Archive for the ‘Evergreen’ Category

Irrigate Evergreens This Winter

Fall slowdown in the garden brings many of us back indoors to prepare for the winter holidays ahead. A number of serious canker diseases attack evergreens in the fall and winter if soil moisture is not plentiful. These diseases include botryosphaeria, cytospora, phomopsis, and seiridium cankers. Each organism is capable of causing branch dieback or […]

Alaska Cedar Is Awesome Weeping Evergreen

Over the past decade, gardeners have been planting different evergreen trees in their Southern Appalachian landscapes (USDA zones 6 and 7). One of the newbies is Alaska cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis),  a wonderful medium-sized evergreen tree from the west coast of North America. Alaska cedar matures into a graceful pyramidal tree form. Long pendulous flattened sprays of  bluish green needles drape from […]

Sacred Lily (Rohdea) Brings Good Fortune

Depending on where you garden, Sacred Lily (Rohdea japonica) is either an evergreen or herbaceous perennial groundcover. It is slow growing and prospers in a moist shady woodland environment.  Small clumps of  long, strap-like leaves emerge from an underground crown to about 15” in height. Foliage is comprised of 18 inch long strap- like leaves […]

Lacebark pine- an investment in the future

Many rare and unusual garden plants are introduced into a garden as a thoughtful gift. Lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana) is an arboreal aristocrat which a few gardeners are privileged to own. Lacebark is a lovely 3- needle pine with exquisite exfoliating bark which becomes more attractive each succeeding year. The lacebark feature begins after 8-10 years, but it’s […]

Privacy Screening – Avoid Using Leyland Cypress

‘Green Giant’ arborvitae and Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar) have proven more dependable over the years than Leyland cypress across Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Leyland cypress is susceptible to three serious foliar diseases. Some people love the faster growth of Leyland cypress. Leyland cypress may be weak-wooded, as reported by some gardeners this current […]

‘Sky Pencil Holly vs ‘Dee Runk’ Boxwood

Boxwoods and hollies are mainline evergreen shrubs, utilized for low hedging, privacy barriers. Single shrubs are planted solely for their architectural accent.  Both hollies and boxwoods grow best in moist, well-drained soils and in full sun to partial shade.  Both prefer soils with a pH of slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Boxwoods tend to be more shade tolerant than […]

Planting Leyland Cypress May Be Big Mistake

If you live in USDA Plant Zone 6-b – 7, planting leyland cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii) could eventually turn into a maintenance diseaster in your landscape. Leyland cypress is a green behemoth, too fast and aggressive for most folks to handle. Ask yourself, “do you really need a 60-70 foot evergreen privacy screen around your […]