red buckeye

During these cold days I have been thinking about some of my favorite spring flowering trees including Aesculus pavia, red buckeye, Chionanthus retusus, fringe tree, Cornus mas, cornelian cherry dogwood, Halesia tetraptera, carolina silverbell and Styrax obassia, fragrant styrax.   I was thrilled when I purchased my styrax from Piccadilly Farm in Bishop, Georgia last fall.  It’s only about waist high so I probably won’t get many blooms this spring but someday soon it will be a beautiful specimen.  It produces masses of fragrant white bell shaped flowers. 

Among the earliest bloomers Cornus mas (typically from mid-February to March) produces vivid yellow flowers on bare peeling  branches.  The selection ‘Golden Glory’ matures at about 25,’ making it perfect for small gardens.  For carpeting under this beauty I recommend Helleborus x hybridus and early blooming varieities of daffodils.  Blooming in April, the red buckeye  has handsome palmate  leaves and bright red to red-orange blooms.  (This native is poisonous if eaten so keep it away from animals and small children.)  While our native fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus , also known as grancy grey beard is beautiful in its own right , it’s Asian counterpart Chionanthus retusus appeals to me for its glossy foliage, fleecy white blooms, handsome bark and sometimes dark blue fruits.  While it makes a fine specimen tree in the garden I have also seen it thriving as a street tree in Savannah, GA. 

Another April bloomer, carolina silverbell is covered with white pendulous blossoms which are beautiful to look up into.  In summer the attractive winged fruits add to its charm.  

In addition to my familiar favorites there are a host of spring flowering trees that are garden worthy.  I recently spoke with Luca Gianturco of Scottsdale Farms and Tiffany Fischer of McMahan’s (and GardenHood) about some of the trees they are excited about for this spring.  Here are a few of  their recommendations.  It’s worth noting that one tree showed up on both of their lists and neither knew what the other had said.  This makes me pay attention to Aesculus x carnea ‘Ft. McNair’ which has light pink flowers with a yellow throat and disease resistant foliage. 

Magnolia 'Butterflies'

Luca Gianturco, Scottsdale Farms

15639 Birmingham Hwy

Hwy 372

Alpharetta, GA 30004

770-777-5875

Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance , autumn brilliance serviceberry –flowers are pink in bud and open to white

Cercis canadensis – many different selections of redbud

Magnolia ‘Butterflies’- with canary yellow flowers

Tiffanny Fischer

GardenHood

353 Boulevard SE

Atlanta, GA 30312

404-880-9848

Cercis canadensis ‘Appalachian Spring’- the flowers on this redbud are deep purple-red in bud and open to bright, bright pink

Magnolia ‘Jon Jon’- A Gresham hybrid, this late blooming selection has flowers that are deep reddish-purple at the base and lighter towards the tips. 

Magnolia liliflora ‘Nigra’- also late blooming with deep dark burgundy flowers (almost black)

Prunus campanulata- early blooming small cherry tree with single  pink flowers

Live music, cocktail buffet, silent auction with lots of great items plus a live auction.  This event is to raise money for the beautification and enhancement of the Historic Oakland Cemetery landscape, to purchase tickets ($50.00 each) and more info visit www.oaklandcemetery.com

Helleborus foetidus blooms in February

Join me on February 24, 2010 from 3-5pm EST to talk about my new book Proven Plants Southern Gardens, I’ll do my best to help you solve your garden problems.  Remember it’s all about the right plant for the right place and now is the best time to plan for spring.  To participate in this free event become a facebook fan of www.gardenbookstore.com and rsvp for the event at the following link: http://bit.ly/9NKv4K

Plants with interesting forms have always beckoned to me and winter is a season when I especially appreciate trees and shrubs with distinct branching as well as a particular growth habit, such as upright, fastigiate, weeping or pendulous.   Winter is also a time when we notice  bark, shiny, flaky, peeling or colorful.  Buds too, like those on big leaf magnolia,  Magnolia macrophylla, one of my favorite trees, or the distinct flower buds of Edgeworthia chrysantha, also known as paperbush.  Of  the plants I added to my garden last fall, paperbush elicits the most comments from my neighbors who wonder about this shrub which looks like it has been decorated with tiny pendulous ornaments on bare branches.  My yellow twig dogwood (the stems actually look more yellow-green) reminds me that I still want to add the shrubby dogwood called Cornus ‘Winter Flame’ and my Prunus mume has a few buds (it is a white flowered selection I bought from McMahan’sNursery last year).  I also have a small witchhazel with fragrant orange yellow flowers which I’m excited about even if I can’t remember its name.  Hellebores have started to bloom and daffodils are pushing up through the thick layer of  leaves in my woodland.   These are just a few of the gems in my garden that cheer me up especially on dreary days which there seem to be a lot of recently.

Below is a list of shrubs and trees with interesting forms or showy bark. 

Acer griseum- paperbark maple has shiny cinnamon colored bark and shines in the winter garden.

Acer palmatum ‘Sangu Kaku’- coral bark maple has coral red stems

Betula nigra ‘Dura-Heat’- a selection of river birch with beautiful bark and a high tolerance for heat and humidity.

Carpinus caroliniana- our native ironwood

Clethra barbinervis- a shrub with mottled bark, it also blooms in summer

Cornus mas ‘Spring Glow’ handsome bark and early yellow blooms

  Cornus sericea ‘Cardinal’- red osier dogwood with winter  stems

  Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’- Harry Lauder’s walking stick, twisted branches and showy catkins

Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’- winter king hawthorn has mottled colorfulbark and persistent red fruits

witch hazel in February

Fagus americana -American beech has beautiful smooth gray bark and tawny  colored papery leaves that sound like gentle rain when they blow in the breeze

 Parrotia persica- ironwood has colorful bark and tiny red flowers in late winter

Ulmus alata – winged elm- distinct branches and buds

 Stewartia pseudocamellia- Japanese stewartia with beautiful mottled bark

Sources for Edgeworthia chrysantha:

Ashe-Simpson Nursery, 4961 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.,Atlanta, GA

770-458-3224

GardenHood

353 Boulevard SE
Atlanta, GA 30312

404-880-9848

  Despite this winter which seems particularly long and cold this year in the South, spring will be here soon and many of these winter beauties will transform when almost magically overnight they put out their new foliage and flowers.

winterberry in the landscape February

Winter buds of Edgeworthia chrysantha

On March 5 and 6th, 2010, from 10am to 4pm,  take the opportunity to see thousands of lenten roses (Helleborus x hybridus) in full bloom at Piccadilly Farm which is located at 1971 Whippoorwill Rd, Bishop, Georgia near Watkinsville.  Turn from GA 53 at the Oconee Civic Center on to Union Church Rd., then right on Whippoorwill.  Phone 706-769-6516.  The owners Sam and Carleen Jones will be there to greet you.  Sadly they have no website, but the trip is worth it.    Purchase plants to take home!

Helleborus x hybridus seedlings

While I think it’s great (essential) to try new plants David and I agree that the best money you can spend is to a hire a professional garden designer to create a plan for your garden. Not only will this save you from costly mistakes, it will provide you with a guide to refer to time and again over the years.

My own garden is about four years new and it continues to evolve and change as some plants mature, others die and my tastes change. But, it’s important to note that I did start with a plan and a list of plants I wanted to include. The most expensive parts of any garden are the permanent structures but these also provide a framework and act as the bones in every season. In my case a low granite wall defines the space and acts as a seating area too. I chose granite to complement my granite house.

Helen Yoest’s autumn garden in Raliegh, NC

What follows are some basic steps that David recommends and that I think are useful for you consider when designing your garden.

1. Assess the site for what is possible and what is not. The latter is most important here, as creativity is best exercised under limitations. Likewise, the least effective gardens are the ones where there is a lot of money, plenty of land and the owner wants everything. When summing up a site, look for the light, look for the water, and for the ways in and out, and look in your checking account. Try to avoid expectations before you’ve gotten real about what’s possible.
2. Start applying the basic elements of design- balance, scale, symmetry. The most common mistake is an improper use of scale. Skimpy features in a garden make it look cheap and wrong. A rule of thumb is the smaller the garden, the bigger the features. Think broad strokes. (I suggest that for structures like arbors, if you think it’s big enough it could probably be one size larger. While this is not a scientific approach it works.) Think about the hard elements of your garden—the paths, the walls, the floor and the ceiling. They should all make sense, connect and guide the experience with a minimum of confusion. The materials used should be closely allied to each other, the architecture of the house and the broader landscape.
3. Understand how nature works, particularly the nature of your own backyard. Follow the weather, know its extremes, understand your seasons, and the patterns we experience, because they can be subtle but surprisingly consistent. Learn about where frost gathers in your garden, where the water flows, or where the breeze comes from. Learn about what kind of rock is under your backyard as this will affect the success of the plants you grow. If a hot, humid landscape with limited air movement will stop you from spending time in your garden during the hot summer months, plant a garden for spring and fall.
4. Know something about plants. Plants are an integral part of any garden and are the kind of furnishings that go into making a garden unique and personal and a joy through the evolving seasons. Select plants that will work for you and include those that:
   • will mature in place without an unacceptable amount of labor to keep them in check;
   • flower during the times of year when you will most appreciate their gifts; and
   • evoke a time or place or emotion that is important to you.

Rely on the best local and regional nurseries in your area for advice and as a source of plants.

Fountain in Nancy Goodwin’s garden

5. Stay fresh and keep inspired. There are many wonderful magazines and books to inspire you. Visit your local botanical garden and attend garden tours. Don’t be afraid make changes in your garden. And, remember that above all else your garden should please you. Go forth, plant and have fun.

There are many great garden designers in the Atlanta area. You can contact David McMullin at newmoongardens@aol.com or call him at 404-635-9023. His website is www.newmoongardens.com

]]> http://www.ericaglasener.com/articles/how-to-design-your-garden/feed 6 http://www.ericaglasener.com/articles/chapel-hill-nc-spring-garden-tour http://www.ericaglasener.com/articles/chapel-hill-nc-spring-garden-tour#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:40:46 +0000 Erica http://www.ericaglasener.com/?p=634 Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, 2010. www.chapelhillgardentour.net  for tickets and more information.  Take an opportunity to visit 9 private gardens and be sure to include a stop at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.