From Canada to Mexico, gardeners are called upon to halt the decline of the Monarch butterfly populations across North America. The best way you can help is to fill your garden with Monarch’s favorite flowering nectar plants and milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). Plants should be sited in open full sun and moist well-drained soil. Avoid spraying […]
Archive for the ‘Butterflies’ Category
Attracting Monarch Butterflies To Your Garden
Posted by Hugh on April 1st, 2014
Posted in Aster, Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, Cosmos, Drought tolerant, Eupatorium 'Gateway', Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate', Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Lantana, Liatris, Marigold, Milkweeds (Asclepias), Monarda (Beebalm), Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Star zinnia, Stonecrop sedums, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Zinnia 
Comments Off on Attracting Monarch Butterflies To Your GardenBeautiful 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 LimitationsChallenging 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 HickoryShiShi Gashira Camellia So Far Holding Up to Zone 6-b Winters
Posted by Hugh on October 11th, 2013
Camellias bloom at a time when most trees and shrubs are not flowering. Growing them is no longer a dream for gardeners who do not live in the deep South. A number of “designated zone 6 hardy” cultivars prosper in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). ‘ShiShi Gashira’ camellia (Camellia hiemalis) […]
Posted in acidic soil, acidify soil, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Camellia, Disease resistant, Evergreen, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on ShiShi Gashira Camellia So Far Holding Up to Zone 6-b WintersThree New Hardy Fall Blooming Camellias
Posted by Hugh on October 10th, 2013
Three Zone 6 winter hardy camellias are becoming more available. A recent visit to a local camellia grower found these three fall bloomers: ‘Long Island Pink’, ‘Londontowne Blush’, and ‘Sweet October’ in full floral regalia. The first two are reliably hardy in USDA zone 6 and a third nearly so. ‘Long Island Pink’ was found […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Camellia, compact shrub, Container growing, Disease resistant, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, mulching, Planting tips, Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Three New Hardy Fall Blooming Camellias‘Halloween Hocus Pocus’ Daylily For Garden Goblins
Posted by Hugh on October 1st, 2013
On a pleasant July morning I saw my first ‘Halloween Hocus Pocus’ daylily (Hemerocallus x ‘Hocus Pocus’) in a friend’s garden. The 5 ½ inch flowers stand on 26 inch tall stems (scapes) and the foliage is semi-evergreen. The cultivar name describes it best. Its creamy orange color with a triangular black throat and wide […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Daylilies, Hummingbird, mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips Comments Off on ‘Halloween Hocus Pocus’ Daylily For Garden GoblinsAster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Is Spectacular Autumn Bloomer
Posted by Hugh on September 11th, 2013
Aster Raydon’s Favorite (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’) is one of our most reliable native perennial asters. This aromatic aster blooms in mid-autumn, covered with 1 ½ inch wide blue-purple daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. Butterflies and bumble bees are frequent visitors to this aster in my October garden. Night temps in the mid-twenties don’t injure […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aster, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, deadheading, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Insect (Pest) Problems, Native Plant, Perennials, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Virus diseases, watering tips Comments Off on Aster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Is Spectacular Autumn BloomerHeirloom Mums Are Back!
Posted by Hugh on September 8th, 2013
Bring back heirloom or “old-fashioned” mum varieties into your autumn garden! These varieties tend to bloom very late in the fall and tend to be hardier (USDA hardiness zone 5). Four of the best heirlooms are: ‘Clara Curtis’ – deep pink, daisy-like blooms ‘Mary Stoker’- peachy yellow blooms ‘Sheffield’ (aka ‘Sheffield Pink’) – light pink […]
Posted in Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Chrysanthemum, Disease resistant, Flowers, mulching, Perennials, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, watering tips, Winter Protection Comments Off on Heirloom Mums Are Back!Daylilies Not Blooming?
Posted by Hugh on August 29th, 2013
Gardeners become disappointed when their daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) are not bloom. There may be reasons for this including: old clumps in need of dividing, inadequate nutrition, too much nitrogen fertilizer, too much shade, and pest and disease issues. Daylilies may be shaded or crowded out by overgrown trees, shrubs, ground covers, or weeds. Heavy amounts […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, compost, Daylilies, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Failure to Bloom, Hummingbird, mulching, Perennials, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Winter Protection Comments Off on Daylilies Not Blooming?
