Many gardeners are acquainted with the wooly leaf perennial called lambs ears (Stachys byzantina). But the genus Stachys is also home to betony (S. officinalis) / (S. monieri). Alpine betony (Stachys monieri) is native to Europe and Asia (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). ‘Hummelo’ betony is very different in appearance from its gray velvety leaf relative […]
Archive for the ‘Butterflies’ Category
Enjoy Two Kinds Of Stachys In Your Summer Garden
Posted by Hugh on April 26th, 2019
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Betony (Stachys), Butterflies, compost, Container garden, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Lamb's ears (Stachys), Landscape ideas, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Re-Bloomers, Sanitation, Slugs, Snails, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Enjoy Two Kinds Of Stachys In Your Summer GardenHybrid Wax Begonia Revolution
Posted by Hugh on April 1st, 2019
Wax begonias (Begonia x semperflorens) are popular summer annuals in public and private gardens. Begonias are excellent for mass bedding, in mixed borders, and in large containers. Plants hold up to summer heat, humidity, and moderate dry spells. The foliage stays mostly pest and disease free. A few years back, two series of interspecific hybrids (Begonia […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Begonia, Butterflies, Container garden, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flowers, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips Comments Off on Hybrid Wax Begonia RevolutionBleeding Hearts Delight In The Spring Garden
Posted by Hugh on March 10th, 2019
Bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.) are truly one of nature’s glorious delights in the spring garden (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Old fashion bleeding hearts (D. spectabilis), indigenous to Asia, grow taller and wider compared to their North American counterparts – wild bleeding heart (D. exima) and Dutchman’s breeches (D. cucullaria). Old fashioned bleeding bear larger (and showier) flowers […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Aphids, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra), Butterflies, compost, Deer resistant, Fertilizing plants, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Perennials, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Re-Bloomers, Slugs, Slugs, Snails, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Syneilesis aconitifolia, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Bleeding Hearts Delight In The Spring GardenSelecting A Good Landscape Shade Tree
Posted by Hugh on January 15th, 2019
Medium to large shade trees increase the value of your property. Their summer shade and wintry wind protection may also reduce utility bills by 20 to 25%. Trees attract wild birds for nesting, protection, and as a food source. Some deciduous species will brighten up the landscape with dazzling fall color. Choosing a fast growing tree, yet some may not […]
Posted in Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Birch (Betula spp.), Black gum (Nyssa), Butterflies, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Dioecious, Disease resistant, Elms (Ulmus), Ginkgo biloba, Golden Raintree, Green ash (Fraxinus), Hackberry (Celtis), Honeylocust (Gleditsia), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Japanese Pagoda Tree (Styphnolobium), Kentucky coffeetree, Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Linden (Tilia), Maples (Acer), Medium sized Tree, Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), pin oak, Purchasing Plants, Shade tree, Silver Linden (Tilia), Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), Street tree, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Sycamore (Platanus), Trees & Shrubs, Tulip tree (Liriodendron), willow oak, Willow oak (Quercus), Yellowwood, Zelkova Comments Off on Selecting A Good Landscape Shade TreeDieback Shrubs
Posted by Hugh on November 5th, 2018
Dieback shrubs are a group of hardy landscape shrubs that emerge and grow vigorously from mid-spring through early summer. They bloom reliably from late summer into early fall. Plants are near the edge of their hardiness range, and often die back to the ground in the winter. They act more like herbaceous perennials. The above-ground shoots are not […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Blue mist (Caryopteris), Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Flower arrangments, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Vitex (Chaste tree), watering tips, Wind protection, winter hardiness Comments Off on Dieback ShrubsSuccess In Growing Franklinia Tree
Posted by Hugh on September 10th, 2018
Franklinia (Franklinia altamaha) is a uniquely different large shrub or small tree. Great plant for the “I can grow anything crowd”. 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 6 to 7. Success with growing franklinia hinges on […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compact tree, compost, Environmental issues, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Fragrant, Franklinia, Landscape ideas, Large shrub, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Root rotting, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Transplant problem, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter bark, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Success In Growing Franklinia TreeNot New –Still Top Landscape Performers
Posted by Hugh on September 6th, 2018
A senior gardener knows that many new plant cultivars (varieties) are often no better than what had come before. Many “superstar” shrubs, some released a decade or more ago, are still topnotch performers in many parts of the U.S. Here are six which I continue to recommend highly. ‘Low &Behold® Blue Chip Jr.’ Butterfly Bush is a super compact 18-30 […]
Posted in Abelia, acidic soil, Althea (Hibiscus), Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, compost, Cornus sanguinea, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Dogwood shrubs (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Flowering, Hydrangeas, Landscape ideas, mulching, Panicle hydrangea, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Spirea (Spiraea), Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Winter blooming, winter hardiness Comments Off on Not New –Still Top Landscape Performers‘Henry Eilers’ Coneflower (Rudbeckia)
Posted by Hugh on September 1st, 2018
Called “sweet coneflower” (Rudbeckia subtomentosum), this U.S. Midwest prairie species is a long-lived perennial that grows in a variety of soils (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Sweet coneflower prefers full or partial sun (6 hours minimum) and a moist well-drained loamy soils. It is highly drought tolerant after its first year in the garden. Established plants emerge in mid-spring as a […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Butterflies, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Fragrant, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Powdery mildew, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Henry Eilers’ Coneflower (Rudbeckia)Ligularias For Moist Sites
Posted by Hugh on August 20th, 2018
Ligularias (ligs) are big leafy perennials whose roots must be kept constantly moist so that plants don’t wilt or “faint”. An established plant may tolerate several days in dry soil, yet the droopy foliage will recover from the water loss each night. Several species are tropical (under the genus Farfugium). Bigleaf ligs (L. dentata) and narrow-spiked ligularias (L. stenocephala), […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, compost, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Garden ecology, Landscape ideas, Ligularias, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Ligularias For Moist SitesFavorites Among The Rose Of Sharon (Althea) Shrubs
Posted by Hugh on August 15th, 2018
Rose of Sharon, aka shrub althea, (Hibiscus syriacus) is a woody hibiscus shrub that is hardy in temperate northern areas of the U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). This summer flowering shrub is exceptionally easy to grow. At one time, it was a great pass-along shrub that fell out of favor. However, old fashioned varieties frequently reseeded […]
Posted in acidic soil, Althea (Hibiscus), Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compact shrub, Container garden, container shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Green Privacy Screen, Heat Tolerance, Hibiscus syriacus, Japanese beetles, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (layering), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Favorites Among The Rose Of Sharon (Althea) Shrubs
