Grown for their lush foliage and nutritious and delicious fruit, avocado trees are popular landscape plants in tropical and subtropical climates. How to Plant an Avocado Tree Avocado trees prefer a well-drained, slightly acid soil (pH 6-6.5); they do poorly in wet soils. They … [Read more...]
Pruning Crape Myrtles
Crape myrtles are shrubs or small trees with big showy clusters of long-lasting flowers. Native to China and Korea, these popular plants are strong growers in the U.S. in zones 6 through 9, living as far north as protected spots in Massachusetts. Colors range from white to … [Read more...]
Planting Trees and Using Tree Stakes
Old nursery lore has it that you should dig a $10 hole for a $5 tree, the point being the importance of making a generous hole and planting a tree right. More than once I’ve gone on a tree-buying spree, only to get the plants home and remember that the work has just begun; … [Read more...]
Japanese Maples for the Home Landscape
The typical Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) grows fifteen-to-twenty-five feet high, with an equal or greater spread. In the landscape it is grown as a small, single stemmed tree or a large, multi-stemmed shrub. The many different cultivars available through nurseries and garden … [Read more...]
Dogwood Trees for the Home Landscape
Flowering dogwoods signal early spring in the eastern United States. With their bright white flowers (which are actually bracts) and distinctive branching habit, the flowering dogwood is a native tree that is a welcome sight in the home landscape. While the flowering dogwood … [Read more...]