Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
June 20, 2002 (Thursday)
7:30 PM
Room 3712, Bostian Hall
Todd Lasseigne, JCRA Assistant
Director
"More 'Round the World Travels"
JCRA – July 18, 2001 – Things happening at the JCRA in Raleigh, NC after returning from 6 weeks abroad in Japan and the Nation of Georgia
1. Lagerstroemia indica (Louisiana series) – crepe myrtles, a familiar and welcome site
2. Stachyurus praecox var. matsuzakii 'Magpie' – a superb shade plant growing in the Lath House
3. Tigridia pavonia – Mexican germplasm (introduced by Yucca Do Nursery, TX) of a long-cultivated species, superior to the commonly offered bulbs derived from Andean provenances; the Mexican bulbs will be perennial here, whereas the Andean plants rarely last more than 1 year
4. Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Dilworth Variegated' – a superb, variegated selection found at Dilworth Nursery, PA; outstanding colorful foliage
5. Pinus taeda 'Little Albert' – a newly discovered dwarf loblolly, this one hailing from Louisiana; introduced by Louisiana Nursery, Opelousas, LA
6. Arundo donax 'Golden Chain' – introduced from the U.K., this gold-variegated cultivar of giant reed does not fade with the advancing summer heat (as does Arundo donax 'Variegata')
7. Cotinus coggygria 'Ancot' Golden Spirit™ – the new gold-leaf smokebush, found in the U.K. and now being bulked up in the U.S.; a patented plant
8. Emmenopterys henryi – one of Ernest Wilson's finest introductions from China, but relatively unknown still in the West; somewhat closely related to the se U.S. native Pinckneya pubens; our plant first flowered at nearly 20 years age back in 1999
NCSU's Mountain Horticulture Crops Research and Extension Center (Fletcher, NC) – July 20, 2001
9. Styrax japonicus 'Emerald Pagoda' x S. japonicus 'Pink Chimes' -- hybrids under development by Dr. Tom Ranney; hopefully, we'll get the excellent foliage of 'Emerald Pagoda' with the pink flowers of 'Pink Chimes'
10. Hypericum 'Brodie' x H. kalmianum – breeding St. Johnsworts for enhanced cold hardiness and evergreen foliage
11. " – blue-leaf – ditto
12. Hypericum 'Brodie' – an already proven plant, excellent here at the JCRA
13. Pyracantha (super-high ploidy) – really weird things happening here, but worth following for their future potential
14. Koelreuteria paniculata (dwarf, sterile) – a worthy plant for summer interest and small stature; a seedless cultivar would be an excellent improvement
15. Campsis grandiflora 'Morning Calm' – a JCRA introduction from the 1985 Korean expedition; happily growing in the NC mountains in the ornamental plantings surrounding the MHCREC station
16. Mahonia aquifolium (variegated) – a chance find, with superb white / pink variegated new growth
Eddy Arboretum (Placerville, CA) – July 24, 2001
17. entrance sign
18. Abies bracteata – the bristlecone fir of the western U.S., a fine conifer
19. Pinus lambertiana – the sugar pine, a white pine that produces enormous (12-18" long) cones
20. " – cone
21. Pinus bungeana – lace-bark pine, the specimens growing here with exceptional white bark
22. Pinus coulteri – Coulter pine, another western natiev pine; note the large recurved prickles on the large cones
23. sign for Pinus glabra from St. Tammany Parish, LA – I had to travel all the way to California to see spruce pines grown from seeds originally collected in my native southeastern Louisiana
24. witch's broom in Pinus echinata – again, I had to travel all the way to California to see a witch's broom on one of our native southern pines; I feel strongly that these witch's brooms have huge potential for introducing mugo-like dwarf pines adapted to the southern climate
25. Aesculus californica in situ – seeing California buckeye going deciduous in the wild; with their summer droughts, I can understand the behavior in California, but why does it exhibit the same behavior in our (normally) wet-summer climate in the eastern U.S.
26. CA state Capitol
27. a superb avenue of Washingtonia robusta (California fan palm) near Capitol
Quarryhill B.G. (Sonoma, CA) – July 25, 2001
28. view of pond with waterlilies
29. unknown Millettia species – beautiful pink flowers in large clusters on this interesting evergreen / semi-evergreen vine
30. Lilium leichtlinii var. maximowiczianum – the familiar tiger lily of Japan, long grown in the U.S.
31. Pterocarya insignis – an unfamiliar species of wingnut; decidedly glossier foliage than other Pterocarya species observed
32. Viburnum sieboldii var. obovatifolium – fabulous large clusters of brilliant red fruits, all in the heat and bright light of the California Sonoma valley; worthy of introduction to the southeastern U.S., where the typical variety of V. sieboldii does not perform as well as it does further north
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34. Cercidiphyllum japonicum subsp. sinense – superb, upright / pyramidal specimens of the Chinese katsura, grown from wild-collected seeds; most plants of katsura that I have observed normally develop round-headed canopies with age, whereas these displayed tight pyramidal canopies
35. Lilium leichtlinii var. maximowiczianum – a huge colony in full flowering splendor of tiger lilies
36. Malus yunnanensis – a true specimen of Yunnan crabapple, with its upswung branches typical of the species; seeing this specimen called into doubt in my mind the identity of the plant we once grew in the JCRA West Arboretum under this name
37. Lilium brownii -- a superb lily, recalling L. regale (the regal lily), to me, with white to off-white large flowers, tinged yellow and pink
38. Acer fulvescens var. pentalobum – a maple looking somewhat like Shantung maple (A. truncatum) to me, albeit with striking bright red petioles; very beautiful, and according to Quarryhill's Peter Clements, likely to prosper in the eastern U.S.
39. Illicium simonsii – featured about 3 years ago in a feature article in Horticulture Magazine, written by Quarryhill B.G.'s Director, Bill McNamara; this plant, holds huge potential for southern gardens; tight, upright / pyramidal specimens, appearing as it they were sheared; bright yellow, outward-facing flowers in spring (which we did not see in our July visit)
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41. Jasminum humile var. siderophyllum – a very attractive, shrubby jasmine with purple-tinged new growth; flowers not seen, but worthy of growing for foliage alone
42. Liriodendron chinense – an open-grown, young specimen of the Chinese tuliptree; full-canopied and certainly prospering in the bright light conditions at Quarryhill
43. Aesculus indica – the Indian horsechestnut, a species poorly represented in cultivation in U.S. arboreta, especially the southeastern U.S., but with seeming potential; this specimen exhibiting good vigor and foliage color retention under full-sun conditions
44. Tibetan prayer flags set atop the highest point overlooking the garden
45. Cornus oblonga – a newly introduced evergreen dogwood from China; this one produces dozens of small flowers in terminal clusters; the foliage looks more like an evergreen viburnum than a dogwood
46. Clematis tibetana (black flower form) – with rich gray-green foliage, we were amazed to observe the slate-black sepals on the lantern-shaped flowers of this species
Strybing Arboretum – July 26, 2001
47. garden entrance
48. Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' – growing in the nursery at Strybing, we discovered this exquisite 2-tone bush salvia; rich, coral-pink and white flowers!!; not before known in the eastern U.S.
49. Salvia patens – the cobalt blue flowers of the gentian sage, a plant not really happy in hot-summer climates, but that was prospering at Strybing
50. Lonicera hildebrandtiana – a truly exotic-looking honeysuckle, with flowers reaching lengths up to 8 inches long; appearing like a Japanese honeysuckle on steroids, and for this reason, I am happy that it is NOT cold-hardy; still, a lovely plant to observe in a climate where it can be grown
51. Schima wallichii – a Camellia relative from southeast Asia, this specimen produced dozens of half-dollar-sized white flowers, all set amid brilliant red new growth that rivalled that of red-tip photinia (Photinia x fraseri); since S. wallichii sensu lato ("in the broad sense") can refer to any of a number of other formerly-recognized species, it is difficult to know from where this specimen hailed
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53. Impatiens kilimanjari – a low-growing impatiens, with rich, scarlet flowers displaying prominent spurred flowers; seemingly not so happy here in our summer heat (based on rooted cuttings taken back here); native to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya, Africa
54. Ternstroemia mcclellandii – a Mexican ternstroemia, resembling, but with much more dramatic foliage, the familiar southeastern landscape plant T. gymnanthera (wrongly but commonly referred to as "Japanese cleyera")
55. Rondeletia species (from Chiapas State, Mexico) – an unidentified species of a superb, probably tropical, flowering evergreen shrub, a member of the coffee family (Rubiaceae); beautiful, bright pink flowers suggest a plant with great possibilities as a container / patio subject
56. view toward Mahonia siamensis -- as I walked down this long path, lined by tall trees, I spotted, and as I approached it was able to identify this as a truly distinct mahonia; the new growth was a brilliant pink-red, far more vivid than any other mahonia I've seen; the only question: with it being a native of Thailand (formerly Siam – hence the name), will it be cold hardy for us??!
57. M. siamensis – a close-up view
58. Beschorneria yuccoides -- a fantastic specimen with a huge, arching inflorescence that must have measured 15-20 feet long, literally hanging over the walkway; a relative of Yucca, but with soft-tipped leaves and pink to red flowers (pollinated by hummingbirds, most likely); prior to my seeing this, I would have thought that only a science-fiction movie could have produced such an outrageous plant
59. Melianthus major 'Purple Haze', Phormium 'Guardsman' -- I don't know if I have before seen such brilliantly designed and wonderful container combinations as here at the entrance to Strybing
60. Streptosolen jamesonii, Phormium 'Sundowner' – a second combination, with the orange flowers of the Streptosolen and the pink / green striped leaves of the phormium
61. Incarvillea arguta (trailing form) – growing like a restrained trumpetcreeper (Campsis radicans) with light-pink flowers (instead of orange-red), this plant was seen at Strybing growing as a herbaceous perennial, in either a trailing or a clumping form; collected in 1996 in Yunnan Province, China by several prominent southeastern horticulturists (Mildred Pinnell from Atlanta Botanical Garden, Paul Jones from Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and Tony Avent from Plant Delights Nursery), this species grows here in Raleigh, but does not display the grace that it did at Strybing, probably owing to our hot summer temperatures which stimulate rapid, and almost rank, growth and decrease the longevity of the flowers
62. Yucca rostrata, Origanum 'Rosenkuppel' – an outstanding combination, with the purple flowers, in terminal clusters recalling Verbena bonariensis, set among the gray-blue linear foliage of the yucca
63. Cautleya spicata – a stunning ginger, bearing yellow flowers in terminal clusters, and stems tinged bright red; a small plant reaching only 18 or so inches tall, but not performing too great in our hot summers
64. Magnolia sharpii – one of several native Mexican evergreen magnolias, resembling M. grandiflora in leaf and flower somewhat; it was very exciting to see this plant in flower in the superb Neotropical woodland garden at Strybing; although M. sharpii has not been tested for cold hardiness here in Raleigh, another Mexican evergreen species, M. tamaulipana has been hardy here for nearly 10 years!
65. view w/ Eriogonum umbellata (white), Clarkia, E. concinnum (rose_pink) – an exquisite show in reds, pinks, and whites of plants in the California Natives section at Strybing
66. Eriogonum grande var. rubescens -- commonly referred to as "wild buckwheat," this California native species existed as a tight mounding perennial covered with pinkish-red flowers
67. Romneya coulteri – also growing in the California Natives garden was the California tree poppy, a shrub-like plant with sage-green leaves on stems reaching 5-6 feet tall, topped with large, showy, white poppies with a brilliant yellow center – looking somewhat like sunny-side-up eggs
68. view with Coriaria nepalensis – a view to a pavilion overlooking a pond, the pavilion itself covered by a huge tree-sized specimen of the Nepal coriaria; our comparatively-small specimen of Coriaria japonica grows in front of the Lath House at the JCRA
69. Rhododendron yakushimanum – one of the wonders of the Asian collection at Strybing, this beautiful specimen of the Yakushima rhododendron exhibited its new growth covered in fine tawny down – who needs flowers?
70. Dichroa febrifuga – an evergreen hydrangea relative; white to bluish-white small flowers in terminal clusters, these giving way to brilliant, shiny blue fruits; the plant was in flower when I observed it
71. Acer hookeri – snakebark maples are not always easily grown in the southeastern U.S., but this one spoke to me with its highly glossy leaves; if it is cold hardy (Hooker's collections are from the Himalayas, a region that does not always produce the most cold-hardy of woody plants), this would be the most beautiful of the group owing to its superior foliage
72. Acer pentaphyllum – subject of a recent, thoroughly researched article by Quarryhill B.G.'s Bill McNamara (in Pacific Horticulture Magazine), A. pentaphyllum is among the rarest of all cultivated maple species, and unfortunately, not too cold-hardy at that; the specimen at Strybing is regarded as one of the finest of any in cultivation, and with its deeply lobed leaves (almost resembling bamboo from a distance), it was a sight to behold
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75. Pyrus granulosa -- I nearly walked by this plant, but curiosity got the better of me; as a seemingly evergreen, columnar tree, I wondered what the plant was; to my amazement(!!!), I discovered that this as an evergreen pear hailing from the mountains of Malaysia; a mind-boggling personal discovery for me, and proof that our temperate zone flora has extensions into the tropics all around the world
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77. view of succulent collection w/ Agave ferox – all shapes and forms imaginable are evident in this superb collection
78. Agave parryi var. huachucensis – as I marvel at our lone specimen in the Winter Garden at the JCRA, I was flabbergasted at Strybing's multi-headed specimen that appears to have suckered through the rock wall on which it grows, bearing several dozen rosettes of silvery-white thickened leaves; my least expected view in the entire garden
79. Puya raimondii – the South American equivalent (in many ways) of the Mexican to SW U.S. Dasylirion's; this Puya (a bromeliad) displayed a rosette of brilliant silver sword-like leaves on a plant reaching 4-5 feet across and tall!; after my talk, I was told that this species forms tree-sized, single-trunked specimens in the wild
80. Anigozanthos hybrids – the kangaroo paws, not all that unusual in climates where they can be grown, but certainly not commonly known to any easterner
81. Agave ferox -- an agave in flower, reminding me of our specimens flowering in the Southwest Garden at the JCRA; A. ferox has beautiful dark green, shining leaves
82. view of "South America" – a small tree festooned with bromeliads of all shapes and colors
83. Vitex lucens -- an evergreen Vitex from New Zealand; Hmmm!, the breeder in me wondered
84. Leucospermum 'African Red' – beautiful flowering shrubs, members of the Protea family, a Southern Hemisphere group of evergreen trees and shrubs; we know these mostly from the king protea sold by florists
85. Leucospermum erubescens – a specimen with rich orange-red flowers
86. Watsonia intermedia – a genus of beautiful Iris relatives, bearing red to orange flowers on spikes, similar to gladiolus in some respects
87. Amaryllis belladonna – the belladonna lily or naked lady – tall bright pink flowers are borne on naked stalks (without the leaves); a beautiful flowering bulb
88. Agapanthus planting – I walked into a part of Strybing where a long, broad drift of various Agapanthus greeted me; a personal favorite of my mother
89. Agapanthus inapertus – a species with dark-colored flowers, approaching purple-black in color, the lower flowers hanging downward; very distinct among the Agapanthus
90. Senecio mandraliscae – looking nothing like what I thought a Senecio should look, I came across a planting of this groundcover bearing succulent, bright blue leaves (not in flower)
91. looking at entrance upon leaving – a world-class garden!
UC Berkeley B.G. (Berkeley, CA) – July 27, 2001
92. entrance sign with Agave salmiana – with such a diversity of plants in my first view of this garden, I knew that this garden would require lots of time and detailed exploration
93. view w/ Phoenix canariensis – the Canary Island date palm; an "indicator plant," in my view, of a Zone 9 climate
94. Nolina aff. beldingii – a new species, to me, of Nolina; a genus best know from its tropical member, the so-called pony-tail palm – Nolina recurvata
95. Hydrangea paniculata – after visiting Strybing, and now beginning to walk through Berkeley B.G., it was great to see at least 1 familiar plant from NC gardens
96. Arbutus 'Marina' -- a hybrid arbutus, now being grown in parts of the Carolinas successfully; this one bears rich pink, urn-shaped flowers, and is reputedly much easier to grow than one of its showy parents, the Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
97. Comarostaphylis glaucescens – Berkeley's collections (as with Strybing's) were richly filled with Mexican plants; here, I observed a very attractive Mexican Ericad, an evergreen shrub somewhat resembling an Arbutus, but with showier, clear-pink flowers borne in larger clusters; could this be hardy, perchance?!!
98. Myrica nagi – one of the 35 species of Myrica that is unknown in the southeastern U.S., this one hailing from southeast Asia
99. Picea morrisonicola – Mt. Morrison spruce – important not only because it was growing successfully in Berkeley (low winter chill units), but also because it represents the untapped flora of Taiwan, a close climatic match for the southeastern U.S.; "morrisonicola" means "growing on Mt. Morrison," an older name for the highest mountain in Taiwan
100. view w/ Araucaria araucana – the monkey puzzle trees always draw my camera lens, and these did not fail to do so, either; a wonderful view looking at the nearby surroundings, with these always odd-looking, but architectural, trees in the foreground
101. Austrocedrus chilensis – the Chilean incense-cedar – we grew this species for several years in front of the Lath House at the JCRA, but lost it (probably) to drought about 2 years ago; seeing such a large, magnificent specimen growing in full sun confirmed my suspicions that we need to try it again; Austrocedrus is easily told from other similar conifers by the appearance of gray-green bands on both the upper and lower leaf surfaces, giving a sage-green color from a distance
102. Abies bornmuelleriana – one of several firs that former NCSU Post-Doc and Conifer Collection Curator, Dr. Kim Tripp, recognized as holding some degree of heat tolerance / climatic adaptation for the southeastern U.S.; a superb specimen flourished here in Berkeley
103. "floriculture" sign
104. Helianthus annuus for Bob Lyons – a bevy of sunflowers in bloom reminded me of Bob Lyons and his fascination with many members of the Asteraceae (daisy family)
105. view
106. Begonia boliviensis – a stunning begonia, and one that bears potential for being perennial here in Raleigh (although further testing is required, according to one member of the audience, after I stated so); the plants were smothered in elongated, drooping, scarlet flowers; the overall effect resembling a small angel-wing begonia more than the typical wax-leaf begonias that we know so commonly
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108. Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' for JC – with the plume Japanese cedar being one of J. C.'s favorite plants, I was very excited to see a fine, huge specimen (30 feet + tall) growing happily in Berkeley; unfortunately, this cultivar is now nearly impossible to grow at the JCRA due to its susceptibility to "red fire," a serious, but poorly understood, disease of Cryptomeria
109. Exbucklandia populnea – an evergreen relative of sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), once thought to be impossible to grow in Raleigh until I observed for nearly 5 years now, the specimen flourishing at Juniper Level Botanical Garden; the plant at Berkeley (some 40 feet tall) displayed leaves nearly round in shape (versus the more maple-like, lobed ones from J.L.B.G. that I was famiiar with)
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111. Viburnum utile – as one of the "stud plants" used by the late Dr. Don Egolf in his Viburnum breeding program at the U.S. Nat'l. Arboretum back in the 1960s, this species is largely absent from Viburnum collections; clearly, one of my personal favorites of Egolf's, Viburnum 'Conoy' favored this parent; while most of the other hybrids favored the other parents; a splendid semi-evergreen shrub with glossy dark green foliage and red-tinged fruits
Bernheim Arboretum (Clermont, KY) – October 1, 2001
112. Calamagrostis brachytricha – a fine and newly introduced, clumping ornamental grass; here at Bernheim, I saw a beautiful crescent-shaped planting, with all plantings in full flowering splendor, producing upright silvery-pink plumes standing about 24 inches tall
113. Platanus x acerifolia 'Suttneri' – known to me only as the variegated London planetree before seeing this specimen at Bernheim, I now know that this cultivar displays some of the finest white bark to be seen among any hardy tree
114. Broussonetia papyrifera 'Golden Shadow' – paper mulberry has never been an overly desirable plant for me, mainly due to its propensity to sucker with wild abandon in the garden, along railroad tracks, and just about anywhere else it is planted; however, this new gold-leaf cultivar, discovered by Tennessee nurseryman and plantsman Don Shadow, will probably cause nearly anyone to reconsider using it (although perhaps best so in a large container, or secured behind a bamboo-proof root barrier)
115. Ilex crenata 'Hetz Golden' – seen in the nursery at Bernheim was this fabulous gold-leaf sport of the popular Hetz holly (Ilex crenata 'Hetzii'); now, instead of green meatballs in the landscape, you can also have alternating gold and green meatballs in the landscape
116. Cornus florida 'Poinsett' – a rarely seen and poorly known variant of our native flowering dogwood, this cultivar displays rich, golden-yellow (versus the normal red) fruits
Cave Hill Cemetery (Louisville, KY) – October 2, 2001
117. view
118. Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Amazing Grace' – there are now several clones of weeping katsura, and this is one that was selected directly from the large specimen growing here at Cave Hill; a splendid specimen growing upwards of 20 feet tall, with branches cascading all the way to the ground
119. Cercidiphyllum japonicum – Japanese katsura, this specimen in the early stages of fall color, while 'Amazing Grace was pure green; just after its peak of fall color and imminent leaf drop, sniff around for the scent of cotton candy or burnt sugar – a characteristic smell of katsura leaves in the fall
120. Quercus montana x Q. robur f. fastigiata – here was perhaps the rarest of trees at Cave Hill, a tree of some 40 feet tall, although the specimen is exhibiting severe decline; a rare hybrid of upright English oak with our native rock chestnut oak; perhaps this hybrid is immune to the powdery mildew that afflicts English oaks in the south
121. Picea orientalis – Cave Hill was dotted with fine mature trees of the Caucasian spruce, a superbly adapted spruce for southern gardens, especially in the upper south; easily identified by its short leaves, colored dark black-green
122. Gymnocladus dioica – where else than Kentucky to see a specimen of Kentucky coffeetree; superb in leaf and without, for its sea-green foliage and textural bark
123. unknown Malus -- old crabapples were apparent here and there at Cave Hill; most were small trees, umbrella-like in form, bearing hundreds of tiny brilliant red crabapples
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125. Colonel Sanders grave – one of the famous who is buried at Cave Hill
126. variegated Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' – traveling in Louisville, we visited a private garden where a Fothergilla had produced an exciting variegated sport; stay tuned!
University of Georgia (UGA) Horticulture Gardens (Athens, GA) – October 13, 2001
127. Begonia 'Kaylen' – what's this?!!; a hardy wax-leaf begonia; YOU BET!!; purple leaves and pink flowers, and it has been cold hardy (as a herbaceous perennial) in Athens (Zone 7b) for several years and counting
128. Hypericum x moserianum 'Tricolor' – the beautiful Horticulture Gardens feature a mixed border of herbaceous perennials mixed with deciduous and evergreen shrubs, including a fabulous specimen of variegated St. Johnswort that begged my camera lens for attention
129. Ulmus parvifolia 'Emer II' Allee™ – the UGA campus is the home to the original specimen of Allee™ Chinese elm, a venerable old tree of upright habit with a beautifully fluted trunk bearing rich, jigsaw-puzzle exfoliating bark
Atlanta Botanical Garden – October 13, 2001
130. Elliottia racemosa – the Georgia plume, a rarely grown Ericaceous tree that occurs sporadically in the wilds of Georgia and South Carolina; bearing fragrant white flowers in terminal clusters produced during the summer months, and later showing off its flagrant fall foliar tints, one can only wonder as to why this plant is not more commonly grown
131. Chrysanthemum weyrichii – carpet mum – an evergreen, stoloniferous, groundcover Chrysanthemum that produces relatively large white or pink mum flowers in spring, all on a plant reaching no more than 2-3 inches in height
132. Convolvulus cneorum – silverbush morningglory – a stunning shrub (yes, a shrub!) displaying leaves of the shiniest silver one can imagine on a plant; during the early summer months, white and yellow-eyed morningglory flowers appear
133. Pinus x densi-thunberg 'Jane Kluis' – an exciting dragon's-eye-like pine, with the needles being banded green toward the tips and gold toward the bases; each whorl of foliage producing a rich cup of gold inside a bowl of green; what a fabulous conifer!!
134. Cornus florida 'Pygmaea' – this "pygmy" form of flowering dogwood truly grows as a dwarf version of the common type; the specimen of 'Pygmaea' at Atlanta Botanical Garden ranks as one of the finest I have seen; now, if only to see it in spring!
135. Morus alba 'Ito' – formerly dubbed 'Nuclear Blast' by JC Raulston due to its leaves that appear to be shredded as if by some horrendous explosion, 'Ito' mulberry will also fool you (every year!) into thinking that it has gone to that great garden in the sky at the end of winter, for it will not even think about leafing out until late May to early June
136. Aesculus parviflora – the bottlebrush buckeye, one of the finest of the deciduous shrubs, not only for its exquisite summer flowers, but as shown here for its rich lemon yellow autumn tints; why is this so unusual, you say?; because most buckeyes (in the south) drop their leaves prematurely to a leaf scorch disease, while A. parviflora remains resistant, thus preserving its leaves long enough to develop the fabulous fall colors
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138. Disanthus cercidifolius – Is it a redbud or not?!!; Not!; actually a relative of the witchhazels (Hamamelis), but appearing in foliage like a redbud (Cercis), the orange to red to purple fall color gives it away as Disanthus, since Cercis only colors yellow in autumn
139. Nyssa sylvatica – our fine tupelo or black gum, a tree deserving of more widespread cultivation, but lagging behind the oaks and other trees in popularity for various reasons, some good and some not so good; good specimens display glossy foliage and blazing red autumn colors
140. Viburnum rufidulum – rusty blackhaw – one of the toughest deciduous shrubs you will find; preferring dry shade, and able to tolerate drought and heat; as with the tupelo, good specimens of this Viburnum also color red in the fall
141. Solidago pinetorum – one of many goldenrods adorning our fields and woodlands (yes, woodlands), this species is a rare example of a shade-tolerant goldenrod; a beautiful sweep of this greeted me in full flower under the shade of the mixed oak-pine forests of Atlanta
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143. Diospyros kaki (weeping) – a weeping form of the Japanese persimmon (the species valued for its large, edible fruit); this form was recently brought to the U.S. from Japan by southeastern U.S. horticulturists, representing the growing ties that exist between the Japanese Nursery Association and southeastern U.S. horticuturists