Vernal witchhazel (H. vernalis) is a dense growing 8 to 12 foot native shrub which blooms in mid-winter in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). It is winter hardy to zone 4. Small ½ inch wide yellow flowers, flushed red at the base, emit a pleasant witchhazel aroma in the February […]
Archive for the ‘Native Plant’ Category
Vernal Witchhazel and New Cultivar ‘Quasimodo’
Posted by Hugh on January 24th, 2013
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, compact shrub, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Root suckering, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness, Witchhazel (Hamamelis) 
Comments Off on Vernal Witchhazel and New Cultivar ‘Quasimodo’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 LandscapeSelect The Perfect Christmas Tree
Posted by Hugh on December 18th, 2012
Decorating a live Christmas tree is traditional in many homes. Many different species of evergreen trees are sold at tree lots near you. Frazier Fir (Abies fraseri) is the most popular Christmas tree in the southeastern U.S. Named for Scottish botanist John Fraser (1750-1811), it makes its home in the higher mountainous elevations of Tennessee, […]
Posted in Christmas tree, Evergreen, Evergreens, Firs (Abies), Fraser fir (Abies), Juniper, Leyland cypress, Native Plant, Pines (Pinus spp.), Southern Appalachian Region, Spruces (Picea spp.), Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Select The Perfect Christmas TreeTwo Native Sedges Excel In Dry Shade
Posted by Hugh on December 14th, 2012
Sedges (Carex spp.) are becoming popular groundcovers with gardeners! Most demand a moist, well drained soil. Two native forms, Appalachian sedge (Carex appalachica) and Pennsylvania sedge (C. pensylvanica) excel in dry woodland shade in the eastern U.S. and Canada (USDA hardiness 3-8). Their fine textured grassy foliage and a fountain-like growing habit make them excellent […]
Posted in Carex (Sedges), Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Mowing, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Two Native Sedges Excel In Dry ShadePromising New American Chestnuts Arriving
Posted by Hugh on November 17th, 2012
Chestnut blight (Diaporthe parasitica Murrill) was first discovered in the Bronx Zoo in 1904. By 1911 the headline in The New York Times read – “All Chestnut Trees Here Are Doomed”. Over the next half century, the pandemic eliminated four billion trees. Today, the airborne bark fungus still persists in the soil and on diseased […]
Posted in acidic soil, Chestnut, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Large Shade trees, Native Plant, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Promising New American Chestnuts ArrivingAutumn Best Planting Time For Spring-blooming Dogwoods
Posted by Hugh on November 13th, 2012
“Autumn is the season to plant dogwoods”, according to the University of Tennessee Dogwood Research Team. Newly planted dogwoods (Cornus spp.) can establish their roots in the still warm soil and be ready to handle next spring and summer’s heat and dry spells. Over the past 20 years the UT Dogwood Team has released six […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Autumn Best Planting Time For Spring-blooming DogwoodsSugar Maple Is A Four Star Autumn Attraction
Posted by Hugh on November 9th, 2012
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a native deciduous tree often planted as a large shade or street tree. It commonly grows 60 to 75 feet (and taller) with a dense rounded foliage canopy. Native to central and eastern North America regions, sugar maple grows best in fertile, mildly acidic, moist well-drained soils and in full […]
Posted in acidic soil, Heat Tolerance, Large Shade trees, Maples (Acer), Native Plant, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Sugar Maple Is A Four Star Autumn AttractionFall Blooming ‘Little Suzy’ American witchhazel
Posted by Hugh on November 7th, 2012
Little Suzy American witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana ‘Little Suzy’) was hybridized and introduced by Harald Neubauer, owner of Hidden Hollow Nursery in Belvidere, TN. This medium sized shrub grows 8-10 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide. It is particularly suited to small urban gardens where standard American witchhazels (20-25 feet in height and width) are […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, compact shrub, compact tree, Disease resistant, Heat Tolerance, Native Plant, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Witchhazel (Hamamelis) Comments Off on Fall Blooming ‘Little Suzy’ American witchhazelAmerican Elm Is Back
Posted by Hugh on November 2nd, 2012
American elm (Ulmus americana) once lined America’s city streets until the deadly Dutch elm disease (DED) mostly eliminated it. DED is still present today. Outstanding disease resistant cultivars are truly making a difference, and American elm is on the comeback. American elm is native to the eastern and central regions of the U. S. and […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Elms (Ulmus), Native Plant, Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Winter flowering Comments Off on American Elm Is Back
