Viewing comments posted by mcash70

Nana Gracilis is a slow growing dwarf specimen plant with glossy dark green foliage held in short shell-like sprays, and a fine irregularly conical silhouette. It is useful in tight corners, rockeries or to add interest to foundation plantings; introduced in 1874. The species form is native to Japan and Taiwan; Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit, 1993

A straight, tall tree easily recognized by its needles. Cones always hang down. Beautiful year-round color.
White spruces are very important evergreens. Besides providing nesting sites and shelter, white spruces provide food for many kinds of wildlife. Crossbills, evening Grosbeaks and red-breasted nuthatches prefer the seeds. The foliage is eaten by grouse, rabbits and deer. Red squirrels cut open cones to eat the seeds, and they feast upon young, tender spruce shoots. The bark is enjoyed by both porcupines and black bears, sometimes to the detriment of the trees.

Large, rounded shrub or small specimen tree with stiff, spreading branches and bronze bark. Display handsome, dark green summer foliage. Large panicles of creamy white flowers appear in June. Prune after flowering to direct branching and eliminate crossing or rubbing branches.

Caragana "Lorbergii" is a drought-tolerant upright growing small tree with an open vase-shaped crown. It has fine fern-like green foliage, with profuse yellow pea-like blooms in the spring. Graceful accent or specimen plant. After 4 years in my zone 3a garden the tree remains very small which I think is due to it's location in partial shade.

The Siberian Larch is a deciduous tree with broad pyramidal-shape. It has arching branches with long soft green needles turning bright yellow in the fall. Tolerant of most soil conditions. Little pruning is needed. Prune broken or damaged limbs.This tree has not done well in my zone 3a garden and I believe it is due to it's location.

Malus 'Thunderchild' is a very lovely tree with dark pink blossoms appearing before purple foliage in spring. Resistant to fire-blight and is a cold hardy variety. The small fruits are a real favorite of the birds and provide winter food for them.

Prune while dormant to direct branching and eliminate crossing or rubbing of branches. Fertilize in spring.

Amur Chokecherry is a nice looking rounded tree with glistening, peeling, bronze bark. White spring flowers and small black cherries in the fall provide food for the birds.

Water regularly as needed during growing season. Keep moist. Do not over water. Fertilize in spring prior to new growth. Prune as needed to control size and shape. This tree does well in my short summer zone 3a garden.

Larger than American Mountain Ash with white flowers in spring, green leaflets in summer turning orange in fall. Reddish-orange ornamental berries persist through winter. In my area they are a favorite of large flocks of Waxwings and by mid winter are stripped clean of berries.

Prune while dormant to direct branching and eliminate crossing or rubbing branches. Fertilize in spring.

The Pagoda Dogwood is a slow growing small ornamental tree that has irregular tiers of branches giving it a somewhat horizontal, layered look. The pale yellow flowers in spring are followed by blue-black fruits. Outstanding purple to red fall color. This is a lovely tree that does very well in a mostly shaded area in my zone 3a garden.

A low growing mound shaped shrub with distinctive red flowers fading to an orange color for summer and intensifies to red again in fall. Attractive grey-green foliage all season. Great contrast for the border, foundation or mass planting.

Little pruning is needed but can be cut back to ground level every few years to rejuvenate vigorous new growth and better flower production. Prune broken or damaged limbs.

This shrub does well in my zone 3a garden.

Little Gem is a wonderful plant. It's a miniature version of birds nest spruce with tiny needles and a very dense habit. It has a solid dense appearance. Many tiny buds burst open in the spring creating a solid mass of bright, light-green.This plant works great planted in the rock garden or as a miniature accent to larger specimens.

I really like my Dwarf Mugo Pines, they are attractive, very hardy, anything that survives here in my zone 3a has to be tough, they look good in mixed shrub beds, add winter interest to the garden and would work well for most foundation planting.

Dwarf Alberta Spruce is an evergreen shrub that forms a near perfect cone shape. Dense, nice light green foliage. It makes an interesting specimen accent plant as well as adding winter interest to the landscape. Useful as a foundation plant. They do well in my zone 3a garden.

I have several "Nana" Dwarf Balsam Firs in my zone 3a garden and they do very well. They stay small and compact so have many uses in the home landscape. They look especially good in front of mixed shrub beds, or mixed in beds with Hostas or other such plants for winter interest.

This was Lavender Blue Baby's first year in my zone 3a garden. I was a little disappointed with the first few blooms finding that they were on the small side and the color wasn't too pretty, it did improve in form and color once we had warmer temperatures, it had been a cold spring and summer, hopefully next year with better weather it will live up to my expectations.

I planted several Floral Lace Crimson Dianthus in the spring of 2010, all thrived and bloomed profusely all summer. Spring of 2011, I was delighted to see all of my plants had survived my zone 3a winter, they grew and bloomed better than ever. A great hardy little plant with brilliant color for the border.

The False Spirea is a very lovely shrub with its lacy leaves, attractive buds, and blooms that attract many types of bees and bugs. Despite its beauty, I dug it up in 2010 and tried to get rid of it because I found it to be too invasive. I pulled every root that I could find. Spring 2011 found this plant sending up suckers many feet away from the original growing site. I fear that in spring 2012 it will still be sending up suckers. I do not recommend this shrub.

The Cushion Spurge has done really well in my zone 3a garden, it tolerates a wide range of climate changes, from the very hot in August to the very cold in January and it bounces back each spring. They do well with little care, do not over water.

Handling the plant may cause skin irritation in some individuals, I have not had any problem to date.

I planted three Wood Ferns in my zone 3a garden a few years ago, they have been slow growing as they are not in an ideal location. They are very attractive plants and would make a good ground cover in very shady areas in the garden, they are easy care and can adapt well to moist or even wet soil. The fronds are beautiful when added as greenery to cut flower bouquets.

I read on another site that it is considered a threatened species in the states of "Arkansas and Tennessee, and is listed as exploitably vulnerable in the state of New York".

Dieffenbachia Tropic Snow is a very attractive large houseplant, it's easy to grow as it tolerates poor lighting conditions and neglect. Under the right conditions it will bloom most years. I like 3 canes per pot for a nice full look. Every few years the canes will need to be cut back to rejuvenate the plant as it becomes too tall and top heavy. I cut the top of the plants off leaving about 12 inches of cane, remove some of the leaves, dip in rooting hormone, place in a container of water until the roots are a few inches long and then plant in a new pot with fresh planting mix. Cut the remaining canes in the pot back to 2 or 3 inches and new plants will sprout from the canes or the soil, as a bonus you will have an extra plant to keep or give away. I was given the original plant about 15 years ago and have since given away many plants to family and friends.