Using Hypertufa to Contain Dwarf Conifer

Pinus parviflora 'Hagoromo' (Japanese White Pine) Zone 5 - blue-green, twisted needles decorate the branches of this dense, slow-growing form of Japanese White Pine

All too often container gardens include tall spindly plants surrounded by colorful annuals planted in a faded plastic container.  As the season comes to an end,  the plants, are sadly  redirected to the compost bin, one season and gone.

After attending my first National ACS conference in Oregon a few years ago, my idea of only using one season annuals in containers changed. Our tour visited several beautiful display gardens where I saw hypertufa stone like containers packed with small conifers.  I realized then that  there was a new definition for container gardens.  Hypertufa containers planted with colorful conifers and alpine plants in natural looking scenes.   There was a new reason to buy conifers. 

 

 

 

Conifer planted in a hypertufa trough - located in the Iseli Nursery display garden, Oregon

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Carnivorous plants on display at the NY Botanical Gardens 

 

The proverbial seed was planted. It did not take long for my Pennsylvania garden to include conifer containers of all shapes and sizes.  My goal was to create and grow what I saw in Oregon. Hypertufa containers seemed to take over my garden.  Conifers were the accent plants, and small alpines were the fillers and herbs were the spillers.  I experimented with different plants, different soils, different locations.  And after many mistake this is what I found to work best in my  garden.  

 

 

Hypertufa

 

Hypertufa allows you to be creative, childlike , and  artistic all while making your own container. Even mistakes look good. ( see picture)  Instructions on how to make hypertufa containers can be found on the internet, and garden magazines,  however the most complete  source of information was in the book Creating and Planting Garden Troughs – Joyce Fingerrut and Rex Murfitt .  

 

 

 There are many ways to make Hypertufa pots,  my formula  starts with equal parts of Portland Cement, Peat Moss, and Perlite, then add water to form  a damp but not wet  mixture. Apply the mix about 1 ½ ” thick to the inside or outside of a  mold, usually a large plastic container.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a day gently remove the slightly hardened   hypertufa from the mold. 

 

 

 

 

Wire brush the pot to create a textured finish.  Return the container to a plastic bag to keep it moist, slowly allowing it to cure for 1-2  weeks. As it cures,  the mix will become stronger.   After making dozens of containers, and lots of mistakes I have found that trial and error is the best teacher. And if you don’t like gray, liquid or powdered cement color can be added to the wet mix to make an even more interesting design.  Once properly cured, these containers can remain intact outside for several years.

 

If you are interested in taking a class on how to make Hypertufa go to ---- Ashcombe Farm and Greenhouse  -  Events-   http://www.ashcombe.com/2013hypertufa.htm

 

 

The Layered Garden

On a rainy afternoon this spring, I had the opportunity to visit the garden of David Culp.  David  and his partner Michael are the owners of a magnificent garden called  Brandywine Cottage,  located near Downingtown PA.  If I had one sentence to describe this garden, I would say -  It is truly an amazing display of creativity.

It is obvious that this garden was created  (and continues to evolve) because two gardeners are  passionate about  plants.   As gardeners we  hope to be able  to create a space in our yard  that is visually appealing, hoping that all the plants selected will  thrive ( or at least live for a couple of  years).  Brandywine Cottage is the complete garden package. Every part of the garden  has plants that are visually appealing  and  growing well, because location and soil conditions were carefully understood before planting, 

The tour was set up through the Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society.  And for obvious reasons it quickly sold out.  Located on  a wooded parcel,  the property includes a very old but elegant home, built in 1790,  a barn  with the  foundation of an old stable attached, a garden shed, vegetable garden, beds of perennials and a modern chicken coop.   As you enter the property there is a wooded hillside garden, ( about 1 acre) that has been planted with hellebore, hostas, ferns, bulbs,  epimedium,  trillium, azaleas, dogwoods, hydrangea  ....  more plants than  can be imagined.  Paths and stone steps wind carefully through the wooded hillside allowing you to access every part of the wooded garden.

The gardens around the house are very private. There are  many places to sit and enjoy the view or just relax.   If you like containers you will be more than satisfied,  finding quite a selection, and lots of inspiration for new ideas. My favorite are the many stone and hypertufa troughs planted with conifers and succulents.   As a testament to his devotion to his plants,  each winter, all the non hardy plants in containers are brought into the barn  for a little protection from the cold winter winds and low temps of south eastern Pennsylvania.

The back yard has a rectangular vegetable garden  surround by a white fence that has been carefully located directly behind the house mirroring the house's foundation.   Surrounded by beds that are full of hundreds of perennials  that burst into bloom at various times of the year.  Weeds do not stand a chance, the perennials have control of this garden.  No chemicals or extra water is used for the gardens, only the containers are watered.  Because this garden is located in a wooded area,  many products like Deer Off applied  regularly basis to keep the garden free from damage.

Behind the white stone barn, below the deck, is the remains of  two  6 ft walls that were the foundation for an old horse stable. The wooden  roof is no longer present  allowing the inside of the foundation  to become another secluded garden filled with containers. The container plantings arranged  inside the stone foundation are amazing. Stone troughs,  ceramic pots, wooden boxes are filled with a collection of unique plants.  The old stone walls, covered by  flowering perennials, planted in the crevices of the wall,  whereever there is space for roots,  creating a tapestry of flowers flowing down the wall.  Within the walls a micro climate, for  the many plants growing.   When I first saw a  photo of this garden in a magazine many years ago, I knew that immediately I needed to see it  first hand.  It was definitely  my favorite section of the garden.

The walled foundation garden in front of the barn.

Just a few of the many containers within the walls of the stone foundation.

David has recently written a book called the Layered Garden.  It is based on the design principles that he used to create this beautiful garden.   The book  discusses "how to choose the correct plants by understanding how they grow and change throughout the seasons, how to design a layered garden, and how to maintain it." Photos in the book illustrate each part of  this garden: the woodland garden, the perennial border, the kitchen garden, the shrubbery, and the walled garden. http://www.davidlculp.com/layered_garden.htm

If you cannot find a way to visit the garden, the book will inspire you to create some beauty in your yard.

Cercis canadensis ‘Appalachian Red’

’. As you drive down the highway in Pennsylvania in April you will see beautiful lilac flowering trees  decorating the landscape. The flowers seem to line the  smooth bare branches in small clusters.  Today, as I walked through the nursery , this redbud caught my eye.   I am not a big fan of hot pink flowering trees, but these small red/pink flowers ( not yet fully open) caught my eye.  Appalachian Red has the brightest flowers of all the Eastern redbuds I have  seen.     This tree was  discovered by plantsman Dr. Max Byrkit along a roadside in Maryland.   Its magenta buds open to hot neon, pink flowers. Like other redbuds , it is hardy through USDA Zone 5, After the flowers start to disappear,  large heart shaped light green then dark green leaves appear. Fall color is yellow.  Place this tree in front of   a few dark green evergreens and the pink color will pop even more. 

Full sun to part shade (I would give it a little afternoon shade)  20' x 20', Native,  medium growth rate, and tolerates a wide range of soils. Blooms mid to late April.  A nice addition to any yard.

 Clematis  'Diamantina '

Growing clematis can be very easy if given the right location.  Sun on the top, shade on the roots, and a nice trellis to grow.  This plant is growing in my garden on the east side of my house.  It gets about 6 hrs of sun in the morning ( afternoon shade) , its roots are shaded most of the day by a step going up to my deck, and the soil has been amended with compost. 

Most clematis will perform better with regular  pruning. Clematis that bloom during summer on new wood need  pruning in winter or early spring, or they will look thin.  Clematis  that bloom in the spring on last year's wood  do well   if cut back lightly after they have finished flowering in the later spring or summer.

This cultivar  is a classified as Group 2B clematis.  It can be pruned in spring before new growth begins for a great flower display later in the summer or pruned after spring flowering for that the earlier show of larger, (but fewer)  flowers.   

I try to fertilize every few years.  I  may use  Tomato fertilizer, rose food, or anything that has low nitrogen  like  5-10-10.   

If you are not lucky enough to have a sunny spot in your garden, no worry, there are several clematis that do well in part shade: Nelly Moser, Jackmanii, Alban Luxurians, and Silver Moon  just to name a few.

Heuchera's in Your Garden

I  remember seeing Coral Bells   growing in my grandmothers garden.   They had ordinary green  leaves  with  small pink flowers floating on tiny stems.  Then in my first garden I planted Heuchera Palace Purple, a greenish maroon leafed Coral Bell that had more colorful leaves, white flowers  and was not a challenge to  grow for a beginning gardener.   Over the years Heuchera's, or Coral Bells,  with the help of hybridizers , have evolved into some very incredible  perennials. 

 Heuchera villosa 'Bronze Wave' and Stachys 'Helen Von Stein'

Go into you local garden center and it is not unusual to find at least a dozen different Heuchera (HEW-ker-a)   cultivars.  Once limited to shades of green and maroon, now the color palete includes, yellows, caramel ,cinnamon, peach,  all shades of maroon,  chocolate,  and greens with red veins , red with green veins,  the list continues to grow,  and did I mention that this perennial has flowers too.

Bronze Wave - Foliage is dark with copper, purple and brown tones, blending into a metallic bronze color. The large wavy-margined hairy leaves are 6 to 8” across and make a clump about 24” across and 18” high. 24” wands of pinkish-white flowers are produced from mid to late summer.  

 Heuchera Pewter Veil

Grow them in some sun,  with a little late day shade and the seem pretty happy.  Although  not the best planting I have seen cultivars like "Palace Purple" grown in full sun. Currently I am  growing  "Midnight Rose' in a container ( photo below) with as little as 2 1/2  hours of sun,  planted  along side hostas and ferns.
Over-watering  will rot the roots.  They are happiest, in a decent soil, mulched, with occasional watering, more frequent in the hot summer. In containers,  you will have success with potting soil that is a little coarse and well drained.

 Heuchra 'Midnight Rose' and sedum in hypertufa bowl

The reason that these two unlikely partners do well  in this containers is the growing  medium .
Peat moss, small bark fines, perlite. 

Al’s 5-1-1 Mix is a bark-based mix that also provides great drainage and aeration. This mix is  created by Al from Gardenweb.com website. The mix composes of 5 part fine bark, 1 part sphagnum peat, and 1 part perlite. This mix is recommended for annuals or anything that only last a few seasons.
The ingredients are:
5 part partially-composed pine bark fines
1 part sphagnum peat
1 part horticulture grade perlite (coarse size)
1 tbsp per gallon of garden dolomic lime

Heucheras look great with many other perennials and annuals in containers. Here are just a few examples.

• Heuchera with sedum Angelina and festuca Elijah Blue
• Heuchera with festuca Elijah Blue and lysimachia Aurea (golden creeping Jenny).
• Ipomoea batatas 'Sweet Heart' aka 'Sweet Caroline Purple' (Sweat potato vine) with Heuchera 'Caramel
•  Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ , Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’ , Heuchera ‘Mahogany’, Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’

Heuchera villosa 'Caramel' and Liriope muscari 'Peedee Ingot'

The bold leaves of the Heuchera 'Caramel' contrasts nicely with the fine leaves of the Liriope.  This combination can be found under some trees in the perennial gardens at Longwood Gardens.  With regular watering and mulch these perennials do well under many trees. 

 In fall, the foliage of Heuchera Caramel turns a beautiful  salmon red. Like many of the new cultivars this hybrid does great in heat and humidity and is happy in a wide range of soil conditions. Tolerates a good deal of sun, where the foliage color intensifies. Another good selection for the shade garden Best grown in rich, humus, well drained soil with adequate moisture. Once established, it can take on heat, humidity, even poor soil.

Great Combinations -  Heuchera villosa Beaujolais with  Hakonechloa grass at Longwood Gardens 

 Heuchera  Beaujolais -,  is a super vigorous variety with large 5" burgundy leaves.growing 8-10" x 12-16" , very tall 24" cream colored flower stems appear mid season.zone 4a - 9 and is listed a deer resistant plant.  This  Coral Bell is different from other plum colored varieties by its unique color, tolerance to heat & humidity and its vigor.

Another favorite combination for your shade garden is Heuchera  "Plum Pudding" and Japanese Painted fern Athyrium niponicum picutum.  These two will bring attention to front of any shady foundation planting. 

Heuchera americana Marvelous Mable  

Spring foliage begins  purple and eventually  matures through the season to  green with, dark veins and silvery mottling.  White flowers form early in the season.  Because of their low, mounding habit, they can be planted along paths or in containers.
 Height: 8-13". Spread: 17-19". Leaf color: purple in spring turning to deep green through the season. Zones: 4-9. Flowers: Creamy White on 16" scapes.

Heuchera Problems - not really!

No serious insect or disease problems. Frost heaving of roots may occur when winter temperatures fluctuate widely.

 

 Heuchera americana Green Spice

‘Green Spice’ is a clump-forming Coral Bell cultivar that  has silvery, gray-edged leaves with purple veins (in cool weather) and not particularly showy white flowers. The rounded, lobed, long-petioled leaves  (to 9” tall) which may spread to 16” wide. Tiny, whitish flowers appear in late spring to early summer on slender,  stems rising well above the foliage mound, typically to 24-28” tall. Leaves turn orangish in autumn.

These  are just a small selection of the hundreds of cultivars of heuchera.  They have come a long way from the ones I first found in my grandmothers garden.  Happy Gardening !

 

Conifer Cones 

Color  in the garden is sometimes found in the oddest  place.  One does not always look at the end of a conifer branch to find beauty.  These three small  cones are perched at the end of the branch of a very small conifer -  Picea abies "Pusch".  The needles of the conifer look like most any conifer, but the cones in the spring are outstanding.  There cones contain the seeds of this plant, brightly colored, but eventually  turning a dry brown. This small drawf growing evergreen is a springtime jewel. While some are looking for blooming bulbs and bright flowering azaelas, I have found interest in this display of red cones.
 Slow growing to about 2'x3', likes well drained soil, and a sunny location. Because it is zone 3 hardy, it will be ok in most climates, and in my zone 6 will do just fine in a container.  I purchased this plant from Bob Fincham's  nursery in Washington -    Coenosium Gardens  

Picea abies 'Pusch'

Picea abies 'Pusch' is a witches broom, found on the parent plant, Picea abies `Acrocona Pusch'. Check it out at  Rich Foxwillow Nursery  and also in close up photo below.
The two photos (top and below) look very similar, (well some kids do look like their parents) however Pusch is a very dwarf  almost basketball sized conifer ( and will stay small), Acrocona is about 6x6 irregular shape, growing larger and more irregular, considered an intermediate conifer.  In comparison the cones on the parent plant (see below) are about 2x the size of Pusch above.  Either plant is a prize to behold in your garden.

I will go into more detail about witches broom in upcoming post, when I can post best photos.  But the short and simple explanation is that the parent plant will begin to grow a branch with a strange twist, or weep or very short growth, like a mutation. When discovered, a branch from the mutation will be removed and grafted to form a new unnamed plant. 

It is not surprising that interesting cones can also be found out in the woods.   The photo of these cones, some type of fir,  were taken  while hiking Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park.

Conifer cones are cool!

Early Spring Creates Pleasant Surprises ...and some work

Cornus alternifolia 'Golden Shadows'

 Spring has come early this year. Its March and the temperatures are more like May or June. Temperatures have forced  the buds to open early and leaves begun to unfold.  The forsythia is in full bloom, daffodils are up  and its time to put down the lawn fertilizer with crabgrass preventer. I am not one to use lots of fertilizer, so this application of preventer and fertilizer may be all I do until fall.  Trees and shrubs will get an application of Espoma products, Holly-tone, Plant-tone....

 Sassafras albidum male flower    www.missouriplants.com

Roots have begun  to grow and if that tree or shrub is not planted where you want it,  now is the time to transplant it .  Don't wait too long, or you may  risk damaging the newly formed feeder roots. It seems like each year I put off this chore. As I get older the thought of moving large shrubs gets less appealing. 

This native Sassafras tree  grows wild in a tree line next to my house.  Flowers are not fragrant but are a pleasant surprise in the spring. Leaves come in different shapes, check out the link. 

 
It does not take long for these hosta leaves to open up fully . 

March 25

April 1

 

Acer rubrum  Red Maple

   Red maple is a great  native  tree which will  grow 40-60' tall providing lots of shade for your yard.  Called  red maple because its green leaves turn red in fall. As a native it may be found  in wet bottom land, river flood plains, and wet woods, which is good because that means it will tolerate poor soils in your yard.  Red flowers ( above) in dense clusters in late March to early April (before the leaves appear), red fruit  two-winged samara.

Acer Shishigashira  - Lions Head Maple

When you go to purchase a Japanese Maple, most of us think of  finely cut palmate leaves, red in color.  Most novice gardens would not recognize this as a Japanese maple. This maple has green   star shaped leaves formed in dense groupings. My  tree grows slowly upright,  vase shaped ,  hoping one day to reach 15 ft .  Great plant for a patio or a large container.

 I really don't have to do much to care for this tree. Mulch and occasional light application of organic fertilizer.  

Spring is officially here. The garden has provided many surprises, and although there is still the possibly that we could get some cold, frosty weather, I guess it's time to go out and get my hands dirty .

If you would like to attend some fun and informative gardening classes in the Harrisburg Area.  Go to this link   www.ashcombe.com