Several times a year someone sends me a photo of a tree they believe to be an American chestnut (Castanea dentata, Zones 4–8). Frequently what they actually have sent is a photo of an Asian chestnut species or Allegheny chinquapin (Castanea pumila, Zones 5–9), another species native to the eastern United States. From time to time, I have seen the sprouts of a true American chestnut tree in the wild. American chestnuts have three nuts per bur and canoe-shaped leaves with deeply toothed margins. Their buds are smooth, brown, pointed, and usually askew on the twig. However, the sprouts I’ve seen pale in comparison to what once dominated our eastern forests. The American chestnut once thrived throughout the forests of the eastern United States, leaving its mark on both the landscape and lives of the people who inhabited the region. This tree played a crucial role in the cultural, economic, and ecological tapestry of the South and southeastern United States, making it an integral part of our region’s history. Trees were huge, straight pillars like our native tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera, Zones 4–9)—and on a massive scale (from 50 to 100 feet tall). Learn more about the history of this magnificent species and the current state of American chestnut tree conservation efforts here.
American Holly
24.07.2023 - 12:04 / hgic.clemson.edu
While the Christmas tree takes the front-and-center stage during this holiday season, supported by a cast of poinsettias, cyclamens, kalanchoes, Christmas cactuses, and amaryllises, hollies often find themselves relegated to wreaths, garlands, and candle adornments. Years ago, I learned from Fred Galle’s tome, “Hollies: The Genus Ilex” (Timber Press, OR 1997), that hollies were quintessential Christmas symbols extensively used for centuries in holiday wreaths and Christmas decorations. Galle wrote that in London in 1851, 250,000 bunches of English hollies (Ilex aquifolium) were sold and adorned houses, churches, street corners, and marketplaces. In some parts of England, residents retained the holly sprigs until the following year because they believed it would protect their homes from lightning strikes.
In the past, people in Germany and England called the prickly English holly varieties “he-hollies” and the smooth-leaved kinds “she-hollies.” (Interestingly, English hollies produce out-of-reach, smooth-margined adult leaves at the top of mature trees.) The type of leaf brought indoors determined who was to dominate the home in the upcoming year. If the holly leaf had a smooth margin, the wife was in charge. (She should be if she could reach the spineless leaves in the mature, uppermost reaches of the tree). If the holly was prickly, the husband ruled the roost for the year.
I consider our American holly (Ilex opaca)–not the English holly (Ilex aquifolium)–to be our signature holly of Christmas. It grows wild from Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas and Missouri, and north to Tennessee and Indiana. It’s commonly found as an understory tree growing in mixed hardwood forests in a variety of habitats that include
15 Best Eryngium Varieties | Types of Sea Holly
Discover the beauty and diversity of Eryngium, also known as Sea Holly, with our guide to the Best Eryngium Varieties. From their spiky, vibrant blooms to their unique textures, explore the different Types of Sea Holly that will add charm and interest to your garden.
19 South American Indoor Plants That Everyone Wants to Grow
The tropical rain forests of South America hold a treasure when it comes to plants that are beautiful, exotic, and can make for great houseplants. Have a look at the most amazing South American Indoor Plants you can grow!
Growing Hollyhocks – Purple Malva
Hollyhock family are from the Alcea genus but I couldn’t find a UK supplier of the variety above..
British View of American Landscape
Some time ago in the pre-Trump era the west lawn at the British Museum showed plants from North Americas landscape. The plants were provided in partnership with Kew but the photographs were mine taken in September. I now wish I had also visited to see and take pictures of earlier spring and summer flowers fro N America.
Hollyhock: How to grow, care and plant hollyhocks | House & Garden
The Amazons of the summer border, hollyhocks tower on 1.5 to 2.5-metre stems from June to August. Their funnel-shaped blooms, which open in shades of ivory, lemon, pink, red, and plum, can often be seen peeping over a garden wall, basking in the sun. Bumblebees love to sup the nectar, and, as they do, become covered in a dusting of the flowers’ plentiful creamy pollen.
American Wisteria
Whenever I encounter an introverted gardener, I engage them in conversation with this question: What wisteria do you recommend for my backyard?
Weed of the Month- American Burnweed
American burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius) is an annual summer weed. It is native to North America and is a member of the aster family. It is a fast-growing weed that can reach heights up to eight feet.
Why i love this american landscape
What is your favorite glimpse of the American landscape, the one you could stare and stare out into? Does it include water or sky, or a sea of something else? Maybe you’ll be spending part of the holiday weekend in sight of it.
A showier winterberry holly: ‘sunsplash’
The Broken Arrow Nursery introduction is in the ground now, and leafless, and though confined to a pot it only had a small number of orange-red fruit (yes, ‘Sunsplash’ is a female clone). I’m eager to see how we do in the year to come—how much gold the irregularly splashed leaves display, and how much fruit the plant will bear. (That’s Broken Arrow’s catalog up top, below, by comparison to my late-season leaf detail from a plant that has sent a whole summer in its pot, below.) Broken Arrow, which introduced the plant, touts it highly, and they have had years of experience with it.I have more than 50 Ilex verticillata growing here, in three big groups—much to the delight of local birds. Though I cannot imagine a garden without the hollies, I have always had the one complaint: They’re ugly most of the year, except when fruiting (or at least they’
How to shop for plants with an expert’s eye, with holly scoggins
Our guide is Virginia Tech associate professor of horticulture Dr. Holly Scoggins, a herbaceous plant specialist and educator, who also teaches greenhouse management and ornamental plant production and marketing. She conducts research to help commercial growers of container plants get it right, optimizing inputs like water and fertilizer, for instance, or different kinds of growing media.In other words: Holly Scoggins knows a well-grown plant when she sees one.Because she apparently can’t get enough plants, Holly also operates a U-pick blueberry farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains, blogs at The Garden Professors blog at extension.org, and contributes to the Professors’ popular Facebook page.On my public-radio show and podcast I learned a whole new style of plant-shopping etiquette, and got over my sti
Since you asked: apios americana, the potato bean or groundnut
THE WIDELY adaptable groundnut has an impressive native range, in areas from temperate to sub-tropical (see the USDA range map), in Zone 4-9. It will even grow in places like cranberry bogs (growers often consider it a weed). It’s usually found in moist areas, where at least part-day sun is available.I have seen Apios growing in the wild once or twice, and a million years ago in a friend’s garden, too; it was something she inherited, I learned, with her very old house in Connecticut, and it was just always there, climbing enthusiastically by the shed, so she went with the flow.I say “enthusiastically,” and various Apios references say “not well-behaved,” but even though it’s a strong grower, invasives have pushed it from many former haunts, as mentioned.If you have a spot to give it where its enthusiasm is not at issue, as in a space of its own in a fringe area, Apios (which may reach 20 feet, but probably les