Featured Plants : disease resistant

A Spectacular Flowering Crabapple -- Sugar Tyme®

barb-nhn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Showing off its masses of gorgeous, sugar-white fragrant flowers, Sugar Tyme® Crabapple puts on quite the show in May! After its spectacular flowering, you can enjoy this Crabapple's colorful, crisp and lustrous green foliage that emerges.

This lovely ornamental tree produces large, brilliant red berries, with total sweetness, that attract birds. These berries ripen in the fall and persist through winter. Vigorous and very disease-resistant, this Crabapple forms an upright, oval shape and is a bit smaller than some other flowering crabs. So, if an oval form patio tree with fragrant white blooms is what you desire, Sugar Tyme® would be a nice selection. Growing to a height of 16 to 18 feet, it is great for the smaller yard too.

Sugar Tyme® is spectacular in the landscape since the rich red fruits remain on the tree all year. This tree requires full sun and does well in most soil, but will be more attractive if fed peat and compost.

Enjoy A Symphony Of Color With A Lemon Symphony Daisy

patti-nhn — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:05:00 GMT

For a flower that looks like a symphony as they bob along with the wind this would be a great choice. Their lemon colored large flowers have blue-violet eyes which gives them an added distinction. The Lemon Symphony Daisy 'Osteospermum hybrid' is a Proven Winners Symphony Series. The flowers on this annual will produce large amount of flowers and from spring into fall. They are breathtaking in the garden as well as cut flowers in your home. They are also versatile as they can also be planted in rock gardens, window boxes, containers and pots.

This flower grows upright and matures to about 8 to 12 inches and spreads out from 8 to 10 inches. The Lemon Symphony is a fast grower. It does require full sun and being heat-tolerant they can handle the hot days of summer. Fertile, well drained soil is best and you will want to keep them well watered over the summer. They are deer resistant and attract butterflies, birds and bees. They are hardy from zones 3 to 11. In zones 3 to 9 they are annuals and zones 10 to 11 can be perennials. You can encourage more blooming by deadheading the old flowers. Another interesting fact is that the leaves are aromatic when crushed.

Senorita Rosalita Cleome

patti-nhn — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:08:00 GMT

The Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita' is a new disease resistant cultivar making it very desirable. Not only is it disease resistant but it also is heat and drought tolerant. The foliage of this plant is thornless, is sticky-less and the foliage is smell-less. It is a nice mounded plant that grows from 24 to 48 inches tall and 20 to 24 inches wide.

Senorita Rosalita is easy to grow, it is not fussy about soil type or a lot of moisture. It does require full sun. The lavender blossoms are pink and white and look a lot like spiders, although much better looking. They really show off against the dark green foliage. It also sends out lots of blooms to enjoy. This is considered an annual in zones 3 to 8 but can often be a perennial in the warmer zones of 9 to 11.

How About A Tomato That Is Shaped Like A Plum?

patti-nhn — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:46:00 GMT

The Roma Tomato Solanum Roma (USDA Organic) Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum 'Roma Tomato' is shaped like a plum but has wonderful tomato flavor. The Roma is also high yielding, more than most other tomatoes. The fruits are about 3 inches long and have few seeds making them easy to eat fresh and in salads and recipes. Their flavor is one of the most popular so if you like canning this would be a good choice.

The Roma is hardy from zone 3 to zone 9 and requires moderately moist, well drained soil as well as full sun. This popular tomato is very disease resistant and does not need support like many other tomato plants. You will want to make sure that it gets an inch of water a week and let it soak in slowly. What can be better than fresh home grown tomatoes? Being organic, adds a healthier touch as well.

Try Something New From the Cherokee Indian Tribe,Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

patti-nhn — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:34:00 GMT

Be the first on your block to grow purple tomatoes! The Cherokee Purple tomato, "Solanum Cherokee Purple (USDA Organic) Tomato), Solanum lycopersicum 'Cherokee Purple Tomato' is an Heirloom tomato from Tennessee. It gets its name from the Cherokee Indian Tribe! It was passed down from the Cherokee Indians. They grow very well in the South and are hardy from zone 3 to zone 9. The purple brown coloring stands out from other tomatoes and tastes sweet and rich.

The Cherokee Purple tomato is oblong to round in shape. It is disease resistant to common diseases and also shows tolerance to mild drought. Like most tomatoes, moderately moist, well drained soil and full sun is required for best production. This is a good producing tomato. It can be harvested in 75 to 80 days from planting. Growing your own tomatoes will give you the freshest produce and just steps away from your kitchen! This would also save you money and gas.

A Deliciously Sweet Red Raspberry!

patti-nhn — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:30:00 GMT

Raspberry Souris Rubus idaeus 'Souris' is not sour as its name might seem to imply. In fact, it is a very sweet red raspberry. Souris is slightly sweeter than a Boyne raspberry. These berries are wonderful eaten fresh and in desserts, salads and drizzled over cakes and ice cream as well as mixed in fruit salads.

The Souris is an improved variety of raspberry from Canada that will produce better and is more disease resistant than others. It is also spider mite resistant. The canes are only 18 inches tall when mature and it will spread out from about 3 to 4 feet. Raspberries require moist, well-drained soil and full sun. It is hardy all the way down to zone 3 and up to zone 7. The plant will flower in May and ripen in summer. Overall, this would be a great raspberry to try and growing your own raspberries could save you lots of bucks at the store!

Blueberry Bluecrop Consistent Yield And High Quality

patti-nhn — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:01:00 GMT

If you like a firm light blue medium sized Blueberry, that is what you will get with the Bluecrop Blueberry Vaccinium 'Bluecrop'. This is one of the most popular varieties with its disease resistance, high yield and excellent quality. Blueberries are self-fertile but cross-pollination will result in a better crop. They will need full sun for best crop production as well.

The mature height of this plant is about 5 feet and will spread 4 to 6 feet. It requires moist well-drained soil. The Bluecrop white flowers pop out in May, the fruit ripens in early August and it has a red fall color. It is hardy from zones 4-7. Blueberries are chock full of vitamins and are a wonderful source of bioflavanoids. The Bluecrop Blueberry tastes great eaten fresh or in many types of desserts, smoothies, sauces, jams and syrups, just to name a few. It is also a price savings when you can grow your own.

Snow Fountains Weeping Flowering Cherry Strong & Weeping

patti-nhn — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:20:00 GMT

Who would think that you could use the words "strong" and "weeping" in the same sentence to describe something. Well, now you have! The Snow Fountains Weeping Flowering Cherry Prunus Hybrid 'Snofozam' has a very strong weeping habit. It can be grown as a tree or groundcover. It is covered with single white flowers that look like snowflakes flowing off the tree with its weeping shape.

It's fall foliage is dark green that turns golden/orange/red so you would have fantastic fall color as well. It is said to be heat tolerant and drought tolerant as well as the foliage being disease tolerant. As a groundcover, Snow Fountains could be grown to drape over a retaining wall or a boulder. There are many options for the uses this tree can provide. If you live in the warmer climates, this could give you the look of a beautiful snowfall without the cold temperatures that come along with the real thing.

This Grape Is Just Peachy!

patti-nhn — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:53:00 GMT

The Frontenac Gris Grape Vitis 'Frontenac Gris' has a coppery-peach colored grape that even smells like a peach and apricot combined. Because of that it is a wonderful wine grape as well as in desserts and eaten fresh. The Frontenac Gris Grape is heavy-bearing, vigorous and a reliable grower. It also is extremely cold hardy from zone 4 to zone 8. It will grow from 15 to 18 feet tall and a 3 to 4 foot spread. It can be trained to trellises, fences, walls, arbors or any strong structure.

Grapes require moist, well-drained soil and full sun. Their white flowers will pop out in June and the fruit is late harvesting. There is some red fall coloring to the leaves as well. The Frontenac Gris is fairly disease resistant, immune to Downy Mildew and somewhat susceptible to Powdery Mildew and Black Rot. If you are into winemaking, this would be a good grape to try. It is used extensively in northern viniculture. A couple of wines it has been used for are white and cherry red. There are numerous uses for this grape and what fun you can have experimenting with them!

Sweet Strawberry Sparkle

patti-nhn — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:07:00 GMT

The Strawberry Sparkle Fragaria x ananassa 'Sparkle' is glossy crimson red that sparkles in the sunlight and it has an extremely sweet flavor. It has been called the "most delicious strawberry of all". This strawberry plant has so many good qualities it's hard to name them all. Sparkle is a very vigorous growing plant with many runners. It is very disease resistant especially to red stele and leaf spot. You don't need a pollinator as this one is self-pollinating. However, by growing other strawberry plants along with it you will generally have a bigger harvest.

The Strawberry Sparkle will spread at maturity to about 15 to 18 inches and is hardy from zone 4 to zone 8. Strawberries require moist, well-drained soil and full sun. It is a June-bearing plant and will produce abundant fruit. If you are going to plant in a previous garden, you will not want to plant where peppers, tomatoes, eggplant or potatoes have been planted as they can harbor verticillium wilt which strawberries are susceptible to.

Try The Purple Passion Asparagus For A Sweet Tooth

patti-nhn — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:56:00 GMT

The Purple Passion Asparagus Asparagus officinalis 'Purple Passion' has deep burgundy tender spears. The spears can measure up to 3/4 inches in diameter. They are very tender with a mild and sweet taste some even consider somewhat nutty in flavor and some people will even eat them raw they are so tasty. I have had that problem before, I can't get them to the kitchen before I eat a couple.

Purple Passion is hardy from zone 3 to zone 7 and can grow from 6 to 10 feet in height and spread from 2 to 3 feet. It does produce earlier than most other Asparagus plants. It is perennial so will come back year after year. Purple Passion is rust resistant as well as resistant to fusarium and root and crown rot. It needs well-drained, moist soil and at least 8 hours a day of sunshine. Asparagus is a very healthy vegetable and can produce up to 15 years with optimal growing conditions.

Allee Elm Makes A Great Replacement For The Old Elms

patti-nhn — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:50:00 GMT

Growing up, I remember the big elm trees that lined the sidewalks in most of our neighborhoods. Unfortunately, they were affected by dutch elm disease and all of the trees had to be cut down and destroyed. The Allee Elm Ulmus parvifolia 'Emer 11' is a tree that you can use to replace the old elms. They have the same wonderful canopy and vase shape of the original elms. They are disease resistant and Japanese or elm leaf beetles will not bother them. This Elm tree is hardy from zones 5/6 to 9 and can grow to 75 feet in height. It has a vase shape that will spread out to 50 feet.

One of the most interesting features of the Allee Elm is its dark green foliage that lasts throughout the whole summer season. It has colorful yellow to yellow/red fall color on the leaves. The trunk of the tree makes it interesting year round. The bark exfoliates in shapes that look similar to a jigsaw puzzle and in colors of orange, brown, green and gray. If you are looking for an awesome tree that will provide lots of shade and beauty, this would be the one to try, especially if you were a fan of the original elm trees from years ago.

Blue Shadow Fothergilla With Striking Leaves

patti-nhn — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:11:00 GMT

The Blue Shadow Fothergilla 'Fothergilla x intermedia 'Blue Shadow' is a new variety of Fothergilla that originated from the 'Mt. Airy' variety. This Fothergilla boasts blue gray leaves. In April/May it will produce new foliage that looks like feathers. There are also white flowers that send out a honey scented fragrance. Late fall brings on the awesome colors of yellow, red and orange leaves.

Blue Shadow grows from 5 to 6 foot high and 5 to 6 foot wide. It can handle sun or partial shade although the blue coloring of the leaves will come through better in a shady area. Blue Shadow is a vigorous grower and tolerant to a wide range of soils. It is easy care, doesn't need much pruning and is mostly disease and insect free. It is tolerant from zones 4 to 8. This would be a striking plant in your landscaping.

Roll Out the Red Carpet for Sedum - Elizabeth Red Carpet

patti-nhn — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:44:00 GMT

Sedum Spurium 'Elizabeth Red Carpet' is quite a sight to see. I am used to seeing Sedum used mainly in rock walls or rock gardens. It's a good plant for areas that most things don't like to grow in. It actually likes dry soil, full sun and grows fast. It's red flowers put on a show from May to September and even attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with their bright red color. It makes a good ground cover, border or for edging flower beds and it can even cheer up any bland and boring areas of your landscape. It's foliage is green and it will mature to 3-4 inches tall and can spread to up to 2 feet.

Elizabeth Red Carpet is a perennial and will give you years of joy. It is one of the most colorful Sedums available. It's a very durable plant and has the added plus of being disease resistant. With all of it's wonderful attributes and the options of watching birds, butterflies and hummingbirds, doesn't it make you want to relax in your easy chair nearby and enjoy?

Kay Gray Grape A Hardy White Grape

patti-nhn — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:03:00 GMT

If you are looking for a white grape that is low acid, disease resistant and early ripening, you need to try this Kay Gray Grape. One of the nice things about grapes is that their vines are very attractive and ornamental. When they start producing the bunches of grapes, they become even more beautiful. Generally you will want to grow them on very strong trellises, fences and even on walls. They can even be used for shade. In the winter, after they have lost their foliage the vines continue to hang on and show off their twisty and rambling shapes.

The Kay Gray Grape is a very hardy grape from zones 4-8. It provides a good sized berry that is flavorful fresh and used in wines as well as jams, jellies and juices. They do need full sunshine and moist, well-drained soil. The grapevines flower in June and begin to fruit in early September. They will mature to 8-10 feet in height and spread out 3-4 feet. Planting on a Southern exposure will help them get enough sun to properly ripen. My taste buds are watering just thinking about what these grapes are going to taste like.