This week we talk about the coming cold snap (23F or lower) and what gardeners should do about covering plants, deer resistant plants, temperatures where fruiting buds are damaged (critical temperatures), what are weeds? native plants, identifying seedlings and more…
Silver Carpet Lamb’s Ear Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’ – non blooming lamb’s ears
Non-flowering lamb’s ear—primarily cultivars like ‘Helene von Stein’ (Big Ears) and ‘Silver Carpet’—are prized for their large, velvety, silver-gray foliage rather than blooms. These low-maintenance, drought-tolerant perennials grow 6–12 inches tall, spread quickly, resist deer and rabbits, and are excellent for borders, groundcover, or dry, sunny, and poor soil conditions.
Key Non-Flowering Cultivars:
‘Helene von Stein’ (Big Ears): Features massive leaves (sometimes hand-sized) that create a thick, silver, low-maintenance mat, rarely producing bloom stalks.
‘Silver Carpet’: Produces foliage that grows 6–8 inches tall, creating a dense, spreading groundcover that is almost entirely non-flowering.
Characteristics & Care:
Growth: Spreads via rooting stems and is easily divided every 2–4 years.
Conditions: Thrives in full sun to partial shade in USDA Zones 4–9.
Maintenance: Low maintenance, but requires well-drained soil to prevent rot, especially in high humidity.
Benefits: Excellent for weed suppression and, unlike standard varieties, does not spread by seed.
Managing wildlife around your house- https://utia.tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/269/2023/10/PB1868.pdf
Native plants and wildlife https://uthort.tennessee.edu/wildlife-2/
50 Deer Resistant Plants. Knox Co. library has this book. Here’s a link to Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Deer-Resistant-Plants-Prettiest-Perennials/dp/1604691956
Decoding daffodil divisions for a deep dive into daffodil classifications (and types!) – https://powellgardens.org/daffodils-demystified-a-guide-to-daffodil-divisions/
10 Daffodils for Successional Flowering –
https://www.learningwithexperts.com/blogs/articles/10-daffodil-for-successional-flowering
Critical Temperatures Frost Damage Fruit Trees
https://extension.usu.edu/productionhort/files/CriticalTemperaturesFrostDamageFruitTrees.pdf
Weather Underground, Amy’s favorite weather app – https://www.wunderground.com
Critical temps for blueberries https://blogs.cornell.edu/berries/2024/03/21/critical-temperatures-for-berry-crops/
MSU Critical Spring Temperatures for Bud Development –
https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/critical-spring-temperatures-for-tree-fruit-bud-development-stages
Frost, Critical Temperatures, and Frost Protection – https://extension.psu.edu/frost-critical-temperatures-and-frost-protection
Cold tolerance of fruit tree blossoms by stage of development – https://www.canr.msu.edu/blueberries/growing_blueberries/growth-stages
Purple dead nettle as a landscape plant – https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lamium-purpureum/
Spotted dead nettle – https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lamium-maculatum/
violets viola in the landscape – https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viola/
Egyptian walking onions – super easy to grow – https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/lycoming/news/egyptian-walking-onions
About onions including bunching onions – https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/PDF/FSA-6014.pdf
Specifics on bunching onions – https://foodhero.org/how-grow-bunching-onions
About the seed banks that exist in soil – https://www2.nau.edu/~gaud/bio300w/sdbnk.htm
About growing arugula – https://heritagegarden.uic.edu/arugula-eruca-sativa
Critical Temperatures Frost Damage Fruit Trees
https://extension.usu.edu/productionhort/files/CriticalTemperaturesFrostDamageFruitTrees.pdf
About winter savory (and there’s also a different summer savory) – https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/satureja-montana/
Growing Blueberries https://www.canr.msu.edu/blueberries/growing_blueberries/growth-stages
About coral honeysuckle – https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/
About bluebells – https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mertensia-virginica/
Witch hazel – Hamamelis virginiana (Common Witchhazel, Common Witch Hazel, Southern Witch Hazel, Witch Hazel, Witch-Hazel) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hamamelis-virginiana/
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