GardenDesignOnline

Election Day Rose

Rose for Election Day

Apparently there is no "Election Day" rose, but I think Le Président will do just fine. According to the best and most comprehensive rose site on the web -- Help Me Find/Rose -- Le Président is a light pink hybrid tea bred in Britain back in 1860 by Adam Paul.  It has large, light pink blooms with a petal count of 26-40 and is hardy in US zones 6b-9b.

Help Me Find says that according to some, this rose is identical to the rose called 'Souvenir d'Ami,' shown here; and it's also been imported into the United States as 'Adam.'  It's available in the United States through Ashdown Roses in South Carolina.

In any event, it's a great rose for election day every four years -- and everyone be sure to vote!

(image: Ashdown Roses)

DNA Tests to Combat Florida's Invasive Pines

Australian pines were first brought to the United States in the early 1900's as lovely ornamental shade trees, thought to be a perfect solution for many yards in hot, sunny sites.  The "pine" is now a troublesome invasive plant that has escaped into the wild in south Florida, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.  The plant, which is not related to our north American pines, has become a highly invasive problem weed that is choking out native species in southern US coastal areas, and it is a particular problem in Florida's Everglades National Park.  It is commonly referred to as ironwood, horsetail tree, or Australian pine.

There are actually three different species of Casuarina -- C. equisetifolia, C. glauca, and C. cunninghamiana,  but the three look so much alike that it is very difficult to tell them apart.  Scientists at USDA's Agricultural Research Service are now conducting research to positively identify each species by its specific DNA and then finding insects for each one that might be used as biological control agents.

ARS scientists have traveled in recent years to Australia, where they collaborated with Australian colleagues to collect DNA samples from native Australian trees and to identify insects that might be used to stop the spread of the plant in the United States and its territories. ARS entomologist Greg Wheeler says that although Casuarina has some "fine qualities ... its negatives far outweigh its positives."  Wheeler and Australian scientists collected over 300 insects that might be used to control the weed, and narrowed the field of potential control agents to just 12, including a wasp that eats the plant's seeds and a moth that attacks the foliage.

By the end of this year, the researchers expect to complete their DNA studies, which will allow them to positively identify which species is which -- and then match them with an insect that will help stop the spread of a now-deadly plant that inhibits the growth of native American species.

(image: ARS, courtesy Amy Ferriter, S. Florida Water Management District, Bugwood.org)

New Plants 09 - 2

New from Monrovia, in garden centers this coming spring

Lantana 'Mary Ann'
I love the description of this evergreen shrub lantana, which is said to be very cold-hardy, as far north as zone 7.  So I could even try it here in Washington DC or at my place in Woods Hole, MA in a protected location. It's a small shrub, just 30 inches tall and wide, with multi-color flowers of orange, pink, and yellow. And, like its annual cousins, it blooms all summer and late into the fall.  It might go very well in the front of a perennial border, or even in a large container.  Monrovia is also carrying another evergreen lantana, about the same size, developed by Dr. Michael Dirr.  It's called Lantana 'Chapel Hill Yellow,' -- hardy to zone 7 -- with solid yellow flowers and dark green leaves.  It sounds like a winner as well.

Magical^® Fantasy Weigela (Weigela florida 'Kolsunn')

Here's an alternative to some of the other new weigelas with variegated leaves.  This one was introduced by Peter Kolster, who breeds cut flowers in the Netherlands.  This weigela has broad white edging around the leaves, which becomes greener as the season progresses. The flowers are solid pink and very prolific.  The shrub is hardy in zones 4-8 and reaches a size of about 3-4 feet high and wide.  Full sun for best blooms.

Christopher Columbus Rose

This rose is a little hard to find in the US, but well worth a try. It was bred by Alan Meilland in France in 1992, on the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landing in the Americas.

The hybrid tea rose Christophe Colomb® Var. Meironsse (or Christopher Columbus) is a shrub about three to four feet high with large blooms of various shades of orange.  There is only a slight mild fragrance, but the rose is a vigorous grower that re-blooms throughout the season.

If you can track this rose down, it would be a great addition to the fall garden, and it would make a great Columbus Day present.

Best in USDA Zones 7b and warmer. It requires spring freeze protection in colder areas.  Removing spent blooms encourages re-flowering, and in spring, old canes and deadwood should be removed, and crossing canes should be cut back.  In warmer regions, a little more pruning is best.

(image: Meilland International)

New Plants 09

New in the Retail Garden Centers - Spring 09
Introductions from Spring Meadow Nursery

Soft Serve™ Chamaecyparis (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Dow Whiting')

 Finally.  A reason to rip out those dwarf Alberta spruces. This lovely, cone-shaped Sawara Falsecypress has foliage that's bright green on the topside, and a silver-blue color on the underside.  It's slow growing, but will eventually reach a height of about six to ten feet. It's hardy to zone 5, prefers moist, well-drained soil, and takes full sun to part shade.  It does need protection from winter sun and winds. Sounds like a real winner to me.  It's a sport of C. 'Boulevard' that was discovered by Dow Whiting of Great View Nursery in Highlandville, MO.

Bronze Anniversary™ Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora 'Rika1')

I tried to get this last spring for a client and was deeply disappointed to learn that it wouldn't be available in the trade until 2009. I can't wait to see this plant in person ... leaves emerge a bronzy-orange color and then turn lime green as the year progresses.  The abelia blooms are white, instead of the usual pink.  Three to four feet high, hardy to zone 6, semi-evergreen in the south.  Takes full sun to part shade and prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soil.  Abelias are so versatile -- and so attractive, this one should be a great addition to the many new ones introduced in recent years.  Bred by Rita Bronsther of Long Island, NY.

New 09 Roses & AARS Winners

Pink Promise  2009 AARS Winner

One of the best things about this new hybrid tea is that it's the official rose of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and for every plant purchased, a percentage of the profits will be donated to the foundation.  If you know someone who's had or has the disease (and what woman doesn't?) -- it could be a perfect present next spring.  Or you might want to plant one in memory of a close friend or family member.

Pink Promise is a hybrid tea with a strong, fruity fragrance, large, delicate long-stemmed pink blooms and glossy green foliage.  The plant will attain a height of about 5 feet, and it's also said to have good disease resistance and it will do well in cooler climates.   This rose was hybridized by Jim Coiner of Coiner Nursery of LaVerne, CA.  It's available through Jackson & Perkins.

Cinco de Mayo 2009 AARS Winner

This is very funky looking rose, maybe because it was bred from the 2006 winner Julia Child.  Anyway, it's a floribunda that seems to be a perfect fit for any garden that's less-than-formal.  It has a rounded habit, somewhat bushy, and could easily be used as a hedge -- wow! think about that.  The color is described as smoky lavender and rusty red-orange, and the blooms have an apple-like scent. 

AARS says it has fantastic disease resistance and has performed well across the country with little or no care.  Bred by Tom Carruth of Weeks Roses of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Available through Jackson & Perkins.

4th of July Rose

I think this rose is supposed to look like 4th of July fireworks.  Red and white striped is certainly appropriate, and it's a vigorous climber with canes of 12 to 14 feet that would stand out in any garden.  A 1999 All-America Rose Selection, 'Fourth of July' was the first climber to make the AARS award in more than 20 years.  Judge John Mattia called 'Fourth of July' "the best garden rose introduced in the last decade," and he said it's "an eye-catcher" in all parts of the country.  Fragrant as well, and it re-blooms after the first flush.  This firecracker was developed by Weeks Roses.

(photo: Gene Sasse (c) courtesy of Weeks Roses)

An Unusual Maple

Hornbeam Maple - Acer carpinifolium

I have to admit that this tree stumped me the first time I saw it -- I had to go back home and look it up in Dirr. (ie, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses by Michael Dirr).

It turned out to be the hornbeam maple, totally unknown to me. I'd walked by it many times, but I didn't notice it was a maple until the samaras appeared recently -- and my first thought was "How can these be maple leaves?"  And according to Dirr, it may have "the most appropriate common name of any maple."  Because indeed, the leaves do resemble those of the hornbeam.  They apparently change to rich gold and brown in autumn, and the samaras have that nice pinkish cast in spring.

These maples normally grow to about 25 feet max, and they have a lovely vase shape.  I sure hope to see more of them in my neighborhood soon, where scores of new trees have been planted in recent years -- many of them redbuds and cherries small enough to  fit underneath the electric wires so that the electric company won't have to come along twice a year and butcher them.

It's all part of a program started in 2001 by Casey Trees, an organization that is working to restore DC's tree canopy.   DC was once known as the "City of Trees," but it suffered a dramatic loss of tree canopy due to neglect, budget shortfalls and diseases such as Dutch elm disease.  Casey was established with a donation by philanthropist Betty Brown Casey, and since 2003, the organization has planted over 5000 trees, some of them seedlings, but 3500-plus large ones. I like the cherries on my own street and the redbuds on the next street over, but the hornbeam maples are truly spectacular.  It's a small tree that would be great in almost any urban setting, and it's a little gem.

(click on photos to enlarge)

Winning Roses 08

This is rose month in most places around the country, and if you haven't already gotten the news, here are the winners of this year's All America Rose Selections.

Dream Come True

This rose is a medium-tall grandiflora, upright and bushy, with matte green leaves and abundant blooms of a distinct color -- yellow tinged with ruby red.  I'm not sure I like the color, but it is said to have excellent disease resistance and a mild tea fragrance.  Hardy to zone 5, and to zone 4 with winter protection, so it would be a good choice for northern climates.  The flowers are large, up to 5 inches in diameter, with a full-ish petal count of about 40.  Hybridized by Dr. John Pottschmidt for Weeks Roses.

Mardi Gras

This floribunda also has yellow-ish blooms, but these are tinged with pink. It reaches a height of about four feet, and it's an upright grower than can be planted as a hedge.  The leaves are glossy dark green, hardy to zone 5.  The flowers, about four inches in diameter, have a moderate peppery scent with a petal count of about 20.   Hybridized by Keith Zary of Jackson & Perkins.  The parentage is an un-named seedling crossed with Rosa 'Singin' in the Rain.'

You never quite know with new roses if they are actually going to perform as billed, so if you decide to give these a try, let us know how they do in your area.

(images: top: © Gene Sasse, Weeks Roses; bottom: Jackson & Perkins courtesy AAS)

Memorial Day Rose

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

And what better way to celebrate than with a Memorial Day  Rose? This orchid pink hybrid tea was an All-America Rose Selections  winner in 2004. One bloom is said to be enough to fill an entire room with its strong damask scent.  It's a medium-tall, upright shrub, about five feet tall and four feet wide. Long stems, low thorns, and clear green leaves make it a good candidate for the cutting garden.  The blooms are about five inches in diameter, with a petal count of 50-plus.

In addition, it's said to have very good disease resistance and it's also quite heat-tolerant.

This rose was developed by Tom Carruth of Weeks Roses of Upland, CA. Memorial Day is a cross between Blueberry Hill and New Zealand, and it was Carruth's fifth AARS winner.

You should be able to buy the rose at most garden centers or from mail-order sources.  If not, you can check Weeks website by clicking on the link above to find a nursery that carries it. 

(photo: Gene Sasse (c) 2007 courtesy Weeks Roses)