I Love Poppies!

Although I love many flowers, the poppy is probably my favorite. I am not sure why, but I have a fascination with poppies. I collect antique Hall China in the orange poppy pattern and have my kitchen decorated in poppies.

There are many different types of poppies. One source lists 39 different species alone. Most people grow either the perennial Oriental poppy or one of the many annual-type poppies.

The Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) is the largest and most eye-catching of the poppies. It grows 18-36 inches tall and blooms in early summer. The single flowers are orange, scarlet, pink, or white blooms with dark centers. There are many different varieties available including ‘Pizzicato’ that produces up to 20 huge flowers per plant and the dwarf scarlet one called “Dwarf Allegro’.

The foliage of Oriental poppy dies after flowering and leaves open spaces in the garden for the rest of the season. Use other plants around the poppy to conceal the dying foliage or vacant space. I’ve had good success using Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata) and hibiscus. Remember that poppies do best if left undisturbed so it can reseed itself. The Oriental poppy can be started by dividing old clumps or by sowing seed. Plants will not bloom until the 2nd year.

The annual-type poppies are usually grown as annuals here, although some are short-lived perennials. Regardless, we usually reseed or replant these each year. These poppies have a much longer bloom time than Oriental poppies. The foliage does not die back and we get flowers each year.

The corn or field poppy is a red flowering annual (Papaver rhoeas). Like most poppies, it does best in areas with cooler summers. In our hot summer climate, light afternoon shade is often needed for best success. If established, it is a vigorous self-seeding annual that is invasive in some areas. A good cultivar to try it ‘Angels Choir.’ It grows 18 to 24 inches tall with old-rose colors of pinks, whites, and reds.

This red poppy is represented in the American Legion Auxiliary’s Poppy Program. Their remembrance red poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war. According to their website, “From the battlefields of World War I, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil.” “By that miracle of nature, the spirit of their lost comrades lived on.” “The poppy became a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war and represented the hope that none had died in vain.”

The poppy’s beautiful symbolism, bright colors, and silky feel make it one of my favorites.

Maple Trees Make Great Landscape Trees

Last weekend while playing Scrabble with my family, I tried to play the word “Acer.” I was challenged and lost. I can’t believe Acer wasn’t in our dictionary!

Acer is, of course, the scientific name for maple. Worldwide there are about 200 different types of maples. They grow as trees and sometimes shrubs and are native mainly to the northern temperate regions. The five species of maples that are native to Illinois are sugar maple, silver maple, red maple, black maple, and boxelder.

Boxelder and silver maple are not usually recommended for landscape use. Boxelder is a very weak and trashy tree. Silver maple, though fast growing and large, is also weak wooded and easily broken by wind and ice. Still, I really like both trees in their natural habitats.

Sugar and red maple are commonly used and great for most landscapes. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is one of the slowest growing trees, yet hardest wood.  It has variable fall color, but often shows the most intense orange and reds. This is a very drought tolerant tree and does well in most situations.

'October Glory' Red Maple

Red maple (Acer rubrum) is a bit smaller than the sugar maple, reaching 40-50 feet instead of 80 feet tall. This tree has intense, brilliant red fall colors.  The leaves are green during summer, with red stems.  Red maples have gray-tan bark when young.  This is such a popular tree that many cultivars are available. I have an October Glory red maple in my front yard that almost always has spectacular orange fall color. Purchase trees in fall to determine the color. By the way, the maples that have deep purple colored leaves all summer long are nonnative ‘Crimson King’ Norway maples, not red maples.

I highly recommend two smaller, non-native maples for landscape use: Amur and Paperbark maples. The smaller size of these trees better fits many small home yards. Amur maple (Acer ginnala) is a multi-stemmed tree that grows 15 feet by 15 feet in size. It makes a nice patio tree or can be used singularly. I have also seen it used nicely as a hedge. This tree has brilliant orange/red fall color.

Paperbark Maple's beautiful bark
at ICC Gardens in E. Peoria

Probably my favorite small maple is the Paperbark maple (Acer griseum). It grows as a single or multi-stem plant, reaching 20 feet by 20 feet in size. This plant has so many great features that it is hard to list them all. Most outstanding is its exfoliating cinnamon-brown bark that separates into thin, papery flakes. It has a trifoliate (3-part) leaf that is quite unique. The leaves are dark green-blue in the summer, changing to a muted to brilliant red in the fall. Paperbark maple is just a great overall landscape tree. Mine grows in my backyard where I can see it in every season.

Next time I play scrabble I’m going to use my botanical terms dictionary. 

Sugar-n-Spice and Everything Nice

Sugar and spice make everything nice, especially Christmas cookies. But, do you know where your sugar and spice come from?

The white sugar we use comes from two different plants: sugar beets or sugarcane. Worldwide, 70 percent of our sugar comes from sugarcane. Sugarcane is a tall grass that grows in tropical areas. In a tropical setting like Hawaii and Jamaica, it grows in fields and looks similar to corn.

Sugarcane growing in Costa Rica

To get sugar from sugarcane, the cane is pressed to extract the juice, then boiled, and spun to produce raw sugar and syrup (molasses). The raw sugar is then sent to a refinery where it is washed and filtered to remove remaining non-sugar ingredients and color. It is then crystallized, dried and packaged into refined (or granulated) sugar.

Most of the sugar we eat here probably came from sugar beets. Sugar beets are a root crop resembling a large parsnip grown mostly in the temperate zones of the north. Beet sugar processing is similar to sugarcane, but it is done in one continuous process without the raw sugar stage. The sugar beets are washed, sliced, and soaked in hot water to separate the sugar-containing juice from the beet fiber. The sugar-laden juice is purified, filtered, concentrated and dried in a series of steps similar to cane sugar processing.

Most of our spices are native to the tropics, and many come from trees. If you’ve ever been on a trip to the Caribbean, you’ve probably seen the plants that produce our allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

Allspice, grown on the pimento tree (Pimenta dioica), is a dried berry native to Jamaica that tastes like a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of tropical cinnamon trees (Cinnamomum zeylanicum). These are small trees that grow about 30 feet tall that are native to southwest India.

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) trees are the only tropical fruit that is the source of two different spices, obtained from different parts of the plant. Nutmeg is the seed of the tree’s fruit, and mace is the seed’s veil-like covering.

Ginger growing in greenhouse at
Biltmore in Ashville, NC

Ginger is an herbaceous perennial plant with a beautiful flower. It has a knobby, bumpy root with a peppery yet slightly sweet flavor. The tropical spice ginger (Zingiber officinale) is different from our native ginger (Asarum canadense).

The next time you eat “sugar and spice and everything nice,” think of our tropical friends that produce these crops.

Grow Your Own Hops

Gardeners have been growing hop as an ornamental vine for many years. Recently, I have seen more hop grown in backyards for home brewing. This is especially popular among younger male gardeners aged 18-34.

Hop is a herbaceous perennial vine that grows well in central Illinois. Two types of hop grow here. Our native American hop (Humulus lupulus) comes in various cultivars used to produce different flavors in beer and tea. Do not grow the Japanese hop (Humulus japonicas) because it can be quite invasive. Both have palmate leaves, but the American hop leaf has three lobes, while the Japanese hop has 5-7 lobes.

Both types are vigorous vines requiring good support. American hop vines can grow 20 to 30 feet long in one summer and then die back to the ground each fall. I have American hop growing on a picket fence in my herb garden. Because hop grows so quickly, I continually guide the vines to grow on the fence and not the surrounding plants.

Hop plants produce both male and female flowers. The female cones (also called hops) are used to make beer and tea. The hops are mature when you can see the yellow substance (lupulin glands) within the cone petal. They will also be sticky and have a hop fragrance when crushed. Harvest cones when they feel dry and papery. Dry cones can be stored in air-tight containers or in the freezer. One hops plant will yield about one to two pounds of dried cones in early- to mid-fall.

Brewing craft beers at home is a growing trend. The basic ingredients of beer are water, a starch source such as wheat or barley, a brewer’s yeast, and a flavoring such as hops. I have become a big fan of “hoppy” beer, especially those flavored with citrusy hops. In addition to beer, the female hop cone is also used to make tea. I use my hops as an ingredient in many tea blends.

Nugget and Cascade are popular hop varieties with home brewers. Nugget is considered a bitter hop that stores well, though it is late to mature. Cascade is regarded as an aroma type that matures early with a floral and spicy aroma.

As I mentioned, hop is also grown as an ornamental vine. A favorite variety for this use is ‘Aureus.’ It has maple-like leaves that are a luminous, clear shade of yellow.  

If you decide to grow hop, be careful because it can scratch you! The leaf and leaf petioles have sharp prickles that catch clothing and scrape the skin. I learned the hard way to wear a long sleeved shirt and gloves when pruning and handling this plant.

Obviously, you do not have to be an 18-34-year-old male to grow hops. Whether you grow it as an ornamental vine or to brew beverages, hop is a great addition to many gardens.

Magnolias

In 2003 I planted two magnolias in the front of my house as part of my front foundation planting renovation. Since then, they’re blooms have provided many, many smiles.

Worldwide, there are about 80 different types of magnolias, although only 3 to 4 do well in central Illinois. Magnolias can grow as large trees or in shrub form. They are usually grown for their spectacular spring flowers. Most have showy, fragrant flowers that are white, pink, purple, green, or yellow. The flowers are followed by showy red or pink fruits displaying red, orange, or pink seeds, each of which hangs from the fruit by a thread-like strand.

The magnolias that grow best here are the Saucer, Star, and Cucumber. As with all plants, each of these has been manipulated by the nursery trade into great cultivars with specific characteristics.

The Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana) is one of the most popular magnolias in the landscape. It is known for its showy pinkish purple saucer-like flowers. The regular Saucer Magnolia grows 20 to 30 feet tall by 20 to 30 feet wide in a rounded to broad-rounded form. It is often low branching and multi-stemmed. There are many cultivars of this hybrid species.

One of my magnolias is a yellow form of the Cucumbertree
Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata) called 'Butterflies'. The Butterfly Magnolia has probably the deepest darkest yellow of the yellow magnolias. The 5" across deep yellow flowers are supposed to appear at a much earlier age than other yellow selections - as young as three years old rather than 6-7 years for the ‘Elizabeth’ & ‘Yellow Lantern’. However, my yellow magnolia took 7 years to bloom. The Butterfly Magnolia is only 20’ tall and is more upright in habit, compared to 50 to 80 foot rounded form of the original Cucumbertree.

My white magnolia is a Royal Star (Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star'). The Royal Star is a beautiful, white-flowered selection with four to five-inch flowers that have 25-30 strap-like tepals. This is a very common star magnolia in the trade. It grows 15-20' high in a rounded to slightly broad-rounded form.

All the magnolias listed here are hardy in central Illinois. All prefer full sun and well-drained soil. They are not always tolerant of extreme drought or wetness. The main problem all magnolias encounter here is the flower’s cold sensitivity. Flowers that look stunning during the day can become a mass of limp brown petals with just one cold evening. Still the often short-lived flowers are well worth a quick glimpse of their beauty.

Christmas Rose - A Rose by Another Name

What is a Christmas Rose? You might think of roses given at Christmas, a particular china pattern, or a perennial plant called the Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose.

The Christmas and Lenten Roses are Helleborus plants that are said to bloom at Christmas or in the winter. In actuality, they bloom in February or March in our part of the world. Still, they are a joy to see blooming during the gloomy days of winter.

Helleborus plants have dark evergreen, leathery leaves that often stay attractive throughout the winter. If there isn’t good snow cover, they can show browning on the edges during winter. However, a simple pruning out of the old leaves will give way to new healthy leaves in the spring.

These plants flower in very early spring with nodding flowers that are three to four inches wide with five separate sepals. The Lenten rose (Helleborus orientatlis) blooms in purple, pink, or cream, while the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) flowers are white with pink shading. As the name implies, the Christmas Rose blooms earlier than the Lenten rose.

Plants grow 15 to 18 inches tall and do best in partial to full shade in very organic rich soil. Like other cold growing plants, this plant is not very tolerant of high temperatures. It does best in moist, well-drained soils.

Since these flower so early, you need to place them where you’ll see them every day. Often times early spring blooming plants will bloom without notice if they are put in an area we do not frequent at that time of the year. You might place them outside a window or along a walkway. Mine is near my outdoor hot tub that we use all winter long.

For an even bigger impact, consider planting hellebores beneath a witch hazel tree that also blooms in winter/early spring. You might also add large clumps of Snowdrop bulbs or other early blooming bulbs. Examples of March blooming perennials include Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis) and Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica).

One final note about hellebores is that they are poisonous. In fact, according to the Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants, Helleborus is derived from a Greek word helein that means to injure and hora, which means food. It refers to the bitter tasting leaves and roots which are poisonous when eaten.

Witchhazels Bloom in Winter

Witchhazel is one of the few plants that technically blooms in winter. Depending on the species, it either blooms in early or late winter. Because of this, they are often missed.

Witchhazel (Hamamalis sp.) is a multi-stemmed shrub reaching 6 to 10 feet high and wide. Witchhazel is one of those plants that offer something of interest in each season. During the summer, it has medium to dark green foliage and interesting capsule fruit. Fall brings beautiful leaf colors of golden-yellow, red, or orange depending on the species. Winter is special for this plant becaus
e that is when it flowers. Yellow to red, 4-petaled flowers appear sometime from January through March and are effective for 3 to 4 weeks. To achieve this long bloom-time, the petals roll up on very cold days and avoid freeze damage.

The most commonly grown witchhazel is the Vernal Witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis). This native shrub offers several desirable ornamental traits. The pungently fragrant flowers are the smallest of all witchhazels, with each petal only about one-half inch long. Flower colors vary from yellow and orange to red and open in January and February. This plant is very adaptable to moist or dry soils and is a great plant for naturalizing.

common witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is usually found as an understory plant in woodlands. It blooms from late fall to early winter. Unfortunately, the flowers are rarely seen because fall foliage color develops as the flowers appear.

In addition to being a beautiful plant, witchhazel also adds ecological diversity to a landscape. Its brittle seeds are a food source for critters such as squirrels. Its low, lateral branches are used by many nesting birds, including wood thrushes and flycatchers. According to research done by Dr. Doug Tallamy from the University of Delaware, this native shrub is a food source for 62 different native butterfly caterpillars.

You may know witchhazel by its by-product, which is used in sweet-smelling lotions, eye-gels, and other skin products.

I plan to add both the common and vernal witchhazel to my landscape in a place that is easily seen for fall and winter viewing. If you want additional winter interest in your garden, consider adding witchhazel. You’ll enjoy it all year long.