Story and Photos by Hubert P. Conlon Visit his blog here: whatgrowsthere.com ‘Dawn’ viburnum is a multi-stemmed, 8-10-foot-tall shrub that blooms in late winter and deserves to be planted in more Tennessee gardens (USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9). It offers four seasons of landscape beauty. In the first warm days of March, the reddish buds swell …
Story and Photos by Norman Winter A deutzia renaissance is how my friend Dr. Gerald Klingaman, retired horticulturist with the University of Arkansas, wrote about the new love that for this fuzzy heirloom that has been around for ages. If you haven’t re-discovered the old-fashioned fuzzy deutzia then make it a priority, your landscape deserves …
Story and Photos by Norman Winter I have heard some suggest that Dutch iris is a short-lived perennial, but those growing at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, such as the variety ‘Romano’ have been returning since the late 1990s. I’ve led a life comparable to a house flipper, so my knowledge regarding the longevity of …
Story and Photo by Russell Studebaker As a cut flower, Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria) has long been a favorite of florists as a cut flower. And now hardy cultivars, such as ‘Inca Ice’, extend their use in our gardens. This cultivar has been bred for large blooms on shorter, compact stems, which gives long-lasting blooms from mid-summer …
Story by Russell Studebaker One doesn’t usually think of orchids growing outside in Oklahoma; however, the hardy Chinese orchid is an exception, and after a few years, clumps of this perennial can become so vigorous in the garden that division may become necessary. Some years ago, I saw a planting in Tulsa that had was …
‘Millenium’ ornamental onion Story by Russell Studebaker The Perennial Plant Association chose Allium ‘Millenium’ as the 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year. This herbaceous perennial and relative of the garden onion was bred by Mark McDonough, horticulture researcher from Massachusetts, and introduced by Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, N.C., in 2000. ‘Millenium’ (yes, the name was …
‘Golden Delicious’ pineapple sage Story and Photos by Peggy Hill You may have grown pineapple sage before, but have you tried the cultivar ‘Golden Delicious’? It is spectacular! It has everything you love about pineapple sage: It’s a hummingbird and butterfly magnet, it’s deer resistant, and it’s heat tolerant. When crushed, pineapple sage’s foliage smells …
Story by Peggy Hill Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) was chosen as the featured native plant for the 2018 Birmingham Botanical Gardens spring plant sale, and Gail Snyder, Native Plant Group chairperson, explains why: “Zizia aurea is one of our lesser-known native plants, and therefore it is sadly underutilized. We hope that featuring Zizia will encourage …
A profile of ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia Story and Photos by Peggy Hill Many people make the mistake of designing their gardens around flowers. They concentrate on creating pleasing blends of colors and flower shapes. While blooms are important, your focus should be on exciting foliage combinations; the flowers that come and go are merely the …
‘Ruby Spice’ summersweet Story by Denise Pugh If you’re out in the garden sometime in July and smell a sweet aroma and see pink blooms that resemble miniature bottlebrushes, and a plethora of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds attending these blossoms, you might be the owner of the award-winning Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice.’ This shrub …
