Inkberry holly (Ilex glabra) is a slow-growing evergreen shrub (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). This U.S. native hale from coastal Canada south to Florida, and west to Louisiana. Commonly, inkberry (the species) grows to 5-8 feet tall. It is at home in sandy woodlands and the edges of swamps and bogs where they form colonies via root […]
Archive for the ‘Garden Maintenance’ Category
New Inkberry Varieties Substitute For Boxwoods
Posted by Hugh on August 6th, 2019
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, compact shrub, Container garden, Container growing, container shrub, Dioecious, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Inkberry Holly (Ilex), Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on New Inkberry Varieties Substitute For BoxwoodsTall Stonecrops (Sedums)
Posted by Hugh on August 1st, 2019
Stonecrops (Hylotelephium spectabile) are tall clumping sedums. They are frequent seen in their habitat growing on rocks or stony ledges. Also written as Sedum spectabile, many varieties grow 1.5 to 2 feet high. Approximately 33 species of these drought-tolerant herbaceous perennials are found to Asia, Europe and North America (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Stonecrop make excellent […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Autumn flowering, Balled and Burlapped (b&b), Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, Container garden, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Heat Tolerance, Honey bees, Landscape ideas, mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Purchasing Plants, Scale, Sedum (Shrub type), Slugs, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Stonecrop sedums, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Uncategorized, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Tall Stonecrops (Sedums)July Blooming Plumleaf Azalea
Posted by Hugh on July 28th, 2019
Plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium), a deciduous azalea native to Georgia and Alabama, is a particular summer favorite (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). It’s hardy even in Boston, NY City, and Philadelphia. Its bright orange-red blooms surprise in late July to early August. Compared to many fragrant spring blooming native species, flowers emit no scent. Its autumnal […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Azalea (deciduous), Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Breeding Plants, Butterflies, Container garden, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rhododendrons, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on July Blooming Plumleaf AzaleaWhy My Hydrangeas Are Not Blooming
Posted by Hugh on July 23rd, 2019
Thankfully, this is not a very common problem that few gardeners run into. U.S. gardeners grow four (4) species of hydrangeas: smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia), bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla), and panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata). There are five reasons why some hydrangeas don’t bloom: 1. Type of hydrangea… Bigleaf hydrangeas, those that […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla), compact shrub, Container garden, container shrub, Deciduous, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Flowering, Hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens, Hydrangeas, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rabbit/deer Protection, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering hydrangeas, watering tips, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Why My Hydrangeas Are Not BloomingFive Shrubs Make Wonderful Small Trees
Posted by Hugh on July 18th, 2019
With some aggressively growing shrubs, it frequently comes down to you (and your pruners) versus the plant. Technique: a sharp pair of hand pruners along with 3-4 times annually to train a large unruly shrub into a behaved small tree. Here is a list of 5 great shrub candidate that may become a great small tree: […]
Posted in acidic soil, Althea (Hibiscus), Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, compact tree, Container garden, Container growing, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Harlequin glorybower, Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, mulching, Ninebark, Panicle hydrangea, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Staking, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Vitex (Chaste tree), watering tips, Wind protection, winter hardiness Comments Off on Five Shrubs Make Wonderful Small TreesCrusader™ Cockspur Hawthorn
Posted by Hugh on July 13th, 2019
n Cockspur thorn (Crataegus crus-galli) is sometimes seen as a dense, low-branched, broad-rounded tree to 25-35 feet with horizontal branching armed with numerous large 1.5 to 3 inch long thorns. Lower branches often sweep near to the ground. It is also often seen as a tall, flat-topped shrub. This native hawthorn grows naturally from Quebec […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Edible fruits, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Hawthorn (Crataegus), Honey bees, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Crusader™ Cockspur HawthornPerennial Favorites For The Summer Garden
Posted by Hugh on July 8th, 2019
If someone was to create the Garden Performance Hall of Fame for summer flowering perennials, I would nominate this list of ten (10). I have had experience growing many of them in my Northeast Tennessee garden (USDA hardiness zone 6-b). In a few instances, I have selected a variety that grows in friends’ or a […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Butterflies, compost, Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Coreopsis, Coreopsis 'Gold Standard, Daylilies, deadheading, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Heuchera (coralbells), Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Phlox, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Re-Bloomers, Russian sage (Perovskia), Sage (Salvia), Sedum (Shrub type), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Stonecrop sedums, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Summer phlox (P. paniculata), Tennessee Coneflower, watering tips Comments Off on Perennial Favorites For The Summer GardenSix Flowering Perennials For Downtown Areas
Posted by Hugh on July 3rd, 2019
Here is what some downtown areas in the Southeast and Midwest U.S. were planting this spring: Rudbeckia lacinata ‘Herbstonne’ aka ‘Autumn Sun’ is a long-blooming butterfly favorite with clusters of bright yellow ray flowers with large green cones from mid to late summer. Leaves are large, glossy, deep green, deeply cut along the stems. Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Biennial, Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), compost, Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Container garden, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Heuchera (coralbells), Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Propagation (Cuttings), Purchasing Plants, Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne', Sage (Salvia), Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Switchgrass (Panicum), winter hardiness Comments Off on Six Flowering Perennials For Downtown AreasThree High Performance Coneflower Series
Posted by Hugh on June 28th, 2019
Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are very popular perennials (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Their colorful flowers will attract a multitude of beneficial pollinators to your garden. Some cultivar series come in a myriad of colors. For the best and biggest flowers, coneflowers perform at their best in full sun and in well-drained soils. After planting echinaceas grow […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Container garden, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Wildflowers, winter hardiness Comments Off on Three High Performance Coneflower SeriesJune Blooming Japanese Tree Lilac
Posted by Hugh on June 23rd, 2019
Chinese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) is an under-planted small multi-trunked tree or large flowering shrub (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). In tree form, it grows 20- 30 feet tall and 15- 20 feet wide with a rounded crown. Mature 70 year old plus specimens at Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC are 50 feet or taller. Its […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Balled and Burlapped (b&b), Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flower Arranging, Fragrant, Landscape ideas, Lilac (Syringa), mulching, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Shade tree, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Street tree, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on June Blooming Japanese Tree Lilac
