Archive for the ‘Summer heat tolerant’ Category

Take A Second Look At Canadian Hemlock

              Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is a native evergreen species which is available in many forms: prostrate, globose, weeping, fastigiate and variegated (USDA Hardiness Zones 3-7). Its tremendous versatility as a hedging tree or shrub  in planting sites is also a great reason to continue to include hemlock in the landscape. Hemlock may […]

Mt. Cuba Center Evaluates Heuchera (Coralbells) Cultivars

              Over the past quarter century, gardeners have enjoyed the wonderful heuchera revolution (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). A great many hybrid cultivars have been introduced with more arriving every spring. Unfortunately, the flood of new cultivars has given us a huge number of poor selections. As I talk with […]

What Roses Need

              A goal of most rose gardeners (rosarians) is to grow them almost maintenance free. The improved shrub roses introduced almost two decades ago have brought this too reality. Rose series such as Knockout®, Home Run®, Drift®, OSO Easy®, Carefree® and Meidiland™ are among the best. No matter the pedigree of the rose, selecting a […]

Blue Atlas Cedar Becoming Very Popular In Urban Landscape

Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ) hails from the Atlas Mountains in northern Morocco and Algeria (USDA hardiness zone 6). The cultivar ‘Glauca’ has been the popular choice because of its blue green foliage. Blue Atlas grows to 40-60 feet in height, but individuals over 70 feet are hard to find. Mature forms, those 50 […]

Many Shapes and Sizes Of Cryptomerias

  Japanese cedar, aka cryptomeria, (Cryptomeria japonica) is the national tree of Japan and is also indigenous to China (USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8).  Cryptomeria cultivars vary greatly from very dwarf to rounded shrubs to large tree forms. Needle-like foliage may be dark green, medium green, golden or contorted leaves. Cryptomerias tolerate hot humid summers and […]

Holiday Poinsettia Requires Basic Care

Gifts have been opened and a great dinner served. The holiday season may be waning, but your beautiful poinsettia plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima) will require some minimal care. Generally, the same weekly care that you provide your house plants will keep your poinsettia looking beautiful most of the winter. Here are some basic tips: Place poinsettia in bright natural light […]

New Christmas Roses (Hellebores) Greatly Improved

  Christmas roses (Helleborus niger) is a winter flowering perennial. It is native to central and southern Europe (USDA hardiness zones 4-8) and is not as winter hardy as lenten rose (Helleborus x orientalis). Christmas rose tends to flower 1 to 4 weeks earlier, around the Christmas holidays in southern climes (zones 7-8). New selections of H. niger are better […]

Nellie R. Stevens Holly

  Hollies and the winter season work well together. Female hollies with bright red fruits (yellow-fruited forms also) contrast with their glossy evergreen foliage. ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ holly (NRS), a female form, is a cross between English (Ilex aquifolium) and Chinese (I. cornuta) hollies. NRS is the popular holly choice in Southern landscapes (USDA hardiness zones 6 to 9). Hollies are dioecious, […]

Emerald™ Arborvitae

Emerald™ or ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) is not new shrub or cultivar. More than 3 generations of gardeners have used this unique form of eastern arborvitae as their “go to” evergreen shrub up and down the eastern coast and through the Midwest (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). Emerald is a semi-dwarf evergreen shrub with a […]

Lacebark Pine Is An Arboreal Gem

Lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana) is an arboreal gem which few gardeners are privileged to own (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Hopefully, this will change. Lacebark is a lovely 3-needle pine with exquisite exfoliating bark which becomes more attractive as it ages. Bark mottling begins after 8-10 years, that’s worth the wait if you’re a young patient […]