Limber pine (Pinus flexilis), native to the Rocky Mountain region, has proven to be a reliable landscape evergreen tree in the Midwest and is gaining new fans in mid-South gardens (USDA hardiness zone 7-a). ‘Vanderwolf Pyramid’(VP) is a beautiful dwarf pine being planted by conifer collectors. It is hardy in USDA zone 5, and displays […]
Archive for the ‘Pests’ Category
‘Vanderwolf Pyramid’– Reliable Mid-sized Limber Pine
Posted by Hugh on February 6th, 2013
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Native Plant, Pine (Pinus spp.), Privacy Screen, Trees & Shrubs, watering evergreens, watering tips, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on ‘Vanderwolf Pyramid’– Reliable Mid-sized Limber PineSkip (Schipka) Laurel Creates Dense Evergreen Privacy Screen
Posted by Hugh on January 14th, 2013
Schipka laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’) is a dense growing evergreen shrub with lustrous evergreen foliage and clusters of small white flowers in the spring. It is rated as one of the cold hardiest of cherry laurels (USDA hardiness zone 6-8). In the garden center it is often labeled ‘skip laurel”. Skip laurel grows 10 to […]
Will The Best Cherry Laurel Please Come Forward?
Posted by Hugh on January 10th, 2013
Not all cherry laurels (Prunus laurocerasus) are created equal. “Skip” laurel (var. Schipkaensis) and Zabel (var. ‘Zabeliana’) are large size shrubs at 9 to 10 feet in height and 6 to 8 feet in width. Both cultivars are rated the cold hardiest of the tall growing types . ‘Otto Luyken’ is the hardiness small leaf […]
Posted in Cherry Laurel (Prunus), Disease prone, Disease resistant, Insect (Pest) Problems, Pests, Privacy Screen, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Will The Best Cherry Laurel Please Come Forward?Pest Update – More Pesticide Options for Hemlock Adelgid Control
Posted by Hugh on January 3rd, 2013
Twenty years ago predictions of the demise of our native Canadian (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlocks (T. carolina) from home and commercial landscapes turned out to be incorrect. The key reason was the effectiveness of the insecticide Imidacloprid®. This product is licensed by Bayer AG, and is found in a number of lawn and garden […]
Posted in Evergreen, Hemlock (Tsuga), Hemlock adelgid, Insect (Pest) Problems, Native Plant, Pests, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Pest Update – More Pesticide Options for Hemlock Adelgid ControlAdd A Little Muscle To Your Landscape
Posted by Hugh on December 28th, 2012
Underutilized and underappreciated. That’s American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), aka ironwood or muscle wood. It grows primarily in moist, slightly acid soils along woodland rivers and streams. Our native hornbeam possesses the ability to adapt to a range of landscape situations. It grows equally well in full sun or partial shade. Its dark green summer foliage is rarely troubled […]
Posted in acidic soil, American hornbeam, Autumn foliage color, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Green Privacy Screen, Heat Tolerance, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on Add A Little Muscle To Your LandscapeDeer Don’t Feed On Plum Yews
Posted by Hugh on December 10th, 2012
Plum yews (Cephalotaxus harringtonia) are evergreen needle conifers which flourish in the heat and humidity of the Southeastern U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). Likely, the groundcover forms are hardier to zone 5-b if protected by snow cover or surrounding vegetation from dry winter winds. Plum yews are native to China, Korea and Japan. Many people […]
Posted in acidic soil, container shrub, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreen, Evergreens, Ground cover, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Deer Don’t Feed On Plum YewsEmerald Ash Borer And Others Are Spreading – Don’t Transport Firewood
Posted by Hugh on October 15th, 2012
Moving firewood across county or state lines may also distribute serious insect pests hundreds of miles. For whatever reasons that the tree(s) were cut down in your yard, insects (including termites) may be hiding inside the logs. They may remain alive for a long time. Over the past decade three serious exotic insect pests have been identified […]
Posted in Elms (Ulmus), Firewood, Green ash (Fraxinus), Insect (Pest) Problems, Invasive plant, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Pests, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Walnut Comments Off on Emerald Ash Borer And Others Are Spreading – Don’t Transport FirewoodMuhly Grass Pink Color Emblazens The Autumn Season
Posted by Hugh on September 12th, 2012
For most of the season Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) grows pretty much unnoticed. Muhly exhibits a semi- erect growth habit, 3-4 feet in height and 3-4 feet in spread. Walking past a pink billowy inflorescences of Muhly on a brisk sunny October morning is nothing short of “wow”. For 10- 12 weeks, from early September thru late November, a pink haze arises […]
Posted in Autumn flowering, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Muhly grass, Native Plant, Ornamental Grasses, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, winter hardiness Comments Off on Muhly Grass Pink Color Emblazens The Autumn Season‘Hot Lips’ Turtlehead – A Late Summer Flowering Native
Posted by Hugh on August 8th, 2012
Turtlehead (Chelone spp.) is a U.S. native. Turtle-head shaped flowers appear in August and September. The 1 inch flowers open from bottom to top along the stem (s). Colors vary from bright white, creamy white, and white tinged with pink (depending on species and cultivar grown). Pink turtlehead (C. lyonii ) is native to the Southern […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Native Plant, Perennials, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Turtlehead (Chelone), watering tips Comments Off on ‘Hot Lips’ Turtlehead – A Late Summer Flowering NativeYellow Nutsedge Control Is In Your Hands
Posted by Hugh on July 21st, 2012
Yellow nutsedge, aka “nutgrass” (Cyperus esculentus) is a nasty weed found in lawn and garden areas. It is a sedge, and not a grass, and methods of eliminating it vary. Yellow nutsedge is easily identified by its yellow to light green glossy leaves and the triangular shape of the stem. It grows most actively during […]
Posted in Garden Maintenance, Nutsedge Control, Root suckering, Southern Appalachian Region, Weed control, Weeds, Weeds Comments Off on Yellow Nutsedge Control Is In Your Hands
