Archive for the ‘Camellia’ Category

Pruning Times for Flowering Shrubs

The late winter / early spring period are ideal times for pruning many (not all) flowering shrubs. At this time, shrubs are leafless, and you are better able to see the overall shape of the shrub and easily identify dead, damaged, diseased wood, and structural defects.  Pruning also stimulates new growth. Spring flowering shrubs (those […]

Hardy Zone 6 Camellias

In the Southern U.S., camellias are treasured for their showy flowers in the fall-winter landscape. Their glossy evergreen foliage looks great all year long. Hardy varieties are now available for zone 6 northern gardens (-10 to 0 °F). Essentially, gardeners can raise camellias in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and in most coastal cities along the East […]

Create A Garden With Four Seasons Appeal

Your garden should be a year-round enjoyment and you should design it to reflect that. Many trees and shrubs offer multi-seasonal attraction. Several years back I designed a series of walking paths to network through my garden to capture its 12-month natural beauty. Planning next year’s garden? Look for calendar gaps in your own landscape […]

Zone 6 Hardy Camellias

Once upon a time, across the Southern U.S., camellias were highly prized for their showy flowers in the fall-winter landscape. What has changed is that gardeners in the Middle Atlantic and mid-Southern states can now grow them equally well. Camellias are evergreen woody shrubs native to Asia. Currently, after decades of inter-breeding with species from […]

Plant Disease Warning: Phytophthora ramorum

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. […]

Zone 6 Hardy Camellias

In the Southern U.S., camellias are treasured for their showy flowers in the fall-winter landscape. Their glossy evergreen foliage looks great all year long. Hardy varieties are now available for zone 6 northern gardens (-10 to 0 °F). This means that gardeners in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and most coastal cities in Eastern U.S. can grow […]

Space-Saving Vertical Shrubs

Try these slim and sleek varieties in a small space such as on patios or the front porch, in courtyards, or as a single specimens in narrow gardens or containers. Set them at the back of beds for space-saving walls and backdrops. Pot them up for container magic on the porch. All six plants grow […]

Trees That Age Gracefully

Trees transition from youth (seedling), middle age and old age (maturity) before requiring a chain saw and replacing. Some age gracefully, actually appreciating in $$ value. Many ginkgo, hickory, beeches, sugar maples, and Southern magnolias live 100 years plus. Oaks such as such as white (Q. alba) and live oak (Q. virginiana) mature in majesty  over several hundred years.   It’s […]

Fall Garden Chores

Fall is the perfect time to take on a few of the many spring garden chores. Here is a list of ten of the most important tasks:  Weeding– get rid of newly emerging winter annual weeds now before they flower and set seeds. Perennial weeds such as dandelions, plantains, and thistles can be sprayed and eliminated in the […]

Zone 6 Hardy Camellias – Plant Now!

More and more people gardening in zones 6 and 7 have discovered that they can successfully grow camellias. Once considered an exclusively Southern plant, many camellia varieties are very cold hardy where winter temps drop to 0 to 5°F. Their floral buds burst open with bright whites, pink and red shades, and spotted color blends. […]