Long term drought can be devastating on landscape and woodland trees. An environmentally stressed tree must expend additional energy to survive. Extremes of drought leads to decreases in trunk diameter and height growth, declining resistance to pests and diseases, less food production via photosynthesis, and in flower and fruit production. Symptoms of drought stress include wilted […]
Archive for the ‘Trees & Shrubs’ Category
How Drought Affects Our Landscape Trees*
Posted by Hugh on May 20th, 2017
Posted in American Beech (F. grandifolia), Ash (Fraxinus), Bald cypress (Taxodium), Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa), Disease prone, Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Evergreens, Firs (Abies), Garden Maintenance, Heat Tolerance, Hickory (Carya spp.), Hophornbeam (Ostrya), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Landscape ideas, Leaf retention, Linden (Tilia), Magnolia grandiflora, Maples (Acer), mulching, Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Pests, pin oak, Pines (Pinus spp.), Planting tips, Poplar (Populus spp.), Purchasing Plants, Redbud, root injury, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Sycamore (Platanus), Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, Tulip tree (Liriodendron), watering tips, Willow oak (Quercus), Winter Protection 
Comments Off on How Drought Affects Our Landscape Trees*Act Quickly Against Eastern Filbert Blight
Posted by Hugh on May 11th, 2017
European Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) is highly prized both for its edible nuts and as a landscape shrub/small tree. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to eastern filbert blight (EFB). American hazelnut (C. americana) is relatively resistant. EFB is a lethal disease as it may kill a large shrub in 4-5 years. The fungus was discovered in the Pacific […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Canker disease, compact shrub, compact tree, container shrub, Contorted filbert (Corylus), Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Edible fruits, Leaf diseases, Pesticide recommendations, Pesticide Recommendations, Planting tips, Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Act Quickly Against Eastern Filbert BlightChinese Fringetree Is Versatile Landscape Tree
Posted by Hugh on May 8th, 2017
Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus) is native to China, Korea and Japan (Zone: 6 to 9a). Related to native U.S. species (C. virginicus), fringetrees are noted for their profuse spring bloom of fragrant white flowers. It is most often seen in cultivation as a large, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub growing to 15 – 20 feet tall with a […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Borers, compact shrub, compact tree, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fragrant, Fringetree (Chionanthus), Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Mites, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Chinese Fringetree Is Versatile Landscape TreeKorean Maple Substitute For Fullmoon Japanese Maple
Posted by Hugh on April 30th, 2017
At first sight Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum), aka Korean fullmoon maple, is very similar in appearance to fullmoon Japanese maples (A. japonicum var. Acontifolium). If you live in a northern U.S. such as the upper Midwest, growing Japanese maples will likely become an unfulfilled wish. Korean maple is a hardier choice for northern locales (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Borers, compact tree, compost, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Korean maple, Mites, mulching, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Korean Maple Substitute For Fullmoon Japanese MapleGardenias Continue To Disappoint In The Mid-South
Posted by Hugh on April 24th, 2017
The lure of fragrant white flowers have mid-South gardeners (zones 6 and 7) wanting to grow gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides). New cultivars, supposedly hardier than previous ones, hit garden centers every spring. Unfortunately, zones 6 and 7 winters usually prove them wrong. Recent purchases of new cultivars ‘Frostproof’ and Pinwheel® and older selection ‘Kleim’s Hardy’ have […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, applying sulfur, Bacterial diseases, Botrytis disease, compact shrub, compost, Container garden, Container growing, container shrub, Environmental issues, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Flowering house plant, Flowers, Fragrant, Gardenia, Insect (Pest) Problems, Insect suseptible, Interior (house) Plants, Leaf diseases, Mites, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Sanitation, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Thrips, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, White flies, Wind protection, winter hardiness, Winter Protection 1 Comment »Tips On Planting Landscape Trees or Shrubs
Posted by Hugh on April 18th, 2017
For some senior gardeners, planting a tree or shrub in your landscape may be a difficult task. The loss of a newly planted tree may be expensive as well as heartbreaking. Following proper planting techniques should avoid any mistakes. Here are a few tips to make the job a lot easier. No need to dig deep […]
Posted in compact shrub, compact tree, Garden Maintenance, Garden Tools, mulching, mulching trees, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Tips On Planting Landscape Trees or ShrubsACS SOUTHEAST REGION CONIFER REFERENCE GARDENS*
Posted by Hugh on April 15th, 2017
I hear people say that conifers won’t grow in the southeastern U.S. Wanta bet! 2016 marks the 8th year of the Reference Garden program sponsored by the American Confer Society (ACS)- Southeast Region. From Kentucky and Virginia south to Florida, 19 public gardens were now participating in the program. Two of the latest additions are Brookgreen […]
Posted in acidic soil, Arborvitae (Thuja spp.), Atlas cedar (Cedrus), Bald cypress (Taxodium), Chamaecyparis, China fir (Cunninghamia), Christmas tree, Container growing, container shrub, Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar), Cupressus (cypress), Dawn redwood (Metasequoia), Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreen, Evergreens, Gardens to Visit, Green Privacy Screen, Hemlock (Tsuga), Japanese Black Pine, Japanese yew, mulching, Pine (Pinus spp.), Pines (Pinus spp.), Purchasing Plants, Regional, Southern Appalachian Region, Spruces (Picea spp.), Summer heat tolerant, Taiwan cryptomeria, Thujopsis, Trees & Shrubs, Verdon hinoki cypress, Western arborvitae (Thuja plicata), winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on ACS SOUTHEAST REGION CONIFER REFERENCE GARDENS*Virginia Sweetspire — A Standout Native Shrub
Posted by Hugh on April 12th, 2017
Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is a native shrub that touts showy white raceme flowers in late spring and brilliant reddish purple foliage in fall (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). Flowers are very fragrant and attracts hundreds of bees and other pollinators. VA sweetspire excels in moist, humus-rich, mildly acidic soils (pH 5.2-6.5). In its native habitat, […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Container garden, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Virginia sweetspire, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Virginia Sweetspire — A Standout Native ShrubTips On Growing Azaleas
Posted by Hugh on March 31st, 2017
Evergreen azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) are actually small-flowered rhododendrons. Depending on where you garden, azaleas enjoy a long bloom period from late March (zone 8) to June (zone 4) in the U.S. Many cultivars bloom for two weeks or more. Fall blooming types like Encore® and Bloom-a thon® series are also available. Azaleas have shallow root systems […]
Posted in acidic soil, acidify soil, Azaleas (evergreen), Bees and other pollinators, compost, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, mulching, Pesticide recommendations, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (layering), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Soil Testing, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Wind protection, winter hardiness, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on Tips On Growing AzaleasKeep Your Eye on Red Buckeye
Posted by Hugh on March 25th, 2017
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is shrubby or low branching tree maturing to a 15 – 20 feet in height and spread. This southeastern U. S. native is becoming more recognizable as a good choice as a landscape tree for a small urban garden. Plant the tree in either full to partial sunlight and in average well-drained soil. A tree may […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease prone, Flowering, mulching, Native Plant, Pesticide recommendations, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Red buckeye (Aesculus), Small landscape tree, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Keep Your Eye on Red Buckeye
