Free Fertilizer!

Before, since I don't have as many trees in front,
most to these leaves came from the street

Every year at this time I see so many people raking up and throwing out an excellent, free material for building their soil and feeding their plants and lawn. By mowing in the leaves you return nutrients to the soil, build organic matter, cut down on disposal or transportation costs and, best of all, you don’t need to bend over to pick up the leaves.

After.  10 minutes later, the leaves are 'gone'.

Last season I blogged about this same topic, and you can look back there to read about more good reasons to mow in your leaves. I can also refer you to a recent post from MassHort on fall preparations for more about mowing leaves. They also recommend lowering the mower blades for the last mowings of the season. I did that this year and I got some pretty clean results.  There are some special cases that argue against mowing the leaves back into the soil, but there are many more cases where the benefits far outweigh any downside. So for the last mowing/raking of the year, lower the blades a little and just run over those leaves.

Chokeberries, they gotta find a new name



NOT Burning Bush!  This a Red Chokeberry,
 Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' growing at the edge of a parking lot.



Flowers of Red Chokeberry in late May-early June

The Chokeberries are medium-sized shrubs native to eastern North America and have landscape attributes that make them good replacements for the invasive ‘Burning Bush’, Euonymus alatus. Like the Euonymus, these shrubs will grow under a wide variety of conditions and they have good fall color. In fact, this year seems to be an exceptional year for chokeberry foliage! In general, Red Chokeberry has more intense orange to red fall foliage, while Black Chokeberry is more a crimson red. Unlike the Euonymus, the Chokeberries do have showy pinkish-to-white 5-petaled flowers, they have edible berries in the fall and, as natives, they are not invasive.


The two most commonly available species of Chokeberry are: the Red, Aronia arbutifolia, and the Black, Aronia melanocarpa. There is a third species, Aronia prunifolia, the Purplefruit Chokeberry, which may be a natural hybrid of the red and black chokeberries.

 The

Pair of Red Chokeberries in a mixed native planting,
early June.

Red Chokeberry is an upright suckering shrub that will grow 6-12’ tall. Besides the bright red-orange fall foliage, it produces bright red berries that will persist into December. These fruits are edible, but bitter, which is probably why they do not get eaten right away by birds. While it will grow under a wide range of soil conditions from boggy conditions to dry soils, it prefers the moister conditions. Its native range is from the southeastern US to southern New England. The most commonly available form of Red Chokeberry is the cultivar ‘Brilliantissima’, noted for profuse quantities of glossy, red berries.

The Black Chokeberry is a smaller suckering shrub, growing to 3-6’ tall and wide. In addition to its crimson fall foliage it produces quantities of black berries that are eaten up by wildlife by November. Unlike the Red Chokeberry, the black berries, while tart, are more palatable and are used to make jellies and pemmican. These berries are notable for containing high levels of antioxidants and minerals. I went out to sample a berry, but they were already dried up; the taste was reminiscent of a dried fig. Next season I will take a taste while they still have some juice in them. The native range for Black Chokeberry is in the cooler climates of North America, mainly in the Northeast, from Michigan to Maine. There are several cultivars of Black Chokeberry available. The one I have is called Iroquois Beauty™ (‘Morton’). It is listed as a dwarf, growing to about 4’ tall and wide. I have not done any significant pruning in the 5 years I've had this plant.


Black Chokeberry, mid-Fall color.



Same plant at peak color in early November



These shrubs are tolerant of salt, drought, flooding and compacted soils. Other than in full shade, one of these Aronia species will grow nearly anywhere. In my work I look to use them in borders, mixed hedgerows and along woodland edges. Their foliage is less dense than that of the invasive Euonymus, so are better players in a mixed composition.  Now if they could just find a better name...

Under the Norway Maple - Part 2

As the growing season is slowly coming to a close I thought I would revisit the status of the native species I have be evaluating under my Norway Maple.  There have been some improvements and some failures and one plant that I thought I lost has returned in a different spot.  In general many of the plants continuing to grow, only slower and smaller due to competition from the mature Maple.

Maturing berries of Winterthur Viburnum start off
bright green, then turn pink, then finally dark blue.

First the good news.  After 4 years of growing with no berries, I finally got a good crop from my Winterthur Viburnum (Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur').  While it had been slogging along at the edge of the tree canopy, it produced no fruit until I brought in a native form last fall.  This year, with the cross pollination, mature berries were produced for the first time here.

Another plant the seems to be catching on is the Northern Sea Oats (Chasmantheum latifolium) that I moved in last year.  These overwintered and grew fairly well in the shade along the back fence.  I would like this grass to grow up and obscure the chain-link fence.  A new addition, that seems to be working out is the Bluestemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia).  The native habitat for this plant is in open woods, so at least this plant is used to the shade.



The Northern Sea Oats are doing well along the fence. 
The new Bluestemmed Goldenrod is in full bloom (late September)
and the Witchhazel is just getting started 



The Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) that I thought had faded away returned in a new spot and looked healthier this year than when it was first planted 4 years ago. 

I transplanted a lot of 2nd year American Bellflowers (Campanulastrum americanum, a biennial) along the back edge of the garden.  These did well though early and mid-summer until they died out after completing their bloom cycle.  The test will be whether new plants return from the seed. 

The biennial Allegheny Vine (Adlumia fungosa) did not come back with any new seedlings this year (unless they were lost in the spreading Virginia Creeper).  A new addition that I thought would work but did not do well was Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis); I will keep a eye out for this next spring.

Successes

Other plants that are expanding are:

The Rosinweed is standing tall while the Smooth Aster
and Showy Goldenrod have flopped forward toward the sun.

American Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides, an annual returning from seed), Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve), Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium), Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia, now the dominant grond cover), and Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata).

I should give a shout out to the Rosinweed.  While it does not have the prettiest flowers, it was in bloom all summer.  Then, I cut the spent blooms back to some new flower buds and got the second flush shown in the photo.  (Cutting back when no buds are present just leaves you with a leafy stem; I tried that last year.)

Plants holding their own:

  

Christmas Fern, Bellwort and Wild Bleeding Heart
have looked good all season.

 Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Rosey sedge (Carex rosea), Alumroot (Heuchera villosa),  Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla), Largeflower bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora), Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana )

Fading or gone:

Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia fragariodes) has disappeared and the Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) was down to only two sprigs in the spring before it disappeared.  Hairy Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum pubescens) has been in this area for 4 years but it now seems to be in decline.  I put in a new one this fall and am hoping for its return.

Plants that should work, planned for next season:

Last year I planned to put in Labrador violet (Viola labradorica) and Maple-leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) but didn't.  I'll try to get those for next spring.  I will will also give the Canada Anemone another shot.  I also have some Large-leaf Aster (Eurybia macrophylla) that I should move over, seeing as it usually does well in dry shade.

In addition to using plants that are strong competitors that can get their share of moisture there are some maintenance practices that will help the understory plants survive under the Norway Maple (or other mature tree for that matter).  Limbing up and thinning the canopy to let in more sunlight helps a lot. Also, new plants should be irrigated deeply the first year to get them established, as well as under droughty conditions (mid-summer). I have a rain barrel with a special low pressure soaker hose to help with this.  Returning the leaf mulch to the understory area helps to build the soil.

Biennial Beeblossom



Biennial Beeblossom in mid-September

 As the name implies Biennial Beeblossom, Gaura biennis, is a true biennial, it establishes a basal rosette the first season and the sends up the flower stalk the second. This stalk can reach 6 feet or more, with clusters of small white flowers borne on the ends of wand-like stems. Flowers in the cluster open 2 or 3 at a time and turn pink with age. As with other members of the Onagraceae, or Evening Primrose family, these flowers open in the evening and close up the following day. The blooming period is from July into October. After the first flush, plants can be cut back severely; they will produce a second flush of blooms. I have also cut the plant back by up to ½ in mid-June to give a plant only slightly shorter with many more flowering stems. I have transplanted second-year plants without loss of vigor. I even had a root-bound plant in a 4” pot grow to 3 feet tall and bloom successfully.



Basel rosette of Gaura biennis form in the first season





Fresh flowers open at 9:30 PM



A bumblebee making a landing on a Beeblossom flower.

The flowers of G. biennis are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, especially bumblebees. When bees visit the flowers they grab on to the long stamen and crawl to the corolla to get the nectar. In the process their abdomen rubs against the anthers and stigma of the flower thus transferring pollen. Several moths also visit this plant. Two interesting pink colored species are the Primrose Moth, Schinia florida, found in the eastern US and the Clouded Crimson, Shinia gaurea, found in the western half of the US. The first 2 years I grew this plant I did not see too much insect activity, but this year there were a lot of bumblebees visiting the plant at sunrise, while the flowers are still relatively fresh (but alas, no pink moths that I have seen).




The original native range for Gaura biennis in the United States is from the Southeast to Midwest and Pennsylvania. Populations have been found further east and west the northern states including Massachusetts. The native habitat includes open and disturbed places, open woods and stream banks. It can tolerate a range of soil moisture from moist to dry and exposures from full to partial sun. Best growth occurs when there is good sun, and not too much water or fertilization provided (it can flop over when it grows too tall).



Even after cutting back in June,
this plant is approaching 7 feet.


This plant can be rather lanky. Its tall habit with long stalked flowers may make it a good candidate for creating a screen or a back-of-the-border plant. I can see combining this plant with the American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum, which blooms from the end of June to the beginning of August. As the bellflower dies out the Beeblossom would take over blooming for another 6 weeks or so.

Seeds are available from several sources, mostly based in the mid-west, including Prairie Moon Nursery and Ever Wilde Farms. For seed started indoors, a 60 day period of moist stratification is recommended.  In my hands this gave reasonable, though not exceptional results. My first generation of plants have reseeded themselves with moderate vigor so that I have had several plants growing consistently since 2008.

Lindheimer's Beeblossom,
Gaura lindheimeri.

The commercially more popular form of Gaura is Lindheimer’s Beeblossum, Gaura lindheimeri, which is a short-lived perennial. I also have this plant in my garden, but it does not seem to be as popular with the pollinators as the Biennial Beeblossom. The popularity of of this plant is that, as a perennial, it has a more consistent presence in the garden, a long period of bloom and at 2-3 feet it is of a more manageable size.

September Showers bring ... Mushrooms

This year, in addition to all the native asters and goldenrods, our annual late summer trip to Downeast Maine featured a huge variety of mushrooms.  Ususally on our walks through the woods we see a lot of different mushrooms, but this year was exceptional in both quantity and variety.  All of the rain, about twice the average for August, has set the table for mushrooms to grow. 

These were the first mushrooms I saw, but there were many more to come...

I'm not a mushroom expert, in fact I don't think I know any of the names, but I know I do like the way they look.  The following are sampling of the hundred or so photos I took during a one hour walk.  If anyone can tell me the names of these fungi it would be much appreciated. 

This little cup is about an inch across.



This form was fairly common.



These white mushrooms were less common along our walk.



While I am often looking for a pristine specimen,
an aged cap can offer a more interesting image.

These inch-tall fungi are among my favorite, they look like tiny space invaders.

This older specimen shows a lot of character,
especially on the stalk.





This was my foavorite shot of the day.  I had not seen
this type of mushroom growing in a standing tree before.



We almost missed seeing these dark mushrooms.

These were the only puffballs we saw this day.

More inch-tall mushrooms.  I had to set the camera
on the ground to get this angle.

Another 'ground' shot.



These bracket mushrooms caught my eye with their irridescent edges.



Thank heavens for my digital camera and for auto-focus!  I'm sure I would have run out of film in the first hour with my old SLR.  I also want to thank my two mushroom spotters who found most of these for me.

North Point Park, Cambridge, MA

I have heard, on and off, about the construction of North Point Park as a 'set aside' from Boston's Big Dig.  It's in an area I always shied away from because of the the traffic.  But on a quiet day last Sunday and a reminder from some landscaping associates I finally made the short trip into East Cambridge.

The 8.5 acre park was opened in Dec. 2007 and is on the north bank of the Charles River just east of Boston's Science Museum.  For backgound on the history and construction I will refer you to a Wiki article and item from the Boston Globe.  The design was done by Carr Lynch & Sandell of Cambridge and Oehme van Sweden of Washington, DC.  Van Sweden is noted for their use for grasses, and it shows well in this park. 



View looking northeast into Cambridge.

 The park is designed for multiple uses and, on my visit, it seems to do them well.  The landscape is varied.  There are large open areas for lounging or more active pursuits.  There are playground areas that are clean and modern.  There are areas with dense plantings that offer some privacy and there are a couple of islands, linked by bridges.  All of these work together to form an interesting and diverse experience.  Another aspect that I found to be very nicely done is to have separate path systems for various modes of transport: Walking paths, Bike paths and Channels for kayaking. 

Playground with fountain spary.

A more secluded gathering area. 
I'm curious how this will be used.

A section of bike path around a stand of Prairie Coneflower.



View to the east.  Plantings had to be selected to deter use by geese.



One of the Kayaking channels.





Looking at the plant palette, I was expecting to see all native plants, but what is here is a pragmatic mix of natives and non-natives with the focus on design and survivability, rather than strict use of native species. Personally, would have like to have seen more natives, but visually, this design 'works'.



Mix of grasses including native Panicum and non-native Pennisetum.



View south toward Boston through a hedge
of non-native Corneilian Cherries (Cornus mas).



  

Liriope and a dwarf Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
form an effective groundcover.





My favorite combination: Joe-Pye Weed and Hibiscus hybrid ('Lord Baltimore'?)

 On this day the most striking plant compostition was the Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium dubium) and the hybrid Hibiscus.  One of the reasons I like this is that they are both wetlands plants native to the eastern U.S. (or at least derived from eastern natives).

My biggest concern for this park is how it will be maintained.  Will the beds be weeded out of invasives and plants blown in from other parts of the park, or will a form of succession be allowed.  I noticed a few patches of purple loosestrife and bittersweet growing among the plantings.  I also found a patch of Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense), a native of the southeastern U.S. that has spread across the continent.  This is a really well defended plant with thorns on its stems and its leaves.  Currently the park is not getting a lot of visitors.  I hope people come and take notice of it and insist that it get the maintenance attention that it needs in the coming years. 

Getting Viburnums to bear Fruit

Last year I posted a blog on how using cloned plants may reduce the viability of seed produced in the garden. In some cases this is not a bad thing from a design point of view, if it is desirable to limit the number of ‘spontaneous’ seedlings and maintain a 'clean' ground plane. If your goal is to produce seeds and berries for wildlife, then the use of sterile, or self-sterile plants is of no advantage. The situation that brought this up was that the Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’ that I have has never produced more than a couple of small berries each year. After 5 years of this I investigated the situation and leaned that in order for Viburnums to produce seed it must be pollinated by a genetically distinct individual. (You see most cultivars are clones of the same individual.)  So last summer I picked up a straight species form of Viburnum nudum and planted it nearby.

These pale green berries will turn pink, then dark blue as they ripen.

This year I’ve got many, many more berries forming on the ‘Winterthur’, as well as the species plant. The species and ‘Winterthur’ bloomed at the same time; this is very important for cross-pollination. There is a difference in form and fall color between the two plants. ‘Winterthur’ is more upright and the fall colors on a single plant vary from light orange to red. The species plant is more lax and turn a rich burgundy color in the fall. Now I’m looking forward to seeing some of those brightly colored berries later in the fall.

Fall color for 'Winterthur' cultivar

Viburnum nudum species in early November.



Only a few of the signature blue berries
matured on this lone Arrowwood Viburnum.



Earlier this year I also added an Arrowwood Viburnum, Viburnum dentatum ‘Christom’= Blue Muffin®, to fill a gap in a shrub border. To my knowledge there are no other Arrowwoods in the neighborhood. This species of viburnum blooms 3-4 weeks earlier than the ‘Winterthur’ and only two clusters of late blooms overlapped with the opening of the flowers on the ‘Winterthur’. On inspection today, the Arrowwood has just a few mature berries on the plant, all of the other flowers just fell off shortly after blooming. So it may be that the pollen from these two species is compatible, but their blooming times are so different that they are not practical mates.

In any case, now when I recommend Viburnums in a wildlife-friendly garden, I try to include two different cultivars of the same species, or look to see if there are some other plants of the same species growing nearby. I will need to look for a chart with bloom times for all of the Viburnums to see if there any other possibilities for interspecies compatibility, as is done with Holly.