Plantain Weed

Yesterday I was in New York and it was a glorious morning for a run in Central Park.  The air was crisp and cool, a nice change from the record breaking heat we've all been enduring lately. While climbing Heartbreak Hill, I noticed these three ladies, collecting plants in the weedy turf. 

 

It turns out they were collecting all the above ground parts of Plantago major, or plantain weed.  The Asian ladies spoke very little English, but the youngest woman (they looked like they could have been three generations of the same family) was able to tell me they use this for tea.  A longer look online shows that the plant's leaves, when boiled with water, strained and cooled, can be helpful in aiding coughs, colds, dysentery, and possibly high blood pressure.  The leaves can be mashed into a poultice that reduces itching and swelling of skin irritations.  In fact, one of the less common monikers for this plant is 'Soldier's Herb' since it's been used for this manner on battlefields.

No doubt, you've seen this plant in less manicured lawns and fields.  The plant is native to Europe and Central Asia, but of course now it's found all over North America and other temperate areas. 

Bottlebrush Buckeye

Bottlebrush buckeye, or Aesculus parviflora is one of my favorite summer-flowering shrubs.  The one below is blooming at the Conservatory Gardens in Central Park.  If the genus name is familiar, that's because I've also blogged about Aesculus hippocastanum, or horsechestnut.  Like that species, this plant has opposite, palmately compound leaves, though A. parviflora is typically large, sprawling shrub, and A. hippocastanum is a tree.

Of course, the flowers are quite different too.  As the common name implies, the spikey infloresences look like bottlebrushes.  The species name, parviflora, means "small flowers" - as the individual flowers on this infloresence are quite small.

 

Now, I said that the plant is typically a sprawling shrub (it's also one of the very best plants to use in dense shade), but on a recent visit to Manor View Farms in Maryland the owner John showed me some unusual specimens he had that had been limbed up into treeforms.  It's killing me that I don't have a chance to use them on any current jobs - they make a lovely silhouette. 

Spiraea thunbergii

Here's another shot of one of the moongates in the Enid Haupt Moongate Garden at the Smithsonian yesterday.  Breaking up the mass use of Magnolia x soulangiana, we have a very lovely spring shrub that is stealthily eating visitors as they walk on the adjacent sidewalk.

Well, probably not, but you can probably guess from this pic that the plant is a "vigorous" grower.  It's Spiraea thunbergii or Thunberg Spiraea.  Most hobbyist gardeners know Spiraea but are probably more familiar with the summer blooming S. bumalda.  S. x vanhouttei is another popular species.  But I have a soft spot for this plant. 

(By the way -- see something familiar peeking behind this plant??) I love the long slender stems that are densely packed with miniature rose-like flowers (indeed, this plant is in the Rosaceae family). The plant's been in bloom for a week or two now and the leaves are just beginning to emerge.  Narrow and lanceolate, they are also a great chartreuse shade of green that's much lighter than most shrubs. 

Spiraeas in general are bulletproof; they sustain drought easily and don't have any major pests or diseases.  Really the biggest hazard of having one is that it does need to be maintained.  If left unpruned it will get very scraggly and the inside of the plant will die off from lack of sunlight.

 

Below is one of my favorite uses of the plant -- it's a hedge at the Conservatory Gardens in Central Park.  It prunes easily and is so floriferous, that no matter when you prune it, it will still have a heavy flower set.  You can see that it's been probably a month or so since it was last pruned and the soft, fuzzy texture is such a nice change from yew and holly hedges. The shot below was taken in mid-summer and as you can see, the spring-green hue of the leaves has not darkened. 

Yellow Twig Dogwood

I was in New York earlier this week for a few meetings and was able to squeeze in a morning run in Central Park.  I stopped along the way to take this shot of Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea', or yellow twig dogwood.  That building beyond is the landmarked Majestic Building, one of the first deco residential structures in Manhattan. 

 

I blogged about Cornus sericea before (at least I'm 99% sure it was C. sericea  and not C. alba).  And while the red and yellow twig dogwoods appear so different, genetically they are within the same species.  'Flaviramea' is a cultivar that has been around for just over 100 years and while it is prone to cankers, it's a nice change of pace from the red stems. 

Like red twig dogwoods, this plant is more deeply hued after heavy pruning and can be quite striking in front of a green background, as it is above.