For over a quarter of a century, wherever daylilies (Hemerocallus spp.) grow, you will find the very popular gold-flowered ‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily (USDA hardiness zones 2-9). It’s one of a few daylilies that blooms 3 out of 4 seasons. Its small size makes it an ideal choice as a ground cover. This short clump growing […]
Archive for the ‘Butterflies’ Category
‘Hyperion’ Daylily Still Popular 90 Years Later
‘Hyperion’, a mid-season June-July bloomer, was designated the 2011 Award of Merit winner by the British Horticultural Society. That’s not bad for a daylily (Hemerocallus spp.) variety that was introduced in 1924. It’s still very popular among gardeners and garden designers. You see it everywhere, planted in shopping mall parking lots or along NC highways. […]
How To Grow Milkweeds
Milkweeds, aka butterfly weed (Asclepias spp.), are the favorite food of the Monarch butterfly. Farmers and most gardeners rate them as a noxious weeds. They’re commonly spotted growing along roadsides or in unplowed ground (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Milkweeds average 3 feet in height, but may vary from 2-6 feet depending on species. Most species […]
Allium ‘Millennium’ Outstanding Summer Blooming Ground Cover
Allium ‘Millennium’ is a rhizomatous type allium (onion) introduced by plant breeder Mark McDonough over a decade ago (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). In nursery catalogs it is sometimes listed Allium nutans‘Millennium’. Fleshy strap-like 12-inch long glossy green foliage emits a slight oniony smell when crushed. ‘Millennium’ is a rhizomatous (clump growing) long-lived perennial. Individual plants […]
Sweetbay Magnolia
Sweetbay, aka laurel magnolia, (Magnolia virginiana) is a U.S. native tree. This small to medium-sized native species often 20-30 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide as a large shrub or multi-stemmed small tree. Finding a 50-60 feet sweetbay near by a lake or pond near where you live is not unusual (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). […]
Enjoy Moonvine In The Evening Garden
Moonvine (Ipomoea alba)is a fast growing tropical vine. Its dark green heart shaped leaves stay clean and pest-free the entire growing season. Pure white 6-inch wide flowers open non-stop from early summer until frost. Each showy white flower lasts one day, opening in late afternoon and withering late the following morning. Plants may be purchased […]
Ice Plant – A Cool Plant For Dry Sunny Spots
From the extreme heat and dry climates of east and Southern Africa come the hardy ice plants (Delosperma spp.). There are two popular species, Purple ice plant (D. cooperi) and Orange-yellow iceplant (D. nubigenium), plus hybrid cultivars galore. Ice plants are dependable zone 6 winter hardy succulents. They’re excellent candidates for roof top and rock […]
Don’t Shy Away From Annual Vincas (Periwinkles)
Annual vinca or periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) is a summer flowering annual popular in Southern and Midwest gardens (USDA hardiness zones 9-11). When summer’s heat and humidity soars, vincas look their best and bloom the heaviest. Vincas sparkle in containers, in flower beds, or in front borders around building foundations. Transplants are set out in mid-spring […]
‘Miss Kim’ Lilac Tackles Southeast U.S. Heat and Humidity
When northerners move south, they insist on growing lilacs (Syringa spp.). Southern U.S. heat and humidity often take their toll on these lovely fragrant and colorful spring flowering shrubs (USDA hardiness zones 3-8). One very popular and exceptionally reliable lilac is ‘Miss Kim’ lilac (S. pubescens ssp. patula ‘Miss Kim’). A cultivar of Manchurian lilac, […]

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