If you live where winter temperatures are generally moderate in the low teens, a number of shrubs bloom in winter. In the Delmarva and mid-South regions (USDA hardiness zones 6-7), these seven plants bloom reliably for 2-3 weeks before spring officially arrives. 1. Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), aka fragrant honeysuckle, are covered with small fragrant […]
Archive for the ‘Non-native’ Category
Seven Winter Blooming Shrubs
Posted by Hugh on February 12th, 2024
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Autumn foliage color, Bees and other pollinators, compact shrub, compact tree, container shrub, Cornus officinalis, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Edgeworthia, Evergreen, Flower Arranging, Flowering, Flowering shrub, Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Japanese cornel, Jessamine (Gelsemium), Landscape ideas, Large shrub, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Non-native, Planting tips, Propagation (Cuttings), Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Sweetbox (Sarcococca), Trees & Shrubs, Uncategorized, watering tips, Wildlife attractant, Winter bark, Winter flowering, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness, Wintersweet (Chimonanthus), Witchhazel (Hamamelis) 
Comments Off on Seven Winter Blooming ShrubsWhy Newly Planted Trees Die
Posted by Hugh on January 26th, 2024
The loss or decline of a newly planted tree or shrub is usually a result of multiple factors. One of the worst mistakes is planting trees or shrubs too deeply – whether they are planted by a home gardener or a landscape professional. I’ve witnessed both. Surface roots are deprived of oxygen the deeper trees […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Deciduous, Evergreen, Fertilizing plants, Garden Maintenance, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Non-native, Ornamental fruit, Planting tips, Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Street tree, Trees & Shrubs, watering tips, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Why Newly Planted Trees DieGrowing The True Christmas Cactus
Posted by Hugh on December 25th, 2023
Despite its name, the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera buckleyi) is an epiphytic plant that grows on trees and rocks in habitats that are generally shady with high humidity. This tropical member of the Cactus family (Cactaceae) is not a true cactus. Tiny roots may cling to the plant or rock that it’s growing on. It is […]
Posted in acidic soil, Autumn flowering, Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera), Fertilizing plants, Foliage plant, Interior (house) Plants, Landscape ideas, Light requirement, Mealy bugs, Non-native, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Potting Mix, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Repotting plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Thanksgiving cactus, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), watering tips, Winter flowering, Winter Garden Interest Comments Off on Growing The True Christmas CactusVines Worth Growing
Posted by Hugh on December 19th, 2023
Vines add a vertical dimension in your garden. With many vines, you don’t need to construct expensive arbors and trellises for them to climb. Borrowing an idea from nature, vines love to ramble or attach readily onto shrubs and trees. Some vines like periwinkle (Vinca minor) and English ivy (Hedera helix) make attractive ground covers […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Clematis 'Rooguchi', Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera), Crossvine (Bignonia), Deciduous, Disease resistant, Dutchman's pipe, Fertilizing plants, Ground cover, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Non-native, Perennials, Planting tips, Privacy Screen, Propagation (Cuttings), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Vine, Vine, watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Vines Worth GrowingRecent PHS Gold Medal* Perennial Picks
Posted by Hugh on December 12th, 2023
Each year the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society (PHS) recognizes six outstanding plants that a group of nursery owners, horticulturists, expert gardeners, and professional growers singe out as among the best performing and most beautiful for inclusion into the Mid-Atlantic Region Gold Medal program. All seven perennials perform equally well in the mid-South (Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and Northern Counties […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Autumn flowering, Bees and other pollinators, Deciduous, Deer resistant, Disease resistant, Ground cover, Heuchera (coralbells), Indian pink (Spigelia), Iris tectorum, Ironweed (Vernonia), Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Native Plant, Non-native, Perennials, Propagation (Cuttings), Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Summer phlox (P. paniculata), Tiarella (foam flower), Turtlehead (Chelone), watering tips, winter hardiness Comments Off on Recent PHS Gold Medal* Perennial PicksSnowdrops (Galanthus)
Posted by Hugh on December 6th, 2023
Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. Depending on the region where you live, snowdrops appear in the early days of spring; often snow still blankets the ground. Snowdrops are tiny plants (3 – 6 inches tall) that produce multiple small showy, white, bell-shaped flowers, which hangs off the ends […]
Posted in acidic soil, Bees and other pollinators, Bulb Crops, Cold tolerance, Container garden, Fertilizing plants, Galanthus (snowdrops), Ground cover, Landscape ideas, mulching, Non-native, Perennials, plant nutrition, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Purchasing Plants, Snowdrops (Galanthus), Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, watering tips, Winter flowering, Winter Garden Interest, winter hardiness Comments Off on Snowdrops (Galanthus)Amaryllis Make Great Holiday Gifts
Posted by Hugh on November 22nd, 2023
What do you gift the gardener friends in your life? Let me suggest a flowering amaryllis bulb or one that is blooming in the plant shoppe. Amaryllis is a tropical bulb that blooms indoors usually in winter season (USDA hardiness zones 9-11). It is a big, beautiful bouquet that is among the easiest plants to grow. […]
Posted in acidic soil, Amaryllis, Amaryllis (Bulb), Bees and other pollinators, Bulb Crops, Deer resistant, Fertilizing plants, Flower arrangments, Flowering Bulb, Flowers, Landscape ideas, Non-native, Planting tips, Potting Mix, Purchasing Plants, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Tropical Plants (non-hardy), watering tips, Wind protection, Winter flowering, Winter Protection Comments Off on Amaryllis Make Great Holiday GiftsSubstitutes For Callery Pear
Posted by Hugh on November 15th, 2023
The end to planting Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana), aka Bradford Pear, is almost within sight as more states are banning sales of the tree at garden centers and box store garden departments. Recently, Ohio, South Carolina and Pennsylvania have banned further plantings. This March blooming flowering tree has been determined to be invasive. It produces […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting birds, Autumn foliage color, Autumn Fruiting, Bees and other pollinators, Bradford Pear, Crabapple, Deciduous, Disease resistant, Dogwood (Cornus), Drought tolerant, Environmental issues, Invasive plant, Landscape ideas, mulching, Native Plant, Non-native, Pear (Ornamental), Prunus (Cherry), Purchasing Plants, Redbud, Serviceberry (Amelanchier), Silverbell (Halesia), Small landscape tree, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Spring flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Weak branching, Weak wooded, Weed control, Winter flowering, winter hardiness, winter injury Comments Off on Substitutes For Callery PearUniquely Different Weeping Mulberry
Posted by Hugh on October 3rd, 2023
Common (White) mulberry (Morus alba) is a fast-growing, medium sized, deciduous tree that typically grows to 30-50 feet tall and wide. It usually develops a wide-spreading rounded crown with age. This native to China is utilized either as a landscape shade and/or a fruit tree. (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). White Mulberry prefers a rich, moist, […]
Posted in acidic soil, alkaline soil, Aphids, Attracting birds, Bees and other pollinators, Deciduous, Dioecious, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant, Landscape ideas, Mulberry (Morus), mulching, Non-native, Planting tips, Propagation (Seed), Propagation(grafting), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Scale, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer heat tolerant, Trees & Shrubs, Weeping habit, winter hardiness Comments Off on Uniquely Different Weeping MulberryGooseneck Loosestrife
Posted by Hugh on September 22nd, 2023
Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) can be both a delight and a weedy nuisance – depending on where you garden. (USDA hardiness zones 3 – 8). This native of southeast Asia grows aggressively in some locations in the U.S. where it has escaped into woodlands, wet areas, and on sunny, sheltered mountainous slopes. The perennial has […]
Posted in acidic soil, Attracting Butterflies, Bees and other pollinators, Drought tolerant, Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia), Invasive plant, mulching, Non-native, Perennials, Planting tips, Propagation (dividing), Pruning, Purchasing Plants, Regional, Root suckering, Shade Gardening, Soil drainage, Southern Appalachian Region, Summer flowering, Summer heat tolerant, Wind protection, winter hardiness, Winter Protection Comments Off on Gooseneck Loosestrife
