Rose Weigela, Deciduous Shrub, Woody Plant of The Day

Weigela florida 'Brigela (French Lace™)'
    Old Fashioned Weigela,  Rose Weigela

Type    Shrub, woody plant
Hardy range    4B to 8A
Height    24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m
Spread    24" to 4' / 60cm to 1.20m
Growth rate    Slow
Form    Rounded, upright or erect and vase shaped
Exposure    Full sun
Persistence    Deciduous

Bloom Color    Red
Bloom Time    Spring

The flowers are very showy.

Environment
This plant tolerates some drought.
This plant will grow in dry 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, variegated and yellow
Fall Color    No change in fall color
This plant has attractive foliage.

Culture Notes
Weigela grows best in a sunny location and moist soil.  Shaded plants are straggly.  Weigela also dislikes crowding.  The growth rate is moderate and the shrub transplants well, reaching a mature height and spread of only 2 to 4 feet.  Some annual dieback and winter injury make annual pruning necessary. It is best to perform any needed pruning immediately after they have flowered. Canadian cultivars (the so called Dance cultivars) are the most cold hardy. Plants suffer in the deep south eastern part of the US. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people.

Planting and establishing shrubs

The 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.

Common Periwinkle, Perennial Of The Day

Vinca mino

Common Periwinkle, English Holly, Creeping Vinca

 
Type Perennial

Hardy range 4A to 9A

Height 6" to 12" / 15cm to 30cm

Growth rate Fast

Form Prostrate, spreading or horizontal and variable spread

Exposure Full shade to full sun

Persistence Evergreen

Bloom Color Blue, lavender, purple and white

Bloom Time Spring and Summer

Environment This plant tolerates some drought and occasional wetness. This plant will grow in moist 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 No change in fall color

This plant has attractive foliage.

The flowers are showy.

Culture Notes Cut back hard in the spring to rid plants of discolored foliage and to enjoy the new growth. This plant thrives in the shade, but foliage discolors in the north in full sun. This does not kill the plant; it simply makes the plant somewhat less than attractive in winter. Plants fill in fastest when located in partial to full shade in loose, moist soil with plenty of organic matter and adequate water. Can be used on banks or in other rough locations, provided soil is suitable. A variegated form is available. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people.

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

Beechwood Landscape Lends a Helping Hand

Boy Scout Troop 31, Southampton, NJ

March 1, 2012

Dear Mr. Chepurny and Mr. Worrell,

I want to thank you for your donation of the re-bar and landscape fabric for use in my Eagle Scout Project. You were a big help and that help let me complete my project. The materials were used for rebuilding the Eagle Walk Nature Trail parking lot. The Eagle Walk is a local Southampton nature trail.

The parking lot was just dirt with weeds and debris all over it. The ground was soft a cars would get stuck in it too. It also had a wood perimeter that was buried, not secured to the ground, and slanted. What I did for my project was to clean the surface and level out the parking lot and laid down the landscape fabric that you donated. After all of the fabric was laid down we began to put crushed gravel down and spread it out until it was level. We spread 36 tons of gravel. After we put down the gravel we fixed the perimeter by straightening all of the wood. Then we drilled holes in the wood and stuck the re-bar that you donated through to hold the wood in place.

I had a total of 24 people out to help me with my project. We spent a total of 96 hours working on my project.

Thank you again for all your help. I have attached some photos of the work being done.

Sincerely,

James E. Musser III

Beechwood Landscape Architecture & Construction, LLC sponnsors Cooking for Kids' Sake

Japanese Snowball Viburnum, Deciduous Shrub, woody plant of The Day

Viburnum plicatum 'Sawtooth'
    Doublefile Viburnum,  Japanese Snowball Viburnum

Type    Shrub, woody plant
Hardy range    5B to 8B
Height    10' to 15' / 3.00m to 4.60m
Spread    15' to 25' / 4.60m to 7.60m
Growth rate    Average
Form    Rounded and spreading or horizontal
Exposure    Partial shade or partial sun
Persistence    Deciduous

Bloom Color    White
Bloom Time    Spring

The flowers are very showy.

Environment
This plant tolerates some drought and some 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    Purple and red
This plant has attractive foliage and attractive fall colors.

Culture Notes
Japanese Snowball grows well in sun to partial shade and any moist soil.  The plant transplants well, has a moderate growth rate and grows to a mature height and spread of 8 to 10 feet in many landscapes, but can get larger, especially in spread.  The white flowers occur in ball-shaped clusters produced in late spring.  Foliage takes on a dark maroon color in September and October.

This plant is sterile and produces no fruit. In contrast to the var. tomentosum, flowers hang from the branches in a more-or-less random fashion.

Planting and establishing shrubs

The 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.