Archive for the ‘Attracting birds’ Category

Award Winning Phlox ‘Jenna’

‘Jeana’ phlox was found and named by Jeana Prewitt along the Harpeth River in Nashville, TN. ‘Jeana’ phlox is discovered by Jeana Prewitt along the Harpeth River in Nashville, TN. Jeana phlox grows vigorously to 4-5 feet in height and 2-3 feet in spread. Stems are sturdy and well-branched to support the sweetly scented 6-inch soft lavender-pink flowers […]

America’s Happy 250th Tree- Franklinia

Franklinia (Franklinia altamaha) is a uniquely different large shrub or small tree. Although rated hardy in USDA hardiness zones 5-8, I’ve never seen a landscape quality specimen in zone 5 and find that the tree performs best in zones 7. Success with growing franklinia hinges on purchasing a quality nursery plant, proper siting, and annual care, […]

Japanese Stewartia

Underplanted in U.S. gardens are stewartias (Stewartia spp.) and the most popular is the lovely Japanese stewartia (S. pseudocamellia). This small 20-30 foot small slow-growing tree or multi-trunked shrub is indigenous to Japan and Korea. Specimens in the wild can reach 50-60 feet in height. In U.S. gardens, it typically matures in landscapes to 20-40 […]

Surprise! Resurrection Lilies

The beautiful colorful large flowers of Surprise Lilies (Lycoris spp.) pop up out of nowhere in mid-summer garden. In the South surprise lilies are popular passalong plants. These members of the Amaryllis family are called spider lilies, resurrection lilies, and hurricane lilies. Their bloom time coincides with summer storm season, hence the name “hurricane lily”. Other colloquial […]

Tough Colorful Lantanas

Lantanas are popular flowering perennials in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11 and are heavily planted as annuals in zones 7 and 8. In areas where growing seasons are long, native lantanas are also dependable shrubs in Florida, South Texas, or Southern California.  Lantana shrubs may reach up to 6 feet tall in tropical climates. In […]

Ashe Magnolia – A Very Special Small Tree

Ashe magnolia (Magnolia ashei) is a small 10-20 feet deciduous tree with enormous size flowers and leaves (zone (5)6-9). Each white flowers may measure 6- 12 inches across with a purple blotch at the base of 3 inner petal-like tepals. Ashe magnolia blooms in late May – early June here in Tennessee, Virginia and North […]

Superior ‘Wolf Eyes’ Kousa Dogwood

Kousa dogwood is indigenous to eastern Asia (Korea, China, and Japan) (USDA hardiness zones 5 – 8). ‘Wolf Eyes’ Kousa dogwood is an exceptional small landscape tree with variegated leaf color. Tree grows 15 – 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide. Hundreds of cream and green flowers appear in spring. Its narrow leaves are […]

Golden Shadow Dogwood

Alternate leaf dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), aka Pagoda dogwood, is a small native deciduous tree or large multi-stemmed shrub (USDA hardiness zones 3-8). This U.S. native species is indigenous to central and eastern Canada and central and the eastern and central areas of the U.S. Pagoda dogwood typically grows 15-25 feet high with distinctive tiered/layered horizontal branching. The […]

Rosebay Rhododendron

Luxuriant and bold, rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) is a stunning broad-leaved evergreen for a large garden or naturalized in the woodland landscape. This multi-stemmed, upright spreading shrub typically grows 8 to 15 feet tall… but can reach to 30 feet in Appalachian Mountains where it is native. In early summer, mature branches produce large floral […]

List Of Messy Trees To Avoid

When purchasing trees and shrubs for their yard, many gardeners should avoid species that drop lots of litter (fruits and/or leaves) all spring and summer long. Landscape trees, among them crabapples, mulberries and Chinese (kousa) dogwoods produce fleshy or pulpy fruits that mess lawns, walkways and stained & sticky parked cars. Many, not all, are […]