Red Twig Dogwood Arctic Fire

Botanical Name: Cornus sericea "Farrow" ARCTIC FIRE
Common Name: Red Twig Dogwood
Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Zone:  3-7
Growth Rate: Average
Height X Spread: 3-4’ H x 3-4’ W
Bloom Time: May-June
Bloom Description: Tiny white flowers
Foliage Description: Ovate medium green leaves 2-5" long
Soil:  Rich, moist, well-drained
Water: Average
Prune: Early Spring
Fertilizer: Hollytone
Fertilizing cycle: Late spring after flowering
Special Maintenance: Prune all stems to the ground every 2-3 years
Pests & Diseases: Leaf and twig blights

Notes: Farrow is an upright spreading dwarf red twig dogwood shrub that is primarily grown for its bright red winter stems. It typically grows 3-4’ tall and wide. Remove 25% of the oldest stems in early spring to promote new growth.  Prune all stems to the ground every 2-3 years for renewal. Medium green leaves become red/orange in fall.

Siberian Iris Caesar’s Brother

Botanical Name: Iris sibirica "Caesar’s Brother"
Common Name: Siberian Iris "Caesar’s Brother"
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Zone: 4-9
Growth Rate: Fast
Height X Spread: 36" H x  24" W
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Description: Violet blue flowers
Foliage Description: Narrow green "lance" like foliage
Soil: Average to moist, slightly acidic (6.0-7.0)
Water: Regular, will tolerate wet soil
Prune: None
Tidy: Remove spent bloom stalks to prevent reseeding
Fertilizer: Balanced 10-10-10 or 14-14-14
Fertilizing cycle: Early spring and again after blooms fade
Special Maintenance: None
Propagation:  Division in spring
Pests & Diseases: Less susceptible to iris borer and soft rot than other varieties

Notes:  Siberian Iris is a low maintenance plant which has roots that grow deep into the ground allowing it to tolerate a wide range of soil conditions. It prefers full sun but will also grow in part shade.  Its elegant violet blue blooms last only 1-2 days but the grass like foliage will stay green into the fall.  Siberian Iris attracts butterflies and is resistant to deer.  It works well as a specimen or in mass plantings.

For more information visit the Society for Siberian Irises.

Phlox “Emerald Blue”

Botanical Name: Phlox subulata "Emerald Blue"
Common Name: Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Sun
Zone: 3-9
Growth Rate: Moderate
Height X Spread: 4-6" H x 3' W
Bloom Time: Spring
Bloom Description: Lavender Blue 
Foliage Description: Sharply pointed needle like green leaves
Soil: Average, well drained
Water: Regular, drought tolerant
Prune: After blooms fade
Fertilizer: All purpose
Fertilizing cycle: Spring, first sign of growth
Propagation:  From herbaceous stem cuttings
Pests & Diseases: None

Notes: Phlox is a hardy evergreen groundcover that is stunning in the spring when it blooms with bright blue flowers.  This variety of Phlox does well in rock gardens and borders, and easily spreads over curbs, retaining walls and sidewalks.  It is drought-tolerant, deer resistant, and attracts butterflies.

Hopi Crape Myrtle

Botanical Name: Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei “Hopi”
Common Name: Crape Myrtle “Hopi”
Plant Type: Shrub or small tree, semi-dwarf
Light Requirements: Full Sun
Zone: 6-9
Growth Rate: Fast
Height X Spread: 10' H x 10' W
Bloom Time: Summer - fall
Bloom Description:   Clusters of pink blooms
Foliage Description:  Dark green glossy leaves in summer, orange red in fall
Soil: Average, well-drained
Water: Regular, drought tolerant
Prune: Late winter
Tidy:  Deadhead
Fertilizer: General purpose or Holly Tone
Fertilizing cycle: Feed before new growth begins in spring
Special Maintenance: None
Propagation: Semi-hardwood cuttings taken during growing season
Pests & Diseases: Disease resistant

Notes:  Hopi can be planted in groups or as an individual specimen. Blooms start in mid July and fade into seed capsules in the fall when the leaves take on an outstanding orange red color. Deadhead to encourage a second bloom.   Hopi can be kept as a shrub with yearly pruning or allowed to grow to its full height as a specimen tree.

Prune any time during the late winter before new growth begins.  Avoid fall pruning which can encourage new growth and keep the plant from going dormant.  To maintain as a shrub, prune back to about ½ its size. Hopi can tolerate a hard pruning.

To develop as a tree, choose three to five shoots growing from ground level as the main trunks, and remove the remaining shoots.  Remove the side branches from the main trunks about halfway up their height.

Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Baby Sun’

Botanical Name: Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Baby Sun’
Common Name: Tickseed
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Sun
Zone: 4-9
Growth Rate: Fast
Height X Spread: 15-20” H x 12“ W
Bloom Time: Late spring through fall
Bloom Description: 2-inch yellow daisy like flowers with orange center
Foliage Description: Bushy upright stems with medium green narrow leaves
Soil: Well drained, neutral pH
Water: Regular, drought tolerant
Tidy: Deadhead for continuous bloom
Fertilizer: 1 small handful of Espoma Flower Tone
Fertilizing cycle: In spring before new growth begins
Special Maintenance: Cut back to the ground in the fall
Divide: Divide clumps every 2-3 years in the spring
Propagation: Sow seeds in a seedbed in mid-spring, root basal cuttings in spring
Pests & Diseases: Aphids, powdery mildew

Notes: Coreopsis is a drought tolerant plant, but it needs regular watering (1 inch a week) in the first season to establish a deep root system.  Coreopsis attracts butterflies and is ideal for cutting.  Do not over fertilize or you’ll end up with a tall floppy plant.  A small handful of general purpose slow acting fertilizer, such as Espoma Flower Tone, in the spring should be enough for the whole season.  If you want the plant to reseed, leave the dried blooms on the plant at the end of the season.  The flower seeds will mature and drop off the plant into the soil.

Plant Profile: Japanese Painted Fern

Botanical Name: Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
Common Name: Japanese Painted Fern
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full or Part Shade
Special Attributes: Deer resistant
Zone: 5-8
Growth Rate: Moderate
Height X Spread: 15" H x 18" W
Bloom Time: Does not bloom
Bloom Description: Does not bloom
Foliage Description: Grayish-green silvery leaves with burgundy stems
Soil: Neutral to acidic, moist, well-drained, sandy
Water: Regular
Prune: None
Tidy: None
Fertilizer: Shredded leaves and rich compost
Fertilizing cycle: Spring
Special Maintenance: Cut back old fronds after spring growth begins
Propagation: Spring or Fall division or from spores
Pests & Diseases: Slugs and snails

Notes: This low maintenance perennial is happy in the shade, but requires a little bit of sunlight for the most vibrant frond color. Morning sun is best. Regular watering is fine provided the location is naturally moist. Otherwise, more frequent watering would be required. It’s an excellent choice as either an accent or border plant near ponds or streams and contrasts nicely with hostas.

Christmas Cactus

Botanical Name: Schlumbergera bridgessii
Common Name: Christmas Cactus
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Part Sun – bright light but not direct sunlight
Zone: 10
Growth Rate: Moderate
Height X Spread: 1’ H x 1‘ W
Bloom Time: Based on light, temperature and water regulation
Bloom Description:  Tubular pink, purple, orange, red, or cream
Foliage Description: Green flattened leaves, scallop-edged margins
Soil: Rich, well drained
Water: Regular, water when top half is dry, water less in winter
Tidy: Pinch off at joints to encourage more branching
Fertilizer: Balanced (10-10-10) liquid houseplant fertilizer
Fertilizing cycle: Spring - at first sign of new growth
Special Maintenance: Control environment to encourage blooms
Propagation:  Cuttings of flat-joined stems inserted into vermiculite
Pests & Diseases: Flower drop from too much or little water, or radical change in environment

Notes: Christmas Cactus is a winter-flowering houseplant native to the Brazilian rain forests. Even though it’s called a cactus, it’s not a desert cactus and will scorch in direct sunlight. It’s available in a wide variety of colors including red, purple, orange, pink, fuschia, and cream. In general, it’s an easy to care for plant. However, it does require three things to bloom: long nights, cool temperatures, and limited watering.

To encourage a Christmas bloom, start controlling your plant’s environment about 6 weeks before Christmas by placing it in a dark closet overnight (for about 14 hours). During the day, keep it in a cool 50-55 degree room in indirect light.  Reduce watering during this 6 week period so that the plant is on the dry side. Once you see buds start to form, resume regular watering.  To keep your Christmas Cactus happy, give it some humidity by placing a cup of water nearby. Or, fill a waterproof tray with pebbles, and add water to the tray about half way up the pebbles. Then, place your plant on top of the pebble tray.

Christmas Cactus is sometimes confused with Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and Easter Cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) which have slightly different leaf and bloom characteristics.

Hibiscus syriacus

Botanical Name: Hibiscus syriacus
Common Name: Rose-of-Sharon, Shrub Althea
Plant Type: Shrub or Tree
Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
Special Attributes: Deciduous
Zone: 5-9
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate
Height X Spread: 8-12’ H x 4-10’ W
Bloom Time: June - September
Bloom Description: Red, Pink, White or Purple Flowers
Foliage Description: Dark green ovate leaves, 2-4 inches in length
Soil: Average, Acid, Well Drained
Water: Regular (moderately drought tolerant)
Tidy: Pick off leaves that show signs of leaf spot
Fertilizer: Acid
Fertilizing cycle: Spring
Propagation: Cuttings
Pests & Diseases: Leaf spot, cankers, rust, aphids, spider mites

Notes: Rose-of-Sharon is an easy to grow upright flowering shrub in the Malvaceae family. It’s a slow grower that can reach up to 12 feet in height. There are approximately 220 cultivars that bloom in many colors, but the ones most commonly seen at your local nursery have a flower color that is red, pink, white or purple. Flowers stay open for one day and then close at night. Blooms form on new growth so pruning and shaping can be done at any time, however the best time to prune is in late winter or early spring. Rose-of-Sharon can tolerate a hard pruning. Frequent hard pruning results in fewer, but larger, blooms. Infrequent pruning results in many smaller blooms. Rose-of-Sharon can also be shaped into a small specimen tree.

Heuchera “Can Can”

Botanical Name: Heuchera "Can Can"

Common Name: Coral Bells "Can Can"
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Sun, Full Shade
Zone: 4 - 9
Growth Rate: Moderate
Height X Spread: 12" H x 12" W
Bloom Time: May - June
Bloom Description: Bright pink flowers
Foliage Description: Redish purple curley edged leaves
Soil: Average or Moist, well-drained, neutral pH
Water: Regular
Tidy: Remove faded flower spikes
Fertilizer: All Purpose
Fertilizing cycle: First sign of spring growth
Special Maintenance: Divide in March-April
Propagation: Division
Pests & Diseases: Black Vine Weevil

Notes: This plant is a great choice if you want to add a little color to a shade garden. Heuchera will grow in moist soil, but doesn’t like to sit in water so make sure the soil is well-drained. It will grow in full sun, but prefers a little shade during the hottest part of the day. The foliage may discolor or die back during very hot spells in full sun. It stays low to the ground so it can be placed in the front of the garden bed. Heuchera is an easy to grow, low maintenance plant.

Hydrangea quercifolia ''Snowflake''

Botanical Name: Hydrangea quercifolia "Snowflake"

Common Name: "Snowflake" Oakleaf Hydrangea

Plant Type: Shrub
Light Requirements: Part Sun, Part Shade
Special Attributes: Deciduous
Zone: 5-9
Growth Rate: Moderate
Height X Spread: 8’ H x 6’ W
Bloom Time: Early summer through fall
Bloom Description: Creamy white 15 inch dense panicles of double flowers occurring on old wood
Foliage Description: Dark green oak-like leaves with a coarse texture. Leaves become shades of purple in fall.
Soil: Moist, Well Drained, Acid
Water: Average
Tidy: Prune after flowering to maintain size. Prune out weak or damaged stems in early spring.
Fertilizer: Acid
Fertilizing cycle: Twice yearly – once in early spring, again after flowering in summer
Special Maintenance: In zone 5 plant in sheltered location and protect in winter.
Propagation: Take softwood cuttings in early summer, hardwood cuttings in winter.
Pests & Diseases: No serious problems. Occasional leaf blight or aphids.

Notes: The Oakleaf hydrangea is one of the few hydrangeas native to the United States. This large deciduous shrub is great in borders or as a focal point. It is a low maintenance plant that needs little pruning and does well in sun or shade. Although they can tolerate more sun than the typical Hydrangea, plant in an area with some afternoon shade for the best results. The irregular peeling bark on the stems provides winter interest.

Plant Profile: Liriope Muscari Variegata

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Botanical Name: Liriope Muscari Variegata
Common Name: Lily Turf
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full Sun to Full Shade
Special Attributes: Drought Tolerant, Low Maintenance
Zone: 5-10
Growth Rate: Average
Height X Spread: 12" H x 18" W
Bloom Time: August - September
Bloom Description: Purple stems with spikes of violet flowers. Dark purple berries in autumn.
Foliage Description: Dense clumps of linear dark green leaves edged with white.
Soil: Well drained, average to acidic soil
Water: Regular
Tidy: Shear in early spring
Fertilizer: All Purpose
Fertilizing cycle: Early Spring and Mid Summer
Divide: In spring
Propagation: Spreads naturally by rhizomes. In spring, sow seed in containers outdoors or divide plants.
Pests & Diseases: Anthracnose, leaf spot, root rot, and slugs

Notes: Liriope is an easy to grow, low maintenance plant that works well as an edging plant or ground cover. It tolerates a wide range of light and soil conditions and also tolerates heat, humidity and drought making it a great choice for any garden.

Plant Profile: Stachys byzantina

Botanical Name: Stachys byzantina
Common Name: Lamb’s Ear, Wooly betony
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full Sun (afternoon shade in very hot climates)
Special Attributes: Drought tolerant

Zone: 4-7

Growth Rate: Spreads quickly

Height X Spread: 12” H x 24” W

Bloom Time: Early Summer

Bloom Description: Pink/Purple flowers (rarely flowers)

Foliage Description: Oblong elliptic wooley gray-green leaves

Soil: Moist well drained soil is best but will survive in average to dry soil

Water: Regular

Tidy: Clean out dead foliage regularly

Fertilizer: Balanced slow-release fertilizer

Fertilizing cycle: Spring at first sign of growth

Divide: In spring

Propagation: Division of the root mass; often self-seeds

Notes: Lamb's ear is a low growing, mat-forming perennial in the mint family that is grown for its velvety white wooly leaves, rather than its flowers. The leaves are 2-4 inches long. Flower spikes appear in early summer and are 12-18 inches high. It is often used as edging in garden design. There are approximately 300 species of Stachys.

Plant Profile: Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'

Botanical Name: Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'

Common Name:  bishop’s weed, gout weed

Plant Type: perennial

Zone: 4-8

Growth Rate: average

Light Requirements: full shade, part shade

Special Attributes: invasive, ground cover

Height x Spread: 12” x 12” (indefinite spread at a moderate rate)

Bloom Time: May-June
Bloom Description: tiny white flowers
Foliage Description: light green and white ovate leaves
Soil: average, well drained
Water: regular (water well in summer)
Tidy: shear to remove unsightly leaves and promote new growth
Fertilizer: none
Diseases: Leaf Blight in hot and humid summer climates

Notes: Easy to grow in dry to medium well-drained soil in part sun or shade. Foliage will often scorch in hot, dry, full sun conditions. Spreads by underground stems (rhizomes) and can be aggressive.