Corliss Clips
February 2012 ...... Page 2
February 2012 ...... Page 2
More winter fruit...
For the sake of this discussion, we’re concentrating on those fruits that linger well into the winter, sometimes until early spring. And nothing fits this description better than certain members of the genus Viburnum. Years of cultivating the following three species, has taught me the value of these plants in a well-planned landscape. They all possess showy, flat panicles of white each spring, maple-like foliage, burgundy fall color and red fruit that begins to color up in late summer/early fall, and which may persist until earliest spring.
Over the course of many seasons, European Cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus), American Cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) and V. trilobum ‘Wentworthi’ have produced with such abundance that berries not eaten by backyard birds, during the winter, were devoured by returning migratory songbirds in earliest spring. Suspended from bare branches, like so many dried raisins, these berries are an essential food source for robins, catbirds and other fruit eaters.
The best photo I ever took, was after an early spring storm, when each cluster of remaining fruit was encased in ice, glistening like rubies. And talk about color... add in a few marauding cardinals and you have a true winter spectacle. While the above specimens average 8-15’ in height, you may find the ‘Bailey Compact’ form of Viburnum trilobum (5-6’ high & wide) more in scale with the smaller suburban landscape.
No mention of winter fruit would be complete without considering the tenacity of certain flowering crabs to hold onto their fall harvest - all the way through winter. Malus encompasses such bearers of persistent fruit as ‘Cardinal’, M. sargentii, M. sargentii ‘Tina’ and ‘Sugar Tyme’. Not quite as decorative as lingering viburnum fruits, these tiny crabapples are a muted spot of color, offering valuable sustenance to the birds and, by extension, providing us with color “on the wing.”
Stem Color & Interesting Bark
Red and yellow twig dogwoods attain brilliant stem color, which lasts from fall through early spring... exactly the splash of backyard color for which we long on a gray winter’s day. Cornus alba ‘Bud’s Yellow’ and crimson stemmed ‘Elegantissima’ may be personal favorites, at 6-8’, but look to more compact forms, such as C. alba ‘Bailhalo’, at 5-6’, for the smaller garden.
The graceful, verdant stems of Broom, or Cytissus, are a surprising oasis of green in the middle of winter. Our native witch hazel has interesting branch structure and odd, brown nutlike fruits, relished by birds. Birch (Betula) bark may be brilliant white, with maturity, or may be an exfoliating variety that ranges from tan to white. (Exfoliating: The sloughing off and peeling back of older bark reveals attractive, sometimes startling, inner layers for remarkable color contrast.) Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum), Stewartia, Plane Tree (Platanus), Katsura (Cercidiphyllum), Seven-Son Flower (Heptacodium) and Diablo Ninebark (Physocarpus) are all prized for their handsome exfoliation habits.
The Golden Weeping Willow (Salix alba ‘Tristis’) has a golden-hued trunk, seen to full advantage in winter. Oaks (Quercus) develop wonderfully rugged, craggy bark, with age. I once grew a Blue Beech, or American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) whose charcoal gray, fluted, “muscled" trunk was a fine winter accent.
Last, but not least, the evergreens...
Broadleaf evergreens offer glossy, green foliage all year, with some sporting eye-catching leaf variegations. Some, like the ‘P.J.M.’ Rhododendron and many Euonymus hybrids, are blushed with burgundy until early spring.
Needled evergreens provide deep green, silvery, bluish or golden year ‘round foliage... making them particularly important in winter, as their deciduous counterparts stand amongst them, awaiting next season’s foliage. From the precise pyramidal habit of the blue-green Blue Point Juniper, to the fairly irregular form of the Japanese Black Pine, there is a plethora of needled beauties in a wide array of textures, colors and shapes, from which to choose. And the birds will thank you as well, for many of these specimens will provide shelter, nesting sites and even food sources.
The long and short of it...
In the end, it’s quite hard to neatly pigeonhole any of these plants into any one category. There’s a blurring of the lines, when we attempt to do so. The basic structure, or “bones,” of a garden must be based on not only a well-conceived plan, hardscaping and structural elements, but also on the very structure of your plants. Consider ornamental grasses, as you seek variety and texture.
Remember, as we gardeners in Zone 5 are well aware, winter is a long, often colorless, proposition. The good news? It’s well within our purview to make those gardens shine, most especially during the depths of winter. Sharpen up that pencil, walk your landscape, daydream from the window and visualize next winter’s scenic view. (February continues on Page 3)
For the sake of this discussion, we’re concentrating on those fruits that linger well into the winter, sometimes until early spring. And nothing fits this description better than certain members of the genus Viburnum. Years of cultivating the following three species, has taught me the value of these plants in a well-planned landscape. They all possess showy, flat panicles of white each spring, maple-like foliage, burgundy fall color and red fruit that begins to color up in late summer/early fall, and which may persist until earliest spring.
Over the course of many seasons, European Cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus), American Cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) and V. trilobum ‘Wentworthi’ have produced with such abundance that berries not eaten by backyard birds, during the winter, were devoured by returning migratory songbirds in earliest spring. Suspended from bare branches, like so many dried raisins, these berries are an essential food source for robins, catbirds and other fruit eaters.
The best photo I ever took, was after an early spring storm, when each cluster of remaining fruit was encased in ice, glistening like rubies. And talk about color... add in a few marauding cardinals and you have a true winter spectacle. While the above specimens average 8-15’ in height, you may find the ‘Bailey Compact’ form of Viburnum trilobum (5-6’ high & wide) more in scale with the smaller suburban landscape.
No mention of winter fruit would be complete without considering the tenacity of certain flowering crabs to hold onto their fall harvest - all the way through winter. Malus encompasses such bearers of persistent fruit as ‘Cardinal’, M. sargentii, M. sargentii ‘Tina’ and ‘Sugar Tyme’. Not quite as decorative as lingering viburnum fruits, these tiny crabapples are a muted spot of color, offering valuable sustenance to the birds and, by extension, providing us with color “on the wing.”
Stem Color & Interesting Bark
Red and yellow twig dogwoods attain brilliant stem color, which lasts from fall through early spring... exactly the splash of backyard color for which we long on a gray winter’s day. Cornus alba ‘Bud’s Yellow’ and crimson stemmed ‘Elegantissima’ may be personal favorites, at 6-8’, but look to more compact forms, such as C. alba ‘Bailhalo’, at 5-6’, for the smaller garden.
The graceful, verdant stems of Broom, or Cytissus, are a surprising oasis of green in the middle of winter. Our native witch hazel has interesting branch structure and odd, brown nutlike fruits, relished by birds. Birch (Betula) bark may be brilliant white, with maturity, or may be an exfoliating variety that ranges from tan to white. (Exfoliating: The sloughing off and peeling back of older bark reveals attractive, sometimes startling, inner layers for remarkable color contrast.) Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum), Stewartia, Plane Tree (Platanus), Katsura (Cercidiphyllum), Seven-Son Flower (Heptacodium) and Diablo Ninebark (Physocarpus) are all prized for their handsome exfoliation habits.
The Golden Weeping Willow (Salix alba ‘Tristis’) has a golden-hued trunk, seen to full advantage in winter. Oaks (Quercus) develop wonderfully rugged, craggy bark, with age. I once grew a Blue Beech, or American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) whose charcoal gray, fluted, “muscled" trunk was a fine winter accent.
Last, but not least, the evergreens...
Broadleaf evergreens offer glossy, green foliage all year, with some sporting eye-catching leaf variegations. Some, like the ‘P.J.M.’ Rhododendron and many Euonymus hybrids, are blushed with burgundy until early spring.
Needled evergreens provide deep green, silvery, bluish or golden year ‘round foliage... making them particularly important in winter, as their deciduous counterparts stand amongst them, awaiting next season’s foliage. From the precise pyramidal habit of the blue-green Blue Point Juniper, to the fairly irregular form of the Japanese Black Pine, there is a plethora of needled beauties in a wide array of textures, colors and shapes, from which to choose. And the birds will thank you as well, for many of these specimens will provide shelter, nesting sites and even food sources.
The long and short of it...
In the end, it’s quite hard to neatly pigeonhole any of these plants into any one category. There’s a blurring of the lines, when we attempt to do so. The basic structure, or “bones,” of a garden must be based on not only a well-conceived plan, hardscaping and structural elements, but also on the very structure of your plants. Consider ornamental grasses, as you seek variety and texture.
Remember, as we gardeners in Zone 5 are well aware, winter is a long, often colorless, proposition. The good news? It’s well within our purview to make those gardens shine, most especially during the depths of winter. Sharpen up that pencil, walk your landscape, daydream from the window and visualize next winter’s scenic view. (February continues on Page 3)
©DJL/CBI 2012
0 comments:
Post a Comment