Viewing comments posted by jathton

'Butterfly' is a stand-out among Japanese maples… J.D. Vertrees calls it "… a very spectacular small-leafed variegate" and "One of the most desirable cultivars of the variegated group." In Maples of the World it is described as a "Fine, attractive, silver-variegated shrub, not exceeding 2.5-3 meters."
This beautiful Japanese maple is all about its leaves. In spring pink markings border the white or cream portion. In fall the white areas become magenta. In summer the cream to white borders compliment a bluish green background. Each lobe on a leaf is different… some long, some short, all with irregular shapes… giving the tree a relaxed, appealing look.
The 'Butterfly' maple usually makes a dense, stiffly upright shrub or small tree that seldom exceeds 3-4 meters. It seldom develops solid green leaves… but if a shoot with green leaves does develop remove it immediately. These branches are aggressive and could overwhelm the entire plant.

The comments on propagation are interesting. J.D. Vertrees says, "It is difficult to graft because of the very small diameter of the scions." Maples of the World notes that, "Plants grown from cuttings are often short-lived, weak, and fragile. It must be grafted to obtain healthy plants.

'Butterfly' was given an Award of Merit in 1977 by the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society.

One design consideration: If 'Butterfly' is planted in a location that makes the sky the only or the dominant background this tree, with its very light green & cream foliage, will appear as a large indistinct shape in the garden. But if you place it so your home… or better yet some large evergreens like 'Nellie Stevens' Holly… serves as the background this tree will appear as it should morning, noon and night.

If you were to go to YouTube after reading this comment and type in "Shady Lady" or "The World's Largest Rose" you would be taken to a 6 minute film. The film will tell you a fascinating story about, I believe, the white flowering form of Bank's Rose.
This particular Lady Banks Rose, as of 2017, completely covers an arbor that measures 9,000 square feet. In its native habitat of central and western China it typically grows at elevations of 1,640 - 7,218 feet.
But this rose nowhere near acquired the status in China that it grabbed in Tombstone, AZ.

The "Shady Lady of Tombstone" was, in 1970 when I first saw it, and continues to be somewhat awe inspiring. In 1989 my mother was contemplating replacing the canvas arbor that covered her patio... but the $4,000 cost did not appeal to her at all. So I suggested the yellow form of the Lady Bank's Rose.

Ten years later the rose had covered half of the arbor and it absolutely glows when the entire plant is covered in small, double pale yellow flowers.

If you have an arbor and you are contemplating a climbing plant for it... I strongly recommend this terrific rose.

A trip to the Pacific Northwest in 1991 allowed me to visit Heronswood Nursery near Kingston, WA… and have the best gardening experience of the entire trip. Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones had truly followed Emerson's dictum… "Every spirit builds itself a house; and beyond its house a world; beyond its world, a heaven… Build, therefore, your own world." It was as astonishing a nursery as I've ever been in.
I was told if I walked down a particular road at one edge of the nursery I would find a long, undulating path through the trees to the owner's private garden and home. On the way down that road I thought I saw a 7-8 foot, vase-shaped tree that glowed a dazzling salmon pink in the morning sun. When closer, however, I realized the sun had little to do with that color. The salmon pink glow came from within the tree… well, you truly had to be there.
That was my introduction to 'Puget Pink' Sycamore Maple. I bought one… brought it back to Oklahoma City… nursed it for a year before it died. It simply was not built for conditions on the Southern Great Plains.
'Maples for the World' provided no information on this cultivar. So I'm going to quote Dan Hinkley from his Heronswood Nursery Ltd. for 2000 Catalog:
"Our selection from seedlings we raised of A. pseudoplatanus 'Prinz Handjery'. Extraordinary, brilliant shrimp-pink spring growth fades in summer to mottled pinkish-green foliage. May retain its color better in cooler climates. Compact growth to 15-20 feet. One of the most asked-about trees in our garden…"
I regret saying I can find no photos in my collection... yet.

The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants divides Japanese maple cultivars with valid names into 7 groups. Acer palmatum 'Kasagi Yama' appears in Group 3: Matsumurae. These are large shrubs, only occasionally trees, generally as wide as or wider than high. Within that group 'Kasagi Yama' within sub-group 3b: with purple leaves or purple fading to dark green.
During a visit to the Pacific Northwest in 1991 I was fortunate enough to see two singularly beautiful maple trees. One was Sycamore maple [Acer pseudoplatanus] 'Puget Pink'; seen at Heronswood Nursery near Kingston, WA. The other was Acer palmatum 'Kasagi Yama'; seen in a private garden.
I mention this sighting because its appearance was very accurately described in both 'Japanese Maples' by J.D. Vertrees and in 'Maples of the World' by van Gelderen, de Jong and Oterdoom. The former called it "brick-red" shaded into "an undertone of green on the sides of the lobes." He also said the main veins are "dark, almost black…" The latter described the foliage as "…an unusual brick red, greenish at the margins and veins." A leaf photo in Vertrees supports these descriptions.
I mention all of this because the sub-group [3b] the tree has been put in suggests a radically different appearance.
Both books agree 'Kasagi Yama' makes a better open-growing shrub than it does a tree… and that this cultivar is rarely seen in the trade. Vertrees goes so far as to say, "… a rare and very unusual cultivar and quite exciting to watch as the new foliage develops in the Spring." You think he liked it? I can only agree… this is a unique and striking Japanese maple. It is a shame it is not available commercially.

The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants divides Japanese maple cultivars with valid names into 7 groups. Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira' appears in Group 6: Dwarf, Bonsai, and Penjing.
Normally the trees in this group do not exceed 1 meter in height, but 'Shishigashira' is an exception. J.D. Vertrees was aware of old 3 meter specimens… and a nursery here in Oklahoma City has a 6-7 foot specimen growing on the east side of their offices. I'll get photos of it and post them.
Vertrees goes on to say, "Size of the plant can be easily controlled by the amount of fertility available… the plant will stay quite short and dense if not over-fertilized. In a very fertile location the tree can reach a large size in a few years."
Van Gelderen, de Jong and Oterdoom describe it as having the, "most interesting, heavily curled leaves, 5-lobed, and dark green." Further on they say, "The autumn colors appear very late, often 3-4 weeks later than in other cultivars. The leaves turn a peculiar purple-red with orange-red patterns."
I'm pretty excited about this tree because one of our big box stores is having a HUGE clear-out-the-inventory sale… and I managed to obtain a Monrovia grown 2 gallon of it for twenty bucks. Nothing to complain about there.

It was early summer, 1986, and I was visiting the Bay area for the first time. I pulled off of I-80 onto University Boulevard in Berkeley and headed east toward Shattuck Avenue. I was very tired from driving all day... so it took a while for me to realize what I was seeing. University was a divided street with a wide median... and the entire median, stretching from I-80 to Shattuck, was planted with blooming Lilies of the Nile [Agapanthus africanus.] It was a stunning sight... and I've liked Agapanthus ever since.
It isn't a stretch to understand why Agapanthus does not show up in nurseries in central Oklahoma very often. But two years ago Lowe's had a large selection of fully foliaged and budded 1 gallon plants for a very reasonable price. I put three in a large pot because they bloom better when pot bound... fertilized them... and put them on the patio. They bloomed very respectably that first summer... enough blooms to cut a few stems for the house.
That winter I brought the pot in and placed it just inside a south-facing plate-glass window. In early February they began blooming in the living room. If memory serves they put up nine flowers that lasted longer indoors than they did outside.
I divided the large pot that spring into 3 pots. None of them bloomed last summer... or indoors last winter.
But they have filled in their pots by now... and all three are producing blooms again.
Agapanthus is just a bit quirky to grow... but not that much and well worth the effort.

There is no lack of justifiable praise for Beech trees... it is, quite simply, a spectacular tree in form and color. And the Purple Weeping Beech might well be considered the jewel in this tree's crown.
Every commentary I have ever read, however, follows the compliments with a number of qualifying statements. Dr. Carl Whitcomb goes so far as to say, "...conditions described under culture must be closely adhered to..."
He then outlines those conditions. "Native to fertile, well-drained, upland sites and does not do well without considerable help in abused and compacted urban soils. Beech have a very fibrous, but shallow root system that is readily damaged by soil compaction. Likewise, growth is severely restricted by grass competition in the landscape."
On a more positive note, Michael Dirr notes that European Beech [Fagus sylvatica] is, "...possibly more tolerant than [American Beech] F. grandiflora to extremes of soil, and easier to transplant."
If you are a gardener who enjoys a challenge, this is definitely one of the trees to try.

I'm pretty sure I've never seen a caladium with coloration anything like this. The bronze-red leaves, speckled with pink flecks, can become 12 inches long and 7 inches wide. Under good conditions this plant can make a dense mound 18 inches high and wide.

'Burning Heart' is reported to be more tolerant of direct sunlight than other caladiums... but this applies only to morning sun. Direct afternoon sun should still be avoided. Also note this tolerance was tested in the upper Midwest. In the Southwest direct sun should probably still be limited to early morning or early evening.

'Burning Heart' is protected by plant patent PP27071.

This is not a plant for gardeners who believe a plant should grow well wherever the gardener wants to plant it. Try growing it in the heavy clay soils so prevalent in central Oklahoma and it roots so shallowly that its perennial potential is seriously compromised.
Plant it in light, or at least very well-drained, soil in full sun and it will respond with vigorous growth that easily self seeds. Individual blooms only last one day, but an established clump will bloom profusely for eight weeks in May and June. Cutting some stems back by half while the plant is blooming will extend the bloom season.

'White Meidiland' is a shrub rose that was introduced and patented by the House of Meilland in 1987. [The House of Meilland is also the source for one of the world's most popular roses... named 'Peace' at the end of World War II]
Since its introduction it has gained a solid reputation for glossy, dark green foliage... a shape that is significantly wider than tall [2-3 feet x 4-6 feet]... pure white blooms that occur in clusters and that have a petal count of 35 or more... a long bloom season... and a tolerance of a wide range of growing conditions. It also has excellent disease resistance and will bloom in partial shade.
Central Oklahoma has been subject to an infestation of Rose Rosette Disease in the past few years... so it should be noted that this rose, like so many others, has no known resistance to this particular disease. In areas where this particular disease is occuring gardeners should probably avoid planting this rose... or, as brutal as this sounds, any rose.
If, however, this disease is not a problem I would strongly recommend 'White Meidiland' as a tough, attractive, floriferous rose that will not disappoint.

Several on-line plant libraries list 'Black & Blue' Salvia as hardy in zones 8-10. This beautiful perennial has, however, been a highly successful perennial in Oklahoma City [zone 7A] for a number of years.
One example: The original one in my garden was purchased 6 years ago as a one gallon plant. Last summer the clump of foliage was 3.5 feet in diameter and the height of the flowering stems was 4.5 feet.
In zone 7 success is best achieved when the plant is heavily mulched and watered during dry periods in the winter.
This salvia prefers well-drained soils. It will tend to be floppy if given too much shade or overly rich soil. Division is best done in the spring.
The height of the plant can be controlled by removing the top third of each stem when they are about 15 inches tall. This will delay flowering somewhat... but the plant blooms throughout the growing season [with deadheading] so this should not be a huge problem.

I'm sure you have heard the expression "harbinger of spring."

For as long as I can remember, in Oklahoma City, that phrase has been the exclusive property of Forsythia and Flowering Quince.

I'm delighted to be able to say they have been replaced in my garden by the Hellebores. When I see them blooming I know spring is coming around the corner.

In the last three years, and this year, my Hellebores have been and are in bloom by February 10th. This year the first blooms opened on February 2nd. Two days later we received the most snow we've gotten at one time since 2013. All my Hellebores bowed their heads beneath this blanket of white. But two days later the snow has melted and the Hellebores are once again standing proud with open and opening blooms.

Northern Lady Fern is often described as the most common fern in the northeastern forests of North America. It grows in Greenland and, in Canada, as far west as Saskatchewan. In America it grows as far west as South Dakota and Missouri... and as far south as North Carolina. It favors moist, rich forests. It also grows in Europe and portions of Asia.
Having said that, I can attest to the fact that it grows very successfully on the southern Great Plains in central Oklahoma. I was given a clump about the size of a 6 inch pot and grew it in a large, double-walled pot on a covered but open south-facing patio. Because it is hardy to zone 2, and because I water carefully in the winter, it stayed in that large pot for a year... and by the end of that year it had filled the large pot.
This fern has finely cut, ascending, light green fronds that are widest at the middle. The fronds grow in a "dense circular shuttlecock-like clump" and the plant matures at 2-3 feet in spread and height.
It is a deciduous fern... so there is little to see in winter... but it balances that by being a spectacular specimen during the growing season.

It has been 15.5 years since I first saw this Peony and I have been looking for it ever since.
I'm delighted to say I found a source just before Christmas.
It will be fall of 2020 before he can ship my plant... but at least I have a plant to look forward to instead of more searching.

A visit to the Linnean Garden in the Tulsa Botanic Garden is the only time I have ever seen this beautiful plant. The one I saw was only about 2x2 feet… but its foliage let it stand out beautifully in the light shade garden in which it lived.
It is a remarkable plant… with a fascinating history and daunting physical attributes. Here is what I have learned about Boehmeria:
• It is native to southern China and the Himalayas of Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal
• It was best known for providing a textile fiber of excellent strength and quality from the inner bark of the stems. The fibers tensile strength is 7 times that of silk and 8 times that of cotton. It was chiefly used for textile production… often blended with cotton.
• It was used to make "Mummy" cloth in Egypt in 5000 – 3000 BCE.
• It has had limited acceptance for textile use in the U.S.
• The genus name honors George Rudolf Boehmer [1723-1803]… a professor of botany and
anatomy in Wittenberg, Germany.
• The Japanese name 'Kogane Mushi' means "Gold Bug."
• Ornamentally it makes a dazzling foliage plant for the part shade garden. Small, fuzzy, round leaves emerge creamy yellow and become flecked with green as they mature. The underside of the leaves are white tomentose.
• It grows best in rich, fertile, warm, well-drained sandy soils in part shade. It is intolerant of wet soils.

Oak Leaf is a particularly handsome "tree form" Holly... easily as attractive as 'Foster's No. 2' or 'Nellie R. Stevens.' Somewhat conical when young... but as it matures it assumes an upright, pyramidal form with leaves that are lighter green than the two other Hollies mentioned here.
The foliage on Oak Leaf Holly emerges bronze to burgundy red... then mature to emerald green. The unusual, good-looking serrations on its foliage give this Holly its name.
Because Hollies are dioecious a male Holly must be somewhere in reasonable proximity for Oak Leaf Holly to bear fruit. If you must prune, make sure you finish before the plant blooms in spring. Any pruning in summer will significantly reduce the berry display that fall.
If this Holly appeals to you let me encourage you to plant it in a prominent location in your lawn areas and allow it to grow without any pruning. If this is done your Holly will gradually acquire a beautiful pyramidal form and develop a showy crop of berries in the fall.

'The Poet's Wife' is another in a long line of awesome Roses introduced by David Austin. I say that because, when first introduced to his 'English Roses', I discounted them a bit... thinking English Roses could not possibly do well on the Southern Great Plains. Boy, was I wrong!
Since then every one of the David Austin Roses I have tried has performed admirably in central Oklahoma.
'The Poet's Wife' achieved an extra degree of prominence, however, when my friend Billie asked for a Rose for her decidedly shaded small garden. David Austin touted this Rose as shade tolerant... and our local nursery carried it... but I still had doubts.
Until, of course, we planted it and it threw blooms all summer long in a site I thought only a Hosta would thrive in. It is in its third year in the ground now and it still produces an admirable quantity of its exquisite blooms.
I highly recommend it as a shade tolerant Rose.

For lots of obvious reasons central Oklahomans like to visit Colorado. When they return, if they are gardeners, they always have something favorable to say about Colorado Blue Spruce. Unfortunately, most of Oklahoma falls within hardiness zones 7A and 7B... and this Spruce is not really recommended for gardens this far south and west. Nonetheless a lot of gardeners in the 1970's and 1980's invested some serious money [for a plant] and tried raising them in central Oklahoma. Many of those Spruce failed... and those that did not frequently lost their beautiful blue color. It was simply bleached out of the needles by our sun... and the needles looked pale apple green for the balance of the growing season.
Then along came Hoops' Blue Spruce. This cultivar originated as a seedling selected in the mid-1950s at Hoops Nursery in Germany, and was introduced to the nursery trade by F.J. Grootendorst Nursery, Boskoop, The Netherlands.
Nurserymen and gardeners in our area quickly realized this Spruce had, perhaps, the best blue color of the species... and that it held that color throughout the growing season. They also realized this Spruce was much more heat tolerant than the species. An added bonus... newly emerging cones are colored deep magenta red and are temporarily quite showy. Hoops' Blue Spruce rapidly became the go to plant for gardeners who wanted a blue conifer in their garden.
They also realized this plant came with a caveat... It has a tendency to develop multiple leaders, so if a uniform, conical shape is desired, you have to monitor new growth at the top in early summer and selectively prune out redundant lead shoots.
Hoops' Blue Spruce grows best in average, acidic well-drained soils in full sun. In central Oklahoma they benefit from placement that gives them light shade from noon to 4PM in the summer... and... protection from Oklahoma's drying summer winds. It also prefers lightly and consistently moist soils. Gardeners should note Hoops' Blue Spruce is only moderately drought tolerant... so the gardeners goal is to provide the Spruce with enriched soil that can be kept slightly moist while still draining well.
Given its cultural requirements this is a spectacularly beautiful specimen tree. Please don't put it in a foundation bed... where it will eventually overgrow the location and have to be severely pruned or removed. Give it a site it deserves and give it enough room to... become itself.

If you had gone Hosta-hunting in central Oklahoma in the 1980's you would have been hard-pressed to find more than 3-5 cultivars… a couple with blue foliage, a couple with variegated leaves and a yellow leafed one. Thank goodness, by the early 1990's, a lot more was known about Hostas and a lot more cultivars were available.
Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans' was one of those few, early, blue selections. A few of my gardening friends would say, "Early availability is the reason this particular Hosta is still one of John's favorites… he just saw it before he saw very many others."
That might well have been the initial reason… but other, better ones quickly outweighed it.
This Hosta, for instance, has thick, puckered and cupped blue leaves that help it resist insect and disease attacks better than the thin, variegated leaves of other Hostas. This same physical quality makes 'Elegans' more sun tolerant than other Hostas… even in the drying summer light of the Southern Great Plains. Wind, as well as sun, has a desiccating effect of foliage in Oklahoma… and the same thick leaves help it avoid windburn. Its greatest enemy, however, is hail… so if you can anticipate a hail storm... covering the plant temporarily is highly recommended.
Practical considerations aside, the ornamental value of H.s. 'Elegans' is tremendous. At maturity this Hosta can be 24 inches tall and have a diameter of 4-5 feet. This alone makes it a suitable candidate as a focal point in any woodland setting. Its foliage color is blue enough to be a striking contrast to all the green, gray and/or yellow foliage around it.
In the woodland setting in which it belongs it looks absolutely stunning when planted in a grouping of three… surrounded by a low growing groundcover like Bugleweed [Ajuga], or Mondo Grass [Ophiopogon] or Geranium tuberosum [Cranesbill].
Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans' is hardy from zone 4 south through zone 9. So, in the southern three of these zones, it is hardy in a large freeze proof container. In this configuration it looks striking placed on either side of entry or patio doors. Just remember to water in winter every 12-14 days and always just before very, very hard freezes.

This is a deeply beautiful little perennial. I was fortunate enough to see it during its brief period of bloom at the Missouri Botanical Garden in Saint Louis in spring, 2004.
The flowers are single, bell-shaped and open erect or nodding. The flowers are followed by plume-like seedheads in spherical clusters that resemble those on some Clematis. The foliage is attractive throughout the growing season.
In that garden it was planted in gritty well-drained soil in the rock garden. Excellent drainage is a prerequisite to this plants survival. It also prefers cool climates but will tolerate warmer ones. In warm climates it is advantageous to give the plant shade from noon until 4PM during the heat of summer. In these hotter climates the plant also needs consistent moisture… it does not appreciate drought.