Abutilon (Abutilon x hybridum) is a group of tender evergreen perennials (USDA hardiness zones 9-11). In USDA hardiness zones 6 thru 8, abutilon is grown outdoors from mid-spring to mid- autumn, when it is moved indoors and grown as a tropical houseplant. When moved indoors, partially cut back to fit its indoor space. In early spring prune the plant […]
Archive for the ‘Pests’ Category
Tips for Growing Abutilon (Flowering Maple)
Posted by Hugh on November 20th, 2018
Posted in Abutilon (Flowering Maple), acidic soil, Annuals, Aphids, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Container garden, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowering house plant, Foliage plant, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Insect suseptible, Interior (house) Plants, Landscape ideas, Mealy bugs, Mite susceptible, Mites, Pesticide recommendations, Planting tips, Potting Mix, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Repotting plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Staking, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), watering tips, White flies, Winter flowering, winter hardiness, Winter Protection 
Comments Off on Tips for Growing Abutilon (Flowering Maple)Beware Of Fast Growing Trees
Posted by Hugh on November 10th, 2018
Many property owners choose fast growing landscape trees. These large shade trees increase the value of your property. Their summer shade and wintry wind protection may reduce utility bills by 20 – 25% . Trees attract wild birds for nesting, protection, and as a food source. Some brighten up your landscape with dazzling fall color. However, we may pay a […]
Posted in Anthracnose, Attracting birds, Bacterial diseases, Borers, Box elder (Acer), Boxelder tree (Acer), Disease prone, Environmental issues, Garden ecology, Insect (Pest) Problems, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Native Plant, Paulownia (Empress tree), Poplar (Populus spp.), Purchasing Plants, Root suckering, Scale, Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), Southern Appalachian Region, Street tree, Sycamore (Platanus), Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus), Trees & Shrubs, Tulip tree (Liriodendron), Uncategorized, Weak branching, Weak wooded, Willows (Salix) Comments Off on Beware Of Fast Growing TreesDieback Shrubs
Posted by Hugh on November 5th, 2018
Dieback shrubs are a group of hardy landscape shrubs that emerge and grow vigorously from mid-spring through early summer. They bloom reliably from late summer into early fall. Plants are near the edge of their hardiness range, and often die back to the ground in the winter. They act more like herbaceous perennials. The above-ground shoots are not […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Blue mist (Caryopteris), Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flower arrangments, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Vitex (Chaste tree), watering tips, Wind protection, winter hardiness Comments Off on Dieback ShrubsTen Native Shrubs Possessing Great Fall Leaf Color
Posted by Hugh on October 1st, 2018
Some native U.S. landscape shrubs are not only great spring/summer flowering shrubs, but their fall foliage color(s) are an added attraction. Here are ten of my favorites listed alphabetically by genus: Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parvifolia) – foliage of this summer flowering shrub turns bright yellow in fall. (zones 4-8) Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) – under-planted native shrub that […]
Posted in acidic soil, Arrowwood (V. dentatum), Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn foliage color, Autumn Fruiting, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Blackhaw viburnum (V. prunifolium), Blueberry (Vaccinium), Bottlebrush buckeye, Chokeberry (Aronia), compost, Cranberry bush (V. trilobum), Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flowering, Fothergilla, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Large shrub, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia), Purchasing Plants, Soil Conservation, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Viburnum beetles, Viburnums, Virginia sweetspire, winter hardiness, Witherod (Viburnum nudum Comments Off on Ten Native Shrubs Possessing Great Fall Leaf ColorFall Lawn Care Tips
Posted by Hugh on September 15th, 2018
The fall season is “spring-time” for home lawn care. This is a great opportunity to apply grass seed, fertilize, and eliminate weeds in cool season lawns. In Tennessee (USDA hardiness zones 6-7), cool season grasses (fescue, bluegrass and perennial rye) are fertilized in mid-September with a high nitrogen-based fertilizer, available at most garden centers. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bermuda, Broadleaf weeds, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental Conservation, Fertilizing, Fertilizing plants, Garden ecology, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Herbicide management, Irrigation, Kentucky bluegrass, Landscape ideas, Lawn Care, Mowing, Pesticide Recommendations, Pesticide recommendations, Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Red fescue, Ryegrass, seeding lawn, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Tall Fescue, watering tips, Weed control, Weed management, Weeds, winter hardiness Comments Off on Fall Lawn Care TipsColorful ‘Sugar Tip’ Althea ( Rose Of Sharon)
Posted by Hugh on July 15th, 2018
Rose of Sharon or shrub althea (Hibiscus syriacus) is a vigorous, upright, multi-branched, deciduous shrub that generally grows 8-12 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide. Althea is native from eastern to central Asia (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). Sugar Tip® is a patented variety that features variegated creamy-white and blue-green foliage and soft pink double flowers. Leaf […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Hibiscus syriacus, Japanese beetle, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, White flies, winter hardiness Comments Off on Colorful ‘Sugar Tip’ Althea ( Rose Of Sharon)Fill Summer Flower Beds With Annual Rudbeckias
Posted by Hugh on July 10th, 2018
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) is a native wildflower. Annual or biennial forms are also called gloriosa daisy and brown-eyed Susan. In recent years public urban gardens are growing annual types. From summer into early autumn, brown-eyed Susans produce showy daisy-like blossoms up to 3-inches across with light or deep yellow rays and brownish-purple centers (“buttons”). Their cut flowers will decorate households. This coarse weedy […]
Posted in acidic soil, Annual rudbeckia (R. hirta), Annuals, Aphids, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Biennial, compost, Container garden, deadheading, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Flowers, Landscape ideas, Leaf/needle spots, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rust diseases, Slugs, Snails, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Fill Summer Flower Beds With Annual RudbeckiasPest Alert – Giant Hogweed
Posted by Hugh on June 29th, 2018
Giant hogweed plant (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a large, invasive plant that can cause severe burns, blisters and rashes and vision loss in humans. As its name suggests, giant hogweed plant is enormous growing invasive species that originated from the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It produces large, towering purple stalks of white flower clusters. Don’t pick these […]
Posted in Environmental Conservation, Environmental issues, Giant hogweed, Invasive species, Landscape ideas, Mowing, Pests, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Sanitation, Summer flowering, Weed management, Weeds Comments Off on Pest Alert – Giant Hogweed‘Herbstsonne’ Rudbeckias Fill Their Spot
Posted by Hugh on June 20th, 2018
For an old fashion plant ‘Herbstsonne’ (Rudbeckia laciniata) still pops up in many modern day gardens. It is a tall upright growing, clump-forming perennial black-eyed Susan (USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9). This vigorous North American perennial grows 4-7+ feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. ‘Herbstsonne’ is also synonymous with the cultivar ‘Autumn Sun’. Formerly […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Attracting birds, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne', Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Staking, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Wildflowers, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Herbstsonne’ Rudbeckias Fill Their SpotAmerican Basswood Tree
Posted by Hugh on June 12th, 2018
American basswood (Tilia americana) is a common deciduous native tree in midwestern and eastern U.S. forests (USDA hardiness zones 2-11). This large majestic tree is remarkably fast-growing but not weak wooded. Basswood is planted as a large residential shade tree, street tree along wide avenues, or tall privacy screen. A mature specimen may grow 50 […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Insect (Pest) Problems, Japanese beetles, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Linden (Tilia), Mites, mulching, mulching trees, Native Plant, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Street tree, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on American Basswood Tree
