The Magic of Gardening

BY TONY GLOVER

Last month my article was about good replacement small trees for the much overused crapemyrtles. I listed the following 10 small trees that I think are worth consideration and I covered the first five in some detail. I will pick up in this article and cover the remaining five trees.

1. Sevenson flower (Heptacodium miconioides)

2. Titi (Cyrilla racemiflora)

3. Buckwheat Tree (Cliftonia monophylla)

4 Chastetree (Vitus agnus-castus)

5. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)

6. Tree-formed Loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense)

7. Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum)

8. Deciduous Holly (Ilex decidua or I. verticillata)

9. Flowering Crabapple (Malus spp)

10. Redbud (Cercis Canadensis)

Loropetalum runs a similar risk of being overused in Alabama landscapes. Like crapemyrtle, the loropetalum is a very beautiful and tough plant that is available in many sizes from small trees all the way down to very low-growing groundcover. I first saw this plant used as a large shrub and it was often planted in locations that it quickly outgrew. Later breeders developed the semidwarf and very dwarf forms that were more appropriately sized for foundation plantings. However, I believe this plant is at its most beautiful form when trained as a multitrunk small tree. The first loropetalums in America were green-leaf, white-bloom forms. Later purple foliage and purple blooms became available and popularity exploded for these easy-care plants.

One advantage loropetalums offer over crapemytles is that they are evergreen. The blooms occur in late winter much like their American cousins the witch hazels which are a great native alternative to consider planting as well. This family of plants prefers a well-drained slightly acidic soil and are fairly drought tolerant once established.

Possumhaw viburnum does not roll off the tongue easily but it is a great native Viburnum species. Unfortunately, the next plant on my list (Ilex decidua) also is commonly called Possumhaw. Make sure you know which Possumhaw you are talking about when you go shopping at the nursery. That is why scientific names are so important.

According to a North Carolina State website, it is a great “native deciduous shrub to small tree growing in savannas, low, wet woods and bogs and may reach 12 feet tall and wide. It prefers sun to part shade in acidic, moist, well-drained soils but can be adaptable. The opposite wavy-edged leaves are nicer leaves than other native viburnums with good fall color. The blooms are showy and fragrant in flat-topped clusters and give way to showy berries of various colors. Berry production is best if more than one shrub is planted.”

I snuck an extra plant in by grouping two similar plants together. Deciduous hollies (Ilex decidua or I. verticillata) are beautiful small trees with multiseason interest. When the plants lose their leaves in the fall, the female plants show off beautiful red fruit that often remain until very late spring. The cedar waxwings and bluebirds will eventually feast on the very ripe, often fermented fruit. It is a host plant for Henry’s Elfin butterfly. Butterflies and other insects nectar at the blooms in spring. The best cultivar of Ilex decidua for tree form is Warren’s Red. The related Ilex verticillata, commonly called Winterberry, is also a great small tree choice. There are several good cultivars to consider but the Proven Winners release called Berry Heavy is known for the heavy fruit crop. To ensure good fruiting, plant a male cultivar nearby for pollen. Two male selections that will work are the Proven Winners cultivar called Mr. Poppins and another selection called Jim Dandy.

Flowering crabapples are beautiful small trees with showy blooms. North Carolina State website says, “This plant blooms early to mid-spring and is usually self-sterile. Buds are a darker shade than blooms. Tree appears to change color as it cycles through stages of new (reddish) growth, full (pink to white) growth, mature leaves (green), and autumnal color (red-varies). Small fruits ripen in the fall.” This is also a multiseason interest plant. The small fruit makes a good food source for birds and small animals in the winter. The limb structure is much better than the overused Bradford pear.

Do some research and look for the most disease-resistant cultivars you can find. One very interesting disease-resistant unique cultivar is called Royal Raindrop. It has magenta-pink blooms, deep-purple cutleaf foliage, sparkling red fruits and bright fall color which give all-season appeal to this great flowering ornamental.

Last but not least is our native Redbud tree. This leguminous plant will grow in very poor soils but it is the shortest-lived tree of all those on my list. Nevertheless, you may want to consider using it in sites with low fertility soils. There are some beautiful cultivars to choose from. Forest Pansy is a beautiful purple-leafed selection that is very popular. Another great section is Merlot which offers excellent drought tolerance and thicker,

This list is not exhaustive by any stretch but it hopefully gives you some additional choices to start reducing and replacing the overused crapemyrtle in Alabama landscapes.

Well, speaking of being overused and needing a replacement, I would like to announce my retirement from this column. I have been writing “The Magic of Gardening” column for over 10 years and I have greatly enjoyed doing so. However, I have recently retired from my position with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and it’s time to pass the torch to another writer. When I started writing this column, I submitted my first article and the editor emailed me and asked me what I wanted to call it. Since that article was about a statewide Master Gardener conference called “The Magic of Gardening,” I emailed back with that name thinking I was just providing a name for that month’s article, but from then on, the column has been called “The Magic of Gardening.” Not a bad name after all. Starting next year Bethany O’Rear, a Regional Extension Agent based out of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, will add some new magic and her own gardening knowledge. Be looking for Bethany’s first article next month and drop her a note of encouragement.