Heptacodium miconioides (Seven Sons) is the topic at hand today, but first I am excited to announce that for the first time in almost six weeks, we had a "rainy" day here at Oak Lawn... well perhaps drizzly would be the better adjective, but we did end up with 2/10ths of an inch of rain. Getting excited about that tells you how dry it's been this summer. To add insult to injury, many areas around us have had good rains, but its seemed to dissipate or break apart when nearing us. At any rate, tonight the well gets a much deserved break and my wife won't have to keep saying "it doesn't rain here", at least for today.
Heptacodium miconioides is a relative of honeysuckle and the only plant in the genus Heptacodium. Discovered in China by Wilson at the turn of the last century, it never really caught on and disappeared from public view for many years. In the 80's it was rediscovered and introduced to the gardening world by Arnold Arboretum. There remain only a few threatened populations in the wild, but it is becoming quite popular in gardens and will live on thanks to the gardening public. I have three specimens, each growing in differing conditions. Based on my experience I prefer full sun but with some wind protection. Heptacodium is fast growing to 20' or more by 15' in width.... it is attractive throughout the year, but I have found that it can be brittle when subjected to strong winds as one of my plants growing as a very large shrub became a tree form when several trunks broke away at the ground level due to severe winds.
The blooms are attractive and have a waxy appearance which I enjoy.
The exfoliating bark, leaving a smooth trunk, is another interesting feature...
However, despite the fact that blooms often last a full month, it's what follows that I like the most. Beautiful rose colored calyxes follow the blooms and take the garden right into November. It's obviously too early for this year's rose colored cloud, so I'll share photos from last season...
Have you been taking advantage of the fall plant sales yet? I certainly have been... found 25 beautiful Astilbe plants in several cultivars for a buck fifty each along with a number of interesting ferns.
I've also picked up some nice conifers on sale, but I am most pleased with the middle plant pictured below. I was actively trying to locate a Cornus Rutgans 'Stellar Pink' (florida x kousa) for over a month this spring with no luck although they were rumored to be available at some of the local outlets. I almost walked right past a couple of them the other day... and the cost of this well-developed plant? Would you believe at -75%, $32 with a five year warranty. Now you can't beat that!!
The two conifers here are a nice specimen of Picea pungens 'Procumbens'... a prostrate blue spruce that gets quite large over time and Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns' which as the narrowest of the serbian spruces, grows into a beautiful narrow 25' column over time. I like this one so well that this is the fourth one I've introduced to the gardens. You may recall that my long term goals for these gardens depends heavily on a large variety of conifers.
Elsewhere in the gardens, much of the color except for annuals is past. Altheas are one of the exceptions, along with a few roses, delphiniums and dahlias...
A word or two regarding Japanese maples... I've added about fifteen to the gardens over the past couple of years. A few of the smaller ones were lost to the winter and some to the frosts that followed our early spring this season when I missed covering the new foliage. Recently I lost a good sized Sherwood Flame which dried up a branch at a time for no apparent reason until all was lost. The internet told me that many Japanese maples are grafted with 'dirty root stock' and when hit by stress they can succumb to stress because of that. Whether that was in deed the situation or not, I eventually totally lost that particular acer. Not long after I noticed a similar situation developing on my Seiryu... now this was really upsetting as this plant was quite expensive and I really like its look. I again hit the web and eventually discovered the problem, that being Pseudomonas syringae which is a bacterial infection that can resemble verticillium wilt. The clue to the problem was the black stem discoloration below the dried up foliage. I removed the troubled area well below the damaged bark and sealed the wound. I then sprayed the tree with a Bayer fungicide, although I suspect that I should follow up with a copper fungicide as insurance against future problems. The lesson learned for this new grower of Acer palmatums is to keep a close eye on the plants, especially in damp, humid and cold seasons. The young tree looks as good as new now and I especially like its companionship with hostas, Lady in Red ferns, and other shade lovers...
In closing, I'll share my latest glass project which involves designing and creating a nine foot transom window which is nearly three feet tall at the center. The subject is magnolias and it will be seen from as much as a distance of thirty feet within the house and farther from the outside. For that reason, the blooms are large and I've kept the layout simple unlike a lamp which will be viewed from close up. The design is divided into five sections created by a custom made zinc coated steel frame for reinforcement. Stems, branches, and small buds will be solid lead with reinforcement incorporated into them.
Here is a portion (two of five segments) of what is cut out at this point... all flowers incorporate drapery glass...
That's it for now... take care, Larry
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