Archive for the ‘Deer resistant’ Category

Fall Garden Chores

Fall is the perfect time to take on a few of the many spring garden chores. Here is a list of ten of the most important tasks:  Weeding– get rid of newly emerging winter annual weeds now before they flower and set seeds. Perennial weeds such as dandelions, plantains, and thistles can be sprayed and eliminated in the […]

Rose Of Sharon ‘Pillar’ Series –Floral And Architectural Splendor

RRose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), aka althea, is a popular summer flowering shrub and small tree (USDA hardiness zones ((4)5-8). In northerly areas of the U.S., rose of Sharon may also be cultivated as a sun-loving perennial. The species grows 8-12 feet high and 6 -10 feet wide in full sun and in average garden […]

Tall Stonecrops (Sedums)

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 […]

Perennial Favorites For The Summer Garden

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 […]

June Blooming Japanese Tree Lilac

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 […]

Russian Arborvitae For Cool Areas Of The U.S.

Russian arborvitae and Siberian cypress  (Microbiota decussata) is an underutilize ground cover (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). This tough juniper-like evergreen hails from Siberia and demonstrates exceptional cold hardiness to -40 ° F. In extreme northerly sites, the lacy evergreen foliage may turn complete brown in the dead of winter and re-sprout in spring. In the cool temps of […]

Enjoy Two Kinds Of Stachys In Your Summer Garden

Many gardeners are acquainted with the wooly leaf perennial called lambs ears (Stachys byzantina). But the genus Stachys is also home to betony (S. officinalis) / (S. monieri). Alpine betony (Stachys monieri) is native to Europe and Asia (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). ‘Hummelo’ betony is very different in appearance from its gray velvety leaf relative […]

Bleeding Hearts Delight In The Spring Garden

Bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.) are truly one of nature’s glorious delights in the spring garden (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Old fashion bleeding hearts (D. spectabilis), indigenous to Asia, grow taller and wider compared to their North American counterparts – wild bleeding heart (D. exima) and Dutchman’s breeches (D. cucullaria). Old fashioned bleeding bear larger (and showier) flowers […]

Monkey Puzzle Tree

Monkey puzzle tree or Chilian pine (Araucaria araucana) is an evergreen conifer that is indigenous to forested volcanic slopes in the Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina (USDA Zone 7b-11). It is the national tree of Chile. It typically grows 60-70 feet tall and 30-35 feet wide, but frequently reaches 100 feet or more in height […]

Unusual Forms Of Umbrella Pine Are Really Cool

Japanese Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) is a prized ornamental evergreen (USDA hardiness zones 5b -9). It is not actually a pine.  The only species within genus Sciadopitys, this conifer dates back to the dinosaurs. Umbrella pine is a mid-sized landscape tree with several fine attributes: 1. glossy green long narrow needles arranged like the spokes of a wheel; 2. peeling […]