What Grows There :: Hugh Conlon, Horticulturalist, Garden Advisor, and Photographer

Try Microbiota Instead of Ground Junipers

Posted by Hugh on December 23rd, 2010

: Summer Foliage of Microbiota

Microbiota (Microbiota decussata) goes by numerous names including Russian arborvitae and Siberian cypress. This tough customer hails from Siberia, and quite cold hardy to -40 F. In the northern U.S. its lacy evergreen foliage turns brown in the dead of winter.

Here in the Southern Appalachian region, microbiota prospers in cooler parts of zone 6 and is troubled by summer heat and heavy clay soils in zone 7. Its medium green summer foliage develops a purple to bronze cast in winter. Spring warm-up restores its green needle color. Growth rate is slow to medium. Adjacent to my driveway microbiota cascades over a low retaining wall.

Substitute microbiota where you routinely plant ground cover junipers. Low growing microbiota ranges 10-12 inches in height and spreads from 6-8 feet in width. It is tolerant of dry shade. Deer and most disease and insect pests don’t bother it. It enjoys good soil moisture drainage and cool temperatures, and tolerates windy exposed sites once it becomes fully established.

Microbiota is not commonly sold at local garden centers, but may be purchase at specialty evergreen nurseries or through internet commerce. Plant container grown nursery stock in the late winter or early spring, mulch, and irrigate when natural rainfall is abnormally low.

Care of Your Poinsettia in the Home

Posted by Hugh on December 20th, 2010

'White Winter Rose' poinsettia

: ‘Pink Shimmer’ poinsettia

You’ve purchased a beautiful poinsettia and want to give it a proper home for the holidays. Room light, temperature and soil moisture are the key environmental concerns.

Place your poinsettia either in a bright sunlit room or one receiving an indirect lighting source. Keep the plant away from heating vents and drafty windows.

In general, poinsettias grow trouble free in today’s modern homes for 4-5 weeks with room temperatures between 68 and 76 °F. Winter heating results a low room humidity and daily light spritzing around plants will help. But limit the amount of mist directly hitting plant foliage to avoid mildew disease problems.

Thoroughly water your poinsettia every 5-7 days. A more accurate watering method is to poke your finger into the pot to “feel” soil dryness. Or every 2-3 days, simply pick up the plant to calculate its weight and moisture needs. If your poinsettia weighs nearly the same from one week to the next, it may have a root problem.

By mid-January the lower leaves may begin shedding. The tasks of repotting and feeding your poinsettia may be in your future. From this point on, you may decide to pitch the poinsettia or attempt to revive it.

Future blog– more on upkeep and re-blooming your poinsettia to follow in early January.

Purchasing The Perfect Poinsettia

Posted by Hugh on December 18th, 2010

One of three posts on poinsettia care:

Poinsettias delight the eye at this holiday season with their bright red (and many other color choices) leaf-like bracts. The true flowers are the small multiple buds at the base of the bracts.

To select a top quality plant, closely inspect the development of the small flowers. Buds should tightly closed or barely showing few yellow stamens (photo). Once the flowers have fully opened and dried, your poinsettia’s overall health declines.

Before purchasing, inspect the stems and leaf undersides for insects and insect. Don’t buy plants which have pests. The plant foliage should be dark green throughout. If bottom leaves are starting to yellow, don’t buy. The plant should also stand on its own and not be staked or wired.

Don’t shock or damage in transit to your home or a friend’s home. Pre-heat your car and pull up to the door before carrying out the plant from the store.

Next post— “Care of Your Poinsettia in the Home”

Lacebark pine- an investment in the future

Posted by Hugh on December 13th, 2010

Many rare and unusual garden plants are introduced into a garden as a thoughtful gift. Lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana) is an arboreal aristocrat which a few gardeners are privileged to own. Lacebark is a lovely 3- needle pine with exquisite exfoliating bark which becomes more attractive each succeeding year. The lacebark feature begins after 8-10 years, but it’s worth waiting ifyou’re a young and/or patient gardener.

Lacebark is a medium 30-50 foot tall multi-branched pine. Start with an affordable 2 – 3 foot shrub. A young lacebark is slow-growing; growth pace gradually picks up to average 4-5 inches annually. The 2 – 4 inch long needles are stiff and prickly to the touch.

Lacebark requires no special care other than routine late winter feeding and refreshing the mulch around the plant. Plant lacebark in full sun and in above-average garden soil. Use a slow release acidic fertilizer specially labeled for evergreens. Occasionally prune off a side branch to get a better view the mosaic bark.

Most potentially serious disease and insect pests may be avoided with proper siting and care. Select a visible landscape location which is frequently visited, such as near a patio, carport, driveway or a window which looks out at the lacebark.

Lacebark pine can be purchased from specialty mail-order nurseries via the internet. Lacebark is a long term investment, one that you and future generations will cherish for its exquisite patchwork bark.

Hydrangea Invincibelle Spirit ®

Posted by Hugh on December 10th, 2010

photo source: Spring Meadow Nursery

Hydrangea Invincibelle® Spirit ranks as one of the finest new plant introductions in 2010. This hydrangea comes from a good bloodline. Invincibelle® Spirit is a pink flowering clone originating from Annabelle. The cultivar ‘Annabelle’ (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’) has been a star in Southern Appalachian gardens (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7) for the past quarter century.

Invincibelle® Spirit grows in a wide variety of well-drained soils. It adapts to many light regimes in the garden from full to partial sun. The 3- to 4- foot tall shrub blooms on new or current season’s wood.

Annual pruning is simply to cutback plant height to 8-12 inches before new growth begins in early spring. Fertilize established shrubs in early spring using 10-10-10 or equivalent. Irrigate new plants weekly and established shrubs over prolonged dry spells.

One dollar from each plant sold is donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The goal of the U.S. Nursery Industry is to raise $1 million in the mission to find a cure in our lifetime. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.

Update (December 2012). Since 2009, more than $472,000 has been raised since Invincibelle Spirit was introduced.

December Garden Classic – Prague Viburnum

Posted by Hugh on December 7th, 2010

Garden Classics: a monthly retrospective featuring a singular plant species either under-planted or relatively unknown to gardeners living in the Southern Appalachian Region.

Prague Viburnum in early May

Prague viburnum (Viburnum x pragense) is a lovely evergreen shrub, which combines all the best traits of its parents (V. rhytidophyllum and V. utile). It is winter hardy throughout the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). As the name indicates, this hybrid viburnum hails from the Czech Republic. It grows rapidly to a mature height and spread of 8 – 10 feet.

The rose pink colored floral buds begin to open in early May and lightly fragrant, creamy white flowers bloom for 2-3 weeks. Its lustrous dark evergreen foliage is comprised of 2 – 4 inch elliptical shape leaves. Prague viburnum is a teriffic stand alone specimen shrub or you may group several as a hedge or privacy screen. It serves as an effective foil against peering or noisy neighbors when planted in one or more rows 6 – 8 foot apart.

Plant in any moderately drained garden soil and in a full sun to partial shade exposure. Disease and insect pests seem to leave this viburnum alone. Moderate resistance to deer feeding is reported, perhaps useless information if the deer are hungry.

Rarely do I pruned my 15- year old Prague viburnum, only when it attempts to crowd out a nearby shrub in my admittedly overplanted garden.

Choosing a Cut Christmas Tree

Posted by Hugh on November 30th, 2010

: Christmas Trees at Local Garden Center

Fire safety in the home should be your primary concern when purchasing a freshly cut Christmas tree. There are numerous “choose and cut” Christmas tree growers in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). Trees are harvested by the tens of thousands in the mountainous locales and are shipped nationally and internationally. You can also purchase a tree from a large chain store or a local tree lot.

The evergreen species with best needle retention include: fraser fir, douglas fir, and balsam (Canaan) fir, followed by white pine and Scotch pine. Norway spruce rates the poorest in needle retention. Canadian or the western U. S. growers ship Balsam fir and Douglas fir trees into the region in time for post Thanksgiving sales. These trees are harvested 4 – 6 weeks ahead because of shipping and weather concerns.

When shopping at a tree lot, shake or bounce the tree to check needle retention. Needles should be soft and fragrant.

Re-cut the base (butt) of the tree, removing at least 1 inch prior to setting it into a stand indoors. Secure the tree and fill the water reservoir. Inspect the reservoir daily for water uptake. A freshly cut 6-7 foot tree may consume a 1/2 pint (8 oz.) or more of liquid per day.

“It’s Wort…not Wart”

Posted by Hugh on November 25th, 2010

Barrenworts (Epimedium spp.) are a collection of ground cover species mostly from Asia and Europe. None are native to North America, but most thrive in gardens in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). There are currently 21 known species worldwide.

Also called Bishop’s hat, barrenworts are one of our finest groundcovers for part sun to part shade areas. Some are evergreen or others deciduous with leaves gradually turning red, purple, crimson and scarlet in late fall. Most species grow 6-12 inches in height.

The dictionary defines the word “wort” as “a herbaceous plant lacking a permanent woody stem” or “a flowering plants important as a medicinal herb”. Barrenworts are both. Barrenworts are woodland plants which are used as groundcovers woodland garden or shaded rock garden. Plants are slow growing at first and newer varieties are expensive to purchase.

A soil should be well amended with organic matter and kept moderately moist to speed fill-in. Once they become established, barrenworts are tough survivors in dry shady areas of the garden.

Whether you grow evergreen or deciduous types, cut them back (4 – 5 inches mowing height) to the ground in late winter to visibly enjoy the small white, yellow, pink or red flowers, depending on the species grown. Barrenworts are disease, insect and deer munching free.

Autumn’s Last Hurrah -Bradford Pear

Posted by Hugh on November 22nd, 2010

'Bradford' Callery Pear

Currently, the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7) is enriched by the vibrant red fall foliage of callery (ornamental) pears (Pyrus calleryana), commonly identified as ‘Bradford’ pear. There are several cultivars of callery pears besides Bradford.

A great deal of negativity has befallen Bradford pear, some not totally deserved. Yes, Bradford is weak- wooded and self-destructs in 15-20 years. ‘Cleveland Select’, also called ‘Chanticleer’, possesses all the positive attributes of Bradford. Cleveland Select has an upright branching habit which is less prone to limb breakage. Both cultivars demonstrate above average fireblight disease resistance.

The white flowers of callery pears lead off the spring season, and their glossy dark green foliage follows shortly thereafter. As medium sized trees, most cultivars reach 35-40 feet in mature height and of varying widths. Trees are not fussy, growing in any well-drained soil. Two year old established trees exhibit exceptional drought tolerance. In many years, maroon or bronze red autumn foliage color is effective into early December.

Callery pears are native to China and Korea and may become invasive in woodland and roadside areas, their vigorous seedlings choking out the competing native vegetation.

Brighten Up a Drab Corner in Your Garden

Posted by Hugh on November 20th, 2010

Crippsii falsecypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii’) is one tall 20-25 foot high evergreen shrub (or small tree). Its lacy golden evergreen foliage catches your attention almost any season of the year. Unfortunately, Crippsii is rarely seen in landscapes because few landscape architects and designers know it or can not find it in the nursery trade.

Ten years ago a credit union near my home planted five around their 2-story building. today, each shrub grows slightly different due to varying sunlight exposures around the edifice. Shrubs receiving mostly full sun grow tighter, more compact, while those on the shadier north side display an open looser branching form.

Crippsii prefers a moist, well-drained, and organically rich soil. Newly planted shrubs are best sheltered from drying winter winds and irrigated during summer dry spells. As plants adapt to their surroundings, Crippsii handles seasonal cold, heat and drought extremely well.

Crippsii grows well here in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). Disease and insect pests are rarely seen, although numbers of Crippsii currently planted are small. Bagworms may potentially become an occasional pest in years when larval populations are high.