Color in the Garden...Theory for Trees and Shrubs

Okay, another topic to spur mid-winter conversation. Typically this topic, color in the garden, is wasted on perennial and annual devotees. Let us tree and shrub people have a crack at it, for a change.

Obviously, with trees and shrubs we tend to have fewer colors to play with, and for a lesser period of time. Yes, there are purple and yellow leafed conifers and deciduous trees and shrubs, and some of them even hold their color all season, but florally speaking, our usual colors are white and pink, with an occasional red, rarely blue or yellow. Our flowering season is maybe a week, sometimes two, and flowers tend to be a bit smaller than on many perennials and annuals. On the positive side, fruit displays on woodies is often superior to many herbaceous plants.

Just some of my observations:

Personally, I can tolerate more garrish colors early in the year. Hence, "Karen" azaleas, which are a vivid fuschia or magenta, are quite okay around Easter. But I wouldn't have them in my garden in summer. In late spring and early summer I like deep green foliage with a zing or two provided by a bright perennial, set amongst a bed of smaller, white flowering things. Late summer, I'm content with the abundant gold Compositaes nature seems to want to provide. Fall is a time for riotous foliage, deep red berries, and the rich purple of an aconite or two.

A woody without great fall color better make up for it big in some other way.

The more I garden, the less important a lot of colorful flowers becomes.

The more I garden, the less impressed I am by red, purple or yellow foliage.

A shower of small white blooms as provided by Halesia or Styrax appeals to me more with each passing year, but dogwoods are amazing too.

Smaller, less colorful flowers with fragrance trump big, colorful flowers with no fragrance, although I admit a strange, developing fondness in recent years for those dinner-plate sized Hibiscus species. (I think this might be caused because my mother made some poor choices while I was still in the womb. Not sure.) Lilium regale, with big flowers and huge fragrance, is the best of both worlds. Belongs in every garden.

Red flowers are my least favorite, but those incredibly saturated Lobelia cardinalis flowers never fail to impress me.

I wish I was rich.

Although I have plenty of conifers with gold foliage, the best are still the plain green or the rich blue ones. Colorful cones on green conifers is something I enjoy more than I'm comfortable with.

Good color in bark is way under appreciated.

I know I'm a rebel and I deserve the berating I shall receive, but I still like a rich green carpet of lawn. Not the rolled out 1/2 acre with a Bradford Pear poking out of it, but I think lawn makes for a wonderful path or a glen which sets off a garden beautifully. To put this in perspective, my yard is 3/4 of an acre, and my lawn takes me 15 minutes to mow, so proportionally, it is quite small. I hope this shores up my credentials a little.

Celtis occidentalis has the weakest green foliage of any tree...like a tree would look just before vomiting, if a tree could vomit.

A driveway filled with a red truck, a red car, a white car, and a green car, all over ten years old, and a plywood trailor filled with potting mix, adds nothing to the adjacent garden. I don't recommend it.

Looking forward to hearing what everyone else has to say.

Scott

Good idea, Decumbent.

The older I get the more I remember trees from my childhood. And I want something like those now. But now I live in Alabama. I grew up in the woods in a rural area near Traverse City, Michigan. Of course, for years and years I missed the fall colors of the maples, birches, beeches, and pines in our woods. A summer scene is picking cherries--on a ladder, red cherries against a blue blue sky. Love being in a tree. Another scene I remember is walking under pear and apple trees in bloom. Snowing blossoms on my head. And the blooms and berries of Juneberries--which I only recently learned are called Amelanchier. In the winter, skiing or snowshoeing in the snow, I always appreciated the shelter of our "Pine Tree Hideout". A grove of pine trees had formed a sheltered room, looking at the winter sky through those piney boughs was always comforting. In summer, wintergreen berries grew there, through a thick mulch of the pine straw.

As far as childhood memories goes, nothing like climbing a fully clothed magnolia tree, armed with pockets of ripe pecans...well, let's just say, I have an older brother, LOL.

"Celtis occidentalis has the weakest green foliage of any tree...like a tree would look just before vomiting, if a tree could vomit."

That is the funniest comment I've read in awhile, left me gasping for breath I was laughing so hard. So tell us how you really feel about it Scott.

I am a relative newbie to gardening (under 10 years) and still love colorful foliage plants. In fact, the more I garden, the more I see that it's all about the leaves. Texture, form, and yes, color. I also love red flowers, in fact they're my favorite. I agree that strips of lawn are the handiest and best-looking way to set off a mixed border or other garden.

Scott; The incredible, vivid, shout-out colorfull flower does not fit with your discussion. It is lovely. You are too funny.

Scott "Death Wish" Decumbent said:

Which I thoughtfully linked to threads over at the Annuals and Perennials forums. Your dmail was kinda slow these days anyway.

Postulating from a platform (pomposity?):

•Obviously, with trees and shrubs we tend to have fewer colors to play with, and for a lesser period of time. Well, maybe in the greater Northern KY metro area, but not here unless you are vision-impaired or have a short attention span. Expecting to reach into the realm of offending an awful lot of gardeners (and maybe this belongs in the "Itching for a Fight" thread), but the "Colored Foliage Only" or "Primarily Loud Flowers Year Round" reminds me of Hawaiian-style tropical print shirts. There's a time and place, but mostly it isn't something you can expect to pull off regularly in the Ohio River valley.

•Personally, I can tolerate more garrish colors early in the year...But I wouldn't have them in my garden in summer. I'm coming up there and cutting down all your Lagerstroemia. And Hibiscus syriacus. And the Disco Series of Hibiscus moscheutos you've expounded upon.

•A woody without great fall color better make up for it big in some other way. Say, like with blasphemously beautiful bark? Flagrantly fascinating fruit?

•The more I garden, the less important a lot of colorful flowers becomes. I don't believe you, because you post incredible pictures of just those things. What I believe you mean is: the flowers don't have to be excessively large or grandiose. The intriguing intricacies of the Acer and Carpinus reproductive structures are your case in point.

•The more I garden, the less impressed I am by red, purple or yellow foliage. Again, I believe you mean this in the sense of "the only feature". The ephemeral emergent eloquence of many species reflect these kinds of colors in their foliage, supplanted by the adult green to carry the photosynthetic burden through the growing season. Noticing these small details is to begin to understand the life processes of these plants, how best they fit into gardens/landscapes, and be better able to spot potential problems. I compare this to appreciating one's spouse, children, or pets (or maybe not!); it could be a measure of your relationship.

•Smaller, less colorful flowers with fragrance trump big, colorful flowers with no fragrance... I'll remember this when you rag on Hamamelis vernalis compared to some of the gaudy hybrids.

•Red flowers are my least favorite, but those incredibly saturated Lobelia cardinalis flowers never fail to impress me. Those darn garish summer flowers, anyhow. Guess you'll also have to basal prune your Parrotia and a bunch of those Asian maples too?

•I wish I was rich. Claim paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's child.

•Colorful cones on green conifers is something I enjoy more than I'm comfortable with. At least you've gotten over your Pinus envy. Can't help you with the Abies admiration or Picea predilection.

•Good color in bark is way under appreciated. Hear, hear! Smell another thread in THAT one.

•I know I'm a rebel and I deserve the berating I shall receive, but I still like a rich green carpet of lawn. Not the rolled out 1/2 acre with a Bradford Pear poking out of it, but I think lawn makes for a wonderful path or a glen which sets off a garden beautifully. To put this in perspective, my yard is 3/4 of an acre, and my lawn takes me 15 minutes to mow, so proportionally, it is quite small. I hope this shores up my credentials a little. You need to move to London, and change your name to Windsor.

•Celtis occidentalis has the weakest green foliage of any tree...like a tree would look just before vomiting, if a tree could vomit. Despite the paroxysms of PrairieGirl, see here: http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/ceoco2.htm or visit the New Ornamentals Society's Celtis page to learn more about hallowed happenin' hackberries.

•A driveway filled with a red truck, a red car, a white car, and a green car, all over ten years old, and a plywood trailor filled with potting mix, adds nothing to the adjacent garden. I don't recommend it.

But if you choose this trompe l'oeil, invest in a Viburnum Porch Appliances™ espalier screen.

I think you misunderstood. I don't agree with Scott, I just thought it was hilariously unequivocating. He may as well have kneeled tenderly before the chopping block. I admire that quality in a person.

Bark appeal is an enormously satisfying criteria for gardening.

Decumbant and Viburnum:
Regardless of content (though not excepting it, to be certain), I found your comments delightful. Additionally, your colorful means of expression underscored the value of the thread. May your tribe increase!

Bring it on, billr. The Ohio River valley gets awfully redundant when simply an echo chamber. West coasters are welcome; your residence sounds like it's prepared you for participation.

PartyGirl:

C'mon, give it up. We know you wish you were down here personally chuckling, sans the equivocators and the terror-stricken but amongst those still putting it out there on the line. Well, there is still Kneevin and LHDP.

You da femme. I remain to rag on you in the other thread, after others are done menacing.

Vv,

While I shall never attain your voluminous vociferations, I might to suggest to Scott that he try to get his hands Celtis choseniana for a smaller, dark-green, nipple-gall free version of our native son. Probably falls into the same category as Corylus fargesii in availability as it came back from the same China collecting trip. A very fine plant resides at the Morris Arboretum and although I was sure that I took a picture, there is nothing in that folder in the computer. Maybe I'll have to dig out the negatives from 7 years ago. Overall, I found the tone and structure of Scott's post very pleasant as it meandered through his thoughts on summer color. I'll have to admit, the Hackberry comment had me laughing!

Regards,
Ernie

There's been some mention of good bark color - what are the best plants for bark color? How about texture?

Peg:
Personally I love the bark of trees like Prunus Serulla (paperbark cherry) or the Acer Griseum (paperbark maple). They have beautiful copper bark, and the way the bark peels is gorgeous.

Form - Contorted filbert (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') or Corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana)
Color - Dogwoods (Cornus spp.) Both red and yellow-twigged cultivars. Coral bark willow (Salis alba 'Britzensis') or Golden willow (S. a. 'Vitellina') or ssp. You need to remove one- to two-thirds of the old stems every year for the brightest color.
Texture - Ninebark (Physocarpus spp.) is another good one, the peeling bark is what gives it its' common name.
Oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia) mature stems exfoliate.

Peg:

Many of the oaks carry bark of note, and that evolves over the lifespan of the tree. Young white oak group species often have bark that peels on branches ranging in age from 2-5 years, which then becomes more of a flaking character on older mature branches and the main trunk. Examples include Quercus alba, Quercus bicolor, Quercus lyrata, and Quercus michauxii.

Other trees that "shag" to greater and lesser extent include hickories like Carya laciniosa and Carya ovata; ash like Fraxinus quadrangulata; and the little-known hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana. If you can find it, add in the shrub Kentucky viburnum Viburnum molle.

There are more than a few maples that have fascinating bark; several are mentioned already, and it is tough to find one that isn't interesting. The peelers include Acer griseum (so fine that its common name reflects that feature), Acer x Gingerbread™, and Acer triflorum. Some have smooth trunks like beech, including Acer mandshuricum and Acer maximowiczianum (A. nikoense). Colored barks show up in the snakebark or striped bark group; stellar members are Acer davidii, Acer pennsylvanicum, Acer tegmentosum, and many others.

Most of the cherries have interesting bark at some point in their development. Prunus serrula has been mentioned. A quite cold hardy species, Prunus maackii, might find favor with you and is often overlooked for this ornamental trait of lustrous shiny peeling bark.

Other peelers include many Betula species, Syringa pekinensis 'China Snow', and young Cornus officinalis.

Exfoliators (where bark flakes off like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle) include Cornus mas; Cornus kousa; various species of Stewartia (Stuartia); Ulmus parvifolia; Pseudocydonia sinensis; Pinus bungeana; and who can forget Parrotia persica?

This could go on, and will. It deserves its own thread, and may have had in the past.

http://botany.cs.tamu.edu/FLORA/pic1/aceacerub.jpg

acer rubrum, swamp maple

spring flowers, red leaves in autumn, a colorful native tree

Excellent choice gloria, I found this great picture and had to share it.

http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/acerrub.html

Vim & Vigor - Where is Kneevin? As for the "other" thread, I'm getting trounced, and I know I'm not the only one with a barberry.

O.K. interesting bark.

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/attachment.php?s=49d603ebec88ba329c2155f066d814d9&attachmentid=7907&d=1126405820

Acer tegmentosum 'white tigress', snake bark maple

http://stri.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Acer+rubrum#Image,%20United%20States%20National%20Arboretum

National Arboretum data sheet for Acer Rubrum.

Lots of great color and texture out there!

Goria - I get a 403 error with your snake bark link.

P.G - I'm with you on the barberry, but I'm not one of the heavy hitters

Peg

PG,

If it's any comfort to you, I sell barberry by the hundred. However, since I'm plant snob, I turn my nose up at them. I would say, that I've found more Acer palmatum seedlings than I have Barberry at the nursery where I work. As a matter of fact, I don't ever recall seeing a Barberry seedling. Not that it won't or doesn't reseed but......

Ernie

I've never seen a barberry seedling in any of the wild or cultivated landscapes in the Cincinnati area. Ernie, I do occasionally see the odd Acer palmatum seedling too, and they're usually pretty cool looking.

Scott

Peg,

Here's a picture of 'White Tigress.' http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c16/erniew/plants/AcerXWhiteTigressStem.jpg It's of a rather small stem so I've also attached an image of A. tegmentosum which is pretty similar. I have a picture of a large 'White Tigress' floating around here somewhere.....

Regards,
Ernie

http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=47837&PrevMainPage=textsearchresults&scChannel=Text%20Search&SearchText=snakebark%20maple&OfferCode=T3H

The snake bark maple white tigress is featured in Wayside's 2007 Collectors Edition catalog.
I like malusman's photo better. Prairie Girl. the link above works for me. If it doesn't work for others, I will edit it out.

While I was looking at the Wayside Collector's edition trees, I saw this dogwood that I think would go great with the Wolfeye, McKenna selected for his anniversary in another thread, this forum.

http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=47927&PrevMainPage=advsearchresults&scChannel=Trees%20Shrubs%20AS&SearchText=p16.v227;p13.Cornus&OfferCode=T3H

Ok, found 'White Tigress', right where I left it. :( Good sized tree at the Dawes.

Ernie

http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=acgr14_001_avp.jpg

paperbark maple

That 'white tigress' is awesome. Yet another zone 5 plant I'd like ... Peg

Malusman: Ive been searching the web, and that is the absolute best Snakebark Maple White Tigress

Ive seen. Most photos show a lot of heavy pruning on that tree.

Peg,

You ought to give it a try. There's one in Madison, WI and considered fully hardy there. A little south, but you should push things unless you live outside of the Cities.

Gloria, Sounds like Scott has been out campaigning ;-)

Regards,
Ernie

'White Tigress' is not just a unidimensional, put-me-in-a-box and call-me-a-bark-tart harlot.

"I've got brains, and fall color too!"

Ernie - in real life, after the initial "I've got to get me one of those" reactions, I remember I have 7 mature oaks and 3 fair-sized maples on a city lot. I think I've got a spot where I'm going to try a cercis canadensis (nostalgia for a Missouri childhood, see Gloria's 2/7 posting) , but I probably should lay off the trees. Peg

VV: What else can that "bark-tart harlot" do? How about some landscape ideas for these spectacular trees. Specimens only?

Interesting bark: When I was a kid, our woods was my territory since I was responsible for checking trap lines in winter. I used to write nasty notes to my brothers on birch bark and leave the messages where they would be seen if any of those males dared tresspass on my turf. Today, several generations down the pike, the grand children and great grand children play in those woods. So far none of them have found my (embarrassing) notes.

Peg,

'White Tigress' does very well in shade. [hint, hint, ~as I try to drum up business for the nursery industry at large.] Make sure that you get the MN strain redbud, if you do plant.

Vv, looks like 'White Tigress' from Seneca Gardens. Excellent fall color, even in shade.

Regards,
Ernie

Another tree from the Wayside Collector's Edition:

http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=48752&PrevMainPage=textsearchresults&scChannel=Text%20Search&SearchText=Laburnum%20Sunspire&OfferCode=T3H

Laburnum 'Sunspire', Goldenchain Tree



This message was edited Feb 11, 2007 3:46 PM

Eagle eyes from the dirt farmer, again. That is the small one in that neighborhood arboretum; I only have slides of the senior resident. I'll get them scanned someday.

'White Tigress' is going to have some size, ultimately. As Ernie notes, it desires some shade from the hottest sun, and probably likes normal quality soils with a little moisture. Not a tree to just dig-and-dash.

I think it would be a fine complement to a specimen understory collection where you might want a 25-30' tree. I could think of worse trees with which to replace all the callery pears.

Summer blooming Koelreuteria paniculata, Golden Raintree,

http://hortwww-2.ag.ohio-state.edu/images/cd0637/jpeg/cd0637-49.jpeg

I can see in my mind's eye, White Tigress growing along the forested Alabama highways amongst the Bradford Pear stumps.

Gloria,

Replacing one non-native with another may not be the best idea, even if it looked nice. Not a common thing, running a trapline. Koelreuteria is a decent tree and there's even is a columnar form of it but it doesn't flower well. I have heard bad reports of foliage issues on Laburnum although I've not seen it enough to know for sure. Poisonous seeds, too.

Regards,
Ernie

For more northern gardeners, Acer pensylvanicum (hey! a native, even), should do fine in zone 4, and it has bark almost as nice as "White Tigress."

Scott