Featured Plants : fall color

Tatarian Maple is a highly ornamental tree

barb-nhn — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:11:00 GMT

Growing 15--20 feet tall, the Tatarian Maple is a beautiful addition to the landscape, and makes a wonderful tree for planters, patios, or small areas. It has an excellent small tree form and possesses an attractive foliage quality.

Have you noticed that everything about this small oriental-looking tree is highly ornamental -- its flowers, bark, foliage, and even the seeds themselves? The fragrant greenish to yellow flowers appear in spring and literally cover the tree. The flowers are followed by attractive bright pink to red winged fruit. The dense medium green summer leaves change to yellow, red, and reddish brown in the fall.

Tatarian Maple is tolerant of many soil conditions and should be planted in partial shade to full sun. This Maple tree is a low maintenance tree, and very hardy from zones 3 to 8. If you are looking for that perfect tree for your small yard, this tree is the one to seriously consider!

A Snow White Flowering Dogwood called 'Cherokee Princess'

barb-nhn — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:05:00 GMT

Exhibiting an early and heavy white flowering, the Snow White Flowering Dogwood ‘Cherokee Princess’ tree is one of the most beautiful ornamental trees you can have in your landscape. It is an erect growing dogwood with a straight central leader. ‘Cherokee Princess’ gives a spectacular floral display once its round buds open to four inch white flowers in May. The green foliage appears after flowering is complete.

In the fall, this tree will treat you to brilliant red fall foliage and berries, and then it will provide you with an interesting form during winter months. The bright red berries are grouped in small clusters from August to October; berries will attract birds.

This deciduous flowering dogwood is an excellent ornamental tree that grows to a height of 15-30 feet in zones 5-8. Snow White flowering Dogwood ‘Cherokee Princess’ is a moderate grower, and it is a beautiful low branched tree with a horizontal spreading branching habit.

The best time to plant this tree is in early fall so the tree has time to put out new root growth before winter sets in. Plant in sun or part shade, in moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter. Mulch 3-4" deep around the base of the tree to help retain moisture, but keep mulch away from the trunk.

The Early Blooming 'Pink Spires' Crabapple

barb-nhn — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:51:00 GMT

The Pink Spires Crabapple is ideal for a confined screen or border planting and is one of the earliest to bloom. In the spring, this excellent rosy bloom crabapple is covered with single pink flowers with red-purple foliage. It turns to green-bronze in summer, and then copper in fall. It bears persistent purplish-red fruit that is about 1.5 inches; slightly larger than a cherry.

Growing to a height of 15 to 20 feet, it is upright in form and only has a 12’ spread so fits where space is limited. Pink Spires is a small, hardy, deciduous ornamental tree with a narrow, upright form. Train to central leader when young and as the tree matures, keep the middle open. It has fair resistance to scab and fireblight, shows good resistance to mildew, and a strong resistance to rust.

Pretty Pink is an ornamental flowering crabapple that offers a distinct landscape feature for every single season, is easy to grow, and generally requires little maintenance. Pink Spires does well in most soil, but will be more attractive if fed peat and compost. This crabapple has great hardiness, being rated for zones 2-7.

Plant Hydrangea Late Panicle for Fall Color

barb-nhn — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:08:00 GMT

The Hydrangea Late Panicle is a shrub that has white airy flowers that can reach 10-12" in length in late August. The flowers are a mixture of sterile and fertile flowers which gives them less density and less likelihood to tip or droop. This Hydrangea's flowers will turn bronze in fall; grows 6-8 feet in zones 3-8.

Trained to a single stem with a head, it blooms in late August with showy white flowers which age to a lovely mauve pink. The flower head is more open than PeeGee Hydrangea, resulting in an elegant airy, showy floral display.

Hydrangeas grow best in moist, well-drained soil. Most hydrangeas benefit from some shade, especially in hot climates. It has average water needs; water regularly; do not overwater. These shrubs are fast growing and are great for informal screens, specimen plants, or for cut arrangements.

It is best to prune every year in the fall after blooming, no more than 1/3 of the plant. These plants look best if they are kept pruned and this regular pruning keeps them thick at the base. They are hardy and will not need to be covered to flower.

The Profuse Blooming Cleveland Select Flowering Pear Tree

barb-nhn — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:03:00 GMT

There’s nothing more beautiful in spring than a flowering pear tree covered in snowy white blooms. The Cleveland Select Flowering Pear Tree will provide you with this multitudinous display of white blooms. It is a beautiful tree with dark, glossy green leaves and displays its defining feature of white flowers in spring. It is a brilliant orange color in fall. This tree will draw attention to the landscape in all of these seasons. Cleveland Select Flowering Pear Tree is an excellent street tree with beautiful purplish-red fall color. It has an attractive upright oval form, and Cleveland Select Pear reaches a height of 30 feet and width of 15 feet and requires full sun. This ornamental tree has a superior branch structure that withstands ice and wind damage better than the Bradford Pear. It is fruitless, has few pest problems, tolerates urban conditions, and heavy clay soils.

The Beautiful Aristocrat Flowering Pear

barb-nhn — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:59:00 GMT

The Aristocrat Flowering Pear Tree is a large, beautiful tree that is attractive in all four seasons. It produces masses of early spring flowers that are a lovely white, then followed in the summer by bright, glossy green, disease resistant foliage. These wavy leaves turn a deep to reddish-purple in mid to late fall to provide a spectacular fall color. Its clean winter outline is upright to pyramidal when young and becomes broadly oval at maturity.

The fast and vigorous growth of this handsome ornamental tree has superior introduction and forms horizontal branches that produce a strong pyramidal shape. With a more dominant trunk and open form, it is less susceptible to wind damage.

These trees are often placed in a prominent location by homeowners and landscapers so the year-round beauty can be enjoyed. This ornamental requires full sun and is heat and drought tolerant. It reaches a height of 25-40 feet and thrives in zones 5-9. What a display the Aristocrat Flowering Pear puts on when it is covered with multitudinous white flowers in early spring!

The Fabulous Amur Chokecherry Tree

barb-nhn — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:00:00 GMT

What an outstanding tree for small spaces! Amur Chokecherry Tree is a small tree that can be used as a specimen, street tree, or even a patio plant! It is ideal for limited spaces because of its smaller size. Its name comes the Amur River that flows for 1,000 milies as the natural boundary between Russia and China.

It produces white showy flowers in April. Its black fruit, usually eaten by birds before fully ripe, appears in August. It is a nesting place for birds too. The small fruits make wonderful jams and jellies, but not very tasty eaten raw. This tree has a moderate growth rate, is hardy, dense, and can be grown as a single or multi-trunked tree. Amur has a pyramidal shape when young, but becomes rounded with age.

The outstanding exfoliating bark is golden brown to dark red with a glistening metallic color; an excellent winter effect and landscape interest. This distinctive bark has a special pattern and is very attractive, and provides a year round accent to any landscape.

Amur Chokecherry does best in moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter, but it is also moderately salt tolerant. It does best in full sun and needs to be pruned to keep its shape. In the fall it turns a lovely yellow color.

Pink Cloud Beauty Bushes Have Many Attributes

patti-nhn — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:02:00 GMT

If you want a large bush that is decorative and colorful, this Pink Cloud Beauty Bush would work like a charm. It will mature from 8 to 10 feet tall and spread from 6 to 8 feet tall giving you lots of bush as well as it is decorative with its arching branches which gives the appearance of a vase. In mid-spring its branches will show off pinkish-white flowers that are shaped like bells. The flowers are even more decorative with their yellow throats. They grow in clusters and very profusely. After they are done blooming, this bush will produce capsule like fruits. The green foliage continues until fall when the foliage will have yellow fall colors.

These bushes make great hedges, screens and can even be planted in a bare spot by themselves or in assortments of 2 or more together. The bushes do best in zone 4 to zone 8. They do need full to partial sun. Full sun will give you the most flowering and partial shade will give you more of the arching and spreading. It is adaptable to many types of soil as long as it is average, medium moisture and well-drained. The growth rate of this beautiful bush is medium so will grow slower than some and faster than others. With their arching branches they really look beautiful and you will enjoy them for years to come.

Dwarf Sunjoy Gold Beret Barberry Bush Is A Gem!

patti-nhn — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:23:00 GMT

Bright Gold is the color of this Dwarf Sunjoy Gold Beret Barberry Bush. This low mounding bush not only has beautiful color but can fill a small area with its compact size. It matures from 6 to 12 inches tall and will spread from 6 to 12 inches wide giving it a decorative mounding shape. This is the first upright golden Barberry that has red new growth in the spring, in the summer the foliage will turn to a bright gold and in fall it will have orange-red foliage. The bush will give you lots of interest in your landscape all year round. It can be planted in front of a border or used to give color to other areas on its own or among other plants.

The Sunjoy requires full sun to get the best foliage coloring. It can tolerate some shade but you will be giving up foliage color. It needs dry to medium soil that is well-drained. Sunjoy is very adaptable to pollutants and has some tolerance to drought conditions. Another advantage is that it is burn resistant. This bush is a slow grower but well worth the wait. It grows from zone 4 to zone 10 making it a very hardy bush. For a plant that will get lots of attention in your garden whether on its own or mixed with other plants or planting several together in one area, you will enjoy it season after season.

Korean Barberry Bushes Make Great Barrier Plants

patti-nhn — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:33:00 GMT

If you want to put up a barrier, decorative hedge or privacy hedge, the Korean Barberry Bush lends itself to that very easily. This colorful oval shaped shrub has thorns and has very dense foliage. One time of meeting up with the thorns should deter just about anything from roaming into the area they are bordering. The Korean Barberry also is decorative with its small yellow flowers in mid-spring that brighten the bush as they hang in clusters. In Autumn, berries will appear with their bright red color that can continue into winter. Reddish-Purple fall foliage adds to its year round interest and beauty.

This bush can meet many of your needs and can be used in so many different ways by itself or together with others. Mature height of this bush is from 4 to 6 feet tall and it will spread from 4 to 5 feet wide and could fill in a large area well. It has a moderate growth rate and requires full sun to partial shade. The bush is adaptable to many soils but not overly wet soils. You may want to prune if you want it to maintain a certain shape, otherwise, you can let it go without pruning, you have both options. The zones from 3 to zone 8 are where this bush grows, making it rather cold hardy. For beauty and function, this is one of the best bushes for you.

Azalea White Mollis Hybrid Has Large Clusters of White Flowers!

patti-nhn — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:30:00 GMT

If you are a fan of Azaleas, you will want to try this Hybrid White Mollis Azalea. The flowers call out to those who walk by, they just have to come closer to get a better look. The funnel-shaped blooms and clean white petals make this Azalea bush burst with beauty from spring into early summer. Its fall color adds more interest. Being hybridized, it is hardy in colder regions from zone 5 to the warmer regions of zone 8. With their funnel shaped blooms, they can attract hummingbirds and butterflies as well as other birds.

Growing conditions for this Azalea require full sun, too much shade will reduce blooming the next year. Soil should be acidic and well-drained otherwise they could get too dry midsummer and that will also affect next year's growth. It is a slow grower but your patience will be well rewarded. It will grow 4 to 6 feet tall and spread from 3 to 4 feet wide. This is a relatively trouble free plant and low maintenance. Azaleas look great planted alone, especially in a bare spot where you need some pizazz. They can also be planted as a hedge or border plant, wherever you want showy flowers.

Barberry Sunjoy Gold Pillar Bushes Are Proven Winners

patti-nhn — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:35:00 GMT

This Sunjoy Gold Pillar Barberry Bush is a Proven Winners Color Choice Shrub that has outstanding color. They are wonderful in your landscaping with all of their wonderful year-round color. It has bright gold foliage and its new growth is red. In the autumn it blazes orange-red colors. Being a yellow/gold leaved barberry bush, the foliage will not burn like some other yellow barberry bushes. Its upright growth habit will mature from 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide making them quite appealing. Often they are grown with other plants surrounding them or can be used as a small hedge or border as well as on their own.

Planting in full sun is required, it can tolerate some light shade but the foliage may not be as colorful. Soil should be dry to medium moisture and well-drained. It is somewhat tolerant of drought conditions. This Barberry bush should be grown in zones 4 to 10. It is an easy plant to grow and maintain. The Sunjoy is similar in shape to a Helmond Pillar Barberry bush, you might even want to combine them for an interesting hedge or corner of your landscape. Barberries are great bushes for their versatility, color and hardiness. Their bright colors might even attract butterflies to entertain you!

Pink Mollis Hybrid Azaleas Are Hardy And Lush!

patti-nhn — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:56:00 GMT

Stunning pink, hardy and lush are a few of the words to describe this beautiful Pink Mollis Hybrid Azalea. The stunning 3 to 4 inch pink flowers that bloom from spring to early summer, really put on a show. Their large showy trusses of blooms amongst the green foliage is unlike any other. In fall, these shrubs are known for their beautiful fall color. They will grow from 4 to 6 feet tall and spread from 3 to 4 feet wide with a rounded shape.

This Pink Mollis has been hybridized to be much hardier than others even in some of the coldest climates in the northern states. It needs full sun, acidic, well drained soil. Be sure to watch the moisture of the soil in mid-summer and not let it dry out. Once it does, it can cause less blooming the next season. Basically, they are very trouble free if planted correctly. The beauty of these shrubs will show off anywhere in your landscape on their own or planted in borders or hedges. If you like pink flowers, this is a wonderful choice.

Belle Poitevine Roses Are Fragrant And Make Beautiful Hedges As Well!

patti-nhn — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:18:00 GMT

With the Belle Poitevine Rose Bush, you will enjoy a fragrant colorful bush that originated in 1894 and is still going. It is a vigorous bush that makes a great large hedge as they will grow from 4 to 5 feet tall making them great as a hedge and also in the garden for lots of presence. In early summer their buds will be a deep magenta-pink. Once they have opened up they will have a warm pink color and their wonderful fragrance will carry well into fall until the first frost. Also in the fall, their green foliage will then begin showing off yellow and orange foliage. It will give you wonderful autumn color for your landscape. Another plus is that they also produce a large sized fruit with orange/red coloring.

Full sun is required and it is hardy from zones 3 to 7 making it very hardy into the colder climates. This rose has excellent disease resistance. It is an "own root" rose which is a hardier rose bush than some. It can be planted as a hedge, even intermingled with other colors and sizes of roses in your garden. Even on its own, it makes a wonderful specimen. For a beautiful shrub with lots of great color and lots of scent to share, this is a great choice.

Pink And Sweet Azaleas Bloom Late In The Season

patti-nhn — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:03:00 GMT

This Pink And Sweet Azalea is not only a late-bloomer giving you lots of color long into the season but also has an enticing sweet fragrance, what more could you ask for? The flowers are purplish-pink in color which with the sweet and spicy fragrance make the name "Pink and Sweet" very applicable. The flowers are adorned with a golden flare in the throat of the purplish-pink blossoms and deep green foliage that will turn to a beautiful red in the fall. They will add lots of interest in your garden.

This Azalea is a member of the Rhododendron family and grows upright. You can enjoy its mature height of 4 feet and mature spread of 3 feet wide. They will fit into your landscape in so many ways, grown individually as a decorative touch or as hedges, bordering your sidewalk or driveway are a few ideas. Azaleas do have some preferences as to where they are grown. Light to moderate shade is best and planted in well-drained acidic organic soil to keep the moisture in the soil uniform. Especially when you first plant them, you will want to water them well to keep the soil moist and in spring that is even more essential to keep from drying out their shallow root system.