Beautiful and bulletproof - Oregon Association of Nurseries
Transcription
Beautiful and bulletproof - Oregon Association of Nurseries
VAN ESSEN NURSERY CO. Beautiful and bulletproof These spirea selections combine striking good looks and an iron constitution COURTESY OF www.PROVENwinners.com Fans of spireas will find many different options with varying blooms and leaf color. Magic (Spiraea japonica 'Walbuma' Carpet™ spirea PP9363, top) is a standout selection, with red new leaves that transition to gold, and then a russet color in the fall. The blooms are a rich pink. Pink Parasols® spirea (S. fritschiana 'Wilma' PP15397, above) departs from most Korean spireas, which bloom white. Its blooms are light pink. and soil conditions. “Spireas are bullet-proof for homeowners, even those without green thumbs,” Miller said. By Elizabeth Petersen 26 JULY 2011 ▲ DIGGER ▲ For carefree color and filler in landscapes, commercial and residential designers depend on spirea (Spiraea). “Put in the right place, it is hard to go wrong with spirea,” said Landscape Designer Roger Miller, owner of Homescaper in Hillsboro, Ore. In addition to his design business helping do-it-yourselfers, Miller sources and delivers plants for other designers and landscape contractors. “I see spirea on bid lists all the time,” he said. “It is used in lots of designs, for good reason.” Planted en masse, spirea offers a tremendous variety of foliage color, and the plants flower like crazy. In addition, they handle a wide variety of situations Cold hardy Spirea is a great option for places with extreme winters, such as the midwestern states and the Canadian prairies, where few other options for color are available, said Jas Ghuman, sales and marketing director for Sidhu & Sons Nursery Ltd., a wholesale propagator and nursery in Mission, B.C. “Colorful, cold hardy nursery stock is in high demand in places where winter temperatures fall to -30 or -40º C,” Ghuman said. “The majority of our customers, almost everyone, orders spirea.” It is a staple for retailers in the prairies and desirable in milder climates 25 Picks from the Pros ▲ Beautiful and bulletproof It isn’t hard to get growers to talk about plants. The tough part is getting them to narrow down their list of favorites to just a handful. Here are some of the varieties our sources recommended: Ken McVicker Jas Ghuman Golden Spire western red cedar (Thuja plicata ‘Daniellow’ PP20267) — A tight, columnar pyramid. Fine textured foliage of an excellent, bright gold color. Color intensifies with sun and heat, and even holds with winter temperatures. Can be used as a specimen and in the landscape. Trims well into hedging. An added bonus? It’s deer resistant. Zone 5. Matures to 20 feet tall by 5 feet wide. Fragrant Mountain™ Himalayan sweetbox (Sarcococca humilis ‘SarSid2’ PP 19951) — This is an excellent shade plant, commonly used as a low hedge, or mass planting shrub. Its beautiful fragrance also makes it a great choice for containers near doorways and walkways. The leaves are rounder and larger than the species. The growth habit and appearance is very similar, with the added bonus of winter interest. An excellent substitute for Skimmia or Prunus ‘Otto Luyken’ in hedges, this selection costs less to maintain, and is more resistant to yellowing caused by mites. Fragrant Mountain™ bears fragrant white flowers in the wintertime. The selection does well in partial sun and shade. Zone 6. Matures to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Van Essen Nursery Lebanon, Ore. Pieris japonica ‘Katsura’ PP15452 — Bright, glossy leaves with deep, wine-red new growth emerging throughout summer. Expect a cascade of pale white-lilac blooms in late spring. Good red fall color. Great in patio containers and deer resistant. Zone 5. Matures to 3 feet tall and wide. Cupressocyparis leylandi ‘Relax’ — Striking, soft, dark green foliage on a new compact form of Leyland cypress with a uniform growth habit. Can also be used as a container plant. Drought and heat-tolerant. Zone 6. Matures to 12 feet tall by 4 feet wide. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bombshell’ PPAF — Compact growth habit with excellent branching. Covers itself with panicles of white flowers from early summer until frost. Low maintenance with little pruning needed. Was featured in Farwest’s 2010 New Varieties Showcase! Zone 3. Matures to 30 inches tall by 3–4 feet wide. Sidhu & Sons Nursery Mission, B.C. Fragrant Valley™ Himalayan sweetbox (Sarcococca hookerana humilis ‘SarSid1’ PP 19942) — Fragrantt Valley has long, narrow leaves with exotic, fragranced winter blooms which are white with pink tips. It is an excellent shade plant, commonly used as a low hedge, or mass planting shrub. Its beautiful fragrance also makes it a great choice for containers near doorways and walkways. This selection has the same low mounding habit as Sarcococca humilis, but is more vigorous. Zone 6. Matures to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Both this selection and Fragrant Mountain™, listed above, are part of the Himalayan Wonders series, introduced by Sidhu & Sons Nursery. Whirlaway™ periwinkle (Vinca minor ‘VinSid1’) — This is an excellent groundcover in mass plantings, and it also looks very attractive in containers. Its huge, pinwheelshaped flowers are very abundant and distinctive looking. New growth is a striking yellow and matures to a dark green. It grows to 6 inches tall and 3 inches wide. It takes shade or sun, tolerates drought and heat, and is adaptable to a wide variety of soils. too, she said. Municipalities commonly install spirea as a low maintenance mass planting for striking seasonal color. Sidhu & Sons recently supplied plants for the landscape on a large BC Lower Mainland area highway project, for instance. Most species of Spiraea can be classified in two categories, Ghuman said. Shrubby, mounding types, which include S. japonica and S. × bumalda, produce white, pink and red flowers clustered at the ends of the branches in summer and fall. Bridal wreath types produce clusters of white flowers in spring to early summer. These, including S. trilobata, S. × vanhouttei, S. nipponica and S. betulifolia, have a more upright habit and can be used as an informal hedge. ‘Goldflame’ (S. × bumalda ‘Goldflame’) and ‘Goldmound’ (S. japonica ‘Goldmound’) are extremely popular mounding types, Miller said. They are dramatic in groupings of three or more, and they stay compact with little pruning. ‘Anthony Waterer’ (S. × bumalda ‘Anthony Waterer’) has been around forever, Miller said, but should not be ignored. It has a “wonderful, more open habit, about five feet tall and wide and looks good all year.” Sidhu & Sons grows “old standby” spireas including S. japonica ‘Little Princess,’ S. j. ‘Shirobana’ and S. × bumalda ‘Dart’s Red’ that remain consistently popular for both landscape and retail, Ghuman said. ‘Shirobana’ is a small deciduous shrub with a unique characteristic: flower clusters in white, pink and red appear at the same time on the dense, mounded plant (2–3 feet). To add a new spirea to the product line, it has to exhibit reliable toughness. “(It needs) survivability in extreme conditions, performance over winter, resistance to disease, and low maintenance for the end customer,” Ghuman said. But tough isn’t enough. “Color 26 JULY 2011 ▲ DIGGER ▲ 28 ”novel combination” pre-emergent herbicide © 2011 OHP, Inc.Biathlon is a registered trademark of OHP, Inc.. A Controls broadleaf and grassy weeds Uniform low dust, low odor granule Minimal PPE for ease of application Scan for MSDS & Specimen Label 800-356-4647 | ohp.com ▲ Beautiful and bulletproof VAN ESSEN NURSERY CO. Little Princess spirea (Spirea japonica 'Little Princess') is an old standby that remains a favorite for its rosy pink blooms, resistance to disease and rounded growth habit. It's popular in borders. is also a major consideration. We are always looking for varieties with vibrant colored new growth,” Ghuman said. 28 JULY 2011 ▲ DIGGER Branded introductions “We’ve seen improved sales on our branded introductions,” McVicker said, “even through the last two years of the down market.” As the landscape market improves, he expects demand for tried and true varieties of spirea will increase too. Van Essen grows varieties that “our markets call for,” and adds new varieties when they exhibit traits that meet current consumer and landscape design trends. “We also put a priority on new varieties that are well marketed to the consumer, which creates a greater awareness and demand,” McVicker said. “Marketing and promotion on plants like spirea create added value for the retailer and the opportunity to position these plants to increase profit margin with quicker turns and sell through.” Breeders continue to develop new cultivars. “Literally, breeders all over the world from back yard hobbyists to well known breeders,” are working on foliar and leaf color improvements, summer heat tolerance of gold varieties and reliability and strong performance of blooming long lasting flowering in the landscapes, McVicker said. The Proven Winners® ColorChoice™ line of shrubs offers some recent introductions that Oregon growers are enthusiastic about. Jerry Brown of Fisher Farms thinks that the new Double Play® Artist (S. j. ‘Galen’ PPAF), introduced in 2010, has bright prospects. It is “a cool new plant, a winner 30 ▲ Grown in Oregon “From a retailer perspective, spirea is an inter-mountain region product,” said Jerry Brown, marketing director for Fisher Farms in Gaston, Ore. “It is a super-cold-hardy flowering shrub that is easy-to-grow and grows rapidly.” Van Essen Nursery Co. in Lebanon, Ore. sells a strong mix of tried and true and new varieties throughout the U.S., according to sales manager Ken McVicker. Spireas are “staples in almost every garden center and rewholesale yard across the country,” he said. Since the plants are so easy to grow, the consumer is pretty much guaranteed simple success and good color. Plants tend to be tough enough to tolerate abuse, still look good and flower well. “They are all-around good plants,” he said. The market for Oregon-grown spirea has dropped in other parts of the country in recent years, though. Fisher Farms, for instance, saw demand for spirea drop when the housing market fell off. When the housing market was strong, rewholesalers in the inter-mountain regions filled orders for mass plant- ings of the easy care commodity plant. Big jobs like those have since dried up and cut into demand for the plants. “Sales of spirea were down about a third in 2010 as unit pricing dropped and competition increased,” Brown said. Even though demand for big, commercial plantings is down, the same items are going into garden centers where they are familiar and popular with the gardening public. Sales have rebounded somewhat and are now “decent,” Brown said, but Fisher Farms is shifting focus away from spirea and increasing the production of other new branded products. Van Essen sells retail-ready spirea for garden centers and spirea with less packaging to rewholesalers. Most of these are in smaller sizes, from two to five gallons, but some sevens go out too. In addition, Van Essen has a liner division and typically sells 2-inch liners in the West and 4-inch liners in other regions. Your Greenhouse Supplier Specialist! If you have a greenhouse, look no further than T&R! • Ground covers • Shade cloths • Weed barriers • Plastic films • Fans • Hanging baskets • Frost cloths Let our knowledgeable staff help you find just the right solution for your greenhouse requirements. Count on T&R for quality products, timely deliveries and expert assistance. Call our greenhouse specialist Alan White at 503-758-8535 www.trlcompany.com Northwest Facility – Toll Free: 888-981-1727 2830 Progress Way, Woodburn, Oregon 97071 CHOICES, CHOICES, CHOICES! OVS AURORA OVS MCMINNVILLE 2700 ST. JOSEPH RD. 19658 HWY. 99 E. HUBBARD, OR MCMINNVILLE, OR (971) 216-0111 (503) 435-2700 www.ovs.com 800-653-2216 RTV900XT • 21.6 HP, 3-Cylinder Kubota Diesel Engine • Hydrostatic Power Steering • General Purpose, Worksite & Utility Models • Canopy Available B2320 • 23 HP, 3-Cylinder Kubota Diesel Engine • Category I, 3-Point Hitch • Flat Deck and Slanted Hood • Performance-Matched Implements Available STORE HOURS: Mon–Fri: 7–5 • Sat: 8–5 100% EMPLOYEE OWNED & OPERATED! K940-21-95970-7 JULY 2011 ▲ DIGGER 29 ▲ Beautiful and bulletproof VAN ESSEN NURSERY CO. 30 JULY 2011 ▲ DIGGER COURTESY OF www.PROVENwinners.com The changing seasonal colors of spirea are one of the plant’s most appealing aspects. Snowmound spirea (Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound', above) is widely available and has a fall foliage color varying from green to chartreuse. Double Play® Artist (S. j. ‘Galen’ PPAF, below) has new foliage with a rich red color that matures to a deep green by the summer. with great potential,” Brown said. “The sales team was impressed and we are increasing production 25 percent.” Artist has a very compact habit (24– 30 inches), rich purple-red new growth, dark green summer leaves and vibrant pink flowers. With moderate water and full sun, it creates excellent mass plantings, contributes to mixed borders and even fills in as “thrillers” in containers. McVicker of Van Essen Nursery likes Double Play® Gold spirea (S. j. ‘Yan’ PP 21615). This neat, compact plant (16–24 inches) boasts bright golden foliage that contrasts with abundant pure pink flowers throughout summer. These newer selections join the widely used Double Play® Big Bang (S. j. ‘Tracy’ PPAF) that boasts massive pink flowers blooming against bright yellow foliage that glows orange in the spring (two to three feet). All in the series take part sun to full sun. Other new varieties from Van Essen include Gold Mine, Sundrop and Superstar. Gold Mine (S. × bumalda ‘Gomizam’ Gold Mine™), a selection from Lake County Nursery, gets rich gold foliage that stays bright through summer and soft pink flowers. A compact shrub 2–3 feet wide and 2 feet tall, it is ideal as a border or low hedge, with little or no maintenance. Part of the First® Editions collection, Sundrop (S. ‘Bailcarol’ Sundrop™) is a natural hybrid of ‘Goldmound’ and daphne (S. j. ‘Alpina’). It is naturally dwarf with a rounded habit that requires little or no pruning. The delicate, golden foliage holds its color through summer heat, and sprays of pink flowers arrive in early summer. At 12–15 inches tall and 2–3 wide, Sundrop makes a great low border. Super Star (S. × bumalda ‘Denistar’ PPAF) is a branch sport of ‘Froebelii’ with smaller, more compact form (2–3 feet tall by 3–4 feet wide). Its new growth starts out scarlet, turns deep green in summer and bronze in fall. Deep pink blooms continue all summer. Ogon spirea (S. thunbergii ‘Ogon’) flowers very early, in late March and COURTESY OF www.PROVENwinners.com early April, before its feathery leaves unfurl. Clusters of white flowers decorate the graceful, 5–6 foot, multistemmed shrub. Two-inch, willow-like leaves emerge golden and change to bright green during summer, then go yellow-orange with a delicate red edge on each leaf in fall. Magic Carpet™ (S. j. ‘Walbuma’ PP9363) is another standout, Brown said, among the first to leaf out in spring, with outstanding foliage and restrained growth. It forms a low, spreading mound (18 by 24 inches) with vibrant new red leaves that mature to bright gold. Small pink flowers contrast with the foliage, which changes to rich russet in fall. ▲ 32 This Double Play® Big Bang spirea (S.j. × 'Tracy' PPAF) is so named because of its large blooms, which are among the largest offered by any spirea. It grows to a size of 2–3 feet tall and has quickly become a favorite selection of many designers and gardeners. JULY 2011 ▲ DIGGER 31 ▲ UT OUR ASK ABO DS! OIL BLEN S M O T S CU BARK FOR CONTAINER 1275 Bailey Hill Road Eugene, OR 97402 Office: 541.342.1835 Fax: 541.343.4802 MIXES Various Sizes Available Contact Rex for pricing at 541.335.8017 www.rexius.com Beautiful and bulletproof Prune for repeat blooms Japanese and × bumalda varieties of spirea should be pruned in early spring, followed with a light pruning after flowering to encourage repeat blooming, said Miller, the designer. He discourages severe pruning of spirea though. “Please don’t prune them into balls,” he said. That takes away from the beauty of the natural habit. “Prune for shape if plants are getting rambunctious; better yet, allow enough space initially for the mature size of plants so you don’t have to mess with them,” he advised. The Pacific Northwest native Spiraea douglasii is “tremendous for wildlife, including birds that like to hide in the twiggy growth and bees, which appreciate the prolific flowers,” Miller said. It can spread, though, and its propensity to spreading is a case of the good with the bad. Native spirea is great at securing soil so it doesn’t slip away, but it suckers and spreads in moist soils, Miller said, so it is important to allow plenty of room. Spiraea douglasii gets to 7 feet tall, and makes an informal hedge that has presence even without leaves. Unfortunately, some types of spirea have been designated as invasive in parts of the country. The Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual lists Japanese spirea. “It is adapted to disturbed areas and commonly found along streams and rivers,” the manual states. “Each plant produces hundreds of small seeds that are naturally dispersed by water and deposited along stream banks where arboreal competition is limited. Seeds distributed with fill dirt establish new populations that may expand rapidly in the highly disturbed soil of construction sites.” Elizabeth Petersen writes for gardeners and garden businesses, coaches students and writers, and tends a one-acre garden in West Linn, Ore. She can be reached at [email protected]. 32 JULY 2011 ▲ DIGGER