GardenDesignOnline

Is it spring yet?

Lately when I watch the news on TV, I see lots of cherry and magnolia trees in bloom in DC.  Makes me want to go to Dumbarton Oaks again to see the cherry tree allee pictured here ... but actually, it makes me want to make Massachusetts have the same kind of springs that you get in DC.

I have to admit that although fall is my favorite season, I came, over the years I lived in DC, to long for the onset of spring, simply breath-takingly beautiful, day after day after day.

No such luck up here in Massachusetts.  On Friday, we had freezing rain all day. So far, not a single 60-degree day. The daffodils are just beginning to pop up in my yard, but not even the forsythia has bloomed.   Still I do have some puny crocuses, emerging daylilies and sorrel, and the two winter-blooming jasmines that I brought back last year from DC are still putting on quite a show. A late spring, for sure.

Weed Killer Settlement

A lot of trees were damaged a few years back when landscapers -- unaware of the danger -- used a weed killer called Imprelis®.  The weed killer was used in every state except California and New York, and it killed thousands of white pines, Norway spruces and other trees in residential yards and on golf courses across the country.  Now, a settlement has been reached to rectify the damage in a class action lawsuit.

Property owners on sites where the chemical was applied directly (as well as owners of adjacent properties) can have their damaged trees removed free of charge and receive cash payments for tree replacements and care.

Lawn care workers who applied the chemical on others' property will receive compensation for the time and expenses they incurred for assessing the damage and assisting customers in the settlement claims process.

And finally, golf courses will receive all the benefits available to homeowners plus $2000 for time and expenses in assessing damage.

The weed killer was manufactured by DuPont and it was thought to be environmentally friendly, which may account for its wide useage.  Just goes to show you, folks, go green.

For more information on the settlement, visit www.TreeDamageSettlement.com

 

 

 

 

 

Design Inspirations for Spring

photo: Peter Bohler from NYT Mag

Don't overlook last Sunday's New York Times Magazine ... a wonderful article on the California landscapes by landscape architect Lisa Gimmy --  as the article says, "Let California Be California."  I couldn't agree more.  Read the entire article here.

Then, continue reading the magazine on a back yard project with three cost solutions: low-end (ie, $5000, DIY), middle range ($50,000) and high-end ($200,000, which includes a pool).  Landscapes by Mark Word Design in Austin, TX.  The article is here.

And finally, where to get big trees for instant landscapes?  I visited one of the nurseries featured in the article, here, a few years ago, while at an APLD conference.  If you get the chance, take a trip to Armonk, NY some time (just north of the city) and visit Mariani Gardens.  It's a jaw-dropping experience.

Perennial Plant of the Year - 2013

photo: PPA

Well, it's a plant we all know and love, so not a particular surprise that the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) has named Variegated Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum') as this year's winning perennial plant.

The plant is characterized by arching stems with small, bell-shaped white flowers in spring, and the green leaves with white margins light up shady areas throughout the growing season. 

PPA says the plant's name comes from poly (many) and gonu (knee joints) and is a reference to the many-jointed rhizome from which the leaves emerge.   The plant will colonize shady areas, the flowers have a pleasant fragrance, and the leaves turn yellow in the fall.  There are no serious insect or disease problems, and plants can be divided in spring or fall.

An easy and welcome addition to almost any garden with shady areas.

 

 

Gardner Nasturtiums

 

photo: Gardner Museum courtesy Siena Scarff

Sometime, you have to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston ... in April ... just to see the hanging nasturtiums.  The flowers dominate an entire wall in the central courtyard, filled in early spring with daffodils, hyacinths, orchids, azaleas, and  orange and lemon colored Clivia minata. Quite a sight.

 

The lemon clivia came from the collection of the late Allen Haskell, whose son now runs the Haskell Nursery in New Bedford, MA, famous for its rare and unusual plants.

Museum director Anne Hawley says the annual hanging nasturtiums "herald the start of spring in the city."  During her lifetime, Isabella herself often hung the flowers to mark the opening of the museum the week just before Easter.

 

Easter Rose -- Happy Easter

Easter Basket Rose
(Rosa 'Meipoten')

A lovely rose for Easter ... Easter Basket from Star Roses.  This floribunda was hybridized by Meilland in 2007, and it's a continuous bloomer. The semi-double ruffled flowers are yellow, edged with pink, giving them a very old fashioned look, but they only have a slight fragrance.   The foliage is medium green, and blooms are on a medium height, bushy shrub. 

A nice spring plant that would make a lovely low hedge or it could be used as an accent plant in the border.  Nice color, as well, for Easter.

New Plants 2013 - IV

photo: Randall C. Smith - Iseli Nursery

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Blue Moon'
(Sawara falsecypress)

Another true winner from Iseli Nursery ... as Iseli says, it's a plant that comes along only once in a blue moon. The foliage is a bright steely blue, and its short, stiff branches develop into a three-foot globe, eventually.  Growth is 2-4 inches per year.  Best in full sun with moist, well-drained soil, hardy to zone 4.  Great as a specimen plant or massed to accent its color.

 

photos: Bailey Nurseries

Moonlight Magic™ Crape Myrtle
(Lagerstroemia 'PIILAG-IV')

Just one of the new 'Magic' series of crape myrtles from Bailey Nurseries ... and it is magic ... dark maroon leaves, white flowers, and the tree is resistant to leaf spot and mildew. It's on the smaller side of crape myrtles, just 8-12 feet high and 4-6 feet wide, zones 6-9.  Others in the series have red, maroon, plum, salmon pink or dark purple blooms, and they are a little smaller than this one.

Amber Jubilee™ Ninebark
(Physocarpus opulifolius 'Jefam')

Ninebarks, of course, are grown for their fall color, and the orange, yellow, and gold tones on this one are quite spectacular.  White blooms in spring, a little smaller than some others, just 5-6 feet high and 4 feet wide. Zones 2-7. Also from Bailey.

 

photos: J. Frank Schmidt

Skinny Genes™ Oak
(Quercus robur x alba 'JFS-KW2QX')

Trees are the speciality of J. Frank Schmidt, and this cross between an English and white oak is one of the slimmest out there -- just 10 feet wide, 45 feet tall -- perfect for those narrow, narrow spaces where you need a tall tree.  The dark green glossy leaves turn yellow to tawny in fall. To zone 4. 

 

Armstrong Gold ™ Maple
(Acer rubrum 'JFS-KW78') 

A beautiful, narrow maple, just 12 feet wide, 40 tall, this tree turns a lovely golden orange color in fall. Just imagine a long row of these -- perfect as a hedge, maybe near a property line where you don't need evergreens and they'd be visible from the house.  Also from Schmidt. Zone 4.

PHS Gold Medal Plants 2013

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has released its list of gold medal plants for 2013.

Topping the list this year is the dwarf Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis') -- not a new plant, by any means, but chosen because "it is sorely under-used compared to dwarf Alberta spruce", which is planted in so many housing developments.

I heartily agree, and have encouraged many clients to plant Nana Gracilis.  It grows slowly, and eventually it'll be around 6 feet high and 3-4 feet wide.  The dark green foliage is leafy and sort of fern-like, and for true beauty it cannot be beat.  A GREAT specimen plant.

 

photo: Doreen Wynja

Dwarf Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Sunshine Blue')

This blueberry, from Monrovia, is a compact shrub, 304 feet high and wide, with lovely blue-green foliage, showy pink flowers in late spring and abundant berries. It's self pollinating, too, but does best when planted with another variety. Ideal for containers, so you can grow it on your deck or patio. Zones 5-10.

 

photo: Spring Meadow nursery

Blue Velvet St. John's Wort
(Hypericum kalmianum 'Blue Velvet')

This fine-textured small shrub, 2-3 feet high and 3-4 feet wide, out-does the straight-species plant because of its noticeable blue foliage and an extended period of bloom.

Also, deer-resistant, great for mass plantings, as a groundcover or in containers.  Red berries from late summer to fall, as well. Developed by Paul Cappiello of Yew Dell Gardens.

photo: Wayside Gardens.com

Wildfire Black Tupelo
(Nyssa sylvatica 'Wildfire')

 One of my favoite trees, to be sure -- there's just not another fall color like it. This one, from J. Frank Schmidt, has red-tipped new growth into summer, and then the spendor of its fall color. A native US tree, its small black fruits also are attractive to wildlife. 40 feet high and just 25 feet wide, a perfect tree for many suburban plots.  To Zone 5.

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

O, my luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my Luve's like a melodie,
That's sweetly played in tune...
               Robert Burns

And this rose is surely what the poet had in mind.

"Valentine's Day," new from Weeks Roses in 2006,
is a climbing mini-flora with canes 6-10 feet high, medium-size, deep red velvet blooms,  and very dark green leaves.

It's a repeat bloomer which flowers the first year on new and old wood.  Said to be ideal for fences, balconies (think Juliet) or trellises, and of course, valentines.

(Photo by Gene Sasse © courtesy of Weeks Roses)

Plants: Neighborly Trees

If you're looking to avoid tree fights with neighbors, plant a tree they're likely to love.  One of my favorites is the plain old dogwood (Cornus florida) ... one of the lovliest trees in mid spring.  And if you're lucky, you can't beat the form, either.

Three experts were interviewed recently by the New York Times for their favorites ... among them:

Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonicus)
White Oak (Quercus alba) -- one of my faves, too.
Crabapple (Malus 'Sugar Tyme')
Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)
Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana)

All of the trees have great characteristics .. you can read the entire article (and see photos of the trees) here.