The Beauty of Bare Branches
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- CarolWallace
- JaneHollis
- CarolWallace
- JaneHollis
- CarolWallace
- JaneHollis
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» CarolWallace - Polishing
Jane, I've always thought cherry trees had absolutely gorgeous bark - but what on earth would you polish them with? (It's kind of tempting. . .)I've tried many of the colored twig dogwoods, but many are new this year so I can't really report on how well they perform in winter. Another shrub with great twigs is the Blue Arctic Willow which has violet stems in winter - very delicate. I love that one all year round.
I'm glad you mentioned that thje S. tortuosa could be trimmed, as mine is getting a bit out of bounds. The deer usually keep one side trimmed, but the other side needs equal time.
-- posted by CarolWallace
» JaneHollis - Hi Carol
I've not done it myself, but apparently some people like to loop a hosepipe round the trunk and wriggle it up and down the bark. I suppose it knocks off all the dirt and dead bark bringing up the new bark like polished mahogany.I'd be interested to hear how you get on with the new dogwood varieties. It is always a bit of a lottery trying out a new plant variety - sometimes they can be weak growing or prone to disease compared to old favourites, and sometimes there is very little difference to the existing varieties. What ones are you growing!
-- posted by JaneHollis
» CarolWallace - Which ones
Well, let's see - C. alba gouchaltii, c. sibirica, C. 'Cardinal', 'Midwinter Fire', C. alba 'Elegantissima', C.sanguinea 'Winter Flame' - and a yellow twigged variety whose name escapes me right now. We've made them into an informal hedge around the side yard - in fact it was that hedge which made me so grateful for one of those garden designs you posted an article or two back - it made the rest of the side yard fall right into place without my having to do anything drastic.-- posted by CarolWallace
» JaneHollis - Dogwood varieties
Most of these I know - 'Elegantissima' I grew in my last garden, very pretty leaves, but a little slow-growing. C. sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' I grow here. The names of the C. sanguinea hybrids are quite confusing as they are very similar. All are a variation on Winter, Midwinter, Fire, Flame and Beauty. So I don't know whether they are actually the same. The RHS Plantfinder says that Winter Beauty and Winter Flame *are* the same cultivar. I'd be interested to know whether your Midwinter Fire and Winter Flame are noticeably different.I presume the yellow stemmed variety is Cornus stolonifera 'Flaviramea' but I am not familiar with 'Cardinal'. What colour are the stems and do you know which species it is a cultivar of?
I am very jealous that you have enough space to grow so many varieties!
-- posted by JaneHollis
» CarolWallace - Midwinter Fire and Winter Flame
Right now the twigs look extremely similar to me, but the tags lead me to believe that one is a somewhat smaller shrub. And when I bought them the leaves were pretty well done - there may be dissimilarities there but I won't know until spring.I checked the tags from the other dogwoods. Cardinal is C. sericea (formerly C. stolonifera) 'Cardinal' - otherwise known as the Red Osier dogwood, and supposedly the best red of the red-twigged forms - so far I'd have to agree. The yellows are C. sericea 'Flaviramea'.
The pictures of your garden make it appear to have a lot of space. I planted these dogwoods a bit close - and I may stagger in a few more in a triangular pattern for fullness - the idea being to have a blaze of color in winter.
How about the curly willows - have you ever tried those? I have a hybrid of S. matsudana 'Tortuosa and S. alba 'Tristis' called 'Scarlet Curls' which has rosey branches in winter, and the older branches are a golden color - it looks a bit like a willow that has been plugged into an electical socket.
-- posted by CarolWallace
» JaneHollis - Spoilt for choice!
Carol,You must have access to varieties we don't have over here. Our RHS plantfinder (which is meant to list all the plants available) doesn't include Cornus 'Cardinal' or Salix 'Scarlet Curls' (which does sound wonderful). I do grow Salix tortuosa, though, and there is a cultivar called 'Golden Curls' (also called 'Erythroflexuosa'!) which I think is similar, but without the rosy glow.
As to my garden being spacious, well its not tiny, but its not the type you quantify in even fractions of an acre! Mind you, I'd have more room for plants if my husband wasn't so keen on his lawn. I have just dug a new bed and he's threatened to sow grass seed in my borders if I dig into his lawn anymore!
-- posted by JaneHollis
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