Meteorological Spring!

Today is March 1st so meteorological spring begins!!! March, April and May are by far my favorite time of year. Though I've heard some talk of wanting a divorce with Mother Nature I say bring on her wildest weather so indicative of this season. From the most benevolent beauty to vicious bouts of winter relapses this season is always a wild ride but I dare you to make it fun like a carnival and not let it get you down. Spring and summer WILL come.

Vernal Witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis) is still in bloom and has been off and on for more than a month (photo from last year). The tiny but fragrant spidery flowers are always welcome this time of year and the petals simply roll up if inclement wintry weather returns.

The Snowdrops (Galanthus spp.) are also in bloom and the first honeybees are out foraging too (photo from last year). Snowdrops are just getting started though some have been in bloom since December. They are not even close to peak in the Rock & Waterfall Garden which has many thousands to carpet the ground with floral snow.

The Pansies (Viola x witrockiana) are also starting to bloom though they look like they just got out of bed -- newly arisen from a blanket of snow that finally was washed away by Sunday's torrents. If you think they don't look good you'd be wrong, these plants are ready to flower and grow with the warmer days. In just a couple weeks they should be stunning -- a good reminder to plant pansies in the fall get ahead of the spring gardening season.

The Starbor Kale (Brassica oleracea) looks stunning with crinkly foliage that survived the winter unscathed. I will say I have never seen kale weather the winter as well! There was some value in having unprecedented snowfall: as mulch!

Here a sweep of Starbor Kale has some bedraggled plants to the left but those plants that may not look so good are actually in great shape too! They are Snapdragons and you can clearly see the alive green basal foliage at the base of each dead stem. The snapdragons too, have weathered the winter at almost 100% -- the highest percentage ever. In a couple weeks we will cut off the dead tops and either transplant or let the plants grow where they are for a peak spring bloom in May.

Most of the hardy, early-flowering shrubs are not quite in bloom but you can see the swelling purplish buds of this White-Forsythia (Abeliophyllum distichum) which is (after the witchhazels) one of our first shrubs to bloom with white or blush pink flowers.

Most evergreens weathered the winter well but you can see some background plants that did not like the winter so well here. The foreground is a Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora 'Gyokoshu hime') in great shape but the Citation Yews (Taxus x media) behind it did not like the wet winter.

'King's Gold' Threadleaf Sawara Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera "Filifera") is probably our brightest golden evergreen in the Conifer Garden north of the Visitor Center. It got a little bit of winter burn (brown foliage) but we know it will recover quickly in spring and that this particular plant was newly planted last summer so did not have a complete chance to get established. Always make sure to give plants a chance to establish before condemning them from a bit a winter damage.

The related 'Lemon Thread' cultivar has been in the ground a couple years and is in perfect shape. These golden, thread-leaf Chamaecyparis pisifera (pronounced kam-ee-SIP-ah-ris, peh-SIFF-er-ah) are some of the best conifers for gardens in our region and are considered Plants of Merit

This wonderfully cute, tiny and ferny-leaved evergreen is a new cultivar of Hinoki Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Emelie') named by Larry Stanley of Stanley & Son Nursery after the late Emelie Snyder (wife of Marvin Snyder). This evergreen gem is not as tolerant of our winter winds and does better in a protected location in our region. We put a few cut evergreen boughs over this newly planted one for the winter to make sure it gets established and it did weather the winter in near perfect condition.

This may be our bluest needled evergreen in the Conifer Garden and it was one I was in doubt about how it would weather the winter. It is the 'Silberzwerg' Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) native to the Pacific Northwest. Obviously it weathered the winter in perfect condition and may become a good choice for a blue-needled conifer in sites where blue spruce fails.

This little evergreen groundcover is rarely seen in these parts but is a neat choice for a sheltered spot. It is the Dwarf Sweet Box (Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis) which will have tiny, but wonderfully vanilla scented flowers soon. This plant is in the same family as boxwoods but makes a nice low, evergreen groundcover.

As almost usual, our Nandinas (Nandina domestica 'Compacta') have been completely winter-burned. This plant is NOT dead and will fully recover with new growth later in spring. I have always thought Nandina is only fully hardy in zone 7 where temperatures do not go below zero. Here they are root and often stem hardy but the leaves almost always are killed by winter.

Our Needle Palms (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) seedlings also have survived the winter unscathed. This hardiest of shrub palms still requires a sheltered place against a wall or foundation. I have had this palm for many years here and it is actually better to let it be and DO NOT mulch it heavily in winter which seems to just invite rot which is worse than any winter damage. These palms grow slower than "molasses in January" so give them time! Powell Gardens' plants were purchased from Plant Delights mail order catalog, a great source for needle and other "hardy" palms.

The Southern Magnolias also fared better than last year through the winter. When I look at pictures of them from last March, those on the south side of the Visitor Center had leaves completely burned. This is the Victoria Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) on the north side of the Visitor Center and it's leaves didn't burn much at all despite temperatures near -10F. Many Southern Magnolias leaves burned badly again this winter but be patient because no stem or bud damage appears to have happened just like last year. New growth will quickly usurp any damaged leaves later this spring and the cold winter will be forgotten.

Here Daffodils a.k.a. Narcissus are emerging with Sparkler Monkey Grass below and Goldsturm Rudbeckia above. With the rains of Sunday it was just like magic how many spring bulbs burst through the soil surface. Yes, the winter garden may look tired and flattened by all the snow but the new foliage of the 2011 growing season is set to grow! May all you gardeners have weathered the winter well and be ready to "bloom" this coming spring. A visit to Powell Gardens now is a great inspiration to the beauty of the early spring garden. I just got word the first Iris (Iris reticulata) just opened this afternoon on the Island Garden. With each passing mild day the bulbs of early spring will begin to carpet the gardens and usher in the new season at last. Enjoy!

(All the photographs except the first two were taken on February 28, 2011 by Alan Branhagen at Powell Gardens.)

Evergreens of the Winter Solstice

Evergreens are an important plant to the winter landscape as they provide us with lively (or should I say alive) foliage in this lowest lit, dormant season. It is no wonder why we use them as Christmas trees.

Two Scotch Pines (Pinus sylvestris) centered in this photograph are remnants of a former windbreak of Scotch Pines -- all the rest have died of pine wilt and have been removed. We planted small one-gallon sized Green Giant Arborvitaes (Thuja 'Green Giant') in between the pines and now they are 15 feet tall and spires of green.

Green Giant Arborvitae are a good choice of evergreens in our climate and currently have no major pest or disease issues.

Many evergreens do suffer in our climate and it is difficult to recommend a fail safe variety. The Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis) photographed here in the Perennial Garden is succumbing to dothostoma needle blight -- an affliction that has made us remove most of these trees from the garden.


The Vanderwolf's Pyramid cultivar of Limber Pine so far has been immune to the leaf blight. A healthy example near the Rock & Waterfall trolley stop shows dense, healthy needles.

Eastern White Pines (Pinus strobus) remain one of the best choices for large evergreen trees in our region. They do require good drainage and protection from salt spray off roads to perform their best. They grow huge over time and naturally open up to a very layered appearance when mature. They were once (along with tulip trees) the tallest trees in Eastern North America. The tallest were cut for the Royal Navy's ship masts.

The Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora) has also done quite well and remains a much smaller tree as it grows so slowly. This plant in the Perennial Garden will be 20 years old next season.

Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) is an area-wide favorite and also does well as long as it doesn't get too crowded with poor air circulation around it -- such conditions cause cytospora canker which kills the lower or shaded branches. The Blue Spruce depicted is the cultivar 'Foxtail' which is a fast growing, very blue needled variety.

Our "bluest" evergreen at Powell Gardens is still the Blue Ice Cypress (Cupressus glabra 'Blue Ice') but it is supposedly not fully hardy here. Our plant has flourished but we haven't had a hard winter in almost 2 decades now.

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) is our toughest evergreen and the only locally native one! This seedling redcedar came up in the old Scotch pine grove and we are letting it grow to become part of our new windbreak. Many people hate this plant because it is not green in the winter, we feel it is a great color that seems appropriate to our landscape. Something truly green in midwinter must be sick here! It is an alternate host to cedar apple rust that afflicts apples and crabapples but we simply plant rust-resistant apple varieties (there will always be thousands of wild redcedars around!). The native redcedar is a top wildlife friendly plant.

This Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is a local selection and remains one of our truly greenest plants in the winter. Again, we are waiting for a severe winter to truly test how hardy this tree is -- its parent tree in Independence, MO, did survive past severe winters in the late 1970s through the 1980s.

The long needles of the Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) also are quite green now but this evergreen is also at home in a more southern climate. This tree is a seedling from trees planted at Powell Gardens several decades ago by the Boy Scouts and appears to be quite hardy though the long needles make it susceptible to ice damage. I should have had a person in this picture for scale, the tree is nearly 20 feet tall.

This morning was the winter solstice so each day from now until the summer solstice in June will be a bit longer than the next. I am glad that half of the dark half of the year is now over! Take some solace in the beautiful evergreens in this season. We trial a wide variety at Powell Gardens and have a marvelous collection of mainly dwarf varieties north of the Visitor Center in our conifer garden.

All photographs taken by Alan Branhagen on the winter solstice at Powell Gardens.

Winter's Wear

Evergreens are a mainstay of the garden in winter and Kansas City's manic-depressive climate can really create some wear on such plants. Evergreens can be divided into two categories: broadleaved like magnolia and holly and needle-leaf, which includes the conifers. The following is an overview how some of Powell Gardens' evergreens have weathered the winter so far. It has been a wild ride with temperatures around zero but back into the 60s on a bi-weekly basis; and all this with little or no snow cover. (Snow is the best winter mulch against cold!). The coldest temperature has been -4F one morning.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) grows at its northern limit in the Kansas City area and its leaves are often burned or even killed by hard winters. This is our small, but established 'Kansas City' Southern Magnolia, which is a rooted cutting off the champion Southern Magnolia tree in Kansas City. The parent tree has withstood the test of time and severe winters long into the past as it was brought here by an African American from Mississippi more than 80 years ago. The parent tree is over 40 feet tall and wide with a 18" diameter trunk. Our young plant has held up well with just slight bronzing to the branch tip leaves. You can see we have allowed the plant to have foliage to the ground which helps protect the trunk in winter.

Here are winter damaged leaves of our 'Twenty-four Below' Southern Magnolia. This cultivar of Southern Magnolia is considered one of the hardiest, surviving -24F without injury. Ours has burned on the sunny side from much less cold because it is exposed on the south side of a warm wall. It gets too warm during the day then quickly drops when the sun goes down -- this shocking change of temperature causes the damage, not the ultimate low temperature. By spring, you will be amazed how quickly this winter damage will recover. If this has happened to your own tree, not to worry.


Southern Magnolias sheltered against the north walls of the Visitor Center show much less winter burn because they do not warm up so much during the day. The left evergreen is actually an American Holly but the pyramidal central tree is our selected 'Margarite' Southern Magnolia and the big magnolia on the right / background is the the hardy cultivar 'Edith Bogue.'


This broadleaved evergreen is the poorly known and poorly named Devilwood (Osmanthus americana), which is native to the Southeastern United States. It can become a small tree with very glossy evergreen leaves. This plant is quite hardy once established and as you can see has no damage to its winter leaves.

Nandina or Heavenly Bamboo is a Japanese broadleaved evergreen that is marginally hardy in our area. As you can see this Compact cultivar's foliage has been killed by the -4F cold. Again, we don't let this bother us because it will quickly releaf in spring as the stem has not been injured -- the winter killed leaves are the color of winter grasses. Our Nandinas have killed back to the ground in colder winters but have resprouted each spring.


Leatherleaf Grape-Holly (Mahonia japonica) has leaves that have withstood the cold but I can't quite tell how the "spider" of flower buds atop the leaves have fared. This is one of the first shrubs to bloom, often in February. The flower buds start to emerge in fall and are hardy to around zero or only slightly below. They are very fragrant and yellow when in bloom; last year our shrubs did bloom in March and were awesome. This is a good indicator of moderating winter lows in our area as this shrub never was hardy here until recent years.

Some normally very hardy shrubs like this 'Green Velvet' Boxwood (Buxus hybrid) show some tip damage to leaves. This is because it was trimmed too late in the season and new twigs emerged and didn't harden off well before winter's cold. The burned leaves can easily be trimmed off and the shrub will quickly recover in spring.


Needle leaved evergreens like the Juniper (low and spreading) and the Oriental Arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) are better adapted to the ups and downs of our winter climate. Oriental Arborvitae is a good choice for our climate, actually better than the American Arborvitae (native to the Great Lakes region) because it handles our hot and often dry summers much better. (There actually is a 'DD Blanchard' Southern Magnolia in the left background of this shot, too.)


This is the lush green foliage of the Hiba Arborvitae or Elkhorn Cedar (Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondai). This shrub is very marginal in our area because it is from Northern Japan in a cooler, more benevolent climate. It is sited off the northeast corner of the Visitor Center where it remains cooler in summer and is protected from winter winds by other evergreens. If you like a particular marginally hardy plant, be sure to know its needs and plant it in a microclimate that suits it.


Here are Golden Threadleaf Sawara False Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea Nana') -- quite a mouthful but a very adaptable, diverse and beautiful evergreen from Japan. We have never had winter burn on any cultivar of this species.


This is a cultivar to the sister species to the above, the Hinoki False Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis'). Hinoki Falsecypress has some of the most beautiful and luxuriant sprays of evergreen foliage but is very marginal in our area. I am pleased most of ours are doing well sheltered on the east side of the Visitor Center.


Off the north end of the Visitor Center this 'Glauca Nana Aurea' cultivar of the Hinoki False Cypress has burned needles. It will recover in spring and probably survive the winter better as it becomes more established and as neighboring evergreens grow and help shelter it. Always try to give your plants an extra chance!


Here you can see the 'Glauca Nana Aurea' Hinoki Falsecypress in full (the golden muffin of a shrub lower left!). It has a 'Blue Pagoda' Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) and a groundcover of sedums dwarfing it. It still makes a nice golden contrast with the blue spruces. We bought these interesting blue spruces as 'Blue Pagoda' but that is not a cultivar name accepted by the American Conifer Society. We don't actually know what they really are even though we are often asked by visitors where they can get one! A lovely dwarf blue spruce at any rate.


This is the lovely dwarf 'Elizabeth' Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika). We like the two-toned blue and green needles. Serbian Spruce is a great choice of spruce for our climate.


The beautiful bicolored needles of this Golden Korean Fir (Abies koreana 'Aurea') almost feel like AstroTurf. This is a much loved ornamental conifer but very touchy in our climate. I am so happy ours is doing great in a cool, raised bed with a Acrocona Spruce sheltering it from summer heat and winter wind.


Our Lacebark Pines (Pinus bungeana) are unfazed by the winter weather and are another choice evergreen for our climate as they come from Northern China with similar winter weather. They do not have the typical pyramidal form that most people demand from a pine but this plant will inspire many future generations on their visit to Powell Gardens as over time they will get the most beautiful bark of any pine. Bark of mature branches will flake off in a patchwork of silver, gray, olive and white -- a reason this tree is often grown near Chinese Temples. Lacebark Pine is a much deserving Plant of Merit that everyone should consider planting for future generations to enjoy. It also has large edible pine nuts so is included our future Heartland Harvest Garden.



Come out and take a stroll around the grounds and enjoy the wide array of evergreens planted throughout Powell Gardens. You will have a great outdoor experience of exercise and fresh air to go along with ideas for your winter landscape.

Wild Weather and Winter Greens

This first month of winter has been true to Kansas City: a manic-depressive wild ride! We have had two days with highs in the 60s, inch rains twice, plus sleet and 2 inches of snow. The predicted "coldest Arctic blast in a decade" did not materialize. Yes, it was cold but not even close to record cold. At our official weather station in a cold pocket the temperature bottomed out at zero, twice (the month of the terrible twos?). There are still two more months of winter to go and March can go either way. The cold weather did no damage to any plants that I can see -- it was nothing out of our "ordinary."

Below are some images of the many wonderfully ornamental plants that really show off at Powell Gardens in the winter. I feel like a broken record pushing the beauty of winter and its ornamental plants -- it is something I always consider while acquiring plants through the year. My how these plants can really shine now, especially when viewed from indoors. I do recommend a new book on winter gardening: The Garden in Winter by Suzy Bales. Suzy (from Long Island, New York) has spoken at Powell Gardens and I had the pleasure to show off our grounds to her pre-Easter freeze in 2007.

American Holly (Ilex opaca) is perhaps the classic winter garden plant and such a symbol of holiday decor. As with all hollies, only female plants produce fruit and most need pollinators nearby (some hybrids produce fruit without pollination). Plant this long-lived, slow but beautiful tree for future generations to enjoy! It is hard to find and generally available only by mailorder in Kansas City. There are magnificent small trees in the 30-40 foot range in the older parts of Kansas City and its older suburbs. This evergreen is native to southeast Missouri and part of Missouri's Grow Native! program.

Greenleaf Holly (Ilex x attenuata 'Greenleaf') is a hybrid between the American Holly and Dahoon (Ilex cassine). Because this holly has hybrid vigor and grows very fast and is easy to propagate it is readily available at nurseries. It has smaller fruits that the birds really relish but is much less hardy then American Holly. It grows more int the 20 - 30 foot range in our area. Be sure to plant it in a sheltered place when outside Kansas City's "heat island." Yes, the core of the city is usually 5 degrees warmer than the surroundings - year round! This plant has completely died back here (2001) but recovered well.


Blue Princess Holly (Ilex x meservae 'Blue Princess') is a beautiful hybrid shrub holly that is very hardy. It is a cross between a cold hardy holly (Ilex rugosa) from Hokkaido(north island), Japan and the beautiful yet non-hardy English Holly (Ilex aquifolium). There are several cultivars in this group but Blue Princess has the best, glossy leaves with a hint of blue. We also have 'Blue Maid' in this group with 'Blue Stallion' as pollinator. This holly does not like extreme heat and the big swings of temperatures we can have here. Our plants killed to the ground one year (2001)but have completely recovered. I found it odd they died back when Southern Magnolias growing above them were uninjured! They are against the north wall of the Visitor Center where they stay cooler and shaded during the hot summer. This hybrid holly is readily available in nurseries and even big box retailers.


China Girl Holly is another hybrid holly using the hardy holly (Ilex rugosa) but it is crossed with the Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta). This hybrid is much more apple green in leaf and stem as well as inheriting heat-tolerance from the China Holly. We grow these shrubs on the south side of the Visitor Center where it gets very hot in summer. The pollinator is aptly named 'China Boy.'


Acrocona Norway Spruce (Picea abies 'Acrocona') is a personal favorite of "dwarf" conifers. The abundant cones are very ornamental in winter (they are bright magenta in spring when emerging as female flowers!). This pine grows slowly to be at least 8 feet tall and wider than tall.


The flat sprays of golden foliage of this Rosenkranz Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Rosenkranz') create some warm color in this season. The green backdrop (a weeping common juniper) helps set the color off. This beautiful dwarf conifer is not readily available in local nurseries.


The blue needles of the St. Mary's Broom Blue Spruce (Picea pungens 'St. Mary's Broom') are so luxurious in winter. This true dwarf conifer is a favorite of Marvin Snyder of Overland Park, past President of the American Conifer Society and inspiration for our dwarf conifer garden at the north end of the Visitor Center. I like its contrast with the orangish Angelina (fore and background) and reddish Wehenstephaner Gold sedums which are neighboring low groundcovers.


Vintage Gold False Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Vintage Gold') is a beacon of gold in the Fountain Garden. It is probably our most yellow of winter evergreens and has a very beautiful texture to the needles and sprays of young foliage.


Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) though not evergreen is also at its showiest now when the dried, weathered stems and silky seed heads sparkle when back lit on these low sun angle days. This native prairie grass is a tough perennial that requires full sun and average soil. No extra water is ever required once it is established!