Shrubs

Mugo Pine, Swiss Mountain Pine

Posted in Featured Articles, plant profiles, shrubs Mugo Pines are dwarf trees, and they keep their shape well with yearly attention in the spring. . The right way and time to prune a mugo is when the new growth (candles) sprout out in mid spring; it doesn’t take very much time to trim them, then. This is the biggest question I get on the blog: when and how should I prune a mugo pine? The tip growth is called a...
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The Beautiful Annabelle

Posted in plant profiles, shrubs, white flowers There have been times when the full blossomed Annabelle fairly burst forth in the garden, and I was embarrassed by her almost obscene abundance of giant orbs of bloom. Ah, Annabelle, “my darling, my darling” – as the famous Poe poem goes, in the right place is no longer brazen, but a sumptuous hydrangea which can look lovely lining an allée, or in an awkward space created by...
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Ten Winter Features

Posted in Seasonal Interest, plant profiles, shrubs, trees Everyone has their opinion of what makes something a joy to the eye. In winter everything is finely edited by our cold weather and killing frosts, but that only means we have a showcase for some plants that make the winter landscape beautiful and interesting. Trees: Crabapples- the bigger and brighter the fruits the better, but all of them lend a cheery spot to the landscape. Try Malus...
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Alberta Spruce

Posted in Seasonal Interest, landscaping, plant profiles, shrubs Alberta spruce, Picea glauca ‘Conica’ is a favored dwarf evergreen for foundation and landscape use. I have grown them in both my rural and city garden. Their greatest drawback is the spider mite infestations they are prone to- which I never suffered in the city because I was in the habit of hosing off the bushes regularly. Out in the country it was a different story, but read on to...
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Viburnums: Plants for All Seasons

Posted in landscaping, plant profiles, shrubs The viburnums here are in full swing of spring bloom. Most gardens would benefit from one of these shrubs, or in my case, many of them. Here’s look at some of the differences in varieties, some of the assets of growing them, and the care information. The viburnums have a pleasant fragrance, sometimes light on the air, like the Burkwoodii, sometimes more intensely spicy like the Carlesii....
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Endless Summer Hydrangea

Posted in Featured Articles, landscaping, plant profiles, shrubs Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' blooms on both new and old wood.The color depends on soil pH.
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