Yew Can Stop the Deer

Before deer became such a big problem in New Jersey there was a staple plant used in almost every landscape in the garden state. Taxus (Yew)! Unfortunately this seems to be a delicacy for our four-legged friends. Interesting since Yews are among the most toxic of plant materials. Taxus has proved to be a versatile plant lending itself to most soil types, lighting conditions, topiary work and overall durability. In particular, though is lighting conditions. While there are other genera that tolerate the shade, Sciadopitys (Umbrella Pine), Chamaecyparis (Falsecypress), and Tsuga (Hemlock), few embrace it offering both an academic and practical solution as Taxus has. However, there is another genus that has long been overlooked that can not only mimic the texture of Taxus, but afford itself in many of the same applications as the aforementioned genus.
Cephalotaxus (Plum Yew) is a genus comprising eleven species. Native to Japan, fossil evidence has sited it further to the Northern Hemisphere. Plum Yews were introduced into this country in 1848, but we have Phillip Franz von Siebold to thank who first sent specimens to Europe from Japan in 1829 (Tripp 1995). Recent popularity has grown, I suspect, because of the adaptability of the genus. Tolerant to alkaline, clay, sand, acidic and loamy soils, Cephalotaxus also performs admirably in sun or shade. However, the plants recent notoriety is attributed to the fact that it’s a coniferous evergreen that handles the shade quite well and is deer resistant. Plum Yews do not have an aggressive root structure, are known for their drought tolerance once established and are not affected by many pest problems. Cephalotaxus have a softness about them, having flat needlelike leaves that are blunt at the tips. More heat tolerant than true yews and most juniper, Plum Yews can also take heavy pruning. Although heavy pruning should be unnecessary, as Cephalotaxus is not known for its rapid growth. The common name Plum Yew is termed for the plum-like fruit, actually a naked seed, which is fleshy and is olive to reddish brown. These olive-like fruits are a popular food in Japan.
Cephalotaxus harringtonia (Japanese Plum Yew, Cow’s Tail Pine) are the more “commonly” found of the eleven species. Named for the Earl of Harrington, one of the species’ first European fanciers (Tripp 1995) harringtonia offers several notable cultivars. ‘Prostrata’ is among my favorites for no other reason than it closely resembles that of Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’ (spreading English Yew). An impressive dark green carpet that the deer simply won’t let us plant. ’Prostrata’ is a low mounding evergreen with arching pendulous branches. It too has dark green leaves and can be used effectively as a deer resistant ground cover. Stunning as a monosweep around a deciduous tree, ‘Prostrata’ has a nostalgic feel for the spreading English Yews of years past. The new growth is a pale lime green that hardens to a glossy dark green. Comfortably this cultivar sits two to four feet tall and wide. Slightly larger in appearance is another great cultivar ‘Duke Gardens’. With more of a rounded outline ‘Duke Gardens’ finishes nicely at four to five feet tall and wide. Also projecting dark green foliage, this one has upswept arching branches and a slight aromatic fragrance. Finally, a vertical accent to your garden is ‘Fastigiata’. Capable of growing ten feet all, slowly remember, this is an outstanding columnar candidate that can hide your air conditioner units or act as a really cool container plant. With black-green markings, ‘Fastigiata’ has almost weeping new growth held stiffly on an upward appearance. I saw some stunning examples of this cultivar last winter visiting Napa Valley. The hotel we stayed in used them effectively around their pool, in containers, to help frame their Mediterranean feel.
Finally, aside from their versatility and adaptability, Cephalotaxus are being used medicinally. Anticancer alkaloids such as Cephalotaxine and harringtonine are compounds being extracted. With all that has been said about this fabulous genus, Michael Dirr (Professor and Plant demigod of our time) says it best. “Potential has not even been tapped; a superb and shade tolerant aristocrat evergreen for groupings, masses and accents; slow growing which frightens those who design with a juniper mentality, but the rewards over time are abundant.”

Stylish Mono-Sweeping

Mono-sweeping is an industry term used to describe the massing of a single plant material, in abundance, in one particular area. Far too often I am asked to select plants for a particular site and come up with as many different types as possible. This is not only confusing to me, but the customer is left not with a viable landscape, but merely a collection of plants. This type of mind set is fine if your goal is to present specimens in a museum-like atmosphere. However, it lacks a certain rhythmic flow and can not afford sweeping, elongated lines that envelope and captivate ones attention simultaneously disarming and inviting them towards a destination without their knowledge. Landscape design should not be confusing, frustrating or intimidating. You need only be cognizant of color, texture, and size. Repetition is a good thing. One such plant that can afford itself in such a manner is the genus Spiraea.

Spiraea is a genus representing some eighty plus species and thus can offer some outstanding variety in any landscape. While most are deciduous in our temperate climate, these colorful dynamos help create some outstanding tapestries during the warmer months and far outweigh their nakedness in winter. Spiraea are in their glory during those months of backyard barbecues and hot summer days. And let’s face it, who’s really out there paying attention to their landscapes in the middle of winter. It’s more important to have color and texture during the months you’re using your yard.

Some of the more remarkable Spiraea’s are a result of a cross between S. albiflora and S. japonica. Simply put their genetic heritage stems from Japan. Spiraea x bumalda (Bumald Spirea) holds some of the more popular varieties even if they, at times, seem somewhat pedestrian. Perhaps one of the more marketable cultivars is Spiraea ‘Anthony Waterer’. Finishing nicely at four feet wide and tall, it lends itself well to mass plantings. Mark Hunter of Hunter Landscape Design in Bernardsville, New Jersey boasts “The real key to mono-sweep based design is to emphasize the architectural nature of the plants that are being used and limiting the varieties.” Other notable Bumald varieties include ‘Dolchica’, ‘Limeound’, and ‘Magic Carpet’. ‘Dolchica’ offers cutleaf foliage, deep purple new growth and pink flowers. More compact growing than most, it finishes between two and four feet. ‘Limemound’, an introduction from Monrovia Growers, horticultural craftsmen since 1970, has slender branching, lemon-yellow foliage and its furthest extensions show russet markings. Autumn foliage is orange-red and it too offers more of a compact form. ‘Magic Carpet’ is almost a ground cover form. Finishing nicely between eighteen and twenty four inches, ‘Magic Carpet’ has golden-yellow markings and pink flowers.

Spiraeas are tolerant of many adverse soil conditions, but do not like wet feet. Preferring to be in full sun, Spirea flowers long and hard throughout the hot summer months. Prune this variety of Spirea early in the spring before foliage appears and remove spent flowers after their first push and more will follow extending your seasonal color.

The list goes on and on for Spiraea. Shades of flower color and textural differences in foliage are plentiful and are only surpassed, in numbers, by the eighty plus species available to you. As you ponder your next landscape project consider, for a moment, the idea of “less is more.” Try planting fewer types of plant material, but more of them. Find that specimen you’ve been waiting for and mass plant a carpet of Spiraea around it. Work that embankment or sloped area with waves of purple or pink Spiraea. Finally impress your friends with hot pockets of containers filled with Spiraea on your patio or deck. Remember this is a plant has color for the majority of summer and is not to fussy about how it is handled. Impress yourself and your friends this summer with easy color and let your garden work for you.

‘Ruby Slippers’

Since 1913 Princeton Nurseries has been associated with premium plant material. Their success is due, in large part, to their desire and dedication to not only produce but properly groom and finish their plants. “Research and development is a Princeton Nursery legacy and is a vital part of their future.” William Flemer III has selected outstanding shade trees from their seedling program. Such selections include Greenspire American ash, Green Mountain sugar maple, and this author’s favorite tree Princeton Sentry Ginkgo. They have a futuristic approach to producing and finishing plants, having a Cravo structure topping out at 25 feet tall, the highest in North America. This structure responds to unpredictable weather patterns and produces and houses everything from perennials to large caliper shade trees. Whether it’s producing over one million seedlings a year or lining out 175 acres to produce 110,000 units of plant material, there is still room to inspect and identify new candidates. The newest candidate to be added to their portfolio of introductions is Acer ginnala ‘Ruby Slippers.’

Acer ginnala (Amur Maple) has for too long been underused and underappreciated. Truly a “Hardy” tree, Amur maple is listed academically as a zone 3 (-40 degrees) tree. Typical attributes of Acer ginnala are opposite leaves, samaras that hang on until late fall, and an overall smaller habit lending itself well to smaller landscapes. Tolerant of drought, compacted soils and air pollution, Acer ginnala seems as tough as Ginkgo which has been around since the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. In other words dinosaurs remember their habit.

Acer ginnala ‘Ruby Slippers’ was selected at Princeton Nursery from a seedling block in Allentown, New Jersey in 1990. Typically associated with multistems, ‘Ruby Slippers’ was chosen for its straight single stem. This small deciduous tree offers what any great tree can be remembered for. It has multi-seasonal interest. A dense canopy forms with the emergence of spring leaves and from here it only gets better. June, for me, is its best month. Samaras, those little whirly-gigs we put on our noses as kids, hang suspended like Dorothy’s slippers, giving us a false perception that this tree is flowering red. The intense color of the samaras (a dry fruit bearing a wing) is a precursor of what is to come in the fall. Outstanding hues of red and orange in the cooler autumn months are not to be outdone by the samaras in June and July. Let’s not forget that this is a multi-seasonal tree and that means that there must be winter interest as well. Smooth, gray bark and a dense canopy provide an outstanding winter silhouette rounding out this almost perfect bantam weight champion. Acer ginnala ‘Ruby Slipper’s versatility also includes a resistance to verticillium (a soil borne fungi) adaptability to soil and environmental stress and a usefulness amongst urban and suburban plantings. ‘Ruby Slippers’ is just as happy underneath power lines as it is as a focal point in your next suburban planting. Acer ginnala performs best in moist, well-drained soils, can be heavily pruned and is just as easily planted in the ground or in a container. Remember this little guy only matures to 15-20 feet tall and wide.

We have much to thank Princeton Nursery for. Their commitment to excellence over the years has led to some exciting botanical offerings. Building on William Flemer III successes, with his exciting introductions, we would be remiss not to mention the efforts of others involved with the cultivating and marketing of today’s plants. Kudos goes out to Andrea Bonville, who evaluates today’s promising plants and cooperates with researchers throughout the United States. Doug Webber, Vice President of sales and marketing and Fran Chismar, sales manager for Princeton Nursery who tirelessly help bring Princeton’s products to fruition and whose botanical coaching is nothing short of encyclopedic. We thank you as well.

All Plants Are Not Created Equal

All plants are not created equal! Deciduous ornamentals, coniferous evergreens, herbaceous perennials and broadleaf evergreens all have their own cultural differences. Plants are not dissimilar to people in that they too have circulatory systems that need to absorb nutrients in order to thrive. Just as people who are in good health tend to resist illness, plants that start out healthy are more capable to fight disease and resist insect problems. There is an enormous amount of attention given to raising our “green friends” and the equation to bring them to fruition is an exciting challenge.

With an increasing demand for premium plant material and the realization that ours is an industry dealing with perishable commodities, at the mercy of Mother Nature, it’s no wonder that the cost of producing such a product has increased. Going forward, there needs to be more of an appreciation for the production of plants as it takes an average of eight years to produce a marketable plant for the garden. Much more is involved than simply buying a liner, sticking it in a pot and waiting for a return on your money.

The ability to produce premium plant material is truly an art form. The creation of a plant’s life and understanding the behavioral aspects of different kinds of plants is an arduous task to say the least. First there is the research, science and luck of finding new plants. Plant hunters scour the globe, record locations and wait patiently to return during the dormant season to collect a sample. Plant hardiness is determined through a series of tests judging the adaptability to extremes in heat, cold, moisture, drought and direct sunlight. The challenge of mass producing a plant at an affordable price is a priority on every growers mind. There are different techniques used to produce plants. Air layering is a method developed by the Chinese to produce roots on the stem for more difficult to root plants. Grafting is the process of connecting two different plants (scion wood and rootstock) so they grow as one. Most of the beautiful Japanese maples you see in garden centers for sale have been grafted. Tissue culture takes a piece of a plant (such as a stem tip, node, embryo or seed) and places it in a sterile, nutrient medium where it multiplies. These are just a few ways that have helped plants become stronger and more consistent.

Propagating plants is only part of the battle. Progressive growers have found ways, through science, to enhance a plants performance, offering a competitive advantage. Advanced fertilizers, organic companions and suitable growing environments all affect costs, but the results speak for themselves. Regular nitrogen fertilizers can cost one quarter of what a slow release fertilizer can. Mycorrhizae fungi are beneficial organisms that grow along roots of host plants, enlarging the roots’ surface-absorbing area helping the plant’s uptake of nutrients and water. This helps reduce transplant shock, environmental stress, soil borne diseases and pathogens. Equations are also considered for spacing plants so that sunlight hits all sides, finishing a plant properly. Finally, the growing environments today are futuristic. Heated floors encourage roots to establish more quickly. Temperature and wind sensitive gauges retract the ceiling of Cravo systems (advanced glass greenhouses) helping to protect and create the most perfect plant material possible.

Although strides have been made for creating more consistent, durable and attractive plants, the attention towards finishing an almost perfect product has made it more labor intensive. Just as a parent is never finished raising their children, so to are gardeners never finished maintaining their plants. Pruning and feeding are two disciplines that are never fully finished. The decision of your purchase should not merely amount to dollars and cents. Branching structure, tree caliper, overall body, plant health, root development and cosmetic differences are just a few variables which can affect the cost of a plant. Suffice to say, a rhododendron grown by one grower is not the same as one grown by another.

A Colorful Conifer

When I was a child growing up there was nothing like the anticipation of Christmas day. Waiting, not so patiently, for the day to arrive and hopefully open the gift that I had asked for. One of the benefits of gardening is that with every season there is a new gift to wait patiently for. Perhaps the most anticipated gifts are those of spring. Maybe it’s because of the low temperatures we have just endured or because of winters shorter days and longer nights. But now that spring is finally here, we again have the explosion of color and the unfolding textures providing us with a heightened sense for the outdoors.

Picea orientalis (Oriental Spruce) has for a long time been underused and under appreciated. Native to the Caucasus and Northeast Turkey, this majestic beauty was introduced in 1827. So why is it taking so long for the public to grasp its beauty? A strikingly beautiful conifer, orientalis offers a dense, narrow, pyramid form with glossy, dark green foliage. The needles are short, closely packed together and have somewhat of a blunt tip to them. Cultivated specimens often reach heights of 50-60 feet; however native trees have reached heights of more than 100 feet. Male flowers are a showy red and the fruiting cones, produced in abundance in May, are a bright rose-pink to red digressing to a tannish-brown. More notable, however, is its landscape value. Having a more narrow habit makes it suitable for smaller properties offering an incredible range of versatility. Used more appropriately as a screen than Picea abies (Norway spruce), it can also be useful as a specimen or shade tree when a coniferous evergreen is desired. Picea orientalis is virtually pest free, not succumbing as readily to the problems of spider mite, spruce gall aphid, and borer that Norway spruce will almost certainly get. Orientalis prefers moist, well-drained soil, as do most conifers, and is more tolerant of arid conditions than most other spruce. However, it is not classified as drought tolerant. Full sun and protection from strong winter winds are two other keys to its success. With so much versatility it’s almost greedy to ask more from this tree.

As with most plants there are cultivars available that can enhance already attractive attributes. This tree is no exception. Two personal favorites are Picea orientalis ‘Aureospicata’ and “Skylands”. Picea o. “Aureospicata” has me waiting all winter for three short weeks. Early in the spring “Aureospicata’s” new growth emerges at the tip of the branches in bright yellow. From a distance it looks as though there are tiny canaries perched on every branch. This phenomenon happens at the end of April to early May and is truly a gardener’s treat. By early summer all of the yellow tips will fade and mature to a dark green. “Skylands” is another gem that has been sought out for its pronounced yellow markings. A beautiful contrast of yellow exterior needles and dark green interior foliage create year round enjoyment. Both cultivars develop slowly at first, but given the opportunity finish nicely with a full, pyramidal outline.

If your intention is to run a hedge line of spruce down your property line to distance yourself from your neighbors then consider Picea orientalis as a solution. Its overall presence will be more narrow, thus enabling you to plant them slightly closer. However, this does not mean that placing them 5 feet apart is the answer. Often I see proverbial hedge lines of Norway spruce, Douglas fir, blue spruce and hemlock planted five feet from one another. This not only lacks creativeness, but it is an unhealthy solution to your problem. Poor air circulation, root development problems and light penetration will quickly point out the error of your ways. There are many conifers that can offer you the privacy you’re after. Some may be more fiscally challenging to put on your property at first, but given the choice of planting it right the first time or planting the area twice, go with the earlier. Hopefully your decision will be to go with a conifer that offers purplish-red cones and yellow new growth.

Monrovia Nursery: Where Plants Really Do Come True

Monrovia Nursery has long been synonymous with quality nursery products. Their brand recognition has been seen on every advertising level from supporting local arboretums, like the Reeves Reed Arboretum in Summit, New Jersey to a more national audience being featured in Garden Design, Martha Stewart, and Southern Living to name a few. While their growth has continued, almost exponentially, throughout the years, Monrovia has not lost sight of its target audiences, the retail customer and the independent garden centers of North America. Their dedication to quality control, education and product development has given the independents an important advantage in the horticultural field. And when a company like Monrovia cares enough to listen to the input of its target audiences, it truly makes it a dream come true.
Nine years ago Monrovia Growers developed a National Retail Council to better understand its customers. The board consists of some of the most successful garden centers in the country, totaling twenty this year, and simply put asks for their candid input as to What’s new, What’s hot, What works, and What doesn’t. They demand participation in this ongoing, vigorous, three day symposium. So when a cutting edge company like Monrovia Growers asked for Hall’s Garden Center’s participation, we eagerly accepted.
Often I am asked in retail sales why a plant costs what it does. An overly simplistic retort reinforces what my parents always preached, “You get what you pay for.” A more accurate response would go further to describe what “Distinctively Better” means. Monrovia’s ideological catch phrase refers to their standard of excellence. The development of 32 different soil types, healthy root systems, customized InfoLabels, a support network of American Horticultural Society members to answer any question put forth by its customers. Expanding on Monrovia’s importance and inherent value of their products would tell of their 265 and counting exclusive plants, over 100 patents, some 160+ Federal and State trademarks and more than 9 million propagated plants annually. Their attention to detail is evident with 5 locations around the country, realizing that different plants need different attentions and can not all be grown in the same geographic. Slow release fertilizers, analysis of nutrients, precise proportions of trace elements, advanced plant tissue analysis and leaf analysis all contribute to the most beautiful and healthy plant material available by modern science. In short, all these contribute to one thing; the best plant money can buy.
Our three days in January allowed us to see future technologies that would further enhance a gardener’s experience. Poly covered greenhouses with horizontal air flow with exhaust fans, weed barriers, drip irrigation, tissue culture, sterile environments, proactive approaches to plant health care, and concrete heated floors to stimulate root development all suggest that this is not your average grower. However, equally important were the relationships formed in Visalia, CA during those three days. Garden center owners, managers and plant buyers all freely sharing ideas on marketing, merchandising, service, and product mix helped to strengthen an already cohesive group. With Monrovia’s top brass on hand, it reinforced yet again that serious topics were being discussed and that the future of the green good industry was clearly being dealt with forward thinking.
Working together will address “The Evolving Face of the Retail Garden Center,” is not only Monrovia’s locution, but a defining admittance carried through by all its employees and “Craftsmen.” Quite simply it is a way of life, a struggle to rise above and reinforce, to anyone interested, that they are the standard of excellence which all in the horticultural field should strive to emulate. Hall’s Garden center is proud to stand by their side and consider ourselves lucky to be associated with such a quality driven bunch. Thank you Monrovia Growers for your ingenuity, “Craftsmanship”, and advanced horticultural practices. Hall’s Garden Center and Monrovia Growers invite you to stop by your local independent garden center this spring and imbibe some of nature’s gifts.

Robert LaHoff
Hall’s Garden center

Barking Up the Right Tree

Stripped of all their foliage standing naked amongst the winter landscape are some pretty amazing maple trees. Most people, it seems, are content buying the proverbial red cutleaf or laceleaf maple (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum-Atropurpureum’) or the tiresome upright ‘Bloodgood’ maple. Perhaps it’s because their neighbor has purchased a similar style or maybe it’s because it’s the only type they have heard of. Truth is there are literally dozens of species and hundreds of named cultivars to tempt and satisfy even the most eclectic gardeners’ taste. With so many choices to choose from, it seems silly to always pick the same two or three types, especially if year round garden interest is your goal.

Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) has become more commercially available in recent years; however it is still difficult to propagate. A noteworthy candidate for your garden, Paperbark has something going on all year. Dark bluish-green, trifoliate leaves (three leaved) kick off the attributes of this small to medium sized tree. Adaptable to a wide range of soil PH balances, griseum’s only stipulation is that you place it in well drained soil. Having a somewhat rounded canopy with age, Paperbark works well as a single lawn specimen or in areas of limited real estate. Outstanding, bright red, fall color can rival even that of ‘Burning Bush’. But let’s face it; what introduces most to this famed tree is the exfoliating bark. The peeling, flaky, cinnamon brown bark jumps out at you, not just in the winter, but all year long. Native to China and the fact that no two are alike only adds to the uniqueness of this versatile tree.

Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’ (Coral Bark Maple) is an exciting Japanese maple. The unfolding leaves, early in the spring, show the slightest hints of red digressing quickly to a bold green. As fall approaches, these tiny, congested leaves take on color marking from yellow to pumpkin. A medium sized tree, Coral Bark, attains heights of fifteen to twenty five feet comfortably and prefers well drained soil. As the common name implies, Coral Bark, has just that. Beginning in the fall, the younger stems start to color up taking on red hues. Imagine the pumpkin color foliage backing these bright red stems. Only to impress us more are these same stems acting as a beacon entrenched in the snow storms of winter. Truly an impressive sight, you would be hard pressed to find a better winter interest tree.

Somewhat of an obscurity, but still noteworthy, is the species Acer pensylvanicum. Commonly known as the striped or snakebark maple, the bark is clearly what sets this apart and has propelled its notoriety. Quoting Michael Dirr, the horticultural demigod of our time, “The unflattering nickname refers to the whitish vertical fissures that develop on the bark, which when set against the greenish background conjure visions of a snake’s skin.” Whether an “unflattering nickname” or not, there is no denying the beautiful, pronounced, long, vertical, white stripes of the species. Two covetous cultivars available to gardeners are ‘White Tigress’ and ‘Erythrocladum’. ‘White Tigress’ has dark green bark with conspicuous white striations. Other common attributes prevail as it maintains typical green leaves in the spring changing to yellow in the fall. ‘Erythrocladum’ is a magnificent small tree with incredible bright pink bark, striped white, in the winter. Considered to be somewhat problematic to grow, the secret to their success is well drained soil. Overall presence in your garden for Acer pensylvanicum is fifteen to twenty feet tall and wide.

While flowers can be beautiful and sometimes fragrant and certain trees are known for their unique foliage, we can not forget that bark appeal can be equally as enticing. When you visit your local garden center this spring, admire the beautiful, red laceleaf maples, but remember the bright color markings of winter bark also.