New Plants For A New Season!

Spring is in the air and soon will arrive in Chicago! The vernal equinox is March 20^th. This is the official start of spring; it is usually heralded by small fragrant but very showy flowers of the Vernal Witchazel.  Little white snowdrops and bright yellow eranthus bulbs are peeking out of the ground. Hang in there… SPRING is coming!

Each year we evaluate new plant varieties and select our favorites to bring in for use in the gardens we plant. Here are a just few of the exciting plants we will have available for 2011. Some are old favorites and some are new cultivars but they all will make your garden a favorite destination.

Samaritan Chinese Dogwood Cornus kousa ‘Samzam’

A vigorous and cold-hardy dogwood, with variegated cream and green leaves that turn radiant pink and burgundy in the fall.  20-25′. Full sun.

Parrotia Parrotia persica

A beautiful tree with red, tassel-like flowers in early spring, shiny leaves that turn yellow-orange in the fall and exfoliating bark. A small tree with all season interest. 20’. Full sun.

Vanderwolf’s Pine Pinus flexilis ‘Vanderwolf’s Pyramid’

An unusual and compact pyramidal evergreen with twisted, silver-blue green needles. Vigorous and pest and disease resistant. Makes a nice screen or specimen. 20’ Full sun.

Kimberly’s Double Pink Azalaea Azalea yedoense poukhanense ‘Kimberly’s Double Pink’

A lovely selection with full, double pink flowers (typically in groups of four) appearing early to mid season. 3-4’. Part shade-shade.

Sweet Sixteen Azalea Azalea yedoense poukhanense ‘Sweet Sixteen’

A hardy azalea that blooms with sweetly colored blooms of soft pearl pink in early spring. Plentiful, dark evergreen foliage persists all winter. 3-4’. Part shade-shade.

Early Amethyst Beautyberry Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst’

A small shrub that blooms in the summer with small pinkish-lavender blooms on slender-arching branches that give way to large clusters of small lilac-colored, inedible fruits. 3-4’. Full sun.

Bella Anna Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens ‘Bella Anna’

Move over, Annabelle! This hydrangea offers dark green foliage and rich magenta-pink mophead flowers all summer long. 3-4’ Partial shade.

Incrediball Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’

Flowers the size of basketballs appear on sturdy stalks in summer, opening a key lime color maturing to a creamy white. 3-4’ Partial shade-shade.

Little Lime Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata ‘Jane’

This hardy, dwarf hydrangea fits easily into smaller landscapes. Green summer flowers appear on new wood and turn pink and burgundy in fall. Soil pH does not affect bloom color. 3-5’. Partial shade-full sun.

White Diamonds Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata ‘HYPMAD1′

A smaller hydrangea bursting with bright white panicles in the summer and fall. Dark-green, leathery foliage displays increased heat and drought tolerance. 3-5’. Partial shade-full sun.

Tiny Dancer Lilac Syringa vulgaris ‘Tiny Dancer’

A beautiful new variety with fragrant purple blooms that reach 4-5 inches in length. 4-5’. Full sun.

Bloomerang Lilac Syringa hybrida x ‘Penda’

Fragrant purple flowers that explode in spring, again in mid-summer and right up til frost. Its compact, full growth habit and small leaves make it perfect for small gardens. 4-5’. Full sun.

Black Lace Elderberry Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’

Intense purple black foliage is finely cut, giving this lovely shrub an effect similar to that of Japanese Maple. Creamy pink flowers in spring contrast nicely with the dark leaves. 7-9’. Full sun.

Cherokee Clematis Clematis ‘Cherokee’

A flowering vine with dramatic, dusky pink blooms with dark red bars and anthers. This plant can take sun, but keep roots cool by planting deep and mulching. 8-10’. Full sun.

Clumping Bamboo Fargesia Rufa

This non-invasive bamboo makes an attractive specimen or, in groups, creates an excellent hedge. Pretty orange-red cane sheaths add interest to this very vigorous, cold hardy selection. 8-10’. Full sun-partial shade.

Invasive Weeds: The First Sign of Spring

It’s spring! The snow has finally melted, the birds are singing, the bulbs are starting to bloom and the lawn will soon be turning green. Wait….. what’s that? Are those weeds in my lawn and flower beds? How did they get there? This is something that we all run into. It seems that every year, no matter how diligent we are, some little weeds pop right up. Technically speaking, a weed is just a plant out of place, but how do you distinguish between a weed and your emerging perennials? We’ve detailed two of the most common spring weeds in this article to help with that distinction. Happy weeding.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a biennial plant, meaning it has a two-year life cycle. First year plants do not produce blooms, but can be easily identified by their leaves. They have clusters of 3-8 rounded to kidney shaped leaves growing at ground level. The leaves have scalloped edges, a wrinkled appearance, and remain green all winter. In spring and early summer, the leaves emit a distinct garlic or onion odor when crushed. By the second year, plants start to produce stalks of small white flowers beginning in April and continuing through June. Growing about 1-4 feet tall, garlic mustard tends to be the only weed with this height and color that is blooming this time of the year, which helps in its identification. Elongated seed capsules appear soon after flowering and quickly lengthen. The seeds are small, produced in a row inside the capsule, and turn black when ripe. They have more than 100 seeds per plant.

We typically see a few of these plants sprouting up here and there, in which case, they can be pulled by hand. Try to remove the entire plant before or during the blooming period. Although garlic mustard seeds prolifically it is easily pulled by hand. It’s important to remove the plant before the seeds begin to form. Always make sure to discard the weeds in the refuse container, not the compost pile. Even after the plant has been pulled from the ground, the seeds continue to mature. Seeds can lie dormant in the soil for up to 5 years, so continue to check for new weeds to sprout. This is probably why we see them year after year, even with control. There are other options if you need to eradicate a large amount of garlic mustard. Using a weed whip to cut off the tops of the plants before they produce seeds is effective. A chemical control is available in the form of 1-2% active ingredient (a.i.) solution of glyphosate. For best results, follow as directed and apply to the foliage of individual plants and dense patches during early spring. Glyphosate is a non selective herbicide and will kill any plant it is sprayed on, so use it carefully.

Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) is a common perennial weed that can grow in moist or dry conditions, creeping buttercup is easily recognized by its shiny yellow blooms. Creeping buttercup blooms from early April until May, and grows about 4 inches tall. It can adapt to become even shorterr in a mowed area. Flowering typically doesn’t occur until the second season, similar to garlic mustard. With shoots that grow quickly, rooting along the way, creeping buttercup can make its presence known in the landscape in a hurry filling the lawn or perennial garden with its bright yellow flowers and shiny leaves. The plant itself only lasts a few months, eventually dying back below ground. The problem is it is so prolific and creates such a root mass that it chokes out other plants and turf.

Similar to garlic mustard, hand pulling the individual plants is the most common practice if a small amount of this weed is present in your landscape. It is not as easily pulled due to the way it roots along the stems, but this may be the best way to control this plant. Also, similar to garlic mustard, take care in disposal of these plants and stay diligent with hand pulling. The seeds in the soil can germinate up to 5 years later. A chemical approach, using glyphosate in the beds and a weed killer product containing 2,4-D for lawn areas can be somewhat effective, but because it blooms so early the temperatures are not usually conducive to chemical control. With both of these weeds, we really only try to get some control on their spread because eradication is difficult; they are a part of spring and their control is the beginning of the many tasks needed to make a garden look great.