Here is a list of flowering perennials that need little care after planting. Ornamental grasses and ferns are not listed here. One steadfast rule that you must follow if this group of plants are to work for you: “choose the right plant for the right site”. Shady plants in full sun and terrestrial plants in swampy ground […]
Archive for the ‘Ground cover’ Category
Fifteen Garden Perennials Which You Can’t Kill (Or Almost)
Posted by Hugh on February 26th, 2018
Posted in acidic soil, Astilbe (false spirea), Baptisia (wild indigo), Barrenwort (Epimedium), Bees and other pollinators, Beneficial insects, Container growing, Coreopsis, Cranesbill (Geranium), Daylilies, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Hellebores, Italian arum, Landscape ideas, Liriope, mulching, Native Plant, Nepeta (catmint), Ornamental Grasses, Peony, Perennials, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Russian sage (Perovskia), Siberian iris (I. sibirica), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Stonecrop sedums, Summer flowering, Variegated Solomon Seal, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness 
Comments Off on Fifteen Garden Perennials Which You Can’t Kill (Or Almost)Winter Blooming Winter Jessamine
Posted by Hugh on February 17th, 2018
Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is one of the most beautiful native vines in the South (USDA Zones 6 to 9). In February and March, its bright yellow flowers are commonly seen growing along roadsides in the Southeastern U.S. It is frequently mistaken for forsythias a shrub that rarely blooms in winter. Vines grow vigorously, 20 feet […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, Bees and other pollinators, Container garden, container shrub, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Flowering, Fragrant, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Jessamine (Gelsemium), mulching, Native Plant, Planting tips, Poisonous or toxic, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Soil drainage, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Vine, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Winter Blooming Winter JessamineLive Cut Foliage And Berries For Home Holiday Decorations
Posted by Hugh on December 1st, 2017
Many conifers make great cuts for indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations. Foliage choices: Eastern red cedar and many other junipers, white pine, Norway spruce, Colorado spruce, Balsam fir, Canadian hemlock, Arizona cypress (and cultivars ‘Carolina Sapphire’ and ‘Blue Ice’), and False cypresses (C. pisifera). Needle retention varies among species. For example, Norway spruce and balsam […]
Posted in Abelia, Alexandrian Laurel, Anise tree (Illicium), Autumn Fruiting, Bayberry (Myrica), Boxwood (Buxus), Camellia, Cherry Laurel (Prunus), Christmas tree, Crabapple, Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar), Cupressus (cypress), Doghobble (Leucothoe), Evergreen, Evergreens, Flower Arranging, Garden Tools, Green Recycling, Ground cover, Heather (Calluna), Hemlock (Tsuga), Hydrangeas, Ilex (hollies), Ivy (Hedera), Juniper, Landscape ideas, Magnolia grandiflora, Magnolia virginiana, Native Plant, Oleander (Nerium), Pines (Pinus spp.), Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Spruces (Picea spp.), Sweetbox (Sarcococca), Thujopsis, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Viburnums, Vine, Willows (Salix), Winterberry holly Comments Off on Live Cut Foliage And Berries For Home Holiday DecorationsEuonymus ‘Moonshadow’ – A Ground Cover For All Seasons
Posted by Hugh on November 24th, 2017
Many so-called shade perennials such as hostas, astilbes, brunneras, and coralbells (Heuchera spp.) actually excel in areas that are bathe mostly morning sunlight. In these areas ‘Moonshadow’ euonymus (Euonymus fortunei ‘Moonshadow’) makes a great companion shrub with these perennials (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Moonshadow has become a favorite ground cover euonymus of mine. ‘Moonshadow’ euonymus is […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, compact shrub, Container garden, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Euonymus (Ground Cover), Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Euonymus ‘Moonshadow’ – A Ground Cover For All SeasonsRobb’s Spurge (Euphorbia)
Posted by Hugh on September 15th, 2017
I always been a fan of spurges, but some have not perform well in my garden. One that does not disappoint is Robb’s spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae), aka “Mrs. Robb’s Bonnet”. This evergreen spurge grows equally well in either sun or shade, including dry shade (USDA hardiness zones 6-8). This carefree slowly spreading groundcover displays shiny, dark green, […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Container garden, container shrub, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fertilizing plants, Garden paths, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Perennials, Planting tips, Poisonous or toxic, Poisonous plant, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Spurge (Euphorbia), Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Robb’s Spurge (Euphorbia)Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus) – A Durable Ornamental Grass
Posted by Hugh on August 20th, 2017
Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepsis) is one of the finest warm season grasses native to the Western U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9). Initially, this clump-forming perennial grass grows at a slow to medium rate. By early summer its fine textured deep green leaves form an arching fountain habit. Prairie dropseed inhabits prairies, meadows, open […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental Conservation, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Mowing, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus), Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, winter hardiness Comments Off on Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus) – A Durable Ornamental GrassBlonde Ambition® Blue Grama Grass
Posted by Hugh on August 17th, 2017
Looking for something a little different, plant Blonde Ambition® blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’). It was discovered and introduced by David Salman of High Country Gardens. This prairie species is native from Manitoba Canada, south through the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwestern states, to Mexico. It is exceptionally heat and cold hardy […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Blue Grama Grass, Container garden, Container growing, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Mowing, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Soil pH, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Blonde Ambition® Blue Grama GrassFlowering Shrubs of Summer
Posted by Hugh on August 7th, 2017
In several areas of the U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 6-9), summer landscapes along the east and west coast and Southern U.S. are filled with these botanical beauties: Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) – so many great choices of these hydrangeas, mostly with lime white flowers starting in July into August. Most popular cultivars are ‘Limelight’, ‘Little Lime, […]
Posted in Abelia, Attracting Butterflies, Bee Favorite, Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla), Blue mist (Caryopteris), Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Butterflies, compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Disease resistant, Flowering, Fragrant, Ground cover, Hibiscus syriacus, Hummingbird, Hydrangeas, Landscape ideas, Panicle hydrangea, Plumleaf azalea, Purchasing Plants, Rhododendrons, Southern Appalachian Region, Summersweet (Clethra), Trees & Shrubs, Vitex (Chaste tree) Comments Off on Flowering Shrubs of SummerDistyliums Substitute For Cherry Laurels and Hollies
Posted by Hugh on July 22nd, 2017
Distyliums (Distylium x), aka Isu tree, are being billed as “the best new plants you’ve never heard of”. Get accustomed to seeing these boxwood-like shrubs in local garden centers, e.g., if you live within USDA hardiness zones 6b-9. Distyliums are the result of selective breeding efforts to improve an evergreen shrub native to China at […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, compact shrub, Container garden, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Distylium, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Ground cover, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Winter flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Distyliums Substitute For Cherry Laurels and HolliesGround Cover Types Of Flowering Abelias
Posted by Hugh on July 4th, 2017
Flowering abelias (Abelia x grandiflora) come in all shapes and sizes (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). Over the past decade the ground cover types have become very popular. They’re also utilized as accent plants in large containers. In zones 7 -8, they are evergreen. The term “ground cover” is used here to emphasize cultivars that grow low, mostly […]
Posted in Abelia, acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Autumn foliage color, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, compact shrub, Container growing, container shrub, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Fragrant, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Ground Cover Types Of Flowering Abelias
