Seven Son Flower, Deciduous Tree Of The Day

Heptacodium miconioides

Seven Son Flower

Type Tree, shrub, woody plant

Hardy range 5A to 8B

Height 6' to 20' / 1.80m to 6.00m

Spread 4' to 10' / 1.20m to 3.00m

Growth rate Fast

Form Irregular or sprawling, upright or erect and vase shaped

Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence Deciduous

Bloom Color Red and white

Bloom Time Summer and Fall

The flowers are fragrant.

Environment This plant tolerates some drought and occasional wetness.
This plant will grow in dry to occasionally wet soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to neutral (less than 6.8 to 7.2) soil.

Leaf Color Green
Fall Color Yellow

This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes Heptacodium miconioides is the only one of the four Gold Medal 1995 selections not native to North America. It is a rapid growing plant that is very adaptable to a variety of cultural conditions. It is tolerant of sun or shade, wet or dry soils, and a wide range of pH levels. Plant in the southern portion of its range are best in some shade. Plant can be grown as a multi stemmed shrub or trained as a single stem.
Planting and establishing shrubsThe most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.
Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.

Please feel free to comment on any post at any time all feedback is welcome and we’d love to hear it.

Scotch Heather, Evergreen Shrub, woody plant of The Day

Calluna vulgaris 'County Wicklow'
    Scotch Heather

Type                   Shrub, woody plant

Hardy range     5A to 8A

Height                8" to 24" / 20cm to 60cm

Spread               12" to 24" / 30cm to 60cm

Growth rate       Slow

Form                  Rounded

Exposure           Partial shade or partial sun to full sun

Persistence       Evergreen

Bloom Color     Pink

Bloom Time      Summer and Fall

The flowers are suitable for cut flowers and suitable for dried flowers.

Environment

This plant tolerates drought.

This plant will grow in very dry soil.

Suitable soil is sandy.

The pH preference is an acidic (less than 6.8) soil.

Leaf Color         Green

This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes

These plants prefer acid soils and sharp drainage.  The foliage on Callunas can be silver, yellow, and various hues of green.  Often these will take on a different appearance in the winter.  Winter may cause damage and plants may benefit from protection using pine boughs.  Plant with: Dwarf Hollies, Chamaecyparis, Iberis, Phlox subulata, and Thymus sp.

 Please feel free to comment on any post at any time. All feedback is welcome and we’d love to receive all of your thoughts.

Eastern Arborvitae, Evergreen Tree Of The Day

Thuja occidentalis 'Chalet'
Eastern Arborvitae, American Arborvitae, Siberian Arborvitae, Northern White Cedar, White Cedar

Type Tree, woody plant
Hardy range 3A to 7B
Height 20' to 30' / 6.00m to 9.20m
Spread 8' to 12' / 2.40m to 3.60m
Growth rate Slow
Form Oval and pyramidal
Exposure Partial shade or partial sun to full sun
Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Yellow
Bloom Time Spring



Environment

This plant tolerates some drought, flooding and a little salt.
This plant will grow in dry to wet or submerged soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to alkaline (less than 6.8 to more than 7.7) soil.
Leaf Color Green
Fall Color No change in fall color

Culture Notes

Transplanting is moderately easy if plants are root-pruned and either balled and burlapped or potted. White-Cedar likes high humidity and tolerates wet soils and some drought, but not salt exposure of any kind. The foliage turns brownish in winter, especially on cultivars with colored foliage and on exposed sites open to the wind. Many of the natural stands in the United States have been cut. Some remain in isolated areas along rivers throughout the East. Foliage is light green.
Foliage turns brown with the onset of cold winter temperatures. Some of the cultivars retain their green foliage well into winter.

Maintain adequate mulch area

Be sure to clear all turf away from beneath the branches and mulch to the drip line (the edge of the branches), especially on young trees, to reduce competition with turf and weeds. This will allow roots to become well established and keep plants healthier. Locate the tree properly, taking into account the ultimate size, since the tree looks best if it is not pruned to control size. The tree can enhance any landscape with its delightful spring flush of foliage. It can be the centerpiece of your landscape if properly located.
Please feel free to comment on any post at any time all feedback is welcome and we’d love to hear it.

Flowering Crabapple, Deciduous Tree, woody plant of The Day

Malus x 'Adams'
    Crabapple,  Flowering Crabapple

Type    Tree, woody plant
Hardy range    4A to 8A
Height    15' to 25' / 4.60m to 7.60m
Spread    15' to 20' / 4.60m to 6.00m
Growth rate    Average
Form    Rounded
Exposure    Full sun
Persistence    Deciduous

Bloom Color    Pink
Bloom Time    Spring

The flowers are showy.

 Environment
This plant tolerates some drought and a little salt.
This plant will grow in dry soil.
Suitable soil is well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay.
The pH preference is an acidic to slightly alkaline (less than 6.8 to 7.7) soil.

 Leaf Color    Green
Fall Color    Red

 Culture Notes
Crabapple is well-adapted to compacted urban soil and is somewhat tolerate of salt-spray.  Well adapted to all areas within its hardiness zone range. Very adaptable tree. Do not over-fertilize since this could increase the incidence of disease and stimulate sprouting.  Select only from disease-resistant cultivars such as this one.

Crabapples are not extremely drought tolerant and are not well suited for high pH soil.  Crabapples are best grown in a sunny location with good air circulation and have no particular soil preferences, except soil should be well-drained.  Root pruned trees transplant most easily. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people.  This plant is reported to be sensitive to soil salts.

The fruit of this cultivar is effective from July into December. Fruit can mummify on the tree and remain for up to three years. Fruit is 5/8 inches. Mid to late bloomer. Overall, this cultivar is slightly to moderately susceptible to diseases.

Use as a street tree

This plant can be grown as a multi-trunk tree for use in highway median strips and in landscapes, or can be used as a street tree where there is not a need for tall-vehicle clearance beneath the crown.  The small stature and low, spreading, branching habit makes pruning for vehicular clearance difficult unless it is properly trained from an early age to develop one main trunk. The effort required initially to train this tree for street tree use, however, may be offset by its advantages.

Maintain adequate mulch area

Clear all turf away from beneath the branches and mulch to the drip line to reduce competition with turf and weeds.  This will allow roots to become established quickly and keep plants healthier. Train and prune the trunks and branches so they will not touch each other.  Remove some secondary branches on main branches with included bark, or those that are likely to develop it, as soon as possible. This reduces the likelihood of splitting from the tree later, when the tree has grown to become an important part of the landscape.  Locate the tree properly, taking into account the ultimate size, since the tree looks best if it is not pruned to control size.  The tree can enhance any landscape with its delightful spring flush of flowers.  It can be the centerpiece of your landscape if properly located. Flowers develop from buds formed the previous year.

Tree establishment specifications

Choose good quality trees for planting. The most common cause of young tree failure is planting too deep.  In most instances, the point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk (referred to as the root flare zone or root collar) should be located just above the soil surface.  You may have to dig into the root ball to find the root flare. If there is nursery soil over this area, scrape it off. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider because roots grow best in loose soil.  In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, extensive research clearly shows that there is no need to incorporate any amendments into the backfill soil. Simply use the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Simply planting with the topmost portion of the root ball slightly higher than the surrounding soil might still install the tree too deep - be sure to locate the root flare.

Weed suppression during establishment is essential.  Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch to at least a six-foot diameter circle around the tree. This area should be at least two feet in diameter for each inch of tree trunk diameter and maintained during the establishment period.  Apply a thinner layer of mulch directly over the root ball but keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. This allows rainwater, irrigation and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry.  Placing mulch against the trunk and applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water.

Regular irrigation after planting encourages rapid root growth that is essential for tree establishment.  Trees provided with regular irrigation through the first growing season after transplanting require about 3 months (hardiness zones 9-11), 6 months (hardiness zones 7-8), or one year or more (hardiness zones 2-6) per inch of trunk diameter to fully establish roots in the landscape soil. Trees in desert climates may take longer to establish.  Trees that are under-irrigated during this establishment period (and most trees are) often require additional time to establish because roots grow more slowly.   Be prepared to irrigate through the entire establishment period, especially during periods of drought.

Irrigation also helps maintain and encourage the desirable dominant leader in the tree canopy on large-maturing trees.  Instead of a dominant leader, trees that are under-irrigated during the establishment period often develop undesirable, low, co-dominant stems and double leaders that can split from the tree later.

Unlike established plants, which do best with deep, infrequent irrigation, research clearly shows that recently transplanted trees and shrubs establish quickest with light, frequent irrigation.  For trees planted in spring or summer, provide one (cooler hardiness zones) to three irrigations (warmer hardiness zones) each week during the first few months after planting.  Daily irrigation in the warmest hardiness zones provides the quickest establishment.  Following the initial few months of frequent irrigation, provide weekly irrigation until plants are fully established.  With every irrigation, apply one (cool climates) to two (warm climates) gallons of water per inch trunk diameter (e.g. 2 to 4 gallons for a 2-inch tree) over the root ball only.  In most landscapes that receive more than 30 inches of rain or irrigation annually, if the mulch area is maintained weed-free, irrigation does not need to be applied outside of the root ball.  Never add water if the root ball is saturated.

In cooler hardiness zones, in all but the driest years, irrigation of spring- and summer-planted trees usually can be discontinued once fall color has begun. Irrigation of fall planted trees, however, should be continued until foliage has dropped from the deciduous trees in the region.  In warmer climates, irrigate fall-and winter-planted trees as described for the spring- and summer-planted trees.

In drier, desert climates there is benefit to be gained from applying additional irrigation outside of the root ball area. This is best done by making a large diameter berm four to six inches high, then filling it with water so it percolates into the soil.  For the first two years, irrigate twice each week through the spring, once per week in summer provided monsoons arrive, and twice each week again in fall if it remains warm.  Taper off watering to once or twice each month in winter and resume twice weekly next spring.  For years three to five, water twice per month in spring, summer, and fall and once or twice per month in winter.  During years five through seven, water once every three weeks in warm weather and once every six weeks in winter.  After this, the drought-tolerant desert trees should be able to survive on natural rainfall.