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. 

Aronia arbutifolia

It seems a disservice to laud the best native trees for fall color, without highlighting a few shrubs, too. And so today I am sharing a few shots of Aronia arbutifolia (red chokeberry) that I took in Central Park last October. 

 

Aronia is a native shrub in the Rosaceae family and is similar to its relatives in its ovate, serrated leaves and the presence of small berries which somewhat resemble rosehips.  It readily suckers and spreads, and can survive in somewhat marshy areas.  The flowers look like many others in the rose family - they are small, with five white petals and showy stamens.  I've blogged about many rose family plants before, including crabapples, quince, cherrylaurels, cherries, hawthornes, and most notably the dreaded Bradford pear and the wonderful serviceberry.  

Like its relatives, chokeberry has exceptional fall color and its status as a native makes it an excellent alternative to invasive plants like burning bush (Euonymus alatus) or Nandina domestica. The fruit provide food for birds as well, though it isn't edible for them until a few frosts have fermented the fruit's flesh. (A lot of alliteration for a little laugh.)

Aronia derives from 'Aria' - the Greek name for Sorbus which has similar berries. Arbutifolia literally means that the foliage looks like Arbutus. Chokeberry is the common name because the fruit is quite astringent, though it can be rendered into jams, jellies, wines and teas.  It should not be confused with the similarly named chokecherry, which is Prunus virginiana.

Top Five Native Trees For Fall Color

Some time ago, I received a very good suggestion to have a few blog posts with lists -- let's face it, we all love a good top five or top ten list.  (Mostly, I think because it gives us a chance to take issue with the author, but such is life.)  Since I've largely neglected the plant life on the East Coast, in favor of the Arizonan plants I have been learning about lately, I thought I'd offer up my top five native trees for good fall color. 

Number 5: Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea)

I suppose regular readers of NYPAOS may recognize some of these photos (and certainly the sentiment) from posts featuring these plants more fully, but let's please revisit this lovely shot of yellowwood in Central Park, right near the Plaza Hotel.  The tree is an underappreciated native that has beautiful yellow foliage in the fall.  In addition to this, the white pendulous summer blossoms and the stately habit make this a wonderful alternative to maples or oaks.

Number 4: Witch Hazel (Hamamelis sp.)

Witch hazel, like almost all other members of the Hamamelidaceae family, has remarkable, mottled red, orange and yellow fall color.  These small trees (or large shrubs if you prefer) have a broad spreading habit and also bloom very early in the year, providing a welcome sign of spring.  Other family members include Fothergilla and Corylopsis.

Number 3: Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.)

Well, I can't imagine a day when I won't fanatically endorse any species of Amelanchier.  Whether you want a spreading large shrub (A. canadensis), a native tree (A. arborea), or a showier hybrid (A. grandiflora, lamarckii), serviceberries are showstoppers.  I love the cultivar 'Autumn Brilliance' for it's deeper orangey hue, but even the golden-orange more common in the shrubs is lovely.  As I've said many times, in the fall it almost looks as if the tree has been plugged into an electrical socket somewhere.

Number 2: Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

 

Not including sugar maple on this list would be like talking about baseball and not mentioning Babe Ruth (that's a reference in honor of my struggling Yankees*). Sure, some people will say that Babe Ruth was overhyped or deserves some kind of asterisk due to the times in which he played, but I doubt most can truly deny the galvanizing effect he had on people, even those who would not otherwise identify with baseball.  Sugar maples have amazing fall color and their regular, broad, symmetrical habit is majestic.

Number 1: Black Gum, or Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)

Despite the love I may have for sugar maples (or the Yanks for that matter), I had to save my number one ranking for Nyssa sylvatica.  Tupelos are not used as often as they should, largely because the tree has a tap root and is thus difficult to transplant in large sizes.  But a relatively new cultivar, 'Wildfire' can be transplanted more easily and is also more resistant to leaf spot.  The loose, low-branching habit is elegant, perfectly suited for tree climbing and lights up a landscape each autumn. 

There are many more native trees that have exceptional fall color, which helps make the case against using a bradford pear or a Norway maple (as if you didn't have enough reasons for that already!).  Some honorable mentions include:

            Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
            Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
            Franklinia (Franklinia alatamaha)
            Dogwood (Cornus florida)
            Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

What else have I missed?  Any suggestions for killer fall color? 

Happy tree viewing!

Note: All of the photos in this post, except for the last one, were taken in Central Park.

*This post was written before game five.   Fingers crossed.