In the Southern U.S. crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) provide summer long flowering. In the garden center business there is a popular saying: “red flowers sell”. Among crape myrtles red flowering cultivars generally outsell all others. Probably the most popular red variety is Dynamite®, a Carl Whitcomb introduction. Dr. Whitcomb followed with other red introductions of different […]
Archive for the ‘Landscape ideas’ Category
“Red Sells”: Red Flowering Crape Myrtles
Posted by Hugh on July 1st, 2013
Posted in acidify soil, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, compact shrub, compact tree, container shrub, Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Winter bark 
Comments Off on “Red Sells”: Red Flowering Crape MyrtlesSummer Chocolate™ Mimosa Tree Worth A Try
Posted by Hugh on June 12th, 2013
Mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) is treasured as a four month landscape tree for its tropical-like foliage and flowering. This small deciduous tree grows 20 to 25 feet tall and its horizontal branching reaches out widely. Mimosa leafs out in late May with lush green, tropical-looking pinnately compound foliage and growth is very rapid. From mid-June […]
Posted in acidic soil, Aggressive grower, alkaline soil, Attracting birds, Bee Favorite, Butterflies, Disease prone, Drought tolerant, Fragrant, Heat Tolerance, Hummingbird, Landscape ideas, plant nutrition, Pruning, Soil Conservation, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness Comments Off on Summer Chocolate™ Mimosa Tree Worth A Try‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberries Will Delight Your Taste Buds
Posted by Hugh on February 12th, 2013
Pink Lemonade blueberry (Vaccinium x ‘Pink Lemonade’) is a new variety introduction from the USDA. It combines the benefits of growing a beautiful landscape plant and one that produces a tasty crop of pinkish red blueberries. Pink Lemonade is also very winter hardy (USDA hardiness zone 4). Select a sunny location, preferably with an […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Blueberries, compost, Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Fruits & Vegetables, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Ornamental fruit, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Pruning, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Uncategorized, watering tips, Wildlife attractant Comments Off on ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberries Will Delight Your Taste BudsDesign A Garden Path For Greater Garden Enjoyment
Posted by Hugh on February 9th, 2013
Are you receiving full enjoyment from your garden landscape year-round? Gardeners spend so much time tied up with chores- planting, cultivating, and weeding. The fall and winter months are a great time to enjoy the garden, particularly if your footwear is dry and not muddy. A network of garden paths permits you, also neighbors and […]
Posted in Garden paths, Landscape ideas, Uncategorized Comments Off on Design A Garden Path For Greater Garden EnjoymentVernal Witchhazel and New Cultivar ‘Quasimodo’
Posted by Hugh on January 24th, 2013
Vernal witchhazel (H. vernalis) is a dense growing 8 to 12 foot native shrub which blooms in mid-winter in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). It is winter hardy to zone 4. Small ½ inch wide yellow flowers, flushed red at the base, emit a pleasant witchhazel aroma in the February […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, compact shrub, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Root suckering, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, winter hardiness, Witchhazel (Hamamelis) Comments Off on Vernal Witchhazel and New Cultivar ‘Quasimodo’‘Otto Lukyen’ Cherry Laurel Exhibits Better Winter Hardiness
Posted by Hugh on January 17th, 2013
Otto Luyken (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’) is a very compact form of cherry laurel. It produces showy, fragrant, erect white spike flowers primarily in the spring, and repeats with light blooming thru the summer months. Its fragrant white flowers are showy racemes which rise several inches above the foliage in mid-spring. Its glossy pointed tip […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Bee Favorite, Cherry Laurel (Prunus), compact shrub, Disease resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Evergreens, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Planting tips, Pruning, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on ‘Otto Lukyen’ Cherry Laurel Exhibits Better Winter HardinessTwo Native Sedges Excel In Dry Shade
Posted by Hugh on December 14th, 2012
Sedges (Carex spp.) are becoming popular groundcovers with gardeners! Most demand a moist, well drained soil. Two native forms, Appalachian sedge (Carex appalachica) and Pennsylvania sedge (C. pensylvanica) excel in dry woodland shade in the eastern U.S. and Canada (USDA hardiness 3-8). Their fine textured grassy foliage and a fountain-like growing habit make them excellent […]
Posted in Carex (Sedges), Disease resistant, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Heat Tolerance, Landscape ideas, Mowing, Native Plant, Perennials, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Two Native Sedges Excel In Dry ShadeMinor Bulbs Get A Jump On Spring
Posted by Hugh on October 18th, 2012
Companion bulbs, often called “minor bulbs”, are early signs that spring is coming. Three of the most reliable are snowdrops, winter aconites and Glory of the snow. They bloom before crocus. Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) returns with floral beauty less than three months after planting. Plants poke through the ground, grow and flower 3 to 6 inches […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, Chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow), Flowering Bulb, Landscape ideas, Perennials, Purchasing Plants, Snowdrops (Galanthus), Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Spring flowering bulbs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Winter aconite (Eranthis), Winter flowering, winter hardiness Comments Off on Minor Bulbs Get A Jump On SpringEmerald Ash Borer And Others Are Spreading – Don’t Transport Firewood
Posted by Hugh on October 15th, 2012
Moving firewood across county or state lines may also distribute serious insect pests hundreds of miles. For whatever reasons that the tree(s) were cut down in your yard, insects (including termites) may be hiding inside the logs. They may remain alive for a long time. Over the past decade three serious exotic insect pests have been identified […]
Posted in Elms (Ulmus), Firewood, Green ash (Fraxinus), Insect (Pest) Problems, Invasive plant, Landscape ideas, Native Plant, Pests, Southern Appalachian Region, Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, Walnut Comments Off on Emerald Ash Borer And Others Are Spreading – Don’t Transport FirewoodLeyland Cypress Too Big For Many Sites
Posted by Hugh on January 30th, 2012
Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii) grows into a 50 foot tall evergreen behemoth. What happens when the plants (in photo) get too close to the small deck(s)? Access to the deck from the stairs will become impossible as the evergreens swallow up the entire back yard. Looking out from the deck and windows from the home won’t be likely […]
Posted in Aggressive grower, Arborvitae (Thuja spp.), Disease prone, Evergreen, Green Privacy Screen, Insect (Pest) Problems, Landscape ideas, Planting tips, Southern Appalachian Region Comments Off on Leyland Cypress Too Big For Many Sites
