I’m reviewing some literature while working on a proposal and ran across a paper by Lisa Richardson-Calfee, Roger Harris and Jody Fanelli at Virginia Tech on the effects planting date on sugar maple trees. It’s not actually the topic of the proposal I’m working on but the paper caught my eye because spring versus fall planting is one of those questions that just never seems to go away. In this particular study, balled-in-burlap trees planted at spring budbreak had more new root growth than trees planted in the fall. … Continue reading this article “Spring vs. Fall planting: Where you stand depends on where you sit”
Tag: Fall
Who says you can’t get decent fall color on the west coast?
Thanks to our gingko, contorted larch, Japanese maple, and viburnum we’ve got it all:
… Continue reading this article “Who says you can’t get decent fall color on the west coast?”
Happy Halloween!
Up, up, and away…
First, let me cue the 5th Dimension.
I got a call the other day from the owner of a local hot air balloon company. They specialize in fall color rides and he wanted to include some info from me about the state of fall color in Michigan this year. Despite our concerns following this summer’s heat and drought, it turns out this year has been very good for fall color. I think our color has been a bit more variable than usual with some trees turning early and I’m noticing many maples are dropping pretty leaves quickly once they hit peak. … Continue reading this article “Up, up, and away…”
Fall for Ornamental Grasses
I’ve written about ornamental grasses previously – they really are one of the toughest, most useful yet under-appreciated groups of garden plants. Most provide at least three seasons of interest, but fall is when they really shake their pom-poms.
On a recent conference trip to western Michigan with pal and plantsman Paul Westervelt, we stopped by the trials at Walter’s Gardens of Zeeland – one of the largest perennial propagators (wholesale) in the country.
It was a beautiful, breezy day in their extensive gardens, and the grasses were positively alive with light and motion (and kittens – seven or eight, I think).… Continue reading this article “Fall for Ornamental Grasses”
Fearless fall color predictions
Happy Labor Day! Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable 3-day weekend. Labor day is the unofficial end of summer, which means fall is just around the corner. In fact, fall may be a little early this year around these parts. We are already starting to pick up some fall color – mainly maples, sassafras, and sumac. I usually get some calls from various media outlets asking for predictions on fall color. It’s always a dicey proposition. Weather going into fall is certainly a factor for fall color, but conditions during the fall itself are the final trump card. … Continue reading this article “Fearless fall color predictions”
Fall color time…
Did you ever know one of those annoying people who always talks about how great everything is back wherever they were from; the kind of folks that make you want to say, “If things were so much better there, why are you here?” I have to confess I’m one of those people. No one’s ever actually given me the “If things were so much better there” line, but I’m sure my Michigan friends have been tempted. … Continue reading this article “Fall color time…”
Pssst…over here…trees got nothing on us…
We usually look up to the trees for the spectacle of fall foliage color but there’s plenty happening down low. Ornamental grasses in autumn are, of course, amazing – I think I’ll give them a post of their own. But there are a few perennials that consistently deliver good fall color instead of turning to brown, crunchy paper.
For the shade to part-shade garden, Polygonatum odoratumthen ‘Variegatum’ is a plant for three seasons. Arching stems
spring forth in, well, Spring, with fresh green and white variegated
foliage.… Continue reading this article “Pssst…over here…trees got nothing on us…”
Is Fall Really a Great Time to Plant Trees?
One of the joys of working on a university campus is that construction never seems to end. As near as I can tell there are about 3,000 orange construction barrels that permanently reside on the MSU campus that simply get shuffled from one end of campus to the other every few months. Along with all the construction comes a never ending series of new landscape projects. Driving by one of the most recent projects the other day got me to thinking about the myth of Fall planting. … Continue reading this article “Is Fall Really a Great Time to Plant Trees?”