Category Archives: Ornamental Shrubs/ Care

Crabapples Add Winter Interest

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Crabapples are an excellent choice for creating winter interest in a landscape and their small fruits are a desirable food source for birds. Crabapples have a reputation of being messy, but if you purchase trees with “persistent” fruit, then the fruits stays on the tree longer, making less of a mess on the ground and leaving more fruit on the tree for birds. Persistent fruits also provide longer winter interest with red, pink, orange or yellow fruits hanging on trees.

Crabapple blossoms come in white, light pink, deep pink and rose-colored, which attracts butterflies and bees in the spring.  Some varieties have fragrant flowers and some have purple foliage.  Crabapples come in various sizes to accommodate small, medium or large yards.  In this first posting I am listing three dwarf varieties for small spaces and ones with excellent to good disease resistance; there are many more. (*chart)

Hardiness Zones 4-8.  Sun Exposure:  Full Sun 6+ hours, Part Sun 4-6 hours, Full Shade up to 4 hours.  Note: Where fire blight is a concern, avoid spring pruning (when bacterium can enter fresh open cuts).

Dwarf Crabapples

Lollipop Crabapple:  10 ft H x 10 ft W; Neat formal compact dwarf tree with rounded head, fine texture with small leaves and dense growth habit and symmetrical form. Foliage: Green. Flowers: White with yellow stamens. Fruit: Bright red, 3/8-inch. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew & Cedar Apple Rust. Good: Fire Blight & Scab.

Sargent Crabapple: 8 ft H x12ft W; Natural forming dwarf tree with horizontal spreading branches. Foliage: Dark Green. Flowers: Profuse ½-inch white fragrant flowers. Fruit: 1/4-inch Bright Red, Profuse, Persistent. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew, Cedar Apple Rust, Fire Blight & Scab.

Pink Princess Crabapple: 8 ft h x 12 ft W; Natural dwarf tree with low spreading branches. Foliage: Purple turning to Bronze-Green. Flowers: Rose Pink. Fruit: Deep Red, ¼ -inch. Disease resistant ratings-Excellent: Cedar Apple Rust, Mildew, Fire Blight & Scab.

Article by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

*Chart by: J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co https://www.jfschmidt.com/pdfs/JFS_CRAB_CHART.pdf

Horticulture Report: Fothergilla gardenii

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Plant Name: Fothergilla gardeniiFothergilla_flower
Common Name: Dwarf Fothergilla
Plant type: Deciduous Shrub
Height: 2-3 ft
Spread:   2-3 ft
Bloom Time:  April – May
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Full sun to part shade ( blooms best with full sun morning, afternoon shade)20171103_154812
Soil Requirements: Moist, acidic, organically rich, well-drained soil.  Grows well in sandy soils, but not clay.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:   Interesting bottle-bush fragrant flowers, Fall color, multi-stemmed, attracts birds, deer resistant,  year round interest.
Note: Easy care
Uses:  Shrub border, Foundation planting, Cottage Garden, Woodland Garden, Native Garden, Small hedge.
Native to: Southeastern U.S.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-9

Water-Wise Gardening

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Russian sageThe City of Ashland has created an informational  website to help reduce water usage in yards & gardens.

Click here to visit the site:
Water Wise Landscaping in Ashland

Once you’re at the website click the tabs located at the top of the page to view the following features.

Start with Garden Resources which is the gateway to the site. There you will find the table of contents: Getting Started, Irrigation, Design and Maintenance.

Garden Tours & Garden Gallery showcase local properties and supplies the viewer with visual examples of water-wise plantings.  Within each photo there is a white box; click the box to obtain detailed information regarding the plant.

The Plants is organized by Firewise,  Lawn Alternatives, Drought Tolerant Plants, Ornamental Grass, Deer Resistant Plants, Screens & Hedges. Each category presentsa list of plant suggestions. You can also search for plants based on: plant type, size, color, sun requirements, soil type and blooming season.

The Watering Guide provides watering guidelines, watering tips and common irrigation challenges.

This well designed site contains vast amounts of plant information, check it out and be inspired!

by:Carlotta Lucas

Horticultural Report : Rhododendrons and Azaleas

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THE BASICS

Overview:
Rhododendrons are native to Asia, North America, Europe and Australia, with the highest

Rhododendron_'Black_Magic'_(1)

Black Magic Rhododendron

species diversity in the Himalayas. There are over 1,000 species of rhododendron, woody plants in the Heath family that may be evergreen or deciduous. Azaleas make up 2 subgenera of the rhododendron family.

Some species are poisonous, both the pollen and nectar, yet we have observed honey being sold specifically from bees feeding on rhododendrons.

Growing Conditions:
After over 48 years experience growing both rhododendrons and azaleas in diverse conditions in the U.S., I believe these plants are much tougher than most people appreciate.

Among the false assumptions:
Rhododendrons and azaleas are best grown where summers are cool and moist—not so!
Azaleas are mostly deciduous—not so!

There are two conditions that are critical to success in growing these acid loving plants whose fine roots are primarily at the soil surface:

>>Good Drainage
>> Cool Roots

Whether your soil is clay or decomposed granite, it can be amended to meet the plants needs.

Clay Soil:
With clay there are two approaches, the easiest is to amend the existing soil with good acid compost to loosen it up and allow for drainage. As long as the planting site is elevated from the surrounding soil, you can plant directly into the soil. Another approach is to build a raised area about one foot above the existing soil level using river rock or another material and fill with good soil mulched with acid compost.

Decomposed Granite:
Typically decomposed granite drains rapidly so the addition of a good amount of acid compost will help it retain sufficient moisture to support plant growth.

Keeping Roots Cool:  In Southern Oregon it is very easy to keep plant roots cool as we have easy access to conifer forest detritus. Although fir trees are the dominate locally, we have pine trees which serve as the ideal mulch for azaleas and rhododendrons. Unlike compost, which can get soggy and compacted, pine needles piled around the base of the plants provide a cool, moist environment with good air circulation. As the pine needles breakdown, they help maintain soil acidity.

Selecting Plants

2012_Purple_Azaleas

Azalea

A factor to consider in purchasing rhododendrons and azaleas, is how the plant will fit into your landscape scheme. If you desire the tall lacy feel of rhododendrons reaching for the sky, then look for plants that exhibit an 8 to 10 inch or greater annual growth rate. In contrast, there are many species which grow in a dense, bush-like growth habit or , with the deciduous species, they retain a shrub like height, but exhibit a lacy open growth habit.

Spring is the ideal time to purchase these plants as they are in full bloom, giving you good color selection and an appreciation of some of the perfumed varieties. The disadvantage is often nursery suppliers push the plants causing the roots of some of them to be so compacted that they cannot be pulled a part. Under these conditions the plant will never perform well and I would suggest returning the plant to the nursery.

Submitted by:
Donna Rhee

Horticulture Report: November 2013

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CalendulaPlants for Fall Color:
to name a few!

Click to view…

Report By Carlotta Lucas

Horticulture Report: May 2013

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Rhododendrons & Azaleas
What’s the difference between Rhododendrons and azaleas?

Azaleas are Rhododendrons. They belong to the subgenus pentanthera (deciduous) and the subgenus Tsustusti (mostly evergreen).
Azaleas are elepidotes, they never have scales.
Azaleas have five lobes to the flower.
Most azaleas have only one stamen for each lobe of the flower, while most other rhododendrons have two stamens for each lobe.
Azaleas tend to have appressed hairs (hairs that grow parallel to the surface of the leaf). This is particularly true along the midrib of the under-surface of the leaf and is easily seen in the so called “evergreen” azaleas.
Azaleas have tubular funnel or funnel shaped flowers. You need a microscope to see this, but the hair on a “standard” rhododendron will often branch, while the hair on azaleas never does.

Basic Needs:
Rhododendrons must have a constant supply of moisture.
They are sensitive to poorly drained conditions.
Hot wet conditions are more dangerous than cool, wet conditions.
They need an acid soil of pH 5-6.
Fertilizer: A 10-6-4 formula is optimal. For the best growth and flowers apply fertilizer after the plant goes dormant between late Nov and Jan, a second application in Feb or March, a third time in April or May, and a final time in June or July.

Pruning:
Always prune right after flowering. Even large plants can be cut back. Rhododendrons & azaleas flower on the prior year’s wood, therefore the buds for next spring’s flowers form during the previous summer or fall. If you prune them later in the summer, fall or winter you will be trimming off your flowers for the spring.
Prune larger leaved rhododendrons just above the growth joints.
Prune azaleas and small leafed rhododendrons anywhere along the stem. These plants have dormant growth buds nearly everywhere, though you may not be able to see them.

Deadheading and Pinching:
Light pruning and shaping should be done yearly when you deadhead. Snap off the old flower trusses. You may pinch out the single terminal growth buds just as they start to grow. It will make a shorter and bushier plant.

For more information:
American Rhododendron Society
http://www.rhododendron.org/

American Azalea Society
http://azaleas.org/

Definitions:
Elepidotes are large leaved rhododendrons. They are the type of shrub that most individuals would associate as being a rhododendron. They do not have scales located on the underside of the leaves. Plants tend to be very large in their maturity.

Lepidote rhododendron have smaller leaves and are usually low growing or dwarfs. They usually bloom earlier in the spring than the larger leaved elepidotes. Tiny scales cover the undersides of the leaves of some rhododendron species.