Shrubs Ideas, Tips & Guides

TRY NATIVE SHRUBS IN YOUR LANDSCAPE

Do you have small space to plant or little time to garden? Then look no further than a shrub rose. A potted Star® Landscape Shrub Rose blooms from spring well into fall frost with little care for year-round color and non-stop blooming

Most shrubs are low-maintenance plants that grow well for years with little attention. However, it is important to start with species well adapted to the local climate and soils. Thousands of shrubs range from dwarfs that hug the ground to tall, tree-like specimens. Before selecting any for your garden, it pays to look around and study those thriving in established landscapes of nearby neighborhoods. Remember that mature shrubs often look very different from their young counterparts sold in pots.

(Aza’lea). Botanists now classify all plants they once called Azaleas as Rhododendrons. Garden lovers still use Azalea for deciduous or leaf-losing kinds and for a few that are not, and the name Rhododendron for evergreen kinds which have large, leathery leaves. In the treatment that follows, Azalea is used as a common name and Rhododendron as the scientific name, thus, when a species is named it is written, for example, R. calendulaceum instead of A. calendulacea.

This is the time of year when garden pundits tell their disciples to bring in branches of forsythia, pussy willow or flowering quince for indoor bloom.

Commemorating Olaf Rudbeck (1660–1740) was a Swedish professor of botany and counselor of Linnaeus (Compositae). Coneflower. A genus of about 40 herbaceous plants, mostly perennial and hardy, natives of North America, related to Echinacea. The flowers are showy, daisy-like, often with drooping petals and conspicuous conical centers. Most of them are excellent herbaceous border plants and are valuable for late summer effect in the garden.

It used to be so easy in my father’s day. In mid-winter, gardeners received mail-order catalogs from many far-flung nurseries and plant purveyors. Mailboxes groaned under the weight of all the catalogs, but no one minded because there is nothing like looking at pages and pages of perfect annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees on a gray, uninspiring day at the end of January. With the holidays over and spring yet to happen, catalogs satisfied the universal hunger for color, light, and rebirth. Besides, unless there is a flu epidemic, nothing else happens between New Year’s and Valentine’s Day.

Ever seen plants that look like a person's funny bottom? Nature has a sense of humor, giving us plants that playfully resemble human butts. From cheeky succulents called Lithops to comically bottom-shaped Butternut Squash and peaches with a peachy behind, there's even a plant named «Horse’s Balls.» Find out more below.

There are many different types of flowers to grow in your garden, adding interest, colour and food for wildlife. Types of flowers can range from annuals to perennials, climbers to ground cover, and spring flowers to summer flowers. Flowers also come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colours.

A constant, old-fashioned garden favorite! Hollyhocks have been universally admired for hundreds of years. They are stately, majestic, towering plants that add beauty wherever they are grown. What other plant has such a stately habit or so many transparent, lovely colors In single plants or masses against walls or buildings, in groups at the back or rear of the perennial border, interspersed with low shrubbery or in bold masses along drives or walks, they are alike effective Many delicate plants will give their fullest effects the first year, so they are planted to advantage in the newly made garden when the trees and shrubs are low. The general effect is too bare of color and foliage.

Fast growing, evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub reaching up to 6 feet tall and about as wide. Leaves are bright green, ovate to lance-shaped to 5 inches long, sometimes lobed or heart-shaped at the bases. Grown for showy, pendent, bell-shaped flowers with purple stamens protruding from yellow petals and red calyces. Blooms from summer to autumn. This plant was a favorite of Victorians, growing well in bright conservatories and relocated outside in containers during warmer months. Whiteflies, spider mites, scale insects and and mealy bugs maybe a problem. May be grown outside year round in frost-free areas or against warm wall or protected space in marginal areas. Use in shrub border, container garden, or as espalier.

For many of us, this scenario may sound familiar: You move into a new house and everything is perfect—except that huge rhodie out front that is threatening to swallow the porch. Or, maybe you purchased a gorgeous lilac several years ago and now it is enveloping half the front walkway. I like to call the culprits in these cases the “beasts” of the garden: perfectly wonderful shrubs that tend to get out of hand. Perhaps you planted them at the start of your gardening career; or maybe you simply inherited a property with 1 (or 6) of these beasts already in place. Sometimes, you don’t want to get rid of the shrub completely, but after many decades of being ignored, you need to get things in check. Luckily for overwhelmed gardeners, there are specific ways to get these imposing monsters under control once and for all. True, there are far more beasts of the garden out there than are mentioned here—but you may be able to deal with them in a fashion similar to our three examples.

The garden in February is a place of hope and promise of things to come, though it can still be bitterly cold. This is a month of tidying up in earnest and pruning the last of your deciduous shrubs or trees before their new leaves start to emerge.

Witch hazels (Hamamelis) are one of winter’s most distinctive shrubs, their quirky, spidery blooms making them instantly recognisable even before you’ve breathed in their scent. At their peak, these are shrubs that make a lasting impression.

While flowers are so often fleeting, foliage will keep a garden display going for many months. And this is especially true of plants with variegated foliage, splashed yellow, cream or white. It can induce one of those ‘Marmite moments’ – you either love it or hate it – but the choice is so wide that there is surely a variegated plant to suit all tastes and every location. These plants can be used to great effect to illuminate a shady spot, add contrast to an otherwise green backdrop, act as a focal point or provide year-round structural interest. Try one of our ten favourites and you may well be converted.

This winter we are pruning our member’s and viewers’ fruit trees as we have done for the last 3 years

Pots and containers offer the gardener great versatility and are a fantastic way to experiment with planting and design. From short-term bedding displays to permanent features of small trees and topiary, planting in pots adds another dimension to the garden, softening corners, brightening dull spots and providing instant, yet easily changeable, results.

6 Ways Winter Can Damage Plants Take these steps to avoid winter damage to plants in your garden! How to avoid winter damage to plants

If you’re wondering how to move plants, remember that deciduous trees and shrubs – those that lose their leaves during winter – are dormant now, so this is the best time to uproot them. Any time during autumn and spring when the branches are bare will  minimise the upheaval to them. Evergreens can be moved too, but you are better off waiting until late March for those, when the soil is starting to warm up again.

Botanical Name: Fallopia japonica

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Today we’re visiting Gail Bromer’s beautiful garden at the top of the continental divide in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina:

2024's Best New Garden Plants: Shrubs and Trees Make a big impact in your garden border with a colorful new tree or shrub from this lineup of new introductions for 2024! 2024's Best new trees and shrubs

‘Topiary’ refers to evergreen plants that are clipped or trained into an extensive range of shapes and sizes. They have classy looks and year-round appeal. These strikingly architectural plants suit a range of locations in the garden, from pots and front gardens to raised beds, borders, and hedges.

When you think of a gothic aesthetic, you likely think dark and moody colors, low lighting, all-knowing crows, and a dusty collection of antiques. The style probably doesn't make your mind automatically go to a flourishing garden—but that could change in 2024.

When and How to Prune Umbrella Plants (Schefflera)

Growing plants at home can be a rewarding experience, but not all plants are suitable for indoors. Lets have a look at ones that might not be a good choice, especially if you have children at home or if you are fussy gardener.

These Jungle Bathroom Ideas are the perfect remodeling project to give your bathroom an extreme makeover and enhance the natural touch and aura with some freshness and greens.

From the pointy foliage of the holly to the stand-out agaves, plants with prickly leaves can be quite a unique addition to any garden!

Do you want to create a serene and soothing atmosphere in your home? Consider adding these Beautiful Japanese Indoor Plants!Caring for Japanese house plants is a rewarding experience, as they thrive indoors with minimal effort.

Our largest tit, the great tit has a black head with white cheeks and a green-yellow breast and belly with a black strip running down the centre. In males the strip is a symbol of status and indicates whether or not he will be a good father – the broader the strip, the better the male.

While a light hand is apropos for many pruning jobs, sometimes a judicious but heavy hand is needed. Rejuvenation pruning is a heavy-handed but efficient method to bring overlooked, overgrown, and mismanaged shrubs back to their full potential. It is performed by removing every branch at or a few inches above ground level with a sturdy hand saw, loppers, or even a small chainsaw. For many shrubs in Mid-Atlantic gardens, winter is the perfect time to perform rejuvenation pruning. This is because in our zonal range, most woody plants are dormant and therefore exposed cuts are less likely to become pathways for pests and diseases (which are also dormant). And, when spring weather finally arrives, the shrubs will be perfectly poised  to push new, healthy growth.   

Who isn’t transfixed by an avenue of lime trees leading to the green shade of a sitting area, or by a path meandering through low ground covers and into a birch grove? What about the tightly shaped boxwoods that contrast so well with the soft, flowing plant around them? These are architectural plants—ones whose structures give the garden a strong sense of design. They might include deciduous trees with a branching structure that creates year-round interest, or evergreen shrubs whose flowers highlight soft, mounding foliage. Well-considered architectural plants can elevate a garden from ho-hum to “Oh my.” The best of them can replace garden art, serving as a focal point for a collection of plants that needs something extra.

Watching birds feeding, displaying and collecting nest material in the garden is the most wonderful way to connect with the natural world. Whether you are listening to chiffchaffs singing while you are weeding the borders in spring or watching redwings feeding in the snow, birds bring life and joy to our gardens throughout the year.

 Each ‘T’ tree is a unique character – from the Tulip Tree with its vibrant flowers to the towering Teak, renowned for its durable wood. Let’s have a look at some wonderful Trees that Start With T!

Blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) are medium-sized, beautiful birds loved for their striking blue plumage with white underparts and black markings on their wings and tails.