GardenDesignOnline

Garden Tips: Transplanting Transformation

The next time you decide to transplant something in your garden, take some advice from top scientists:  subject the plant to the stress of drought before you dig it up and move it.

A research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has discovered through extensive trials that plants can "remember" how to deal with drought.  The scientists found that plants subjected to drought recovered more quickly the next time they were deprived of water.  Scientist Michael Fromm said that scientists are just beginning to understand exactly how the process works, but he suggests that plants might "overreact to a first drought stress ... panic ... and slow down more than they need to."

Fromm said if he wanted to transplant something in his own garden, "I would deprive of water for a couple of days, then water overnight, then transplant." 

Sounds like something all of us should try.

 

Books: Flowering Shrubs Encyclopedia

Timber Press has issued an impressive work on flowering shrubs --  The Timber Press Encyclopedia of Flowering Shrubs (2012), which has to be the most comprehensive volume I've ever seen. (Yes, you'll even find species and cultivars in this book that you won't find in Dirr).

Author Jim Gardiner is Director of Horticulture and Chief Curator for all of the Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom, and he's put it together with US gardens particularly in mind.

For each entry, in alphabetical order by botanical name, there's a brief description of the plant, along with particular mention of outstanding characteristics, cultural requirements, and zone.

Best of all, there are beautiful photographs of every entry so that there's no mistaking what they all look like.  In the back of the book, there's a 21-page table of selected shrubs so that you can look them up by foliage and flower color, zones, size, light and soil requirements or flowering season.

In all Gardiner covers some 1700 plants with about 2000 photos.  This is definitely the book that has it all.

Plants: New Cherry Tree

Helen Taft Cherry (Prunus 'Helen Taft')

The US National Arboretum has released a new cherry tree to commemorate the 100th anniversary of DC's iconic cherry trees that were a gift from Japan.  The tree is named after former first lady Helen Taft, who in 1912, along with the wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two cherry trees at the Tidal Basin.

The new cherry is a cross between a Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) and a Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata). The parent tree, the Yoshino, came from a cutting of one of the original trees that was planted in 1912. 

Helen Taft will grow to about 35 feet tall and wide, and has large pale pink flowers that are a littler darker in the benter.  Unlike Yoshino blooms, which are either white or fade to white, this tree's flowers retain their pink hue. Its form is upright, with a spreading crown, and the medium green leaves turn pale yellow to red in fall.

US National Arboretum Director Colien Hefferan called the new tree an "invaluable addition" to ornamental cherries, mainly because the species is vulnerable to environmental stress and attack by disease or insects. Scientist Margaret Pooler added that the arboretum's long-term breeding program to create new cherry hybrids makes for stronger trees that require less fertilizer and fewer pesticides.

In general, ornamental cherries help save energy, and also provide cleaner air, better management of storm water and higher property values for homeowners.

This particular cherry tree would be great as a small shade tree or a specimen in the residential yard.  It's also suitable for street tree plantings, or in larger residential and commercial landscapes.

 

 

 

Happenings April 2012

Selected Events Around the Country:

Thru Apr 15, Orchid Daze, Atlanta, GA
"Hanging Gardens," Atlanta Botanical Garden, 404-876-5859
Thru Apr 29, Orchid Show, Washington DC
"Orchid Mystique: Nature's Triumph," US Botanic Garden, 202-225-8333
Thru April 22 Orchid Show, Bronx, NY
"Patrick Blanc's Vertical Gardens," NY Botanical Garden, 800-322-NYBG (6924)

March 26-May 19, "Sustainable Design as a Way of Thinking," Boston, MA
Online Class, The Landscape Institute, 617-585-0101
March 26-May 19, "Islamic, Japanese & Chinese Gardens, Boston, MA
Online Class, The Landscape Insitute, 617-585-0101
March 27-May 19, Green Roofs, Green Walls, Boston MA
Online Class, The Landscape Institute, 617-585-0101

April 4, "Integrating Landscape & Architecture," Washington DC
6:30PM-8PM, Lecture, National Building Museum, Landscape architect Diana Balmori, 202-272-2448
April 11,  Japanese Garden, San Marino, CA
The Huntington, Historic Japanese Garden Re-opens after renovation 626-405-2100
April 12, Private Lives: the American Domestic Landscape, San Francisco, CA
9AM-5PM, Seminar, The Golden Gate Club, sponsor: The Garden Conservancy, 415-441-4300
April 14, Northern Gardening Symposium, Randolph Center, VT
9AM-2PM, "A Sense of Place," VT Technical College New England Wildflower Society,508-877-7630
April 14-15 Garden Dialogues: Atlanta, Southern CA, Miami Beach, Nashville
Tours/Conversations with landscape architects & homeowners on the design process. Sponsor: The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 202-483-0553

April 15-16 Colonial Williamsburg 60th Garden Symposium, Williamsburg, VA
"Beautiful Gardens: Bountiful Options,"  800-603-0948
April 15-22 California Native Plant Week, CA
Various locations: lectures, garden tours, symposium & more 916-447-2677
April 18, Future of the American Chestnut, Bronx, NY
3PM-4PM, Lecture, NY Botanical Garden, 800-322-6924
April 18, Stonework in the Garden, Bronx, NY
10AM-2:30PM, Workshop, NY Botanical Garden, 800-322-6924
April 20, "A Garden Design Journey ..." Glencoe, IL
11AM, Lecture, Interior Designer David Easton, Chicago Botanic Garden 847-835-5440
April 20-22, Antiques & Garden Fair, Glencoe, IL
12th Annual Antiques Show, Chicago Botanic Garden, 847-835-5440
April 21, "My Gardening Life," Glencoe, IL
11AM, Lecture, David Howard, former gardener to the Prince of Wales, Chicago Botanic Garden, 847-835-5440
April 21, Mastering the Urban Garden Saturday, Bronx, NY
10AM-5PM, Series of Classes, NY Botanical Garden, 718-817-8773
April 21, Garden Conservancy Open Days: NJ, CA
NJ: Essex, Middlesex Counties; 888-842-2442
April 21-28, Historic Garden Week in Virginia
250 gardens open around the state, 804-644-7776

April 27-29, Antique Garden Furniture Show & Sale, Bronx, NY
20th annual show, NY Botanical Garden, 718-817-8773
April 27-29 Maricopa County Home & Landscape Show, Phoenix, AZ
Arizona State Fairgrounds, 602-485-1691
April 29, Garden Conservancy Open Days: CA, NY
CA: Pasadena; NY: Westchester, Dutchess Counties

 LOOKAHEAD:

May 11, 2012: National Public Gardens Day
Events throughout the country at your local gardens.
May 19, What's Out There Weekend, Washington DC
Special Tours of exceptional gardens & landscape sites, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 202-483-0553
May 22-26 Chelsea Flower Show, London

Books: 2012 Garden Book Awards

The American Horticultural Society has announced its selection of the top five outstanding gardening books published in 2011. The titles are recognized for writing style, originality, accuracy, design quality and authority.  This year's winners:

 

 The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live by Niki Jabbour (Storey Publishing)

My review of this book is here.

 

Writing the Garden: A Literary Conversation across Two Centuries by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers. (David R. Godine, Publisher)

Rogers examines the personalities of some of the world's most noted garden writers: from Gertrude Jekyll and Jane Loudon to Allen Lacy and Michael Pollen, among others.

 

 Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener Living by Ed Snodgrass, Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge & John Little (Timber Press)

 Yes, anyone can do a green roof if you get this book: for your shed, your dog house, your imagination.

 

The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way by Michael Phillips (Chelsea Green Publishing).

 Fruit trees the natural way:  without all the sprays and waxes and other things that make our lives miserable.

 

Putting Down Roots: Gardening Insights from Wisconsin's Early Settlers by Marcia C. Carmichael (Wisconsin Historical Society Press).

Yes, the title says it all.

 

 

 

Design: Mod Firepit

 

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As we all well know, a lot of firepits aren't terribly attractive.  So, along comes this nice, sleek, modern "Key Largo" firepit that would be perfect on many a patio or deck. 

It's from the Outdoor Greatroom Company and it won the "Attendees Choice Award" at the recent hearth, BBQ and patio exposition in Atlanta.  In the photo, the fire arises from a bed of fire glass, and the stainless steel burner produces up to 80,000 BTU's.  A liquid propane tank can be stored underneath the unit, or it can be hard piped for natural gas.  Either way, the flame height can be adjusted and it starts via an electrical igniter.

This unit is 42 inches long and 12 inches high, but there are also other models in round, rectangular, and square shapes. 

Nice choice for staying toasty warm in cooler weather.

New Plants for 2012: IV

The following from Bailey Nurseries:

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First Editions® Sapphire Surf™ Bluebeard
(Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Blauer Splatz') 

A compact bluebeard (two feet x three feet) covered with clear blue flowers in late summer.
A deer-resistant plant, great for the front of the border or as a stand-alone specimen. Full sun, zones 5-9.
 

Glory Hypericum
(Hypericum 'Kolmaglor')

 About three feet high and wide, this hypericum features rosy-caramel colored hips against dark green leaves.  Great for arrangements or planted in masses around the garden.  One of a series of new zone 5-9 hypericums with hips in many other colors: white, red, pink, and lime green.

 

First Editions® Scarlet Jewell™ Maple
(Acer rubrum 'Bailcraig')

If you love red maples for their brilliant color, you'll certainly want to try this one.  Aside from the showy red flowers in spring, the leaves on this tree turn crimson in fall about two weeks earlier than other red maples.

It has a symmetrical branching habit with an upright shape, and its size is about 70 feet high and 30 feet wide. Zones 3-7.

 And, a few more favorite trees from the J. Frank Schmidt & Son Company in oregon:

 

Gum Drop® Tupelo
(Nyssa sylvatica 'JFS-PN Legacy1') 

All designers should take note any time there's an improvement in tupelos, also called black gums.  This new one has the usual dark green foliage, brilliant red autumn leaves and upright form, but it's more compact and dense than the straight species.
Height about 30 feet with a spread of 20 feet.  Perfect for suburban yards where you want something special. To Zone 5.

 

Crushed Velvet™ Silverbell
(Halesia carolina 'JFS-PN2Legacy') 

Silverbells are a very under-used tree ... they're wonderful to sit beneath -- think patio -- and look up at the cloud of tiny bells hanging from the branches in spring.

This new one should be particularly nice because it has blue-green textured, velvety leaves and a more compact form than the native US tree.   A great candidate for smaller yards, as it's only 20 feet high and 15 feet wide.  To Zone 5.

 

 

 

 

Design: Great Garden Chairs

I first saw a facsimile of these designer chairs in Sunset Magazine ... more about that later.

 

But these are one-of-a-kind garden chairs fashioned from garden hoses ... by artist Chase DeForest in Denver.  She welds custom frames (obviously in custom colors) ... then wraps garden hoses around them to form the backs and seats.  And as you can see, they're a perfect accompaniment to almost any garden, especially if you need extra seating for occasional visitors.

At Sunset, they found an old chair frame in a flea market and wrapped hose around it, securing it with stainless steel zip ties.

I'm not too handy, and I'd rather spend my time in the garden with plants, so I'd advise a custom-built design from the artist herself.

 

Books: Plants Combos & Plant Propagation

 

The notable garden writer Ken Druse -- author of more than 17 books -- has outdone himself in his latest volume, Natural Companions: The Garden Lover's Guide to Plant Combinations (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2012).  He teamed up with photographer Ellen Hoverkamp, whose horticultural prints are among the most breath-taking you will ever see.

As Druse puts it in the afterward to the book, it's "not a standard 'how-to' manual, but rather an aesthetic 'what to' reference ... like a travel guide suggesting possible itineraries, directing you to fascinating places and things to see on your journey."  Your journey through the garden, of course.

Mind-bending possibilities for plant combinations are featured throughout the book, whether the plants are arranged for seasonal interest, architectural form, color, or themes like "good vibrations," "boxed in," or "literally literary."  Some of my favorites: perennial goldenrod with a deep reddish-purple Salvia splendens; Baptisia 'Carolina Moonlight' with Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon'; Mexican blue palm (Brahea armata), Aloe distans and Echeveria imbricata, which makes you want to move to California.

You will not find any book that inspires you more, that gives you such a wealth of information on plant combinations, and that you will return to again and again and again ... as you attempt to replicate what Ken and Ellen have created.

And oh yes, a place on the coffee table forever.

 

Ken's classic book on plant propagation, Making More Plants: The Science, Art, and Joy of Propagation (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2012) is now out in paperback.  It's all here -- sowing seed, cuttings, layering, grafting, division and much, much more. Ken explains the botany behind it all in simple terms, then guides you through the techniques you need to make more plants.  It's all illustrated with large, beautiful photos so that there's not much chance you'll make a mistake when you try it yourself.

It is the one book on the subject that you really should have on your bookshelf.

 

 

 

 

Garden Labyrinth Templates

 

Pretty cool garden labyrinth templates  ... in many designs and sizes from The Labyrinth Company.

 

I stumbled across this through a discussion on the listserv of the local garden designers group I belong to in the DC area. 

 

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Designs are available for pavers, as shown in this photo, and also for grass with walkways in between.  But surely the templates fit all kinds of planting and paving designs.

 

Even better, the company will assist if you need a custom design to fit your project.  Much easier, I think, and faster, than trying to work out this kind of design by yourself.