NC Public Gardens – Biltmore Estate

Posted on August 30, 2010 by admin

Biltmore Estate
 1 North Pack Square (Exit 50 off I-40)
Asheville, NC 28801
800-543-2961 or 828-274-6333

Gardens (75 acres) designed by Frederick Law Olmsted for America’s largest private home – George Vanderbilt’s chateau. Includes: Italian garden, shrub garden, walled English garden, azaleas, roses, conservatory, arbors, flowering bulbs, rhododendrons, and annuals.


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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Leucanthemum ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisy

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

Name:  Leucanthemum ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisy

Zones: 4 – 9

Size: 30 inches by 18 – 24 inches

Conditions: Full sun

Just the sight of a daisy conjures up a nostalgia for most of us.  Lazy summer days, making daisy chains, wondering if he loves me or loves me not.  No country garden would be complete without at least one daisy plant.

In 2003, The Perennial Plant Association named Shasta Daisy ‘Becky’ the perennial plant of the year based on,  the basis of its bright white flowers, sturdy stems that resist lodging, and long season of bloom. Indeed this is true.  ‘Becky’ is the longest blooming daisy in the Leucanthemum family.  Regular deadheading will extend the long season even more.  Three feet hight, bright white flowers held above textured dark green foliage makes a lovely addition to any garden.  Have you tried ‘Becky’ in your garden?

By: Helen Yoest

The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.
Posted in Perennials | 2 Comments

Euonymus fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’

Posted on August 16, 2010 by admin

Photo courtesy Monrovia

Name:  Euonymus fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’

Zones: 4 – 9

Size:  8 to 10 inches tall, 18 to 24 inches wide

Conditions: Partial to full sun

Evergreen ground covers are nice to have so we don’t have to look at mulch in the winter and they make great cover for the wildlife.

The dark green, narrow foliage of Euonymus fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’ is a very prostrate shrub creating  a nice ground cover.  ‘Wolong Ghost’ will take some sun, but also performs well in deep shade.  It actually may perform at little too well; This wintercreeper is listed as an invasive exotic throughout much of the eastern United States and should be used with caution.  Planting ‘Wolong Ghost’ in the sun may temper it’s aggressive habit.

By: Helen Yoest

TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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Tall, Lush Plants

Posted on August 9, 2010 by admin
Take your garden from the ground up by adding height.  With tall, willowy, nodding or upright, flowers or leaf, grasses or bananas, adding height to the garden, adds drama.
Tall plants have a place in any garden size.  They can dazzle a demure garden, rocket a medium garden and garnish a grandeur garden.  Adding height, will have your garden reaching for the sky.

This nice mix of tall perennials and reseeding annuals at the JC Raulston Arboretum includes Dahlia ‘Forncett Furnace’ Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’, Kniphofia uvaria ‘Lola’, Canna ‘Red futurity’, Lilium African Queen Group.

Typically, tall plants are relegated to the back of the border around the perimeter of the property or used in otherwise conventional ways.  The use of tall plants need not be limited in this way.  There are many reasons to break this basic design tenant, such as adding a tall, see-through plant, like verbena bonarienis (verbena-on-a-stick), in a mixed border or adding a tall plant in the front or middle of the border to serve as punctuation mark.


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.
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Crepe Myrtle ‘Zuni’ (Lagerstroemia indica ‘Zuni’)

Posted on August 2, 2010 by admin

Crepe Myrtle ‘Zuni’

Name: Lagerstroemia indica ‘Zuni’

Zones: 6 – 7

Size: 9 – 12 feet tall

Conditions: Full sun, drought tolerant.

Crape Myrtles are not only stars in our summer landscapes, they actually have something to offer all year long.  With architectural interest in the winter and spring, color in the fall along with peeling bark, no southern garden would be complete without at least one Crepe Myrtle.  If you had to choose just one, consider Lagerstroemia indica ‘Zuni.’

In the mixed border, ‘Zuni’ acts like a big ole blooming perennial; but one that doesn’t need tending too.  A semi-dwarf, multi-stemmed shrub-like tree,  ‘Zuni’ is very drought and mildew resistance.  ‘Zuni’ is also deer and rabbit tolerant and will grow in North Carolina’s sand or clay.

During the summer, ‘Zuni’ blooms with large,  lavender flowers that continues on for most of the summer season.

For information on pruning Crepe Myrtles, check out these tips form Steve Bender with Southern Living 10 of the most common questions about Crepe Myrtles.

Do you grow ‘Zuni’ in your garden at home?


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

Posted on July 21, 2010 by admin

Name: Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

Zones: 7 – 9

Size: 60 – 90 feet tall and 20+ feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; rich, well-drained, acid soil. Once established, extremely drought tolerant.

Quintessential southern landscapes include southern magnolias. Unfortunately, not all of us have the land to hold one. Thankfully, I do. My neighbors have 5 on their half acre lot! We have one on the south side of the house; it shades our home from the hot summer sun. Waxy, glossy leaves, with a brown under belly, drop each spring landing within her skirt. Their May and June blooms look and smell heavenly. I’ll pluck one and float in a bowl near where I read in the morning. It last but a day, but what a day it is.

By: Helen Yoest


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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Japanese Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata)

Posted on July 21, 2010 by admin

Name: Sciadopitys verticillata

Zones: 5 to 9

Size: 25 to 40 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; acidic, fertile, moist, well-drained soil.

A good plant will offer 2 seasons of interest or purpose; a plant with three seasons is even better. Add in a forth season, and it’s a winner through and through.

Japanese umbrella pine always looks interesting. Lush, exotic, deep green needles in whorls give rise to its common name. With neither disease nor pest problems to deal with, this tree also meets your low-maintenance requirements. It’s a very slow-growing however, so invest in a sizable plant to keep your patience from getting the best of you.

By: Helen Yoest


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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White Rain Lily (Zephyranthes candida)

Posted on July 21, 2010 by admin

White Rain Lily

Name: Zephyranthes candida

Zones: 7 to 10

Size: 6 to 12 inches tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; rich moist soil.

The white rain lily was one of Elizabeth Lawrence’s favorite little bulbs. These fall bloomers like moist loam and don’t want to compete for water. Lovely white crocus-like flowers will open after it rains; the rest of the year, they offer a pleasing, grass-like leaf.  Rain lilies make a nice ground cover, giving a open area garden nice texture.

Rain Lilies are an idea bulb for a rain garden or planted in a  location made moist from receiving overflow water from a drain spout. Rain lilies have a magical quality about them in that they just seem to know from where the water comes: Rain lilies will bloom to the occasion of rain.

By: Helen Yoest


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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Hardy Begonia (Begonia grandis)

Posted on July 20, 2010 by admin

Hardy Begonia

Name: Begonia grandis

Zones: 6 to 10

Size: 18 inches tall and wide

Conditions: Part shade; moist, well-drained soil.

Hardy begonia is very easy to grow and offers a cooling effect located in the shade of the trees. Most of what I have came from plants passed along from my friend Brooks’ garden. The triangular-shaped leaves and blush-pink flowers keep thriving from summer through frost.

Hardy begonia is often passed along from gardener to gardener or purchased from a quality nursery. The cultivar ‘Heron’s Pirouette’ offers especially huge, abundant rosy pink flowers.

By: Helen Yoest


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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Privacy Design

Posted on July 20, 2010 by admin

There is no reason to sit on your back deck and only to look over at your neighbor doing the same, but looking back at you.

Plan for privacy. Fences will certainly give instant privacy, but they can leave the space feeling stark. Study your site and evaluate how the space is used.

Consider planting a well placed tree or shrub to hide or block a view. Or working with the fence as a back drop, add a privacy hedgerow to soften the space. By adding a diverse, multi-species plantings, they will also attract a wide range of wildlife.

When planting a hedgerow for wildlife, the National Wildlife Federation suggest a ratio mixture an evergreen, two nectar-producing, two berry, and one thorny trees and shrubs.

It may take some time to fully mature; but it will be worth the wait. In a few years, you and your neighbor will have all the privacy you need.

By: Helen Yoest


The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

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