Lantanas (Lantana camara) are garden favorites for their small, lovely blooms in dense, 2-inch (5-cm) wide clusters, (USDA hardiness zones 7-11). Floral colors range from red, purple, pink, orange, yellow, and white, often flower clusters in multiple colors. This woody annual/perennial is in the verbena botanical family (Verbenaceae) family and is native to the West […]
Archive for the ‘Invasive species’ Category
Four Perennial Lantana Varieties
Posted by Hugh on May 25th, 2026
Posted in acidic soil, Annuals, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Butterflies, Container garden, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fall Garden Interest, Fertilizing plants, Flower Arranging, Flowers, Fruits poisonous, Ground cover, Hummingbird, Invasive species, Landscape ideas, Lantana, mulching, Non-native, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, winter hardiness 
No Comments »Don’t Plant These Trees In Your Landscape
Posted by Hugh on January 27th, 2026
Invite landscape trees to your property that will be long-lived, seasonally beautiful, and low maintenance. Gardeners are looking for all kinds of plants that invite pollinators and songbirds to their property. We also wish to avoid critter proof and invasive plants. Below is a list of notoriously bad tree choices in most urban yards and […]
Posted in Ash (Fraxinus), Bradford Pear, Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), Canker disease, Deciduous, Emerald ash borer, Evergreen, Garden Problems, Green ash (Fraxinus), Invasive species, Landscape ideas, Messy Fruits, Mimosa tree (Albizia), Mulberry (Morus), Native Plant, Non-native, Pests, Planting tips, Poplar (Populus spp.), Siberian elm (Ulmus pumla), Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), Southern Appalachian Region, Street tree, Sumac (Rhus), Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus), Trees & Shrubs, Willows (Salix) Comments Off on Don’t Plant These Trees In Your LandscapePlant Empress Tree Along Roadsides
Posted by Hugh on April 14th, 2025
Empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a fast-growing shade tree, in some years adding 4-5 feet of new growth annually. In general, this tree is not recommended for planting in landscapes. This is a weedy and messy tree and is listed as an invasive species in many states. Paulownia eventually to reach heights of 40-50 feet […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Invasive species, Landscape ideas, mulching, Non-native, Paulownia (Empress tree), Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Weak branching, Weak wooded, winter hardiness Comments Off on Plant Empress Tree Along RoadsidesWinter Honeysuckle Totally Ignored In U.S. Landscapes
Posted by Hugh on March 10th, 2025
Winter honeysuckle, aka fragrant honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is a treasured heirloom shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8). Plantings of this late winter blooming large woody shrub are still found in historical (older) urban neighborhoods and city parks planted prior to the 1960’s. This tough, durable shrub can reach 10+ feet tall and wide. You […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aphids, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Bees and other pollinators, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Fragrant, Green Privacy Screen, Heat Tolerance, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Invasive species, Landscape ideas, mulching, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, White flies, Winter bark, Winter flowering, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Winter Honeysuckle Totally Ignored In U.S. LandscapesEmpress Tree (Paulownia)
Posted by Hugh on November 26th, 2021
Empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is a fast-growing shade tree, in some years adding 4-5 feet of new growth, eventually to reach heights of 40-50 feet and width of 20-30 feet in less than 20 years. In the first 3-4 years, juvenile trees develop enormous size leaves. Once trees start producing flowers (adult stage), leaves are […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, Canker disease, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Heat Tolerance, Invasive plant, Invasive species, Landscape Construction, Landscape ideas, Medium sized Tree, Non-native, Paulownia (Empress tree), Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, Shade tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, Weak branching, Weak wooded, winter hardiness Comments Off on Empress Tree (Paulownia)Getting Rid Of Difficult Weeds
Posted by Hugh on March 26th, 2021
Some aggressive perennials like Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata), variegated Bishop’s weed (Aegopodium podagraria), along with many woody briars can be extremely difficult to eliminate from a landscape area or garden bed. If a weedy garden bed contains no desirable plants, you can over spray weeds with glyphosate, a nonselective herbicide.(Roundup™ is common trade name). This […]
Posted in Aggressive grower, Bishop's weed (Aegopodium), Broadleaf weeds, Chameleon plant (Houttuynia), Container garden, Environmental Conservation, Environmental issues, Euonymus (Ground Cover), Garden ecology, Ground cover, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Invasive plant, Invasive species, Ivy (Hedera), Landscape ideas, mulching, multi-flora rose, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Propagation (Seed), Purchasing Plants, root injury, Sanitation, Soil Conservation, Southern Appalachian Region, Weed control, Weeds Comments Off on Getting Rid Of Difficult WeedsPlant Disease Warning: Phytophthora ramorum
Posted by Hugh on January 16th, 2020
Known as “sudden oak death”, this serious plant disease (Phytophthora ramorum) (Pr) from the West Coast kills oak and other species of trees. It has caused devastating effects on the oak populations in California, Oregon, and Washington, and is also present in Europe. Symptoms include bleeding cankers on the tree’s trunk and dieback of foliage. […]
Posted in Camellia, Canker disease, Disease prone, Garden ecology, Garden Problems, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Invasive species, Landscape ideas, Lilac (Syringa), Magnolia, Maples (Acer), Mountain laurel (Kalmia), Native Plant, Oaks (Quercus spp.), Phytophthora ramorum, Pieris japonica, Planting tips, Purchasing Plants, Rhododendrons, Sanitation, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Viburnums, Witchhazel (Hamamelis) Comments Off on Plant Disease Warning: Phytophthora ramorum12 Woody Trees And Shrubs Perfect For Containers
Posted by Hugh on January 6th, 2020
Japanese maples, hydrangeas, hollies, boxwoods, camellias, and dwarf conifers are popular favorites to grow in pots. Often, they’re part of mixed plantings coordinated with colorful annual and perennial flowers. If and when these outdoor trees and shrubs outgrow their pots, you have one of three options available: 1.) move plants into a bigger pot, 2.) […]
Posted in acidic soil, Boxwood (Buxus), Cephalotaxus (Plumleaf yew), Chamaecyparis, Cold tolerance, compact shrub, compact tree, Container garden, Container growing, container shrub, Dawn redwood (Metasequoia), Deciduous conifer, Deodara cedars (Cedrus), Dioecious, Disease resistant, DWARF CONIFERS, Evergreen, Evergreens, Heat Tolerance, Hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens, Inkberry Holly (Ilex), Invasive plant, Invasive species, Japanese maple, Japanese yew, Landscape ideas, Large shrub, Nandina, Native Plant, Native Plant, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Repotting plants, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness, winter injury, Winter Protection Comments Off on 12 Woody Trees And Shrubs Perfect For ContainersKnow About Liriopes
Posted by Hugh on February 10th, 2019
Monkeygrass (Liriope muscari) and creeping lilyturf (L. spicata) are native to Asia. They are known by several names including lilyturf, monkeygrass, spider grass and liriope (USDA hardiness zones 6-10). Some varieties are hardier than others. In general, L. muscari have more narrow leaves. Depending on variety, spikes of lavender, purple, or white flowers arise in […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, alkaline soil, Bees and other pollinators, compost, Container garden, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Environmental Conservation, Environmental issues, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Heat Tolerance, Invasive plant, Invasive species, Landscape ideas, Liriope, Mowing, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Know About LiriopesPest Alert – Giant Hogweed
Posted by Hugh on June 29th, 2018
Giant hogweed plant (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a large, invasive plant that can cause severe burns, blisters and rashes and vision loss in humans. As its name suggests, giant hogweed plant is enormous growing invasive species that originated from the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It produces large, towering purple stalks of white flower clusters. Don’t pick these […]
Posted in Environmental Conservation, Environmental issues, Giant hogweed, Invasive species, Landscape ideas, Mowing, Pests, Propagation (Seed), Pruning, Sanitation, Summer flowering, Weed management, Weeds Comments Off on Pest Alert – Giant Hogweed
