About Native Azaleas: Flowers appear from April to September depending on species. Flower clusters (called “trusses”) appear just before the leaves emerge. Each truss may bear 3 – 12 blooms, which open 1.5 – 2 inches wide. Flower colors vary among native species from white, pink, orange and red shades. In many spring blooming species, the open petals […]
Archive for the ‘Deciduous Azaleas’ Category
Three Native Azaleas That Should Be Included In Mid- Atlantic and Southern Gardens
Posted by Hugh on March 25th, 2024
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Balled and Burlapped (b&b), Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Container garden, Deciduous, Deciduous Azaleas, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fragrant, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rhododendrons, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness, Winter Protection 
Comments Off on Three Native Azaleas That Should Be Included In Mid- Atlantic and Southern GardensBird Friendly Trees And Shrubs
Posted by Hugh on December 16th, 2021
Birds visit trees, shrubs, and vines for five things: fruits (berries), sweet nectar (flowers), insects (particularly caterpillars), nuts and seeds, and shelter. This list is a compilation from the North Carolina and Tennessee chapters of the Audubon Society of ornamental plants common in the Southern Appalachian region. Trees and Shrubs (26) Maples (Acer spp.) Downy Serviceberry […]
Posted in acidic soil, Arrowwood (V. dentatum), Attracting birds, Autumn Fruiting, Azalea (deciduous), Beautyberry (Callicarpa spp.), Beech (Fagus spp.), Black gum (Nyssa), Blackhaw viburnum (V. prunifolium), Blueberry (Vaccinium), Campsis grandifolia 'Morning Calm', Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera), Crabapple, Crossvine (Bignonia), Deciduous, Deciduous Azaleas, Dogwood (Cornus), Dogwood shrubs (Cornus), Elderberry (Sambucus), Environmental Conservation, Environmental issues, Evergreen, Hawthorn (Crataegus), Hickory (Carya spp.), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Magnolia virginiana, Mapleleaf viburnum, Maples (Acer), Native Plant, New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus), Oaks (Quercus spp.), Pines (Pinus spp.), Red Cedar (J. virginiana), Red oak (Quercus), Rhododendrons, river birch, Sassafras albidum, Serviceberry (Amelanchier), Southern Appalachian Region, Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Trumpet vine (Campsis), Vine, Wild Plum (Prunus), Willows (Salix), Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Bird Friendly Trees And ShrubsTips On Amending The Soil In The Planting Hole
Posted by Hugh on February 1st, 2019
Adding large amounts of compost or organic matter to a planting hole greatly improve the soil’s water-holding capacity and aeration. Simply throwing piles of leaves into the bottom of the planting hole helps improve a soil. However, amending the planting hole is not recommended by most plant experts. Why? According to soil scientists, the plant roots stay locked within the rich […]
Posted in acidic soil, Azaleas (evergreen), Birch (Betula spp.), Black gum (Nyssa), Blackberries, Deciduous Azaleas, Evergreens, Fertilizing plants, Garden Maintenance, Hydrangea arborescens, Hydrangeas, Ilex (hollies), Inkberry Holly (Ilex), Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Mountain laurel (Kalmia), mulching, mulching trees, Pieris japonica, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Rhododendrons, river birch, Soil drainage, Soil Testing, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Tips On Amending The Soil In The Planting HoleWoody Trees and Shrubs That Bees Like Most and Least*
Posted by Hugh on March 20th, 2018
Recently, I saw this listing of woody trees and shrubs that are good pollinators. I grow a number of these great plants in my garden and will vouch for the accuracy of this list. The source is HRI Research and data was collected in the Ohio Valley region of the U.S. (includes Tennessee, Kentucky, southern Indiana and […]
Posted in Autumnalis flowering cherry, Bee Bee Tree (Tetradium), Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla), Black gum (Nyssa), Bumble bees, Buttonbush (Cephalanthus), Cherry Laurel (Prunus), Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), Crabapple, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Deciduous Azaleas, Deutzia, Firethorn (Pyracantha), Flowers, Fothergilla, Golden Raintree, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Hydrangea, Hydrangeas, Ilex (hollies), Lilac (Syringa), Linden (Tilia), Native Plant, Ninebark, Ornamental cherry (Prunus), Panicle hydrangea, Pollination needs, Pyracantha (firethorn), Redbud, Roses, Seven son flower (Heptacodium), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summersweet (Clethra), Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Viburnums, Vitex (Chaste tree), winter hardiness, Yellowwood Comments Off on Woody Trees and Shrubs That Bees Like Most and Least*Protect Young Trees and Shrubs From Voles, Rabbits And Other Critters
Posted by Hugh on November 27th, 2017
Rabbits, chipmunks, and voles (field mice) need a home for the winter. They often choose to nestle up near newly planted trees and shrubs and gnaw on their sweet sapwood, girdling the trunk and essentially killing the tree. Fruit-bearing plants often damaged by critters over their first 1-2 winters include: apple, pear, peach, redbud, blueberry, and cane fruits. Young […]
Posted in Apple tree, Asian Pears, Azalea (deciduous), Azaleas (evergreen), Blackberries, Blueberries, Deciduous Azaleas, Encore azaleas, Environmental issues, Evergreens, Fencing, Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, mulching, Peach, Pear (Ornamental), Pear (Pyrus spp.), Pests, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Rabbit/deer Protection, Raspberries, Redbud, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Wildlife attractant, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on Protect Young Trees and Shrubs From Voles, Rabbits And Other CrittersShrubs You Should Not Prune In Fall Season
Posted by Hugh on October 10th, 2014
Why would anyone prune spring flowering shrubs in the autumn season? After a long cold winter, why miss out on the delightful fragrance of lilac and viburnum flowers the following spring? Predicting how cold, warm, or dry the coming winter season is rarely possible. Pruning cuts are wounds and weather extremes may cause injury to […]
Posted in Azalea (deciduous), Azaleas (evergreen), Deciduous Azaleas, Deutzia, Failure to Bloom, Flowering quince (Chaenomeles), Forsythia, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Insect (Pest) Problems, Lilac (Syringa), Mahonia, Ninebark, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spirea (Spiraea), Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Viburnums, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Shrubs You Should Not Prune In Fall SeasonNative Plumleaf Azalea Blooms In The Heat Of Summer
Posted by Hugh on July 28th, 2011
Plumleaf Azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) From my garden here is a look today (July 28th) at plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium). Plumleaf is an Alabama native, and its orangey red flowers has been growing in my east Tennessee garden for the past 15+ years. It is hardy to zone 5-b (- 15°F) which includes most of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England states. Plumleaf handles Southern […]
Posted in acidic soil, Azalea (deciduous), compost, Deciduous Azaleas, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Hummingbird, Native Plant, Plumleaf azalea, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Native Plumleaf Azalea Blooms In The Heat Of Summer“Mary, Mary, How You Do Grow in My Garden”
Posted by Hugh on May 4th, 2011
‘My Mary’ is a hybrid deciduous azalea (R. ‘Nacoochee’ x R. austrinum) ending its flowering cycle in my spring garden. ‘My Mary’ has been a steady performer, averaging 4-5 feet in height in 10 years. Its clusters of bright yellow orange tubular flowers measure 2 1/2” across. Its early morning sweet fragrance is a gentle […]
Posted in acidify soil, Azalea (deciduous), compost, Deciduous Azaleas, Fertilizing plants, mulching, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Winter Protection Comments Off on “Mary, Mary, How You Do Grow in My Garden”Hybrid Decidous Azaleas Brighten The May Garden
Posted by Hugh on May 3rd, 2010
The bright reds, oranges and yellows of the hybrid deciduous azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) are lovely among tall shade trees which protect them from the harsh afternoon sunlight of summer. Because their bloodline is from our native piedmont azalea species in the Eastern U.S., hybrid deciduous cultivars possess exceptional disease and insect resistance rarely seen in […]
