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 […]
Archive for the ‘Southern Appalachian Region’ Category
Will The Best Cherry Laurel Please Come Forward?
Posted by Hugh on January 10th, 2013
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 ControlLong-Lived Cedar of Lebanon – A Record Of Human History
Posted by Hugh on January 1st, 2013
Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) is a tree aristocrat among conifers. Among the true evergreen cedars it is rated the cold hardiest (USDA zone 5). Its broad horizontal branching and dark green needles defines this tree. The bright green tufted needles are less than 1 inch long and not as showy as the more popular […]
Posted in Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus), Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Heat Tolerance, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Long-Lived Cedar of Lebanon – A Record Of Human HistoryAdd 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 LandscapeBuy This Poinsettia, Perhaps Not That One!
Posted by Hugh on December 19th, 2012
There are so many colorful poinsettia varieties in stores this holiday season. Some plants will not make it to the first of the year. What attracts you into buying the plant is the colorful bracts (modified leaves). The “true” poinsettia flowers lie in the center of the bracts. If the yellow stamens are immature or […]
Posted in Fertilizing plants, Poinsettia, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), watering tips Comments Off on Buy This Poinsettia, Perhaps Not That One!Select 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 ShadeAmur Maple Excellent Medium Sized Tree For Urban Landscapes
Posted by Hugh on December 13th, 2012
Amur maple (Acer ginnala) (now A. tataricum ssp. ginnala) is a lovely small sized tree from China, Manchuria and Japan. It has long been popular in residential areas in the Midwest and Eastern U.S. and is slowly being planted in the mid-South (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). Extreme summer heat may limit its use. […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Amur maple (A. ginnala), Bee Favorite, compact tree, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Green Privacy Screen, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Amur Maple Excellent Medium Sized Tree For Urban LandscapesDeer 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 Yews‘Beni kawa’ Japanese Maple for Winter Bark Color
Posted by Hugh on December 10th, 2012
Beni kawa Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Beni kawa’) is a smaller version of the popular coral bark maple ‘Sango kaku’. It was introduced by Greer Gardens Nursery in Oregon in 1987. ‘Beni kawa’ matures to 12-15 feet tall and 8-10 feet wide, compared to 20-25 feet tall for ‘Sango kaku’. Both cultivars form a vase-shaped branched small […]
Posted in acidic soil, compost, Japanese maple, Maples (Acer), mulching, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Beni kawa’ Japanese Maple for Winter Bark Color
