Apples and pears are plentiful in home orchards this fall. Several late apples such as Winesap, Rome, Fuji and Granny Smith are harvested this month. Pears do not ripen on the tree, so late varieties should be pulled from the tree when outdoor temperatures under 25 degrees F are predicted. Apples can be stored for […]
Archive for the ‘Trees & Shrubs’ Category
Fall Apple and Pear Harvest
Posted by Hugh on August 31st, 2010
Posted in Fruits & Vegetables, Trees & Shrubs 
Tags: apple, pear 
Comments Off on Fall Apple and Pear Harvest‘Dee Runk’ is Best Upright Boxwood
Posted by Hugh on August 21st, 2010
Looking for the best upright boxwood for your garden or landscape? According to wholesale boxwood growers, Saunders Brothers Nursery in Roanoke, VA and Weigel Farms near Greensboro, NC, the best is ‘Dee Runk’ (pictured). Over the past quarter century, the boxwood cultivar ‘Graham Blandy’ had been the standard bearer, but commercial landscapers have increasingly complained […]
Plumleaf Azalea Is Showy Summer Blooming Shrub
Posted by Hugh on August 1st, 2010
Plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) has been blooming in my garden for the past ten days. This species is a late July – early August bloomer in northeast TN. The bright orange-red flowers of this native azalea light up any garden spot whether in full sun or partial shade. Provide some additional shade in southern climes […]
Posted in Azalea (deciduous), Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, mulching, Native Plant, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on Plumleaf Azalea Is Showy Summer Blooming ShrubJapanese Maple Selections for Mid-South
Posted by Hugh on July 12th, 2010
Photo: ‘Sango Kaku’ coral bark maple in November Japanese maple (A. palmatum) offers a vast array of shrub and tree forms of varying heights and leaf shapes. Spring and summer leaves vary from gold, to dark green, to deep red and some color variegation and either cutleaf or dissected forms. The dissected leaf forms of […]
"pH Nutrient Creep? -You Nailed It"
Posted by Hugh on July 2nd, 2010
Photo: Foliar iron deficiency on river birchRiver birch (Betula nigra) is a popular landscape tree in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6-7). The cultivars ‘Heritage’ and ‘Duraheat’ have made a good native species even better with resistance to aphid and leafhopper insects. However, river birch demands a soil pH which is moderately acid. Why? […]
"My Maple Tree Is Being Invaded"
Posted by Hugh on June 21st, 2010
photo: Dr. Alan Windham, UT Plant Pathologist The following is a real query sent to an Extension agent over the phone: “I have thousands of insects on 8 of my 10 maple trees. I fear they will kill my trees, one has already died. The insects huddle together. I am not positive they have wings, […]
Posted in Garden Problems, Maples (Acer), Pests, Trees & Shrubs Comments Off on "My Maple Tree Is Being Invaded"New Hardier Gardenias
Posted by Hugh on June 18th, 2010
Old fashioned gardenias or cape jasmines (Gardenia jasminoides) are reliably hardy in USDA zones 7-b and 8. Plants require immediate protection when the outdoor temperatures dip below 15 to 20 degrees. The new hardier cultivars are compact growers, 2-4 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. ‘Frost Proof’, Crown Jewel™, and Heaven Scent™ are three promising […]
Posted in acidic soil, Fertilizing plants, Gardenia, Insect (Pest) Problems, Planting tips, Pruning, Soil drainage, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on New Hardier GardeniasSmaller Southern Magnolias
Posted by Hugh on June 13th, 2010
The grand Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) thrives here in the southern Appalachian region and along the Eastern seaboard as far north as Boston (USDA zones 6-9). Most homeowners do not have room enough to grow this 60-70 foot arboreal aristocrat. Compact forms are available that need less than half the space. The ivory white flowers […]
Vitex ‘Shoal Creek’
Posted by Hugh on June 9th, 2010
Chastetree (Vitex agnus-castus) is an 8-10 foot deciduous shrub or 12-15 foot tall small tree (hardiness zone 6-b thru 8). Branching habit is dense and vase-shaped (upright). It blooms over most of the summer, from June thru late August. Its 12-18 inch long blue-violet flower spikes exude a slight herbal fragrance. ‘Shoal Creek’ is a […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flowering, Landscape ideas, Small landscape tree, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Vitex (Chaste tree) Comments Off on Vitex ‘Shoal Creek’Catalpa Both Loved And Hated
Posted by Hugh on June 8th, 2010
Northern catalpa or Indian cigar tree (Catalpa speciosa) has enormous presence in any landscape setting (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Finding a 70 – 80 foot tree with a massive trunk and thick sinuous limbs is not unusual from Ohio south thru Tennessee. In summer its huge heart –shaped, pale green leaves may be easily reach […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Large Shade trees, Native Plant, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Catalpa Both Loved And Hated
