Tree identification Broadleaf trees

Information pertaining to broadleaf trees.  Listed below are common trees with care facts. ACER Most maples thrive on lime and chalk, including British natives and those commonly planted. The Chinese species, such as AA, capillipes, davidii, ginnala, griseum and rufinerve, make a splendid display in chalk gardens. A. palmatum and its cultivars need more fertile soil. The American A. rubrum […]

A Taste of Asia Gardening

Lately, I have noticed that the mail-order garden supply catalogs are full of Asian-themed garden accessories such as pots, traditional bamboo fences, and stone lanterns. This seems to go along with the trend toward Asian-inspired minimalism in home décor. In California and the Pacific Northwest, traditional Asian and Asian-inspired gardens have been popular for years. Can a national vogue for Chinese and […]

Planting Trees Correctly

Yes, there are right and wrong ways to plant a tree.  By following correct planting practices, you can ensure trees will avoid a slow decline and possible death from several causes. This is especially important for trees, which can be a large, long-lasting, and worthwhile landscape investment. Choose the right tree for the right site, not just a tree you […]

Hornbeam Growing Guide – Carpinus

Mostly hardy, leaf-losing trees or large shrubs native to Europe, eastern Asia, the Himalayas and North and Central America; they belong to the Birch family, Betulaceae. They range in height from 15-80 ft., the trees usually having short trunks, and the wood is very hard and durable. The name Carpinus is a Latin word used by Pliny. Hornbeams grow fairly […]

Disbudding Flowers and Fruit Garden Plants Design Information

DISBUDDING FOR BETTER FLOWERS AND FRUITS How to Do This Disbudding is a term used in gardening to describe the process of limiting the number of flower or growth buds on plants. The purpose may be to divert food material from a number of flower buds to one or more special buds in order to encourage the development of a […]

Trees in the garden

Trees are the most long-lived growing features in any garden. Once they are well established, it is very difficult to move them; pruning them if they become too big is difficult, needing skilled workmanship, and is never a permanent solution to the problems of excessive roots and over-extensive shading that arise. Since Victorian times the gardener’s problems in tree-planting have […]

TREASURES OF THE ORIENT – Gardening

Two weeks ago I went to a wonderful lecture at the New York Botanical Garden.  The speaker was Barry Yinger, a well known plantsman and author who specializes in Asian flora.  The topic for the day was “New Japanese Plants for the Garden.  Mr. Yinger, who also owns Asiatica, a Pennsylvania retail nursery, is one of those intrepid people who […]