Look what I found: Hydrangea quercifolia

The oakleaf hydrangea is probably my favorite shrub.  My parents got me one while we lived at the old house and I was hooked.  I put it in a dry, shady spot where nothing else would grow and it seemed to double in size every year.  It also provided multi-season interest: lush greenery in spring, flowers all summer, colorful foliage in fall, and exfoliating bark in winter.  I loved it so much that I got two more...and with a couple of hostas and a handful of bulbs, a problem area became an attractive and low-maintenance bed.





The oakleaf hydrangea at the new house looks more like a tree than a shrub.  It's quite tall (at least eight feet) and has a single trunk for at least three or four feet.  I'm not sure if it was pruned that way, purchased that way, or if grazing deer had some hand in the matter.  It's in the backyard, in the forest understory, between two viburnums.  The only thing growing under it right now is vinca minor and a couple of columbine plants.







I've enjoyed watching the flowers change from cream, to red, to brown and I can't wait to see what the leaves look like as they turn.

Do you have a favorite shrub?



A plant I fancy: Itea Virginica 'Henry's Garnet'

Phew!  What a weekend...I feel like we've packed two days of stuff into the past 12 hours.  We did: gymnastics, a birthday party, and a play date.  Right now, I'm laying exhausted in bed and my three year old is pretending to be a kitten in her bed.  At 9:00pm.

While my daughter and I were running around, my wonderful husband decided to check out our irrigation system.  We were told the house had one when we bought it, but we haven't given it much thought and even with all of the digging we've been doing, we've only run across one sprinkler head.  With the hot weather we've been having lately,  we decided to see if it worked.  I was expecting the worst, but it seems like everything is working, even though it doesn't look like it's been used for over five years or so.  We're going to schedule it to run tonight and see what happens.

Ok - now onto the plant:

Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Scientific name: Itea Virginica 'Henry's Garnet'
Common name(s): Virginia Sweetspire
Height x Width: 3-4' x 4-6'
Growth rate: unknown
Hardiness: Zones 5-9
Soil: Prefers well-drained soil, medium to wet, but can tolerate a range of soil conditions
Light: Full sun to partial shade

Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

After the past few weeks,  where I've been talking about sun perennials and exotic plants, I'm back to my old standard: shade tolerant native plants.  Virginia sweetspire is a native shrub with a lot going on.  It blooms in the early summer and then the foliage turns a deep burgundy red in the fall.  The variety 'Henry's Garnet' is known for superior flowers and autumn foliage.

Reasons I like it:

• Attractive, rounded habit
• Multi-season interest
• Deer resistant

Where would I put it?

• Side bed?
• Backyard understory
• Possibly even front island, if I wanted to add shrubs out there

The only drawback I've seen about all Itea Virginica cultivars is that they tend to send up a lot of suckers.  In all of the spots I'm considering for this plant, it wouldn't be a big deal.  In some spots, naturalization would even be welcome (side bed - I'm looking at you).

The big draw for this shrub is the fall foliage, obviously, but I also like the fact it is an early summer bloomer.  My ultimate dream is to have a perfectly timed landscape, with items of interest  popping up across the garden as the season goes on.  With the bazillion varieties of azaleas we have, Spring is covered, but Summer and Fall could use a little attention.  I think 'Henry's Garnet' fits the bill perfectly.

Do you take "timing" into account when you buy a plant?  If so - how do you keep track of when everything blooms/gets interesting?

Look what I found: Kalmia latifolia

As I was taking pictures for Bloom Day, I noticed interesting looking buds on a handful of shrubs in the woods.  It's my much longed for mountain laurel!  For some reason, even though I had researched this plant extensively when I was planning the "woodland" garden at the old house, I didn't recognize them in the new yard.  I was expecting them to be more bushy and round like a rhododendron.  My mountain laurels seem like waifs compared to my rhodies.  They're contorted little trees that lean and twist upon themselves.
 

These are deep in the woods, past the end of the forest path, almost to the ravine.  The only things back there are a pile of pavers from the previous owners and my composter.  I didn't really think anything interesting could grow in the deep shade back there, but I'm glad to be wrong.

Possible dwarf form?  Definitely cultivated.

 There's also a smaller, redder, cultivated form in the backyard along the fence line.

It's quite charming and doesn't seem to be affected by the leaf spot plaguing its wild counterparts in the woods.

From what I can tell, this is Phyllosticta kalmicola, or Kalmia leaf spot.  It's a fungus that causes unsightly spots, but no real harm to the plant.  Plants in moist (check), heavy shade (check) are more susceptible.  I'm just going to keep an eye on the spots for now rather than spray.

A plant I fancy: Oxydendrum arboreum

*Updated to ensure pictures are properly credited
Scientific name: Oxydendrum arboreum
Common name(s): Sourwood, sorrel tree
Height x Width: 25-30' x 20'
Growth rate: slow
Hardiness: Zones 5-9
Soil: Prefers acidic, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter
Light: Full sun to partial shade



Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

 Reasons I like it:

• It's a native plant and although it normally appears in more mountainous areas, sourwood is local to Maryland
• It provides multi-season interest with flowers midsummer, bright red foliage in the fall, and interesting fruit capsules and bark during winter
• It has a fairly narrow canopy



Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

 Where would I put it?
In the front yard, either in the island or along the left property line


Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

I've been considering a combination of serviceberries and a redbud for the front yard island bed, but now I'm leaning towards a sourwood instead of the redbud.  It's a more slow-growing tree, so it probably wouldn't outgrow the space any time soon.  Furthermore, it has a much more narrow canopy, so it wouldn't shade out all of the grass my husband is working so diligently to grow.  Finally, it's a little more unique and a little less showy than a redbud. 

We have so many other flowering shrubs in the front yard, a redbud that flowers pinkish purple at the exact same time wouldn't make as much of an impact as a tree that blooms when everything has finished and then has really brilliant fall color.  Since it has similar soil preferences to azaleas, it should do well in a bed with them.  I've also see the suggestion to plant it with pieris japonica and lily of the valley which would echo the delicate urn-shaped flowers. 

Although it is a native tree, I can't remember ever seeing it and I'm not even sure it's available in the local nurseries.  Have you ever see a sourwood tree?  How do you think it holds up against a redbud?

Look what I found: Rhododendron catawbiense (?)

I think this is Rhododendron catawbiense, or Catawba Rhododendron.  I looked at hundreds of pictures of rhododendrons and evaluated things like leaf size, plant habit, bud and bark.  I still kind of feel like I'm guessing.  I'm going to record the characteristics of our rhododendrons/azaleas in more detail and over the winter I will try to identify/classify them.

The Catawba rhododendron is a large rounded shrub native to the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.  Its flowers range from white to pinkish purple and bloom towards the late midseason.  Its broad, leathery, hairless leaves grow up to five inches long.  After ten years, the Catawba rhododendron should reach a height of about five feet.

I enjoyed watching the flowers emerge from their buds.  The blooms are bright and the huge pom-poms of flowers are quite flashy.  However, since they're only scattered about on the shrub, they don't seem as garish to me as the azaleas did.  I also prefer the broad leaves of this rhododendron to our smaller azaelas.

We only have one "adult" Catawba rhododendron and it's in the backyard understory between the lawn and the woods.  However, immediately behind the Catawba Rhododendron, I found at least a dozen baby plants.  It looks like I need to start researching how to transplant rhododendrons!

Favorites: William Paca House Plant Sale

The William Paca House and Garden is a landmark in Annapolis.  It was built by William Paca between 1763 and 1765 and was one of the first five-part Georgian homes in Annapolis.  After Paca sold the house in 1780, it changed hands several times until it was acquired by William A. Larned and restyled as a hotel in 1901.  The hotel, known as "Carvel Hall", was in operation until the 1960's. 

 

 

In 1965, there were plans to demolish Carvel Hall, but the Historic Annapolis Foundation purchased it and restored the house and garden to their original colonial-era state.  The William Paca House and Garden was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

 

The William Paca House and Garden is a great resource in Annapolis.  It is open for tours daily and there are concerts, summer camps, art classes and more hosted on the grounds.  It is even possible to use the house and garden for weddings or other special occasions.

 

It is probably no surprise that my favorite event at the Paca House is their plant sale, which is held on Mother's Day weekend every year.


This plant sale is crazy.  Even thought it opens at 10:00am, people start lining up at 9:00am.  Certain plants have very limited numbers, and as soon as the gates open, people charge through the garden to get them first.  All of the plants are grown locally by Paca Garden volunteers.  Most plants are native, heirloom, or hold some historical interest (for instance - cuttings of William Paca Holly or Washington's Buckeye).

A list of plants available for sale this weekend is available online at www.pacagarden.org.

I've had very good luck with the plants I've gotten at this sale in previous years.  The prices are also quite good - from what I can remember, the plants are usually between $3 and $6.  The only problem I've ever had with the sale is that the shrubs and trees they offer are a bit on the small side.  Again, though, if you're paying $5 for an oakleaf hydrangea, you can't expect it to be in a gallon pot.

Although I'm not supposed to buy any plants until July, I am willing to make an exception for the sake of tradition.  I've looked through the plant catalogue and will try to get a couple of of the following:

• Asarum canadense - Wild Ginger
• Chelone lyonii - Turtlehead
• Sanguinaira canadensis - Bloodroot
• Sedum sp. - Creeping sedum
• Sedum ternatum 'Larineum Park'
• Stylophorum diphyllum - Celandine or Wood Poppy

If you're going to attend the plant sale this weekend, I recommend getting there early.  

1 Martin Street
Annapolis, MD

 

Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm - 4:00pm

A plant I fancy: Amelanchier canadensis

*Updated to ensure pictures are properly credited



Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder



Scientific name: Amelanchier canadensis

Common name(s): serviceberry, juneberry, shadblow
Height x Width: 25-30' x 15-20'
Growth rate: Unknown
Hardiness: Zones 4-8
Soil: Tolerant of a wide-range of soils
Light: Full sun to partial shade



Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder



Reasons I like it:
 - Flowering tree
 - Native
 - Attracts birds
 - Showy, edible fruit
 - Has fall color
 - Multi-stemmed trunks provide winter interest 

Where would I put it?
 - In the front island

Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

I admit it - I've fallen for all of the latest gardening trends like native plants, edible landscaping, and winter interest.  The serviceberry covers all of these in one fell swoop. 

The species that I'm interested in, Amelanchier canadensis, is native to Maryland and is really more of a multi-stemmed shrub.  It produces delicate white flowers in early spring, which eventually turn into small berries very similar to blueberries in the early summer.  The serviceberry is known for its bright fall foliage, which seems to span a range of colors from gold to red.  In the winter time, the multi stemmed trunks and smooth bark provide some interest and structure in the garden.

Do you think that serviceberries and other native plants will seem dated one day?

Look what I found: cornus florida 'White'

cornus florida 'White' - Flowering Dogwood

A lot of the plants I've found in the garden are pretty easy to identify.  Either there are only a few species of the plant or they have some sort of distinctive feature that sets them apart.  Others are not so easy.

There are between 30 and 50 species of dogwood.  Some are trees, some are shrubs, some are even groundcover.  There are native* dogwoods, European dogwoods, and Asian dogwoods.  To make matters worse, dogwood trees grown in the shade look quite different than trees grown in full sun.


My three are quite leggy and sparse in the shade

For the dogwoods, and for a few other trees I'm trying to identify, I haven't found a good way to definitively say, "It is this exact species".  I was hoping for a website that might walk through each feature of the tree: the bark, the flower, the habit, etc. and then spit out an answer.  I've settled for browsing through dozens and dozens of images and then making a best guess.

These three dogwoods are situated along the edge of the woods.  It is really the perfect spot for them and seems very natural, as if they sprung up there on their own.  They add a nice bit of spring interest and let enough light through to the mixed flowering shrubs below.  I don't remember whether their leaves were particularly interesting in the fall, but I'll be sure to take note this year.

* Yet another native plant sale this weekend: Historic London Town and Gardens (Edgewater, MD)

A plant I fancy: Actaea simplex 'Hillside Black Beauty'

*Updated to reflect new botanical name and to ensure pictures are properly credited

After the past three entries, I need to post something a little less "scrolly".  One of the things I hoped to use this blog for was to keep track of plants that catch my eye.

 Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Scientific name: Cimicfuga Racemosa Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) 'Hillside Black Beauty'
Common name(s): Black cohosh, bugbane, fairy candles
Height x Width: 4-7 ' x 2-3'
Growth rate: Moderate to slow
Hardiness: Zones 3-7
Soil: Moist, acidic
Light: Shade to partial shade

Reasons I like it:
 - Deer resistant
 - Native*
 - Attracts butterflies
 - Distinctive purple foliage
 - Late-blooming
 - Seed heads could provide winter interest

Where would I put it?
 - In the understory between the lawn and the woods, between smaller perennials and bushes
 - Possibly along the path in the woods
 - Next to plants with contrasting foliage

What do you think? Do you have any cimicfuga in your garden?

* If you're in the Maryland area and are interested in Native Plants, there's a sale at Adkins Arboretum on the Eastern Shore this weekend.