ARALIA CORDATA SPIKENARD

Inspiration for trying new plants can come from many sources. Shelley discovered this month’s plant growing in a bed during one of our many visits to the botanical gardens. And now, every day that we walk in our front door, we are lucky enough to pass by it, because we were able to purchase it at the end of the NGLCO Field Day years ago.

Nestled behind the broad leaves of Hosta ‘Paul’s Glory’, fronted by Astilbe ‘Fireberry’, with a splash of Asarum europaeum, European Ginger, we designed a beautiful planting combination. The Astible and Spikenard mirror leaf shapes and textures, while the Hosta and Ginger provide a broad-leaved contrast to that feathery pairing. Bloom times are in perfect succession, offering months of beauty and interest – a true design masterpiece!

Ok… so, maybe we should be a bit more forthcoming when it comes to this “design masterpiece.”

Plants entering our landscape are purchased for two reasons. 1) They are awesome, and 2) We need that! Where exactly it will be planted is pretty far down the list, and usually requires us keeping the plant in our holding area for a few weeks while we walk the garden trying to fit it in somewhere. Truth be told, the combination mentioned above just kinda happened… and then we madeup the fancy sounding description to hide our plant obsession!

Had you fooled, right?

In all honesty, we love discovering new plants and getting to know them, especially those that are new to us! A big part of the fun is watching them over the years, observing the different ways in which they can add beauty to our landscape.

It was a similar love of plant discovery that brought this plant to our industry. A great plant explorer named Barry Yinger, who has dedicated his life to exploring Asian nations for worthy introductions to our industry, first visited Japan in 1974. Learning Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai to help him explore the rural countryside in search of great plant introductions, he has helped bring hardy Camellias from North Korea, as well as a great number of Asian Asarums and one of our favorite vines, Schizophragma hydrangeoides ‘Moonlight,’ from Japan. Barry discovered Aralia cordata

‘Sun King’ at a Japanese nursery and brought it back for all of us to enjoy. In an interview with Horticulture Magazine, in May of 2007, Barry admits that one of his biggest struggles has been getting our industry to realize the many great plants available from this region of the world.

That said, this month we are donating to the cause – helping him in his mission – by suggesting you to try Aralia cordata continued on page 30 continued from page 29

‘Sun King’ in one of your gardens this year. While this plant is related to our native Aralia spinose, Devil’s Walking Stick, it is much smaller in habit and less spiky, or intimidating. It is closer to being a Japanese version of our native Aralia racemose, American Spikewood, which many readers may not be familiar with either.

We love the Sun King Spikenard for its mastery of the part shade. While this plant needs several hours of sunlight to pull the best color out of the leaves, when the shade comes, these leaves glow a brilliant bright golden-chartreuse color, reminding us of Spirea ‘Gold Mound,’ with contrasting red-brown stems. Growing to a compact size of 3 feet by 3 feet, this plant can be very useful in a massing, or as an accent plant. While this plant can be left to grow each year, and may eventually reach closer to 5 feet, it may be just as easy to cut back each year like a perennial, in effort to produce the densest habit.

About the time you are reading this, this plant should be in full bloom, with spikes of white flowers held in clusters, just like last month’s plant which is a cousin in the Araliaceae family! These flowers too will soon be followed by tiny purple-black fruits. And, while the flowers and fruit add to the ornamental beauty of this small shrub, we feel the best way to use it is as a bright foliage accent in the shrub and perennial border.

We have found this plant to be pretty tough once established, requiring no care, unless cutting back for more density and size control. Pest and disease issues are minimal, provided you do not plant it in an overly dense soil that is constantly saturated. The straight species of Aralia cordata is native to Japan and can be found growing on well-drained slopes in bright light.

It really is amazing the vast amount of plants that we have available in our line of work, yet how easy is it to keep using the same pallet that we have become accustom to. This is why plants like Spirea ‘Gold Mound,’ and many others, are so popular. Easy to propagate, easy to handle, easy to plant, and easy to maintain is the name of the game. With that in mind, there are a great number of other plants which fit that bill, IF we are willing to learn about them and put them in the right place with the proper planting techniques.

Give this gorgeous Aralia a shot in your next part-shade landscape planting. Try pairing with some Hostas and Astible, perhaps sprinkling in some Ferns and a Spirea too, to help keep your new plant anxiety at a minimum. You’ll love the combination, and more importantly, your client will appreciate the unique touch.

Jim Funai, PhD, is full-time faculty at Cuyahoga Community College, a NALP accredited associate of applied science in hoticulture degree program. He has a PhD in Landscape Engineering and Forestry and is a Licensed Arborist. Shelley Funai is Grounds Manager at Stan Hywett Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, which offers a historic estate designed by Warren H. Manning and a beautiful manor house museum. She is Landscape Industry Certified in Ornamental Plant Care.

EVENT INFORMATION

COURSE INFO

JULY 11, 2023

WILLOWAY NURSERIES

6981 SCIOTO DARBY RD, HILLIARD, OH 43026

JULY 13, 2023

DAVIS TREE FARM & NURSERY

6126 NEFF RD. VALLEY CITY, OH 44280

AGENDA

8:30AM - 9:00AM

REGISTRATION / BREAKFAST

9:00AM - 3:00 PM

CLINIC

LUNCH INCLUDED

COST

OLA MEMBERS

NON MEMBERS

This Plant ID Clinic is a hands-on training opportunity for you and your crews that will cover the basics of Plant ID for plants typically used in Ohio. Plants covered include perennials, groundcovers, ornamental grasses, as well as trees and shrubs - both evergreen and deciduous.

Those who should attend are plant installation staff, maintenance staff, garden center staff, foreman, and anyone studying to take the Landscape Industry Certified Technician’s Test.

GENERAL INFORMATION: This seminar is hands-on training with live plant material. Attendees will need their own notepad and pen, and will need to dress appropriately for outdoor practical training.

Knaup Willoway Nurseries,

Sponsored & Hosted by

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

2122 WILLIAMS RD, WOOSTER, OH 44691

Plant Healthcare Day

Plant Healthcare (PHC) services are a great way to enhance your landscape business by providing higher quality service to clients, opening additional revenue streams and giving your company an advantage over the competition. Designed for both business owners and employees, this clinic will focus on live demonstrations of proper planting techniques and how to determine what to do when elements - such as pests and diseases - take their toll on your plant material. Attendees will have access to a wide range of plant material including trees, shrubs, perennials..

EVENT TOPICS

Pre-Conference tour of Secrest Arboretum

• Led by Arboretum Curator, Jason Veil

Classroom Learning Sessions

• Introduction to Plant Healthcare (Integrated pest management vs. Plant Healthcare)

• Scientific focus: Beech leaf disease & other diseases/pest to be on the lookout for.

Outdoor Learning Sessions

• Root Collar Health & Air Spading

• Proper Tree Planting

• Pest vs. Disease Identification the day of the course. If, for any reason, the course is cancelled, enrollees will be notified, and fees refunded in full. Register early as class size is limited and will sell out quickly.

• Right Plant, Right Place: Choosing the Correct Site for Plants.

2023 PLANT HEALTHCARE DAY / REGISTRATION CLOSES 09/06/23

(Make checks payable and send to: Ohio Landscape Association, 9240 Broadview Rd, Broadview Hts., OH 44147)