It is deciduous, but considered a 4 season plant mainly because:

• It has lush dark green leaves.

• It flowers white in early summer.

• It has bright yellow fall color and cinnamon colored exfoliating bark.

As you can see it’s a great plant, but you need to be aware of its capabilities.

The first year or two it grows slow while it establishes. Then the pace picks up and it becomes quite vigorous.

As a climber I’ve yet to see its limit in height. Planted at the base of a large tree it will cling and climb until it reaches the top. I’m talking 60′ no problem.

The good news is you can control climbing hydrangea with proper pruning. But I say that with a warning.  If you use it in a limited space, like the one we’re about to talk about, you must be diligent with your pruning or it will easily take over the area.

It’s Doing Well – Too Well!

How do you respond to a customer that says that to you?

“I’m glad your climbing hydrangea is doing well, but sorry it’s covering your house.”

You can avoid those embarassing moments by knowing a plant’s capability right from the start.  Then you can advise your customer what to expect, how they can care for it or how others will care for it.

In the picture above climbing hydrangea is working well on this brick wall. But the plant wants to get bigger, as it does every year. It’s in its DNA.

Notice that the real dominant growth is towards the top. It wants to climb and get as tall as it can. I’ve used climbing hydrangea on homes where it is maintained just below the second story eaves. Not easy to do, but the look is beautiful.

How To Go About Controlling This Climber

The best time to prune climbing hydrangea is after it flowers.

The new flower buds are formed soon after flowering and remain on those stems for the following year. So you’d rather not cut those off if possible.

However, unless you operate with a “calendar of tasks” for your maintenance accounts, you will most likely prune the hydrangea when you’re there pruning everything else.

So regardless of when you prune climbing hydrangea, cut back the long shoots and those growing outward from the wall to just above a bud or leaf point. Prune selectively using hand pruners.

Often I’ll follow an aggressively growing branch to its “point of origin” and make my cut there.  This is the point where the lateral branch connects to a larger stem.

This climber produces “aerial roots” that attach themselves to whatever structure is nearby. When first planted you may have to help it attach to the structure by:

• Installing the plant so it deliberately leans and touches the wall or structure.

• Tying some of the main branches to the wall or structure temporarily till they attach. Several materials and methods will do this, but be careful these ties don’t constrict around the branches.

These aerial roots will sometimes leave a mark and organic residue on the surface after they attach. On this home some of the branches attached to the white shutters. It took extra time and effort to scrub them clean.

Like with all plants, when you know and understand their characteristics you can use them creatively and effectively. How have you used climbing hydrangea in your landscapes?  Did it perform as you expected or surprise you?  Let us know in the comments.

Canker On The Trunk Of Japanese Maple

These disease causing agents are either fungi or bacteria.

Fungi reproduce by spores, and these spores are the main way a fungus spreads to new hosts. These spores will travel through the air. Once a fungal spore lands on a plant, it lies dormant until conditions are suitable for it to infect the plant. Moisture is a key ingredient for fungus to develop.  You’re probably also aware of this for turf fungi.

Many plant fungi can survive in the soil or on plant debris, whereas bacteria pretty much hangs out just on infected plant debris. This is why it’s good practice to clean up fallen leaves from infected plants and discard them in the trash.

The fungus or bacteria can enter the plant either through a “wound” or even through natural openings. One type of natural opening, and maybe you’re familiar with the term, would be stomata. These are the tiny openings on the underside of leaves.

Wounds Are An Open Invitation To Disease

A plant’s bark is just like our skin. It protects the “innards” from outside harmful things. When an opening occurs the plant becomes vulnerable.

The canker is obvious in the picture of the maple trunk. Michael Hirsch, our plant health care adviser, says the canker developed because a pathogen found its way into a wound at the trunk.

It’s very likely this wound or “split” in the bark occurred from sunscald. This splitting of the bark happens usually in late winter or early spring when severe cold is followed by a quick thaw. Also, sunscald is usually seen on the west side of the plant where afternoon sun causes the thaw.

To protect against sunscald and the wounds it creates you can wrap the trunk with paper tree wrap in late fall. Just remember to remove the wrap in the spring because insects and other organisms can develop and wreak havoc under there.

It’s also a good idea to shape the the wound into an “ellipse” using a sharp knife. Cornell University has a great short article on bark splitting on trees with recommendations on how to deal with them.

Wounds can certainly be caused by other things besides sunscald.

Most wounds in the landscape are man-made. Examples are: poor pruning cuts, damage from improper handling and planting, lawn equipment, etc.  Sometimes animals like rodents and even deer cause damage.

What Can Be Done

There are some proactive things you can do to minimize tree wounding. You know I’m going to say practice good pruning and plant handling techniques, but also install adequate mulch rings around trees to avoid mower and line-trimmer damage. Mike Hirsch also recommends using tree wrap for a short while on a new wound to help prevent a pathogen from settling in. Once callusing starts you can remove the wrap.

In many cases canker will not kill the tree, but could structurally weaken it and its ability to cope in the years to come.

Mike oversees the plant health care on many of my projects. And although he’s always there to diagnose and advise, clients rely on him to not just treat the symptom but discover why these problems are happening. Every landscape contracting business should have a plant health care specialist on staff or one within there network.

This is a group of hybridized hollies.  They were developed by “crossing” other holly types to produce cold-hardy plants with beautiful foliage – 2 noble goals.

The term blue holly represents several hollies within the Meserve Holly group.  I do have my favorites, but each one has its own beauty especially when sited correctly.  By sited correctly I mean planted in favorable conditions for that particular plant.

The blue holly group is certainly cold hardy.  In fact,  as far north as into parts of zone 4.  Certain varieties have been found to be a bit more cold-hardy than others.  For example, Blue Maid Holly (pictured above) is considered one of the hardiest.

Note: Even though blue holly is cold hardy, I would still spray them with an anti-transpirant as an added measure of winter protection.  Any broadleaf evergreen will suffer winter burn if conditions are right, such as frozen ground, winter sun and wind.

In the south (e.g. zones 7 – 9) they generally don’t fair as well as in colder climates.  If you’re in those zones consider planting where they’ll get some afternoon shade.

Form and Growth Habit

Blue holly’s mature form is either pyramidal or upright and rounded.  When healthy (this goes back to “siting correctly”) it is a dense evergreen.  The leaves are glossy and almost blue-green.  There are fine, spiny teeth on the leaf edges – but not as pronounced as those on American Holly.

Blue holly varieties are dioecious, meaning there are male and female plants.  If you want the female to produce berries you’ll need a male holly nearby (at least within 300 ft.).

What Blue Holly Likes (and doesn’t like)

Generally, they like full sun.  They will get thinner with less light, which in a “natural” setting can be acceptable.

Blue holly adapts to different soil types, but avoid planting in poorly drained soil.  Plants that are in heavy wet clay can, for example, weaken and become predisposed to disease like Phytophthora.

As far as pruning goes, I trim them selectively with hand pruners.  Of course large hedges can be done with shears to be more practical and productive.

How Do They “Work” In The Landscape?

When I say this plant is versatile in planting design, I’m not kidding.

The top picture shows blue holly as a hedge.  Is that beautiful or what?  Notice the space this hedge has to grow forward – very smart.  You could plant a groundcover or low perennial in that open space while the holly continues to grow.

The picture to the right shows a blue holly used as a single plant in a mixed garden.  It offers year round interest with its deep, rich color and texture.

I have also used blue holly as a screen plant to hide utilites.  In the border garden it masses nicely in groups of any number (they say always work in “odd” numbers).  There you can arrange them in a stagger and let them grow together naturally.  For foundation plantings it makes an excellent corner plant either by itself or in a grouping.

As always (I’ll bet you know what I’m going to say) space blue holly appropriately.  They have the potential to get 8 – 10′ high and 6 – 8′ wide.

Here are some of the blue holly varieties you’ll probably come across:

• ‘Blue Angel’
• ‘Blue Boy’
• ‘Blue Girl’
• ‘Blue Maid’
• ‘Blue Prince’
• ‘Blue Princess’
• ‘Blue Stallion’

Today I planted and arranged fall flowers at my house.  While rushing to get that chore done so I could move on to the next, it hit me.  Maybe some of you folks could use some tips on this.

How can I work underneath a wide plant and keep my sanity?

Right?  It can be a real nuisance “getting down in there”.  In this instance it’s a mum, one of the popular fall flowers.

The idea is simple.  Carefully tie up and bundle the branches so you can see what you’re doing.  Frankly, this trick applies to working underneath and around many types of plants.

Remember to mark the nicest side (face) of the mum before tying it up.  A little piece of string works great for this.

I’m using a piece of Arbor Tie to tie up the mum.  It’s wider than string and very soft.  For delicate plants (like a mum), something like this works great.  I’ve also rolled up a piece of burlap and tied that around the plant.  You get the idea.

How to keep top-heavy fall flowers from falling over.

Frequently we arrange fall flowers just in their nursery pots above ground.  These seasonal arrangements can get very creative by arranging the plants at different heights and positions.  How often, though, do you see them tipped over?

Here’s a simple fix.  Use 3 bamboo garden stakes per mum to “stake” them in place.

Push each bamboo stake through a drainage hole up from the bottom.  Angle the stake in a bit so you stay in the “meat” of the root ball.

Let them stick out the bottom 1/2″ or so and set the plant where you like it.  Push each stake down into the ground and/or hay bale.  Prune off the excess bamboo on top.

Seasonal arrangements, like with fall flowers, add something special for that time of year.  But like everything else in the landscape, there’s a practical and functional side.

Mums and other fall flowers must be kept moist.  By planting them in either the ground or larger planters you slow down the moisture loss.

For those you arrange above ground the bamboo staking method ensures they stay put.  Just be aware that these plants will require more frequent waterings.

For those in the trade, you don’t want to be spending more time than you have to on these seasonal arrangements.  But, like always, the results are important.  Use these tricks to make things easier on you.  Plus, you’ll get fewer call backs, more happy customers and possibly the greatest compliment of all…referrals.

There are so many creative ideas out there for seasonal displays.  If you’re into it, feel free to share any techniques or styles you may use in the comments.

How often we look at a situation and think, “I just need a mounded-form plant that’s nice and full; that I can rely on.”  (It sounds like what a plant would request with a dating service.)

Cherry Laurel ‘Otto Luyken’ is the variety I’m referring to.  Its characteristics consistently satisfy the needs and wants in my designs.

Qualities and characteristics.

Hardy in zones 6 to 8, this Cherry Laurel has a compact spreading habit with lush, glossy, dark green leaves.  It usually grows to around 3 – 4′ high and 6 – 8′ wide.  This is such useful shape and size in planting design.

The white flowers show in April and May for a couple of weeks depending on weather and geographic location.

Although there is a small, purple – black fruit after flowering, it’s hard to find within the thick foliage.

As far as exposure goes, I’ve used Cherry Laurel in sun and it has stood up well.  Given the choice the plant will generally prefer partial shade to shade.

Most broadleaf evergreens like rich, organic soil that’s  moist, but well-drained.  Like I’ve said many times before (I can’t help it – this is so important), moist does not mean wet, and well-drained means…well-drained!

Cherry Laurel does not like wet, heavy soil.  So check out the soil condition.  Amend it if you have to.  Be conscious of planting in low areas where water might collect.  Planting height is always a concern so make sure the top of the ball is slightly above existing grade.  Plant higher if in doubt, and leave room for mulch.

Oh, here’s 2 other qualities worth noting.  Cherry Laurel has been found to be deer resistant.  Now this may vary depending on where you are because we all know this “deer resistance” thing is not an exact science.  In my area the deer won’t bother it.

Cherry Laurel will also tolerate salt spray for you shore area designer / gardeners.

Use and design.

This picture shows Cherry Laurel used “en masse” as an understory to an old stand of Canadian Hemlock.  Notice the filtered light they’re getting.  We used 5′ spacing allowing them to eventually touch.

In the first picture at the top it’s another setting with filtered light.  You can see again how well they “mass”…this time it’s a group of 3.  The pachysandra groundcover fills in space without competing with the laurel.  This strategy works well when the planting is young and you might have alot of open space to deal with.

Foundation plantings, borders, you name it.  On a slope it can work well too because the spreading habit conveys a horizontal to downward feeling which diminishes the slope.

If you haven’t tried Cherry Laurel ‘Otto Luyken’ give it a go.  Just make sure the conditions meet its cultural requirements.  For those who have used the plant, please let us know how in the comments.  And if it’s been in the ground for awhile, “How’s it growing?”

When I use the term “core” I’m referring to the center of the plant’s root ball.  A nursery plant that’s been dug, balled & burlapped (B&B) is now totally reliant on that root ball to keep it alive.

One of the major concerns of everyone handling and caring for that plant should be to keep the root ball adequately moist all the way through to its center or “core”.

Here’s why that’s so important.  Undoubtedly all nursery plants will have their “ups and downs” with moisture availability due to varying conditions and circumstances.  Typically the root ball will begin to dry on the exterior.  If moisture is not provided, the dryness will continue towards the center.

If the dryness travels too far into the root ball:

1. In all likelihood the plant will be severely stressed and damage will occur.
2. Restoring moisture back “to the center” of the root ball can be slow and difficult.

The trick is to not let the root ball get to that point.

If you watch and monitor the moisture levels of your nursery plants (whether they’re above ground or planted) :

• It’s easier to maintain consistent moisture throughout the root ball.  Dry soil can become “hydrophobic,” making it very hard to re-wet.

• You avoid plant stress that could be irreversible.  Yes plants often bounce back from early stages of dryness, but if the dryness is prolonged and represents drying “to the core” it’s not good.

How To Maintain Moisture Levels

Consistency is the name of the game.  If the nursery plant is being stored above ground, it is that much more challenging because the root ball is exposed to sun & wind.  Whether you’re watering by hand, sprinklers or a drip system designed for nursery stock, be vigilant.

If the tree has been planted, consistency is still key, but being in the ground helps tremendously (no pun intended).  The earth protects the root ball and insulates to help moderate temps. and slow moisture loss.  Still, the plant is losing moisture through its leaves (transpiration) and the soil is gradually draining & drying.

Sprinklers will work  for the most part, but again, consistency is key.  The watering must work its way from the surface down to the “core” of the root ball.  With a steady watering schedule the moisture level should be maintained through all the soil levels.

Sod staples hold pipe to the ground

During these hot summer months in particular, we’ve been using 2 watering methods to ensure our larger, recently installed plants are kept moist “to the core”.

The pictures above show basic, store-bought soaker hose being used.  I’ve coiled a 50′ length around the base of this newly planted tree using sod staples to hold the hose down.

The root ball on this plant is 42″ wide.  It’s imperative this tree stay moist to the center of the root ball.

Every few days the homeowner connects a regular water hose to the soaker and lets it run for just 10 minutes.  We found that this schedule during this hot, dry weather is adequate to keep the root ball moist.

The other method we use is the “Treegator”.  The one in the picture holds 20 gals. of water.  It’s designed with a zipper from top to bottom so you can wrap it around the trunk.

Treegator

With the Treegator the concept is that the water-bag (or reservoir) be filled with a hose and then allowed to drain gradually by itself.  It can take several hours for the bag to empty.

Both these methods concentrate water directly over the root ball where it can seep in without much “runoff”.

I should mention that it’s equally important to monitor the moisture levels below the ground while these watering methods are being used.  Keeping the plant moist is important, but “over-watering” can have damaging affects on plants.

Irrigation is such an important part of plant health and it seems the least understood.  I’m going to continue to write about it in the hopes that this basic fundamental of plant care is better understood and practiced.

There are so many “tricks of the trade” and techniques for watering.  If you have one I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Euonymus ‘Emerald Gaiety’ and ‘Emerald Gold’ are 2 very common shrubs.  In many ways the two are similar in form.  You’ll often see both used as a low, mounded shrub either at the front of a garden or as an area groundcover.

Euonymus ‘Emerald Gaiety’ has the distinct capability to climb when planted next to a structure.

In this first picture is ‘Emerald Gaiety’ and further down the stone wall   is ‘Emerald Gold’.

The loose, straggley growth on top is typical and perhaps in a larger open space this “wildness” would be OK.  For example, used on a slope as a groundcover this “rambling” habit would be great.

However, in other gardens  you may want to prune for a neater look.  In this situation the Euonymus ‘Emerald Gaiety’ is overpowering the azalea behind it.  Let’s bring it back to scale, but keep that natural form.

How To Prune

As always, the best method of pruning any plant to maintain a “natural” appearance is to prune “selectively” – that is, by hand, single cuts with hand pruners.

Some of you are probably saying, “Are you kidding, I have too many to prune selectively”.  I hear you.  There’s a point of practicality where you have to make a judgement call.  In this case it’s not the end of the world if you shear the plants to make a monstrous task more doable.

These next 2 pictures show selective pruning on the Euonymus ‘Emerald Gold’.  I pruned the ‘Emerald Gaiety’ the same way.

Select the longest growth that extends beyond the main body of the plant and follow it down into the plant.  There, among the denser growth make your cut just above a leaf or lateral branch.

This last picture shows the Euonymus ‘Emerald Gaiety’ after it was pruned selectively. Notice how the “natural” form was maintained, but the plant is neater and more in scale with the azalea behind it.

To Shear or Not To Shear

With Boxwood most people instinctively shear the plant.  The vision most of us have is one of perfectly shaped forms.  It definitely is at the top of the list when it comes to formal gardens and topiary.

I’d like to suggest two circumstances when “selective” pruning might be the alternative to shearing.

1. when boxwood is used in “natural, informal gardens”.
2. when boxwood starts to decline because of too dense branching at the outer ends of the main stems.

Boxwood used in natural, informal gardens.

It’s such a reliable, solid performer; I often use boxwood in natural settings.  In these gardens the boxwood are pruned selectively by hand to encourage the plant to stay full and strong while keeping a soft, mounded shape.

Dense, outer growth causes decline.

Overtime a constantly sheared (and formal) boxwood can start to decline in health.  This could be because of a number of conditions, e.g. poor internal air circulation that could promote disease or insect infestation.  The fact is plants naturally are not conditioned to have all their foliage concentrated just on the outer portion of the branches.

To improve or maintain the health of a sheared plant, you can selectively prune out a portion of the dense, outer growth.  If done right this will allow more light and air into the interior without causing a dramatic change in the look of the plant.

Topiary Boxwood

I’d like to focus on shearing because this is by far the most common way people prune boxwood.

These first 2 pictures show the before and after of a Boxwood ‘Wintergem’ that was sheared.

This is a recently planted boxwood that was sized at 24 – 30″.   At this young stage you have the perfect opportunity to set the proper shape for the future of this plant.  Although you can often correct misshaped plants, it’s not easy and usually takes 2 to 3 seasons of growth to see improvement.

The fundamental rule in shaping a plant is wider at the base and taper towards the top.  There are 2 main reasons for this:

1. It’s healthier for the plant because light is better distributed to the foliage.
2. Aesthetically it’s more attractive and logical that the plant be wider at the base.  You want the plant to appear as though it’s connected and well-anchored to the ground.

In the sketch below I give a couple of typical shapes you would shear plants both the “right” and “wrong” way.

It is not easy to develop these proper shapes with wider bases.  Plants naturally grow a little weaker and thinner towards the bottom.  Also, it’s been my experience that most people want to cut an equal amount off the plant all over.  That doesn’t work!

If you look at the first picture of the unsheared boxwood, notice how the greater amount of growth is concentrated towards the top.  The bottom and lower sides naturally have less growth.  Now look at the plant sheared in the 2nd picture.  The lower portion of the plant was not touched by the shears.

I still happen to use a pair of hand shears for trimming topiary plants.

You should develop a system or pattern to how you shear a plant, get good at it, and then repeat that pattern from plant to plant.

I shear plants in a clock-wise direction.  I imagine the proper line the shrub should have and follow it.  Regardless of how much or how little foliage there is, stay on that imaginary line. If you need a little help and guidance, for the straight lines take a length of wood like a 1 X 2″ (or anything like that).  If you just hold it up once in a while to show the line you’re trying to create, it can really help guide you.

You more often see power hedge trimmers today for shearing topiary plants.  They are powerful and quick.  If kept sharp and in skilled hands they can do some nice work very productively. In unskilled hands…I’d rather not talk about it.

When to shear plants.

Generally it’s best to let the new growth finish and “harden off” a bit before shearing.  From a practical sense the plant should not grow much (if at all) after that and the shape should stay nice until the following growth season.

If you happen to trim early, occasionally I have seen new, soft growth scorch a bit if the weather got hot right after the shearing.

On some properties plants might be sheared twice because the owner does not want to wait for the growth stage to completely finish.  So it’s done perhaps midway during growth and then again when it’s finally finished.

These are the main considerations when pruning boxwood and many of these points apply to other plants as well.  However, it’s so important you consider each plant and their “specific” preferences and requirements.  Like so many things, the skill starts with the right knowledge.

Two of the functions of good planting design that work together to marry the house to the site are:

1. to complement the home
2. to have the home appear integrated (connected) to its surroundings

There are certainly other functions accomplished by good planting design, like creating spaces, directing views and traffic, screening, etc.   But this “complementing and integrating the house to the site” is major.

In the picture above, this house is desperate for both hardscape and landscape planting design.  The house dominates the relatively narrow property and to make matters worse, the grade drops off steadily on the right.

We know this house is “off-balance” and the right side is just dominating the view with its tall expanse of siding and windows.

You’re probably thinking what I first thought.  Why couldn’t there be a huge 80′ shade tree on the right side front?   Can you imagine how that would change the whole picture?

It was not to be.  The new homeowners had come from a previous property that had loads of large trees and they did not “want to go there…again”.

Think long-term, think work-in-progress.

I mentioned it before in previous posts – these landscapes are works-in-progress.  Provided you do a professional job from day one, odds are good you’ll be adding to and modifying this landscape in the future.  For example, I’m thinking that someday I’ll be helping this homeowner select a nice, big shade tree for the right side front.

But in the meantime…

Never underestimate the effectiveness of mid-size ornamental trees, especially in close proximity to the house.

The homeowner welcomed the idea of ornamental trees.  I suggested Purpleleaf Plum off the right front corner.  It’s planted approximately 15′ from the building giving it room to develop.

Now brace yourself because I recommended Japanese Red Maple for the side of the house.  I know what you’re thinking: “What are you crazy?  There isn’t much room for that tree to grow!”

Before you report me to the “Better Plant Use Bureau” let me explain.  Japanese Maple is one of those trees that by shape and form is very “malleable “.  What I mean is the growth habit and branch structure respond and react really well to pruning.

Oh, and one more point to make with regard to using the maple close to the house.  We searched for this plant looking for a particular shape and branch structure.  It stands about 18′ high.  Dave Kennedy, our contributing landscape contractor, used one of his mechanical tree spades to dig the plant and place it in a wire basket.  A skid steer was used to bring it to the planting spot.

The house has a home.

The two ornamental trees add much needed weight to the right side of the house.  Their height breaks up the broad expanse of  the windows and siding.  Notice how the tree canopies soften the transition from the flat plane of the property to the vertical lines of the building.

I should mention too the improved psychological feeling particularly when you drive or walk down the driveway.  Just having the tree branching reaching out overhead helps immensely to make you feel more comfortable.

The foliage colors, flowering and textures of the trees and the understory plantings complement the home.  Add 2 to 3 years of growth with proper care and this home will be even more integrated with its surroundings.

Just what are reverted shoots?

Many of the unusual cultivars of plants you see came from the original, normal plant.  What happens is a mutation occurs in the normal plant causing an unusual (and sometimes desirable) variation of growth.  For example, the shape of the mutated growth might be compacted or miniature compared to the normal plant.

If the growth and/or color traits of the mutated shoot are desirable, then more plants can potentially be created from this shoot.  This is done by “vegetative” propagation.  In other words cuttings are taken from the unusual shoot and rooted to make young plants.

Over time a shoot of growth may appear on this new “cultivar” that has the plain foliage from the original normal plant.  This is a “reverted shoot”.

What to do with them.

Whenever you come across a reverted shoot on a variegated or unusual foliage plant, it should be removed.  Not only do they look out of place on the unusual cultivar, but they will start to dominate the plant.

As you see in the picture below, prune the reverted shoot right at the point of origin.

One of the most common examples of branch reversion is with Alberta Spruce and perhaps you’ve seen it too.  This compact plant is derived from the standard White Spruce.  A reverted shoot on Alberta Spruce is not hard to identify.