Archive for the ‘Ornamental fruit’ Category

Four Large Street Trees With A Narrow Vertical Look

There is an old saying that they’re not making more land. This is particularly true in urban downtown areas where room to grow street trees is very limited. Here are four tall trees that also have a striking vertical accent. Their branching is upright. Because of their tall stature, they are particularly suitable planted along wide […]

Small Landscape Tree – Try Chinese Pistache

Chinese pistache tree (Pistachia chinensis) is an underplanted small 30-35 foot landscape tree native to China, Taiwan and the Philippines (USDA hardiness zones 6b-9). It is related to the edible nut pistache tree (Pistachia vera). Foliage consists of pinnate compound, dark green leaves (to 10 inches long), each leaf typically having 10-12 lanceolate leaflets (to 4 inches […]

Tree Cultivars That Do Not Produce Seeds Or Fruits

Perhaps you don’t like picking up messy fruits and seeds from your lawn in the fall and winter. Choose landscape trees that have seedless cultivars. A true seedless variety is an easy choice to avoid fruit cleanup. Below are a few non-fruiting or seedless cultivars available at nurseries. Not all plants listed are recommended for all home […]

Fall Trimming Of Perennials

You do not need to cut perennials back in the fall, but many gardeners do so as part of the garden cleanup. Don’t rush the job. Leaves of many perennial plants continue to produce and store carbohydrates in crowns and roots until they go fully dormant. Wait until after the first hard frost or until […]

Plant American Beautyberry For A Fall Show

  American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a loose open growing shrub valued for its spectacular fruits in the fall (USDA hardiness zones 6-10). The growth rate of this native shrub is rapid, eventually reaching 4-7 feet in height and 4-6 feet in spread within 5 years after planting. Beautyberry thrives in a moist, humus-rich, mildly acidic, well-drained soil […]

Nuts About Acorns

Acorns are nuts that form on mature oak trees (Quercus spp.). Acorns come in many shapes, sizes and colors, depending on the species. An acorn is a single nut encased in a hard shell by a cap (used to identify what oak species it is). For example, Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra) tree produces egg-shaped […]

Eliminating Messy Fruits From Large Landscape Trees

Messy fruit from yard trees are dreaded by property owners as well as park and city employees. Some notorious culprits are sweetgums, sycamores (planetrees), oaks, mulberries, persimmons, and (female) ginkgoes. Fruits include hundreds of hard nuts or pulpy, smelly, and potentially hazardous covering sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. Foliar sprays are available to reduce or eliminate […]

Burning Bush (Euonymus)

Burning bush (Euonymus alatus ) is a large shrub, one that reaches heights between 15 and 20 feet. It originated from Korea, China, Eastern Russia and Japan (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). It is often called winged spindle tree or winged burning bush because of raised ridges along stems. During the autumn, the deep green leaves turn brightly […]

Transform These Three Shrubs Into Trees

Some large shrubs can be trained into lovely small flowering trees. These three flowering shrubs may be trained into small 15-25 feet tall, single or multi- trunk trees: Siebold viburnum (Viburnum sieboldii) is a tall upright branched deciduous shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4-7). This native from Japan grows to 15-20 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide […]

Shopping Tips When Purchasing Plants

    Spring and fall are excellent planting times and buying opportunities. A trips to a garden center can be very costly unless you go prepared. Here are some practical tips to make those shopping trips more enjoyable and a lot less expensive. Create your landscape plan first before buying plants. First, visit garden centers to pick up great landscaping ideas […]