Red Dragon™ Contorted Filbert

Red Dragon filbert in Columbus, Ohio garden

Red Dragon™ is an outstanding red leaf selection of contorted filbert (C. avellana Red Dragon™). This unique landscape shrub grows 6 - 8 feet tall and 5 - 6 feet wide. It is a perfect size for most urban gardens (USDA hardiness zones 4-8).

This red-leaf shrub was developed by the Oregon State University filbert breeding program. Currently, gardeners are losing the popular green leaf variety "Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick" (C. avellana ‘Contorta’) to Eastern filbert blight. Red Dragon filbert demonstrates superior resistance to this disease. It also replaces ‘Red Majestic’, another red leaf variety also susceptible to Eastern filbert blight.

Red Dragon grows best in moist, organically rich, well-drained soil and in full sun to partial shade. It tolerates average garden soils. Prompt removal of root suckers improves shrub appearance by avoiding a buildup of thickets.

Autumn leaf drop exposes the unique contorted branching and ornate floral catkins in early days of spring. Filberts are monoecious, e.g. individual male and female catkins (flowers) develop on the same plant in late winter to early days of spring (March-April) before leaves emerge. The 2-3 inch long yellow male catkins (flowers) are showier. The 4-inch elliptical or ovate leaves are doubly serrate.

Red Dragon retains its burgundy red leaf color into early summer. The foliage is also partly curled. Leaves are coated with tiny hairs and appear dusty by the end of summer. Fall leaf color is variable, often with tinges of yellow. Smooth light bark is gray-brown.

Nuts appear in terminal clusters of 1-4 and are half covered in ragged husks. Nuts ripen in late August and September which the neighborhood squirrels and birds should enjoy.

Red Dragon filbert may also be grown in containers. Disease and pest problems are few. Japanese beetles may vigorously attack the foliage in some areas. Scale may also occur.

Red Dragon™ is mostly sold grafted and available from specialty nurseries online. It requires little to no pruning; remove root suckers and keep the shrub well mulched. ‘Red Dragon’ is sold either grafted or not. It is sold primarily by online nurseries.

Small Leaved Anise

'Florida Sunshine' anise at Milliken Arboretum in Spartanburg, SC

In recent years there has been lots of interest in the anise (Illicium) shrub group. Anise shrubs (Illicium spp.) are fast growing, evergreen shrubs (USDA zones 7 to 10). They exhibit a multi-stemmed, upright, compact form. Their green foliage  is quite attractive and aromatic, the odor similar to anise spice when crushed. Their shiny, leathery leaves are olive green in color and the 1.5 inch wide flowers are dark red and appear in early spring.

Yellow anise (Illicium parvifolium), aka small anise, is a Southeast U.S. native. Popularity has soared with the introduction of gold leaf cultivars like 'Florida Sunshine' and Banana Appeal®. The cultivar 'Florida Sunshine' grows only 7-8 feet tall. Both cultivars are more tolerant of full day sun and dry soils. Their gold color becomes sharper over the winter months

In the wild, species shrubs eventually grow 10 to 15 feet tall and should be spaced at least 5-6 feet apart in the landscape. Their natural habitat is in the wet, swampy areas or along wooded streams in humus-rich  acidic soil from Florida to Louisiana. However, newer varieties have demonstrated winter hardiness further north into (zone 6) parts of Tennessee, Carolinas, and Virginia.

Illicium grows in partial to full shade, but reportedly will acclimate to full sun if irrigated. The anise shrub world is changing. Watch for new cultivars arriving at local garden centers.

Kentucky Coffeetree

Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is a large native tree found in 18 states, from New York west to Nebraska and from central Minnesota south to Oklahoma (zones 4 through 7). It averages a mature height between 60- 70 feet (some greater than 90 feet) with a spread of 35-50 feet. This tap-rooted tree establishes within 2-3 years, with an annual growth rate averaging 12-15 inches, about the same as ginkgo or white oak.

Kentucky coffeetree

Spring leaf out occurs in mid- to late spring. Recessed vegetative buds push forth as multi-pinnate compound leaves. A single leaf may measure 2 to 3 feet across, producing between 70 and 100 leaflets. Fragrant olive-white flower panicles appear in late May in clusters of 8 to 12 inches long by 3 to 4 inches wide.

In autumn its lime-yellow to golden brown compound leaves drop to become a leaf raker’s nightmare. During the winter months, the totally naked upright branches take on a stark appearance. K-coffeetree may be single or multi-trunked.

K-coffeetree grows in a wide variety of soil types and tolerates a poorly drained wet sites. No significant disease or insect pests mar the lush green tropical-like summer foliage. Bark is distinctively charcoal gray and shaggy, a trait more pronounced as the tree ages.

Spring pea-like flowers are dioecious, bearing either male or female flowers. Female trees bear clusters of broad bean pods measuring 5 -10 inches long and 1 ½ - 2 inches wide on the tips of branches. Flowers and pods are inconspicuous, mostly hidden within the dense foliage through late summer.

'Espresso' is a male cultivar with no seed pods to rake up. In colonial America the beans were harvested and a crude coffee extract was brewed, no threat to Starbucks. The leaves and bean seeds are reportedly toxic to man and grazing cattle.

K-coffeetree is rarely sold in garden centers, but is available from on-line nurseries. Notoriously difficult to transplant, young 2-inch caliper nursery-grown trees move easily.

'No Dig" Bulb Planting

"No Dig" Planting of 'Pink Perfection' Tulips

Digging all the holes to plant 25, 100, or 500 tulip bulbs can be a backbreaking chore. It doesn’t have to be that way. 

More than a decade ago, plant researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, developed a planting method called “top-planting”. It eliminates all the digging and the tulips come back and bloom well for several years.

Top-planting, also called “drop and cover,” is a planting technique that requires a lot less effort.

No Dig bulb planting is a lot simpler:

·         Choose a site in full sun and good soil drainage.

·         Till the planting area 3 to 4 inches deep with a roto-tiller.

·         Spread bulb fertilizer and lightly till in the fertilizer (optional).

·         Set the bulbs on top of the tilled area (no need to press the bulb into the ground).

·         Cover with 2 to 4 inches of composted mulch or aged compost.

·         No Dig works as well for daffodils as tulips.

Do not over-mulch. Adding more mulch will result in less blooms. Any good garden compost or double ground bark mulch should work. Brent Heath with Brent and Becky’s Bulbs in Gloucester, VA recommends adding  two inches of mulch in the fall of each year.


Bulb Spacing: Tulip (or daffodil) bulbs should be spaced 3 times the bulb size or 6 inches apart. That’s 4 bulbs per square foot.

Tulip varieties that perennialize well are recommended, particularly Darwin hybrids. They will regrow and re-bloom for several years. Again, don't forget to add 2-3 inches of new pine bark chips or pine needles to replace depleted mulch additions from past years.

Caveat: dormant tulips and daffodils like to spend their summers in dry soil. Too much irrigation during the summer months may rot the sleeping bulbs.

'Thunderhead' Japanese Black Pine

Thunderhead Pine

'Thunderhead' (Pinus thunbergii) is a choice shrub selection of Japanese Black pine. This medium-sized evergreen shrub conifer grows 10 to 12 feet high and 12 to 15 feet wide (in 10 - 15 years). Its distinctive cottony terminal buds and dark green densely packed needles are strikingly beautiful in the fall-winter landscape.

“Billowy emerald clouds of densely packed needles” best describes the overall look of Thunderhead pine.  Silvery white candles (shoots) grow 10 - 12 inches long in response to warm spring temps.  The candles reach their full length by late May and the long bright green needles enlarge. Branches are rigid and its lower needles are mostly retained.

Disease and pest problems are rare when sited properly in the landscape. Thunderhead is tolerant of moderate wind, drought, and salt spray. Provide shelter from harsh winds to minimize off-color in winter. Availability is primarily from specialty conifer nurseries on-line or regional conifer nurseries.

Desired location is moderately acidic soils that are well-drained and in full to partial sun. Provide a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight. Plant in late winter to early fall from container or balled and burlapped (B&B) stock. Feed annually in late winter with 10-10-10 or equivalent granular fertilizer. Allow 1-2 years to become established after planting; hence forth drought and heat tolerant.


Pruning is rarely necessary except for desired shaping and sizing; cut back new shoot growth (“candles”) between late May to early June before needles are fully expanded.

Thunderhead Japanese black pine a wonderful low maintenance, dark green, evergreen shrub conifer that deserves a place in your landscape.

Katsura Tree

'Pendula' Katsura tree

Hooray! In American gardens Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum  japonicum) is finally becoming more planted as a fine landscape tree. There are a number of great varieties to choose. This medium to large growing tree (height depending on cultivar) commands four-seasons appeal. Rated as a medium-sized 40-60 foot pyramidal, this long-lived majestic specimen may top off at 75 feet in height before its first 100 years. 

Its beautiful heart-shaped soft green summer foliage transforms to purple and gold shades in autumn. After the leaves fall they reveal its lovely symmetrical branching and scaly/shaggy bark. Often, the fall air holds a cinnamon scent reminiscent of cotton candy or a sugar-cookie.

Katsura tree is indigenous to Japan and China where it can grow an incredible 100 feet tall (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). The species is dioecious, e.g. separate male and female trees. The tiny flowers are mostly inconspicuous and small pods with numerous winged seeds are dispersed by female trees in late fall. Katsura tree is also not invasive.

Select Cultivars: some 20 varieties are listed, but I mention only 4 here:

'Pendulum' – lovely weeping form 15 to 25 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide. Other weeping forms also lumped as 'Pendula'.

‘Morioka Weeping’ - another weeping form, 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide, with more upright growing branches when young and  large leaves.  

‘Red Fox’ (‘Rotfuchs’) – 30-foot pyramidal tree; new spring reddish purple foliage, turns dark bronze-green in summer and orange-bronze fall color.

‘Claim Jumper’ - a relatively new gold-leaved variety that grows 25-30 feet (8-10 m) and 20 feet wide. Leaves emerge with a pink blush and unfurl to soft golden-yellow. Gold leaf color fades away by late summer.

Katsura tree is easily grown in a moist well-drained soil and in full sun to part-shade. Growth rate is equal to a sugar or red maples. Newly planted 1-2 year old trees are particularly prone to leaf scorch. During its first year or two after planting, katsura is susceptible to long dry spells and will need irrigation in periods of no significant rainfall.

Katsura are rarely troubled by serious pests or disease problems. Katsura tree and cultivars are sold at full-service garden centers, but smart gardeners are likely to quickly buy up the inventory. Rare or new cultivars, like some that are listed here, are sold by on-line specialty nurseries.

Growing Lamb's Ears

Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina)

Many gardeners are acquainted with the wooly leaf perennial called lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina). It is native to Europe and Asia (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Summer heat and humidity takes its toll on lamb's ears, particularly in Southern climes.

Lamb’s ear (S. byzantina) forms a dense mat of woolly silver-gray leaves. Plants grow 12 -15 inches high by 18 inches wide. Spikes of purplish pink flowers appear on tall stems in early summer that detract from the foliage and, in my opinion, should be pruned off. Bloom stalks tend to re-develop and necessitate more pruning.

The cultivar ‘Countess Helene von Stein’, aka ‘Big Ears’ is the preferred choice as it exhibits showier velvety foliage, is more heat and humidity tolerant, and best of all, it rarely flowers (sorry bees!). Over time, it forms wider mounds and seedlings (from blooming species) will spread to other areas. The species develops a messy appearance and asks for pruning after flowers have quit.

Both types of Stachys are easily grown in moist well-drained soils and full to part day sun (6 hours or more recommended). Soils should be kept evenly moist, but established plants exhibit moderate drought tolerance. Plants spread by underground stolons. Set multiple plants 12-18 inches apart as a ground cover.

No serious disease or insect pests trouble lamb's ears. Pollinators can't resist the striking midsummer colorful floral spikes. Deer and rabbits generally stay away. Snails and slugs may be troublesome in wet summers.

Uniquely Different Franklinia Tree

Franklinia at NC Arboretum in Asheville, NC

Franklinia (Franklinia altamaha) is a U.S. native large shrub or small tree to 10-25 feet tall. Rated hardy in USDA hardiness zones 5-8, the tree seems best suited in zones 6 to 7.

Success with growing franklinia depends on purchasing a quality nursery plant, proper siting, and care, particularly during the first 2-3 years. Franklinia is only available from e-commerce nurseries and is best planted from late winter to early summer.

The species was first discovered growing in 1765 growing along the banks of the Altamaha River in southeastern Georgia by botanists John and William Bartram. The tree has been extinct in the wild since 1803. All franklinia trees are descendants from seedling propagated by the Bartrams in their Philadelphia, PA garden. Franklinia belongs to the tea family (Theaceae) and is closely related to Camellia, Stewartia and Gordonia (loblolly bay). The tree was named to honor Benjamin Franklin.

The tree’s most striking feature is its showy 2 – 3 inch pure white flowers with clusters of golden yellow stamens in the centers. Franklinia’s camellia-like flowers appear from late summer until frost. The blooms are sweetly-fragrant upclose.  Narrow, oblong-obovate, glossy dark green 3-5 inch long leaves turn several shades of orange, red and purple thru the autumn season. Branching is upright and spreading to create an open airy appearance. Ridged grey bark with prominent vertical white striations adds slight winter interest.

Franklinia grows best grown in humus rich, medium moisture, moderately acidic (pH 5.0 - 6.2) and well-drained soils and in full sun (in North) to partial shade (in Southeast). Franklinia prefers sites similar to azaleas and rhododendrons.

Fertilize in early spring with an acidic based soluble fertilizer such as Miracle Gro®, Miracid®, or Hollytone®. Franklinia also favors an annual feeding of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) @ 1 Tablespoon per gallon of water per tree.

Franklinia is valued as a specimen or a collector’s tree. Wilt and soil root rot (Phythoptera) are the serious problems. Proper siting of this unique tree is absolutely crucial. It is notoriously finicky to transplant because of its sparse fibrous root system.

July/August Blooming Plumleaf Azaleas

July/August Blooming Plumleaf Azalea

Plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) is a deciduous azalea that is native to  Georgia and Alabama mountains (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). It is one of the signature plants of Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Their bright orange-red flowers surprise in late July into early Augusta and may last for 2 weeks or more. Compared to many other spring blooming native azaleas, flowers are not fragrant. Spring and summer foliage is medium-green and is mostly blemish-free.

Fall leaf color is also uneventful. Insect and disease problems are rare if the plant is properly sited. 

This 5-8 feet tall and wide shrub performs best in morning sunlight and shaded from the harsh afternoon summer sun. It thrives in well-drained, compost amended soil. Plumleaf azalea prospers in the calcareous clay soils found in the Appalachian region without pH correction.  Plant in full-day light shade in zones 7-9. Set the shrub into a shallow wide dug hole that has been generously amended with compost and/or peat.

Feed in early spring with a slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote™ or Nutricote™. An alternative nutrition program is to use a water soluble product such as Miracle-Gro™ or Jack's™  in early spring and again in early summer. Maintain 2-3 inches of a pine-based mulch around the base of the shrub. Irrigate plant(s) the first 2 years of establishment.

Plumleaf azalea blooms on new current season's wood. Prune deciduous azaleas anytime after bloom to maintain a desired height and spread. Plumleaf azalea is primarily available at local native plant nurseries or is offered online.

Plumleaf azaleas are usually available from mail order companies on-line.

Hardier And More Colorful Hydrangeas

Summer Crush™ hydrangea

For over a quarter of a century, hydrangea breeders (Bailey's, Spring Meadows, and other nurseries) have introduced hardier, tougher, and more colorful bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) that bloom on both new and old wood (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). 

Old wood flowers are set on last year’s growth and new wood flowers develop on current season's growth. It is important not to prune these hydrangeas late in the summer, as flower buds have already formed for the following spring.

Forver a quarter century, Proven Winners Colorchoice™ and Bailey’s Nurseries (Endless Summer™, Bloomstruck™, and Summer Crush™ brands) have introduced the newest hydrangea genetics. The Let's Dance™  series is worth a try in smaller gardens. A second option is to grow a different type of hydrangea Hydrangea serrata, or mountain hydrangea. New in this category from PW Colorchoice is the Tuff Stuff® series which have demonstrated superior bud hardiness and rebloom. Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha® reblooms heavily and has large doubled sepals on lacecap blooms, either pink or blue depending on soil (media) pH._­­­­­

American Yellowwood

May-June flowering tree

American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea), a member of the pea family (Fabaceae), is native to southeastern U.S. All other Cladrastis species are indigenous to Asia. Yellowwood is a beautiful medium-sized (35-45 feet) high tree with a broad crown, narrow profile, and upright branching.

Their pinnate compound leaves are alternately arranged. Each compound leaf is comprised 7-11 leaflets borne on a slender, green, 7-9 inches (20-30-cm) long rachis.

Dainty drooping panicles, almost wisteria-like, drip from the tips of branches in May or June, depending on regional location. The fragrant white-and-yellow pea-flowers are seldom borne on young trees and may take upwards of 10 years to bloom the first time. 

Yellowwood tends to be alternate-year bearing (i.e., bloom heavily one year, with little or no flowering the following year). Clusters of flattened green pea pods soon followed; each pod is 2-3 inch (10 cm) long and turns papery brown in autumn. Fall leaf color is brilliant yellow. The tree's light gray smooth bark, similar in appearance to beech (Fagus spp.), is an attractive four- season asset.

Yellowwood prefers a rich, deep, well-drained soil along with modest summer moisture. Leaves are subject to chlorosis (yellowing) in alkaline soils (pH above 7.2). This tap-rooted tree is drought tolerant within 2 years after planting. Yellowwood is not a good choice as a street tree as its surface roots may eventually push up sidewalks.

Narrow branch angles may result in limb trunked. When young, yellowwood needs to be correctively pruned to encourage wider branch angles and prevent bark inclusions. The cut branches tend to “bleed” sap excessively if pruned in winter.

Pests and diseases on yellowwood are rare, but the tree is susceptible to verticillium wilt. This thin bark tree is unfortunately subject to improper damage by line trimmers, mowers and other equipment, as well as sunscald over winter if young branches are left unshaded.

Venus® Is A Unique Flowering Dogwood

7" Bracts of Venus® dogwood (C. kousa x C. nuttali)

Spring flowering dogwoods (Cornus spp.) are back in vogue again (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). A better understanding about growing dogwoods coupled with improved resistant disease varieties have seen the return of dogwoods to landscapes again.

If you want to plant a variety with the largest flowers, no question it is Venus®. This hybrid dogwood (Cornus kousa 'Chinensis' x Cornus nuttalii 'Goldspot' x Cornus kousa 'Rosea')  was developed at Rutgers University by Dr. Elwin R. Orton (now retired). The tree's large bracted blooms measure 6 - 7 inches across in April and May. 

Venus dogwood grows vigorously, 15-20 feet tall (slightly greater in spread). It is a small deciduous tree forms a dense, low-branched, spreading habit.

Venus is resistant to anthracnose and powdery mildew diseases. It has clean dark green foliage and large flowers. Red dogwood fruits attract lots of birds in early fall. Fall leaf color is red to orange.

This dogwood grows in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. In southeastern U.S., morning sunlight and afternoon shade is best. Summer leaf scorch may indicate too much direct sunlight and/or exposure to hot, windy or dry soil conditions. The tree benefits by applying 2-3 inches of a wood-based or needle mulch that keeps tree roots cool and moist. For the first 2-3 summers, a young dogwood should be irrigated during dry periods.

Venus dogwood, when properly sited and cared for, have few disease and insect problems. Stressed trees become vulnerable to stem cankers and insect borers. Deer are usually not troublesome.

Dogwoods are planted on urban and suburban lawns and around patio areas. Venus dogwood needs to be special ordered from garden centers or purchase from e-commerce nursery sources.

Baptisias

'Purple Smoke' baptisia

Baptisia (Baptisia spp.) are beautiful long-lived low maintenance native perennials. Plants thrive in rich well-drained soil under plenty of sunlight. When planting, treat the roots as fragile and permit baptisia one year to establish itself. They will reward you with many years of spring flowering.

False blue indigo (Baptisia australis) was selected Perennial Plant Of The Year in 2010 by the Perennial Plant Association.  Most modern day cultivars are usually hybrids. Lovely spikes of purple (B. australis), lavender blue (B. minor), white (B. alba), bright yellow (B. sphaerocarpa) and bicolors appear in May (in Tennessee). Each species or cultivar blooms for 2-3 weeks.  Bloom stalks can be included in fresh flower arrangements

Plants grown in partial shade may appear stretched or leggy, requiring some staking. Fewer flower spikes are produced in shady places. I opt to remove the pea -like pods that form within a month after flowering because the weighty pods may detract from its shrub-like appearance. Plants are cut down to the ground in late fall and added to the compost bin.

Blue false indigo is a beautiful, long-lived, drought tolerant perennial with a robust habit and attractive steel blue-gray foliage. In late May, its intensely saturated violet-blue flower spikes rise above 3-4 feet tall multi-stemmed plants with bluish-green foliage.

Baptisias are at their best in full sun and in moist, well-drained soils. Fertilize sparingly to avoid the plant from flopping.  If grown in full sun, you do not need to stake baptisia. Baptisia is heat and drought tolerant and rarely troubled by diseases and insects.

The single plant spreads slowly by rhizomes and eventually will crowd out neighboring plants. Divide clumps every 5 -7 years and share divisions with your gardening friends or start new plantings.

New Hybrid Bleeding Hearts

Dicentra 'Luxuriant' 

Bleeding hearts bloom in April into May (in Tennessee - zones 6 and 7). In cooler northerly locales, flowering may continue into summer.  The bright red, pink or white, heart-shaped, pendant flowers are supported on arching stems.

Bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.) are truly one of nature’s glorious delights in the spring - early summer garden (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Old fashion bleeding hearts (D. spectabilis), indigenous to Asia, grow taller and wider compared to their North American counterparts wild bleeding heart (D. exima) and Dutchman's breeches (D. cucullaria).

A number of new cultivars have been released in recent years that are hybrid crosses between D. peregrine (native to Japan) x D. exima (native to eastern North America) x D. formosa (native to Western U.S.). These bleeding heart grow more compact and robust, are longer flowering, exhibit blue-gray foliage, and offer more floral color choices.

Four notable hybrid cultivars include 'Luxuriant' (D. eximia  x D. formosa  - deeply-cut,  grayish-green foliage and cherry red blooms. ‘King of Hearts’ (D. peregrina x D. formosa subsp. oregana x D. eximia) - very compact grower only 9 inches high and 14 inches wide. 'Fire Island' (D. peregrina x D. exima) - white tipped magenta red flowers from late spring into midsummer and 12 inch x 20 inch mound of frosty blue foliage. ‘Valentine’ - a vigorous hybrid form with showy cherry red/white tipped flowers.

New hybrid forms tend to grow more vigorously and are spaced 24-36 inches apart. Good soil drainage is essential for bleeding hearts. Plant in a humus-rich mildly acidic soil along with more hours of sunlight, preferably in the morning. Lightly mulch around plants in a woodland garden. In late winter feed a slow-release fertilizer at the low package rate.

In southern locales hybrid forms generally die back (go dormant) by mid-summer unless regularly irrigated. Crowded clumps should be divided either in very early spring or after flowering.

Spring flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Aphids, slugs and snails occasionally feed on the leaves. Plants are deer and rabbit resistant.

Bleeding hearts are great companions with other woodland plants such as ferns, lungworts (Pulmonaria spp.), brunneras, coral bells (Heuchera), and foam flowers (Tiarella).

Note: in recent times the genus Dicentra has been changed to Lamprocapnos.