Ornamental alliums, members of the onion family (Amaryllidaceae), produce flowers that are uniquely ball shaped and stand atop long, graceful stems. Young children marvel about the lollipop or stargazing blooms. Depending on species, alliums come in many colors (white, yellow, pink, purple, blue), shapes (round, oval, cascading), and sizes (5 inches to 5 feet tall). […]
Archive for the ‘Trees & Shrubs’ Category
Add Alliums In Your Spring Flower Garden
Posted by Hugh on October 19th, 2015
Posted in acidic soil, Alliums (onion), Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bulb Crops, Butterflies, Container growing, deadheading, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flower arrangments, Flowering Bulb, Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Add Alliums In Your Spring Flower GardenNew ‘Black and Bloom’ Salvia Lovely Touch To Late Summer Garden
Posted by Hugh on October 16th, 2015
Blue anise sage (Salvia guaranitica) is native to central South America (USDA hardiness zones 7-10). It primarily utilized as a garden annual in the U.S., but is rated a tender perennial in protected locations with winter mulch cover in zone 6. Plants exhibit a shrubby, somewhat open habit with upright branching, to 3-5 feet tall as a perennial and 2 ½ […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Blue anise sage, Butterflies, container shrub, deadheading, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Hummingbird, Overcrowding, Perennials, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Cuttings), Purchasing Plants, Sage (Salvia), Salvia, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on New ‘Black and Bloom’ Salvia Lovely Touch To Late Summer GardenLandscape Trees With Messy Fruits
Posted by Hugh on October 13th, 2015
Fruit avoidance is on the mind of many property owners when purchasing trees and shrubs for their yard. Many like crabapples, mulberries and Chinese (kousa) dogwoods produce fleshy or pulpy fruits that mess lawns, walkways and stain parked cars. Many, not all, are non-native and foraging birds and […]
Posted in Attracting birds, Bottlebrush buckeye, Chinese (kousa) dogwood, Crabapple, Garden Maintenance, Ginkgo biloba, Hackberry (Celtis), Messy Fruits, Mulberry (Morus), Native Plant, Norway spruce (Picea), Ornamental fruit, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Sycamore (Platanus), Trees & Shrubs, Walnut Comments Off on Landscape Trees With Messy Fruits10 Winter Care Tips For Landscape Plants
Posted by Hugh on October 10th, 2015
Fall-planted perennials, shrubs and trees need some additional attention. Here are 10 basic tips to help plants get past potential winter woes: Select balled-and-burlapped (b&b) or container-grown plants rather than bare-rooted stock. Most bare-root plants are planted in late winter or early spring when plants are still dormant. Evergreens, […]
Posted in Apple tree, Asian Pears, Bulb Crops, Container growing, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Crocus, Daffodil (Narcissus), Magnolia liliiflora, mulching, mulching trees, Pear (Pyrus spp.), Perennials, Planting tips, Pruning, Rabbit/deer Protection, Repotting plants, Roses, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Vitex (Chaste tree), watering evergreens, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, Wind protection, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on 10 Winter Care Tips For Landscape PlantsShould You Plant In Fall?
Posted by Hugh on September 30th, 2015
Should you plant in the Fall? It depends what region you live in, what month in fall, and what species you’re planting. If you live in the mid-Atlantic, coastal New England, or Southeastern U.S., fall is an excellent time to set most hardy plants. Most (not all) trees, shrubs, perennials, […]
Posted in apple varieties, Azaleas (evergreen), Birch (Betula spp.), Cherry Laurel (Prunus), Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Cranesbill (Geranium), Dogwood (Cornus), Fertilizing plants, Hawthorn (Crataegus), Hickory (Carya spp.), Hydrangeas, Ilex (hollies), Landscape ideas, Magnolia grandiflora, Magnolia stellata, Magnolia virginiana, Mahonia, Maples (Acer), Mountain laurel (Kalmia), mulching, mulching trees, Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Ornamental cherry (Prunus), Osmanthus 'Goshiki', Perennials, Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra), Purchasing Plants, root injury, Roses, Sage (Salvia), Salvia, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Spring flowering bulbs, Summer flowering, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, Tulip tree (Liriodendron), Walnut, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on Should You Plant In Fall?Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine For A Different Look
Posted by Hugh on September 27th, 2015
Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’) is compact form of Japanese black pine. At maturity it may reach 20 to 25 feet high and 15 to 20 feet wide (USDA hardiness zones 5b-8). Expect this slow-growing conifer to grow 5 feet height and 4 feet width in 10 years. By mid-winter its very long […]
Posted in acidic soil, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreens, Green Privacy Screen, Heat Tolerance, Japanese Black Pine, Privacy Screen, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine For A Different LookSix Notoriously Weak Wooded Trees
Posted by Hugh on September 18th, 2015
Almost any time is a good time to plant trees – weather permitting. Sort through many great choices and avoid planting weak wooded species. These six tree species are generally short-lived, messy, and insect and/or disease susceptible. A few may also be designated invasive in your state. […]
Posted in Aggressive grower, Bradford Pear, Disease prone, Elms (Ulmus), Garden Problems, Insect (Pest) Problems, Mimosa tree (Albizia), Native Plant, Poplar (Populus spp.), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Root suckering, Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Weak wooded, Willows (Salix) 1 Comment »‘Victory’ Chosen Hosta Plant Of The Year For 2015
Posted by Hugh on September 15th, 2015
The Hosta Growers Association has selected ‘Victory’ the Hosta of the Year for 2015 (USDA Zones 3–9). ‘Victory’ is a large hosta cultivar with gold edged variegated leaves and an upright vase-shaped plant habit. Victory hosta is a sport of H. nigrescens ‘Elatior’, distinctive also for its beautiful, upright form. Plant develops into a broad 3 – […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, compost, Container growing, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Foliage plant, Hosta, mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Victory’ Chosen Hosta Plant Of The Year For 2015Fall Landscaping Tips
Posted by Hugh on September 12th, 2015
Cool autumn temperatures and increased rainfall make Autumn an ideal time to plant. Attractive landscaping adds value to your home and property. Selecting select deciduous trees and shrubs may reduce home winter heating bills and provide cooling shade in summer. Gardeners living in condos or townhouses should also consider a winter hardy […]
Posted in acidic soil, compact shrub, compact tree, Container growing, container shrub, Drought tolerant, DWARF CONIFERS, Fertilizing plants, Garden paths, Ground cover, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, mulching, Ornamental fruit, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Fall Landscaping TipsDwarf Ginkgoes For Small Spaces
Posted by Hugh on September 10th, 2015
Prehistoric Ginkgo trees (Ginkgo biloba) are easily identified by their triangular shaped leaves (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Trees mature to huge sizes, up to 80 – 90 feet high. Their growth rates are initially slow during the early establishment years. Ginkgo tree are “dioecious”, either male and female. Most (not all) ginkgoes develop into tall pyramidal […]
Posted in acidic soil, compact shrub, compact tree, Container growing, container shrub, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Ginkgo biloba, Planting tips, Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Dwarf Ginkgoes For Small Spaces
