Carousel Mountain Laurel, Featured Plant of The Day

Kalmia latifolia 'Carousel'

Mountain Laurel, Calico Bush, Ivy

Type Shrub, woody plant
Hardy range 4A to 8A
Height 6' to 10' / 1.80m to 3.00m
Spread 6' to 10' / 1.80m to 3.00m
Growth rate Slow
Form Oval
Exposure Full shade to full sun
Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Pink and white
Bloom Time Spring
The flowers are very showy.

Environmen
This plant tolerates some drought.
This plant will grow in dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to neutral (less than 6.8 to 7.2) soil.
Leaf Color Green

Fall Color
No change in fall color


Culture Notes
Mountain Laurel does best on moist, acid soils of moderate fertility and drainage and can tolerate sunny locations, if provided with sufficient moisture and not allowed to dry out. Plants in a sunny spot flower better. Mountain Laurel is not salt tolerant. Mountain Laurel is ideally suited to natural landscapes and other low-maintenance gardens where it can be allowed to grow to its natural form and size, with pruning only to remove spent flower heads and dead branches. Provide good drainage or plants die. Like many shrubs, amending the entire planting bed, not just the planting hole, with organic matter such as pine bark or peat improves root and shoot growth.
All parts of the plant are poisonous causing watering of the eyes, nose and mouth followed by vomiting, abdominal pain, and low blood pressure. Plants perform poorly in zone 8B and south. Young plants in 3 gallon containers can be forced to produce flowers in spring with spray applications of certain growth regulators. In spring or early summer, all plant surfaces need to be covered with the spray in order to be effective. No shoot growth takes place in the growing season they are sprayed so perform any necessary pruning well before application.

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.

Daphne, Featured Plant of The Day

Daphne sericea

Daphne

Type Shrub, woody plant

Hardy range 8A to 8B

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

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

Growth rate Slow

Form Rounded

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Pink and salmon
Bloom Time Spring and Summer
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
This plant has attractive foliage.
Culture Notes Wonderful small shrub for a rock garden or small landscape. Do not over water daphnes.

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.

French Lace Weigela, Featured Plant of The Day

Weigela florida 'Brigela (French Lace™)'
    Old Fashioned Weigela,  Rose Weigela

Type    Shrub, woody plant
Hardy range    4B to 8A
Height    24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m
Spread    24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m
Growth rate    Slow
Form    Rounded, upright or erect and vase shaped
Exposure    Full sun
Persistence    Deciduous

Bloom Color    Red
Bloom Time    Spring

The flowers are very showy.

Environment
This plant tolerates some drought.
This plant will grow in 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, variegated and yellow
Fall Color    No change in fall color
This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes
Weigela grows best in a sunny location and moist soil.  Shaded plants are straggly.  Weigela also dislikes crowding.  The growth rate is moderate and the shrub transplants well, reaching a mature height and spread of only 2 to 4 feet.  Some annual dieback and winter injury make annual pruning necessary. It is best to perform any needed pruning immediately after they have flowered. Canadian cultivars (the so called Dance cultivars) are the most cold hardy. Plants suffer in the deep south eastern part of the US. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people.

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.

Eastern White Pine, Featured Plant of The Day

Pinus strobus 'Pumila'

White Pine,  Eastern White Pine

Type    Shrub, woody plant
Hardy range    3B to 7A
Height    8' to 15' / 2.40m to 4.60m
Spread    12' to 18' / 3.60m to 5.40m
Growth rate    Slow
Form    Oval and pyramidal
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun to full sun
Persistence    Evergreen

Bloom Color    Pink and yellow
Bloom Time    Spring

Environment
This plant will grow in moist soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy or sandy.
The pH preference is an acidic to neutral (less than 6.8 to 7.2) soil.

Leaf Color    Blue and green
Fall Color    No change in fall color

Culture Notes
White pine is a traditional favorite in northern landscapes that grows well in situations mimicking its native habitat. Unfortunately, few urban sites match this criteria. Try to provide loose loamy, acidic, moist soil with adequate organic matter. Young White Pines are quite tolerant of half-day shade while mature White Pines prefer a sunny location. They grow poorly and develop chlorosis and die on clay soil. Sites with an alkaline pH also causes decline. Trees appear to have little tolerance for drought, soil compaction and heat. Eastern White Pine suffers from application of roadside deicing salts and is sensitive to air pollution, especially ozone and sulfur dioxide.

Trees are probably best suited for zone 6B and north. Trees transplant easily but allow plenty of open soil space for root development. Trees perform poorly in restricted soil spaces. Needles in fascicles of 5.

Like most pines, trees best recover from transplanting when moved balled and burlapped, not bare-root. They also grow fine when planted from containers provided plants are not root bound.

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.