Winter Plant Spotlight – Dogwood Shrub
Many people are familiar with the beautiful spring-flowering dogwood tree (cornus kousa). Fewer are aware of the wonderful attributes of the dogwood shrub (cornus alba, cornus sericea).
This four-season shrub is useful in every landscape.
In the spring it’s covered with white flowers which are followed by a bluish tinted fruit in summer.
In fall the leaves can turn a dusty maroon.
But it is in winter that this shrub shines.
Bare stems are either vivid red or yellow and brighten the winter landscape. The cultivar ‘Cardinal’ is one of my favorite varieties for its brilliant red/orange stems.
Cut back 1/3 of dogwood branches every year as the most beautiful color occurs on newer stems.
Lose the Rake
OK I’ll be honest. I have yet to do my fall chores. The recent frost has turned the plants in my containers into terrified skeletons, a blanket of leaves covers my lawn and the tropicals in the garden have gone to mush. Not to mention the chipmunk tunnels that are crisscrossing both the lawn and garden. Spending all day in my clients’ gardens leaves me with very little energy for my own. So I have come up with an abbreviated list of “must-dos”. This streamlined approach leaves me with more time to watch NCIS and enjoy a glass of wine (which is what I wanted to do in the first place).
To start, I remove all dead annuals from the pots and gardens. Diseased plants are also taken out but not put in the compost pile; I don’t want any disease spreading. I do not cut back most perennials for two reasons. First, those with ornamental seed heads or structure can provide winter interest. Second, some perennials, like delphiniums, have hollow stems; cutting them back allows water in and can promote rot. An exception is bearded iris. If iris borer is a problem I cut back the iris foliage AFTER the first frost.
Instead of raking I mow my leaves. Using the lawn mower with the bag attachment allows the leaves to be shredded and collected. All that’s left is to mulch the garden with them. Over the winter they will break down and enrich the soil. Finally I make sure both the garden and my home are not appealing to critters. I spray Deer Defeat (visit their website) on my evergreens and sprinkle some fox urine around the house to deter mice and squirrels. I do not wrap my plants to protect them from the elements; the burlap mummies I see in some yards do not look attractive to me. The best defense for any susceptible evergreen is to make sure it is well watered going into the winter.
Less time spent on fall chores means more time spent on fun things. NCIS anyone?
Change Your Bulb
Everyone knows fall is a great time to plant bulbs.
This year why not try something a little different? Garlic.
This delicious bulb is easy to plant and the steps are simple.
Start with a nice full head of garlic – best to use one from the Farmers Market rather than one from the supermarket which could have been treated.
Break apart the cloves but leave the paper husks on.
Plant the cloves about 2” deep and 4” apart in sunny, well-drained soil.
Cover with a layer of mulch and check back in spring.
Cut off flowers in spring to guarantee the biggest bulb.
Fertilize if the leaves start yellowing.
Harvest when the tops turn yellow and start to flop over.
Use a spade to dig up the bulbs, brush them off and let them cure in a shady spot for two weeks.
When the husk or wrapper is dry and papery and the bulb is hard, the garlic is ready to store.
Fothergilla
My Fall Plant Spotlight -Fothergilla.
One look at this deciduous shrub in fall and you’ll have to have one. It’s beautiful in the spring with white, fragrant bottle brush flowers appearing before the leaves. During the summer fothergilla’s textured leaves are a nice medium green.
But it is in late fall that this shrub shines. Orange, red, and yellow leaves combine on one knockout plant. Fothergilla will color best in full sun but can take some shade. One of my favorites for reliable color is ‘Mt Airy’.
Fothergilla major grows between 5-10 feet; fothergilla gardenii between 3-5. If you can’t decide which fall color you like best, why not plant a low-maintenance shrub that can give you them all?
A Perennial Favorite – Daffodils
Thinking of planting a perennial favorite? Here are a few tips.
Do: Plant daffodils where they will get at least 6 hours of full sun even after trees leaf out. Sun on the leaves will provide energy for next year’s flowers.
Do: Plant in well-drained soil. Daffodils hate wet feet and will tell you so by dying.
Do: Fertilize very lightly with an organic low-nitrogen fertilizer in early spring as shoots are starting to emerge.
Do: Try some new or even heirloom varieties. One of my favorites is a cream-colored double called ‘Bridal Crown’, shown here. Plant it near an entryway – its fragrance will knock your socks off.
Do: Buy bulbs from a reputable source. Bulbs need to be harvested and thoroughly dried before shipping, ideally that would make them available in September. A retail calendar that insists they show up in August should make you suspicious that they may not have cured long enough.
Don’t: Make the mistake of planting the bulb upside down. The pointed end goes up.
Don’t: Cut, braid or otherwise mutilate the leaves after flowering. Yes, it looks bad but the leaves need to capture as much energy as they can from the sun to bloom well next year. Wait at least 8 weeks after blooming to cut back. I like to plant daffodils among hostas; as the hostas grow their emerging leaves will hide the yellowing foliage.
Follow Us!