Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana) is native to the central U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). This herbaceous perennial is frequently seen growing in open woodlands in the midwest and south to Florida and Texas. In mid-spring (in Tennessee), plants are filled with clusters of soft light blue star-like flowers, each nearly ¾ inches across. This clump-forming perennial […]
Archive for the ‘Butterflies’ Category
Blue Star Amsonia Is A Solid Performer
Posted by Hugh on February 17th, 2017
Posted in acidic soil, Amsonia (blue star), Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compost, Container garden, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flowers, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Blue Star Amsonia Is A Solid PerformerButterfly Weed Named 2017 Perennial Plant Of The Year
Posted by Hugh on February 4th, 2017
Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), aka butterfly weed, is a long-lived tuberous rooted perennial indigenous to the southeastern U.S and mid-western U.S. and Canada (USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9). It grows in dry/rocky open woodlands, prairies, farm fields, and along roadsides. Individual plants typically grow as a clump to 2- 3 feet high and 1 -2 feet wide. Unlike many […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Butterfly weed (Asclepias), Container garden, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Native Plant, Overcrowding, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Transplant problem, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Butterfly Weed Named 2017 Perennial Plant Of The YearStop The “Crape Murder”
Posted by Hugh on January 28th, 2017
In Tennessee (where I live) and in the Southeastern U.S., bad crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x) pruning continues to be done by professional landscapers and homeowners (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). This practice, also called “topping”, reduces tree (or shrub) height. Over 25 years, Southern Living magazine called this “crape murder”. Crape murder is not going away. More crape […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, Cercopora leaf spot, compact tree, Container growing, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Downy mildew, Drought tolerant, Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Messy Fruits, mulching, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Root suckering, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Weak wooded, Winter bark, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Stop The “Crape Murder”Landscape Trees With Winter Interest
Posted by Hugh on December 22nd, 2016
Does your winter landscape look a bit shabby? This coming spring take some action by planting trees that should perk up its appearance. New tree choices should ratchet up seasonal interest, attract more bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds in the spring-summer and hungry fruit feeding birds in fall-winter. Making smart tree choices can add four-seasons of interest to your yard. […]
Posted in Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Birch (Betula spp.), Butterflies, Chinese (kousa) dogwood, Cornus officinalis, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Dogwood (Cornus), Edible fruits, Ginkgo biloba, Hummingbird, Kwanzan cherry, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Paperbark maple, Parrotia (Persian ironwood), Purchasing Plants, river birch, Southern Appalachian Region, Stewartia pseudocamellia, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Winter bark, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness, Winterberry holly Comments Off on Landscape Trees With Winter InterestSmall Southern Magnolia Cultivars
Posted by Hugh on December 13th, 2016
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of nature’s magnificent landscape trees (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). This reliable large tree, native to the Southern U.S., is at home in well-drained clay soils and hot summers. The species typically grows to 60-80 feet tall with a pyramidal (young) to a rounded crown (mature tree). It is not uncommon […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Evergreen, Flowers, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Magnolia grandiflora, mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (layering), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Small Southern Magnolia Cultivars‘Midwinter Fire’ Dogwood Brightens Up The Winter Landscape
Posted by Hugh on October 21st, 2016
Bloodtwig dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), indigenous to Europe and Asia, is an upright branched, round-topped, spreading deciduous shrub (USDA hardiness zones 5 to 7). In the wild the species matures to 8-15 feet in height and spread. Its common name “bloodtwig” is misleading. Winter wood on 1-2 year old branches is not red. Instead, winter stems turn […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compact shrub, Cornus sanguinea, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, mulching, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (dividing), Propagation (layering), Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Midwinter Fire’ Dogwood Brightens Up The Winter LandscapeMonarch Tagging Program*
Posted by Hugh on October 9th, 2016
*Blog is guest authored by Joy Stewart, University of Tennessee Master Gardener. She lives in Bristol, TN. For such a small creature, weighing in at only half a gram, the Monarch butterfly has almost more remarkable facts and puzzling mysteries attached to it than one can count. No other butterfly in the world migrates like […]
Posted in Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Butterfly weed (Asclepias), Flowers, Goldenrod (Solidago), Helenium, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Native wildflowers, Perennials, Phlox, Pollination needs, Russian sage (Perovskia), Sage (Salvia), Sedum (Groundcover types), Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer phlox (P. paniculata), Texas Sage (Salvia), Trees & Shrubs, Wildflower, Wildflowers, Wildlife attractant Comments Off on Monarch Tagging Program*‘Furman’s Red’ Sage For Long Blooming Period
Posted by Hugh on August 28th, 2016
Texas sage (Salvia greggii) is a low bushy native perennial or woody shrub. It is native to Texas south to Mexico and varieties come in white, red and purple. It has proven to be exceptionally cold hardy (USDA hardiness zones 5b-9). Furman’s Red sage is a superior cultivar here in the Southern Appalachian region.Flowering is best in spring, less […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Texas Sage (Salvia), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Furman’s Red’ Sage For Long Blooming PeriodFlowering Cabbage and Kale For Autumn Gardens
Posted by Hugh on August 18th, 2016
Creating both edible and ornamentally pleasing vegetables has been a goal of plant breeders. Flowering cabbage and kale (Brassica oleracea) are a new landscaping niche in the autumn garden. Plants develop huge leafy rosettes and eventually form heads. Color patterns on leaves include white, cream, red and purple shades. The […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Butterflies, Cabbage, Cold tolerance, Container growing, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Foliage plant, Heat Tolerance, kale, Landscape ideas, organic gardening, Pesticide recommendations, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Flowering Cabbage and Kale For Autumn GardensJoe Pye Weed Is No Longer A “Weed”
Posted by Hugh on August 4th, 2016
U.S. native Joe Pye (Eupatorium spp.), formerly “Joe Pye Weed”, has been tamed. Modern day selections grow more compact compared to 8+ feet tall wildlings that inhabit fields across eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Huge, terminal, domed, compound flower heads measure 12-18 inches across (depending on cultivar) and make […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Disease resistant, Eupatorium 'Gateway', Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate', Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Perennials, Planting tips, Poisonous or toxic, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Joe Pye Weed Is No Longer A “Weed”
