Do You See What I See?

My good friend and horticultural demigod, John Stella, inspired the title of this article. Several months ago we were talking about characteristics of plants and how a trained eye can see them so clearly. Just as a doctor can look at an X-ray, a mechanic can listen to engine or a chef can taste the individual ingredients of a dish, so too can a plant person look into the depths of a landscape and pull apart all of it’s inner beauty with ease. Asked years ago to list all of my favorite plants, I believe I gave up somewhere around 400 or 500. There are simply too many plants that do too many wonderful things to have a list any smaller. While most are happy just being enamored with the leaves and flowers of plants, there are those of us who appreciate the bark and twigs as well. Many trees and shrubs devoid of their foliage offer outstanding characteristics, in the dead of winter, and in many cases builds the argument for their main appeal in the first place.

Coral Bark Maple, Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’ has to be the grand champion for winter interest. An upright, deciduous tree that many, when they first learn it, deem to be the most shocking because of its electric red bark in the coldest months of the year. Here’s another though, Pacific Fire Vine Maple, Acer circinatum ‘Pacific Fire’ also has similar markings. This one, however, has more of an orange-red hue on its bark with a waxy sheen that leaps out at you in the winter. Paperbark Maple, Acer griseum has classic cinnamon or red-brown exfoliating bark. “Snow acts as a perfect foil for the bark and accentuates its qualities” Michael Dirr. Persian Parrotia, Parrotia persica, a tree native to Iran has exfoliating gray, green, white and brown patches on older specimens and is a personal favorite. Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides is the most widely distributed tree of North America! Younger trees express smooth, greenish-white to cream colored bark and landscape designers like the strong vertical white lines they offer as they come through mass plantings beneath them. Japanese Zelkova, Zelkova serrata is heavily lenticelled and usually depicted with a strong central trunk supporting a huge vase-like head. The bark, on older specimens, has gray-brown markings, often exfoliating, reminiscent of Chinese Elm, Ulmus parvifolia.

Perhaps my favorite, smaller deciduous shrub, for winter interest, is Japanese Kerria, Kerria japonica. Distinct yellowish green, and in many cases, bright neon- green stems in the winter are a beacon for many. Kerria, incidentally, looks infinitely better when mass planted. Common Winterberry, Ilex verticillata has bright red, sticky fruit, often in pairs, looking as though they are holding on for dear life through February. Tatarian Dogwood, Cornus alba is a deciduous dogwood shrub of medium stature, reaching heights of 6-10 feet. And while there are many with interesting foliage, the winter months punctuate the bark, often showing crimson reds or bright yellows. And who could forget Highbush Blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum; whose stem color in the winter is yellowish-green to red. Another superb deciduous plant for mass plantings!

Finally to the conifers! Albeit, the following plants are not deprived of their foliage in the winter, on the contrary, they maintain their winter coats and also have distinguishable marking that amplify their external jackets. A Lodgepole Pine drawing considerable attention is Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’. A deep, rich, golden-yellow pine pulls itself away from the drab colors of winter and beckons to be touched to see if it’s real. Found in the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon by Doug Will, this tree transforms itself from green in the warmer months to extreme yellow in the colder months. A Canadian hemlock to note is Tsuga Canadensis ‘Albospica’. Cultivated since 1866, this hemlock has snowy-white tips that contrast dramatically against its interior dark-green needles. A dusting of fresh snow held over this shade garden plant will make you a believer that there is a God. Finally, a Himalayan Pine with incredible winter interest is Pinus wallichiana ‘Zebrina’. A variegated selection that has long, thin needles and bands of yellow held in and around powder blues. Formerly listed as Pinus griffithi, Himalayan pines are native to the high mountains of Afghanistan to Nepal.

Many plants devoid of their foliage offer outstanding attributes. My hope is that this article has you looking at landscapes this winter in a new light. While flowers, leaves and needles are nice to look at; it’s not the whole picture. Great gardens inspire us throughout the seasons and winter is where it all begins.

Socrates May Have Liked These Hemlocks

Most of us have heard the story of Socrates and his untimely death, at age 70. Standing before a jury and fellow Athenians, Socrates was sentenced to death in 339 BC. His anti-democratic views and impious acts lead to a guilty decision, a vote of 280 to 220, thus providing a suicide story for the ages. What most people don’t realize however is that the poison hemlock consumed was not the evergreen type, Tsuga, but rather a deadly, poisonous herb of the Apiaceae family, Conium maculatum. Mistaken for fennel, parsley or wild carrot, poison hemlock has tiny white flowers clustered in umbels. Native to Europe and the Mediterranean poison hemlock, when crushed, emits a rank, unpleasant odor not the anise or liquorice smells associated with the likes of fennel. Evergreen types of Hemlock look nothing like the herbaceous types.

Tsuga Canadensis, Canadian (Eastern) Hemlock, has long been a staple for the industry because of their tolerance to shady locations. Eastern Hemlocks, left to their own devices, can achieve heights of 50+ feet and 25+ in width. An exception to the rule, this conifer can be planted close to one another with hopes of creating a dense hedge line. However, spruce varieties can not achieve the same results. A candidate for moist, not saturated, areas Hemlocks have gorgeous leaf color complete with dark greens and two glaucous bands underneath. Suitable wherever drainage is good, keep the parent plant and its offspring away from windy areas and be considerate during times of drought.

Cultivars available to gardeners today are plentiful, exciting and diverse. Options include mounding, columnar, variegated, prostrate and globose types. One cultivar that I am asked about time and again, especially by those who visit our home, is Tsuga canadensis ‘Albospica’. A treemendous open growing hemlock which has snowy, white- tipped leaves almost the entire year. This unique attribute stands out against its darker, more mature, foliage. Planted on the north side of our home is a grove of them defining a corner and embedding the glorious earth tones and exfoliating, puzzle-like bark of a Stewartia pseudocamellia (Japanese Stewartia). The texture and colors that the two offer are only heightened with an occasional snowfall. Cultivated since 1866 and still going strong. Another one of the variegated types and often confused with ‘Albospica’ is Tsuga c. ‘Gentsch White’. A variegated globe which also offers white branch tips. Suitable for container gardening or as a small punctuation amongst your foundation plantings, this one benefits from routine pruning. We have Otto Gentsch in Long Island, New York to thank for this one. To round out the white-tipped cultivars that I am in favor of is Tsuga c. ‘Frostie’. Phenomenal white foliage with thin branches enhances its delicate texture, lending itself again to shade gardening. Look for slight pink winter markings as an added bonus. For those of you looking for yellow in your garden, enjoy the bright gold markings on stiffly held branches of Tsuga c. ‘Aurea Compacta’. This dwarf upright form is also known as ‘Everitt’s Golden’. Finally, a variety for those in search of a vertical accent suitable for planters or as a low maintenance hedge or screen is Tsuga c. ‘Monler’ (Emerald Fountain). Emerald Fountain has a dense branching structure creating a columnar evergreen. Retaining its dark green foliage throughout the winter, ‘Monler’ finishes nicely at 6 to 10 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide making it suitable for most gardens.

Native from Nova Scotia to Minnesota Canadian Hemlocks have recently been the target of some negative publicity. Woolly Adelgid has severely limited the planting, marketability and growing of hemlocks. This aphidlike insect has posed a serious threat to the hemlock population for some 80+ years. Known in New Jersey since 1978 where they were first found in Medford, Burlington County. Alas, there is hope. Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub insect control, 1.47% Merit, is an easy “mix and pour” at the base of a tree solution. So start rejuvenating the hemlock population today.