Shrubs

Annuals FruitPerennials Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: The Right Plant in the Right Place

Probably the simplest way to start with foodscaping in your yard is to substitute plants. Look at the ornamental flowers, shrubs and trees in your yard and consider similarly sized and shaped alternatives that are edible as well. With the advent of so many new plants that blur the line between edible and ornamental, it’s not so hard anymore to find the right substitute for your yard. This process may start simply because a plant has died, died back significantly or outgrown its location and has to be removed. When looking for a substitute...

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Houseplants Shrubs

How to Grow: Tropical Hibiscus

Sun Requirements full sun Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Blooms from spring to fall and is a broadleaved evergreen Mature Height x Spread 8 to 15 feet x 5 to 10 feet, although can be larger in tropical areas such as Hawaii Tropical hibiscus is an evergreen shrub that is only hardy to USDA zone 10-11. This means it's limited to growing outdoors in the United States to subtropical areas of California, Texas, Arizona and Florida as well as Hawaii. It's often grown as a foundation plant or mixed with other subtropical plants and flowers in...

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Shrubs Vines

How to Grow: Trumpet Vine

Campsis radicans   Other Name trumpet creeper   Sun Requirements full sun, part sun, part shade   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Mid summer to fall with red, orange or yellow flowers   Mature Height x Spread 10 to 30 feet x 5 to 10 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, attracts hummingbirds, native, deer resistant   This aggressive, woody vine produces large clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers, prized by hummingbirds. The flowers give way to bean-shaped pods. It also has attractive, long dark green leaves made of 7, 9 or 11...

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Garden Design & CareHouseplantsPodcast Shrubs

How to Grow: Unusual Holiday Wreaths

Learn about creating unusual holidays wreaths made from native materials. Listen to podcast: Holiday wreaths adorn may houses this time of year. While I love the traditional evergreen wreath with pine cones, winter berries, and dried grasses, you can also get creative about what you use to make a wreath. The first type of wreath I like to call the “morning walk” wreath. This is a wreath made from natural materials you find along your morning walk in the woods or fields. Bring along your hand pruners and a bucket and snip colorful dogwood...

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FruitPerennials Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: USDA Hardiness Zone Map

The new USDA plant hardiness zone map splits the country into 13 zones (which includes Puerto Rico), with a and b half zones, based on average winter minimum temperatures over the past 30 years. Although not the last word on plant hardiness and survival, the map has been a touchstone for gardeners to compare plants and determine which are best for their area. The USDA Hardiness zone map was last updated in 2012 and now they have a new 2023 version. As you might expect with global warming, the hardiness zones have shifted. In 2012 there was...

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Annuals Shrubs

How to Grow: Valentine’s Flowers

  The conventional gift in America on Valentine's Day is the cut-flower rose. And at this time of year, 30 cargo jets are flying every day between Bogota and Miami, bringing all those roses to America. The vast majority of rose growers are in Ecuador and Colombia, which often use pesticides. In fact, if you handle cut-flower roses, you should wash your hands after, because there could be a lot of chemical residue still on them. But a new movement is afoot in the cut flower industry. Farms are being certified, stating to their...

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Shrubs

How to Grow: Viburnum

Learn about growing viburnum shrubs including information on varieties. Listen to podcast: podcast transcript Viburnum spp and hybrids   Other Name sweet viburnum   Sun Requirements full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Spring in colors of pink, white, and red with colorful fruits and fall foliage color   Mature Height x Spread 6 to 12 feet x 6 to 10 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, attracts hummingbirds, native, edible, fall color   Viburnums are a diverse group of easy to grow, native, deciduous shrubs...

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Shrubs

How to Grow: Weiglea

Weigela florida   Other Name Old fashioned weigela   Sun Requirements Full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Late spring to early summer in colors of white, pink and red   Mature Height x Spread 2 to 10 feet x 4 to 12 feet   Added Benefits attracts hummingbirds, deer resistant   Weiglea is an old fashioned shrub that has undergone a bit of a Renaissance. While the traditional form of weigela is a large shrub with arching stems, green leaves and pink or red flowers, newer varieties have more compact growth and a...

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Podcast Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: White Fringe Tree

Listen to this podcast on how to grow and care for the white fringe tree or Chionanthus in the landscape.   I love the common name of the tree Chionanthus viginicus. Old Man's Beard is a good description of the white flowers that bloom in May and June. It's one of the later leaving-out and blooming spring shrubs and trees. The fragrant flowers grow in six- to eight-inch-long clusters, covering the tree when in bloom. They seem to droop off the stems, like a white beard. It's also call the fringe tree -- not for its edginess, but for...

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Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: Willow

Sun Requirements Full sun to part shade Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Blooms in spring, but flowers are generally insignificant except for pussy willow buds (catkins) Mature Height x Spread Depending on the species can be 4 feet to 100 feet tall. Willows (Salix) are a diverse group of temperate climate shrubs and trees. Plants range from the dwarf arctic willow shrub that reaches 4 feet tall and wide, to the black willow tree that can stand 100 feet tall. These fast growing plants have similar lance-like leaves and flexible branches....

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