Tupelo, A Honey of a Tree

Tupelo, also known as Blackgum, is among the first trees to show fall color. Summer leaves are a pretty, shiny green. In autumn they turn fiery red, which you may have deduced from cultivar names like ‘Red Rage,’ ‘Wildfire,’ and “Firestarter.’ A few leaves will have yellow, orange or purple highlights. In spring, the nectar-rich flowers are a butterfly favorite but blooms are so small they are unnoticeable to humans. In late summer, female trees produce deep blue or purple fruit, a treat for turkeys, songbirds, bears, opossums, and raccoons. Honeybees produce a high quality, pale honey from Tupelo nectar.

Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica, pronounced NYE·suh sil·VA·tuh·kuh and mispronounced by me 100% of the time as NISS-ah) are native to the eastern US, and are hardy in zones 3 through 9. They prefer a moist, acid soil in full sun, but are adaptable to wet or dry locations, are wind- and salt-tolerant, are fire resistant, and will withstand some shade. They grow in sand, clay or silt soils.

While deer may nibble the tender new shoots in spring, they leave mature trees alone. The straight species and older cultivars may suffer from leaf spots, but this does not seem to harm the tree. ‘Red Rage’ and ‘Green Gable’ cultivars are resistant to leaf spot problems.

These are slow growers but can be induced to speed thing up by the addition of water and fertilizer. Mature height is typically 30 feet with a 20-foot spread, but in favorable habitats they may reach 90 feet or more. Tupelo Tower™ is a narrow cultivar, only 15 feet wide at maturity. A weeping cultivar is available, as is a variegated form, but I have not found those in local nurseries. A super-cool cultivar, ‘Zydeco Twist’ has gnarly, contorted limbs that make one think of Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, an unrelated plant.

Although leaves can be confused with those of common Persimmon (Diospyros) trees, Tupelo limbs emerge from the trunk at a 90-degree angle, which (along with their dark, blocky or ridged bark) makes trees easy to identify in winter. Tupelo leaves are clustered on short, smooth limbs, “spurs.” Persimmon leaves are not shiny, and occur all along the length of the limb. Tupelos have a tap-root structure that means they transplant best when young.

Brilliant fall color

Tupelo fruit

The beginning of autumn color change

The Tractor Seat Plant

“Tractor Seat Plant” is the descriptive common name of Farfugium japonicum. The variegated (yellow spots) form has the common name “Giant Leopard Plant.”

Farfugium (pronounced far-FEW-gee-um) is hardy in zones 7-9. The yellow flowers are incidental to the foliage, exotic-looking leaves so shiny that they appear polished. Plants are not picky as to soil acidity. They want partial shade and moist soil, and are ideally sited along streams or near water features. They also make impressive container plants if the gardener provides plentiful irrigation. The large rounded to kidney-shaped leaves wilt pitifully when they need water. Plants die to the ground in winter, then pop up in spring and bloom in late summer to fall before they go dormant again.

Opinions vary as to whether solid or variegated leaves are the prettiest. (I favor the solid green.) The clumps of foliage look especially good against a solid brick or rock wall. Give plants plenty of space. Mature plants may reach four feet tall, three feet across. Individual leaves may reach impressive widths of 18 inches, held aloft on 3–4-foot stalks that rise directly from the ground. Plants are propagated by division. ‘Bad Hair Day’ and ‘Crispatum’ cultivars have a ruffled edge to the leaves.

Farfugium is rarely troubled by disease or insects, although slugs sometimes attack. They are moderately deer resistant.

A young Farfugium,. When mature, it will shade the fairy statue like a large umbrella.
Photo by Suzanne Leone. Used with permission.

Silvery Artemisia Makes a Deer-Proof Companion

The silvery threads of Artemisia make other plants look better by contrast. It can also play peacemaker between flower colors that may clash. This perennial shrub is hardy in zones 6-9. It will grow to three feet in height, and up to four feet wide in its first season. Any limbs that touch soil may sprout roots, resulting in an increasing clump. It also spreads by rhizomes.

Like other plants with gray foliage, Artemisia (pronounced ar-tem-EE-zee-uh) is heat-tolerant and drought-tolerant but suffers from wet soils or high humidity. ‘Powis Castle’ cultivar is reputed to be more humidity-tolerant than others. It has a finely cut foliage that looks super when paired with needled evergreens or purple foliage (think Loropetalum or Purple Heart). Shrubs may have yellow blooms, but flowering is rare and doesn’t add much to the overall appearance. A newish cultivar, ‘Seafoam,’ has neat curlicue foliage. I plan to trial its humidity resistance in the Mary Snoddy garden as soon as I find it in a local nursery. Artemisia foliage can be dried and used for wreaths or in flower arrangements.

Personal experience taught me that this is a plant that thrives on neglect. Initially, I planted ‘Powis Castle’ in a partly sunny spot and watered it during hottest days. By the end of its first season, it looked tatty, not at all attractive. Year two was even worse – long stems with limited (brown, nasty) foliage. In frustration, I pulled it out of the ground, tossed it on the gravel pile next to my greenhouse, and forgot it. Imagine my surprise three weeks later, when I realized that it had returned from the brink of death and was thriving atop a hot, dry gravel pile. Lesson learned. I planted a pair of future purchases in horrible, red fill dirt on top of a slope and added no supplemental irrigation. They flourished.

‘Powis Castle’ will survive in any soil type, and prefers a neutral to alkaline soil. Mature plants may open up in the center and look rather rangy. Limited pruning can be done any time plants are actively growing. They withstand hard pruning and will regenerate into dense shrubs. Important: Do NOT prune in late fall or winter. Wait until active new growth starts in spring before whipping out the loppers. Plants pruned in winter are likely to die.

Artemisia is not grown for its pleasant fragrance. Crushed foliage or cut stems exude a strong smell. This odor is what makes deer avoid it. Plants are untroubled by insects or diseases.

You will notice that I have not provided a common name for Artemisia. Well, here goes: Wormwood.

Soft, fern-like foliage of Artemesia

Artemesia paired with Cryptomeria globosa ‘Nana’

I threw this Artemesia onto a gravel pile. Instead of dying, it became a robust, healthy plant. Here it shares space with Lambs Ears, a creeping Sedum, and Eucalyptus.

Tiny Allium Lookalikes

Most gardeners are familiar with the large, impressive Alliums, also known as flowering onions. Yes, those softball-size purple globes look great towering over shorter plants. They adorned the Mary Snoddy garden several times, but either dwindled down to nothing in a few years or were so tall they needed to be staked. I have limited patience for staking and even less for expensive bulbs that pull a disappearing act, so I moved on to better plants. Then I discovered two diminutive lookalikes, Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea, pronounced tul-BAG-ee-uh vy-oh-LAH-say-uh) and Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum, pronounced AL-ee-um too-ber-OH-sum).

Society Garlic has long narrow leaves and clusters of star-shaped lavender flowers held atop narrow stems. If the leaves are crushed, they give off a strong garlic odor. Plant them in full sun or part sun. They are heat and drought tolerant, but will bloom much more if given plenty of water. They are perennial in zones 7-10. Propagate by dividing mature clumps or taking root cuttings. They are rarely bothered by insects or diseases, although slugs may cause minor damage. I was surprised to find Society Garlic flowers are a favorite target for hummingbirds. A variegated-leaf type is available but I find it to be less cold hardy than the non-variegated form.

Garlic Chives also have long narrow leaves, but their flower clusters are white. Unlike Society Garlic, those flowers are followed by capsules of black seeds. Unless the capsules are removed, they fall to the ground and seeds sprout into ever-enlarging clumps, giving rise to a reputation for invasiveness. Trust me on this one – removing the seed clusters is far easier that removing a zillion little bulbs. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers, but hummingbirds pass them by. Garlic Chives grow in a wider area than Society Garlic, in zones 3-9.  They are not picky on soil type as long as it is a well-drained. They prefer full sun. So, how do you tell Garlic Chives from Onion Chives? Garlic Chives have a solid stem; Onion Chives have hollow stems.

Society Garlic begins flowering in spring and continues through frost. Garlic Chives is a late-summer to autumn bloomer. Deer ignore both these beauties. Either can be closely planted as a flower bed edger to discourage deer from nibbling your favorites.

This clump of Allium tuberosum (Garlic Chives) held up to a heavy thunderstorm just minutes before. It did not flatten the way many other plants would.

Society Garlic flower

Clump of Society Garlic, Tulbaghia

Two Shrubs with Great Fall Color

Fall is my favorite season – colorful leaves, cooler temperatures, tasty apples, and football (in a normal year, that is).  If your desire for autumn color goes beyond the potted Chrysanthemums for sale in every garden center and grocery store, consider these two deciduous shrubs: Callicarpa and Fothergilla.

Beautyberry (Callicarpa) has tiny white or pink blooms in late spring, and so-so foliage. It is a forgetable plant until September, when clusters of purple berries adorn its branches. The berries hold fast to the stems, even after the yellow leaves shed. There are cultivars with white, pink or lilac berries, but why select one of those when you can have grape jam, Barney-like, intense purple? Berry set is heaviest when several plants are grown together.  Callicarpa prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It won’t tolerate constantly wet feet. Beautyberry has arching stems, similar to Forsythia. Callicarpa americana is a big shrub, reaching 5 to 6 feet, while its cousin Callicarpa dichotoma is more compact, reaching 2 to 4 feet. The smaller stature plants are easier to incorporate into the home garden. ‘Issai’ is a compact cultivar known for heavy fruiting at an early age.

Beautyberry produces blooms and berries on new growth, so do not hesitate to prune hard during dormancy. These easily-grown shrubs will tolerate severe cut backs, even to a few inches above soil level. A bonus feature is that the leaves contain a compound that repels mosquitos, ticks, and biting flies.

Fothergilla is another easily-grown shrub, a native member of the witch hazel family, with multi-season beauty. In spring, it has white bottle-brush blooms that appear on bare stems. Summer leaves have blue undertones. These shrubs have outstanding fall color, showing yellow, orange, red and burgundy shades all at the same time. If you are considering Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus), please reconsider and choose Fothergilla instead. Burning Bush has red fall color, but it is invasive and should not be planted. (Visit http://invasive.org for more info.)

Fothergilla likes full sun and moist soil. There is a size to fit your need. ‘Mount Airy’ is widely available. It reaches 5 to 6 feet, with similar spread. ‘Suzanne’ reaches to 2 ½ feet with a width to 3 feet. Diminutive ‘Harold Epstein’ reaches only 12 inches in height, with a spread to 18 inches. Bonus feature: This shrub is not normally browsed by deer.

The bright purple berries of Callicarpa show how it earned the common name, Beautyberry.

Even though it has only been in the ground for one year, this ‘Mount Airy‘ Fothergilla shows fantastic fall color.

This is the same shrub shown in the fall color photo. The white bottle brush flowers decorate the early spring garden.

Redbuds for Summer Foliage Color

Eastern Redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) are known for lighting up the garden in early spring with brilliant, reddish-purple blooms before foliage appears. (For a link to my 2018 blog post about Redbud trees, click here.) The green-leaf types fade into polite obscurity after blooming. Their showy cousins, however, sport foliage that will electrify the summer garden.

It does not matter if your taste leans toward rich purple or screaming chartreuse, upright forms or weepers, there are special cultivars that will be focal features in your summer garden.

‘Ruby Falls’ weeping Redbud

‘Ruby Falls’ is a purple-leaf weeping tree with a compact growth habit that will grow no more than 30 feet. ‘Merlot’ is an upright form with the same maroon foliage. ‘Forest Pansy’ is a taller, older cultivar that is gorgeous early in the season, but its leaves change to mostly green in the heat of the summer.

New growth on ‘The Rising Sun’ Cercis canadensis

‘The Rising Sun’ new growth is apricot, changing to chartreuse and then a bright green. A healthy tree will put on new leaves all summer, so all three colors will appear at the same time. Unfortunately, ‘The Rising Sun’ has weak branch structure and is prone to breaking in windy areas or under snow or ice loads. The specimen in the Mary Snoddy garden lost more than half its limbs in summer storms. Several friends have trees that suffered similar damage, to confirm that this is not an anomaly. It is a beautiful tree and I will add more to my collection, but will site them in an area with a windbreak like the one shown in the accompanying photo, below. ‘Hearts of Gold’ has similar chartreuse color but does not show any apricot or peach tones.

Redbuds are considered understory trees, performing best in the south when given light shade from taller trees. They are one of the few plants that will thrive near black walnut trees. High light exposure results in more blooms and denser growth habit, but expect to provide supplemental irrigation if sited in full sun. Most trees are naturally multiple-trunked, which I find more attractive and natural-looking than those trained to a single leader. Plant them where low-hanging limbs will not block walkways or behead the person mowing the lawn.

Exercise special care to avoid damaging the thin bark. A string trimmer is The Enemy. Injury provides an opportunity for canker or other fungal problems.

Redbuds grow in zones 5-9 and are rarely browsed by deer. They transplant most successfully when small but gain size rapidly. Their life expectancy is about 20 years but may succumb much sooner if exposed to pre-emergents or herbicides.

‘The Rising Sun’(tm) Redbud appears to advantage when seen against a backdrop of darker evergreens, which also serve to protect it from wind breakage.

‘Ruby Falls” is a tree for lovers, covered in burgundy hearts

Black And Blue Salvia

I’ve never met a Salvia that I didn’t like, and Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is at the top of the favorites list. They typically start blooming around Father’s Day in my zone 7b garden. To the delight of my hummingbirds, they opened much earlier this year (first blooms on May 8). The hummers ignore the feeders to sip nectar from the cobalt-blue blooms with black calyxes.

The Black and Blue specimen in the Mary Snoddy garden arrived as a 4-inch pot from the local nursery more than ten years ago. The first year was just okay, but the following years it flourished. The plant has spread by rhizomes and is now more than six feet across after numerous divisions. I have moved pieces to several locations throughout the grounds and given away countless divisions. It shows best when planted in masses rather than singles.

This is the tallest Salvia in the Snoddy garden, reaching five feet or more. It is an ideal candidate for the back of the flowerbeds. In the hottest part of the year (August), it usually takes a break from flowering. At that time, I use an electric hedge trimmer to cut it back to two feet. I give it a booster of liquid fertilizer after pruning and it rapidly regenerates and will bloom again about four weeks later. Flowering continues all the way to freezing weather. The top growth dies to the ground in winter and should be removed. Plants are perennial in zones 7 to 10, but can be grown as annuals in cooler areas. In zone 7, it is best to protect your dormant plants with a light winter mulch like pine needles.

Black and Blue is an easy plant to grow in full sun, with little to no supplemental irrigation. Oddly, several recipients of my divisions have reported failures after transplanting. I potted up a three-gallon container earlier this year, and for the first few weeks, I thought it was a goner. The top growth turned black and died. In the last week, it has regenerated from the roots and looks healthy. Perhaps it just resents disturbance. Black and Blue has the square stems typical of members of the mint family and is easily propagated by cuttings. I have rooted cuttings in both soil and water with equal success.

During its first year, Black and Blue grows thick, knotty rhizomes that resemble black fingerling potatoes. These underground storage chambers allow the plant to survive long periods of drought. Once established, it is truly a fuggedaboutit plant. Deer ignore it and the pollinators love it.

A honeybee visiting ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia

A large clump of ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia, begging for division.

Hurrah for Hardy Cyclamen

In the midst of drab winter, I value anything hardy enough to send up colorful blooms. Such is the case with Hardy Cyclamen. Cyclamen coum are tuberous perennials, cold hardy in zones 6-9. These short plants are perfect for rock gardens, woodlands, containers, or scattering through partly-shaded beds. Plants go dormant during summer months. Because of their small stature, they show best when planted in groups.

Please note, we are talking the species purpurascens, coum or hederifolium here, not Cyclamen persicum, those gorgeous but finicky flowers from florists. I can usually kill those in about six weeks, although two weeks is my record. There is disagreement over the correct pronunciation of the genus, with some insisting on SIGH-cluh-men and others preferring SICK-luh-men.

Cyclamen’s delicate appearance would lead one to believe they are difficult to grow . Not so. My start came from a friend who discovered a drift behind her new home. They were growing happily in loose leaf litter, with the bulbs barely covered. Some even sat atop the humus, with only their roots extending into soil. She shared a few bulbs with me. In four years, they have multiplied into a couple of healthy clumps. I have not irrigated or fertilized them, but have adjusted their soil pH with lime to barely alkaline. In the Mary Snoddy garden, they coexist with hostas, acanthus and Ajuga ‘Black Scallop’ under spotty shade cast by Crape Myrtles and pine trees.

Flower stems are shaped like shepherd crooks, so the top of the flower points to soil, not sky. Both flowers and leaf patterns are highly variable between different species. All forms of the leaves have beautiful designs in silver, darkest green or burgundy.

Cyclamen prefer partial shade cast by trees. Too much rain or irrigation in summer, when the bulbs are dormant, can lead to rot. Plants will self-seed, so be careful not to overdo the mulch around them. They are rarely bothered by diseases, insects or varmints.

Cyclamen were used medicinally in ancient times for various purposes including love potions or to make bald heads re-grow hair. Now we know that raw bulbs are highly toxic and can cause severe digestive upset or even death. Flower petals can be used to brew tea. Play it safe and stick to Lipton.

Tubers should be planted in autumn. Purchase your bulbs only from reputable vendors (shout out here to Brent and Becky’s, a bulb catalog company in Gloucester, VA and Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, NC). Unethical sorts have collected bulbs from the wild until they approach extinction.