known for their long blooming period and showy flowers. Coreopsis and veronica are often utilized for edging along a sunny border. All can be planted in mixed containers. ‘Pow Wow Wild Berry’ coneflower (Echinacea […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compost, Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Container garden, Coreopsis, deadheading, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Veronica (speedwells), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Five Perennial Staples For Your Summer GardenHow Drought Affects Our Landscape Trees*
Posted by Hugh on May 20th, 2017
Long term drought can be devastating on landscape and woodland trees. An environmentally stressed tree must expend additional energy to survive. Extremes of drought leads to decreases in trunk diameter and height growth, declining resistance to pests and diseases, less food production via photosynthesis, and in flower and fruit production. Symptoms of drought stress include wilted […]
Posted in American Beech (F. grandifolia), Ash (Fraxinus), Bald cypress (Taxodium), Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa), Disease prone, Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Evergreens, Firs (Abies), Garden Maintenance, Heat Tolerance, Hickory (Carya spp.), Hophornbeam (Ostrya), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Landscape ideas, Leaf retention, Linden (Tilia), Magnolia grandiflora, Maples (Acer), mulching, Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Pests, pin oak, Pines (Pinus spp.), Planting tips, Poplar (Populus spp.), Purchasing Plants, Redbud, root injury, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Sycamore (Platanus), Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, Tulip tree (Liriodendron), watering tips, Willow oak (Quercus), Winter Protection Comments Off on How Drought Affects Our Landscape Trees*Five Reliable Summer – Early Fall Flowering Perennials
Posted by Hugh on May 18th, 2017
Planning a new perennial garden this summer?Include these five very dependable flowering perennials. All are low maintenance and are U.S. natives (USDA Zones 4–8). ‘Zagreb’ (Coreopsis verticillata) has a very uniform plant habit and finely dissected foliage. Plant grows only about 20 -24 inches tall, and is blanketed with bright yellow (gold) flowers coupled with […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aster, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compost, Container garden, Coreopsis, deadheading, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Goldenrod (Solidago), Heat Tolerance, Heliopsis (False sunflower), Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Phlox, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Five Reliable Summer – Early Fall Flowering Perennials
