Archive for the ‘Flowering’ Category

The Winterhazels Bloom In Late March Garden

              Winterhazels (Corylopsis spp.), native to China and Japan, represent a group of winter flowering shrubs of varying heights and widths (USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8). Few U.S. gardeners know them. Their bright yellow colored flowers are larger and showier than witchhazels (Hamamelis spp.). Flowering begins as the witchhazels (they’re […]

Rose Care Starts With A Good Planting Site

Roses should be planted 4 feet apart on a garden site that receives 6 to 8 hours of sun. The garden soil must be well-drained and  pH between  6.0 and 6.5.  Prevent disease problems by providing good air movement between plants and not crowd them. Spring thru mid- summer is an ideal period to plant roses to allow […]

Winter Blooming Flowering Apricot

Flowering apricot (Prunus mume) is native to southeastern Asia(USDA hardiness zones 6-8). It is primarily grown for its mid to late winter bloom of pink flowers. This small 15-20 feet tall tree grows in average well-drained, acidic soils in full sun to partial shade. Avoid planting in heavy or wet soils. Most abundant flowering occurs in full sun. In the […]

What Roses Need

              A goal of most rose gardeners (rosarians) is to grow them almost maintenance free. The improved shrub roses introduced almost two decades ago have brought this too reality. Rose series such as Knockout®, Home Run®, Drift®, OSO Easy®, Carefree® and Meidiland™ are among the best. No matter the pedigree of the rose, selecting a […]

Beautiful Giant Dogwood Has Some Limitations

Giant dogwood (Cornus controversa) is a medium-sized deciduous tree that grows to 35 to 40 feet high (in the wild to 60 feet) in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 7. This Asian native (China and Japan) is cherished for its distinctive horizontal (tiered) branching habit. Giant dogwood prefers an acidic, organically rich, moisture, well-drained soil. […]

Yoshino Flowering Cherry Is Southern Favorite

In The Southeast U.S. most ornamental flowering cherry trees (Prunus spp.) are challenged by summer heat and humidity. ‘Yoshino Cherry’ (Prunus x yedoensis) continues to be the top performer in the group (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). In 1912, the Japanese government gifted the United States 3000 Yoshino flowering cherries. In the years that followed, Yoshino […]

Start Spring Out with Easy To Grow Japanese Pieris

Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica) offers a year-round show in a garden with evergreen foliage and showy bell-shaped blooms (USDA hardiness zones 5- 8). New spring foliage starts out bronze-colored and matures to dark green. Attractive, pendulous branches if ivory white flower appears in early spring. Remnants of the old seed heads generally persist into the […]

Small (Dwarf) Crape Myrtles Becoming The Vogue

‘Tightwad Red’ Crape Myrtle Over the past quarter century crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) have become the quintessential flowering shrubs of summer along with hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.), altheas (Hibiscus syriacus), and chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus).  Crape myrtles are grouped into four distinct size categories: trees, large shrubs, medium shrubs and dwarf sizes. A spate of new dwarf […]

‘Sunburst’ Golden St. John’s Wort

Our native golden St. John’s wort (Hypericum frondosum) deserves more planting space in U. S. gardens (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). ‘Sunburst’ is the leading cultivar and exhibits superior traits over the species. Golden St. John’s wort forms a small, dense growing deciduous shrub, noted for its showy golden yellow flowers and attractive blue-green foliage. Sunburst grows more compact […]

Tree and Berry Fruit Pollination Chart

  A frequent question of newbie fruit gardeners is what will pollinate what. Do I need many varieties or can all be the same variety? The four common terms are used: Self-pollinated: transfer of pollen occurs within the same variety. Cross-pollinated: transfer of pollen occurs between two varieties. Self-unfruitful: low fruit set unless the blossoms […]