Archive for the ‘Spring flowering’ Category

Ten Favorite Viburnums

Viburnums are versatile landscape shrubs that flower, fruit, and fall color. Several species have fruit that attracts birds and may persist most of the winter. To have the best cross-pollination and fruit display plant in groups rather than as specimens. Viburnums tend to prefer slightly acid soil. They have few pest or disease problems and need […]

Tulip Poplar

Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), aka yellow poplar and tulip tree, is a large stately deciduous tree of eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This fast growing native typically grows 60-90 feet tall and it is not unusual to see tulip trees over 100 feet. It is also an important timber tree. A member of the magnolia family, […]

Wonderful Carolina Silverbells

To start, the botanical literature is a little confusing regarding the two silverbell species. Mountain silverbell (Halesia tetraptera; formerly H. carolina) and two-winged silverbell (H. diptera) are native to the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. (Zones 6-9). Silverbells are either small- to medium-sized deciduous trees or large, multi-stemmed shrubs. It blooms in the spring (late-March […]

Easter Cactus

A native of southeastern Brazil, Easter cactus (Schlumbergeri gaertneri), formerly Hatiora gaertneri, is a tropical succulent cactus. It is often confused with Thanksgiving (Schlumbergera truncata) and Christmas Cacti (S. x buckeyi) both of which have very difference flattened stems with rounded or spiney-edged scalloped foliage. In the wild, this tropical grows almost shrub-like on trees or rocks. […]

Cranesbills (Hardy Geraniums)

Cranesbills (Geranium spp.) comprise a large genus of super hardy herbaceous perennials. (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). These are not your annual geraniums which is the genus Pelargonium. They grow happily in partial sun to full shade and in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Cranesbills tolerate full sun in cool northerly areas. Plants may produce fewer flowers in […]

Seven Winter Blooming Shrubs

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 […]

Foamflowers For Your Shade Garden

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) is a low-growing, clump-forming woodland perennial groundcover. It grows naturally in moist forests, coves, and well-drained bottomlands where it spreads by slender runners (stolons) to form dense, 1-2 feet wide clumps of foliage or colonies. Small spikes of creamy white spring flowers and its attractive bright green foliage are solid pluses in […]

Vines Worth Growing

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 […]

Recent PHS Gold Medal* Perennial Picks

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 […]

Snowdrops (Galanthus)

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 […]