Red, orange, yellow – September’s splendor captivates! Such excitement before the quiet of the winter landscape! |
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Streaks, splashes, mottling, stripes, margins – variegated plants add interest and sparkle to their surroundings. Who can pass a tricolor beech without stopping to admire its ruby, pink and white foliage? Ditto the striking yellow and green blades of Color Guard yucca or the pink, green, and white leaves of the variegated kiwi vine. |
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Tricolor Beech foliage photo by E Barth-Elias |
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When we speak of variegation, we are referring to a plant part that has at least two colors in an alternating pattern. These colorful forms can be naturally occurring, a result of plant diseases such as tulip breaking virus or hosta virus X, or created by genetic mutation. Mutations constantly occur in nature, and plant propagators (both professional and hobby) take advantage of those mutations to create new cultivars with interesting color combinations or patterns. Plant 200 seeds from a target plant (not a hybrid – which is a discussion for another day) and among the seedlings you will likely find a couple that are different in size, form, or color. That “new” plant, or variant, can then be propagated, using cuttings, divisions, grafting, or tissue culture (replicating cells in a laboratory) to create a new generation of like plants (clones). It can take years to determine if the variant plant is vigorous and the new qualities are sustained. Variegated plants are also propagated from sports (parts of a plant that have different characteristics not caused by insects or disease). Perhaps you have passed a spruce or a hydrangea with a branch that has different leaves or colors. When those characteristics are caused by genetic mutations, that mutated branch can be reproduced using the same techniques as the variant seedling.
While beautiful, variegated plants are often less vigorous than their solid green cousins. The pigment chlorophyll colors leaves green and powers the photosynthetic process. White, pink, or yellow leaf areas lack chlorophyll and greatly reduce that plant’s ability to create food stores. We pay in vigor for those beautiful color patterns. When we place these variegated plants in shady areas their ability to photosynthesize is further reduced.
Occasionally, variegated plants produce leaves or stems that revert, or develop the green color of their parent. This may be a mechanism used by the plant to increase the photosynthetic product and improve vigor. The usual practice is to remove those reversions and carry on.
When you are out and about in garden, park, or hiking path, take note of the way that your eye is drawn to variegated plants and how they play against a green background. Look around!
K Edgington
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Tricyrtis formosana 'Autumn Glow'
Photo by E Barth-Elias
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Fall is upon us with its traditional displays of asters, mums, and anemones, but now there’s a relatively new plant on the scene. A charming jewel you may have yet to discover is Tricyrtis hirta, toad lily, or hairy toad lily. It was introduced to American gardeners through specialty gardens in the mid-1990s and has only grown more popular since.
This native of Asia favors part to full shade at the edge of forests or on shady river banks. Picture it at the base of the Himalayas, or near a waterfall on the islands of Japan or Taiwan. Of the 22 species known to exist, only two are widely propagated and hybridized. Tricyrtis hirta, which is hardy to zone 4 and tolerates our winters, and Tricyrtis formosa, which is only hardy to zone 6. Tricyrtis in Greek is translated to 3 humps which describes the NECTARIES (nectar producing organs) of the plant. Hirta, meaning hair, refers to the tiny hairs that coat the leaves.
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Toad lilies will naturalize to form a cluster of 2-3 feet tall arching stems with single or multiple star-shaped blooms in the fall, given the right conditions. These include part shade to deep shade and moist soil. If it’s too dry, toad lilies will turn brown or go dormant. Too much moisture leaves these plants vulnerable to fungi and aphids that can spread a mosaic virus, causing a mottling of the leaves. It is propagated by seed, rhizome, division, or stem cuttings. Butterflies and bees pollinate the orchid-like flowers, which also attract hummingbirds. Rabbits and slugs are sometimes a problem.
The payoff is a dainty, yet striking display of color at a time when other perennials have called it quits. Blooms, which last about 3 weeks, can range from white to reddish purple, many with yellow throats. Its trademark look is a unique purple speckling of the six tepals (3 petals with 3 sepals). This exotic bloomer should be planted where it can be admired up close for its intricate flowers and unusual color patterns
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Hybridizers have had fun with this one, introducing a variety of sizes, colors, and leaf variegation. “Lightning Strike”, a shorter variety, features green and gold-streaked foliage with lavender flowers. “Moonlight”, with its bright variegated leaves and white blooms with lavender freckles, packs a punch in dense shade. A top performer at the Chicago Botanical Gardens, “Miyakazi”, has larger purple/white flowers and good disease resistance.
By all means, continue with the fall flower traditions but now shade gardeners don’t have to miss out on all the fun.
J Gramlich
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Creature Feature - Creepy, Clever Crows |
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Crows have a creepy rap, and for good reason. They're almost entirely black (except for brown eyes), have a long association with death, hold funerals — and a group of crows is called a murder. Yikes! Are they really all that bad? Let’s separate Halloween hype from reality and see…
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American Crows photo by June Hunter |
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There are roughly 45 species in the genus Corvus, which consists of medium to large birds in the Corvidae family such as crows, rooks and ravens. Only three species are found in the U.S., with the American Crow being the most common. The Northwestern Crow is found west of the Rockies, and the Fish Crow is found (duh!) near water, generally the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines.
The American Crow and the Common Raven are often confused. Crows are smaller and make a loud “caw” sound, while the larger raven has pointed wings and tail and a trademark “croak” (translates to “Nevermore”). Click HERE for further details.
Crows will eat almost anything, which has its creepy aspects, but contrary to popular belief they are not big eaters of carrion (decaying flesh). This isn’t due to a sense of delicacy —their bills can’t penetrate the skin so they have to wait for something else to open up a carcass to get at the juicy stuff. That’s creepy and disgusting. Crows eat small mammals, birds, insects, seeds, nuts, fruit – in urban area their diet can be up to 65% garbage — enough said.
American crows are found almost anywhere there are trees and a food source, including urban settings. These highly social birds generally mate for life (average life span is 7-8 years but can be much longer) and will build nests together towards the top of trees, preferring evergreens. Clutch size is 3-9 eggs that will hatch in 20-40 days. A family unit may stay together a few years, with young crows helping feed and protect new nestlings. In winter crows may roost in large groups ranging from a few hundred to an estimated 2 million. This practice keeps them warm and safe, and the collective wisdom of the group increases food sources. This somewhat unsettling VIDEO shows crows gathering for a nightly roost.
Crows are SCARY smart. They are now considered among earth’s most intelligent animals, similar to primates. They solve problems, make tools, drop nuts on streets for cars to break open and maybe even help keep our city streets clean — working for, literally, peanuts. Watch it HERE. These bright birds work together to find food and protect each other, even “mobbing” predators to drive them off.
Why are crows so smart? Scientists believe that although bird brains are necessarily small, crow brains are large relative to their body size, and the quantity and positioning of neurons in their brain promotes high-functioning. While their brain structure is different from humans, crows have demonstrated a human-like self-awareness shared only by a few other mammals. Read about it HERE.
This brief VIDEO gives a taste of just how smart crows are. If you’d like to dive deeper into bird brains, watch this TEDX TALK by a renowned professor of wildlife science. This VIDEO contends that crows are as smart as a 7 year-old human.
Like other highly intelligent animals such as dolphins and elephants, crows react to the deaths of their own kind. They seem to hold “funerals” by making loud alarm calls or mobbing the body. Do they really care, or is there another explanation? To find out, a researcher donned a mask and carried a dead crow into a crow gathering, causing a highly negative reaction from the birds. When she returned wearing the mask but without the dead crow, the crows still reacted furiously towards her, even weeks later. The same experiment with pigeons caused no such reaction — the pigeons didn’t appear to notice or care about their dead friend. The researcher concluded that crows react to death to educate each other about potential dangers that could kill them. Watch HERE and see if you find the video a bit creepy…).
In order to assess crows’ ability to recognize faces, a second experiment involved wildlife biologists trapping crows and then releasing them while, you guessed it, wearing scary cavemen masks. The crows were unharmed but frightened by the trapping experience. Other researchers wore “neutral” (hah!) Dick Cheney masks but did not trap the crows. When the researchers returned in the masks, the crows dive-bombed the cavemen and ignored Dick Cheney — even crows who hadn’t been trapped. The same result occurred months, even years, later. Researchers concluded that crows remember faces, learn from each other, and hold a grudge. If you think a crow is deliberately pooping on your car, you’re probably right. You did something he (or his grandmother) didn’t like, and he’s not gonna forget. That’s a little scary.
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And yet, crows do have a sweet side. They have been known to form bonds with humans, even bringing them gifts. A little girl in Seattle has received multiple small, shiny gifts from crows over the years. Her crow friends even returned a lens cap her Mom lost – first rinsing it off in the birdbath! Read the SWEET STORY. (OK, the neighbors sued but the case settled).
So what do you think about clever crows? They’re not exactly cuddly, but maybe they aren’t that creepy either. Whatever you decide, just DON’T get them mad…
C Christian
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Urban Trees: Silent Helpers |
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Greenwood Ave, Akron, Ohio
photo by E Barth-Elias
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When imagining trees, we often think of a forest. We see the green shade and hear the twigs snap underfoot, all far from the noise and bustle of the city. Even when turning our gaze to urban areas, parks come to mind. But the real forest is on our city streets.
The trees that tower over our homes and businesses and shade our streets are crucial to a city’s quality of life. They save thousands of dollars in energy costs. They soak up carbon dioxide, returning oxygen to the atmosphere. They provide shelter for wildlife. They absorb noise.
It's not just about shady streets. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, urban forestry is a $64 billion industry. Trees provide a whopping $73 billion in environmental services, taking $65
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billion worth of carbon, plus an additional $5 billion of pollutants, out of the air. They add $31.5 billion in property values. They drink rainfall, diverting up to $3 billion in stormwater runoff.
Many, if not most, of the country’s oldest cities were built with single sewage systems, meaning both rainwater runoff and sewage were dumped into the same drains. These combined sewer overflows pollute the downstream waterways. The federal Environmental Protection Agency now mandates separating stormwater from sewage.
While it’s not possible to turn back the clock, it is possible to divert that rainwater. In Akron, this program is called Akron Waterways Renewed. In addition to the multi billion-dollar construction program that physically separates the two systems, Akron is also focused on preventing stormwater from entering the sewers in the first place. The cornerstone of that plan is the urban tree canopy.
Based on a 2013 canopy assessment (another evaluation will be commissioned in 2023), 37 percent of Akron’s more than 39,000 acres of land is covered in trees. That represents less than half the total number of sites suitable for planting. Another 7,000 acres are in areas with hard surfaces that still accommodate trees. Nineteen percent of surfaces is unplantable. The city’s ambitious goal is to have 44 percent of the land under tree canopy, putting it in the forefront of urban tree canopies in the country.
Anyone who remembers huge stretches of tree-lined streets offering welcome shade also remembers when those trees, especially the American elm, died from an invasive fungal disease imported from Europe in diseased lumber. Just as no one thought single sewage systems were an issue, early city planners had no clue that planting all one species of tree in the same area would doom those streets. When there is a monoculture, an assault on one usually threatens the entire area. A recent example is the Emerald Ash Borer.
Akron has specific criteria to avoid that happening again. The plan limits the number of trees to no more than 30 percent (21,000 trees) from one family; 20 percent (14,000 trees) from one genus; 10 percent (7,000 trees) from one species; 5 percent (3,500 trees) from one cultivar. Those percentages are further refined by keeping specific distances between various kinds of trees. Another specification prevents planting tall trees underneath utility lines. The plan remains flexible because new cultivars are constantly being evaluated for their suitability as street trees.
While they make a huge difference to our lives, it's easy to take our trees for granted. They stand silently by, helping us by just being what they are. Maybe, the next time you’re out for a walk, give a tree a hug. It’s the least we can do.
S Vradenburg
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Garden Design Begins with Questions
First in a series of four articles on the garden design and installation process.
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Who hasn’t walked the garden, just-purchased plant in hand, searching for a spot for that new score? Too many of those “gotta have it” purchases can result in a display garden rather than a flowing landscape. What most of us want is a garden where colors, textures, and a bit of bling invite us to spend time and provide captivating views from street, porch and window. It takes planning to get plant combinations and a garden design that draws us in and give us pleasure.
As the gardening season comes to an end, our porch surveys often point out areas that don’t work, aren’t thriving, look scattered or disjointed, or just need to be tackled. The fall and winter months are an excellent time to turn observations and investigations into a garden design. Whether renovating a garden bed or working on a whole garden plan, there are good design strategies that will make the design and implementation process both easier and more successful.
Where to begin? Perhaps a better first question is when to begin. It is worth the time and the delay to spend a growing season evaluating the garden site. The light in garden areas changes over the seasons, as does moisture level, and a good look at the winter landscape draws attention to areas that need to be highlighted or screened.
Above all, a good garden design begins with questions.
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How will this garden space function? What is the main goal? What activities will occur there? Perhaps the goal is to attract and support wildlife, create an entertaining space, reduce maintenance, enhance views from inside or from the street, provide a get-away space or garden room, provide a recreation or play area, grow food, enhance a path from here to there. How about seating needs and handicapped accessibility?
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What are the sun and shade qualities of the different areas? Light conditions change over time. Look at the area at different times of the season and different times of the day to evaluate available light. Note which plants will be providing shade in the years to come. Read THIS about the changing quality of sunlight over the seasons.
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What are the soil qualities of the area? Do they vary? Has the topsoil remained intact or been disturbed during construction? Is the soil primarily clay? Loam? Sand? This is where a soil test becomes important. Make sure to inform the laboratory what the use of the planting area will be.
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How does drainage affect the garden area? Are there areas that are constantly wet or dry? Do established tree roots make plantings underneath challenging? Does there need to be a path for water to drain from one area to another? Do areas need to be built up to facilitate drainage? How can plantings decrease water run-off into sewers and other hard surfaces? Click HERE for a look at plants that help improve drainage.
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Are there wind, noise, or unsightly views that require screening? Are there views beyond the garden that should be framed? HERE are some interesting ideas for creating plant screens.
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Which spots in the landscape would be enhanced by a FOCAL POINT? Which need an ANCHOR PLANT? Is there a corner of the house that needs to be softened? Is there an area that the eye will be drawn to? Is there a spot you want to draw visitors to, either physically or visually?
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Which views or sight lines from inside the home are important? Make a note to include a focal point. Which windows in the home or office are key and should have a plant “frame”?
- What are your favorite plant colors and color combinations? What is your favorite gardening style: formal, cottage, contemporary, xeric, woodland?
- What are favorite plants and hard features that need to be incorporated into the garden plan?
This is a good time to start collecting examples of gardens or garden beds that you find pleasing. Walk through a park or arboretum and take photos of beds or plants that inspire you. Cut out magazine articles or save online ideas. Keep your materials and photos together in a folder, on a Pinterest page, or other organizational tool.
This is also a good time to take some “before” photos of the bed or landscape you will be designing. You can refer to them during the design process, and you can also use them as a background to fill in possible plant choices – more on that later.
Your time asking questions and thinking through the site parameters and your priorities is well spent. Put those answers down on paper or create a planning document on your computer. Assessing the site and identifying needs and preferences is the first step toward creating a successful and pleasing design that will “work” for years to come.
Next month: Turning your ideas into a plan.
K Edgington
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September Checklist
- Continue garden harvest and cleanup. Plant a cover crop in open soil.
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Tidy up perennials and remove annuals. Remove dead/diseased foliage and aggressive plant seeds but leave the remainder for birds and winter interest. Iowa State University: Fall Garden Clean-up
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Continue to divide perennials to keep plants vigorous and multiply your stock. Penn State Extension: A Guide to Dividing Perennials
- Move outdoor houseplants to a less sunny location to acclimate to indoors. Spray vigorously with water to dislodge pests before bringing them inside.
- Discontinue fertilizers and pruning to allow plants to go dormant naturally. (OK to fertilize lawns.)
J Gramlich
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It's BACK!
Design and Beyond 2022
Summit County Master Gardeners invite you to attend the D&B 2022 symposium, featuring keynote speaker Kerry Ann Mendez and bonsai expert Ken Huth. Kerry will present two programs: Budget-Wise Gardener and Hydrangeas Demystified. Ken will present The Art of Bonsai and give a live demonstration on the creation of a bonsai forest.
Saturday, October 15, 9:00 am through 4:00 pm
Doors open at 8:00 am
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
129 South Union Street, Akron OH
Ticket Price: $55
For more information about this great program and the link to
register click on the button below.
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More learning opportunities:
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Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale. Lauren DeStefano
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We invite you to share The Root of It with your gardening friends and family. If you would like to subscribe to our mailing list please visit our website, scroll to the bottom, and follow the link under Join our email list. |
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The Root of It staff: Karen Edgington (Editor), Emma Barth-Elias (Photo Editor), Carolyn Christian, Jennifer Gramlich, Sarah Vradenburg, and Geoff Kennedy (Technical Advisor)
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