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Japanese Maple Varieties

There are scores of varieties of Japanese Maples to choose from. It is most important you give them the proper growing conditions. This includes knowing which zone you are in and choosing a variety that is hardy in your zone. Here ...more

Grafted Plants and Understock

Many plants that we grow in our yards have parents that are actually different from what you see. Sometimes, the understock or parent plant begins to express itself. Cut this part away immediately or it can take over the entire plant. Th ...more

How To Grow Red Bud Trees

Red Bud Trees are a great addition to any landscape. There are many cultivars of redbud trees therefore selecting the right one for your yard is important. The most popular varieties are eastern redbud tree (Cercis canadensis), also known as American ...more

How To Get Hedges Level

Getting a perfectly level hedge takes a bit more work, but give a great look. Pruning hedges is one of those chores not too many of us like, but is necessary if you want to keep a crisp look and not let your shrubs get too high. I like to use a stri ...more

How and When To Prune Shrubs

Pruning hedges is one of those chores not too many of us like, but is necessary if you want to keep a crisp look and not let your shrubs get too high. For me, the most important aspect of pruning evergreen hedges is when to do it. When to pr ...more

How To Grow Oxydendron Trees

If you are looking for a great small tree that blooms in the summer then how about an Oxydendron tree? This is a slow growing tree that adapts to any light condition but grows it's best canopy in full sun. Oxydendrons serve as hosts for butterf ...more

Choosing A Dogwood Tree

Dogwoods come in many different varieties and colors. There are many varieties of the White bract dogwoods and they include the Barton, Cherokee Daybreak, Cherokee Princess, Cloud 9, Bay Beauty, Weaver’s White, Plena, Wetch’s Bay Bea ...more

Pruning Foundation Plantings

Crowded trees and shrubs in the landscape can cause poor growth, disease and other problem. Watch this video showing how to avoid these issues. It is important to prune your plantings for shape and to allow light and airflow around th ...more

Pruning Flower Carpet Roses

Flower Carpet Roses are one of the best roses to grow in the garden. In early spring its time to prune them and that will help keep them blooming all season long. PRUNING Flower Carpet roses are so easy. Just get a pair of hedge s ...more

Edible Landscapes

Fruit trees are a necessary addition to any green landscape. There are many varieties of fruit trees that can be grown in a landscape. At New England grows in 2010, learning about fruit trees was just one of the many seminars that attende ...more

How To Grow Leucothoe

Leucothoe, a relative of the Pieris, is a great plant for shade. The foliage is somewhat leathery and spring blossoms look like little bells. Finding an evergreen shrub that can take full-shade can be a challenge. Leucothoe is one of a few shrubs tha ...more

How To WaterTrees Before Winter

Trees that loose their leaves in winter need to have adequate water until the ground freezes. Watch the video at http://www.Growingwisdom.com to see how to properly water. The biggest issue is that if you have a newly planted tree and you do ...more

Evergreen Care For Winter

Evergreens can survive the toughest winters, but they do need water even in winter. Watch this video to learn the best practices for making sure evergreens stay their happy, green selves throughout the year. One of the best ways you can ensure ...more

Choosing A Shade Tree

Choosing a shade tree is a great opportunity to add a new dimension to the landscape. Before you choose ask yourself what is the goal for you and how does the tree help serve that goal. For example, if you want a flowering tree, most larg ...more

Moving Mature Trees

Moving a large tree can be a challenge. However, with the right equipment and proper planning it can be done with ease and success. Follow these steps. Do a proper site assessment Prepare new site for tree Remove tree from exi ...more

Landscaping Under Trees

Trying to get anything to grow under the dense canopy of a maple, oak or pine tree can be very challenging. Creating a mulch ring can solve this problem and benefit the tree. Since the soil is often compact and the tree uses so much of the a ...more

How To Espalier Trees & Shrubs

Espalier is the horticultural technique of training trees through pruning and grafting in order to create formal "two-dimensional" or single plane patterns by the branches of the tree. The technique was popular in the Middle Ages in Europe ...more

Winter Moth Damage Treatment

Winter moth can cause a lot of damage to trees in the early spring. However, there are measures we can take to help prevent and minimize the impact of the damage. After the damage has occured the tree must send out new leaves. It can not ...more

Flower Carpet Roses For Color

This video shows how Flower Carpet Roses are an integral part of any planting around your yard. They will add an element of color all season long not many plants can make that kind of claim. I like to use this plant as a part of any planting ...more

Flower Carpet Roses In Mass Planting

If you have an area that is calling for a mass planting of something why not try flower carpet roses? They are the perfect solution for an area near a driveway, a hill, even a mailbox near the road. Watch this video and see how to use F ...more

Flower Carpet-A Superior Rose

Many times referred to as the "Wonder Rose", the Flower Carpet® ground cover roses are some of the most popular roses available in the world today. This is because of their long flowering period, easy care and exceptional disease resist ...more

Preventing Ice Damage To Trees

Ice can be a terrible problem for trees. However, there are ways to protect trees from sustaining too much ice damage that are cost effective. You can cable or bolt trees and also use proper pruning techniques to keep the tree in proper h ...more

How To Prune Roses

Pruning roses is an important step in maintaining the health of your rose bush. Shrub roses are one of the easiest types to prune. There is disagreement and how to prune each type, but know this: You almost can''t kill the plant even from ...more

Asian Longhorn Beetle

Asian Longhorn Beetle, ALB, has been discovered in the United States. The beetles tunnel into trees attacking and eventually killing the tree. The beetle is a serious pest and it has killed thousand of trees in China. Here in the United States ...more

Caring For Trees After An Ice Storm

Ice damage to trees can be devastating. However, there are pruning methods that can save a tree and avoid having to take it out. There are all sorts of factors that can determine if your tree is going to sustain damage or whether after it has s ...more

Heptacodium For Fall Color

Heptacodium miconioides or seven son flower is a great small tree to grow in the landscape. Wonderful bark, late flowers and small size make this an ideal tree for the homeowner. ...more

Removing Trees Using Cranes

Large trees can be removed using a crane instead of having individual climbers take the tree down. The process might be a bit more costly, yet it can be safer and faster especially for large trees in tight spaces. I had a large maple behind my ...more

How To Transplant A Tree

Sometimes you have to move a tree in the yard. If the tree is not too large you can do it yourself. Careful planning will ensure the survival of the tree in its new location. The first thing I recommend is to be sure that the time of yea ...more

Arborvitae & Chamaecyparis For Hedges

Arborvitae or Thuja occidentalis and Chamaecyparis or cyprus are two great choices for creating a hedge or wind break. These evergreens love full sun and will thrive in most well drained soils. Needing little care and lasting for years th ...more

Summer Blooming Azaleas

Few winter hardy woody plants offer so much value to the New England landscape every July as the Summer Azaleas. These vigorous shrubs, deciduous in winter, are ripe in early summer with colorful and fragrant flowers, attractive foliage, just in time ...more

Planting A Christmas Tree

Caring for a Living Christmas Tree Caring For Your Living Christmas Tree The tree will come in a pot or burlap. You can dress this up however you wish. Keep the tree away from any heated sources. If the room is cool, like ...more

Caring for a Living Christmas Tree

Caring For Your Living Christmas Tree The tree will come in a pot or burlap. You can dress this up however you wish. Keep the tree away from any heated sources. If the room is cool, like an unheated sunroom this is preferable. ...more

Using Evergreen Branches in Planters

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Growing Japanese Spicebush

Some trees stay small and grow well under the taller ones. Japanese Spicebush is one such tree. Lidera obtusiloba is a great addition to the understory landscape. Hardy from zones 5 to 9 this small tree does well under larger trees that a ...more

Growing Beautyberry for the Winter Garden

Beautyberry grows in a wide variety of conditions from moist and shady to open and dry. In it's native habitat you most often see it under pine stands. The fruit and seeds are eaten and dispersed by more 40 different species of songbirds, deer ...more

Gardening:Growing Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon Hibiscus syriacus is one of the best late summer flowering shrubs you can grow. Coming in a variety of colors from white to blue, red to pink they do best in Zones 5 to 9. These small trees/shrubs can be trained to take ...more

Enkianthus Four Seasons Of Interest

When I garden I look for plants that give me the most bang for the buck. Long lasting flowers, interesting foliage, autumn color or great bark are characteristics that make a plant desirable. There are some plants that have all four of th ...more

Pruning Japanese Maple

There are all sorts of varieties of Japanese maple trees. Some are green, others red, some have red bark and others brown. Some of the trees grow tall and wide, others stay short and squat. In this video I talk about how to prune th ...more

Growing Wisdom:Oregon Grape Holly

Oregon Grape Holly or Mahonia as it is called is a great plant for certain parts of the country and world for that matter. There is one important caveat. In some areas this plant is considered invasive. It will spread and take over ...more

Growing Wisdom:Lightning Protection

Do you have a tree in your yard that you are concerned about being hit by lighting? Have you perhaps had lightning hit something close to your house and blow out some of your electronics? Lightning protection systems for trees are a great ...more

The Coral Bark Maple:Perfect For Winter

The coral bark maple tree is one of my favorites for winter interest. The variety of maple is called Sango Kaku means coral tower or coral pillar in Japanese, and the pillars are the upright, coral-colored branches, which are stunning against sn ...more

How To Prune Rhododendron

Rhododendron might be one the most popular shrubs in the landscape. There are hundreds of varieties and they can be found in some form in most parts of the country. After they flower in spring and early summer that is the time to prune th ...more

Growing Delaware Valley White Azalea

My favorite white azalea is Delaware Valley White. It is a wonderful plant that gets to be 4-5ft tall, loves part sun but will live in full sun and even mostly shade. It is hardy to zone 6 but I recommend planting it in a sheltered locati ...more

Growing Mountain Laurel

Kalmia latifolia, or Mountain Laurel, is wonderful evergreen shrub native to the Eastern United States. The growth is fairly slow but some varieties can get to over 10ft tall. In recent years new cultivars have given us blooms that range from wh ...more

Red and Pink Early Season Rhododendron

In the rhododendron world there are several different categories of plants. Large leafed plants, small leafed plants, those who keep all of their leaves, some of their leaves and even loose their leaves in the winter. There are those that ...more

When To Water Trees In Early Spring

Trees are really amazing. Some grow for decades, even centuries. They have wonderful shapes, flowers, and create shade. During the winter in colder climates they remain lifeless until the spring warmth rejuvenates them for another y ...more

Cornus Mas: A Great Early Blooming Tree

The cornelian cherry dogwood, Cornus mas, is a great small tree to have in your yard for spring. The blooms are yellow and come out just prior to forsythia. Hardy in zones 4-8 this tree is ideal for small landscapes. When mature it ...more

How To Prune Rose Of Sharon

Rose of Sharon, (Hibiscus syriacus.) is a great summer flower shrub hardy from zones 5 and higher. Although naturally a multi-stemmed shrub, rose of sharon can be trained through pruning (in late winter) to have simply one main trunk; thus some peopl ...more

How To Grow Hamamelis

On of my favorite early flowering shrubs or small tree is a hamamelis. These spectacular specimens flower in late winter and give winter weary folks their first taste of spring when winter is far from over. Many years I have had my hamame ...more

Properly Pruning Raspberries & Blackberries

According the University of Maine Extension web site, "Pruning is a vital part of maintaining a healthy raspberry planting. This practice greatly inhibits the spread of raspberry diseases and improves fruit quality and yield. During the summer ...more

How To Prune Blueberries

Selection of a training system will help guide how you prune your blueberries. Many fruit gardeners prefer to retain two to three main canes that will anchor the bush’s fruit production. Young blueberries are carefully trained to maintain close ...more

Properly Pruning Shade Trees

The main reasons for pruning ornamental and shade trees include safety, health, and aesthetics. In addition, pruning can be used to stimulate fruit production and increase the value of timber. Pruning for safety involves removing branches tha ...more

How To Identify Structural Problems In Trees

Do you have a favorite tree that you love? Has it been part of your landscape for as long as you can remember? It is important to evaluate all trees on a regular basis for structural integrity. Trees are susceptible to a whole host ...more

How To Use Evergreens In The Winter Garden

During the winter in the northern latitudes the trees are bare, the grass is brown and the snow can be deep. The garden can certainly look a bit drab and have the appearance of very little life. With some careful planning, using a few key ...more

The Living Christmas Tree Survival Guide

The Christmas tree tradition goes back hundreds of years and is one which remains as popular as ever today. With all the talk of the value of trees do you ever think that it would nice to be able to use the tree again instead of throwing ...more

Keeping Christmas Trees Healthy Indoors

Christmas is such a great time of the year for so many people. Finding the right Christmas tree is a part of the holiday passed down from family to family, generation to generation. Some of you love fir, other spruce. Th ...more

Autumn Color From The Forest To Your Yard

Recently, I sat down with the director of horticulture at the New England Wild Flower Society in Framingham, MA. We chatted about the fall colors, why leaves change and what trees and shrubs you can add to your own landscape to enjoy spec ...more

Assessing Tree Health

The folks at Tree Specialists, located in Holliston, MA, came out to my house to assess the health of some of the trees on the property. According to their website, ”While pruning and cabling treatments work to improve a tree's struc ...more

Learning to Plant a Tree or Shrub - Parts 1 and 2

Recently, Wayne Mezitt* of Weston Nurseries wrote a piece about how to plant trees and shrubs in the landscape. I recommend you print these guidelines and have them in the yard for reference while you're planting. In most&n ...more

Introducing Some Unique Conifers

I'm always looking for unique conifers. They're the staple of the winter garden. If you have several small conifers in your garden, you'll have some green twelve months of the year. The p ...more

Finding the Japanese Maple That's Right for You

Acer palmatum or Japanese maple are great trees to have in the yard. There are literally over a thousand varieties and there is surely one that will fit your landscape. Some can be grown in containers while others require more space. ...more

Pruning Deciduous Trees

It really depends on the time of year as to how you prune deciduous trees. Trees such as dogwoods that have not formed their flower buds for next year yet can be pruned now. You do not want to prune spring flowering trees and shrubs as the ...more

Learning About Stewartia

There aren’t many large trees that flower in July. The Stewartia tree, a favorite with many gardeners, is a rare exception. Size and Shape The shape of the tree is terrific and resembles a vase. Over time, some trees can achieve a height of 45 f ...more

Pruning Evergreens in Summer

I often get emails asking about the best time to prune. The answer is, it depends. Diseased, dead, or damaged branches can be pruned out at any time. Live growth has to be treated differently, however. When you prune live growth, you encourage new gr ...more

Diagnosing Problems with Rhododendron and Other Plants

Some plant diseases are harder to diagnose than others. Red thread, for example, is an easy one to recognize. If you have pink fuzzy grass, you can be pretty certain you have red thread. Several things can make diagnosis diffi ...more

Discovering Summer-Blooming Azaleas

The title for this might seem like an oxymoron. Summer azaleas -- don't those bloom in the spring? The answer is no, summer azaleas bloom in the summer and are cousins to their spring counterparts. Many summer azaleas are the result of crossing a no ...more

How To Care For Lilacs

This week I got a lot of questions about lilac. I think this is because they just stopped blooming. The most popular question was, Can you prune? The answer: Yes, and it's a great time to do this. If you prune lilac now, you can ...more

Magnolias

The genus of Magnolia is one of the most ancient on earth. These wonderful trees are certainly harbingers of spring, and there are several that do quite well in the northeast. Before you purchase an unusual variety, ask a reputable garden c ...more

Choosing the Best Early Rhododendron

By R. Wayne Mezitt One of the most familiar and popular shrubs now seen in countless New England landscapes is the Rhododendron ‘PJM’. Developed in the 1940’s by Ed Mezitt right here in Hopkinton, this plant has become wo ...more

Getting Plants To Grow Under Trees

For a moment I want you to picture trees in a forest. Ok, got it? Now think about the ground under those trees. Is there a huge expanse of lawn coming right up to the edge of the trunks? Most likely you would answer no. ...more

Small Leafed Rhododendrons-Big Early Color

One group of plants that does better in harsh winters is the small leafed rhododendron. These are sometimes also known as the early rhododendron as they bloom before the larger leafed and perhaps better known varieties. Over the next few weeks ...more

Three Favorite Trees & Shrubs That Bloom In April

Pieris japonica 'Brower's Beauty' is one terrific plant and a great shrub to have to give an early pop to your garden. This plant is so great, it won an award! Its call the Cary Award http://www.caryaward.org/ and it is given to thos ...more

Dividing A Plant Part II

Blooms: June/Early July Location: East or North side of the house Use: One of the best climbing vines according to many experts Problems: None Serious Prune: Only if you need to keep it in bounds Color: White Flowers, peeling cinnamon brown bark ...more

Dividing A Plant Part I

R. Wayne Mezitt Can you think of any image that exudes “summertime” more effectively than the quaint Cape Cod cottage fronted with brilliant blue hydrangea? Although hydrangeas are commonly associated with summer at the seashore, they ar ...more

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