Ballota, Evergreen Perennial Of The Day

Ballota pseudodictamnus

Ballota

Type Perennial

Hardy range 8B to 10B

Height 12" to 20" / 30cm to 50cm

Growth rate Average

Form Spreading or horizontal

Exposure Full sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Pink and white

Bloom Time Spring and Summer

Environment This plant tolerates drought.
This plant will grow in dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy.
The pH preference is a neutral to slightly alkaline (6.8 to 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color Green and silvery
This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes This is an evergreen perennial that is tolerant of poor soils and hot dry areas. Protect from severe frosts and cut back in early spring.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You

Winter Jasmine, Evergreen Groundcover Of The Day

 Jasminum nudiflorum

Winter Jasmine

Type Groundcover, vine, woody plant

Hardy range 6B to 11

Height 24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m

Spread 4' to 8' / 1.20m to 2.40m

Growth rate Fast

Form Rounded, spreading or horizontal and weeping

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Yellow

Bloom Time Winter

The flowers are showy.

Environment This plant tolerates drought.
This plant will grow in very dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color Green
Fall Color No change in fall color

Culture Notes Growing rapidly in full sun or partial shade, Jasmine is tolerant of many soils but should be supplied with ample moisture. Most jasmines are basically a clambering shrubby vine and can be trained to cover trellises, arbors, or fences; but this one works great to cascade down a retaining wall. Stray shoots will grow from the vine or shrub as they reach the ground and root. Pollen and fragrance can cause slight to mild allergy symptoms.

This low-growing, sprawling, evergreen climber with multiple slender stems is usually pruned into a rounded shrub or groundcover but it looks best if only lightly pruned so it maintains the natural informal shape. Plants are stoloniferous and spread, but slowly.

Pruning into balls or squares assures that regular pruning will be required. It is often planted along slopes to stabilize the soil against erosion. This is a wonderful trailing ground cover that looks great in flower planted on top a retaining wall.

Planting and establishing shrubsThe most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.

Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You

Winter Daphne, Evergreen Shrub Of The Day

Daphne odora

Winter Daphne, Fragrant Daphne

Type Shrub, woody plant

Hardy range 7A to 9B

Height 36" to 5' / 90cm to 1.60m

Spread 36" to 5' / 90cm to 1.60m

Growth rate Slow

Form Rounded

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Pink and purple

Bloom Time Winter

The flowers are fragrant and showy.

Environment This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color Green
Fall Color No change in fall color

Culture Notes One of the best fragrance plants for the garden. Daphnes are notoriously difficult to grow in a garden but this one grows nicely in shade. Fruit is reported to be poisonous and pollen causes mild allergies.
Planting and establishing shrubsThe most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.
Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

Daphne odora 'Aureo Marginata'

Winter Daphne, Fragrant Daphne

Type Shrub, woody plant

Hardy range 7A to 9B

Height 36" to 4' / 90cm to 1.20m

Spread 36" to 5' / 90cm to 1.60m

Growth rate Slow

Form Rounded

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Pink and purple

Bloom Time Winter

The flowers are fragrant and showy.

Environment This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color Green, variegated and yellow
Fall Color No change in fall color
This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes One of the best fragrance plants for the garden. Daphnes are notoriously difficult to grow in a garden; grow this one in shade for best performance. Be sure soil drains well and there is plenty of organic matter in the soil. Fruit is reported to be poisonous and pollen causes mild allergies.

Planting and establishing shrubsThe most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.

Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You

Siberian Arborvitae Evergreen Shrub Of The Day

Thuja occidentalis 'Minuta'

Eastern Arborvitae, American Arborvitae, Siberian Arborvitae, Northern White Cedar, White Cedar

Type Shrub, woody plant

Hardy range 2A to 7B

Height 24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m

Spread 5' to 6' / 1.60m to 1.80m

Growth rate Slow

Form Rounded

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Yellow

Bloom Time Spring

Environment This plant tolerates some drought, flooding and a little salt.
This plant will grow in dry to wet or submerged soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.

Leaf Color Green
Fall Color No change in fall color

Culture Notes Transplanting is moderately easy if plants are root-pruned and either balled and burlapped or potted. White-Cedar likes high humidity and tolerates wet soils and some drought, but not salt exposure of any kind. The foliage turns brownish in winter, especially on cultivars with colored foliage and on exposed sites open to the wind. Many of the natural stands in the United States have been cut. Some remain in isolated areas along rivers throughout the East.
Foliage turns brown with the onset of cold winter temperatures. Some of the cultivars, including this one, retain their green foliage well into winter.

Planting and establishing shrubsThe most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.

Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You

River Birch Deciduous Tree Of The Day

Betula nigra minor

River Birch, Black Birch

Type Tree, woody plant

Hardy range 4A to 9A

Height 20' to 30' / 6.00m to 9.20m

Spread 25' to 30' / 7.60m to 9.20m

Growth rate Slow

Form Rounded

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Deciduous

Bloom Color Brown

Bloom Time Spring and Winter

Environment This plant tolerates some drought, flooding and a little salt.
This plant will grow in dry to wet or submerged soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to neutral (less than 6.8 to 7.2) soil.

Leaf Color Green
Fall Color Yellow

Culture Notes This is a small, dense version of the species. Bark exfoliates at a young age. It is very well-suited for planting along steam banks where it is native and in other areas which are inundated for weeks. River birch tolerates low soil oxygen, flooding, and clay soil and needs moist conditions. The tree requires an acid soil, otherwise it becomes chlorotic. River birch is hardy, grows rapidly, but tends to be short-lived (30 to 40 years) in many urban settings, possibly due to inadequate water supply.
Situate the tree so it receives adequate water. Not a tree to plant and forget due to irrigation requirement. The tree is not as susceptible to bronze birch borer as are other birches. Birches in containers tolerate moderately-high soil salt solutions up to about 6 mmhos/cm according to the saturated media extract method.
Wood is considered diffuse porous meaning that there is little difference in size of pores between spring and summer wood. Birch pollen causes significant allergy in some people but pollen is produced for only a short period and in small amounts. Seeds are attractive to birds including goldfinch and red poll.
Maintain adequate mulch areaClear all turf away from beneath the branches and mulch to the drip line, especially on young trees, to reduce competition with turf and weeds. This will allow roots to become well established and keep plants healthier. Prune the tree so trunks and branches will not rub each other. Remove some secondary branches on main branches with included bark. This reduces the likelihood of the main branch splitting from the tree later when it has grown to become an important part of the landscape. Locate the tree properly, taking into account the ultimate size, since the tree looks best if it is not pruned to control size. The tree can enhance any landscape with its delightful spring flush of foliage. It can be the centerpiece of your landscape if properly located.
Tree establishment specificationsChoose good quality trees for planting. The most common cause of young tree failure is planting too deep. In most instances, the point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk (referred to as the root flare zone or root collar) should be located just above the soil surface. You may have to dig into the root ball to find the root flare. If there is nursery soil over this area, scrape it off. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider because roots grow best in loose soil. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, extensive research clearly shows that there is no need to incorporate any amendments into the backfill soil. Simply use the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Simply planting with the topmost portion of the root ball slightly higher than the surrounding soil might still install the tree too deep - be sure to locate the root flare.
Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch to at least a six-foot diameter circle around the tree. This area should be at least two feet in diameter for each inch of tree trunk diameter and maintained during the establishment period. Apply a thinner layer of mulch directly over the root ball but keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. This allows rainwater, irrigation and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk and applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water.
Regular irrigation after planting encourages rapid root growth that is essential for tree establishment. Trees provided with regular irrigation through the first growing season after transplanting require about 3 months (hardiness zones 9-11), 6 months (hardiness zones 7-8), or one year or more (hardiness zones 2-6) per inch of trunk diameter to fully establish roots in the landscape soil. Trees in desert climates may take longer to establish. Trees that are under-irrigated during this establishment period (and most trees are) often require additional time to establish because roots grow more slowly. Be prepared to irrigate through the entire establishment period, especially during periods of drought.
Irrigation also helps maintain and encourage the desirable dominant leader in the tree canopy on large-maturing trees. Instead of a dominant leader, trees that are under-irrigated during the establishment period often develop undesirable, low, co-dominant stems and double leaders that can split from the tree later.
Unlike established plants, which do best with deep, infrequent irrigation, research clearly shows that recently transplanted trees and shrubs establish quickest with light, frequent irrigation. For trees planted in spring or summer, provide one (cooler hardiness zones) to three irrigations (warmer hardiness zones) each week during the first few months after planting. Daily irrigation in the warmest hardiness zones provides the quickest establishment. Following the initial few months of frequent irrigation, provide weekly irrigation until plants are fully established. With every irrigation, apply one (cool climates) to two (warm climates) gallons of water per inch trunk diameter (e.g. 2 to 4 gallons for a 2-inch tree) over the root ball only. In most landscapes that receive more than 30 inches of rain or irrigation annually, if the mulch area is maintained weed-free, irrigation does not need to be applied outside of the root ball. Never add water if the root ball is saturated.
In cooler hardiness zones, in all but the driest years, irrigation of spring- and summer-planted trees usually can be discontinued once fall color has begun. Irrigation of fall planted trees, however, should be continued until foliage has dropped from the deciduous trees in the region. In warmer climates, irrigate fall-and winter-planted trees as described for the spring- and summer-planted trees.
In drier, desert climates there is benefit to be gained from applying additional irrigation outside of the root ball area. This is best done by making a large diameter berm four to six inches high, then filling it with water so it percolates into the soil. For the first two years, irrigate twice each week through the spring, once per week in summer provided monsoons arrive, and twice each week again in fall if it remains warm. Taper off watering to once or twice each month in winter and resume twice weekly next spring. For years three to five, water twice per month in spring, summer, and fall and once or twice per month in winter. During years five through seven, water once every three weeks in warm weather and once every six weeks in winter. After this, the drought-tolerant desert trees should be able to survive on natural rainfall.
Trees with good, strong structure need no pruning at planting, except to remove broken twigs. Do not remove branches to compensate for root loss - research has shown that this can be detrimental to establishment.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Thank You