Oriental lilies (Lilium x orientale) grace summer gardens with brightly colored fragrant blooms (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Long tubular (trumpet) flowers measure 6-8 inches across and come in a limited color choices. From one year to the next, flower numbers increase. Oriental lilies prefer a compost-rich, well-drained soil where they will delight over several summers and in […]
Archive for the ‘watering tips’ Category
Enjoy Summer Fragrance Of Oriental Lilies
Posted by Hugh on July 18th, 2015
Posted in acidic soil, compost, Container growing, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Fragrant, Lily (Lilium), mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Staking, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Wind protection, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Enjoy Summer Fragrance Of Oriental LiliesLet Gaura Flutter In Your Garden This Summer
Posted by Hugh on July 12th, 2015
What first catches your eye about perennial gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) is its light airy white (or pink) flowers (USDA hardiness zones 5 -9). Orchid-like blossoms are perched atop long thin stems. A faint breeze makes flowers flutter like a cloud of small butterflies above the dark green foliage. Also called […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Container growing, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Gaura, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Let Gaura Flutter In Your Garden This SummerColorful Oleanders For Hot Summer Climes
Posted by Hugh on July 9th, 2015
Oleander (Nerium oleander) is an attractive evergreen shrub for warm climates. Indigenous to the Mediterranean region, it is popular in warm regions of the U.S., namely in western, coastal, and southern states (USDA hardiness zones 8-11). Oleander prefers moist, well-drained soil and a sunny landscape site. Established shrubs withstand dry and windy conditions along coastal areas. Brightly colored […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Aphids, compact tree, container shrub, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Insect (Pest) Problems, Oleander (Nerium), Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Scale, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering evergreens, watering tips, winter hardiness, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on Colorful Oleanders For Hot Summer Climes‘PeeDee Ingot’ Liriope Brightens Dark Areas
Posted by Hugh on July 6th, 2015
If you live in the Southeastern U.S., another variety of liriope probably will not impress you. Here we call it “monkeygrass”. PeeDee Ingot liriope (Liriope muscari ‘PeeDee Ingot’) is no ordinary ground cover (USDA hardiness zones 6-10). ‘Peedee Ingot’ liriope is named after the Peedee River in South […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Disease resistant, Evergreen, Ground cover, Liriope, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Uncategorized, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘PeeDee Ingot’ Liriope Brightens Dark AreasMy Search Continues For A Hardy Gardenia
Posted by Hugh on July 3rd, 2015
The longer you garden, many plant species keep improving, including their winter hardiness. A few years ago, growing gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides) in a U.S. zone 6 garden was a dream. Today, hardy gardenias are a safe bet in zone 7 or in zone 6 in a protected area of […]
Posted in acidic soil, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Gardenia, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on My Search Continues For A Hardy GardeniaPersian Shield Offers Radiant Foliage Color
Posted by Hugh on June 24th, 2015
The iridescent purple foliage of Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) radiates in a warm summer garden in the U.S. Here it is treated as an annual (USDA hardiness zones 9-11). Persian shield is native to tropical Myanmar (formerly Burma), where it is a 3-4 feet tall soft-stemmed evergreen shrub or subshrub. In temperate regions it grows […]
Posted in acidic soil, compost, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, mulching, Persian shield (Strobilanthes), plant nutrition, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Staking, Summer heat tolerant, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), watering tips Comments Off on Persian Shield Offers Radiant Foliage ColorVanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea
Posted by Hugh on June 18th, 2015
Vanilla Strawberry™ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is a new peegee hydrangea selection introduced from France and it is really catching on with U.S. gardeners (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This exceptionally cold hardy hydrangea blooms from late June thru early September. Blooms are enormous and stand upright. Following a heavy summer shower, saturated floral trusses temporarily bow down under their sheer weight, but gradually recover. Flower color […]
Posted in acidic soil, acidify soil, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Fertilizing plants, Hydrangeas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (layering), Pruning, Rabbit/deer Protection, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Vanilla Strawberry™ HydrangeaLots Of Stokes Asters To Pick
Posted by Hugh on June 15th, 2015
Stokes aster (Stokesia laevis) is an underutilized herbaceous perennial. It is indigenous to the southeastern United States (USDA hardiness zones 5-9 and AHS heat zones 4-11). Many attractive cultivars are now available (see below). Most stokes asters produce mostly blue and purple colored floral cultivars, but violet, yellow, white, and blended color forms are also […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Stokesia, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Lots Of Stokes Asters To PickSwamp Azalea Deserves More Garden Space
Posted by Hugh on June 12th, 2015
Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum, formerly R. serrulatum) is very different among deciduous azaleas. Most rhododendrons (azaleas) do not care for soppy, poorly drained soils. This U.S. native is an exception, indigenous to swamps, bogs, stream edges and wet lowlands from southern Maine to northeastern Ohio south to Florida and […]
Posted in acidic soil, Azalea (deciduous), Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Poisonous or toxic, Pruning, Rhododendrons, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Swamp Azalea Deserves More Garden SpaceManaging Leaf Spot Infections
Posted by Hugh on June 8th, 2015
There are nearly 1,000 fungal pathogens that cause leaf spot diseases on garden plants. Fungal leaf spots vary in size—from the size of a pinpoint to lesions that consume the entire leaf. Many leaf spots are tan to dark brown in color and may be circular, angular or irregular in shape. Some of the common […]
Posted in Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Hosta, Overcrowding, Perennials, Pesticide recommendations, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, watering tips Comments Off on Managing Leaf Spot Infections
