OAKLEAF HYDRANGEA AT MONTICELLO

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!






"In early spring it begins, slowly at first. “Excuse me, what is that plant with the silvery foliage just emerging?” Then in June the questions start in earnest, with poorly concealed excitement as the large white paniculate flowers emerge and slowly turn purplish-pink with age. Finally, in the fall, all formalities disappear. “What is that plant with the magnificent burgundy foliage?” At the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center at Monticello we all smile and answer “Oakleaf Hydrangea.”

Planted en masse in the courtyard and tended by horticulturist Amy Jeffries, the Oakleaf Hydrangea stops our visitors in their tracks. This beautiful shrub offers something for the landscape in all seasons. Discovered by William Bartram in 1775 in Crawford County, Georgia this native shrub is excellent as a specimen or in mass plantings. Hardy in zones 5 thru 9, Hydrangea quercifolia grows 5 feet high with a slightly greater spread. A fast grower in full sun to partial shade, it provides interesting foliage in early spring, beautiful flowers for 3-4 weeks in early to mid summer, followed by rich burgundy foliage that can persist until December. In the winter the exfoliating bark offers interest when there is little else for the eye to enjoy. A year-round landscape gem, smile and think of us as you answer your neighbors with “Oakleaf Hydrangea.”

Brian Hartsock
Center for Historic Plants

Shop our selection of plants!

All purchases help support our dual mission of preservation and
education, and all are deeply appreciated."
_____________________________________________________________________________
Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.
Monticello Catalog
556 Dettor Road, Suite 107
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
Order Line: 800.243.1743
Customer Service: 800.243.0743
Email: catalog@monticello.org

DAVID AUSTIN ROSE 'CARDING MILL' BLOOMS ALL SEASON

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!



Climbing rose 'Carding Mill'














'Moombeam' coreopsis makes a stunning rose companion. Combine with catmint for your color triad.

"Antique beauty matched with a modern repeat-flowering habit are the keynotes of hybridizer David Austin’s Roses, and Carding Mill™ is an outstanding example of his achievement. Full, slightly nodding blossoms with about 80 petals appear apricot but combine shades of pink and yellow and are deep apricot inside when they first open. Their rich myrrh perfume and the leaves’ disease resistance are also welcome. ‘Auswest’"

www.whiteflowerfarm.com/66936-product.html?utm_source=zones6+7+8+9&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011+04+28



Traditonal rose companion, catmint

HYDRANGEA 'VANILLA STRAWBERRY' PROVIDES LATE SUMMER COLOR

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!



"Hydrangea paniculata Vanilla Strawberry™ from Bailey Nurseries. Hardy to Zone 4, this relative of the classic PeeGee Hydrangea produces large flower heads starting in midsummer. They begin creamy white but turn pink two weeks later and then become strawberry red or even burgundy, retaining that shade for about 3–4 weeks. New flower heads continue opening into late summer, and as a result, plants display all three color stages at any one time. The blooms are borne on red stems, too, making quite a contrast against the green leaves."

www.whiteflowerfarm.com

Combine with The Green Man's favorite upright-growing Japanese maple 'Fireglow'



Photo: www.katherine-davis.com

and Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake"

USE VIBURNUMS MOST-RESISTANT TO LEAF BEETLES

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!





Doublefile viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' is "the top of the line."


Viburnums most-resistant to the viburnum leaf beetle:

•V. bodnantense, dawn viburnum
•V. carlesii, Koreanspice viburnum
•V. davidii*, David viburnum
•V. x juddii, Judd viburnum
•V. plicatum, doublefile viburnum
•V. plicatum var. tomentosum, doublefile viburnum
•V. rhytidophyllum, leatherleaf viburnum
•V. setigerum, tea viburnum
•V. sieboldii, Siebold viburnum

The Green Man extolls the virtues of viburnums, and he considers the species to be "the Lexus of shrubs." Use it for equity-building. However, as a caveat, install the "models" most-resistant to theft!

'ARIZONA RED SHADES' GAILLARDIA DESIGN TRIAD FOR SUN

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!



'Arizona Red Shades' Gaillardia
























Reliable 'Becky' Shasta daisies brighten perennial beds, mediate colors, and makes colors "pop."

www.monrovia.com













'Going Bananas' daylily is an improved 'Happy Returns.' Prolific and low-management.


www.gilberthwild.com



The Green Man in stone

www.statue.com















'Walker's Low' catmint









Punctuate the color triad SPARINGLY with silvery catmints such as 'Walker's Low."



Then, add a MINIMAL dash of Coreopsis 'Moonbeam.'





Finally, focus your composition with a single, TASTEFUL work of garden art. The wrong selection will destroy all your hard work, so ALWAYS go with something classic such as a reproduction Green Man plaque for wall or tree.

THE AMAZING VITEC: CHECK HIS LATEST BIRD PAINTINGS

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!





















A Christmas robin by the brilliant English Impressionist VITEC

Wildlife is certainly an intrinsic element of fine landscaping, and birds are one of the most satisfying. Aesthetically, trees and birds have a synergystic relationship.










If you are a bird aficionado and a connoisseur of fine art, The Green Man encourages you to invest in the artwork of of a brilliant English painter he discovered several years ago: the amazing VITEC. His technically-perfect and poetically-infused works recall the art of the great masters of French Impressionism...in The Green Man's opinion, especially that of Renoir, Degas...with a soupcon of the post-Impressionism of Cezanne.


















Discover VITEC before all his work ends up in the Louvre.

Thanks for supporting his work.

vitec-painting.blogspot.com

AMELANCHIER 'AUTUMN BRILLIANCE' TREE COMPANIONS FOR EQUITY

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!




Amelanchier 'Autumn Brilliance'...a classic

The Green Man has been noticing how widespread interest is in Serviceberry. OK, say you elect to plant 3 of these around the site. You're asking: "What other large trees work with these?" Well, to cut to the chase, Betula nigra 'Heritage,' a cultivar that sparkles in groupings of 3-5, is The Green Man's choice. Then fill in with black tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica.



'Heritage'river birch resists the bronze birch borer and features 4-season interest.











Black tupelo,'Nyssa sylvatica' in the autumn. Plant in a sunny location.








Korean pine 'Silver Ray'
www.monrovia.com







Accent with Korean Pine, Magnolias 'Dr. Merrill' and 'Royal Star.'









'Dr. Merrill' magnolia in Spring...dazzling to behold

Now, you have an 'equity' tree foundation to work with...and the elegant and cutting-edge The Green Man look.

'WHITE FEATHER' HOSTA FOR YOUR WOODLAND GARDEN

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!



A single grouping of 3 is what you want. Otherwise, the effect is diluted. Not deer-resistant.

springhillnursery.com/white-feather-hosta/p/75379/

NEW, DWARF 'BLOOMERANG' LILAC FOR SUMMER COLOR

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!



"Want a plant to brighten a dull corner of your yard, hide an eyesore, or fit into a tight space? We have a great lineup of plants ready to come to your rescue. New to the market, dwarf Lilac Bloomerang™ is a rebloomer that's the perfect size even for small yards – and it attracts butterflies, too!"

www.whiteflowerfarm.com



Syringa 'Bloomerang'™

"We can find a lot of garden opportunities for this dwarf, reblooming Lilac, and we think you will, too. Clusters of purple-pink, sweet-scented flowers cover its branches in spring and continue off and on until frost. Bloomerang™ fits in small spaces and is an excellent choice for a fragrant, low hedge. 'Penda' PPAF. One gallon pot 6 1/2" by 6 1/2".

Bloomerang™ forms a bushy plant with small leaves. Its bloodline includes four different Lilac species (it's a hybrid of Syringa patula x macrophylla x meyeri x juliana). Plants bloom heavily in the spring, take a resting period, and then start up again in mid-summer and continue until cold weather. The second period of bloom is not as full as that in the spring, but still showy.



Plants are best pruned right after the spring bloom, as this creates a fuller shrub with more branches and thus more flowers. Every stem can produce flowers in summer. Bloomerang™ is mildew resistant, too.

Lilacs are among the best-known, classic spring-flowering shrubs. For generations of reliable bloom and sweet fragrance, generally before Memorial Day, these sturdy shrubs are in a class by themselves. Most Lilacs prefer full sun and neutral to slightly alkaline soil."

FLOWERING QUINCE 'TOYO-NISHIKI' FOR EARLY SPRING COLOR

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!




Here's a terrific treasure for the landscape for early Spring color...in fact, red, pink, and white on the same plant! Flowering quince is low-management, works in both sun and partial shade, and is deer-resistant.



www.heronswood.com

AMELANCHIER 'FOREST PRINCE' FOR UNDERSTORIES AND SMALL SPACES

Monticello in Spring

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Greetings from Charlottesville!



'Forest Prince' Serviceberry



AMELANCHIER x grandiflora
Apple Serviceberry 'Forest Prince'
Plant type: tree
Size: 20'H x 15'W
Shape: oval
Plant Zones: 4-7

Fall Color: red-orange
Flower: white
Fruit: pome
Feature: fall color
Sun/Shade: full sun/partial sun


Description:
Selected by Roy Klehm for outstanding leathery, dark green summer foliage and clean robust growth. Heavy spring bloomer and attractive red edible June berries. Autumn color is pleasant orange-red.

www.beavercreeknursery.com

'GREAT STAR' HYDRANGEA IS A 'MUST HAVE' DELIGHT FOR 2011

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!



'Great Star' Hydrangea













"Related to wildly popular 'Vanilla Strawberry' and 'Limelight' hydrangeas, 'Great Star' is a unique selection from France that features huge star-shape white flowers in big clusters starting in midsummer and continuing all the way through fall. It looks particularly stunning in autumn if you pair the white flowers with plants that have bold red fall color.

Name: Hydrangea paniculata 'LeVasterival'

Growing conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 7 feet tall and 8 feet wide

Zones: 4-8

www.baileynurseries.com

AMERICAN YELLOWWOOD 'SWEETSHADE' AND MORE PROBLEM-RESISTANT TREES

Monticello in Spring

www.monticello.org



Greetings from Charlottesville!




American yellowwood in bloom early summer

The Green Man suggests readers check out this well-written article on problem-resistant trees that make better choices than the typical junk available at the local, "we-could-care-less-if-it-falls-through-your-roof" lowly, corporate "box" stores.

Educate yourself before making your tree-purchasing decisions! Be both wise and patriotic, and get your trees from an American-owned, independently-owned garden center. Go in, and ask assertively for assistance from someone who knows something about plants rather than fast "food"...and take with your hardcopy homework with you!

pubs.ext.vt.edu/450/450-237/450-237.html

Here are trucked-in trash trees to avoid at the typical, "we-could-care-less" corporate chain "box" stores:

Absolute worst:

Silver maple
Norway maple, including 'Crimson King'
Bradford pear
Crabapple, cherry, hawthorn

More disastrous choices:

Red maple (invasive, too large, and too much shade)
Any birch except River birch, Betula nigra (Birches are yummy feast for the lethal bronze birch borer)
Ash (Perfect meal for the deadly emerald ash borer)
any fast-growing screens such as poplars
Sugar maple (a great tree for huge spaces, but for most sites creates deep, dark, dense shade and becomes too large

Or...you might consider a simple cut to the chase and installing The Green Man's
signature triad:River birch 'Heritage'
Amelanchier 'Autumn Brilliance'
Black tupelo

and accent with

Star magnolia 'Dr. Merrill' and 'Royal Star'
Japanese maple 'Fire Glow'
Koelreuteria paniculata
Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' (Just one is enough)

or hire The Green Man to design the entire site.

NOTE: Not all of the trees listed at the linked article are suitable for some sites as they grow too large. Check for MATURE SIZE and DEER-RESISTANCE as you read and make notes. Thank you.