Green Thumb Tip # 6: Size Matters!

Magnolia grandiflora growing along the Colonial Parkway near Jametown, VA.

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Have you ever planted a sweet little plant that you fell in love with, only to find yourself in pitched battle to control it a few years later?  It has happened to most of us at one time or another.  Sitting at the nursery in its little pot, it looked so charming.  You knew the perfect place for it….

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But just like babies and puppies, plants grow when they’re happy.  And quickly! 

I believe that many people hate ‘gardening’ because of their many battles trying to control a gargantuan shrub or spreading perennial which has gotten out of control.  ‘Mature size’ matters!  Both the expected height and the expected spread of an adoptive plant need to be considered before you invite it home to your garden.  And this information isn’t always accurate on the tag or easy to track down!

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Crepe Myrtle grows very fast and most varieties will send up suckers beside the main stem, gradually growing into a wider and wider clump. 

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It is wise to consider, before the purchase, the size of your space.  How wide can this plant comfortably grow without hitting the house or bumping into other structural plants?  How high will be too high?  Will a shrub eventually block windows or grow out into your driveway?  Will an herb or perennial take off and steal the entire garden with its runners?

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Cannas spread by underground rhizomes and grow thicker each year.  A few plants quickly spread to form a solid stand.

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I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen ignorant ‘landscapers’ plant Magnolia trees as foundation plantings for office buildings.  Now, understand that our native Magnolia grandiflora will grow more than 100′ tall and 30′-40′ across at maturity.  Somebody didn’t think something through when they plant a young tree of this size less than 10′ from a brick wall….

So before you purchase and before you dig that hole, do a little research into what that plant will be 2, 5, and 20 years from now.

Maybe you’re thinking, “But I have electric hedge trimmers… it doesn’t really matter.”  Yes, and no.  Some plants will respond to regular trimming with more growth and can be maintained at a certain height indefinitely.  But others, like many conifers, will never recover from a shearing or improper pruning.  Others will just grow so fast, once established, you’ll lose the race!  I’ve never enjoyed cutting back shrubs on a hot summer day.  Have you?

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This Rose of Sharon has grown from a shrub to a large tree. Although it has overgrown its intended space, we prune only the lower branches and simply enjoy the show!

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Better to select a plant to fit the space you have.  While tags are good guides, you will find much more useful information from a quick internet search.  Often you’ll find university studies comparing cultivars of a plant to help you select the best one for your situation.  For example, if you want to plant an Azalea, you can choose from a dwarf variety which won’t ever grow more than 3′ high or one of the tall ‘Indica’ hybrids which may reach 10′ in just a few years. Often you’ll learn that expected height and spread depend on your climate.

Another important consideration is whether a plant will ‘sucker’ and spread.  This means that rather than growing from a single stem, new stems will keep growing out of the ground year after year, making your plant wider and wider with each passing season.  Some native plants, ferns, perennials, and even trees will just keep growing outwards like a rapacious bamboo!

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A new bamboo ‘shoot’ emerged far from the bamboo forest, right in front of a fig tree. We cut this down after taking a photo.

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Always check so you know what to expect, and how many plants may be needed to cover your real estate with a nice stand of these willing plants.  If you don’t want wide coverage, you may find yourself on the business end of a shovel digging up the new growth for many years to come.

So do a little research before you introduce a new plant to your garden, even if that new plant is a ‘gift.’  A professional plantsman once showed me a towering Rhododendron which covered half of the side wall of his home and reached for the roof line.  This monster, lovely as it was, originally came to the garden in a little gallon pot as a gift from a Rhododendron enthusiast friend.

There were originally two little shrubs in that pot, and they are planted side by side, one nearly twice as tall as the other.  Stunning for the weeks when they bloom each May, these two shrubs have grown completely out of control and remain on my friend’s ‘get around to it’ list for heavy pruning…..

The best of intentions can lead to later problems when you don’t pause to do your homework.

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The march of the bamboo up the hill in early May. We have had to control the growth up towards the rest of the garden each spring.

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Woodland Gnome’s Caveat:  When a friend offers me a plant I nearly always accept it.  But I wait to plant it out until I first figure out what it is and then learn something about it.  If necessary, I’ll pot it up for a while as I do the research.  If I can’t use it, then I’ll find a gardening friend who can.  Since we all have different gardening goals and conditions there is generally someone glad to get it.  

And, when sharing plants from my garden with others I try to give full disclosure.  I want my friends smiling with fond memories as they admire the plants I’ve given, not mumbling unhappy things while they wrestle with the ‘gifted’ plant!  A little understanding goes a long way to siting a plant properly for years of enjoyment.

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A friend gave me these beautiful white Monarda last year. I spread them around in different parts of the garden to see where they would do well, and shared a few clumps with friends.  Monarda spread quickly with underground stems.

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“Green Thumb” Tips:  Many of you who visit Forest Garden are amazing gardeners with years of experience to share.  Others are just getting started, and are looking for a few ‘tips and tricks’ to help you grow the garden of your dreams.

I believe the only difference between a “Green Thumb” and a “Brown Thumb” is a little bit of know-how and a lot of passion for our plants.  If you feel inclined to share a little bit of what YOU KNOW from your years of gardening experience, please create a new post titled: “Green Thumb” Tip: (topic) and include a link back to this page.  I will update this page with a clear link back to your post in a listing by topic, so others can find your post, and will include the link in all future “Green Thumb” Tip posts.

Let’s work together to build an online resource of helpful tips for all of those who are passionate about plants, and who would like to learn more about how to grow them well.

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The reddish orange flowers, Crocosmia, are another gift from a gardening friend. I’ve since learned that these are Iris relatives and form clumps, expanding each year. Lovely flowers, and tough, they are spread in different beds around our garden.

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Many thanks to Peggy, of Oak Trees Studios, who posted her first tip:  ‘Green Thumb’ Tip:  Release Those Pot-Bound Roots!  Please visit her post for beautiful instructions on how to prepare roots for re-potting.

‘Green Thumb’ Tip #1:  Pinch!

‘Green Thumb’ Tip #2:  Feed!

‘Green Thumb’ Tip #3 Deadhead!

‘Green Thumb’ Tip #4 Get the Light Right!

Green Thumb Tip #5: Keep Planting!

‘Green Thumb’ Tip # 7:  Experiment!

Green Thumb Tip #8:  Observe!

‘Green Thumb’ Tip #9: Plan Ahead

‘Green Thumb’ Tip #10: Understand the Rhythm

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Woodland Gnome 2016

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Camellias

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The beautiful Camellia sasanqua has chosen this stretch of wet, cool grey days to burst into bloom.  I was taken by surprise this morning to see the shrub by the drive beginning to show its delicate white blossoms.  These spring like blossoms look almost out of place beside the falling leaves.

Camellia sasanqua begins its season of bloom in autumn.  It likes cool weather and appreciates a spot of protection from wind and heavy weather.  When freezes come, all open blooms may turn brown, but in a few weeks, new ones generally follow.   Various cultivars will come into bloom over a long season between now and early January in Zones 7-9.  Several species, like C. “Yuletide” and C. “Jingelbells” are enjoyed for their red blossoms in late December.

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These evergreen shrubs are grown for their leaves as well as their blossoms in their native China and Japan.  Extremely common in Japan, tea is made from the leaves, and oil is rendered from the seed pods.  In the United States we grow them as ornamentals.   Camellia sasanqua grow to various heights from fairly small plants topping out at only 4″ to small trees, growing to 15′, depending on the cultivar.

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Older Camellias, limbed up to show their trunks, are especially lovely when in bloom.  This is another plant where it is important to read the  label carefully when selecting a cultivar. Be mindful that the plant you select will have enough room in the spot you’ve chosen.  Some cultivars will also branch out into wide canopies over the years.  They are much more beautiful when allowed to grow into their potential with pruning to shape, but not to stunt their growth.

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Our latest Camellia to bloom in early November is a lovely shade of deep pink.

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Camellia sasanqua have slightly smaller blossoms and leaves than the Camellia japonica.  They are also more likely to have single or semi-double flowers, but all of the many Camelllia flower forms and colors are available.  In addition to white and red flowers, there are many shades of pink, and  some cultivars with mixed shades within the same flower.

 

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Newly planted C. “Yuletide” will bloom in this pot near the front of the house in December. It can grow on here for a year or two, and then go out into the garden in partial shade.

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Plant new shrubs now.   They are easy to find in the garden centers, and are not particularly expensive.  I prefer small shrubs in a small 1 gallon pot, and can generally find them for between nine and fifteen dollars, depending on the cultivar and the nursery.  These shrubs prefer to be planted slightly high; an inch or two above the surrounding soil line in acidic soil.

Camellias are a wonderful understory shrub, and  grow especially well under pines.  I plant with plenty of compost, mounding the compost around the exposed top of the root ball.  Daffodils can be planted around the shrub to protect its roots from voles.

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I also plant Violas in the mounded compost for a lovely winter time “skirt” of protective flowers.  Camellias do well in partial sun to partial shade.  They can tolerate far more sun than the spring blooming Camellia japonica.  Fertilize in late summer with Espona’s Holly Tone, which is an organic fertilizer formulated for acid loving shrubs.

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A newly planted Camellia in  October of 2011 has extra protection against the squirrels from large shells over the mounded compost.

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Older Camellias, especially taller ones, tend to be deer resistant.  Newly planted shrubs, especially when covered in buds, can become deer candy if left unprotected.  We learned that the hard way during our first autumn on this property.  We planted a line of  Camellias along the front edge of the property, all covered in buds.  Within a week the deer discovered them, ate all of the buds, and many of the leaves.  The shrubs eventually  set bloom again.

I’ve fertilized them and mulched with compost every spring, keep them watered during dry spells, and have enjoyed seeing them recover, grow, and bloom.  The high nitrogen content in shrubs fresh from the grower makes the plant taste salty to deer.  Newly purchased and planted shrubs need special protection from hungry herds of deer for the first year or so in the garden.  We’ve learned that applying Milorganite, also a fertilizer, helps protect tasty shrubs from grazing deer.

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Camellia sasanqua blooming in late December of 2011.

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If you enjoy 365 days of flowers in your garden, the Camellias fill an important niche.  Beautiful in the landscape, and cut for the vase; Camellias are healthy, hardy, easy to grow, and a beautiful addition to a forest garden.

All photos by Woodland Gnome

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January 29 Cotton candy describes these lovely Camellias, blooming in late December before snow found our garden.