New from PlantHaven is a new 15-inch gaillardia (Gaillardia x grandiflora) called Sunset Cutie® with red-bronze flowers edged in creamy yellow. It will leave a bright fiesta feel to our home landscape. Sunset Cutie has a compact mounding plant habit. It will bloom nonstop on your patio this summer or in your perennial flower bed. It is hardy to Zone 5 […]
Archive for the ‘Perennials’ Category
Sunset Cutie® Gaillardia
Posted by Hugh on June 5th, 2015
Posted in acidic soil, Blanket flower (Gaillardia), Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Sunset Cutie® Gaillardia‘Short and Sassy’ Helenium (Sneezeweed)
Posted by Hugh on May 21st, 2015
Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) is a bee/butterfly friendly perennial that blooms heavily from mid-summer into early fall. Helenium (“sneezeweed”) does not cause hayfever or irritate sinus passages. The genus Helenium is named for Helen of Troy. Its dried leaves were once crunched to make a snuff to promote sneezing. This tough prairie native thrives in full […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, deadheading, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Helenium, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Short and Sassy’ Helenium (Sneezeweed)Cardinal Flower Attracts Hummingbirds and Butterflies
Posted by Hugh on May 6th, 2015
With their vibrant red colored blooms in July and August and a strong vertical growth habit, you visually can’t miss with our native cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis) (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Hummingbirds and butterflies won’t pass them by either. Cardinal flowers are also called scarlet lobelias. Their vibrant red single raceme flowers single them out […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Deer resistant, Hummingbird, Lobelia (cardnial flower), mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Cardinal Flower Attracts Hummingbirds and ButterfliesPampas Grass – Have We Learned A Lesson?
Posted by Hugh on May 4th, 2015
Many areas in the mid-South and northeast U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7a) learned a hard lesson in the harsh cold winter of 2013-14. Over the past decade gardeners had been lulled into zone bending, insisting on planting species from a warmer zone. One of them was pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana). Very few clumps survived here […]
Posted in Autumn flowering, Disease resistant, Ornamental Grasses, Pampas Grasss (Cortaderia), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, winter hardiness, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on Pampas Grass – Have We Learned A Lesson?Sooty Mold Is Symptom Of Aphid Feeding
Posted by Hugh on April 29th, 2015
Aphids are small (1 to 10 mm long) and pear shape. Infestations are often worse during wet cool days of spring; they are frequently feed on new growing shoots and leaves. Actively growing weeds also harbor aphids and may migrate over to favorite garden plants. Summer feeding aphids should never […]
Posted in Aphids, Flowers, Insect (Pest) Problems, Interior (house) Plants, Perennials, Pesticide recommendations, Pests, Roses, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Vine, Virus diseases Comments Off on Sooty Mold Is Symptom Of Aphid FeedingMany New Beebalm Cultivars Continue to Roll Out
Posted by Hugh on April 21st, 2015
Bee balms, aka bergamots or Oswego tea (Monarda spp.) are native to eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Plants are easy to grow, bloom beautifully, and multiply rapidly. They are treasured for their raging colored flowers and medicinal properties. Numerous bee pollinators as well as butterflies and hummingbirds favor the summer blooms. The native […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Container growing, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Hummingbird, Monarda (Beebalm), Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Potting Mix, Powdery mildew, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Soil drainage, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Many New Beebalm Cultivars Continue to Roll OutWonderful Bellworts For Woodland Gardens
Posted by Hugh on April 18th, 2015
The soft yellow bell-shaped flowers of bellworts (Uvularia spp.), aka merrybells, contribute to spring’s awakening in U.S. woodlands and shade gardens (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). On both U. grandiflora and U. perfoliata, flower stems pierce (pass through) the center of the leaves. A third species, (U. sessilifolia), nicknamed Wild Oats, […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, compost, Drought tolerant, Ground cover, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Slugs, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Uvularia (bellwort), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Wonderful Bellworts For Woodland GardensBuilding A Wildlife Wall In Your Garden
Posted by Hugh on April 1st, 2015
Many beneficial garden insects, such as ladybugs and ground beetles, struggle to find habitats in our manicured gardens. Consider creating an attractive wildlife wall to lure them in. Keep them happy and they will help reduce harmful pest populations. Dr. Douglas Tallamy, through his thoughtful book “Inviting Nature In” and other writings, have spurred gardeners to invite more beneficial […]
Posted in Bee Favorite, Garden ecology, Iceplant (Delasperma), Sempervivens, Southern Appalachian Region, Stonecrop sedums, Uncategorized Comments Off on Building A Wildlife Wall In Your GardenLittle Bluestem – Beautiful And Environmentally Correct
Posted by Hugh on March 12th, 2015
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grows in old fields, meadows and prairies, and along roadsides across the United States and Eastern Canada (USDA hardiness zones 3-8). It forms dense clumps 2- 3 feet tall and 12 -18 inches wide. This warm season grass prefers a well-drained soil and […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Landscape ideas, Little Bluestem, Native Plant, Ornamental Grasses, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Little Bluestem – Beautiful And Environmentally CorrectBasic Hosta Facts
Posted by Hugh on March 8th, 2015
Hostas are the most popular shade perennial in the U.S. They prefer a moist, compost-rich, well-drained soil. In northerly areas (USDA hardiness zones 4-5), where summers are cooler, most hardy cultivars grow in full sun. In warmer zones those in full sun must be irrigated frequently. Blue leaf cultivars look their best only in shady areas; the white waxy coating, responsible […]
Posted in acidic soil, Fertilizing plants, Foliage plant, Ground cover, Hosta, Irrigation, mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Rabbit/deer Protection, Sanitation, Shade Gardening, Slugs, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Voles, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness, Winter Protection 1 Comment »
