Princess Flower or Glory Bush (Tibouchina spp.) is a tropical shrub (from Brazil) that produces beautiful showy purple flowers. It blooms over a long time span (USDA hardiness zones 9-12). The most popular species in cultivation is T. urvilleana. A well-tended plant can be trained into a miniature tree in a large container for patios and decks. This […]
Archive for the ‘Invasive plant’ Category
Princess Flower Excels Where Summers Are Hot
Posted by Hugh on May 1st, 2018
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Container garden, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Invasive plant, Landscape ideas, Nematodes, Planting tips, Potting Mix, Princess Flower (Tibouchina), Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Repotting plants, Scale, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering bulbs, Staking, Summer heat tolerant, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), watering tips, winter hardiness, Winter Protection 
Comments Off on Princess Flower Excels Where Summers Are HotSelect A Good Street Or Landscape Tree
Posted by Hugh on February 20th, 2018
First of all, there is no perfect tree, either for a street or landscape planting. However, many excellent cultivars are now available at local nurseries and retail garden centers. Select one that matches your site requirements. Site factors include: amount of sunlight daily, soil type, soil pH (acidity or alkalinity), and soil drainage. What kind of […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Chinese (kousa) dogwood, compact tree, compost, Crabapple, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Fullmoon maple, Ginkgo biloba, Invasive plant, Invasive species, Japanese maple, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Maples (Acer), Medium sized Tree, mulching, Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Pear (Ornamental), pin oak, Planting tips, Poplar (Populus spp.), Propagation(grafting), Purchasing Plants, Red oak (Quercus), Redbud, river birch, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Soil Testing, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Staking, Street tree, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Sycamore (Platanus), Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, willow oak, Willows (Salix), Wind protection, winter hardiness Comments Off on Select A Good Street Or Landscape TreeWinter Honeysuckle Totally Ignored In The landscape
Posted by Hugh on January 21st, 2018
Winter honeysuckle, aka fragrant honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is a treasured old-fashioned shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8). It can still be found growing in older urban neighborhoods and parks. Winter blooming fragrant honeysuckles are a harbinger of spring. Budded branches may be cut and forced indoors. This vigorous durable shrub grows 6 -10 feet in […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, alkaline soil, Aphids, Bees and other pollinators, Disease prone, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Insect (Pest) Problems, Invasive plant, Landscape ideas, Large shrub, mulching, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Winter Honeysuckle Totally Ignored In The landscapeAmur Cork Tree
Posted by Hugh on November 16th, 2017
Amur corktree (Phellodendron amurense) is native to Northern China, Korea and Japan (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Amur corktree is a fast growing, upright branched tree that makes an excellent yard or shade tree. Corktree grows in a wide range soils, and tolerates soil pH between 5.0 to 8.2. It does best in moist, well-drained soils, […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn foliage color, Bees and other pollinators, Cork Tree (Phellodendron), Corktree (Phellodendron), Deer resistant, Dioecious, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Invasive plant, Invasive species, Landscape ideas, Medium sized Tree, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Shade tree, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Amur Cork TreeDon’t Totally Dislike All Box Elder Trees
Posted by Hugh on July 16th, 2017
Box elder (Acer negundo) is a native fast-growing and suckering medium-sized tree (USDA hardiness zones 4b-8). Branches are weak wooded and easily damaged in wind and ice storms. Box elder grows almost anywhere in any average soil, medium to wet, and in full sun. The species fails on a shady site. This weedy maple is […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Anthracnose, Aphids, Borers, Box elder (Acer), Disease prone, Heat Tolerance, Insect (Pest) Problems, Insect suseptible, Invasive plant, Landscape ideas, Leaf/needle spots, Maples (Acer), Messy Fruits, Native Plant, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Don’t Totally Dislike All Box Elder TreesLess Invasive Butterfly Bush Identified
Posted by Hugh on June 20th, 2017
Butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a popular garden shrub in many areas of the U.S. Buddleia invasiveness is a serious issue in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Plant Division, has approved for sale these buddleia cultivars in the state. The approved varieties produce 2% or less viable seed, meeting Oregon’s standards for sterility. The […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, compact shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Fragrant, Hummingbird, Invasive plant, mulching, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Less Invasive Butterfly Bush IdentifiedTidy Up These Perennials After Blooming Is Finished
Posted by Hugh on June 10th, 2017
Deadheading, the practice of removing the old spent flowers from perennials, is a way to improve a garden’s appearance and reduce overcrowding. Secondarily, many (not all) will rebloom after deadheading. Not all perennials respond to deadheading by reblooming. Most daylilies (Hemerocallis x.), coralbells (Heuchera spp.), and hostas (Hosta spp.) are prime examples of perennials that do not […]
Posted in Alliums (onion), Amsonia (blue star), Artemisia, Astilbe (false spirea), Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Baptisia (wild indigo), Bees and other pollinators, Bergenia (pigsqueak), Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Container garden, deadheading, Eupatorium 'Gateway', Failure to Bloom, Fall sunflower (Helianthus spp.), Fertilizing plants, Garden Maintenance, Heuchera (coralbells), Hibiscus moscheutos, Hosta, Hummingbird, Invasive plant, Iris, Iris (Tall bearded), Lamb's ears (Stachys), Lenten rose (Hellebore), Ligularias, Liriope, Messy Fruits, mulching, Native Plant, Nepeta (catmint), Obedient plant (Physotegia), Overcrowding, Perennials, Planting tips, Pruning, Re-Bloomers, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Sunflower (Helianthus), watering tips Comments Off on Tidy Up These Perennials After Blooming Is FinishedFive Landscape Plants On The Gardeners’ Taboo List
Posted by Hugh on September 24th, 2016
To many people, maintaining a garden or landscape means a lot of hard work. Sometimes the weeds outgrow what you have planted. Some landscape plants promise a lot of beauty but deliver nothing but problems. Some trees are weak wooded, prone to pests or diseases, and outgrow their space. Some produce smelly odorous flowers. I urge […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Bees and other pollinators, Bradford Pear, container shrub, Disease prone, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Fragrant, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Invasive plant, Leyland cypress, Messy Fruits, Photinia, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Russian olive (Eleaegnus), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on Five Landscape Plants On The Gardeners’ Taboo ListHold In Confinement
Posted by Hugh on May 18th, 2016
Some plants are incredibly aggressive. Herbicides like Roundup™ won’t phase them. They often escape and take over other areas of your garden or neighborhood. Four notorious examples are ditch lilies (Hemerocallus fulva), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana), and pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa). You can grow these four weedy offenders in confinement. All will survive […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Container garden, Daylilies, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Evening primrose (Oenothera), Heat Tolerance, Invasive plant, Milkweeds (Asclepias), Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Ruellia (Mexican petunia), Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Weeds, winter hardiness Comments Off on Hold In ConfinementWhat To Know About Flowering Vines
Posted by Hugh on April 1st, 2016
For some gardeners planting vines is not for the faint of heart. Vines need space, support, training, and for some – lots of pruning. Some vines don’t demand lots of room while others chew up lots of space. Small vines like clematis or annual morning glories (Ipomoea) may be grown in a large patio container for many years […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Black-eyed Susan Vine, Campsis grandifolia 'Morning Calm', Crossvine (Bignonia), Disease resistant, Heat Tolerance, Hyacinth Bean, Hydrangea petiolaris, Hydrangeas, Invasive plant, Landscape ideas, Morning glory (Ipomoea), Native Plant, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (layering), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spanish flag, Spring flowering, Staking, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trumpet vine (Campsis), Vine, winter hardiness, Wisteria Comments Off on What To Know About Flowering Vines
