Archive for the ‘Wildlife attractant’ Category

Shumard Oak

Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii) is stately landscape tree in the red or black oak group (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). The species is native to moist bottomlands and slopes of the southeastern U.S. Typically, Shumard grows at a moderately fast rate to a height of 40-60 feet (30-40 feet wide) in the landscape. It has a […]

Fall Clean Up Of Garden Beds

Cleaning up vegetable and flower beds requires some thought. Most gardeners desire to get a start on next spring’s clean up in the fall. They may rototill garden beds in fall, particularly if soils are too moist to work in early spring. Turning the soil also kills lots of weeds, including winter weeds which have […]

Blackgum (Tupelo) – Fall Leaf Color And Fruit Attract Birds And Other Wildlife

Black tupelo, blackgum, or sourgum tree (Nyssa sylvatica), its three common regional names, is native to Eastern North America from the New England states, down south into Florida, and as far west as Eastern Texas (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Mature blackgums reach heights of 60 feet and taller and 20 – 25 feet width that […]

Choices Of Inkberry Hollies

Inkberry holly (Ilex glabra), also called gallberry, is a slow-growing broadleaf evergreen shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Inkberry grows 5 to 8 feet tall. In the wild, it spreads in the ground via root suckers to form colonies. The species is native from coastal Canada to Florida, west to Louisiana at home in sandy woodlands and […]

Perennials With Great Autumn Foliage

Bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) – short 9-12 inches high clump forming groundcover that bears purple flowers in May-June. Its deeply cut foliage green leaves turn shades of red after first frost. (Zones 3-8). Red leaf mukdenia (Mukdenia rossii) – fanned, maple-like leaves emerge bright green in spring, age to bronze-green in summer, and finish green […]

Favorite Native Shrub Pollinators

These eight (8) shrubs amaze me by the numbers of bees and other pollinators that their flowers attract when blooming. Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is an erect, rounded, broad-spreading, deciduous shrub with arching branches. Itea grows 3-4 feet (less frequently to 5 feet) tall with similar spread. Fragrant, tiny white flowers borne in cylindrical, drooping racemes […]

Indian Pinks Generate Garden Fireworks

Indian Pinks Generate Garden Fireworks Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica) is a strikingly beautiful native wildflower native to the Southern Appalachian region. However, this perennial grows well in most parts of the country (Zones (5b)6-9). Plants emerge quite late in the spring. Sometime in June, depending on locality, their bright red tubular flowers flare open, crowned […]

Attracting Hummingbirds

This time of year many gardeners are setting out bird feeders, including those filled with a sugar solution to encourage hummingbirds to visit your garden. Unfortunately, the sugary drink will also attracts numerous ants, bees, and wasps. When warm spring and summer weather arrives, the solution clouds up with bacteria which ferments or perhaps fatal […]

Four Landscape Shrubs That Are Early Summer Stars

Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) is one of our finest early summer native flowering shrubs for sun or shady sites. It is a dense, mounded, suckering, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub which grows 6-12 feet tall and 15-18 feet spread. It flaunts unique palmate green leaves (5-7 leaflets) and white 10-12 inch tall floral candles. The dynamic bottlebrush  […]

Some Conifers Don’t Like Summer Heat And Clay Soils

Most conifers are best grown in deep, moist, well-drained, acidic loamy soils and in full sun. In the deep South evergreen conifers are challenged by warm soils, poor soil drainage, and humidity. Humidity increases their susceptibility to diseases. Once established they are drought tolerant, but most fail in poorly drained wet soils. Many pine species […]