Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is native from the Central to Southern U.S. and northern Mexico (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). It is called “obedient plant” because each tubular flower will, upon being pushed in any one direction, stays in new position. From July to September obedient plant is valued for its late season pink or white […]
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Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea
Vanilla Strawberry™ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is a new peegee hydrangea selection introduced from France and it is really catching on with U.S. gardeners (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This exceptionally cold hardy hydrangea blooms from late June thru early September. Blooms are enormous and stand upright. Following a heavy summer shower, saturated floral trusses temporarily bow down under their sheer weight, but gradually recover. Flower color […]
Lots Of Stokes Asters To Pick
Stokes aster (Stokesia laevis) is an underutilized herbaceous perennial. It is indigenous to the southeastern United States (USDA hardiness zones 5-9 and AHS heat zones 4-11). Many attractive cultivars are now available (see below). Most stokes asters produce mostly blue and purple colored floral cultivars, but violet, yellow, white, and blended color forms are also […]
Swamp Azalea Deserves More Garden Space
Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum, formerly R. serrulatum) is very different among deciduous azaleas. Most rhododendrons (azaleas) do not care for soppy, poorly drained soils. This U.S. native is an exception, indigenous to swamps, bogs, stream edges and wet lowlands from southern Maine to northeastern Ohio south to Florida and […]
Japanese Hydrangea Vine Worth The Wait
Japanese hydrangea vine (Schizophragma hydrangoides) ‘Moonlight’ is a deciduous woody vine (USDA hardiness zone 5 to 8). It is closely related to climbing hydrangea vine (Hydrangea anomala ‘Petiolaris’). This ornate climbing vine is valued for its silvery, silvery-green, heart-shaped foliage and large, flat-topped, lace cap hydrangea-like clusters (8-10 […]
Managing Leaf Spot Infections
There are nearly 1,000 fungal pathogens that cause leaf spot diseases on garden plants. Fungal leaf spots vary in size—from the size of a pinpoint to lesions that consume the entire leaf. Many leaf spots are tan to dark brown in color and may be circular, angular or irregular in shape. Some of the common […]
Modern Day Clematis Bloom Freely
The old-fashioned clematis(es) in grandma’s garden bloomed one time in spring or summer and bore huge showy flowers (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). Vines took up lots of space in the garden. Old cultivars grew 8-9 feet tall; many bore one single large flower at the end of each growing […]
Flame Azalea Favorite Among Native Azaleas
Flame azalea (R. calendulaceum) is a spectacular sight when it flowers in early May through June (depending on location). The mountainsides across the Appalachian region seem to be afire with their yellow, orange or red flowers (USDA hardiness zones 5 thru 8). Its native habitat is in open, dry sites in woods, on the hillsides, and […]
‘Short and Sassy’ Helenium (Sneezeweed)
Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) is a bee/butterfly friendly perennial that blooms heavily from mid-summer into early fall. Helenium (“sneezeweed”) does not cause hayfever or irritate sinus passages. The genus Helenium is named for Helen of Troy. Its dried leaves were once crunched to make a snuff to promote sneezing. This tough prairie native thrives in full […]

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