Tussock Bellfower 'Blue Uniform': Featured Plant of The Day

Campanula carpatica 'Blue Uniform'
    Tussock Bellfower,  Carpathian Bellflower,  Carpathian Harebell

Type    Perennial
Hardy range    4A to 8B
Height    6" to 9" / 15cm to 23cm
Spread    10" to 12" / 25cm to 30cm
Growth rate    Fast
Form    Spreading or horizontal
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Bloom Color    Blue
Bloom Time    Summer

The flowers are showy and suitable for cut flowers.

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

Leaf Color    Green

This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes
Campanula will not do well in dry or wet soils or if humidity is high.  As long as there is adequate drainage, this herbaceous plant will easily spread to show off its numerous bell-shaped flowers.  It's a good idea to remove spent flower heads for continuous blooming.

Japanese Stewartia: Featured Plant of The Day

Stewartia pseudocamellia

Japanese Stewartia

Type Tree, woody plant

Hardy range 4B to 7B

Height 25' to 40' / 7.60m to 12.20m

Spread 15' to 20' / 4.60m to 6.00m

Growth rate Slow

Form Oval and pyramidal

Exposure Full shade to full sun

Persistence Deciduous

Bloom Color White

Bloom Time Summer

The flowers are showy.

Environment This plant tolerates drought and occasional wetness.
This plant will grow in very dry to occasionally wet 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 Purple, red and yellow
This plant has attractive fall colors.

Culture Notes Japanese Stewartia is probably the most well known and most available of the Stewartias. Most trees are seen growing in partial shade but with occasional irrigation in dry summers or an extensive mulched area around the tree they can do well in full sun. An acid soil pH is preferably to an alkaline pH. Trees develop chlorosis in soil with a pH greater that about 7. Most trees grow with a central trunk straight up into the canopy unless the tree was improperly topped in the nursery. Most lateral branches stay smaller than the trunk so they develop good attachment to the trunk without pruning.
Transplant as a small tree from a field nursery in early spring or from a container of any size at any time. Plants flower in the early summer when few other plants are in flower. Can be trained to a single leader and used as a street tree or in a parking lot island or buffer strip. Provide a loose, acid soil for best performance. I (Dr. Gilman) have seen plants in full sun in zone 7 in hard clay without irrigation perform nicely.

Use as a street tree This plant can be grown as a multi-trunk tree for use in highway median strips and in landscapes, or can be used as a street tree where there is not a need for tall-vehicle clearance beneath the crown. The small stature and low, spreading, branching habit makes pruning for vehicular clearance difficult unless it is properly trained from an early age to develop one main trunk. The effort required initially to train this tree for street tree use, however, may be offset by its advantages.

Maintain adequate mulch area Clear 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 specifications Choose 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.

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'Ruffled Ruby' Daylily: Featured Plant of The Day

Hemerocallis x 'Ruffled Ruby'

Daylily

Type Perennial

Hardy range 3A to 10A

Height 24" to 36" / 60cm to 90cm

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

Growth rate Fast

Form Irregular or sprawling and upright or erect

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Deciduous

Bloom Color Red

Bloom Time Summer


The flowers are very showy and suitable for cut flowers.

Environment This plant tolerates drought.This plant will grow in moist 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
This plant has attractive foliage.

Planting And Establishing Shrubs

The 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.

Lavender Globe Lily: Featured Plant of The Day

Allium tanguticum
    Lavender Globe Lily

Type    Biennial, perennial
Hardy range    3A to 7A
Height    8" to 16" / 20cm to 40cm
Growth rate    Fast
Form    Upright or erect
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Bloom Color    Lavender
Bloom Time    Spring and Summer

The flowers are suitable for cut flowers and suitable for dried flowers.

Environment
This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy or sandy.
The pH preference is  a neutral soil.

Leaf Color    Green

Culture Notes
A. tanguticum is put to good use when used as an ornamental or edging plant.  Its flat, linear leaves are shorter than the stems, thus showing off the sphere-shaped blooms.