550 KTRS Inside Outshow Scouting Report Rolling Ridge a Horticulture Hot Spot

Field Report: Favorites available for Adoption (sale) at Rolling Ridge Nursery in Webster Groves, MO- short list-
(side note Jim is not available for adoption-he's a keeper!)

I have included a few brief descriptions of what plants I am excited about and a few care tidbits that I shared with a recent client. I am helping him deal with managing rainwater runoff and creating an attractive rain garden habitat for birds and butterflies.

It is no surprise that Rolling Ridge Nursery is a quality source for information and plants. It is a surprise that Jim McMillian, KTRS's Inside Out Co-host doesn't brag about these particular items? Perhaps because they are in limited quanities?????( yes there was small quanities of a few things, but I checked with Chris Wagner-one of his right hand guys and a true hort man and his sources are solid. He can replace material sold -whatever the demand. I have to wonder if a customer then just needs to ask about MaryAnn's favorites?

I have made it easy and listed them below. Print out the list and hand it to them when you get there. I can't make it any easier. Just ask to see these first, then do your own scouting- there is a lot more there than this list. I want them to point these out to homeowners who wants to look totally unique- is that you? (I have had list takers in already- and one created a completly new area to accomadate these butterfly / bird friendly plants. I expect to have pics posted eventually so you can see too! Meantime, you do the same and send me you pics of your habitat garden -hopefully with several of these installed!

Best and Most Unique Butterfly and Bird Plants at Rolling Ridge Nursery

Ninebark on standard-WOW
Heptacodium-(My personal favorite when I was caretaker/ staffer at Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center) Best two story butterfly magnet perfect for viewing from 2nd floor windows!
Service berry tree-Beutiful bark suitible for uplighting, delicate looking spring flowers, sweet tasting fruit and great fall color - multiple forms, sigle, clump and three stemmed!
Aronia -my front door favorite-also has same qualities as service berry but narrow profile and different foliage- grrrreat!
Rose of Sharon- single only – 'Dianne'. Subject of my recent "Staying Single" article soon to be posted on website! This one really does bloom all summer and it does attract butterflies-nice size bride white flowers!
Hydrangea 'Pink Diamond' tree form-loved it more once it was where I could see it every day- featured it in my garden in the Post Dispatch! Butterfly worthy

also:

Itea 'Little Henry'
Crape myrtle 'Cherry Dazzler'
Phlox- 'Robert Poore' and 'David'
Liatris
Monarda- petite series only
Buddlia ‘Adonis Blue’
Purple Cone flower
Swamp Milkweed ( don’t worry- it is beautiful)
Amsonia – cultivar- new shorter variety- I think it is ‘ Short Stack’
Baptisia –any you like
Yarrow 'Moonshine'-(driest location)
Annuals –Pentas and Lantana

Just a few descriptions and care notes to make you dream!

Small tree like selections- speciality items- very unique management or underused

Ninebark on standard (spring flower, summer non-messy fruit- all season foliage color. Prunable to manage size space allowance –minimum care)- beautiful bark exposed
Clethra tree form ( trim after flowering- fragrant like spikes with dream carnation / clove fragrance. Butterfly!
Heptacodium- starry Jasmine flowers, summer blooming, then bracts( stems) color rosy pink- 9-10 weeks of interest plus pealing bark like birch
Japanese Lilac ‘Ivory Silk’ cherry like bark – white lightly fragrant flowers in spring-no mildew problems –not a major bore issue like other lilacs
Hydrangea ‘Pink Diamond’ –trained to standard ( it will need consistant moisture but will take sun if adequate moisture available- place this in the swale area. Attractive to butterflies- flowers last till fall and can be used as cut flowers as well)
Service berry tree – Spring flowers, summer blueberry non-messy fruit edible-song bird favorite – great fall color- nice bark
Wafer Ash ( unknown little sweet tree that feeds native butterflies- looks like a cross between Jap maple green form and dogwood with petite habit and airy open look- not a knock you down plant- but sweet)
Styrax –actual small tree- only saw one but it was very nice- lily of the valley like bells in spring- frequently used for nest site of small birds- delicate / petite looking

Multi stemmed option

Aronia
Service berry ( they have both multi and single tree forms-see description above)

Lg Shrubs
Persimmon
Sassafras
Buttonbush
Spice bush
Rose of Sharon- single only – 'Dianne-' extended bloom frequently once established- bloom till fall!, easily pruned without forfeiting flowers -

Small Shrubs

Itea 'Little Henry' –fragrant spring flowers great fall color, takes moist wet swale area well
Beautyberry ( large 4’by late summer--trim to ground in spring)
Crape myrtle- no butterfly use- may help attract hummingbirds because of strong color- very pretty foliage-Cris feeling ok on hardiness -check out Cherry Dazzler foliage!!!

Perennials (start with just these)

Phlox- 'Robert Poore' and David
Liatris
Monarda- petite series only
Buddlia ‘Adonis Blue’
Purple Cone flower
Swamp Milkweed ( don’t worry- it is beautiful)
Amsonia – cultivar- new shorter variety- I think it is ‘ Short Stack’
Baptisia –any you like
Yarrow 'Moonshine'-(driest location)

Evergreens for future reference

Gold Thread False cypress- he keeps in stock

Check if they can get these –hold this list and I will post a pic of these used as a living tapestry- fainty good!

Juniper virginiana ‘Hillspire’ or Juniper virginiana ‘Emerald Sentinel (Concorcor)
Juniper virginiana ‘Skyrocket’or Juniperus virginiana ‘Glauca’
Platycladus orientalis (Thuga) ‘Yellow Ribbon’ or Platycladus orientalis (Thuga) ‘Berkmann’s Gold’

Larger trees – replacement options when Pear goes down – not if –when)
Coffeeetree
Yellowwood
Hackberry
Pecan

Assertiveness vs. aggressiveness in Horticulture

Call out to The Casual Gardener and Yardeners:

Quick note to those who wish to appreciate easy care plants but not create extra work in the landscape.


Please take the time to become familiar with the plants considered possibly invasive in Missouri and don't plant them. When you find them- remove them while they are small and easy to manage.


These are at the least high maintaince plants when you decide enough is enough. Also take care not to use the word "invasive" carelessly as many harmless plants that reseed easly and can be controled with a quick clip are getting confused with some more problematic plants that are moving out of our reach and causing control difficulties by crowding out our natural landscape ( see invasive Honeysuckle picture above)


Most importantly- know what is a problem in your specific area. All adaptive plants are not invasive everywhere and there are friendly plant members in many of these plant families that are best choices for a garden. My favorite honeysuckle is a non-invasive native to the lower Midwest, Lonicera sempervirens- I wouldn't ever have a garden without it!

Hopefully Growing Smarter All The Time,

MaryAnn


P.S. Here are some helpful links to help you know more about this topic!


http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/pages/invasive-plants.htm

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/invasives.html

http://www.fleppc.org/FNGA/St.Louis.htm

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/unitedstates/mo.shtml

http://www.ill-inps.org/

http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/conservation/invasive/index.php

Trees Invest In Your Future and Theirs with pruning

Invest in the Future: Trees, Knowledge and Timely Management Increases Value!


As you gaze up into your trees this summer, it is possible you will see not only a sky of green, beautiful shapes, song birds, butterflies and perhaps even caterpillars. You might also see limbs without leaves, smaller than normal leaves and areas where the quantity of leaves appears to be less or not evenly distributed.

The typical approach is then to grab a chain saw and start accessing tree limbs for removal.
Halt, wait stop! Not all trees should be managed at the same time or even the same way!
Pruning can be dangerous for you and the tree. The professional assistance of an arborist can save you time and money. There is the potential opportunity for injury for you, the tree and the surrounding property!

Professional Arborists manage trees (and frequently your entire landscape) They are in some ways, your best financial investment expert, since what they do increases your real estate value. When done right, as the tree grows, so does your investment portfolio!

Tree management needs assessment all during the fluctuating cycles (seasons) and reviewed periodically for best management practices for value building for the future.

As a property owner, this is like hiring a financial consultant to review your investment portfolio to look at your overall needs, create a inventory of what your currently have and need and advise you how best to proceed. A consultant considers your existing commitments, your long and short term investments, and your goals. This will help you understand your real estate investment and build value in your property.

Pruning at the proper time can avoid certain disease and physiological problems:
To avoid oak wilt disease DO NOT prune oaks during April, May, or June. If oaks are wounded or must be pruned during these months, apply wound dressing to mask the odor of freshly cut wood so the beetles that spread oak wilt will not be attracted to the trees.
To avoid increased likelihood of stem cankers, prune honey locusts when they are still dormant in late winter. If they must be pruned in summer, avoid rainy or humid weather conditions.

Prune apple trees, including flowering crabapples, mountain ash, hawthorns and shrub cotoneasters in late winter (February-early April). Spring or summer pruning increases chances for infection and spread of the bacterial disease fireblight. Autumn or early winter pruning is more likely to result in drying and die-back at pruning sites.

Some trees have free-flowing sap that “bleeds” after late winter or early spring pruning. Though this bleeding causes little harm, it may still be a source of concern.

Prune the following trees after their leaves are fully expanded in late spring or early summer. Never remove more than 1/4 of the live foliage.

Examples include:
Acers (all maples, including box elder
Butternut and Walnut
Birch and its relatives, ironwood and blue beech.

The time of pruning should take into account the life cycle of insects and diseases. Plants in the genus Prunus (flowering cherry, cherry laurel) are prone to develop bacterial cankers. The spores for the diseases, which are released in fall and early winter, can enter plants through fresh pruning cuts and wounds. Prunus trees do not initiate new cankers during late spring or summer. Dogwood borers are most active in May, June, and July. Thus, dogwoods should not be pruned during these months.

The Incredible Edible Landscape Saga Continues

A Few Edible Landscape Suggestions for the Lower Midwest

( for more suggestions visit the main website article section. There is an entire edible landscape recomndation that was part of a presentation for

Red Cedar Country Gardens spring workshops. It was a combined trip as I also shared my excitedment about the many ornamental natives that are front door appropriate. this audiance was the Kansas City Master Naturalists and Kansas City Master Gardeners. It was held at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Conservation Center. It also included a terrific selection of plant material. Both list have native plant details as well as some cultivar specifics! Click here for main website page / resources for downloading plant lists/handouts!

Malus (Apple). Gold Rush, M. Enterprise and M. Jonafree
Asimina triloba (Am. Pawpaw)
Diospyros virginiana (Persimmon)
Prunus persica 'Bonfire'
Prunus Americana (Wild plum)
Prunus domestica subsp. Insititia (Damson plum)
Vaccinium corymbosum ’Duke’, ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Elliot’
Aronia melanocarpa (Black chokecherry)
Amelanchier spp. (Serviceberry)
Vitis labrusca (grape) ‘Seedless Concord’ or other disease resistant variety
Actinidia arguta ((hardy kiwi)) ‘Issai’ (self pollinating)
Sambucus canadensis (American Elderberry) see note on cultivar selections!
Ribes odoratum (Clove Currant)
Rubus ‘Thornless Chester’
Fragaria vesca (Woodland strawberry)


Power Vegetable Gardening (Maximum success in small spaces)
Bush beans (for planting after peas) (starts well from seed)Broccoli (plant early from starter plants)Carrots (starts well from seed)Cucumber (bush-type) (use starter plants or seed)Lettuce (starts well from seed or use starter plants for an earlier crop)Onions ‘Walla Walla Sweet White (start with long day variety from "sets")Peas ‘Sugar Bon Early (an early crop) (starts well from seed)Peppers (Capsicum spp) ‘California Wonder’ (plant started plants) (green peppers are easiest)Radish (Raphanus sativus ) ‘Burpee’s White, ‘Cherry Belle’, ‘Easter Egg’ (plant seeds early)Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) ‘Tyee’ / ‘Olympia’ bolt resistant (plant seeds early)Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) ‘Gardener’s Delight’ / ‘Better Boy’, Okra 'Red Burgundy' (pictured above)