Lessons from Leuvehoofd

It was cool gray June day when I hopped off the train in Rotterdam. I was in the Netherlands for a soilless substrate conference in Leiden, almost ten years ago now. While there, I took the time to explore local gardens. Of interest to me were plantings that Piet Oudolf had designed in the city along the waterfront. One was found at Leuvehoofd, a park right on the Nieuwe Maas or New Meuse River.

Planting: A New Perspective by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury had just come out, and I snagged a copy before heading across the ocean, reading it furiously on the flight and during down time in the hotel. It was so interesting to have a guide to the planting right in my hands as I was visiting the site.

I approached the park from the south, where a long bed dominated by mixed grasses, Iris, and fading Allium came into view against a monument for those lost at sea in World War II. I would learn it was named De Boeg, which translates to The Bow in English. The memorial stands 150 feet tall with a pair of iron wings at the base that appear to be breaking water.

Iris sibirica ‘Perry’s Blue’ pops against the green foliage of grasses as the Allium above fade.

Turning a photo black and white so helps me appreciate the textures of the site. De Boeg was a war memorial to those lost at sea in World War II, and here it appears to be breaking through a colony of floating jellyfish

Here you can see how the naturalistic planting softens the starkness of the memorial.

From there four angular beds rippled out from the monument like waves getting larger until they hit the river’s edge. I quickly noticed that the planting this time of year had an overall cool color scheme of blues and purples. For a bit of brightness, down the center of the planting ran a river of Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldschleier’. Walking around the garden was interesting because viewing it from different points allowed me to see different perspectives and plant combinations.

Years ago, I downloaded several images from Piet Oudolf’s website to be able to study the designs. The one above is of an early rendition of Leuvehoofd that I cropped to show the four primary beds of the planting.

A perspective showing the essence of the planting at Luevehoofd Park. It is mostly a sea of green dotted with blue Amsonia, purple Allium, and the strip of Deschampsia.

One of my favorite photos from this experience was this view of the planting right next to the water with the Erasmusbrug or Erasmus bridge in the distance.

From this angle you can better see the mass of Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldschleier’ that runs through the center of the planting. You may notice on the drawing above that Sporobolus was recommended, but in the book Planting: A New Perspective, Deschampsia was mentioned instead. It was a nice glimpse at the iterative nature of developing a planting.

An unknown light blue Iris softens the sea of green. The design had called for Iris siberica ‘Perry’s Blue’, but it seemed that a few different blue variants were mixed in to play off the analogous color scheme.

A long view of the largest bed along the river front. The scattering of the Allium is quite apparent here. From this view I also really began to appreciate the presence of the matrix or groundcover level out of which other perennials arise.

Calamintha served as a skirt around Amsonia.

I also admired Piet’s ability to create combinations between plants to elevate the planting. This topic was one that Thomas Rainer and I discussed on the recent podcast, these small decisions about color, texture, and/or plant form made when pairing plants that really show the artist’s touch.

Here the colors of rosy purple Salvia nemorosa ‘Amethyst’ echo the umbels of Allium christophii.

Spires of Salvia nemorosa ‘Amethyst’ rise from a block within the planting.

Another example of color echo was between Allium christophii and Sedum ‘Matrona’. Both have hints of that smoky purple hue.

I also admired the repetition of starry shapes in parts of the planting. For example, here the stellate flowers of Amsonia are similar to the stellate flowers of the Allium. Perhaps they seem minuscule, but I believe such small choices are instrumental in elevating a design.

One final shot showing the blending line between the mass of Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldschleier’ and the mixed planting.

Overall, it was a good first introduction to a Piet Oudolf design. Leuvehoofd was moderately sized yet digestable. In the coming weeks, I’ll post a second planting I saw right down the river at Westerkade along with the lessons I learned there.

Stoneleigh

Last summer, we visited Philadelphia for the flower show. We had a very short trip arranged, which I had packed full to see gardens and other sites of interest that Karen was keen on. But, once there I was highly encouraged to make some time to go see Stoneleigh. It’s a newish botanic garden in Villanova that was given to Natural Lands in 2016. I was promised it would be worth our time stopping for a visit.

So, we carved out 45 minutes after lunch to see the grounds. And, I am so glad we did. They are doing amazing things with native plants.  As the website says, Stoneleigh focuses on native plants but with a twist.  Walking through had a different feel than most gardens that focus on endemics. It was natives, elevated, with unique selections of great plants around every corner.

I also count myself fortunate to be able to visit. This conservation easement was once at risk of being gobbled up by a school to make new ballfields and new buildings. However, the community rallied together with a vigorous campaign, and with help from the state legislature, Stoneleigh was saved.

I kept my eye out for the unusual and I was rewarded during our short visit. In this post, I wanted to share some of the incredible plants I encountered, many of them variants on the natives we know and love. A huge thanks to Ethan Kauffman for helping me identify the plants I couldn’t in the following photos. And, the next time you visit the Philly area, be sure to visit; this gem is a garden is going to make this brimming heart of horticulture even better.

The parking lot at Stoneleigh evoked this wildness. In the middle was a bioswale where natives like Packera aurea were planted, and on the end cap, two yellow foliage Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ‘Sunburst’ provided a bright spot of color.

Across from the parking lot was the largest planting of Penstemon digitalis I had ever seen. Their white flowers created a pointillistic froth.

Near the garden entrance, it was apparent that natives would be at the forefront of our visit. Here Baptisia ‘Solar Flare’ brightens this edge planting.

I got weak in the knees seeing this magnificent cut-back Acer rubrum ‘Snow Fire’ on the way into the garden. Ethan commented that they prune it like a shrub to keep it short. My mind pondered how could I have this in Texas without it frying.

This mix of Carex socialis, Carex plantaginea, and Carex laxiculmis provided an excellent example of their functionality as a green groundcover.

The matrix of Carex was a great living groundcover for trees and shrubs like this variegated Hamamelis virginiana ‘Green Thumb’.

As we ventured toward the house, we walked along a long winding pathway past a meadow and giant trees.  Poa pratensis had been left unmown along either side

Scattered around the edge of the great lawn were towering trees like this Magnolia acuminata. This giant is the 6th largest cucumber magnolia in Pennsylvania.

Tucked into the grass were woody trees like Corylus americana SUNDROPS.

As we approached the house, Eragrostis elliottii ‘Wind Dancer’ served as a matrix for emerging Echinacea pallida and Gaura lindheimeri.

Near the house was a pool that had been filled in to make a patio. The purple Penstemon smallii had sown itself around in the beds for a pop of color.

The pool had been replaced with a flagstone patio that featured circular shaped bog gardens. These gardens contained carnivorous plants like Sarracenia and a plethora of other funky native endemics.

I thought these Helenium brevifolium were cute popping out of the bog plantings.

The main house partially hidden by a giant Platanus featured foundation plantings of natives.

A perspective of the main house from the south side. Columnar Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’ and even the spherical Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’ provide a formality to the plantings.

The plantings around the house were rich with diversity in native plants. The front steps were flanked on either side with Styrax americanus in full bloom. It is a wonderful and underused native large shrub to small tree.

A close up of the delicate Styrax americanus flowers

Near the house I began to better understand Stoneleigh’s concept of natives with a twist. We kept seeing these variants of natives I had never encountered like Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Sunburst’. Ethan shared with me that the variegation comes true from seed on this cultivar.

Here’s another variegated plant I had never seen before—Physostegia virginiana ‘Variegata’. The leaves have the thinnest sliver of white on the margin.

The house served as a trellis for espaliering Cercis canadensis BLACK PEARL. Also, don’t miss the gray-purple foliage of the Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’. It almost blends in with the stone.

Here the house is once again used as a surface for espaliering Hamamelis virginiana ‘Lemon Lime’, a nice speckled leaf form of our native witchhazel.

In a world of exotic roses, I always keep my eye out for native species. This Rosa virginiana near the house was quite floriferous.

Behind the house was a mixed planting of natives featuring Coreopsis, Itea, Eutrochium (Eupatorium), and more.

A little further down the bed Panicum amarum ‘Dewey Blue’ and Lonicera reticulata ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’ echoed each other’s glaucous blue.

I have long admired Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’ for its narrow, silvery foliage. It pops when surrounded by green.

If seeing one variegated Acer rubrum made me weak in the knees, guess how surprised I was to learn there are two variegated cultivars! This one is ‘Vanity’. And, in case you are curious, the wine-colored foliage plant on the right is Calycanthus floridus var. purpureus 'Burgundy Spice'.

A close up of Acer rubrum ‘Vanity’. Don’t you love that splashed foliage and red tips?

Yet another eclectic mix of natives on the north side of the house. Acer negundo ‘Kelly’s Gold’ is espaliered against the wall while the the bold golden foliage of Silphium perfoliatum ‘The Holy Grail’ pops against the small starry blue flowers of Amsonia ludoviciana on the right of the image.

One of the most impressive trees I saw at Stoneleigh was this fabulous specimen of Nyssa sylvatica ‘Sheri’s Cloud’. The foliage was so clean with the slightest hints of amber on the tips.

I love Kentucky yellowwood, and I was delighted to discover this weeping form Cladrastis kentukea ‘White Rain’. It has to be spectacular in full bloom.

I love the color echoes here. The chairs on the main deck matched the Callirhoe involucrata blooming behind in a mix of Opuntia, and the golden flowers of Oenothera fruticosa complimented the Ptelea trifoliata ‘Aurea’ in the distance.

Rhododendron vaseyi at Southern Highlands Reserve

May brings to mind the flowers of pinkshell azaleas for this time of year is when they reach peak bloom in the mountains of North Carolina. Rhododendron vaseyi is one of our beautiful yet lesser known native Rhododendron. This species was first found by George Vasey in 1878 and is native to only a handful of counties in western North Carolina, perhaps owing its success to slight disturbances from time to time. While not extremely rare, it is considered threatened due to climate change and loss of habitat from development. The good news is even with its limited range, it grows great in gardens where the environment suits it well. And, while I do want to give it a go in Texas one day, I do believe it is better suited to climes further north.

Years ago in grad school before I moved to Texas, I learned of this species, and wanted to see it in the wild. While there are scattered plants along the Blue Ridge Parkway, I had heard that a botanic garden in the southern Appalachians named Southern Highlands Reserve housed one of the largest populations in the world. If you’ve never heard of Southern Highlands Reserve, this garden is a biological ark whose mission is to preserve, educate people about, and propagate the incredible diversity of the southern Appalachians. For on these eroded pinnacles grow species unique to the southeast—some rare, some only occurring in a few counties, and some relics of the last ice age. These mountain tops have been called islands in the sky since they house species that can’t go any lower or higher to avoid a warming climate that is creeping up the slopes.

I arrived after driving a winding road through a private development to find the gardens imbued with spring freshness under a clear, bluebird sky. The tour started in the modern meets rustic Chestnut Lodge where we learned that the 120 acre garden was once slated to become 22 lots for development until Robert and Betty Balentine, who live right across the road, stepped in and decided that they would rather preserve nature than see it destroyed. 

Even though this botanic garden is relatively young having opened in 2006, the unique mission and climate of the gardens has already reached international renown.  And, once outside we saw that even though the landscape had been molded by the hands of man, it looked mature for its age since many large trees remained. On the tour early spring flowering plants like Phlox stolonifera (creeping phlox), Trillium catesbaei (Catesby’s trillium), Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple), and Iris cristata (dwarf crested iris) had begun their spring displays, and perennials in the labyrinth were just starting to emerge.

Phlox stolonifera carpets the ground.

Phlox stolonifera softens the edges of this staircase.

A vibrant pink Trillium catesbaei sports wavy leaves and petals.

Podophyllum peltatum umbrellas rise from the forest floor.

Iris cristata provides a nice footing for emerging Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (cinnamon fern) fiddleheads.

Though only a few years old, the hardscape at Southern Highlands Reserve were already imbued with age.

I loved this carpet of moss with various forbs emerging from it.

The wildflower labyrinth is easy to navigate now before it erupts into an herbaceous maze later in the summer.

It is no surprise that the flora grows well here. This site receives around 90 inches of rain a year, which classifies it as a temperate rainforest! I first learned about this ecosystem in the southeast when I visited Highlands, NC several years ago. There's something about hearing the word rainforest that enchants the mind and conveys something other worldly.

We walked down the Vaseyi trail toward Vaseyi pond where as the website says “the largest known natural stand of Rhododendron vaseyi in the world“ is known to occur, and the pinkshells were just popping into bloom. This part of the preserve was designed by renowned garden designer W. Gary Smith, who has a hand for crafting incredible natural areas. The tour guides noted that specimens in the landscape and around the pond were in peak blossom, but under the deciduous forest canopy, buds had barely begun to pop open, a difference which illustrated something the gardeners monitor. Southern Highlands Reserve compares the phenology in wild and cultivated areas to see if any differences are observed, knowledge which is internal to The Biodiversity Project at the garden. It serves as a catalog to document climate change as well as a comparison for areas that are managed versus allowed to remain natural.

Closeup of the pinkshell rhododendron flowers. Note the id characteristics; most blooms have 5 (to 7) anthers and spots on the upper part of the throat.

A much lighter form of Rhododendron vaseyi…

…and a darker pink Rhododendron vaseyi.

Rhododendron vaseyi on the edge of Vaseyi Pond shimmer in the reflection.

Doing an about face from the pond photo above yields this view. Named the Viewsite, this spot provides a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Fothergilla (witch-alder) bloom with their bottlebrush inflorescences near the Viewsite.

We then walked up to their propagation area. This neat staircase was modeled to look like a snake.

Of course, studying the gardens is not the only way they conduct research about the Appalachians. The gardens also propagate species like Picea rubens (red spruce) as part of Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative. This conifer is so threatened in the southern part of its range that spruce-fir forests are the second most endangered ecosystem in the US. The population has suffered from logging, fires that decimated plants 100 years ago, air pollution, and a warming, drying climate. Restoration is compounded by the fact that growth is slower at high elevations. These trees serve as a valuable niche for Carolina northern flying squirrels, a federally endangered species that in this part of the world is a relic of the last ice age. These mammals eat truffles that grow at the base of the trees, and eating male red spruce cones provides the squirrels with an oil that suppresses a parasite they catch from their southern flying squirrel counterparts. The garden reported that they are the only facility in the southeast growing these trees for reintroduction. The tour guides shared that the staff is excited to help plant seedlings into damaged ecosystems.

Picea rubens being grown for reintroduction into the surrounding forests.

Thus, preservation of the land at Southern Highlands Reserve has lead to efforts to save species throughout the Appalachians, and the garden's mission becomes a holistic cycle of protecting things that are beautifully and uniquely southern. May we all share this same spirit of saving what we can while we can.

December at the JC Raulston Arboretum

This post is the final post of a series I’m doing this year reflecting back on some of my favorite plants from visiting the JC Raulston Arboretum.

This past year, I’ve had fun reflecting back on my time in grad school visiting the JC Raulston Arboretum. I decided for my last post of this year-long series to actually visit when we saw family in Raleigh instead of recapping plants from grad school. 

I visited on the last day of 2021, and much like the rest of the country, the weather was unseasonably warm.  The warmth had spurred the winter bloomers, and I have to say that the arboretum looked the best I’ve seen it this time of the year.  Most winters plants will bloom in spurts between cold spells. They have have good days in lively color and bad days in brown and black from a sudden freeze.  But, La Niña has been present this fall keeping our weather warmer and drier across the south.  I’m sure climate change isn’t helping things either.

However, the absence of hard freezes was a benefit for this photographer. Get ready for a photo overload because there was a ton of winter interest.  And, I wish I could share the fragrance with you. I had forgotten with all the winter flowering plants just how good the arboretum smelled at this time of the year.

One final request from this series.  Arboreta and botanical gardens are places of inspiration, solace, conservation, and beauty. While we benefit from their plantings, they benefit from our support. Consider becoming a member of one near you!

WINTER FLOWERS

Ah, the Prunus mume!  I think this visit was the most spectacular show of flowering apricot that I’ve ever seen in all my years of visiting the arboretum.  Usually they are pummeled by the winter cold, which interrupts their bloom period.  Above white-flowering ‘Tojibai’ blooms against the pink ‘Bonita’ in the background.

Prunus mume ‘Bonita’ has lovely bowl-shaped semi-double pink flowers. They are incredibly fragrant, too. The smell reminds me of those Valentine’s Day conversation hearts.

‘Big Joe’ Prunus mume was a white behemoth of blooms visible from the road before I ever walked in the gate. The fallen petals made the ground underneath appear to be covered in snow.

‘Rose Bud’ is another semi-double Prunus mume type where the petals fade from pink outside to whiter ones in the center.

Another Prunus I like for winter display is Prunus incisa. This lovely short-statured shrub offers dainty flowers.  Even the sepals are attractive after the petals fall.  

Camellias are staples of the winter garden in the south, and the arboretum has a plethora of them.  I loved this white flowering, semi-double Camellia × vernalis ‘Ginryû’.

Camellia ‘Yume’ reminded me of peppermints with these lovely two-toned pink and white flowers.

Some Camellia have attractive buds even before they flower like this Camellia tsaii ‘Erina’.

Camellia × hiemalis ‘Green's Blues’ turns this interesting mauve-pink as the blooms fade and will eventually turn more purple.  

Three of the early-flowering magnolias were in full splendor.  Magnolia platypetala near the visitor center...

…Magnolia cavaleriei near the lath house... 

… and Magnolia maudiae near the winter garden.  All three can be hit or miss based on cold snaps.  But, during good years, they are spectacular.  

Mahonia were outstanding in flower at the arboretum this visit.  Mahonia × lindsayae ‘Cantab’ has long be a favorite of mine.  The long, sinuous inflorescences smell spectacular on a winter day and were attracting a plethora of bees.  

A new Mahonia to me was Mahonia ilicina.  The long inflorescences featured sprays of off-white flowers.

I couldn’t write about visiting the arboretum in the winter without mentioning Chimonanthus praecox.  Even though wintersweet is a bit of a one-hit wonder and fades into the landscape the rest of the year, the winter fragrance is well worth planting it.  There were four that I counted in close proximity to the winter garden and perfumed the air with their sweet smell.

Even from a distance, I could make out the brilliant gold flowers of ‘Luteus’, a cultivar of Chimonanthus praecox that has deeper yellow in the petals and lacks the red blotch like seen in the image above.

There are a handful of winter honeysuckles that perfume the air with their lemony scent. Here is a comparison between the flower size of the larger Lonicera fragrantissima (left) and smaller Lonicera × purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ (right).

I was surprised to see Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’ beginning to flower with the lack of winter chill from the unseasonably warm winter we’ve had. A lone branch on the back was blooming well while the rest of the plant had swelling buds.

Jasminum nudiflorum has long been a favorite indestructible winter flowering shrub. I often see it planted in urban areas and hell strips.  ‘Aureum’ features golden colored foliage once it leafs out in the spring.

I always kid with students when teaching Parrotia persica that the apetalous blooms are pretty non-descript in the winter, and the flowers shouldn’t be a selling point of this species. But, I could make the dangling stamens out from several feet away on this ‘Pendula’ and found them attractive. Maybe I should rethink my downplaying of the flowers!

STEM COLOR

Acer negundo ‘White Lightning’ shows some yellow stem color on fresh growth from the year.  Many consider box elders a trash tree, but coppicing this cultivar is worth it.

Red-twig dogwoods look so striking in late winter.  Cornus alba 'Minbat' BATON ROUGE shined with the low afternoon light.  

I’m always looking for winter interest from unexpected plants (especially perennials!), and I found the bleached white stems of Hibiscus ‘Cherry Cheesecake’ to be quite striking.  Against a dark background or dark building these would look lovely through winter.  

‘Bihou’ is one of my favorite Acer palmatum cultivars for the vibrant stem color they offer during the winter. The branches exude such a warmth as they transition from red young growth through orange to the older yellow tissue.

A close up of the more mature stem color of a larger ‘Bihou’ at the arboretum.

VIBRANT FOLIAGE

Fall color still holds on to the appropriately named ×Sycoparrotia semidecidua ‘Purple Haze’.

Wowzers. Daphniphyllum teijsmannii ‘Mountain Dove’ looked stunning in the lath house. 

I’ve loved Daphne since I discovered they offer wonderful winter fragrance.  In fact, I even had one in a container on my patio in grad school!  There were two nice variegated forms at the arboretum that were just coming into flower.  Above is the bold yellow margined form of ‘Mae-jima’.

And, here is the more subtle lime green coloring on dark green leaves of Daphne odora ‘Nakafu’.

I have never seen a darker leaf color on a Loropetallum like this Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum ‘Spg-3-017’ GARNET FIRE.  Or, really any other plant for that matter.  They were almost jet black for the winter.

The variegation on this Ilex vomitoria ‘Tricolor’ adds a splash of color to the understory and this love-it or hate-it native shrub.

The Life Herbaceous

I always get giddy seeing the white propellers unfurl on Galanthus elwesii. While snowdrops straddle growing seasons, many consider them one of the first flowers of the new year.

Euphorbia are beloved for their persistent foliage through winter. I appreciated ‘Canyon Gold’ with its burgundy highlights from the winter light.

Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ was often a Christmas flower for me in Tennessee, and here it was at the arboretum blooming right on cue tucked under some shrubs. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see the warmth loving Abutilon ‘Voodoo’ still in flower.

Iris was another unexpected flowering plant at the arboretum. I saw three different cultivars in flower including this purple and white ‘Say Okay’.

Hellebores often face downward, but many of the new hybrids have been bred to have more upright facing petals.  Here Helleborus × ericsmithii ‘Coseh 790’ SHOOTING STAR flowers in a berm.  

Autumn in Spring Grove Cemetery

“Before you leave Cincinnati, we’re going to get you to Spring Grove Cemetery.”  It’s wasn’t a threat, it was an invitation to see one of the nation’s most beautiful cemeteries from Steve Foltz, director of horticulture at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. We were talking during a break at their Plant Trials Day Symposium I spoke at in mid-November.

It’s not everyday that I hop in the car with a guy I just met, especially with the invitation to go to a cemetery. But, I could already tell that Steve was a gentle giant and a force of horticulture in Cincinnati. After my presentation, he gave a talk about how he and his team at the botanical garden were transforming less fortunate areas of Cincinnati with gardens and the impact they were having on connecting kids with horticulture. They were sharing the love of plants. These were my people.

And, Spring Grove rang a bell in the deep recesses of my mind. It was a name I had heard over the years in plant circles and read about here and there in Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. I wasn’t sure what the cemetery would offer post-frost, but I jumped at the chance to see more horticulture in the area.

The next morning, I met him downstairs at 7:00 AM.  My friend and colleague Paul Westervelt of Saunders Brothers joined us as we piled into the car in the pre-dawn twilight.  (And, a note that his quotes blow are my paraphrasing of his comments.)

At the cemetery, Steve parked right beyond the entrance at a large grove of Ginkgo and Taxodium just as dawn was breaking.  “This is a female so watch your step,” Steve advised as we tip toed amongst the leaf and seed litter to avoid stinking up the car.  Steve told us that he knew the 750-acre cemetery well and that he taught plant id classes here as an adjunct professor for a local college. He told us that we wouldn’t be able to see it all, but that he would give us a taste of some of the best trees the cemetery had to offer.

A giant Ginkgo biloba greets us near the cemetery entrance.

At this first stop he wanted to show us the amazing pneumatophores on a Taxodium grove near a small pond.  I asked Steve to be a scale for them and he obliged. 

Steve Foltz stands to provide scale of the Taxodium knees. You can’t even tell he’s hiding a breakfast bagel.  

Steve went on to explain that the cemetery dated back to 1845, and that much of the design and beauty of this special place can be traced to Adolph Strauch’s efforts to beautify the cemetery.  Adolph Strauch was a gardener who became superintendent of the cemetery in 1855, and he had European horticulture training. Much of what we saw in the landscape started with his vision to make Spring Grove as beautiful as possible.

From here he took us to see the state champion Taxodium distichum.  Hedera helix had grown up the sides; Steve said about ten years ago they cut the root system on it, but the ivy still lived.  He said that Taxodium weren’t native to Ohio, so this would have been planted here when the cemetery was first established or possibly before that.

The Ohio state champion Taxodium distichum

A close up of the trunk of the state champion Taxodium distichum. You can see the cut ivy stems.

We walked a short distance to see Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Amazing Grace’, a lovely form of weeping katsura tree.  Living in the south my encounters with this plant were few. I had only smelled the cotton candy odor the autumn leaves emit once on a perfect day at the JC Raulston Arboretum, and it was faint.  However, here I caught distinct whiffs of cotton candy and burnt sugar coming from the leaves as I paced back and forth on the frosted grass, sniffing the light breeze for the best scent.

“This one is the smaller one.  Let me take you to see the bigger one,” Steve said.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Amazing Grace’ on the right. The weeping architecture is a great ploy to mimic the flow of water.

So, we got in the car, drove a little bit and hopped out again at stop two. Steve warned us there would be several of these stop-and-gos. “You have to be careful because if you start walking from tree to tree, you’ll quickly get far from your car.” (I’ve numbered the stops to help you follow along, reader.)

We parked near an ancient looking Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Amazing Grace’. “I ask students how old do you think this tree is, and they say a few hundred years.  Looking back at records it was either planted in 1976 or 1978.  It’s only a little over 40 years old!”  It was amazing to see such contorted, gnarly growth in such a short time.

Around the corner was a sunset orange Quercus alba.  “Make sure you see the bark in the top of the tree.  It looks like shingles.”  

This Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Amazing Grace’ looks over a hundred, but it’s less than half a century old.

A glimpse inside the veil of foliage on Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Amazing Grace’ shows the beautiful contorted architecture.

The leaves of Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Amazing Grace’ had an interesting patchwork color appearance.

A stately Quercus alba in fall glory

Exfoliating Quercus alba bark

Then, Steve directed us to a tree where he encouraged us to look on the ground.  There we found massive involucres that could only belong to Quercus macrocarpa, the bur oak.  “You have to come early because people will come and collect these right after they fall in early autumn,” Steve said. Most of them had been taken, but we were still able to find a few on the ground.

Quercus macrocarpa involucre looks like a bird’s nest, no?

We piled in the car again, and went to our third stop so that Steve could show us Cornus florida ‘Grovflor’ SPRING GROVE dogwood.  “This cultivar originated here in Spring Grove. It is really interesting because on many branches it has two or three buds on the end of the stem instead of just one.  This trait results in the tree being covered in flowers in the spring.  It also has good fall color.”

Cornus florida ‘Grovflor’ SPRING GROVE showing its red-orange fall color.

Steve holds a branch of Cornus florida ‘Grovflor’ SPRING GROVE so that we can see the multiple flower buds. While most in this shot only have one bud, you’ll see a few tips with two, and one tip (middle-top of the image) with three buds.

Back in the car again, Steve promised that we would really like the next tree at stop four.  And, oh did we.  My mouth gapped open like I was in the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at the sight of a 40-foot-tall and at least as wide Magnolia macrophylla.  This Magnoliaphile scurried over to take photographs.  Steve shared, “We call this one the sister tree since it is a sister to another one in the cemetery.  Germination of seeds from it have been around 98% while others in the cemetery are around 40%.”  It was amazing to stand underneath and have this shower of golden light pour over me. And, the leaf litter was insane. It looked like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. At least it’s all compostable.

Paul Westervelt and Steve Foltz provide a scale for the largest Magnolia macrophylla I have ever seen.

While I love these Magnolia macrophylla leaves, I could see this being a maintenance nightmare.

At stop five where we saw another large Magnolia macrophylla, Steve showed us an interesting Acer saccharum cultivar called ‘Sweet Shadow’.  It had more dissected leaves that gave it a coarser texture. 

Good fall color on Acer saccharum ‘Sweet Shadow’

Here you can see the more dissected leaves of Acer saccharum ‘Sweet Shadow’

We travelled from here to another location.  “There’s your Parrotia subaequalis,” Steve said at our sixth stop. I had just mentioned the day before in my talk that this fairly new tree introduction deserves wider use, and Steve was saying that so far it had performed well into autumn.  “It’s looked like that for a month,” Steve said in reference to the brilliant crimson.  

Nearby Steve pointed out a nice mature form of weeping Carpinus betulus called ‘Vienna Weeping.’  

A young Parrotia subaequalis

A close up of the incredible fall color on Parrotia subaequalis

A nice mature form of Carpinus betulus ‘Vienna Weeping’

At stop seven we saw a lovely Magnolia grandiflora.  I wasn’t blown away from seeing a random southern magnolia in Ohio, but I was mildly surprised to see it outside of its native range and away from the coast.  Steve said that this one was particularly nice because it survived the frigid 1976/1978 winters as well as ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ had.  He said it was introduced into the trade as Magnolia grandiflora ‘Spring Grove #16’ since it was located in plot 16 in the cemetery.

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Spring Grove #16’ had a lovely wide growth habit.

We then walked a bit to find one of the largest Zelkova serrata I’ve ever seen in fall glory.  Steve shared more about the cemetery design here. He told us there were no fences in the cemetery, and their absence was inherent from the beginning.  That way trash didn’t blow and collect in parts of the cemetery.  Instead, it was designed to feel like a cohesive whole.

Paul Westervelt provides good scale for this glowing Zelkova serrata.

We then headed to our next location at stop eight to see the state champion Cercidiphyllum japonicum.  Unlike the two ‘Amazing Grace’ we had seen, it was bare of leaves and a giant with multiple stems arising out of base of the tree and long arms reaching out.

The Ohio state champion Cercidiphyllum japonicum.

Back in the car again, we drove to stop nine to see the end of performance from Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’.  The tree had dropped nearly all its leaves and created a blanket of gold.  I felt like Scrooge McDuck, wanting to swim in the little golden coins.  I commented on how neat it was that the golden leaves were reflecting the color back onto the trunk of the tree.  Steve pondered, “Yea, but how do you capture that,” as if to say that unless you were here experiencing that wonder, it would be hard to share.  Maybe my photo below will do justice.

Isn’t this just breathtaking?

Other trees in this area also had good fall color. Nearby a few Acer griseum × nikoense ‘Girard’ hybrid maples had great red-colored foliage.  We walked a little further to find an Acer campestre in a shroud of yellow.  And, Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium (aka Taxodium ascendens) had nearly dropped all its leaves to make a carpet of orange.  

The crimson color of Acer griseum × nikoense ‘Girard’

The golden yellow of Acer campestre

While not as spectacular as the above Ginkgo, this blanket of foliage around this Taxodium was still neat to see.

We climbed back in the car, and Steve said we had one more stop until we reached of the most iconic trees in the cemetery.  He pulled over, and we got out to see a grove of Abies cilicica in front of us at stop ten.  For a moment with the topography and the Cilician firs, I felt transported to some far off alpine hillside.  Steve walked to the back of a building and shook a shrub.  “This is bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia), a really interesting native woody that you don’t see often.”  He showed us these cool pods of fruit and how the plant would rattle when shook. Steve added, “If you get them at the right time when they are green, they will pop.”

A grove of Abies cilicica stands in the distance

The fruit of Staphylea trifolia

We hopped back in the car to drive a little further.  And, when we arrived at our last stop number eleven, Steve told us that we were about to see a 400 year old Quercus alba.  It was beautiful, stately, with an air of mystery.  Who knows how many funeral processions the tree has watched over during its life time and how many souls it has comforted with its shade.

A massive 400 year old Quercus alba stands as a sentinel in Spring Grove Cemetery

Steve told us that sisters Lucy Braun and Emma Braun were buried nearby.  Lucy in particular was a keen botanist, and she wrote Woody Plants of Ohio.  

We hopped back into the car one last time as Steve drove us out through a lovely woodland preserve to head back to the zoo.  I’m so thankful to have made a new plant friend who is willing to take a couple of hours out of his morning to show me iconic trees in an iconic cemetery.  And, I can’t wait to return to Spring Grove Cemetery. As long as I stay above ground that is.

November at the JC Raulston Arboretum

Ah, November. The last hoorah of the growing season where so much that has been created and synthesized during the growing season is released. It is the month to enjoy some of the last of the warm season flowers and deciduous foliage before it all collapses with first frost. The JC Raulston Arboretum was ripe with both, and below you’ll find some of my favorite plants I learned about during my visits there for November.

Dahlia imperialis (also seen at the top of the page) was one of my favorite fall flowering perennials from the arboretum. The long cane-like stems would arch high in the sky as the lavender chandelier flowers hung down and attracted a plethora of bees.

Gladiolus dalenii ‘Halloweenie’ should be named ‘Thanksgivingie’ because it always seemed to flower later in the month of November. Mine have just recently started blooming in east Texas.

I was always delighted seeing cyclamen rise from the earth with their leaves that look like elven shields. Their flowers would uncoil and rise like this Cyclamen hederifolium Ashwood Nurseries Silver Leaf Group that is coming into bloom.

Chimonanthus nitens is a unique, evergreen flowering relative to Chimonanthus praecox. The finger-like white petals are translucent and not as fragrant as Chimonanthus praecox.

Orange is a common theme here with Abelia × grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’ and Nyssa ‘Dirr Selection’ playing off the flag’s color.

A close up of the persistent sepals on Abelia × grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’

I’ve shared my love of Salix ‘Flame’ before. November is the first month it really begins to shine now that the leaves have all dropped.

I so notice bark more in the winter time when the stems and trunks are revealed without their atmosphere of foliage. Stewartias are often known for their beautiful bark, and this Stewartia sinensis var. sinensis is no exception.

I love the clean foliage that emerges on Alstroemeria psittacina ‘Variegata’. Even if it never bloomed it would be worth growing.

Heuchera like this ‘Creme de Menthe’ thrive in the cooler months of the south when the ground is more moist and their foliage receives more sunlight to help intensify color.

Frost needles deposit on the spiny leaf of Solanum quitoense, and end this amazing architectural plant’s growth for the season.

Devoid of foliage, the fruit-filled verticillasters of Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Albifructus’ shine.

In New Trees John Grimshaw and Ross Bayton quote Andrew Bunting as saying that Lindera species provide some of the best fall color of any woody plants in the mid-Atlantic. I believed that to be true in Raleigh as well. The names are still a bit muddled. This one was listed as Lindera salicifolia, which is an invalid name, and I believe it should be Lindera glauca var. salicifolia.

A close up of Lindera glauca var. salicifolia

Lindera umbellata has a richer red and wider leaf.

Lindera angustifolia had this interesting curl to the leaves.

Another group of plants that provides spectacular fall color in the south are Japanese maples. Here Acer palmatum ‘Osakasuki’ creates a crimson carpet under the tree.

The serrated leaves of Acer palmatum ‘Pendulum Julian’ have such a warmth to them in November.

Acer palmatum ‘Linearilobum’ looks a bit psychedelic, no?

The foliage of Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’ turned a lovely burnt yellow in autumn. Notice all the full buds ready to burst.

Where do the red leaves of Cotinus ‘Grace’ end and the foliage of Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’ begin?

I love Fothergilla for the kaleidoscope of color the leaves produce. One plant can range through purple, red, orange, yellow, and green like this Fothergilla × intermedia ‘Mount Airy’ here.

And, all this colorful foliage must eventually fall. For some plants like Ginkgo biloba ‘Tschi Tschi’ we enjoy not only color on the tree but also the ground.

Memories from Cades Cove

Cades Cove holds a special place in my heart.  Its one of my favorite places in the world.  I’ve camped there, walked its streams, road through it probably around a dozen times, and I’ve stood on top of Gregory Bald and looked down into this valley. I know its curves and loops by heart.

If you haven’t heard of Cades Cove, it is an 11-mile loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Early pioneers lived here before the park was established, and there are still historical buildings on site.

My favorite time to see this valley is autumn at the end of the growing season when many of the plants are blazed with their fall glory. I have a plethora of photos I’ve taken there over the years.

There’s a lone tree I’ve always enjoyed seeing out in Cades Cove. It’s so stately.

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) is one of my favorite native trees, mainly for its wonderful red fall foliage color.

Chelone glabra (white turtlehead) grows in wet sites along streams in Cades Cove.

A sea of sea oats in a forest in Cades Cove. Chasmanthium latifolium is a wonderful native grass for shady sites, and it can sport good fall color.

An under appreciated native is Euonymus americanus. I’ve seen it grow well in Cades Cove and here in Texas. Hearts-a-bustin’ or strawberry bush has these lovely capsules in the fall, and the foliage often turns a bleached white.

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Our fifth anniversary was last weekend. Karen and I spent part of our honeymoon in the Smokies, and during our stay, I wanted to go see the fall color in Cades Cove.  It’s about an hour drive from Gatlinburg through the dark winding roads with the light slowly crescendoing towards dawn. I love getting to this place in the early morning when people are few and far between before the sun peaks over the mountain tops.

Skeletons of the past season stand in Cades Cove.

Fog shrouds Hyatt Lane that connects the loop through Cades Cove.

The lone tree yet again. The prior photo from above was taken 8 years before this image, and I can see some changes in its architecture. Some limbs lost and others gained.

The color was a bit past, but that’s alright.  There was enough still holding on for us two leaf peepers.  

A golden glow envelopes the broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) in Cades Cove. This photo was one of my favorites from the trip.

This Acer is holding on to its last leaves.

Some snags rise out of grass and fog as beams of sunlight penetrate Cades Cove.

The shadows of Tridens flavus rise out of the grassland.

Seeing these short Liquidambar emerging out of this field made me appreciate the potential of coppicing sweet gum in a garden. Each tree has such variable color.

A pair of late milkweed follicles haven’t shed their seeds and coma yet.

I always love finding milkweed seed caught in their dispersion.

On the southern loop headed back to the entrance I spied this large Rhus colony against a backdrop of fading fall color on the mountainsides.

Sometimes when I can’t sleep at night, my mind will drift to Cades Cove.  I’ll imagine myself walking through the grass under a starry, moonlit sky where I can barely see firmament torn by the mountain tops.  And, there I will find rest.  

October at the JC Raulston Arboretum

This post is 10 of 12 of a series I’m doing this year reflecting back on some of my favorite plants from visiting the JC Raulston Arboretum while attending graduate school at NC State in Raleigh, NC.

October was one of my favorite months to visit the JC Raulston Arboretum. The warmth and light of summer that had spurred growth was now waning, and we saw the last flowers of the year emerge before first frost. The cooler weather and shortening days also meant that the first fall colors began to manifest on trees and shrubs. Such a time was ripe to walk through the gardens and enjoy a harvest of color. I hope these favorite plants from the arboretum inspire you to try a few new ones in your garden.

Lespedeza thunbergii subsp. thunbergii ‘Little Volcano’ is such a focal point in fall with its blue-green foliage that is soon covered with magenta flowers. The flowers are so plentiful they weight the stems down for a few weeks while the plant is in bloom.

I loved this combination of Salvia mexicana ‘Limelight’, Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple’, and Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Rosea’ at the arboretum. It is a play off the classic yellow/purple contrasting color scheme with a hint of orange/blue contrast, too.

A close-up of the acid green sepals and indigo flowers on Salvia mexicana ‘Limelight’.

I always liked the height of Aster tartaricus. Many asters tend to hug the ground or be in little balls, but this one can rise in a garden bed.

It isn’t fall without mums! Chrysanthemum ‘Gethsemane Moonlight’ is a very vigorous grower and features soft lemon-colored ray petals.

You probably won’t find Pityopsis graminifolia in many gardens, but it is a cool native. Evergreen silvery foliage that looks more like grass leaves (hence the graminifolia which means leaves resembling grass) than something in the aster family puts forth yellow blooms in autumn.

I always enjoyed seeing these Cosmos sulphureus erupt out of the perennial border at the arboretum in fall. Most years, I wouldn’t even see seedlings until well into summer.

Don’t you love how the ray color of Dahlia ‘Forncett Furnace’ echoes the stems on Hibiscus ‘Holly Springs’ in the foreground?

Students are always amazed in the fall to see yellow aster-like flowers emerge from these funky kidney-shaped leaves. Here a mass of Farfugium japonicum ‘Aureomaculatum’ flanks the side of the new lath house.

You can’t make out much variegation on this Callicarpa americana ‘Berries and Cream’, but the berries certainly do shine.

Aster ageratoides ‘Ezo Murasaki’ was a new aster to me. While it has lovely blooms in fall, it can be a bit aggressive.

I love seeing the bracts on hydrangeas fade. You never know what colors are going to manifest like the soft red on Hydrangea macrophylla ‘REI 05’ Forever & Ever Together.

I had seen the Ozark native Amsonia hubrichtii many times in the green, but this plant at the arboretum was my first encounter with its buttery yellow fall color.

The first time Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ caught my eye was seeing the vibrant orange stems on a chilly day. The second time it caught my eye was at the end of October when the leaves turned a lovely yellow.

Brie Arthur stands in front of Parrotia subaequalis for scale. This more recent Parrotia introduction is beloved for its spectacular fall color.

A close-up of the flaming Parrotia subaequalis foliage.

The lobed leaves of Acer saccharum ‘Flax Mill Majesty’ (or it appears to go by just ‘Majesty’ now) are burning bright against a gray sky.

The Asian persimmons often offer good fall color as seen here with the brilliant red foliage on Diospyros kaki.

And, last on the list is Hamamelis mollis ‘Wisley Supreme’. Its fading leaves are a final call for the end of the season, but tucked just behind are the swelling buds that will soon open and warm winter days.

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Fall at the Dallas Arboretum

When I moved to Texas in 2014, one of the first places I wanted to visit was the The Dallas Arboretum & Botanic Garden in October. I had seen mesmerizing images of pumpkins used to create spectacular villages online from friends who had gone. During my first summer in Texas, I met SFA alumna Jenny Wegley who is the vice president of horticulture operations at the arboretum. I told Jenny that I was interested in coming to visit later that fall and wanted to bring students along. She said we were welcome to come and to give her a heads up when we made our way to Dallas.

A few months later, a handful of students and I left Nacogdoches around 6 am to get to Dallas as early as possible. We first headed to the Pecan Grove to meet up with Jenny before the big crowds of people arrived. Pecan Grove, where the core of the autumn display is housed each year, was covered with pumpkin pointillism. Jenny told us that some years 90,000 pumpkins are used to decorate the arboretum, and each year different designs are used to enchant both new and returning visitors.

The pumpkin display is concentrated in Pecan Grove, an open area that allows the gardeners to install whatever suits their artistic pallet.

What a foundation planting for this pumpkin house!

A close up of the wall of squash reveals the delightful diversity of textures and colors from the cucurbit family.

Our crop of students standing amongst a crop of pumpkins. Even Jenny Wegley (third from right) was an SFA grad from back in the day.

The staff at the Dallas Arboretum were hard at work making sure that the displays were “stuffed” with enough pumpkins.

I found these pumpkin garlands adorable! They were made using wire and had ornamental corn hung from them, too.

A river of steel blue pumpkins meanders through a tapestry of orange.

Piles of cucurbits surrounded by vining ornamental sweet potatoes created the illusion of a pumpkin patch.

After we left Pecan Grove, we walked to see other parts of the arboretum. Along the way we saw other places where the gardeners had integrated pumpkins into the landscape displays.

Pumpkins were used as edging along side these beds of Pachystachys lutea and Strobilanthes dyerianus.

Pumpkin edging fades into pumpkin piles here in front of Hamelia patens and Manihot esculenta ‘Variegata’.

These pumpkin cairns add a pop to this bed of Tagetes.

I liked how the white pumpkins picked up the hints of white in the fading Begonia petals.

And, then other parts of the arboretum were planted for fall color.

This alley of juvenile trees was planted with Tagetes and Ipomoea for fall color.

This bed featured quite a contrast between the yellow Chrysanthemum and Acalypha wilkesiana ‘Kona Gold’ and the purple Torenia.

We saw Lespedeza thunbergii subsp. thunbergii 'Little Volcano' at the arboretum. I love this fall flowering shrub; for weeks the branches are covered in lovely magenta flowers that are held amongst glaucous blue leaves.

My first trip taking students to the Dallas Arboretum was a wonderful time. And, while most of us can’t have 90,000 pumpkins at our homes, I hope that some of these photos have helped to inspire you to be a bit creative with how you create your autumnal displays!

September at the JC Raulston Arboretum

This post is 9 of 12 of a series I’m doing this year reflecting back on some of my favorite plants from visiting the JC Raulston Arboretum while attending graduate school at NC State in Raleigh NC.

This week we left September behind, and I had fun sorting through photographs from the JC Raulston Arboretum. Each year when I went out to take these photos, school would have just started back, and it was a nice break to get out in the garden and witness the shifting seasons from summer to fall. Enjoy these photos and great plants from my time in Raleigh.

Passiflora 'Purple Haze' blooms with its sensational flowers. I love how Passiflora are a host to Gulf fritillary that we see buzzing our flowers in fall.

I was delighted to see Symphytum × uplandicum 'Axminster Gold' at the arboretum in the lath house. I figured it would burn in the south, but the foliage was quite clean and colorful.

Callicarpa americana 'Welch's Pink' is a wonderful pink fruited selection of our native beautyberry that was discovered by SFA graduate Matt Welch. The JCRA website notes that seedlings tend to come true to type, indicating this mutation is likely stable and not the result of hybridization.

Butterfly gingers smell spectacular throughout the summer, and in September their bloom begins to wind down as we head into fall. Here, the coral colored flowers of Hedychium 'Elizabeth' are still hanging on.

I loved watching the flower bud of Musella lasiocarpa develop over the summer at the arboretum. It looked so freaky with all the sheathing leaves until…

…it exploded into flower. Musella lasiocarpa really is an amazing ornamental banana with its giant inflorescence.

The arboretum featured a collection of rainlilies like this Zephyranthes ‘Bangkok Yellow’. I always delighted in seeing them bloom, roughly five days after a rain.

One day, I noticed that this Zingiber mioga 'Silver Arrow' had some fallen flowers at its base. I knelt down to investigate, and I discovered that these were actually flowers emerging from the plant! It was such an interesting adaptation seeing the blooms at ground level.

Here’s a close up of the flowers of Zingiber mioga 'Silver Arrow' that emerged from the ground.

If you are looking for variegated tropical foliage, Curcuma petiolata 'Emperor' fits the bill. It looks like it has been streaked with a white paintbrush.

Most people know Chlorophytum as the variegated, low growing spider plant. But, I loved this upright Chlorophytum colubrinum that sported flowers in autumn.

How can you not love the smoky pink and teal flowers of Polinathes (Agave) howardii? It is such an unusual color combination to see in a tubular flower.

I admired the voluminous inflorescences of Kniphofia rooperi. This species is a later flowering form of red hot poker.

Rhodophiala bifida is a bulb I have gotten to know well after moving to Texas. Oxblood lily blooms after our first rain in autumn, usually as a herald to the emergence of Lycoris.

Lycoris albiflora emerges from herbaceous froth in the white garden at the arboretum.