In depth gardening advice from an expert gardener
This GardenLady loves Spring- when the world looks so lovely with all the flowers emerging from their sleep. l would like to share photos of some of the flowers that are in bloom in TheGardenLady’s spring garden.
(1) Hellebores with Brunnera and Greater Celandine (see here and here) Greater Celandine is becoming invasive in some areas (see here)
(2) Hellebores
(3) Korean Spice Bush or Mayflower Viburnum Viburnum Carlessi (see here)
(4) Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica (see here)
new green ash 3 by withrow
Are readers of TheGardenLady thinking of planting native trees and shrubs in your yards? Are you willing to plant them as seedlings? Especially now, after the terrible storm that blew so many trees down, you might be considering replanting your property.
A place to get them is a nursery in Jackson, NJ that has been in business for 100 years- so they know their native trees and shrubs. This is the only state run nursery in NJ. See here. This nursery raises native trees and shrubs from seeds. If you have a large enough property, this is a place to get your planting done quickly and cheaply. The NJ State Forest Nursery (732) 928-0029 will sell you a bundle of thirty tree seedlings- 3 or 4 different kinds in each bundle depending on where you want to plant these seedlings.
There is a:
Watershed Packet: These species like moist soils and prevent runoff.
Wildlife Packet: These species provide food and habitat for wildlife.
Beautification Packet: These species are aesthetically pleasing.
The trees in the groups include:
Green ash by Fr Antunes
Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) – Fast growing tree to 50-60 ft tall
Pin Oak Leaves – Quercus palustris by maxi millipede
Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) – Grows to 60-70 ft, 25-40ft ft wide, red fall color
Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum) – Grows 6-10 ft, 6-10 ft wide. Creamy white flowers in spring
Cephalanthus occidentalis, Common buttonbush, Roanoke, Virginia by shyzaboy
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) – Shrub grows to 12 ft. Small, white flower clusters in late summer
Pitch Pine by Jim Frazier
Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) – Grows to 60ft. Hardy and fire tolerant
White Pine (Pinus strobus) – Grows to 50-80 ft, 20-40 ft wide. Fast growing
Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum) – Grows 6-10 ft, 6-10 ft wide. Creamy white flowers in spring
Oak Alley by Lake Fred
Oak (Quercus spp.)
White Pine (Pinus strobus) – Grows to 50-80 ft, 20-40 ft wide. Fast growing
Picea abies ‘Acrocona’ 031012-063 by Tony Rodd
Norway Spruce (Picea abies) – Hardy, aromatic, and fast-growing to 60 ft tall
The seedlings have to be ordered no later than March for an April or May delivery or you will have to wait for next spring for delivery. Though this is basically for NJ residents, when I called them to see if they would sell these bundles to people in other midAtlantic states, they seemed to say they would. Tell them that TheGardenLady recommended them. Out-of-staters have to phone or visit the nursery. If you live in NJ you can order on line here.
This nursery also offers all sorts of interesting classes about trees such as how to identify trees and tree care. Classes are for children and adults. And if you drive to their nursery, they have miles of hiking trails. Make this a day’s outing.
Winter is the time of year when people who live in climates where there is a barren landscape or with snow, would like to look out the window and see some color outdoors. Unless you have “planted” artificial flowers, no living flowers will bloom outdoors at this time of year. So those lucky or smart enough will have planted plants on their grounds with color interest. If you don’t have plants with color, consider adding them to your landscape in the spring so that they will brighten the view next winter.
Two popular plants for winter interest are the red and yellow twig dogwoods.
Red twig dogwoods such as Cornus alba cultivar ‘Elegantissima’ or the cultivar ‘Argenteo-marginata’ are native to Asia.
Red osier dogwoods (Cornus sericea or Cornus stolonifera) with a cultivar like ‘Cardinal’ are native to North America.
Bloodtwig dogwoods (Cornus sanguinea) with cultivars like ‘Winter Beauty’ or ‘Winter Flame’ are native to Europe.
The Yellow twig dogwood is Cornus sericea with cultivars like ‘Flaviramea’ or ‘ Bud’s Yellow’ or ‘Silver and Gold”
Some of the cultivars are more orange than red or are yellow with red tips.
Both yellow twig and red twig dogwoods are shrubs, which mean they grow about 10 feet tall. They have berries and flowers so they have all year interest, but they are both grown mainly for their wintertime twig color. Some grow in temperature zones as low as zone 2 and as high as zone 8. They like sun for most twig color but can take slight shade. These are showiest and most effective if you have a location where you can plant a few shrubs in one area that you can see out the window.
If you are interested in these shrub dogwoods, check out the best nursery in your area. See which cultivars they recommend for your area. You don’t have to buy the plants at this nursery; but you will get an idea of what the best nursery recommends. Then see what the lower priced nurseries have available. See if you like what you see. The price might just be lower because they sell a smaller tree. Google up the Latin name of the plant with the cultivar and see if you have the best environment on your property for the plant.
If you plant the yellow and/or red twig dogwoods, please send TheGardenLady blog a photo of the colored twigs next year in the winter. The photo would be especially appreciated surrounded by snow- like most of the country is getting this year.