Happy Spring from all of us on Team Combs. Please go back and read our previous posts. Native plants to rain gardens!!!
Pollinator gardens provide habitat and food for native pollinating bees, wasps, moths, and butterflies, including the iconic monarch butterfly. Usage of these plants in gardens is rising — in tandem with greater awareness of the important ecological functions that pollinators provide. Creating bee habitats like “bee hotels” and leaving or stacking stems from perennials are also popular tactics gardeners are adopting to provide good overwintering habitat for pollinators.
Plant Options:
Adding pollinator attracting plants such as Pycnanthemum, mountain mint; Eutrochium (syn. Eupatorium) Joe-pye weed; Liatris, gayfeathers; Echinacea, coneflowers and Asclepias, milkweeds will increase the diversity of garden pollinators.
Boxwood blight is an ongoing fungal issue for many gardeners who consider boxwoods an easy-to-care-for and durable evergreen. Boxwood blight is hard to control in the garden and since it spreads quickly, many plants are dying or being compromised. Because of this, gardeners are starting to think about alternative options to prevent potential boxwood blight.
Plant Options:
Some great substitutions include alternate evergreens such as inkberry holly, Ilex glabra Strongbox®, Gem Box® and Proven Winners®, and Squeeze Box®. Additionally, boxwoods that are bred to be resistant to blight are being promoted by Better Boxwood® such as Skylight™, Renaissance™, Heritage™, and Babylon Beauty™.
Tropical plants are popular in the garden for their seasonal large and luxuriant foliage. This impact in the temperate garden creates a tropical-like feeling throughout the summer and into the fall, and offers up vibrant splashes of color, bringing a taste of the tropics home.
Plant Options:
There continues to be many great tropical plants coming to garden centers including two new elephant ears, Colocasia esculenta Redemption™ and Pharaoh’s Mask™ from Plants Nouveau®. There are a host of great new bold foliaged begonias with great leaf patterns including Jurassic rex begonias, Begonia rex Curly™ and the Shadow King® series. The Hollywood® Hibiscus, Sun Parasol® Mandevilla and Canna Cannova® Red Golden Flame and Bronze Peach are great new tropical plant introductions.
Happy 2024 gardening season from all of us at Combs Landscaping!
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