Page 124

15 Essential Spring Gardening Jobs: A Checklist

Once the snow melts and temperatures begin to warm, it’s the perfect time to get outside and start prepping your garden for the upcoming season by completing these key spring tasks.

After being cooped up through the winter, many people are jumping at the chance to get outside and start working in the yard and garden as soon as the temperature makes it pleasant. It may be too early yet to start planting the whole garden, but there are plenty of essential jobs to tackle in the meantime.

The following 15 tasks don’t take a lot of time individually, so you can spread them out over a few weekends while you wait for the first planting day. They will get your garden in the best shape possible for the upcoming season.

1. Check for winter damage

Walk around your garden, scouting the area for any damage that occurred during winter. Look closely at retaining walls and other hardscaping structures, checking for cracks due to the ground freezing and thawing. Repair any damage before it can worsen.

2. Do a thorough cleanup

Pick up any limbs and branches that fell during the winter, and clean out any debris left in the garden from last season. Make sure to rake leaves out of the corners of flower beds and away from the soil above your perennial plants.

3. Turn on the sprinkler system

Plants may not need any extra water yet, but this is the perfect time to turn your sprinklers back on and get them ready. Check supply lines for leaks or cracks, clean out drippers or emitters filled with soil, and adjust the spray pattern of pop-up heads.

4. Test the soil

Every year before planting, you should check the pH of the soil. Use a home kit to run a quick pH test or send a soil sample to a professional lab for a small fee. Every couple of years, you should have a thorough soil test analysis to check nutrient levels.

5. Amend garden beds

Topdress the garden soil with two to three inches of finished compost or well-aged manure, working the top six to eight inches of the ground to improve the organic matter content. Add a slow-release fertilizer to the soil per the soil test recommendations.

6. Clean and sterilize containers

Pull flower pots out of winter storage and scrub them with a brush and soapy water to remove residual soil. As an extra safeguard against any possible diseases from the previous season, soak them in a 10% bleach solution for 15 minutes and allow them to air-dry.

7. Build new beds

Before you get busy with weekly lawn mowing and other chores like weeding the garden, build any new beds (garden or raised) that you’ve wished for so they’re ready to plant once the temperature is suitable.

8. Prune shrubs and trees

Start by pruning out anything damaged or broken due to cold temperatures, snow, and ice. Prune flowering shrubs that bloom on new growth (roses, butterfly bushes, and hydrangeas) and evergreen shrubs before they start growing for the season.

9. Divide perennials

As your perennials start to emerge from the ground, this is the perfect time to divide them if the clumps are getting too large. Dig a hole wider than the plant and gently lift it out of the ground with a shovel. Divide into smaller clusters, and replant.

10. Put out trellises and plant supports

Pull out trellises and all plant stakes from winter storage and clean them using water and a scrub brush. Touch up paint or stain if needed, and then secure them in place before the plants grow too tall and get unruly.

11. Refresh mulch around perennials

Before your perennials take off for the year and shrubs fill out with leaves, throw a couple of inches of new mulch down around the base of the plants. Mulch helps to retain soil moisture and also reduces weed seed germination.

12. Plant frost-tolerant flowering annuals

Even though the nighttime temperatures may still drop into the 30s and 40s — or higher depending on where you live — this is the perfect time to plant annuals that can handle a touch of frost. Pansies, geraniums, and petunias all tolerate cold temps.

13. Plant cool-season vegetables

Vegetables classified as cool-season types grow best when the temperatures are cooler in the spring and late fall. Once the ground is thawed, you can plant peas, radishes, onions, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and some lettuce types.

14. Plant new trees and shrubs

Early spring is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. Getting them in the ground at the beginning of the season gives them months to establish roots, making them less susceptible to winter damage when temperatures drop in November and December.

15. Apply pre-emergent

If you aren’t planning on direct sowing seeds in the garden, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide to keep weeds at bay. This herbicide interferes with growth processes so seeds can complete the germination process.

Conclusion

Spring is the perfect time to get outside for a couple of weekends and get a jump start on your gardening. Instead of waiting to do all the work when it’s time to plant, start by cleaning out your beds, pruning, turning on the sprinklers, and getting all of your supplies ready. It’s also the perfect time to plant new trees, frost-tolerant flowers, and cool-season veggies!

Air Plants

Best Rosaceae Flowering Trees That Blooming in Spring

Known as Rosaceae, includes thousands of species that can add a distinct flair to your garden. Many of these plants grow as trees that offer spectacular blooms during the spring. There are some of the best early spring flowering tree species in this group.

Hall crabapple

Hall crabapple (Malus halliana) is a native ornamental tree in China that is often grown for beautification purposes. The fragrant blooming flowers of Hall crabapple have the distinctive smell of sweet musk. In China, this tree is often called chui si hai tang.

Asiatic apple

Asiatic apple (Malus spectabilis) is a species of crabapple tree that is cold hardy and tolerant of many growth conditions. It blooms from April to May and its fruit ripens from August to September. The small apple-like fruit has a sweet and sour flavor. This tree has been a favorite in China for many centuries. This species grows best in full sunlight and moist, well-drained soil.

Black cherry

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a medium-sized, deciduous forest tree native to the Americas, but also naturalized in parts of Europe. It features inflorescence with small white blooms that become clusters of dark cherries, edible when pitted. Mature trees have gray-to-black, distinctly crackled bark. The glossy leaves are poisonous to livestock. It is a highly reproductive pioneer species with invasive potential.

Flowering almond

A large ornamental shrub, the Flowering almond or Prunus triloba, bears prolific pale pink blossoms in the spring. This shrub responds well to pruning, which will help it retain its compact size. Its red fruits are attractive to a variety of wildlife.

Japanese apricot

The blooms of Japanese apricot are the sign of an upcoming spring in China. They bloom in late winter on bare branches, often appearing under a blanket of snow. The tree has an important cultural significance in East Asia, while its sweet, edible fruit has various culinary uses. Many varieties of Prunus mume are cultivated worldwide as ornamental trees.

Yoshino cherry

The Yoshino cherry is native to Japan and produces small black fruits and characteristic white-pink blooms in the spring that give off a peculiar faint almond fragrance. A batch of these trees were famously gifted to the United States by the government in Tokyo and now stand in Washington D.C.

Bird cherry

Bird cherry (Prunus padus) is a small deciduous cherry tree in the subgenus Padus. This species is native to Europe, where it is also known as the Mayday tree because of its historical importance in spring (May Day) festivals. The Bird cherry is pollinated by bees and flies. The leaves, stems, and fruits of this species can be toxic to some mammals. In the past, the bark of this tree was traditionally placed near doorways as a spiritual gesture to ward off the plague.

Peach

Peach is native to Northwest China. China, Spain, and Italy are the top three producers of peaches world-wide. The peach is also the state fruit of Georgia. Peach production in the US in 2017 was valued at $599 million. The fruit has a yellow or white flesh, a sweet aroma, and a skin that is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines).

Common hawthorn

Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a flowering tree that is actually part of the rose family. It is not unusual in garden settings and arranged as hedges. Examples of famous Common hawthorn trees include the apocryphal oldest tree in France, and a well-known hawthorn in England that stood out for flowering three times a year.

Cherry plum

Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a deciduous small tree or a shrub native to Southern Europe and Western Asia. It is one of the most common wild fruits of its native region, producing numerous, rounded, yellow, red, or burgundy-colored, sweet, juicy fruit in summer and autumn. Cherry plum is also used as an ornamental tree, and as rootstock for other Prunus species.

7 Plants That Provide Erosion Control

Plants that offer erosion control are incredibly useful in gardens where erosion is a problem. Ground cover plants and shrubs with strong root systems and broad leaves are particularly helpful, as they hold back soil and soften the impact of rain. Is erosion a problem in your garden? Here are the seven best erosion-controlling plants.

Common periwinkle

Common periwinkle (Vinca minor) is a trailing evergreen subshrub that forms large, dense colonies. Because of this quality, Common periwinkle is commonly used in landscaping as a groundcover. It is a mildly toxic plant, but due to its pungent taste, it rarely gets ingested in amounts significant enough to cause toxic effects.

Creeping phlox

Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) is a flowering plant native to the United States. The Latin name Phlox subulata means needle-shaped, which describes its leaves. Creeping phlox is sometimes confused with marijuana due to its similar smell.

Weeping forsythia

Weeping forsythia (Forsythia suspensa) is commonly known as the golden bell because of its bright yellow leaves. It is native to Asia and has been cultivated by Chinese growers for centuries. Weeping forsythia was named after Scottish botanist William Forsythia.

Creeping thyme

Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a flowering plant species related to mint that smells like herbal lemon. It is native to Europe and North Africa and popular in ornamental gardens for borders and ground cover.

Creeping juniper

Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) is a juniper shrub native to North America, particularly Canada. Creeping juniper is mainly grown as an ornamental plant for ground cover in gardens. There are over 100 cultivars of Creeping juniper.

Spotted dead nettle

Spotted Dead Nettle is most often known as a ground cover plant that does well in the shade. It has a habit of growing low to the ground in cold seasons and tall if conditions are warm. Although its name sounds sinister, the Spotted Dead Nettle does not sting or burn like other nettles – hence the term ‘dead’ nettle. One cultivar of the species produces yellow leaves rather than the characteristic green-and-silver ones.

Creeping lilyturf

Creeping lilyturf (Liriope spicata) is an herbaceous flowering plant native to East Asia. It is commonly used in landscaping for ground cover. Blackish berries develop on this plant in the fall season.

12 Evergreen Flowering Plants to Add to Your Garden

For a gardener, evergreen flowering plants really are the best of both worlds. They provide a constant backdrop of lush green to your outside space and they also give you a pop of color! The 12 evergreen flowering plants in this list are a helpful addition to any garden, so be sure to consider them in your future gardening plans.

Japanese camellia

The Japanese camellia is a small tree or shrub with glossy green leaves and showy white, pink or red flowers. Native to Japan, it has since spread around the world and is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, even becoming the official state flower of the U.S. state of Alabama. In China, it is considered a symbol of good luck and is a staple of many New Year’s celebrations.

Japanese pieris

Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica) is an evergreen shrub that produces chains of small flowers. But be careful, it can cause seizures and temporary blindness if consumed by animals or people. Even so, is sometimes grown in the foundation portion of gardens along with other shrubs.

Cape jasmine

Gardenia jasminoides is an evergreen shrub with unique, glossy evergreen leaves and stunning flowers. The sophisticated, matte white flowers are often used in bouquets. The exceptional beauty of this ornamental plant has made it a popular and highly appreciated plant amongst gardeners and horticulturalists.

Common periwinkle

Evergreen azalea

Rhododendron indicum is a small semi-evergreen flowering shrub native to East Asia, colloquially known as Evergreen azalea. It produces a great number of lovely pink flowers during the blooming time, which is why Evergreen azalea is often used for ornamental purposes. There are many cultivars of this gorgeous plant and some are used for bonsai.

Lenten rose

The Lenten rose has been cultivated since the Germans began to do so in the mid-1800s, with varieties being created in the United Kingdom shortly after. Between the 1920s and 1960s, there was little interest in its cultivation until Helen Ballard bred new varieties. They blooming early in the year hence they get their name of “Lenten rose”.

Creeping phlox

Mountain laurel

The Mountain laurel is most known for its reproductive methods, in which it creates tension on its stamens and flings its pollen onto insects. It is possible for the Mountain laurel to release pollen in a range of up to 15cm.

Fringe flower

This evergreen shrub is used in outdoor landscaping. It flowers in early spring. Some varieties of Fringe flower grow green leaves and white flowers. A more popular maroon-leafed variety hit the US market in the 1980s, which flowers in eye-catching pinks or reds.

Evergreen candytuft

Evergreen candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) is a flowering plant native to southern Europe. The Latin name Iberis sempervirens refers to the plants appearance and means “always green.” Evergreen candytuft is popular in gardens due to the aesthetic value of its blossoms.

Winter heath

Both the foliage and the flowers of Winter heath (Erica carnea) add welcome color to a winter garden. It is suited to borders, containers, rock gardens, and banks and will bloom profusely throughout the winter. Extremely hardy, it will even bloom beneath the snow and become visible only when the snow melts.

Daphnes 'Carol Mackie'

Daphnes ‘Carol Mackie’, a daphne cultivar, is a small, rounded shrub boasting pink, fragrant flowers, which are best kept in a smaller garden. The plant’s hybrid name “burkwoodii” is in honor of the brothers Albert and Arthur Burkwood who were English plant hybridizers.

Bleeding Heart: Beauty, Deep Emotion

Among the many ephemeral springtime flowers, none is more elegant or unique than Lamprocapnos spectabilis, commonly known as “bleeding heart.” This beloved perennial features fern-like leaves and gracefully arching stems strung with dangling pink heart-shaped flowers from which a single drop of white protrudes.

Bleeding heart was first discovered in Asia by a member of the Royal Horticultural Society and brought to England in 1946. However, there is also a wild bleeding heart species native to North America, fringed bleeding heart.

Old-fashioned pink bleeding hearts have been in cultivation the longest, and after attempts to hybridize the Asian and North American species failed, it became clear that the two species were not closely related. A new name was in order, which is why sometimes you see bleeding hearts referred to as Dicentra spectabilis and other times as Lamprocapnos spectabilis. L. spectabilis is the old-fashioned bleeding heart, though in older texts you will find them referred to as D. spectabilis — now used only for fringed bleeding hearts.

Bleeding Hearts in Story & Symbolism

Bleeding hearts carry different meanings, depending on whom you ask. Often associated with beauty and deep emotion, it sometimes symbolizes lost love or sorrow. This may have something to do with a story that gardeners like to tell their children, deconstructing a bleeding heart blossom to illustrate:

Once there was a man who fell in love with a wealthy lady (hold the bloom upside down, and part the red lobes to show the lady surrounded by her pink skirts) and longed to win her love. First, he gave her a pair of exotic rabbits to keep her company (peel off the outer two petals, placing them on their sides, with the “ears” facing up). She happily accepted the gift, but told him that she did not love him.

Still, he persisted, presenting her with the most beautiful earrings he could afford (take the pair of long, white inner petals and hold them against your ear lobes). The lady accepted the earrings but still declared that her feelings were unchanged. Desperate to change her mind, he offered her luxurious silk slippers (take the inner “drops” and lay them in the palm of your hand). She happily placed them on her feet, but announced that she would never love him.

Heartbroken, the man realized his love was in vain. He pulled a dagger from his belt and plunged it into his own heart (remove the dark green stamen from the center of the flower and using the earrings to form a heart shape, “pierce” the heart with the green spear).

As the man fell to the ground, the lady realized, too late, that she loved him. “My heart is broken!” she cried out, “and will bleed forevermore.” Where his blood fell, the first bleeding heart grew, and her heart still bleeds, to this day.

Popular L. Spectabilis Varieties

The native bleeding heart species are pink, but several wonderful cultivars in different colors exist:

L. spectabilis x “Alba” — This cultivar features creamy white blooms that offer bold contrast to its dark foliage.
L. spectabilis x “Gold Heart” — This variety offers the same pink blooms as the common bleeding heart but differs in the golden-yellow foliage instead of the typical deep green.
L. spectabilis x “Pearl Drops” — The heart-shaped blooms are white tinged with a delicate pink, and they hang in clusters from the tips of bloom stems.
L. spectabilis x “Valentine” — Deep scarlet flowers with white interior stamens and petals provide dramatic contrast against silvery gray-green foliage.

Can I Grow Bleeding Hearts Successfully?

The delicate-looking Lamprocapnos spectabilis is actually a hardy woodland species, and given the right conditions is easy to grow and maintain. Bleeding hearts can be successfully cultivated from seed sown outdoors in the fall, but most gardeners prefer to start them indoors or in cold frames for six to eight weeks before transplanting outdoors. A foolproof method for growing is to buy plants in pots and transfer them into moist soil in a partly shaded spot in fall or spring. Every few years, divide the clumps and plant in other areas of your garden.

Bleeding hearts make fantastic border plants, but one word of caution is that they go dormant in summer, and may die back to the point that they are difficult to locate. They are best paired with other perennials that will fill in the space they leave during dormancy, and you may want to mark their locations so that you can find them when it’s time to divide clumps.

Size: 2-3 ft (60-90 cm) tall 1-3 ft (30-90 cm) spread

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9

Light Duration: Full sun, part shade

Soil: Moist, well-drained but consistently damp soil rich with organic matter

Blooming Time: Late spring to early summer

Forget-Me-Not: True Love, Constancy

From late spring to early summer, clouds of knee-high, misty-blue forget-me-not blooms are a feature of traditional cottage gardens. The charming flowers are tiny but profuse, with evergreen leaves and pale white or yellow eyes. While old-fashioned, the classic beauty of the forget-me-not has ensured that it never goes out of style.

Although not a standalone cut flower, myosotis sylvatica forms a hazy-blue carpet that offers a backdrop to bold-colored spring bulbs like tulips or daffodils. Some varieties come in white or even pink, but the hardy M. sylvatica is the ideal garden species for low-maintenance, perennial masses of blue blooms.

Woodland forget-me-nots are part of the family Boraginaceae, native to Europe. Myosotis is Greek for “mouse ear” and is a reference to the plant’s soft, hairy leaves. The buds emerge pink before opening to five blue petals surrounding a star-like burst of white and yellow.

Forget-me-nots in Ancient Lore

The origin story of the common name of the forget-me-not comes from a German legend. A clump of blue flowers floating on the surface of the Danube River caught the eye of a knight as he strolled by with his lady. So enraptured by their beauty that he forgot the weight of his armor, he reached into the water to gather them and fell into the water. As he was carried away by the current, he called out to his love, “Forget me not!”

The Symbolism and History of Forget-me-nots

Forget-me-nots carry an ancient association with true love and constancy, which will come as no surprise to the gardener who sees them return every spring on their own. On the 29th of February — each leap year — it is traditional to give these plants to friends or to people embarking on a journey. The enduring association carried by myosotis blooms is that of fidelity, remembrance, and respect.

Forget-me-nots have deep roots in their native Europe, beginning in 1398, when Henry IV chose the forget-me-not as his emblem while in exile. He retained them as his royal emblem after his return, cementing their associations with loyalty. In early 1900s Germany, Freemasons shared the flowers with each other as a reminder to remember the poor they served. After the rise of the Nazis, Freemasons substituted the flower for the traditional square and compass imagery in order to identify one another secretly, without being detected by the Nazis. The symbol is still used by German Freemasons today.

In Newfoundland, Canada, the hardy, resilient little bloom came to represent the endurance, strength, and toughness of the Newfoundland troops. Forget-me-nots are still worn by some old-timers on Memorial Day in memory of the Newfoundlanders who died in WWI, especially those lost in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.

Popular Myosotis sylvatica Cultivars

Though most commonly known for their pale color blue, Myosotis sylvatica varieties come in several shades of pink, white, and varying depths of blue. The most popular are the following:

Myosotis sylvatica x “Blue Basket” — This tall, erect variety can reach up to 12 inches (30cm) tall, with deep blue flowers
Myosotis sylvatica x “Rose” — This heirloom variety is compact, low, and covered in dense, rose-pink flowers
Myosotis sylvatica x “Snowsylva’ — A favorite variety, this forget-me-not is covered in bright white flowers from early spring to late summer
Myosotis sylvatica x “Ultramarine” — This dwarf variety forms a dense, very deep blue carpet of flowers on compact 6” mounds
Myosotis sylvatica x “Victoria Pink” — An early spring bloomer, this variety features dainty, pink flowers atop very compact mounds

Can I Grow Forget-me-nots Successfully?

Luckily, forget-me-nots are among the easiest ornamental flowers to cultivate. They grow freely in almost any type of soil and benefit from light shade. You can sow seeds in spring, but most gardeners find that an autumn sowing results in a more impressive display. Once forget-me-nots are established, further propagation is as simple as pulling up plants after their blooms are spent and laying them down in a shady place. The seeds will drop, germinating hundreds of new plants. Thin them to 6” apart or transplant them to areas you want carpeted in blue each year.

Size: 6”–1’ (15cm–30cm) tall 9”–2’ (22cm–60cm) spread

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8

Light Duration: Full sun/Part shade

Soil: Moist, well-drained soil of any PH

Blooming Time: Mid to late spring, early to mid summer

Flowering Dogwood: Innocence, Purity, Spirituality

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a type of all-season ornamental plant. You can enjoy its flowers in late winter and in the spring, enjoy its fruits in the summer and fall and its leaves in late fall. This type of bush or small tree is originated in the Eastern US. Now they are one of the most common garden plants across the US. The shape of the flower has become a commonly used icon and has appeared in various clothing embroideries and household decorative items.

Petals in disguise

Flowering dogwood has four oval and vibrant “petals” that aren’t really petals at all, bracts of the inflorescence. Their actual flowers are the green flowers with the umbrella-shaped inflorescence that come together in the middle of the bracts. Only when the flowers have bloomed for two weeks will the four bracts fully expand.

Bracts of wild flowering dogwood will gradually change color from green to white while the flower is maturing. Eventually, it turns slightly pink. With breeding, flowering dogwood has improved varieties with pink and red bracts.

Flowering dogwoods are fragrant and attract a lot of butterflies during the blooming season. After the little green flowers die, they bear berries. When the berries become ripe, they turn bright red and are a favorite treat for birds. However, use caution because these fruits are slightly poisonous for humans and are not edible.

Colorful Dogwoods

Flowering Dogwood is a member of the Cornus family of plants. These plants include many practical landscape gardening plants, including small trees with beautiful flowers, shrubs with beautiful leaves and fruits, and plants that have beautiful branches in the winter or even herbaceous flowers. While planting them in the garden, you should mainly consider the type of plants, functionality, size, and other requirements to make sure they match your space and desired appearance.

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida)

In North America, the flowering dogwood is one of the most common small trees with beautiful flowers and its flowers and fruits are both aesthetically appealing as ornamental trees. Planting flowering dogwood with white bracts and pink bracts together is a very popular gardening combination.

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mus)

Cornelian cherry dogwood is a large shrub that blooms yellow flowers in early spring with its fruit being fully ripe in the second month of the summer. The translucent fruits are not only beautiful but also tasty. They can be eaten fresh or be made into wines. In English, the word Cornell, or red agate, is originated from this type of fruit.

White Dogwood (Cornus alba) and Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus services)

Different from other ornamental plants, the unique parts of white dogwood and red-osier dogwood are the stems. After winter comes, the color of their stems turns to the color of a deep red like red corals or a bright yellow, creating a vibrant contrast with its darker environment color. Planting them with Helleborus, Corm and other plants that have a blooming season in the winter or early spring can achieve surprisingly beautiful results.

Creeping dogwood (Cornus canadensis)

Creeping dogwood is a type of herbaceous ground cover plant with roots and stems that grow and develop horizontally. Every year during the seasonal change of spring and summer, they bloom with beautiful four-petaled white flowers, then bear edible bright red berries. In the fall, the leaves turn purple and red. Their colorful foliage adds a unique element to your garden.

Can I grow flowering dogwood well?

The water needs for the flowering dogwood is moderate. It requires minimal maintenance (while shrubs require relatively more pruning). Therefore, they are suitable for green hands to plant them.

Flowering dogwood can be planted in all seasons, but preferably in the fall. It likes sunlight. When there is ample sun exposure, its flowers have deep colors. If it lacks sun exposure the lifespan can be shortened or it can be wilted. Every year after the leaves fall from this plant, remember to keep them and mulch back into the soil. This can improve the fertilization of the soil and increase its water draining capability. After leaves fall, you can apply some nitrogen intensive organic fertilizer or normal fertilizer. In the early spring of the next year, you can apply additional compost as fertilizer. This way you will be able to ensure the vigorous livelihood of the blooms of flowering dogwood.

The commercial nursery plants of flowering dogwood are usually grafted; you can also graft it yourself or use seeds to grow them. Please note to inquire about the supplier if the nursery plants have dogwood anthracnose resistance. This type of disease is common in the Eastern US. Pay attention and prune branches that hang too low. This will help improve the resistance to dogwood anthracnose for your flowering dogwood.

One last tip: The costs of purchasing nursery plants in early winter are likely lower.

Size: 10 m (33 ft) high, often wider than its height when mature

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5-9

Sunlight: full sun to partial sun

Soil: Rich, fertile, moist and well-drained soil, slightly acid or neutral

Bloom time: Spring

Azaleas: Wealth, Elegance

Azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) are perennial shrubs, with both evergreen and deciduous varieties, whose flower season lasts from early spring to early summer. The flowers grow at the tips of the branches, singularly or in a bundle, with five petals in each flower and a thin, long stamen slightly rolling upwards. Azaleas bloom in luxuriant, flourishing clusters.

With many fragrant sub-species, azaleas are eye-catching bloomers crowned with the title “King of shrubs”. Loved by people around the world, azaleas have over ten thousand hybrid varieties to choose from after decades of hybridization selection.

The common commercial varieties of azaleas are in colors like white, magenta, pink, salmon, crimson, and orange. There are also two-toned and remontant varieties. Blossoming azaleas attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other types of birds, and are tolerant of hare disturbance. Fully bloomed azaleas are popular gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Azalea? Rhododendron?

Rhododendrons (or “Rhodies”) are usually larger plants in the genus Rhododendron with big blooming clusters, while azaleas are associated with smaller members in the genus.

There are some hybrid dwarf Rhodies that highly resemble azaleas in plant size and shape, such as Rhododendrons ‘Blue Diamond’ and Rhododendrons ‘Nova Zembla’.

The Rich and Colorful "Rhododendron Festival"

At the famous Rhododendron Festival in North Carolina, people tend to spend more time talking about the beauty contest held there, forgetting about the flowers. However, the endless fun activities taking place during the festival lure thousands of visitors to the region each year to witness a special moment for the plant.

The Rhododendron Festival takes place at both Bakersville, North Carolina, and Roan Mountain, Tennessee, simultaneously in the last two weeks of June each year. The highlight of the Festival is viewing the blossoming of famed Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) native to Roan Mountain.

Besides relishing rhododendrons and watching the famous beauty contest, you can also take a stroll in the local handicrafts market, listen to live bands at the music festival, or take a look at the Classic Car Show for only 2 dollars. You can even sign up to join a USA T&F certified 10 km race.

Can I grow decent azaleas?

It’s no easy task to grow azaleas well. Azaleas like scattered light and mild temperature. They require some shading when planted in gardens to keep direct sunlight away. They also require humus-rich, acidic soil with good drainage. After planting in early spring, remember to add a few shovels of manure compost to the soil. Keep the plants safe from frost in early spring and from the freeze in winter. One bit of good news is that azaleas don’t need much pruning. Deadheading after the flowers fade is pretty much all that you need to do.

The challenge of growing azaleas lies in their delicate, shallow root system, which makes the plant intolerant to waterlogging, drought, and high-concentration fertilizers. One of the solutions for garden cultivation is to build flower beds and cover them with organic mulch, while another option is to use pot cultivation and water thoroughly once the surface soil turns dry. It’s advised to fertilize the plants frequently in small, diluted dosages.

Another challenge has to do with the chlorosis of the plant’s leaves. Gardening beginners can purchase soil and fertilizers specially tailored for azaleas to reduce the chance of chlorosis.

Please be aware that the entire azalea plant is poisonous. Keep your children and pets away from eating any of its parts by mistake.

Size: 1-8 feet tall; 2-10 feet wide

Hardiness: USDA Zones 3-11. Different azalea varieties vary dramatically in the cold-resistant capability. Please consult your local supplier for details.

Sunlight: Full sun, Partial sun

Soil: acidic (pH 5.0-6.0), moist and well-drained, rich in organic matter

Bloom time: early spring to early summer; mid-summer to early fall

12 Ground Cover Plants That Deer Don’t Eat

For a gardener, there’s nothing more frustrating than when deer make your carefully tended garden plants their next meal. Fortunately for you, there are lots of brilliant ground covers that you can plant in your garden that deer won’t touch, and we’ve created a helpful list of 12 of them!

Common periwinkle

Catnip

Nepeta cataria is a herbaceous perennial plant commonly cultivated as a garden herb called Catnip. It is commonly used to flavor herbal teas, juices, and soups. Catnip is widely known for its peculiar behavioral effect on cats, so people commonly use it as a toy stuffer or treat for their feline pets.

Wintercreeper

Euonymus fortunei, commonly known as Wintercreeper, is an evergreen shrub native to East Asia. Wintercreeper is an ornamental plant, often used as a groundcover and climbing plant, due to its ability to grow like a vine. It is regarded as an invasive species in many parts of North America.

Sweet woodruff

Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a perennial herb that grows from 6 to 12 inches tall. Popular for its fragrant leaves and lacy, star-shaped flowers that blossom in spring and summer. It prefers shady locations and makes an excellent ground cover under trees and other shaded conditions. Thrives in moist, well-drained soil.

Spotted dead nettle

Garden thyme

While best known for culinary purposes, Garden thyme has historically seen use in embalming rituals and as incense. In the kitchen, it most often ends up as a flavoring herb or brewed in tea. Garden thyme was gifted to warriors in the Middle Ages because it was supposed to spur courage and energy.

Northern sea oats

Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) tolerates shade better than most other varieties of ornamental grasses. However, you can also grow it in direct sunlight if you make sure to give it enough water. This species forms enormous colonies that help protect riverbanks from insidious erosion. The seed stalks make a welcome addition to dried flower arrangements.

Creeping lilyturf

Basket of gold

Cheery, bright yellow clusters of blooms on small mounding plants give this plant its name, Basket of gold. This striking plant grows well in average soil as long as it is well-draining and not over-fertilized. Basket of gold, or Aurinia saxatilis, works as a ground cover, in rock gardens, or trailing over the borders of flowerbeds. It is deer resistant and attractive to pollinators.

Wall germander

Wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) is a creeping evergreen perennial that thrives in temperate areas where the temperature doesn’t often dip below freezing. Wall germander is commonly grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive, aromatic foliage and its pink or purple flowers. The flowers lure in pollinators and are an excellent pollen source for honey bees.

Large yellow loosestrife 'Alexander'

With its upright growth habit, upbeat garden performance, and golden yellow flowers that bloom throughout the summer, the Large yellow loosestrife ‘Alexander’ is set apart from other loosestrife cultivars. Its byname of Alexander was named after Donald Stuart Alexander, the late husband of discoverer Pauline Alexander. The Large yellow loosestrife ‘Alexander’ is a naturally occurring cultivar, set apart by its leaf color mutation and creamy white foliage.

Bugleweed 'Atropurpurea'

While its parent plant Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) has deep green foliage, the Bugleweed ‘Atropurpurea’ cultivar was selected to have darker, purple-bronze leaves. The cultivar was named after this feature—”atro” means “dark” and “purpurea” refers to the color purple.