Trees Archives | Page 7 of 12 | Gardening with Charlie

How to Grow: The Right Plant in the Right Place

Probably the simplest way to start with foodscaping in your yard is to substitute plants. Look at the ornamental flowers, shrubs and trees in your yard and consider similarly sized and shaped alternatives that are edible as well. With the advent of so many new plants that blur the line between edible and ornamental, it’s not so hard anymore to find the right substitute for your yard. This process may start simply because a plant has died, died back significantly or outgrown its location and has to be removed. When looking for a substitute...

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Trees

How to Grow: Tulip Tree

Liriodendron tulipifera Other Name Tulip poplar Sun Requirements Full sun Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Late spring with tulip-shaped, yellow-green colored flowers and brilliant golden fall foliage color. Mature Height x Spread 70 to 90 feet x 35 to 50 feet with some dwarf versions Added Benefits Native, attracts beneficials, deer resistant This large, magnolia-family, deciduous tree can be massive in the landscape. But it's unusual for its large, tulip-shaped flowers in late spring. Even the leaves look...

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Fruit Perennials Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: USDA Hardiness Zone Map

The new USDA plant hardiness zone map splits the country into 13 zones (which includes Puerto Rico), with a and b half zones, based on average winter minimum temperatures over the past 30 years. Although not the last word on plant hardiness and survival, the map has been a touchstone for gardeners to compare plants and determine which are best for their area. The USDA Hardiness zone map was last updated in 2012 and now they have a new 2023 version. As you might expect with global warming, the hardiness zones have shifted. In 2012 there was...

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Trees Videos

How to Grow: Watering New Trees

Watch this video on caring for newly planted trees including information on watering and care. Transcript Water is essential for gardening. No matter where you are in the country, you need to have adequate water for your trees, shrubs, perennials, annual flowers, and veggies to grow their best. Even in the arid places like the Southwest, trees and shrubs that are just planted in the ground need water to survive. The first thing you want to do whenever you're thinking of planting a new tree, shrub, or perennial flower, is to get one adapted...

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Trees

How to Grow: Weeping Evergreens

Listen to podcast in weeping evergreen trees: It's taken me awhile to appreciate weeping evergreen trees. For the longest time they reminded me of illustrations from a Dr. Seuss children's book. But used properly, weeping evergreens can be an amazing focal point in your garden and provide winter interest. Weeping evergreens usually start as a mutant downward growing branch on a regular tree. The branch is grafted onto a root stock and trained so the whole tree weeps. It's a fun way to take an evergreen that usually grows 60 feet...

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Trees

How to Grow: White Fir

Other Name Concolor fir Sun Requirements Full sun, part sun Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Grown for its attractive size and rich blue-green needles Mature Height x Spread 40 to 70 feet x 20 to 30 feet with some dwarf versions Added Benefits Drought tolerant If you're looking for an easy to grow evergreen tree in your landscape that has attractive coloring and long lived, consider the white fir. Of all the fir trees that you could grow, the white fir is most tolerant of less than ideal soils and conditions and...

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Podcast Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: White Fringe Tree

Listen to this podcast on how to grow and care for the white fringe tree or Chionanthus in the landscape. I love the common name of the tree Chionanthus viginicus. Old Man's Beard is a good description of the white flowers that bloom in May and June. It's one of the later leaving-out and blooming spring shrubs and trees. The fragrant flowers grow in six- to eight-inch-long clusters, covering the tree when in bloom. They seem to droop off the stems, like a white beard. It's also call the fringe tree -- not for its edginess, but for...

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Shrubs Trees

How to Grow: Willow

Sun Requirements Full sun to part shade Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Blooms in spring, but flowers are generally insignificant except for pussy willow buds (catkins) Mature Height x Spread Depending on the species can be 4 feet to 100 feet tall. Willows (Salix) are a diverse group of temperate climate shrubs and trees. Plants range from the dwarf arctic willow shrub that reaches 4 feet tall and wide, to the black willow tree that can stand 100 feet tall. These fast growing plants have similar lance-like leaves and flexible branches....

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Shrubs Trees Videos

How to Grow: Winter Plant Protection

Learn how to protect and care for your plants from winter's wind and cold. Includes information on protecting trees and shrub from mice, voles and deer, protecting evergreens with anti-desiccant sprays and burlap, protecting hydrangeas and roses with covers and mulch. Transcript One of the last chores we do in our garden each year is plant protection. Living in a zone 5 climate we have a lot of cold temperatures, cold winds and, of course, critters. So we need to protect our trees and shrubs for the winter. One of the first things we do is...

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