Fortune’s spindles (Euonymus fortunei) are quite popular in Lithuania, and there are plenty of these semievergreen, ground-hugging colorful shrubs in our gardens. However, one of the new introductions really makes us to lean in and have a better look – is it really a spindle, or maybe it is a moss? `Silverstone` is a very [...]
From the seven grape vines varieties that I grow `Canadice` is the one, which really stands out. Firstly, it is very suitable for vertical gardening – this is a very fast-growing and completely cold-hardy vine. Secondly, the grapes are seedless. They are small, yellowish red when ripe (bright red, if autumn has been long and [...]
Pineapple guava (also known as feijoa) is a compact tree, reaching 2-4 m in height, with irregular crown. Its bark is light green, leaves are ovoid, dark green and glossy above, and silvery on reverse. It flowers on the current year’s growth. Flowers are very beautiful, with fleshy red and white petals and long red [...]
Japanese spiraeas tend to form round or sometimes oblong mounds, which are not completely tidy. If left unsheared, they can expand up to metre tall and wide, therefore I suggest – be ruthless and shear them back on a regular basis. As a result their foliage will be brighter, while flowers will be larger. I [...]
I have always had a soft spot for shrubs with colourful foliage, especially the kind which tend to form bushy mounds and respond well to pruning. This is why Japanese spiraeas take pride of place in my garden. These are excellent plants for low growing formal or informal hedges, shrub borders or used as accent plants [...]
Cool and rainy weather chased me inside.So I decided to take up this opportunity to remind you of a very important task before it is too late. About this time of a year, most pines would have already produced long new shoots, often referred to as candles, which are smooth and soft. This is a [...]
The larger leaves the evergreen rhododendron has, the shadier location will it require. The small-leaved evergreen rhododendrons adapt well, grown in exposed locations, as long as they receive ample moisture. Deciduous rhododendrons feel comfortable growing in open, sunny positions. Although the leaves of Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) and Rhododendron smirnowii are evergreen and large, they [...]
Heathers are native to the Baltic countries, Scotland, Germany, Poland, Russia and Belarus, where they can be found growing in pine forests, dry birch woods or wastelands. They grow a mere 1.5-2 cm a year, and live for 30 years. Garden forms of heathers are faster-growing, so leave enough space for their expansion when planting [...]
There is nothing else more beautiful than May in Lithuania, when warm and wet weather finally arrives and all the plants sprout just in one night. Mother nature press a magic button, and all the greenery starts to change it`s garment into the eyes. It`s the time when I always keep something in my hands [...]
Hibiscus, or rosemallow, is a large genus which includes more than 200 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees, as well as annual and perennial herbaceous plants. Almost all of them are native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world (including the popular houseplant – the Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)); hence only very [...]
