Nothing brightens up a room more than a flowering plant. One of my favorites is lipstick plant or lipstick vine (Aeschynanthus spp.), a close relative of the African violet. The green leaf form A. radicans is very popular with shiny dark green leaves and orange, pink, purple flowering varieties. Lipstick plant is a free bloomer, […]
Archive for the ‘Evergreen’ Category
Lipstick Plant (Vine) – Lovely Flowering House Plant
Posted by Hugh on December 11th, 2019
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Flowering house plant, Interior (house) Plants, Landscape ideas, Lipstick vine (Aeschynanthus), Mealy bugs, Mites, Pesticide recommendations, plant nutrition, Potting Mix, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Repotting plants, Scale, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Thrips, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), Vine, watering tips 
Comments Off on Lipstick Plant (Vine) – Lovely Flowering House PlantSpace-Saving Vertical Shrubs
Posted by Hugh on December 1st, 2019
Try these slim and sleek varieties in a small space such as on patios or the front porch, in courtyards, or as a single specimens in narrow gardens or containers. Set them at the back of beds for space-saving walls and backdrops. Pot them up for container magic on the porch. All six plants grow […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Autumn flowering, Balled and Burlapped (b&b), Barberry (Berberis), Bees and other pollinators, Boxwood (Buxus), Camellia, compact shrub, Container garden, container shrub, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Fall Garden Interest, Flowering, Ilex (hollies), Juniper, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Podocarous, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Space-Saving Vertical ShrubsTrees That Age Gracefully
Posted by Hugh on November 21st, 2019
Trees transition from youth (seedling), middle age and old age (maturity) before requiring a chain saw and replacing. Some age gracefully, actually appreciating in $$ value. Many ginkgo, hickory, beeches, sugar maples, and Southern magnolias live 100 years plus. Oaks such as such as white (Q. alba) and live oak (Q. virginiana) mature in majesty over several hundred years. It’s […]
Posted in American Beech (F. grandifolia), American hornbeam, Atlas cedar (Cedrus), Bald cypress (Taxodium), Beech (Fagus spp.), Black gum (Nyssa), Camellia, Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus), Chamaecyparis, Deciduous, Disease prone, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, European beech (F. sylvatica), Evergreen, Flowering, Garden ecology, Heat Tolerance, Hickory (Carya spp.), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Insect (Pest) Problems, Japanese maple, Juniper, Katsura tree (Cercidophyllum), Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, Large Shade trees, Linden (Tilia), Magnolia grandiflora, mulching, Native Plant, Nootkatensis cedar, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Paperbark maple, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Shade tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Street tree, Sycamore (Platanus), Three Flower Maple (A. triflorum), Trees & Shrubs, White oak (Quercus) Comments Off on Trees That Age GracefullyAnise (Illicium) Shrubs Coming To Mid-South Gardens
Posted by Hugh on November 16th, 2019
There is lots of interest in this shrub group. Anise shrubs (Illicium spp.) are fast growing, evergreen shrubs (USDA zones 7 to 10). They exhibit a multi-stemmed, upright, compact growth habit. The green foliage of Florida anise (I. floridanum) is quite attractive and aromatic, smelling similar to anise spice when crushed. Their shiny, leathery leaves are […]
Posted in acidic soil, Anise tree (Illicium), Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, compact shrub, compact tree, Container garden, Container growing, Disease resistant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Fragrant, Green Privacy Screen, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Large shrub, mulching, Planting tips, Poisonous or toxic, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering evergreens, watering tips Comments Off on Anise (Illicium) Shrubs Coming To Mid-South GardensShort Forms Of Cryptomerias
Posted by Hugh on November 6th, 2019
Japanese cedar, aka Sugi or Cryptomeria, (Cryptomeria japonica) is the national tree of Japan and also flourishes in China (USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8). It is one of the most variable conifers ranging from very dwarf rounded shrubs to large tree forms with golden or contorted leaves. It tolerates hot humid summers and prefers […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Balled and Burlapped (b&b), compact shrub, Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar), Disease resistant, Environmental Conservation, Evergreen, Evergreens, Fertilizing plants, Green Privacy Screen, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Leaf/needle spots, Medium sized Tree, mulching, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Short Forms Of CryptomeriasMarcescence (Retaining Leaves Fall And Winter)
Posted by Hugh on October 31st, 2019
Through the fall and winter seasons, certain landscape and woodland trees retain their dead brown leaves on branches. Beech (Fagus spp.) and oak (Quercus spp.) are two common examples. Winter winds and precipitation will eventually force leaves to drop. Plant scientists term the retention of leaves as “marcescence”. There are many theories as to why […]
Posted in Bald cypress (Taxodium), Beech (Fagus spp.), Birch (Betula spp.), Dawn redwood (Metasequoia), Deciduous, Deer resistant, Environmental Conservation, Evergreen, Evergreens, Firs (Abies), Ginkgo biloba, Hemlock (Tsuga), Landscape ideas, Leaf retention, Maples (Acer), Marcescence, Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Pines (Pinus spp.), Poplar (Populus spp.), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Spruces (Picea spp.), Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Wildlife attractant Comments Off on Marcescence (Retaining Leaves Fall And Winter)Inkberry Holly Substitute For Boxwood
Posted by Hugh on October 16th, 2019
Ilex glabra ‘Densa’ Inkberry holly (Ilex glabra), also called gallberry, is a slow-growing broadleaf evergreen shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). It grows to 5-8 feet tall and can spread by root suckers and form colonies. Inkberry is native from the eastern coast of Canada south to Florida, west to Louisiana. The shrub is at home in sandy […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Chlorosis (yellowing), compact shrub, Container garden, Container growing, container shrub, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Green Privacy Screen, Ground nesting bees, Honey bees, Ilex (hollies), Inkberry Holly (Ilex), Landscape ideas, Leaf diseases, Mites, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Root rotting, Root suckering, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Inkberry Holly Substitute For BoxwoodUltra Dwarf Korean Fir
Posted by Hugh on October 1st, 2019
Korean fir (Abies koreana) is slow-growing compact fir species with a mature height between 15 to 30 feet tall and 6 to 15 feet wide. Its tiny needles are ½- to 1- inch long, green on top and two white stripes on the underside. It bears 2-3 inches long erect purple cones almost annually that […]
Posted in acidic soil, Disease resistant, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreen, Fall Garden Interest, Firs (Abies), Korean fir (Abies koreana), Landscape ideas, mulching, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Ultra Dwarf Korean FirZone 6 Hardy Camellias – Plant Now!
Posted by Hugh on September 1st, 2019
More and more people gardening in zones 6 and 7 have discovered that they can successfully grow camellias. Once considered an exclusively Southern plant, many camellia varieties are very cold hardy where winter temps drop to 0 to 5°F. Their floral buds burst open with bright whites, pink and red shades, and spotted color blends. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Camellia, compost, Container garden, Disease resistant, Environmental issues, Evergreen, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flower arrangments, Flowering, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter blooming, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Zone 6 Hardy Camellias – Plant Now!New Inkberry Varieties Substitute For Boxwoods
Posted by Hugh on August 6th, 2019
Inkberry holly (Ilex glabra) is a slow-growing evergreen shrub (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). This U.S. native hale from coastal Canada south to Florida, and west to Louisiana. Commonly, inkberry (the species) grows to 5-8 feet tall. It is at home in sandy woodlands and the edges of swamps and bogs where they form colonies via root […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, compact shrub, Container garden, Container growing, container shrub, Dioecious, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Evergreens, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Inkberry Holly (Ilex), Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on New Inkberry Varieties Substitute For Boxwoods
