Amelanchier, The Service Tree

Posted in plant profiles, trees I wondered why this tree was called the “Service Tree” or the “Serviceberry”. One story tells it that its bloom signaled when the graves could be dug in the spring in Appalachia. These types of trees are also called “Juneberry” and “Shadbush”, and it is in June that you find the pretty blue hued berries. Whatever name it is known by, this...
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Winter Outlines Garden Bones

Posted in Featured Articles, Seasonal Interest, garden design, trees Winter is a stark time for most of us in a temperate climate. Doubly so when a fresh snowfall creates lines and shapes, filled in with snowy white. We then see our garden in silhouette, and all its features are outlined for us to better judge the proportions and dimensions of our larger plantings and hardscaping. This is when we can decide how to improve the garden’s structure to give...
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Ten Winter Features

Posted in Seasonal Interest, plant profiles, shrubs, trees Everyone has their opinion of what makes something a joy to the eye. In winter everything is finely edited by our cold weather and killing frosts, but that only means we have a showcase for some plants that make the winter landscape beautiful and interesting. Trees: Crabapples- the bigger and brighter the fruits the better, but all of them lend a cheery spot to the landscape. Try Malus...
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Contorted Hazel

Posted in Featured Articles, landscaping, plant profiles, trees Preeminent for winter interest, the Contorted Hazel, Contorted Filbert, or ‘Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick’ all add up to the same beautifully twisted, gnarled branches standing out in the bleak wintertime views. All of these common names refer to one tree, “Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’“. Maybe not everyone will like it, due to the dull summer season...
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5 Choices for Living Christmas Trees

Posted in Seasonal Interest, plant lists, trees You have to plan a little early for success with living Christmas trees. Dig your planting hole before the ground freezes and be sure to keep your soil in unheated storage. Decide which tree you wish to put into your landscape plan this year.
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4 Fast Growing Trees

Posted in landscaping, plant lists, trees There are more examples than four, but four is the number of those I have grown (besides the fact that they are the most popular). These four are all deciduous trees, which means they seasonally lose their leaves. Because they are fast growing, it is tempting to choose them for this characteristic and think about other equally important ones later, but a tree is an investment of space and money...
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