Archive for the ‘Evergreen’ Category

Little Goblin® Series Of Deciduous Hollies

Little Goblin® Red (Ilex verticillata ‘NCIV1’) is one of the new creation from plant breeder Dr. Tom Ranney, at the North Carolina Research And Extension Center in Mills River, NC. It is the first ever tetraploid winterberry. This dwarf variety is also exceptionally hardy and easy to care for. Little Goblin® Orange (‘NCIV2’) is extremely early flowering and […]

Small Southern Magnolia Cultivars

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 […]

Old-Fashioned Snake Plants

Snake plant (Sansevieria spp.), aka Mother-In-Law’s Tongue, is an easy to grow succulent. It is one of the hardest house plants to kill, grows in almost any room of your home, and demands little attention except an occasional watering. Its leathery sword-shape leaves are usually marked in gray green marbling. Some varieties may be edged in yellow […]

Fine Tuning Growing Calamondin Orange In The Home

Calamondin orange (Citris mitis) is challenging to grow in a home environment. It is hardy to 20°F., more than most other true citrus (USDA hardiness zone 8). It does not grow well in temperatures below 45ºF. In temperate regions calamondin spends the active growing months (May – October) outdoors either in direct sunlight (in northern areas) and in half day shade (in […]

Blue Lyme Grass Adapts To Almost Any Surroundings

Blue Lyme Grass (Leymus arenarus ‘Blue Dune’) is a vigorous spreading cool season grass (USDA Hardiness zones 3-9). It is native to the coasts of northern and western Europe. A closely related species, L. mollis, is native to the northern coasts of North America. Blue lyme grass is a stand out because of its beautiful steel-blue foliage. Atlanta Botanical Gardens has sited it […]

‘Furman’s Red’ Sage For Long Blooming Period

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 […]

Oriental Spruce Stands Up to Southern U.S. Heat and Humidity

Oriental spruce (Picea orientalis) stands as a tall spire in the urban landscape. A mature tree may reach 50 to 60 feet tall and makes a narrow stature or footprint of 15 to 25 feet in spread. Lateral branches uniquely bend downward while the growing tips sweep gracefully upward. Annual growth rate is slow at 12-15 inches. Two-thirds of the short dark green needles lay flat. Needles are lustrous on the […]

Nandinas Are Never Old-fashioned

                Aka “heavenly bamboo”, nandinas (Nandina domestica) are broadleaf evergreen shrubs with several landscape attributes that include white spring flowers, color changing leathery foliage, and enormous clusters of colorful berry fruits in fall and winter (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). This member of the Barberry family (Berberidaceae) is native to Japan, China […]

Japanese Holly Fern

Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum ‘Rochfordianum’) is a handsome, evergreen fern for gardens in USDA hardiness zones 6-11. It earns its name from its stiffly erect holly-like fronds. Individual fronds are vase-shaped, 1 to 2 ½ feet long with glossy, leathery, serrated, holly-like compound leaflets (pinnae). The slender, arching fronds arise from erect, scaly rhizomes […]

Native Partridgeberry

  Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) is cherished for its evergreen foliage, spring flowers and fall-winter colorful berries (USDA Zones 4–8). This native groundcover is frequently spotted in moist woodlands along banks of streams and on dry slopes in the eastern and central North America as far west as Minnesota and south to northern Texas and Florida. This […]