Archive for the ‘Autumn foliage color’ Category

Amur Cork Tree

Amur corktree (Phellodendron amurense) is native to Northern China, Korea and Japan (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Amur corktree is a fast growing, upright branched tree that makes an excellent yard or shade tree. Corktree grows in a wide range soils, and tolerates soil pH between 5.0 to 8.2. It does best in moist, well-drained soils, […]

Ground Cover Types Of Flowering Abelias

Flowering abelias (Abelia x grandiflora) come in all shapes and sizes (USDA hardiness zones 6-9). Over the past decade the ground cover types have become very popular. They’re also utilized as accent plants in large containers. In zones 7 -8, they are evergreen. The term “ground cover” is used here to emphasize cultivars that  grow low, mostly […]

Leaf Retention In Landscape Trees

              Most deciduous landscape trees drop their leaves sometime in autumn. The physiology of autumn leaf drop is primarily stimulated by changes in photoperiod or shorter daylength. Autumn colors develop and the leaf petioles form an abscission layer. Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), for example, start to color up in early September. Winter leaf retention by […]

Tulip Poplar And Cultivars

  Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), aka yellow poplar and tulip tree, is a large stately deciduous tree of eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This fast growing native typically grows 60-90 feet tall. It is also an important timber tree. A member of the magnolia family, flowers attract large numbers of bees. Ornate 2-inch-wide goblet-shaped flowers are […]

Autumn Fern Changes With The Seasons

              Ferns are fine textured lacey-leaf groundcovers. Many kinds of ferns add a tropical accent to the shade garden. Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora), aka Japanese wood fern,  has evergreen or semi-evergreen arching foliage, depending how cold it gets in winter (USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8). Its common name is misleading. Best frond colors are in spring; the fronds unfurl […]

Staghorn Sumac’s Reliable Fall-Winter Assets

Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) is known by several names, including velvet sumac and hairy sumac. This large shrub or small tree is native to northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada (USDA hardiness zones 3-8). Staghorn sumac often arrives uninvited into a landscape and its aggressive suckering root system makes it difficult to eradicate. For landscape use […]

Too Early Fall Color A Telltale Signal Of Tree In Trouble

Early leaf color or premature leaf drop often tells a property owner that their tree(s) may not be healthy. Photo above, taken in front of a new subdivision, says alot. Large red maples show leaf color weeks ahead of their natural timeline. Notice the narrow median where the trees are planted. The cause of early […]

Add A Little Muscle To Your Landscape

Underutilized and underappreciated. That’s American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), aka ironwood or muscle wood. It grows primarily in moist, slightly acid soils along woodland rivers and streams. Our native hornbeam possesses the ability to adapt to a range of landscape situations. It grows equally well in full sun or partial shade. Its dark green summer foliage is rarely troubled […]

Stunning Fall Color of Golden Larch

Golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis) is a rare find in U.S. landscapes. This deciduous conifer is native to eastern China. It is not a true larch (Larix spp.) and is relatively under-planted in the U.S.  Golden larch appears to prosper in warm humid areas and should flourish in the southeast U.S. (USDA hardiness zone 6). Golden […]

This Korean Maple Deserves To Be Planted More

Ullung-do Island Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum ‘Takeshimense’) is a small deciduous tree which will grow to be 20 -25 feet tall tree, with a spread of 15-18 feet. It tends to branch low to the ground. It originates from the Ullung-do Island in the sea of China. Korean maple is one of the best maples […]