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Ground Covers

Growing and Caring for Muehlenbeckia: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

by Donna July 2, 2024

written by Donna 3 minutes read

Growing and Caring for Muehlenbeckia: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Muehlenbeckia is a versatile plant that can add beauty and interest to your garden or home. It’s a deciduous shrub with small, dark green leaves and can be grown as a climber or ground cover. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about growing and caring for muehlenbeckia, from choosing the right location to propagating new plants.

Types of Muehlenbeckia

There are several different varieties of muehlenbeckia, each with its own unique characteristics. Some popular varieties include:

Muehlenbeckia complexa, also known as the necklace vine, is a vigorous climber that can reach heights of 4 meters. It has small, heart-shaped leaves and produces greenish white flowers in summer.
Muehlenbeckia complexa ‘Maori’ is a compact variety of necklace vine that’s well-suited for growing in containers.
Muehlenbeckia astonii is an erect shrub with wiry branches and small, heart-shaped leaves. It’s particularly tolerant of dry and exposed conditions.

Growing Conditions

Muehlenbeckia prefers to grow in moist, well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. It’s important to protect it from cold winds, especially if you’re growing it as a climber. Muehlenbeckia is fast growing and can become invasive, so you may need to prune it regularly to maintain the desired size.

Planting

Muehlenbeckia can be purchased as a pot plant and either grown in a sheltered spot in your garden or in a container. When planting, be sure to choose a location that receives plenty of sunlight or light shade. If you’re growing muehlenbeckia as a climber, provide it with a trellis or other support structure.

Care

Muehlenbeckia is relatively easy to care for. It requires regular watering, especially during hot weather. Fertilize it monthly during the growing season with a balanced fertilizer. Muehlenbeckia is frost hardy, but it may need some additional protection in winter, especially in colder climates.

Propagation

Muehlenbeckia can be propagated by semi-ripe cuttings taken in late summer to early autumn. To take a cutting, use a sharp knife or pruning shears to remove a 4- to 6-inch stem from a healthy plant. Remove the leaves from the bottom inch or two of the stem and then dip the end in rooting hormone. Plant the cutting in a pot filled with moist potting mix and keep it in a warm, sunny location. The cutting should root within 4 to 6 weeks.

Pruning

Muehlenbeckia does not require regular pruning, but you may need to prune it occasionally to control its size or shape. The best time to prune is immediately after flowering.

Pests and Diseases

Muehlenbeckia is not prone to any serious pests or diseases. However, it can be susceptible to aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs. If you notice any pests on your plant, treat them with an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.

Conclusion

Muehlenbeckia is a beautiful and versatile plant that’s easy to grow and care for. With its small, dark green leaves and delicate flowers, it’s a great addition to any garden or home.

Gardening

Underrated Plants: Hidden Gems for Your Garden

by Gregory January 19, 2024

written by Gregory 5 minutes read

Underrated Plants: Hidden Gems for Your Garden

Every gardener wants a beautiful garden, but it’s important to remember the unsung heroes that keep your garden thriving behind the scenes. These underrated plants may not be the flashiest, but they offer a range of benefits that will make your garden healthier, more resilient, and more enjoyable.

Perennials: The Workhorses of Your Garden

Perennials are plants that come back year after year, giving you the most value for your money. Underrated perennials like hostas, astilbe, and hellebore are hardy and low-maintenance, making them perfect for busy gardeners. They also provide a variety of colors and textures to your garden, and many of them attract pollinators.

Hostas: These shade-loving plants come in a wide range of sizes and colors, making them perfect for filling in empty spaces and adding interest to shady areas.
Astilbe: Also known as false goat’s beard, astilbe produces showy spikes of pink or white flowers that brighten up shady corners.
Hellebore: These winter-blooming perennials are a welcome sight in the depths of winter, when few other plants are in bloom.

Annuals: Adding Diversity and Color

Annuals only live for one season, but they can add a lot of diversity and color to your garden. Underrated annuals like nicotiana, cosmos, and zinnias are easy to grow and come in a wide range of colors and sizes. They’re also great for attracting pollinators.

Nicotiana: These fragrant flowers are a favorite of moths and hummingbirds. They come in a variety of colors, including white, pink, and purple.
Cosmos: These cheerful flowers are easy to grow and bloom profusely from summer to fall. They come in a range of colors, including pink, orange, and yellow.
Zinnias: These old-fashioned favorites are a staple of many gardens. They come in a wide range of colors and sizes, and they’re easy to grow from seed.

Ground Covers: Controlling Weeds and Erosion

Ground covers are low-growing plants that spread to form a dense mat, which helps to control weeds and erosion. Underrated ground covers like dwarf cinquefoil, creeping phlox, and pachysandra are easy to grow and require minimal maintenance. They’re also great for filling in hard-to-mow areas.

Dwarf cinquefoil: This native North American plant produces cheerful yellow flowers and forms a dense mat that’s perfect for edging pathways and patios.
Creeping phlox: This low-growing perennial produces masses of vibrant pink or purple flowers in spring. It’s a great choice for covering slopes or filling in bare spots.
Pachysandra: This evergreen ground cover is a popular choice for shady areas. It’s easy to grow and forms a dense mat that suppresses weeds.

Shrubs: Providing Food and Shelter for Wildlife

Shrubs are versatile plants that can be used for a variety of purposes, including providing food and shelter for wildlife. Underrated shrubs like Carolina allspice, burning bush, and arrowwood viburnum are beautiful and easy to grow. They also attract a variety of birds and other animals.

Carolina allspice: This fragrant shrub produces yellow or maroon flowers followed by pungent seeds. It’s a favorite of birds and other wildlife.
Burning bush: This deciduous shrub is known for its vibrant fall foliage, which ranges from pink to red. It’s a great choice for adding a splash of color to your garden in the fall.
Arrowwood viburnum: This native North American shrub produces clusters of white flowers in spring and blue-black berries in fall. It’s a favorite of birds and other wildlife.

Bulbs: Brightening Your Garden in Spring and Fall

Bulbs are a great way to add color and interest to your garden in spring and fall. Underrated bulbs like crocus, glory-of-the-snow, and alliums are easy to grow and come in a wide range of colors and sizes. They’re also a great source of food for pollinators.

Crocus: These early-blooming bulbs are a welcome sight in the depths of winter. They come in a range of colors, including yellow, purple, and blue.
Glory-of-the-snow: These delicate bulbs produce clusters of soft blue flowers in early spring. They’re a great choice for naturalizing in woodlands or meadows.
Alliums: These relatives of onions and garlic come in a wide range of sizes and colors. Some varieties, like ornamental onions, produce large, showy flower heads that are a favorite of pollinators.

Conclusion

Underrated plants are the unsung heroes of the garden. They may not be the flashiest, but they offer a range of benefits that will make your garden healthier, more resilient, and more enjoyable. So next time you’re at the garden center, don’t forget to take a look at the underrated plants. You may be surprised at what you find!

Gardening

Eco-Friendly Lawn Alternatives for New England: Low-Maintenance Solutions for Sustainable Landscapes

by Gregory January 10, 2024

written by Gregory 3 minutes read

Lawn Alternatives for New England: Eco-Friendly, Low-Maintenance Solutions

Introduction

Are you tired of spending countless hours mowing, watering, and fertilizing your lawn? If so, you’re not alone. Many homeowners in New England are looking for lawn alternatives that are more sustainable, low-maintenance, and environmentally friendly.

Why Consider Lawn Alternatives?

Water conservation: Lawns require a significant amount of water, especially during drought conditions. Lawn alternatives can help you conserve water and reduce your water bill.
Reduced maintenance: Lawns require regular mowing, weeding, and fertilizing. Lawn alternatives can eliminate or reduce these maintenance tasks, freeing up your time and energy.
Eco-friendly: Traditional lawns often rely on toxic chemicals, which can harm the environment and wildlife. Lawn alternatives can be eco-friendly and support pollinators.

Best Ground Cover for New England

Ground cover is a great option for replacing traditional turf grass. It spreads quickly, requires no mowing, and can help prevent soil erosion. Some of the best ground cover options for New England include:

Sun-loving: Bugleweed, hens and chicks
Shade-loving: European ginger, Christmas fern, Allegheny spurge
Drought-tolerant: Sedum takesimense ‘Atlantis’

Other Lawn Alternatives

White clover: Fixes nitrogen in the soil, acting like a natural fertilizer.
Creeping thyme: Forms a dense mat that can tolerate foot traffic.
Ground ivy: A fast-growing ground cover that can suppress weeds.
Cinquefoil: A low-growing ground cover with attractive foliage and flowers.
Common blue violet: A deer-resistant ground cover with delicate flowers.
No-mow grass blends: Fine fescue grasses that grow slowly and require minimal mowing.
Sedges: Clumping grasses that are drought-tolerant and shade-tolerant.
Liriope: Evergreen plants with grass-like foliage and flower spikes.
Meadow garden: A mix of grasses and perennials that provides habitat for wildlife.

Additional Tips for Reducing Lawn Size

Expand surrounding beds and add trees, shrubs, and ground covers.
Choose low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly, and non-invasive species.
Consider reducing the size of your lawn to save time, energy, and resources.

Conclusion

Lawn alternatives offer many benefits for New England homeowners. They can conserve water, reduce maintenance, and protect the environment. By choosing the right lawn alternative for your needs, you can create a beautiful and sustainable outdoor space that you and your family will enjoy for years to come.

Gardening

Growing Frog Fruit: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners

by Gregory March 18, 2022

written by Gregory 3 minutes read

Growing Frog Fruit: A Guide for Beginners

Introduction

Growing native plants is a great way to help protect our natural environment while also adding beauty to your garden. Frog fruit is a native plant that is easy to grow and has many benefits, both for people and wildlife.

What is Frog Fruit?

Frog fruit (Lippia nodiflora) is a low-growing plant that is native to North America. It is a member of the Verbena family and produces small, white flowers that bloom from May until October. Frog fruit is also known as turkey tangle frog fruit because of its tendency to spread and form dense mats of vegetation.

Benefits of Growing Frog Fruit

Frog fruit is a versatile plant that can be used for a variety of purposes in the garden. It is a good choice for ground covers and bedding borders, and it can also be grown in hanging baskets as trailing plants. Frog fruit is also a good choice for attracting wildlife, such as deer and butterflies.

Growing Frog Fruit

Frog fruit is a hardy plant that is easy to grow. It prefers dry soil and full sun, but it can also tolerate partial shade. Frog fruit can be grown from seed or from cuttings.

Growing Frog Fruit from Seed: Sow the seeds directly in the garden after the soil has warmed. The seeds will germinate in 7-10 days.
Growing Frog Fruit from Cuttings: Take cuttings from healthy frog fruit plants in the spring or summer. The cuttings should be about 4 inches long. Remove the leaves from the bottom of the cuttings and then plant them in a pot filled with moist potting mix. The cuttings will root in 4-6 weeks.

Frog Fruit Care

Frog fruit is a low-maintenance plant that does not require a lot of care. However, there are a few things you can do to help your frog fruit plants thrive.

Watering: Frog fruit plants prefer dry soil, but they will need additional moisture during the hottest months of summer. Water your frog fruit plants deeply when the soil is dry to the touch.
Fertilizing: Frog fruit plants do not need a lot of fertilizer. However, you can fertilize them with a balanced fertilizer in the spring.
Pruning: Frog fruit plants can be pruned to control their size and shape. Prune the plants back in the spring or fall.

Problems

Frog fruit is a relatively pest-free and disease-resistant plant. However, there are a few problems that you may encounter.

Slugs and Snails: Slugs and snails can damage frog fruit plants by eating the leaves. To control slugs and snails, use a slug and snail bait.
Aphids: Aphids are small, green insects that can suck the sap from frog fruit plants. To control aphids, use an insecticidal soap.

Conclusion

Frog fruit is a beautiful and easy-to-grow native plant that has many benefits for both people and wildlife. By following the tips in this article, you can grow healthy and beautiful frog fruit plants in your garden.

Flower Gardening

Jasmine: A Guide to Growing and Using This Fragrant Plant

by Gregory January 7, 2021

written by Gregory 3 minutes read

Jasmine: A Fragrant and Versatile Plant

Jasmine is a popular plant known for its beautiful flowers and heady fragrance. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world, but many varieties can be grown in temperate climates as well.

Types of Jasmine

There are over 200 species of jasmine, but only a handful are commonly grown. The most popular types of jasmine include:

Common jasmine (Jasminum officinale): This is one of the most fragrant types of jasmine. It is a vigorous vine that can grow up to 15 feet tall. The flowers are white and bloom in clusters.
Showy jasmine (J. floridum): This jasmine is grown primarily for its foliage, which is a deep green and glossy. The flowers are small and white, and they bloom in the spring.
Spanish jasmine (J. grandiflorum): This jasmine is known for its large, fragrant white flowers. It is a vigorous vine that can grow up to 20 feet tall.
Arabian jasmine (J. sambac): This jasmine is an evergreen shrub that grows to be about 6 feet tall. The flowers are white and very fragrant. This is the type of jasmine that is used to make jasmine tea.
Italian jasmine (J. humile): This jasmine can be grown as a vine or a shrub. The flowers are white and fragrant, and they bloom in the summer.
Winter jasmine (J. nudiflorum): This jasmine is a deciduous shrub that grows to be about 7 feet tall. The flowers are yellow and bloom in the late winter or early spring.
Primrose jasmine (J. mesnyi): This jasmine is a shrub that produces large, yellow flowers. It is not as commonly grown as other types of jasmine.
Asian Star jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum): This jasmine is usually grown as a ground cover. It has small, pale yellow flowers and large, dense leaves.

Growing Jasmine

Jasmine is a relatively easy plant to grow. It prefers well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. Jasmine vines need to be supported by a trellis or other structure. Jasmine shrubs can be grown in the ground or in containers.

Uses of Jasmine

Jasmine is a popular plant for landscaping. It can be used to create a fragrant hedge, cover a trellis or arbor, or simply add a touch of beauty to a garden. Jasmine flowers are also used in perfumes, teas, and other products.

Conclusion

Jasmine is a versatile and beautiful plant that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With its fragrant flowers and easy-going nature, jasmine is a great choice for any garden.