Trees and shrubs serve many uses in the environment, both ecological and aesthetic. Trees and shrubs exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen, provide cover and food for creatures great and small, and provide the infrastructure of many ecosystems and gardens.
Trees – Photos and Descriptions
Undeniably beautiful and undeniably pricey, Japanese Maple Bihou has stunning bark of peach coral and a reputation for …
Unusual plants fascinate, but sometimes do not inspire. Koto No Ito Japanese maple, Acer palmatum Koto No Ito, …
I was looking for an upright growing laceleaf Japanese maple for the entry to a courtyard, and turns …
The red maple, Acer rubrum, is one of the great native trees of eastern North America. It can …
Yellow buckeye is native to a relatively narrow range of the Appalachian mountains. I love buckeyes without reserve. Their …
Many redbud species have flowers that bloom directly on the trunk and branches. Both eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) and …
Every spring I go to my favorite nursery Goodness Grows to marvel at their large weeping Texas Traveller …
Looking for a medium-sized native tree (or large shrub) that is moderate to slow-growing and has blooms in …
Cornus elliptica, also known as Cornus kousa angustata, is rarely seen in gardens, yet the flowers that come …
Pink dogwood, Cornus florida ‘Rubra’, is found in gardens to a lesser extent than the white flowering dogwood but …
Kousa dogwood, Cornus kousa, is similar to the native flowering dogwood, Cornus florida. The biggest difference between the two …
It’s a week or so past prime dogwood and azalea time in the gardens and landscapes of Georgia. …
Stellar Pink Dogwood (Cornus x Rutgan) was developed at Rutgers University (more about that later). What strikes me …
This humble potted plant is a young Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) and it is a truly ancient species, …
Right about February gardeners stream into their gardens with loppers in hand and begin pruning hacking up their …
Tulip poplar is one of the finest native trees in North America. Native to vast tracts of eastern North …
Native to the swampier places of the eastern United States, Magnolia virginiana
Magnolia grandiflora is a big tree and somewhat out of fashion these days. If a gardener has a …
Bigleaf magnolia, Magnolia macrophylla, has the largest flowers and leaves of any native plant in North America. If …
Magnolia ‘Jane’ is a hybrid of the native Magnolia stellata ‘Rosea’ and Magnolia liliiflora ‘Nigra’, which is native …
Gardeners in the south looking for small deciduous trees often think of dogwoods and redbuds, but Japanese stewartia …
Shrubs – Photos and Descriptions
Freely produced panicles of white flowers are elegant and long-lasting, making the bottlebrush buckeye one of the most …
A red buckeye I planted years ago was the first to yield actual buckeye nuts. I gave one …
Plant Annabelle hydrangea in areas of the garden shaded from the afternoon sun. The flowers, when they come, …
The Amelia Rose azalea was hybridized by retired professor Dr. Eugene Aromi and his wife Jane in Mobile, …
Coral Bells azalea is found in every southern garden center in spring. It blooms on almost every street …
Formosa azalea is one of the triumvirates of Indica azaleas that rule the garden centers of the American …
Koromo Shikibu azalea is found in more gardens than the white-flowered azalea Primitive Beauty. The two share distinct strap-like …
Lucky Lady azalea is an Exbury hybrid. It is a deciduous azalea with pure crimson red flowers. On …
Midnight Flare azalea is a dark smoldering deep red azalea. The waxy red flowers of Midnight Flare are set …
If Snow is the most popular white azalea grown today, Mrs. G.G. Gerbing, an old-school white Indica azalea, …
It’s April in Georgia, so upcoming garden musings may be a little azalea- and dogwood-centric. Without further ado, …
Primitive Beauty azalea has pristine white flowers of notable form. This somewhat rare Indica azalea is highly recommended …
I love the Snow azalea. Covered with small, pure white blooms that explode out of the landscape, especially …
The term ‘balling’ refers to when a flower bud does not fully develop and the petals never fully …
With boxwood blight on the rise in the US, gardeners are looking for alternatives to boxwood to be …
Korean Boxwood ‘Wintergreen’ (Buxus sinica var. insularis Wintergreen) tends to stay green in winter and is hardy to Zone …
What causes boxwood leaves to turn orange in winter? Especially in winter, a combination of wind and/or sun …
I have a love of English boxwood, I guess because I understand a mature specimen has been cared …
Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’ has larger flowers and leaves than the species. The only other sweetshrub I’ve seen that compares …
I was seventeen the first time the fragrance of Calycanthus floridus hit me, standing in the Georgia woods. I’m …
Named after the city of Athens, Georgia, this yellow-flowered sweetshrub is a rare beauty.
Calycanthus Hartlage Wine is a cross between the native eastern sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) and Chinese sweetshrub (Calycanthus chinensis). …
Who was Frank Brownlee and why is a camellia named after him?
Camellia japonica ‘Desire’ – my favorite Camellia. If you walk into a garden nursery this time of year …
Pure White Camellia, 1948 Introduced in 1948, Camellia ‘Morning Glow’ has flowers of classic form on a plant …
Cephalanthus occidentalis, common buttonbush, is wild and wonderful. Buttonbush has unique one-inch diameter white spherical flowers that give …
A classic tea rose, Duchesse de Brabant was introduced in 1857. Hardy zones 7-11, Duchesse de Brabant bears …
Much will be made of Paper Bush’s (Edgeworthia chrysanth) late winter bloom, and rightfully so, but a savvy …
I have found restraint is wise both in the judgment of others as well as the pruning of …
Fothergilla Mount Airy (Fothergilla major Mount Airy) hangs around in a fairly nondescript manner during summer. At the …
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Doublicious’ is a gorgeous plant through and through. With hydrangeas, especially the macrophyllas, there are seemingly …
Hydrangea ‘Fuji Waterfall’ bears pristine white flowers in early summer. It is also called ‘Sumida No Hanabi’, which …
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Mariesii Variegata’ is a lacecap hydrangea noted for variegated leaves which are creamy white on the …
Ryan Gainey hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Ryan Gainey’) solves the primary issue many gardeners experience with the most commonly …
A disclaimer is in order here as I captured the photographs of Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Pia’ as the blooms …
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Nikko Blue’ is an old favorite and still one of the best mophead hydrangeas in existence. …
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Twist-n-Shout is a lacecap variety. Lacecaps are some of the true aristocrats of the hydrangea world, …
Hydrangea macrophylla Geoffrey Chadbund is described as having florets that vary in color from violet and fuchsia across …
Little Honey oakleaf hydrangea is unexpectedly great. I had seen photographs in catalogs for years and had reservations. …
Oakleaf hydrangea is a wonderful native plant with four-season interest that is beautiful in the garden. An epic …
Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is, in my estimation, nearly the perfect garden plant. It has four-season interest. It …
Ilex verticillata, common winterberry, is a deciduous holly; with the exception of the American holly (Ilex opaca) and …
Right about February gardeners stream into their gardens with loppers in hand and begin pruning hacking up their …
Livin’ Easy rose is a classic, a Floribunda garden rose with electric orange flowers and pretty exceptional disease …
Introduced in1869, Paul Neyron is a Hybrid Perpetual rose with flowers of immense proportions. As a garden rose, …
When I was nineteen I was walking down a Georgia dirt road
The Southgate Rhododendrons were developed to survive the hot and humid gardens of the Deep South. Rhododendrons are …
You can read about our interest in Southgate rhododendrons over here. The brief story is rhododendrons at lower …
As we enter into our second year in the test garden with the new Southgate rhododendrons (presented as …
Many gardeners are gravely concerned when they wake up one morning and their rhododendrons’ leaves have all curled …
Blueberries have all the qualities of brilliant garden plants. Often seen on farms or in rural landscapes, blueberries …
Darrow’s blueberry, Vaccinium darrowii, is a native shrub that is woefully underused in the ornamental landscape. It is …
Native to wide parts of the eastern and midwestern United States & found in moist environments, blackhaw viburnum …