Crabapples (Malus spp.) get a bad rap! Many gardeners associated them with the old diseased and pest prone varieties planted a half-century ago. Modern cultivars make nice small ornamental trees. The new cultivars exhibit exceptional resistance to five serious diseases of crabapples: apple scab, fire blight, cedar-apple rust, leaf spot and powdery mildew. Three of […]
Archive for the ‘Attracting birds’ Category
Three Beautiful Ornamental Crabapples
Posted by Hugh on April 4th, 2014
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, compact tree, Crabapple, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Ornamental fruit, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Weeping habit, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Three Beautiful Ornamental CrabapplesBeautiful Giant Dogwood Has Some Limitations
Posted by Hugh on March 28th, 2014
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. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Deer resistant, Disease prone, Dogwood (Cornus), Flowering, Insect (Pest) Problems, Medium sized Tree, Planting tips, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Beautiful Giant Dogwood Has Some LimitationsServiceberry- Favorite Tree of Gardeners And Birdwatchers
Posted by Hugh on March 24th, 2014
On an early late winter’s morn, the frosty appearance from a nearby mountainside may actually be from our native serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.) (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Serviceberry’s small white blooms frequently signals that winter’s end is near. Flowering may last 7-10 days. Downy serviceberry (A. arborea) and shrubby Allegheny serviceberry (A. laevis) are commonly planted. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Serviceberry (Amelanchier), Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Serviceberry- Favorite Tree of Gardeners And BirdwatchersHypearls® St. John’s Wort Worth The Hype
Posted by Hugh on March 15th, 2014
St. John’s Wort’s (Hypericum spp.) are terrific landscape shrubs and ground covers with bright yellow flowers in late spring and colorful berry fruits starting in late summer (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). Bees and birds are attracted to flowers and fruits respectively. Hypearls® are a new series of hypericums. Cultivars are available in four compact growing […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Ornamental fruit, Southern Appalachian Region, St. John's Wort (Hypericum), Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips Comments Off on Hypearls® St. John’s Wort Worth The HypeEarly Spring Flowering Okame Cherry
Posted by Hugh on March 3rd, 2014
‘Okame’ Cherry is a hybrid between Taiwan Cherry (Prunus campanulata) and Fuji Cherry (P. incisa) (USDA hardiness zones 6-8). Okame is the first ornamental cherry to bloom in the Southern Appalachian Region (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). In the midst of a mild winter, Okame often starts blooming a few days after Valentine’s Day […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, compact tree, Disease resistant, Heat Tolerance, Okame cherry (Prunus), Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Street tree, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, Winter flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Early Spring Flowering Okame CherrySweetbox – Excellent Evergreen Shrub For Shady Areas
Posted by Hugh on February 28th, 2014
Few evergreen shrubs grow in the shade. Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis) is a compact dwarf evergreen shrub or ground cover which is easy to grow (USDA hardiness zone 5-b to 8). Foliage remains lustrous dark green year-round. Sweetbox grows in partial to full shade, 1 to 2 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Ground cover, seeding lawn, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Sweetbox (Sarcococca), Trees & Shrubs, Winter flowering Comments Off on Sweetbox – Excellent Evergreen Shrub For Shady AreasChallenging Sourwood Worth A Try
Posted by Hugh on February 25th, 2014
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), aka lily of the valley tree, is one of the most beautiful U.S. native flowering trees (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). However, attempting to establish one in your landscape may prove challenging. The tree grows in sparse populations from eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and Georgia Piedmont. It grows naturally to 20-30 feet […]
Posted in Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Fragrant, Medium sized Tree, Native Plant, Planting tips, Sourwood (Oxydendrum), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on Challenging Sourwood Worth A TryShagbark Hickory
Posted by Hugh on January 8th, 2014
Most tree lovers don’t plant U.S native shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Instead, they often inherit one when purchasing property. Shagbark hickory is notoriously difficult to transplant and grows very slowly in its early years. Like oaks (Quercus spp.) and beeches (Fagus spp.), hickories are long-lived, often standing tall in an open […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Butterflies, Drought tolerant, Hickory (Carya spp.), Large Shade trees, Native Plant, Nut Producer, Propagation (Seed), Southern Appalachian Region, Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness Comments Off on Shagbark Hickory‘Grey Owl’ Juniper Is Tough Carefree Evergreen
Posted by Hugh on December 18th, 2013
Some people rate junipers as over-planted or bygone landscape plants. Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl’ is a cultivar of our native Eastern Red Cedar (USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9). Eastern red cedar is actually a juniper. This flat spreading evergreen develops into a reliable ground cover not plagued with disease and pest problems observed on […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Ground cover, Juniper, mulching, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Grey Owl’ Juniper Is Tough Carefree EvergreenJapanese Umbrella Pine Is Unique Among Evergreens
Posted by Hugh on December 6th, 2013
Umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) is an outstanding evergreen large shrub or medium-sized pyramidal tree. Initially, umbrella pine grows slowly, only 6 to 8 inches annually, but growth rate picks up after 4-5 years. A young 3-foot tall plant may reach 20 to 30 feet tall in 25 years and double that at maturity. Its leaves […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Umbrella pine (Sciadopitys), winter hardiness Comments Off on Japanese Umbrella Pine Is Unique Among Evergreens
