Foliage plants are fine but it is the flowers we all want! And if we get them sooner, like without waiting for too long after planting would be great, right? Well, you are in for a treat!
03.05.2024 - 14:18 / finegardening.com
One group of plants you can use to create a blooming bridge between spring and summer are azaleas (Rhododendron spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9). As one of the most popular shrubs in the southeastern United States, they can last for generations with proper establishment and care. On the flip side, poor cultural practices can lead gardeners to disappointment. There are many types: native, nonnative, hybrids, reblooming, evergreen, and deciduous. No matter which type you choose, many of the basics for growing great azaleas stay relatively consistent.
Learning how to properly install your new azalea will set you up for success. Before you plant, make sure your shrub is well watered. You don’t want to plant an azalea stressed from having a dry root system. This is a good tip for any shrub you are planting.
Azaleas have a fine, fibrous root system and are shallowly rooted. Not planting too deeply is imperative. I asked azalea expert Robert “Buddy” Lee about establishing azaleas in the garden. Buddy has more than 40 years of experience in nursery management, plant breeding, propagation, and new plant development, and his work includes developing the reblooming Encore group of hybrid azaleas. He told me, “When planting, it’s best to position the azalea root ball in the hole at least 2 to 3 inches above the grade of the bed. Keeping the plant positioned correctly, backfill the hole with the available soil and secure it snugly into position. Cover the top portion of the roots by mounding the soil upward and over the roots. Make sure that you do not place more than a couple of inches of soil on the top portion of the root system. Then lightly mulch the ground around the plant with no more than 2 to 3 inches of mulch.”
Mulching is an
Foliage plants are fine but it is the flowers we all want! And if we get them sooner, like without waiting for too long after planting would be great, right? Well, you are in for a treat!
Like many northern gardeners, I had red-hot poker envy for many years but ruled out growing them because of their iffy -chances of surviving winter in my region. However, I am very excited about some of the newer Kniphofia introductions we are growing at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Being able to overwinter a South African plant in the Midwest is pretty cool, right?
Orange ‘Fire King’ wallflowers and reddish-purple ‘Slawa’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Rem’s Favourite’ tulips in Sarah Raven's cutting garden.
Happy Monday GPODers!
TODAY’S TOPIC is orchids, but not the ones you might be growing as a flowering houseplant. Our subject is native terrestrial types that are more often than not under great pressure in the wild, their numbers dwindling.
There’s no need to wait months to enjoy the delicious flavor of homegrown peas as you can grow pea sprouts and shoots year-round inside your home. These nutrient dense foods are quick and easy to grow and you don’t need fancy equipment to produce a bumper crop of sweet, tender pea sprouts and shoots. In this article you’ll learn the difference between sprouts and shoots, discover how to plant each type, get growing tips, and find out when to harvest. Pea sprouts and pea shoots You may have noticed there are a lot of terms used for describing immature pea plants: sprouts, microg
Harvesting lettuce is not always like snipping off the entire plant the moment you see the leaves plump and full. To make sure you let the plant stay to provide you more leaves, there’s an art to cutting its leaves and this is where we come to help you!
If you often purchase arugula in those plastic containers at the supermarket, have you considered planting arugula yourself? This peppery green is easy to grow in gardens and containers. And, if you choose the right variety, it’s perennial. For a spicy summer salad option, read this guide to planting arugula. If you’ve ever read a British or Australian recipe and wondered what rocket or roquette is, well, it’s arugula. I explain more ab
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Your dull walls can be transformed by some quick greenery and colorful blooms of these fast growing indoor vines, making your interiors look stunning!
Hebes are popular evergreen shrubs, mostly native to New Zealand although some are native to Australia and South America. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are suitable for growing in a range of sites and planting schemes. Hebes are excellent in shrub borders, used as ground cover or low-growing hedging, and are relatively low-maintenance.
Do you remember that garden Bunny Guinness designed at Chelsea Flower Show in 2011? You know, the one with the beautiful hazel-hurdle-raised-beds burgeoning with edibles and ornamentals. Well, if you don’t, it was stunning. I could not stop staring at its honed perfection. But, I thought at the time, ‘this is a Chelsea Garden that can’t be recreated in reality’. So, was I right? Can you combine ornamentals and vegetables without either party being compromised? Can you truly make a space that is at once pretty, productive and practical?