The Plants Around Us

[dr_bates]

Silk Tree / Mimosa / Albizia julibrissin

I have mixed feelings about the silk tree. The fern like foliage looks exotic. At night or when touched, the leaves amazingly fold up. Watching the foliage close is fascinating and something I will never grow tired of seeing. On top of that it creates pompom fluffy pink flowers for a long bloom period.

What's not to like?

Where winters are mild, it can become invasive. Here I'm just north of its hardiness limit. I have trepidation each spring, wondering if there was damaged. It's like waiting for election results. Even with spring's arrival, it's hard to tell. Mine doesn't begin to leaf out till nearly June, so all spring it looks like a dead tree.

To safeguard them through the winter, I grow silk trees in pots and moving them to the garage during the cold. They'll never be as potentially tall as if growing free; however, it resolved winter damage issues.

"E. Wilson" is supposedly the hardiest variety.
That claim seems a little inflated. In my experience it struggles through our harsh winters too.

E Wilson

My favorite is Summer Chocolate with its dark purple foliage.

Summer Chocolate

Alba is variety with white flowers.

Alba

Rosea has blooms that are more pink.

Rosea

There are many species of Albizia; however, the rest are more tropical. I don't mind storing them in the garage through the winter. I'm not going to fill the living room too.

 

[shIgreen123]

I can't seem to keep my larger house plants alive for a long time (+6-12 months). Someone told it's not just about watering but you should change the soil every so often?

 

[dr_bates]

Asparagus

Unlike a lot of garden vegetables, asparagus is a perennial, capable of being harvested many years.

Establishing asparagus require a degree of patience. To allow the crowns and roots to develop, none should be harvested on the first year. On the second year, the harvest should be severely limited to only a week or two. Each year the harvest period can be extended a week. After five years, it can be picked for perhaps seven weeks. (If planting seed, you should wait at least three years before reaping the rewards.)

Garden space can a premium. Dedicating a place for a crop taking years to harvest can be troublesome. Often such space becomes rather neglected and overtaken and weeds.

One clever solution is growing asparagus with strawberries. Asparagus has deep roots that won't compete with the shallower roots of strawberries. The airy fern like foliage of asparagus won't create a lot of shade. Meanwhile, the strawberries will help keep the soil cool. While looking for berries through the summer, weeds are more likely pulled.

(Strawberries are either everbearing or June bearing.)

Purple passion is a variety that has purple stems. Unless cooked rapidly, it'll turn green when cooking; therefore, it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

There is no specific variety for white asparagus. Any variety kept from light will be unable to produce chlorophyll. In consequence, if white is desired, shield the plants from light till after harvesting. (For the remainder of the year, they require sunlight and will turn green.)

Fortunately for those without patience, there's always the grocery store.

 

[dr_bates]

I can't seem to keep my larger house plants alive for a long time (+6-12 months). Someone told it's not just about watering but you should change the soil every so often?

How often a houseplant needs repotting depends on the species, age, and size. Most shouldn't require repotting more than once year. (The best time to transplant is in spring.) Unless it's an emergency, don't transplant during the winter. The ordeal is stressful for the roots which will take much longer to recouperate with the shorter days of winter. (This is especially true for cacti and succulents.)

As you probably suspected the most common culprit is water, especially over watering. Also inherent to this is drainage. Pots must have drainage. Some plants, not all, can be killed from tap water, specifically chlorine. It's always best not to water with chlorinated water. (Keeping tap water in an open container overnight will allow the chlorine to dissipate.)

Sometimes the problem is lighting. If growing too far from a window, they'll be unable to sustain themselves.

Keeping our houses warm through the winter often depletes humidity. Most houseplants are tropical and get stressed in arid air.

Pests can quickly become problematic indoors. Outside other insects and rain can reduce the severity.

How a plant dies can offer clues to its demise.
Browning leaf tips.
Drooping or curling leaves.
Yellowing leaves.
Dropping leaves.
Leaf spots.
Elongated stems.
Leaves turning white.
....these are all clues.

Good luck!

 

[shIgreen123]

Wow thanks!!

 

[dr_bates]

Bigleaf Magnolia / M. macrophylla

For the bigleaf magnolia, size matters.

This native to southeastern US has huge leaves. It has the biggest leaves native to North America. Each can be three feet long! It's an amazing sight that adds a tropical feel.

Besides the leaves, the flowers are also ginormous, getting to 16 inches wide.

Having such huge leaves and being from the south, it's easy to speculate that they aren't sufficiently hardy. That would be wrong. It does admirably well even in the harsh winters that I must endure.

It's probably best to plant it in a sheltered location, as strong winds may likely batter the leaves.

Though not common in the nursery trade, it's not impossible to find. It's a novelty worthy of the hunt.

Like most other magnolias, provide a fairly acidic, well-draining soil. Water well, especially in dry periods. It can tolerate quite a bit of shade (or be grown in full sun).

The Ashe magnolia, M. ashei, is closely related. (They can look very similar!) The leaves are often just a smidge smaller. To distinguish between them, examine the leaves. Ashe has a white cast to the underside, not silvery grey like the bigleaf. The base of Ashe leaves are more rounded.

In both we can believe that size matters.

 

[Southeastern]

Bigleaf Magnolia / M. macrophylla
View attachment 149374171
For the bigleaf magnolia, size matters.

This native to southeastern US has huge leaves. It has the biggest leaves native to North America. Each can be three feet long! It's an amazing sight that adds a tropical feel.
View attachment 149373861

Besides the leaves, the flowers are also ginormous, getting to 16 inches wide.

View attachment 149375101

Having such huge leaves and being from the south, it's easy to speculate that they aren't sufficiently hardy. That would be wrong. It does admirably well even in the harsh winters that I must endure.

It's probably best to plant it in a sheltered location, as strong winds may likely batter the leaves.

Though not common in the nursery trade, it's not impossible to find. It's a novelty worthy of the hunt.

Like most other magnolias, provide a fairly acidic, well-draining soil. Water well, especially in dry periods. It can tolerate quite a bit of shade (or be grown in full sun).

View attachment 149376711

The Ashe magnolia, M. ashei, is closely related. (They can look very similar!) The leaves are often just a smidge smaller. To distinguish between them, examine the leaves. Ashe has a white cast to the underside, not silvery grey like the bigleaf. The base of Ashe leaves are more rounded.

In both we can believe that size matters.

For me, size doesn´t matter in several circumstances, but surely for the beautiful Magnolia.

 

[dr_bates]

Fargesia / Clumping Bamboo

Be mindful of a bamboo's potential before adding it to the landscape. There are many species of bamboo. Some get quite large. More importantly, there are spreaders and clumpers. For spreaders it will be a challenge to control the invasion. If you cannot control the roots, it will spread - everywhere. [That was your warning.]

Most, if not all, fargesia species are clumpers; therefore, the likelihood of it getting out of control is much less. As far as height goes, they don't get super tall. All in all, fargesia is quite manageable.

Many of the species are remarkably hardy, able to stay green through the winter. The leaves can get scorched if the winter is especially harsh and windy; however, spring growth quickly rebounds. Being native to the mountains of China, they're used to the cold.

Also native to these mountains are pandas, which favor fargesia.

Adding bamboo can create an oriental feel to the garden, though they can simply be a backdrop, an accent, or visual barrier.

To make them happy, provide well draining soil and water them regularly. I've found they don't prefer full sun. They do best in a light shade or provided shade through the hottest hours. While not essential, for better growth try a fertilizer that is slow releasing and somewhat high in nitrogen.

Fargesia fungosa has yellow stems.

Stems are red on "Asian Wonder".

If you had your heart set on black stems, there's Fargesia nitida "black pearl".

Fargesia rufa.

(Hardiness, of course depends on species.)

 

[dr_bates]

Tropical Hibiscus

In areas without frost, tropical hibiscus can become small trees over 15 feet in height (sometimes 30!). In areas with that cold season called winter, it's commonly grown as an exotic patio plant. Most often it's treated as an annual, for once hit by frost it won't be coming back.

Sometimes people get motivated, moving it indoors through the cold. Of course, this is best done utilizing a greenhouse. Regardless of the size of the living room window, the plant will likely suffer. With less light and humidity, the leaves will drop; it probably won't flower. However, if able to keep it alive till spring, it will quickly rebound when back outside.

Don't just shove an inside growing plant outside. It needs to be acclimated. Transition it to full sun slowly, putting it in a shady location first. Leaves unaccustomed to full sun will quickly get scorched. (Reminds me of friends spending the first day of summer at the beach. It looked like fun until they were in agony that night with lobster red skin.)

These tropical patio plants have a tendency of losing leaves if conditions are unfavorable. Keeping them happy includes:
> Making sure they have excellent drainage.
> Watering them frequently. The soil shouldn't get totally dry. (The shouldn't be soggy either, hence the drainage.)
> Using a potting media. Don't just shovel dirt into a pot, regardless of how rich it might be. In pots dirt will compact, killing the drainage. (Yes, perlite can be used to amend soil. If you're going to buy perlite, you might as well get potting media.)
> Acclimate your plant. Most store bought plants are grown in greenhouses. Being exposed to wind and unfiltered light can be shocking.
>Ultimately they'll need full sun. They'll won't do well in the shade.
> Watching out for pests. Hibiscus, especially plants under stress of acclimation, are magnets for pests. Thrips are super tiny - barely visible. They'll hang out mostly on tips and buds. Buds will drop before opening. Spider mites are even smaller. Look for tiny filaments of webbing on the underside of freshly dropped leaves. Aphids are yet another pest to be wary of. They're often in creepy masses on newly grown fresh tips. For all these pests, try dislodging with vigorous showering of the foliage. For bad invasions, try a bee safe organic pesticide. There's good ones made from sesame oil. Neem oil is a popular organic pesticide (and fungicide); however, it can harm bees.

This plant has flowers; don't be hurting the bees! That would make me mad.

Watering a plant frequently with good drainage can quickly make the soil nutrient deficient. Plan on feeding regularly through the summer (following package instructions). The best one for an exotic tropical hibiscus will have moderate nitrogen, low phosphorus, and high potassium. (If enriched with some iron, it's even better!) In addition to the fertilizer offer it a small amount of Epsom salt monthly in the summer. (Just use a half teaspoon per gallon of water. The magnesium will help green the leaves.

In 1920, the yellow hibiscus became the official flower of Hawaii (that's many years before statehood in 1959).

Create your own Hawaiian tropical oasis.

 

[dr_bates]

Althea / Rose of Sharon / Hibiscus syriacus

For those of us living in areas of frost, don't get jealous of exotic tropical hibiscus. Althea is a winter hardy shrub, blooming from mid to late summer till fall.

By nature it has an invasive nature. To ensure you're not inundated with seedlings, only plant sterile hybrids

Plants do best if planted in full sun with well-draining rich soil. Though they can handle some drought well, it's best to water them occasionally. if fertilizing, do so in early spring, using a food higher in potassium than phosphorus. To give them a boost, consider a yearly application of some blackstrap molasses and Epsom salt (diluted in water).

The biggest challenge I've had to deal with is Japanese beetles. These can be picked off. There are a few organic control measures. Traps have a scent lure; therefore, place them on the garden perimeter. (In a diabolical way, the traps would make great gifts for your neighbors.)

A reluctance to bloom or even a dropping of flower buds indicates stress, like over watering, drought, pests, and insufficient light. Pruning in late spring and summer will also prevent flowering. They don't need much phosphorus; however, if the soil is depleted, a little may be needed.

Besides the typical hibiscus shaped flower, some varieties have pompom like double blooms. I tend to avoid adding double blooming flowers to the garden, as they are substantially less useful for pollinators. They are, nevertheless, quite pretty.

Rose of Sharon is the national flower of South Korea, where it symbolizes love and beauty.

 

[dr_bates]

Evodia / Bee Bee Tree / Tetradium daniellii

While big flowers have their appeal, small ones can contain a big punch. Individually, bee bee flowers are small and dainty; however they're held in clusters that cover the tree in late summer (when few other trees bloom).

These tiny flowers are magnets to pollinators, especially bees. I'm not talking about just a few bees; it'll be a swarm of activity.

Be cautious about planting it, however, as it has invasive tendencies. Sexes are on different trees; therefore, unless your neighborhood already has some, planting just one should control the spread.

While older trees are remarkably hardy, young saplings are quite suspectable to winter damage (here in the north).

The soil should be kept fairly moist (but never soggy). It is quite shade tolerant but blooms best in full sun.

If you have a fear of bees, this might not be a tree for you. It will become a buzz with busy bees. Personally, I'm entertained watching the activity.

 

[dr_bates]

Strawberry / Fragaria

Technically, as you may have heard, this isn't a true berry, but neither is a raspberry or blackberry; however, pumpkins, eggplants, and tomatoes are.

There are several wild species native to Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Despite seldom being historically cultivated, in all these regions they were used by mankind for their deliciousness. It's a flavor many cultures regarded as heavenly. These were all tiny fruits, nothing comparable to today's standard.

Strawberry development took a detour, when a few South American plants were brought to Europe. While other species are monoecious, having both male and female parts, these from South America were monoecious with sexes in separate plants. As it turned out, all the brought back specimens were female; therefore, they couldn't get fruit. By using pollen from a different species, the modern strawberry was created.

For best results, give them full sun in a well-draining, slightly acidic, rich soil. Enrich the soil with compost. When planting, the proper depth is critical. It's important not put the crown too deep or too shallow.

Don't plant them too closely together. You'll need to provide space for them to develop runners. The closest should be at least 18 inches apart.

It's also important to keep the strawberry patch weeded. Keeping the area mulched will help prevent some weeds. Mulch will also retain moisture. (Win win!)

When selecting new plants, you'll need to decide if you want everbearing or June bearing. Everbearing tends to be smaller but produced throughout the summer. Junebearing tends to have a high yielding three week period, though not necessarily in June.

It'll be tempting to let new plants fruit; however, it's best to prevent flowering. Let the focus of new growth go to the roots.

As the plants make runners, be mindful of space and resources. They shouldn't all be allowed to make new plants. We don't want to divert too much energy from the main plant.

The average life span of strawberries is 5-6 years with three years of high yield. A patch is therefore in a constant cycle. New plants, taking about two years to fruit well, slowly replace older plants.

To help ensure better pollination, plant flowering annuals nearby, like white alyssum. For proper fruit development, each strawberry flower has to visited by bees several times. (Deformed fruit were likely visited insufficiently.)

In late fall, after a couple frosts, cut the plants back to about a two inch height, then mulch. When spring arrives, ensure the mulch isn't too deep around the crown.

Then it's all about harvesting your little taste of heaven.

 

[dr_bates]

Fringe Tree

This small tree, native to eastern US, is tragically overlooked, as homeowners are more likely to plant smelly pear trees, ornamental cherries, or crabapple. Fringe trees are beautiful trees with few issues.

The petals are long and slender. In masses the blooms look like fleece, giving a very soft texture. The look is quite stunning.

Granted, newly planted trees may not bloom. Once established and happy, they'll bloom each spring.

This species is dioecious with trees being either male or female. Female trees produce berries only if a male is nearby.

The foliage is shiny and dark green, resembling small magnolia leaves. While some ornamental trees can start looking a bit ratty by midsummer, fringe trees usually look clean and vibrant. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow.

To me it's baffling why such a good looking tree is so infrequently planted.

(The Chinese fringe tree is quite similar.)

 

[dr_bates]

SweetPotato

History often teaches that the Americas were isolated until Columbus epically sailed the ocean blue, while somehow overlooking viking artifacts. Sweet potatoes serve as addition proof of visitation.

We know that they were first cultivated in or near Central America. Later examination of Pacific Islands found Polynesian people were already cooking sweet potatoes. It's not native to Polynesia or Asia. Somehow the natives got them from Central America.

When brought to Europe, they became quite popular. Back then, they were simply called potatoes, a term derived from native American Indians.

While today's true potato originated from South America, it is totally unrelated. A potato is closely related to tomatoes and eggplants. Sweet potatoes are closely allied to the morning glory vine.

Needing longer warmer summers, sweet potatoes do better in southern regions. Northern Europe struggled trying to grow them, as did New England.

Here in Michigan it's basically a novelty. Nobody plants acres of them, as the summer is not reliably long enough.

When planting, the soil should be rich and soft. Hard (stony or clay) soils will deform the roots.
It's best not to use grocery store bought roots to start new plants. For the retail trade they were likely processed to inhibit sprouting. Buy slips from a nursery. Being tropical, they resent being planted in cold soil. (So don't plant them too early!) They don't require a lot of fertilizer. When feeding, use a balanced fertilizer for them.

Once established they are fairly drought tolerant. They can handle dry spells better than too much moisture, which can encourage rotting.

What about those colorful sweet potato vines used as annuals? Yes, they are truly sweet potatoes. Though edible, they won't taste as good.

Though sweet potatoes are sometimes called yams (perhaps to differentiate between varieties), true yams are very different. They have a bark like exterior and are native to Africa.

 

[dr_bates]

Strawberry development took a detour, when a few South American plants were brought to Europe. While other species are monoecious, having both male and female parts, these from South America were dioecious with sexes in separate plants. As it turned out, all the brought back specimens were female; therefore, they couldn't get fruit. By using pollen from a different species, the modern strawberry was created.

I had to correct that blunder.

 

[dr_bates]

Blueberry / Vaccinium

For over 13,000 years blueberries have been an integral part of North American life medicinally and culinarily. Somehow powdered dried berries were used to preserve meats.

In 1916, they were first cultivated and today there are numerous varieties available. You can select tall high bushes or short low bushes. Flowering can be early or late. Since cross pollination isn't a must, bloom time is critical. (Cross pollination can result in larger berries with bigger yields.)

Blueberries are in the botanical family Ericaceae, which designates their close relation to rhododendrons, azaleas, heaths, heathers, cranberries, and mountain laurels.

They are not related to the Heath family, the Health chocolate bar, or even Heath Ledger.

Heath Family

Place them in a sunny location rich well-draining soil that is fairly moist but never soggy.

Before planting check the soil's acidity and amend if needed. For blueberries it needs to be acidic (4.0-5.0). Never use aluminum sulfate or iron sulfate. Instead use an organic means that will be safer for you and the plant. (Check the pH yearly! It will likely get alkaline in time.)

Pruning aims to make the plants more productive. Old canes are less fruitful; therefore, in early spring, snip old canes out. While roots are establishing, it's best to direct resources toward building stronger roots by pruning out most flower buds.

Not all blueberries are the traditional blue. Pink Lemonade is a variety with reddish fruits that have a tart citrus like flavor.

Pink Lemonade

Some blueberry bushes are quite ornamental. Cabernet Splash has appealing dark foliage through the summer.

Cabernet Splash

 

[dr_bates]

Plum Leaf Azalea / Rhododendron prunifolium

Typically rhododendrons bloom in spring; however, this species blooms with bright fiery red or vivid red-orange flowers mid to late summer.

Though native to Alabama and Georgia, it's quite hardy, surviving particularly harsh winters.

The shiny dark green foliage turns plum colored in autumn, hence the name. (Can be mixed with yellow.) This deciduous shrub can be quite tall, reaching up to 12 feet in height (though 20 feet is possible).

Normally rhododendrons are resistant to deer browsing. That isn't the case with plum leaf azaleas. Apparently, deer find them delicious.

They don't like being placed in full sun; however, it's best to offer some sun, preferably in the morning.

The soil must be well-draining and moist (but never soggy). Only well established plants are somewhat tolerant of minor droughts.

The flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds and bumblebees.