Hollyhock Rust
Rust, caused by the fungus, Puccinia malvacearum, is the most common disease of hollyhock. Under favorable environmental conditions, the disease spreads rapidly from leaf to leaf. Older leaves are usually killed, and plants become unsightly. Fig. ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Botrytis Blight of Peony
Botrytis blight is a common fungal disease that confronts the peony grower each spring. The fungus Botrytis cinerea blights stems, buds, and leaves and can cause plants to look unsightly. This fungus causes disease on a wide variety of herbaceous ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Bearded Iris: Orchids of the Spring Landscape
The bearded iris is viewed as the orchid of the home garden by many. There are one or more large, showy flowers per stem, and each is divided into six segments: three falls (outer segments) which droop and three standards (inner segments) which ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Perennials: Culture, Maintenance and Propagation
Author: Diane Relf, Retired Horticulture Extension Specialist and Elizabeth Ball, former Program Support Technician; Virginia Tech Perennials are plants that live year after year. Trees and shrubs are perennial. Most garden flowers are herbaceous ... [... more]
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Hardy Geraniums
For many people, the name geranium conjures up pictures of neat borders, hanging baskets, and clay pots filled with large clusters of brilliant red, white or pink blossoms. Actually these plants are not true geraniums at all; their scientific ... [... more]
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Roses -- A Colorful History
Ever since the Egyptians reportedly filled Cleopatra's room knee-deep with rose petals before Marc Antony's arrival, the significance of the rose has ranged from love to political allegiance. The art of the early civilizations of Babylon and ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Though Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a native Virginia plant, the large, compound leaves add a touch of the exotic to shady borders. After the flower fades the leaves continue to grow, approaching 12 to 24 inches in height. A bright, red berry cluster ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Propagating Herbaceous Perennials
One of the joys of a perennial garden is watching the plants grow and fill out the spaces allotted to them. However, herbaceous perennials can outgrow their alloted space so they need to be divided periodically, discarding the older center growth ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Sowing Perennial Plant Seed
As we enter the last months of summer, the thought of doing another seed sowing of flowers is far from the minds of most gardeners. Flowers, after all, are either started from seeds indoors or bought in packs in spring, right? Not necessarily ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Primroses
Successful culture of primroses requires a cool, partly shady spot away from tree roots as primroses may not successfully compete with them for moisture. If primroses become too dry in the summer they will either lose their leaves and go dormant, ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
Handling of Bare Root Perennials
Many perennials ordered from nurseries are bare root plants. These plants are subject to the stresses of being dug from the field, held in cold storage, shipped long distances under varying conditions, and are frequently held in temporary storage ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
About Daylilies
Daylilies make an excellent groundcover, providing erosion control and reducing the flow of soil and other materials into waterways, ponds, rivers, even the Chesapeake Bay. Few plants possess the versatility of the familiar daylily. Shade ... [... more]
Virginia Tech Extension |
