GardenDesignOnline

New Plants for 2012: III

 

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Tangerine Streams™ Rose  (Conard Pyle/Star Roses)
(Rosa 'Bagstream')

Sure love this rose -- whose color would fit with almost any garden color scheme -- it's an orange hue that turns creamy yellow with apricot and pink tones.  Double blooms about three inches in diameter.  Unfortunately, no fragrance, but a very bushy shrub about four feet high with good resistance to mildew and rust.  Bred by John Bagnasco, introduced by Conard-Pyle Co./Star Roses.

 

Orchid Romance™ Rose (Conard Pyle/Star)
(Rosa 'Radprov')

Can't beat the color on this floribunda, bred by William Radler.  Upright, bushy form with dark green, semi-glossy leaves, very resistant to black spot, powdery mildew and rust.  Abundant flowers, and continuous bloom as well.  About 4.5 feet high, 3 feet wide.

 

Eyeconic Lemonade™ (Conard Pyle/Star)
(Rosa 'Sprolem')

What I think of as an old-fashioned shrub rose ... this floribunda also comes in pink -- Eyeconic Pink Lemonade (Rosa 'Sprolempink'). A bushy shrub about 4.5 feet high and wide, with abundant, continuous bloom. Either would be great to brighten up a dull spot in the garden. Bred by Jim Sproul.

Plants Marching North

Yes, it's official ....

The US Department of Agriculture a few days ago released  its new plant hardiness map, and, as expected, it shows the effects of global warming. In general, each zone is now about half a zone warmer than it was during the last map, issued in 1990.

Professor David Wolfe of Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences said the new map shows "a dramatic 'zone creep' northward throughout the country." He noted that some gardeners will be able to experiment with new plants that could not previously survive winter temperatures, but other plants will suffer from the heat. He also said that some invasive species like kudzu are likely to expand their range northward.

Art DeGaetano of NOAA's regional climate center at Cornell predicted that temperatures will continue to warm throughout the century.  "By 2080," he said, "the hardiness zones that currently cover the area from southern Virginia to northern Georgia may replace those that we see across New York in the current climate.

The new USDA map is available online here. The new map has 13 zones -- including the two new zones, 12 and 13.  At the USDA website, you can download the entire map, or maps of your state.  You can also find your new zone by entering your zip code.

New Plants for 2012: II

The following -- just a short selection -- of new plants from Spring Meadow Nursery in Grand Haven, MI.

Pinky Bells™ Abelia
(Abelia 'Lynn')

I've always been a great fan of abelia, particularly because it blooms away well into fall.  The problem has always been the smallish flowers -- maybe until now.  Pinky Bells is said to have the largest flowers of any abelia, and new growth on the leaves and the stems takes on a reddish hue in spring and again in fall. Easy maintenance, to Zone 6, 2-3' tall by 3-4' wide.  Sounds like a very promising groundcover, and it's deer resistant to boot. Available in retail centers in spring 2013.

Calycanthus 'Aphrodite'

Don't know why more people don't plant sweetshrub, and now they have no excuse. Aphrodite has large flowers reminiscent of magnolia blooms, it is extremely fragrant, and it's a re-bloomer. Five to six feet tall and wide, to zone 5. Developed by Dr. Tom Ranney of NC State. Available spring 2013.

Bobo™ Hydrangea
(Hydrangea paniculata 'ILVOBO')

This dwarf panicle hydrangea is just 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, but it has huge white flowers that lengthen as they bloom, and they're supported on strong stems. In fall, the flowers take on a pinkish color.  To zone 3, seems like a terrific showy plant for small gardens. Available spring 2013.

Urban Tree of the Year 2012

Accolade™ Elm (Ulmus 'Morton')

The Society of Municipal Arborists has selected the Accolade elm as its urban tree of the year for 2012.

Cornell University's Nina Bassuk, Director of the Urban Horticulture Institute, says the original Accolade, at the Morton Arboretum, is "spectacular, reminiscent of the tall arched form of the American elm."

Accolade is considered a hybrid of Ulmus japonica and U. wilsoniana, and the plant originated from seed collected at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston in 1924.

Accolade is resistant to Dutch elm disease, which wiped out most American elms, and it's also resistant to elm yellows and to elm leaf beetle. Its mature size is about 50 to 60 feet tall and 30 to 40 feet wide; it has excellent drought tolerance; it has a vase-shaped habit with upright, arching branches; and is hardy to Zone 4. Its leaves are a dark, glossy green, which turn yellow in the fall.

Accolade is the first of many elms introduced by the Morton Arboretum, where a tree breeding program was established under Dr. George Ware to study as many Asian elms as possible with the objective of finding a disease-resistant replacement for the American elm.

photo: Chicagoland Grows

 

Boxwood Blight Hits Eastern U.S.

Boxwood blight, a serious disease that can kill infected plants within a season, has now been confirmed in North Carolina, Virginia and Connecticut (Middlesex, Fairfield, Hartford and New London counties so far). 

The disease, discovered in the mid 1990's, is present across Europe and in New Zealand, and it is not known how the pathogen entered the United States. The blight, also called box blight and boxwood leaf drop, is caused by the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola, also known as C. pseudonaviculatum, and it can spread rapidly in warm and wet conditions.

English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruiticosa') and American or common boxwood (B. sempervirens) are particularly susceptible to the fungus, but the fungus has also been found on the popular Korean boxwoods (Buxus sinica var. insularis, formerly known as B. microphylla var. koreana), little leaf boxwood (B. microphylla), and Japanese boxwood (B. microphylla var. japonica). The fungus also affects sweetbox (Sarcococca spp).

I was very disturbed to find that the fungus attacks some of the most popular boxwood hybrids, including 'Winter Gem', 'Green Velvet', 'Graham Blandy', 'Green Mountain' and many others.

To prevent the fungus from spreading, scientists recommend that homeowners increase spacing between boxwood plants to maximize air circulation, avoid overhead watering and remove any leaf debris.  If you notice symptoms like dark or light brown spots on leaves, leaves that turn the color of straw, or defoliation, report it immediately to your local extension office.

For more information, see the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station website here, or Saunders Brothers Nursery in Virginia, a major grower and developer of some of the most popular new boxwood hybrids.

(photos: CT Ag Experiment Station)

 

 

 

Abies, Acer, Et Cetera, Vale

Well, we're not saying goodbye to Acer palmatum or Abies concolor or Zelcova serrata anytime soon. The system of botanical nomenclature invented by Linnaeus in the 18th century survives.  But as of January 1st of this year, if you find a new species of plant, you will no longer have to provide a description of it in Latin in order to have it accepted --  you can publish your new description in English electronically.

The new rules were adopted by the International Botanical Congress in Melbourne, Australia, last July in an effort to speed up recognition of new plant species before they're all wiped out by global warming. James Miller, Dean and VP for Science at the New York Botanical Garden was the lead author of the new rules published in the online journal PhytoKeys.

"Eliminating the Latin requirement and moving to electronic publication will really expedite and simplify the process of describing the diversity that's out there," he wrote.  Botanists describe about two thousand new species every year, and the rate has been held up by the fact that it takes many of the scientists a long time to accurately describe the new plants in Latin. Publishing papers in scientific journals also takes months, if not years. So far, they've described about 200 thousand species, less than half of the plants, fungi and algae that inhabit the planet.

As Miller put it in his article, "In an age where almost certainly 20 percent of the world's plant species, and undoubtedly much greater percentages of fungi and algae, remain to be discovered, described and named, this step will hopefully help taxonomists in their race to document biological diversity before it is lost to the deforestation and habitat degradation that threatens their extinction."

Nota bene.

 

 

 

The Pilgrim - Happy Thanksgiving

The Pilgrim Rose

If you live in a zone with moderate enough temperatures into November, you might actually be able to bring in a bloom or two of 'The Pilgrim' for the Thanksgiving table.  So, if you haven't got one already, plant one for next year and you'll have the perfect bloom for the centerpiece.

A David Austin rose, 'The Pilgrim' has large, rosette-shaped blooms of a medium yellow color that are paler toward the edges.  The scent is a classic tea fragrance, mixed with a bit of myrrh.  As an upright shrub rose, it's height is about 4 feet high by 3 feet wide, but it can also be trained as a climber, in which case it'll reach about eight feet high.

(image: David Austin Roses)

Ginning Up the Paperwhites

My annual post on Paperwhites ... here it is again, for anyone who missed it in the past.

Time to get out the Boodle's, Tanqueray, Beefeater or Bombay ... it's not exactly gin & tonic season, but it is the season for paperwhites.  And it's the gin that will make them a spectacular show.

Several years ago, researchers at Cornell University's Flowerbulb Research Program discovered that the addition of gin will stunt the growth of paperwhites and prevent them from that annoying habit of getting too topheavy and flopping over. According to Professor of Horticulture William B. Miller, here's the recipe:

Plant paperwhite bulbs in stones, gravel or whatever else as usual.  Add water, wait until the roots begin to grow, and when the green shoots above the bulb reach 1-2" in height, pour off the water and add an alcohol solution made from gin or almost any other hard liquor, including vodka, tequila, rum, or whiskey.  The solution should be one part hard liquor to 7 parts of water.

The result:  paperwhites that are one-third shorter, but just as fragrant and floriferous as usual.

Miller warns against using beer or wine because the sugars in them will cause a lot of problems.  The higher the alcohol concentration (within reason), he says, the shorter the plants, but don't use a concentration higher than 10 percent.   Rubbing alcohol can also be used to the same effect, but use one part alcohol to 10 or 11 parts water.

Miller says he and his researchers are not sure why the alcohol stunts growth, but he says "we feel it is simply 'water stress,' where the alcohol makes it more difficult for the plant to absorb water...enough to reduce leaf and stem growth, but not enough to affect flower size or flower longevity."

The Cornell website was passed on to me by my good friend Louise Crane, who saw an article about it in the New York Times.

And make sure to order your paperwhites from Brent and Becky's Bulbs  ...  they have a terrific selection of paperwhites, not to mention the rest of their huge bulb collection.  I've been ordering from them for years, and have yet to see better quality from anyone else.

(image: Brent & Becky's Bulbs)

New Plants for 2012 : I

From David Austin Roses, two new ones for 2012.  At left is Rosa 'Princess Anne', a shrub rose about three feet tall and two feet wide with deep pink blooms.  According to D. Austin, the flowers eventually fade to a purple-lilac shade, which creates a rather dramatic effect since the blooms tend to flower in large clusters.

The rose also has a medium tea-rose fragrance, and it's one of the roses in a new line that's said to produce plants of strong vigor and health.The other new Austin rose, Rosa 'Skylark', is also pink, and the same size, but it has a more informal, light and airy habit.  It's free flowering, with clear pink blooms that fade to a paler shade,  and it has a fruity scent reminiscent of apples and cloves.

The other new Austin rose, Rosa 'Skylark', also has pink blooms and is about the same size.  It's one of a new line bred particularly for vigor and good health.  It has a light and airy form, a bit more informal, and it's free flowering with blooms that have a fruity scent reminiscent of apples and cloves.

 

From Monrovia, this new variegated beautyberry, Callicarpa 'Summer Snow', is part of the new 2012 Dan Hinkley collection. Clusters of pink flowers in summer turn to purple-blue berries in fall, a great standout if planted in masses in the front of the border.  Zones 6-10. 

A new holly, Ilex 'Emerald Colonnade', is an evergreen male holly that can be used as a screen, a specimen, a hedge or windbreak.  It's 10-12' tall, six to eight feet wide, and needs only occasional water, once established. (Doesn't that sound like the perfect plant!).  It also produces small, creamy-yellow flowers in late March or early April.  Zones 7-9. 

 (photos: Roses: David Austin; beautyberry: Dan Hinkley/Monrovia; holly: Monrovia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween Rose

Pumpkin Patch™ Rose

If it's orange, it's perfect for Halloween. So could there be a better rose to go along with the pumpkins and the ghosts? This one, released by Weeks Roses, a couple of years ago, is described as the color of pumpkin pie, on the caramel side. It's a floribunda, medium-sized, round and bushy, with a moderately fruity fragrance. Hybridized by Bedard, it's said to like a little afternoon shade. Parentage is Goldmark x Honey Dijon.  Might be just the right thing for a planting beside the front porch, so that Halloween visitors won't miss it.

(photo: courtesy Weeks Roses, © Gene Sasse