Periwinkle: Bigleaf can be a big problem

QUESTION: This vine (in the photo) is growing behind the boxwoods in front of our house. I’ve never seen it before. Is this something I should keep or get rid of?

Variegated Vinca major (bigleaf periwinkle) is a major pest plant.

Get rid of it, if you can. It looks like variegated bigleaf periwinkle (Vinca major), and left to grow on its on, will scramble and snake its way across everything in its path. This plant, considered an ornamental groundcover by some, was brought here from Europe more than three centuries ago.

It has pretty little blue or lavender pinwheel flowers in spring, but that’s not enough reason to keep it around. According to the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, the vine has crept in to open and dense canopied forest, forming mats and “extensive infestations” by vines that root at the nodes. They consider it a “significant threat” in the state, and note that it’s also considered invasive in several other southern states, and in California and the Pacific Northwest.

If your “infestation” is still fairly small, I suggest pulling it up, roots and all, if you can. You’ll probably have to pull it several times before it’s all gone. I never recommend chemical controls, but you can read what TNEPPC suggests here.

One of the nice features about the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council’s web site is that they suggest alternatives for the invasive plants you might be considering for your landscape. So, instead of periwinkle, TNEPPC recommends using these natives:

Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) and Creeping Phlox (Phlox stolonifera). Both attract bees and butterflies. Creeping phlox does best in the more acidic mountains of East Tennessee.

Several grass-like sedges make good groundcovers for shady places: Seersucker sedge (Carex plantaginea) has puckered light green leaves. Silver sedge (Carex platyphylla) has slightly puckered, light blue-green foliage. Blue wood sedge (Carex flaccosperma) has silvery blue foliage and can do well in wetter sites.

Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is a small creeping vine with tiny, glossy, deep green leaves, pairs of white fuzzy flowers in early June, and bright red berries. It grows in shade, and needs acid soil. Birds like it.

Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea [ Senecio aureus ]) has dark, evergreen foliage that colonizes as a groundcover and yellow flowers in early spring. Attracts bees and butterflies.

Marginal Woodfern (Dryopteris marginalis) is an evergreen fern that likes shade and moist soil.

EVENTS COMING UP

This just in: The Nashville Tree Foundation has extended the deadline for entering this year’s Big Old Tree contest. You now have until April 3 to send in information about that

One of last year’s Big Old Tree winners was a Dawn redwood: 109 inches around, 80 feet tall, with a 35-foot crown spread.

big old tree in your yard, your neighbor’s yard, or anywhere in Nashville you see an awesome tree of any species. It (and you) could be awarded honors at the annual High Tree Party, which will be held April 27 – Arbor Day – at SevierPark.

Entering is easy: Download an entry form from the Nashville Tree Foundation’s web site, or enter online. You can see past winners at the web site – a good idea to check it, to make sure the tree you enter hasn’t won in the past. There are also instructions on how to measure a big tree.

Whether you enter a tree or not, you are invited to enjoy the High Tree Party, where big tree winners will be announced, the Victor Johnson Award will be presented to the tree champion of the year, and you can enjoy tree-themed snacks.

The Perennial Plant Society’s annual sale is coming back to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds April 14, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. There will be thousands of perennials for sale for sun and shade, all from Tennessee growers, so they’re adapted to our growing conditions. Admission is free, but PPSMT notes that the Fairgrounds has a $5 parking fee. To learn more, visit the PPSMT’s website www.ppsmt.org.

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The Herb Society of Nashville’s annual plant sale is April 21 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. It’s 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., but get there early to browse through 15,000 herbs (including some of those hard-to-find varieties) and talk to the Answer Ladies and all the other herb fanciers who turn out for this annual event. Look for more info at the Society’s website, www.herbsocietynashville.org and Facebook page.

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Cheekwood is celebrating its gardens all through April with a series of Cheekwood in Bloom events.

The 20^th annual Spring Art Hop is April 7. More than 20,000 candy-filled eggs will be hidden throughout the gardens for egg hunts every half-hour. There will also be music, arts and crafts and live entertainment.

Ka-Bloom! on April 14 includes at family art activity and scavenger hunt,10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; flower arranging demonstration at 10:30 a.m.; guided tour of the Robertson Ellis Color Garden at 11 a.m. Howard Pink and his Musical Garden Hoses at noon; guided tour of the Carell Dogwood Garden at 1 p.m.; and container garden demonstration at 2 p.m.

The grand opening of the Howe Garden at Cheekwood (after a million-dollar renovation) will be April 21, with activities, live music, guided tours and refreshments,10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

In honor of national Arbor Day, April 28, there will be several drop-in activities and demonstrations. By the way, Cheekwood is now a certified Level IV arboretum, with more than 120 identified species of trees.

Every Sunday in April there will be guided greenhouse tours at noon; guided museum tours at 1 p.m.; and a drawing room concert series featuring Blair School of Music at 2 p.m.

Complete details on Cheekwood in Bloom are at Cheekwood’s web site.

Banish the Bradford pear

QUESTION: When should Bradford pear trees be pruned? Is now a good time? How far back should you prune them?

 

Bradford pear trees are the first to flower in spring, but they are not a good choice for landscape trees.

I’ll answer the last question first, and echo the thoughts of many landscape and forestry experts who believe that these trees should get just one pruning cut – about an inch above the ground.

Seriously, Bradford pears (Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’) are not good landscape trees, no matter how lovely they are this time of year. They live fast and die young – a 25-year-old Bradford pear is probably near the end of its life. Because their heavy limbs grow at narrow angles, they tend to split apart. And because they shoot up so quickly and easily, this import from China has been placed on alert as a possible threat by the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council. So, is it time to reconsider?

But back to the question: It’s good to prune trees in late winter, while they’re still dormant. As you are no doubt aware if you’re in Middle Tennessee, “late winter” now seems to mean the same as “spring,” and most things are no longer dormant. So if you need to prune, do it now, before the tree leafs out fully and you can still see the branch structure easily.

Really, though, wouldn’t you rather have something else? Landscape professionals suggest a couple of good native alternatives to the Bradford pear: downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arboria), which has white flowers in spring, dark green foliage in summer and red berries in the fall; and Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), white flowers, green leaves, small blue-black fruit enjoyed by birds in the fall.

Either would be better than a Bradford pear, guaranteed.

Latin lessons

If your high school Latin has gotten rusty, maybe it’s time for a refresher course. The Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee will meet Tuesday (March 20), and the guest speaker is Bonnie Tinsley, a classicist / Latin teacher whose curriculum includes botanical Latin – the naming of plants — as a major component. She will present an explanation of the binomial system that was developed and standardized by Carl von Linne (Linnaeus) in the 17^th century. And because this is the Orchid Society, the focus will be on both species and hybrid orchids to show how the enduring power of Latin helps us name and identify plants.

The meeting is at Cheekwood’s Botanical Garden in the Potter Room. Refreshments an fellowship begin at6:30, the meeting and program begin at 7. For more information about the Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee, visit their web site here.

Celebrating friendships – and cherry blossoms

The Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival is planned for March 24, and this year calls for special celebration.

2012 marks the 100^th anniversary of the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the people ofJapan to the people of theUnited States – the trees that famously grace the Tidal Basin in the Nation’s Capital. The trees have been a symbol of friendship between Japan and the U.S. for the past century, and several cities in the Southeast – including Nashville — have been chosen to receive 20 seedlings that are direct descendents of the D.C. trees.

“We are taking this occasion of the Centennial to expand our friendship in Nashville as well,” says Megumi Osugi Stepien, Consul in charge of Culture, Information and Educational Affairs at the Consulate General of Japan inNashville. During this year’s festival at the Metro Courthouse Public Square, the cherry trees will be planted by Mayor Karl Dean and Hon. Hiroshi Sato, the First Consul General of Japan in Nashville.

The Centennial tree-planting initiative is also a chance for the citizens of Japan to show their gratitude to the American people for their support during the earthquake and tsunami a year ago, planners say.   The Cherry Blossom Festival project is a joint undertaking of the nonprofit Japan-America Society of Tennessee, the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville and the office of Mayor Dean. Check here to learn more about Festival activities.

 

Get to know the natives at Cheekwood

Celandine poppies. Photo courtesy Cheekwood Botanical Garden.

Last spring my friend Nancy gave me a Celandine poppy that she rooted out from her backyard garden bed. In the right spot (light shade, moist, rich soil) it opens its bright yellow flowers in April in Middle Tennessee, and I’m embarrassed to have to let Nancy (and the general public) know that it didn’t succeed in my garden.

I’m reminded of this because of a note I got from Cheekwood, reminding me that their third annual Native Plant Sale is happening Saturday (March 26), and Celandine poppies — also called wood poppies — are among the tried-and-true spring blooming plants that will be available. There will also be Virginia bluebells, cardinal flower, wild ginger and many more natives for the flower bed, along with some small trees, shrubs and vines. “It’s an extraordinary variety of wildflower treasures perfect for local gardens,” says Sarah Lowe, assistant botanical garden and horticulture manager at Cheekwood.

The show is sponsored by the Garden Club of Nashville, and benefits the Howe Wildflower Garden at Cheekwood, a woodland flower garden that was started in the 1920s by Cora Howe, at her East Nashville home. You can find more about it at the Cheekwood Web site, www.cheekwood.org.

But back to the Celandine poppies: In her book, Gardening With the Native Plants of Tennessee, Nashville wildflower expert Margie Hunter writes, “Wood poppies form leafy clumps of stems 12 to 18 inches tall. Loose clusters of hairy buds open into bright yellow, 2-inch flowers through April and May. Fuzzy drooping seedpods develop. Leaves are grayish green and pinnately cut into several lobes.”

Along with light shade, the poppies appreciate slightly acid soil. They are easy to share, as you can divide them or sow seeds. “They readily self-sow, and if germination gets out of hand, just snip off the large seedpods before they open,” Hunter says.

The native plant sale at Cheekwood opens at 10 a.m. Saturday and closes when all the plants are sold – which could be early, because it’s a popular event. The gates open at 9:30 and Cheekwood’s regular gate fee applies. It’s worth a Saturday morning trip to Cheekwood. I haven’t been out there yet this spring, but I hear the gardens are beautiful right now!

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Celandine poppy (wood poppy) – Stylophorum diphyllum