In Tennessee (where I live) and in the Southeastern U.S., bad crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x) pruning continues to be done by professional landscapers and homeowners (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). This practice, also called “topping”, reduces tree (or shrub) height. Over 25 years, Southern Living magazine called this “crape murder”. Crape murder is not going away. More crape […]
Archive for the ‘compact tree’ Category
Stop The “Crape Murder”
Posted by Hugh on January 28th, 2017
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, Cercopora leaf spot, compact tree, Container growing, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Downy mildew, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Messy Fruits, mulching, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Root suckering, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Weak wooded, Winter bark, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Stop The “Crape Murder”Landscaping Plantings Around A Garden Railroad
Posted by Hugh on January 18th, 2017
Garden railroad layouts are becoming more popular. A number of dwarf and compact growing plants play a major role in landscaping around the layout. Many miniature forms of taller varieties are available. Here are several great plant choices to add the your garden railroad: Trees and Shrubs – offer scale or tall canopy […]
Posted in acidic soil, Angelonias, Carex (Sedges), compact shrub, compact tree, Container growing, container shrub, deadheading, Drought tolerant, DWARF CONIFERS, Elms (Ulmus), Euphorbias, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Fullmoon maple, Ginkgo biloba, Globe amaranth (Gomphrena), Ground cover, Hemlock (Tsuga), Hosta, Ilex (hollies), Impatiens, Landscape ideas, Lantana, Moss rose (Portulaca), mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Pruning, Salvia, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spruces (Picea spp.), Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness, Yews (Taxus spp.) Comments Off on Landscaping Plantings Around A Garden RailroadFive Simple Pruning Tips For DIYers
Posted by Hugh on January 11th, 2017
Gardeners are frequently scared about making pruning mistakes. There are lots of gardening books filled with lots of before and after photos. Let’s face facts…your yard tree or shrub does look like the ones pictured in the pruning book. Here are my simple 5 steps for pruning: Why and When to prune: You can prune a […]
Posted in Amur maple (A. ginnala), Ash (Fraxinus), Birch (Betula spp.), Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Certified Arborist, compact tree, container shrub, Crabapple, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Dogwood (Cornus), Elms (Ulmus), Flowering, Forsythia, Fothergilla, Garden Maintenance, Green ash (Fraxinus), Hibiscus syriacus, Honeylocust (Gleditsia), Hydrangea, Hydrangeas, Insect (Pest) Problems, Kwanzan cherry, Lacebark elm, Large Shade trees, Lilac (Syringa), Linden (Tilia), Mealy bugs, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Okame cherry (Prunus), Ornamental cherry (Prunus), pin oak, Pruning, Redbud, river birch, Scale, Small landscape tree, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Trees & Shrubs, Vitex (Chaste tree), Yoshino cherry (Prunus), Zelkova Comments Off on Five Simple Pruning Tips For DIYersCrape Myrtles Exhibit Beautiful Bark In Winter
Posted by Hugh on December 10th, 2016
The flowers of crape myrtles are a wonderful floral treat in the summer months, several exhibit gorgeous exfoliating bark. Some also show off autumn foliage colors. Here are the best ten species and cultivars of crape myrtles noted for their exfoliating bark. Lagerstroemia hybrids (L. indica x L. fauriei) Hopi – 8-10 feet semi-dwarf shrub; gray brown exfoliating bark; medium pink […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Aphids, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, compact shrub, compact tree, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Downy mildew, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Crape Myrtles Exhibit Beautiful Bark In WinterJapanese Larch Is Preferred In Northern U.S.
Posted by Hugh on November 10th, 2016
Larches (Larix spp.) are majestic deciduous conifers in their northern ranges of their habitat (USDA hardiness zone 4 to 7). However, trees do not prosper in hot and humid summers south of USDA Zone 7. One of the best is Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi), but unfortunately, it is not commonly planted in U.S. landscapes. The tree averages 50-60 feet in height and 25-35 […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bagworms, Cercopora leaf spot, compact shrub, compact tree, Container growing, Deciduous conifer, Disease prone, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreens, Insect (Pest) Problems, Large Shade trees, Larix kaempferi, Planting tips, Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rust diseases, salt injury, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Japanese Larch Is Preferred In Northern U.S.Grow Something Different With Redvein Maple
Posted by Hugh on October 7th, 2016
In the world of maples the snakebark trait is unique. Redvein maple (Acer rufinerve) from Japan belongs in this maple category (USDA hardiness zones 5-7). It is a small to medium deciduous tree or large shrub with an upright branching framework. A young tree starts off slowly and may grow only to 12-15 feet in 10 to 12 years. The species […]
Posted in acidic soil, compact tree, Disease resistant, mulching, Planting tips, Pruning, Redvein maple (A. rufinerve), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on Grow Something Different With Redvein MapleMapleleaf Viburnum For Woodland Areas
Posted by Hugh on September 27th, 2016
The genus Viburnum is a rich source of over 150 species of great flowering shrubs worldwide. Many viburnums are native to North America including mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). This totally underutilized deciduous viburnum is a great choice to plant in shrub borders, foundation, or hedging, as well as to naturalize in an open woodland area (zone 3-8). Shrub grows 4 – […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, compact shrub, compact tree, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Mapleleaf viburnum, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Pruning, Rabbit/deer Protection, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Viburnums, winter hardiness Comments Off on Mapleleaf Viburnum For Woodland AreasJapanese Snowbells Worth A Try
Posted by Hugh on June 10th, 2016
Japanese snowbells (Styrax japonicus) is a graceful, slow growing, low branched spring flowering tree. At present snowbells are not popular with U.S. gardeners , mostly because of unavailabliity (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). Snowbells are lovely understory trees, similar to our native dogwoods (Cornus florida). Small, pendulous, slightly fragrant, bell-shaped white flowers appear in May. Small white […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, compact tree, Fertilizing plants, Firewood, mulching, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Propagation(grafting), Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Styrax, Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness, winter injury Comments Off on Japanese Snowbells Worth A TryChinese (Kousa) Dogwood
Posted by Hugh on April 27th, 2016
Chinese dogwood, aka kousa dogwood, (Cornus kousa) is a small 25 to 35 foot flowering tree (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). It grows in either full or partial sunlight (4-hours sunlight minimum). Depending where you garden, kousa dogwood begins blooming from late April or in May, almost two weeks after our native […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, compact tree, Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Edible fruits, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on Chinese (Kousa) Dogwood‘Palibin’ Lilac A Good Choice For Small Landscapes
Posted by Hugh on April 15th, 2016
Dwarf Korean lilac (Syringa x meyeri ‘Palibin’) forms a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub, 4 to 5 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide, with rounded top or canopy (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). It branches low to the ground. Flower buds form which are distinctively violet in color. In mid-spring this diminutive lilac is covered by billowy panicles of fragrant purple […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Butterflies, compact shrub, compact tree, container shrub, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Lilac (Syringa), Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Palibin’ Lilac A Good Choice For Small Landscapes
