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The powerful floral display of the Eastern Redbud Tree

2/23/2024

One of the first signs of spring is the bloom of the redbud trees. The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is native to much of the eastern United States and Canada. It hides inconspicuously in the edges of wooded areas, along roadsides or backyards, for much of the year and then gives a spectacular show of color in March when temperatures first start to warm after a long winter. The floral buds are a reddish purple, but open to lighter shades of pink. Floral color lasts for a few weeks.

The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) in summer form and in spring bloom

The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) 'Merlot Redbud'

Redbuds are one of our finest native trees. They don’t do much other than flower, though their unique and relatively large heart-shaped leaves are interesting. Their flower display is so powerful, however, that that single attribute makes them beloved. In landscapes, they can be a powerful specimen tree in the right location. Partial shade and moist, well-drained soil is ideal. Plant them where they can attract lots of attention during their bloom period, but be complemented by other plants that are more aesthetically pleasing once that bloom has passed.

One of the interesting characteristics of Redbud trees is their ability to produce flowers not just on young stems or branch tips, like most plants do, but also on older branches and even trunks. A tree with this ability is called a cauliflory. You’d never see azaleas or crape myrtles or most other common trees and shrubs with blossoms attached directly to trunks, but Redbuds are often adorned with flowers in this area, and on rare occasion trunks may be completely covered by blooms. You may not notice this on a Redbud tree you’re passing by in your vehicle, but if you happen to have an older tree in your yard or where you can take a close inspection, you’ll undoubtedly notice this characteristic.

The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is cauliflous, meaning they can produce blooms on their trunks.

The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) 'Forest Pansy'

Redbuds generally grow to about 20 to 25 feet height, with a similar, perhaps even slightly wider, spread. They are somewhat slow growing, though will grow quicker in good soils with adequate water and nutrients. They have relatively few insect and disease problems, though canker can be problematic and some insects will

occasionally do some light feeding. The leaves are very thin, so when planted in too much sun, they are susceptible to browning around the edges.

Though the native Eastern Redbud is the redbud most commonly planted in home landscapes, a Chinese Redbud and hybrid cultivars of both the native and Chinese type may also be found on occasion. A longtime favorite cultivar, ‘Forest Pansy,’ has flowers that are a much darker pink than the standard redbud and leaves that emerge burgundy red. They hold color through much of the year, before eventually fading to a more subdued color. There are also weeping forms, forms with twisted and contorted stems, white-flowering cultivars, cultivars with double flowers, and many that have colorful foliage. The JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh has been active

The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) 'Flame Thrower

in breeding and introducing new cultivars of redbuds and boasts an impressive collection of those releases. These include cultivars such as ‘Flame Thrower’, ‘Ruby Falls’, ‘Merlot’, and ‘Hearts of Gold’.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Infoline at 252-902-1705.

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Winter flowering weeds

2/17/2024

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Flowers in the landscape are usually a welcome sight, particularly at the beginning of spring. However, when those flowers pop up in unusual places, it can become cause for concern or confusion. After all, the definition of a weed is simply a plant growing out of place. With that in mind, I wanted to talk today about a common winter weed that is just starting to bloom.

Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, is a weedy plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae).

This purple flowering weed is called henbit and over the next month you will be able to see it just about everywhere. It is a winter annual broadleaf weed. That is, it comes out during winter, flowers at the tail end of winter and early into spring, then dies off. The trouble is, before dying, it will set seed. Depending on how wind, water, birds or other animals move this seed, you will likely see henbit in your lawn year after year, though perhaps not in the same exact spot. Because the

seeds are often carried by water, it is common to see patches of henbit in low areas in the lawn, or near ditches.

What you can or should do about henbit depends on a number of things. You may very well choose to do nothing. Henbit is a valuable food for pollinators, particularly honey bees, at a time when little else is in bloom, so if you don’t mind a few stray purple blooms amidst your yard, you may simply leave it alone. You can also mow it to knock it down and make it less noticeable if you’re not as keen on having purple blooms in the lawn, but this is something you’ll have to do repeatedly over the next several weeks and is really more of a delay tactic than a control measure.

Henbit flowers are whorled around square stems.

If you’re the type that is not willing to tolerate weeds in the lawn regardless of circumstance, then herbicides are an option, although now is not the ideal time to treat henbit with herbicides. Winter annual weeds such as henbit are best controlled by using a pre-emergence herbicide in the fall, similar to the way we treat for crabgrass in the spring. This is actually the best defense against these types of weeds, since it is much harder to kill them by the time they are flowering. Unfortunately, many people don’t think about the weed until it starts to flower, and by then pre-emergence herbicides will do no good. Make a note on your calendar in September to apply a pre-emergence herbicide for henbit and other winter annual weeds.

Hairy bittercress, Cardamine hirsuta

Other winter flowering weeds that are flowering now or will soon include hairy bittercress and chickweed (white flowers), speedwell (blue) and deadnettle (pink/red). Because these are all broadleaf weeds, they can be treated in much the same way as henbit. Be sure to check the label to make sure the product lists the specific weeds you are trying to control, and follow the label directions for appropriate mixing and spraying directions. If you are unsure which weeds you have, you may bring a sample to the extension office for identification.

Chickweed, stellaria media

Speedwell, veronica arvensis

Deadnettle, lamium maculatum

The best defense against these weeds returning to your lawn each year is to grow a healthy stand of grass. While that sounds simple enough, growing healthy grass involves a number of different management practices, including proper watering, mowing, fertilization, and early detection and control of insect, disease, and weed problems. A healthy lawn will out-compete the majority of weed species.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Infoline at 252-902-1705.

Photos: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu

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Forsythia: A spectacular, short-lived show

2/8/2024

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I am a big proponent of plants that have interest in more than one season. By that, I mean they look good beyond just the period of their bloom. A plant that has nice flowers in the spring, colorful foliage or berries during fall, and an attractive shape year-round often brings more value to a landscape than a plant that blooms for two weeks or so and then disappears. Despite this, there are some plants that make such an impact when they bloom that they will always have a fit in landscapes, whether they bring anything else to the table or not. One shrub that fits this description is forsythia.

Forsythia, notably one of the earliest plants to bloom in a given year, is prized for its bright yellow flowers. They arrive in late February or early March, and provide a burst of sunny color toward the end of a long drab winter. The bloom period, which varies somewhat depending on weather conditions, typically lasts about 10-14 days. Once finished blooming, forsythias have very little to offer. They do have decent fall color, as their leaves turn a purplish color before falling, but usually make considerably less impact than many

Forsythia x intermedia

other deciduous trees and shrubs in the fall. They are somewhat gangly, their leaves are bland, they don’t have colorful berries, and their bark is unimpressive, so forsythia’s ornamental value is for all intents and purposes limited to about two weeks of the year. However, it makes a substantial impact during that time, particularly because it does so when little else is providing landscape color.

Forsythia x intermedia bloom closeups

Forsythia x intermedia summer folliage

Forsythia x intermedia fall folliage

Plants like forsythia that have such a short window of ornamental value can be tough to incorporate in the landscape. Forsythias seem to fit best in mixed borders – areas where they are in close proximity to other plants. In those situations, forsythia can shine when it’s in bloom, but remain somewhat hidden by other shrubs during the remainder of the year. It also does well en masse, when several forsythias are grown together, or on slopes or banks where its arching shape works well with the contour of the land. It is not generally appropriate for use in foundation plantings, however. Because of its loose nature, it will either look messy in foundations if unpruned or its bloom will be negatively impacted if pruned enough to be kept inbounds. Forsythias can grow to 8-10 feet high and wide and needs to be given that much space to grow.

Forsythia Kumson

‘Lynwood Gold’ has long been the most popular cultivar, though there are some others you may occasionally see in nurseries, including some compact cultivars. One I am fond of is ‘Kumson’, a variegated cultivar. The leaf veins of ‘Kumson’ are white and the rest of the leaf is green, creating an intricate pattern on the leaf surface. The variegation doesn’t always hold up throughout the season, as the leaves can

be scorched or discolored during the heat of summer or during dry periods, but the leaves of this variety do increase the usual period of interest significantly.

Because of their early bloom, forsythias are an indicator of the coming spring, and all that comes with it. Gardeners who battle with crabgrass in their yard often use the bloom of forsythia as a reminder to apply preemergent herbicide to prevent crabgrass, as germination of crabgrass seeds typically starts shortly after forsythias bloom.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and horticulture agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have any questions about this article or other aspects of your home gardening, please contact the Pitt County Master Gardener Infoline at 252-902-1705.

Photos and information found at NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/forsythia-x-intermedia/common-name/border-forsythia/

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Daphne Odora

2/1/2024

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Last week I wrote about Edgeworthia, a shrub with fragrant blooms in the winter. Although winter-blooming plants are rare, Edgeworthia is far from the only one. In fact, this week we’ll look at Daphne odora, commonly known as Fragrant or Winter daphne, another shrub that blooms in the winter and packs a powerful and pleasant fragrance, as its common names suggest.

While daphne is one of my favorite plants, I should start by saying it can be a difficult plant to grow. If you’re new to gardening, daphne might not be the plant for you. If you’re a gardening expert it is probably a plant you’ve already killed once or twice before either finally getting it right or giving up. It is temperamental and perhaps a good way to test the level of your gardening skill, but also well worth the effort.

Daphne odora

A small, slow-growing, evergreen shrub, daphne is quite particular in its site requirements. It likes moist, organic soil that drains well. Plants seem to struggle most in heavy clay soils with poor drainage. Full sun to partial shade is best, though I have also seen plants growing in heavy shade with some success. At maturity, daphne can reach heights of 4 to 6 feet, with a similar

spread, though it is rare to see one that large. Most I’ve encountered have been in the range of 2-3 feet high and wide, or smaller. The foliage is glossy and lustrous green on most plants.

Though its foliage makes it attractive even when not in bloom, it is undoubtedly the promise of winter blossoms that leads many to plant daphne in the first place. Daphne has rosy purple flowers that are borne in inch-wide clusters of individual florets. The flower color fades a bit over the bloom period. Fragrance is powerful and sweet, making daphne a great choice for an area near a path or entrance, where there are many passersby, providing the soil and light conditions are appropriate. Flowers may arrive anywhere from January through March, depending on how wacky that particular winter’s weather is, and they typically last several weeks.

There are several cultivars occasionally found in nurseries that have characteristics slightly different from the species. These include ‘Aureomarginata’, ‘Maejima’, and ‘Shinano Nishiki,’ each of which offers variegated foliage and slightly different shades of pink blooms. ‘Carol Mackie’ is a popular cultivar of a different species of daphne that is no less difficult to grow, yet similarly beautiful. It has white leaf variegation and pale pink flowers that have the expected fragrance.

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Director's Choice

The powerful floral display of the Eastern Redbud Tree

Winter flowering weeds

Forsythia: A spectacular, short-lived show

Daphne Odora

Matt Stevens

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