Shrubs Archives - Page 2 of 4 - The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Spring pruning time

Posted on March 8, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Pruning, Shrubs .

This moment could not have come soon enough. With some free time early this morning coupled with the fact that it was 60 degrees here in New Jersey, it was a no-brainer to get outdoors and cross some spring gardening tasks off of the list, specifically, some spring pruning.

For today, it was the pruning of two of the largest shrubs in my garden and two shrubs that I pruned to the ground (with success) last spring: Redtwig Dogwood and Dappled Willow (Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’).

Here is the original post on the spring pruning of the redtwig dogwood:
pruning redtwig dogwood

And the original post on the spring pruning of the dappled willow:
pruning Salix

And here is an update I posted on the progress of both shrubs last June:
pruning updates in June

And to further update you on the results of the severe spring pruning, here is a photo of the redtwig dogwood prior to it being pruned this morning:

Even after being cut to the ground last March, this deciduous shrub ended up growing to about 5-6′ feet tall and 3-4′ wide. And the red stem color was killer all fall/winter.

I heard more compliments and more “what is this shrub” comments from visitors this winter than ever before. In other words, “success”.

The Dappled Willow went bananas after it was also pruned to the ground last March. Check these pics out.

In June.

And in September.

Totally out of control. This year I need to do a better job of cutting this back a few times throughout the year to keep it in bounds.

Back to this morning.

The redtwig dogwood was up first.

As much as it pained me to see it go, it is necessary for me to keep it at a size that doesn’t outgrow its location. I’ve tried other redtwig dogwood shrubs in other parts of my garden, and the deer have destroyed it every time. In this location along the front foundation of my home, it has escaped them. The only issues are that it is a tighter fit and not full sun. But three years in, we are still good to go.

By the way, I make it a point to save the cut stems for indoor decorating because you know, I’m all about the interior decorating.

Next up was the Salix.

A little bit tougher to cut back with the thicker stems.

But if you have nice and sharp loppers like I do and if you are as brutally strong as I am, you should be fine.

This was the second year in a row that a bird nested in this shrub during the winter and I made sure all was clear before proceeding this morning. No birds were injured as part of this project.

With nothing but warm weather on the horizon, expect to see more spring chore completion over the next few days.

The forgotten Spirea and another garden TV idea

Posted on June 22, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in Comedy, Garden problems, Shrubs .

Here’s what’s going on out in the garden these days:

The hydrangea is nice and all.

But isn’t it that much better when viewed through the Andropogon (Big Bluestem) ‘Red October’?

Speaking of the oh so wonderful ornamental grass, ‘Karl Foerster’ is in full bloom and is a solid vertical accent in numerous spots throughout my garden.

True story, two years ago in a fit of rage, I heaved my three “dead” Spirea ‘Anthony Waterer’ into my woods after they seemed to have bitten it over the winter. Not one of my absolute faves, but a solid performer that was always ignored by the deer. Three more damn holes to fill in.

Flash forward to this spring and I spotted one of the “dead” Spirea looking all awesome in the middle of my woods. I could see pink flowers blooming amongst the brush.

Typical. Show it disinterest and it thrives.

Not one to dismiss a shrub that appears to be competent, I jumped into the tick infested woods and gave this guy another chance. If at first you don’t succeed …

So far so good.

And I swear to you, another alive and well Spirea has been spotted and I’ll be grabbing that one too. Maybe I have some sort of magical forest with healing powers? Maybe the ticks brought it back to life and we can now understand their real purpose. Time to chuck some other under performers in there and test it out.

What a difference even a week or two makes.

I was on top of removing the spent flowers on the Lady’s Mantle, Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’ and Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ in hopes of keeping up their appearance as we jump into summer. A definite lesson from seasons past.

The Astilbes are all in bloom.

First Bee Balm bloom of the year

With oodles to follow.

Seriously, there is no bigger bloomer in my garden than Monarda. It has spread everywhere and I friggin love it. Just wait until I show you in the next few weeks.

First Coneflower bloom.

Meh.

Some Veronica I got on the cheap from Lowe’s and have no idea if I like it or not.

Achillea ‘Pink Grapefruit’ has arrived.

A Bellflower (I think) that is EVERYWHERE and I don’t have the energy to remove it. Although with the thick carpet, it is suppressing the weeds beautifully.

And I’ll leave you with yet another TV show idea that I’ll regret not having pursued.

Have you ever watched Chopped on Food Network? Contestants are given various ingredients with which to pull together and create some semblance of a meal. I’m talking like watermelon, salmon and crushed peppermint. A real challenge to present something edible but the amateur chefs always manage to pull it off.

What if we tried the same with plants that weren’t the least bit compatible? It could work, right?

The idea came to me when I attempted to put together the container below.

I had a collection of annuals given to me by an uncle and I tried to make the best of it. We’ll see how it turns out, I’m not exactly a container gardening expert.

Are you with me? Would you watch that show?

Pruning the Redtwig Dogwood

Posted on March 20, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in How-to, Pruning, Shrubs .

It may be snowing here in New Jersey as I write this, but it didn’t stop me from heading outdoors and completing another gardening task today. Today was all about pruning the Redtwig Dogwood ‘Arctic Fire’.

My lone Redtwig Dogwood is unfortunately, in a location where I can’t let it grow as large as it desires. ‘Arctic Fire’ maxes out at about 5′ x 4′ (don’t believe what a lot of other sites will tell you). I had no other choice but to plant it in a bed along the front of my home where I’ve managed to shield it from the deer for years now. Anywhere else in the yard and it would be toast.

Because of that, I potentially have to prune it for size control for the first time this spring.

Here she is last summer just about outgrowing its spot.

And last Fall after shedding its leaves.

And as of this morning.

If size wasn’t an issue, I don’t think pruning the Redtwig Dogwood would even be a need at this point. As you can see below, the stems are all still wonderfully fire truck red.

So let’s now unveil the final decision via video. How will he be pruning the Redtwig Dogwood?

There we have it. Time to chop it down to the ground.

And just like that …

Yes, another big hole in the garden but if we want to experiment and learn, this is a necessity.

So another pruned shrub to keep a close eye on this spring/summer. Fun stuff.

And by the way, I used my new favorite pruners for pruning the Redtwig Dogwood and for pruning the Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’. And that would be the Corona Anvil Pruner.

Nothing has ever worked or felt better in the hand. A serious endorsement for this one.

Have a great weekend.

Pruning Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’

Posted on March 18, 2015 by jmarkowski Posted in How-to, Pruning, Shrubs .

Today was the official start of the gardening season. I completed my first official gardening “task”. And by task, I mean getting outside, freezing the ass off and performing some sort of physical labor. That task was pruning Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’. A shrub that I absolutely adore.

But first, allow myself … to introduce myself and what the plan of attack would be for this shrub.

With that in mind, here is what she looked like by the end of last summer.

Just about ready to really take over my deck. The only choice I see is to cut it back severely in order to keep it in bounds. Not to mention the possibility of improving on the white and pink variegation in spring.

So this is where we started off today.

As you can see below, the buds have just started to form on the branches so pruning Salix time is of the essence.

I didn’t take photos of the actual pruning of the Salix, as I basically cut all of the branches down to about 12-18 inches off of the ground. Even with some of the thicker branches (close to 2″ in diameter) I was able to cut these down using hand pruners and a little brute force.

I did my best, where possible, to cut right above a bud in hopes of having the newly chopped down branches leaf out in a well shaped manner. Honestly I don’t even know if it was necessary but we will see how it plays out.

After the severe pruning of the Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’, here is what she looked like.

A rather large hole in the garden right now, but I’m willing to put up with it knowing how quickly this shrub puts out growth each year.

All in all, the pruning took no more than 5 minutes with minimal effort. Now the waiting game begins.

Pruning Salix is only one of the many planned severe prunings I have planned for this spring. As always, I will be sure to track the results throughout the spring/summer/fall/winter.

I would love to hear all of your feedback in the comments section if you’ve pruned your Salix in the past.

Salix Hakuro Nishiki

Posted on December 23, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Shrubs .

A little over two years ago, I created a ~~masterpiece~~ post about Salix Hakuro Nishiki (Dappled Willow) and my new found love of this shrub. I was immediately taken by the variegation of the leaves with its mix of pink, white and green hues. Not to mention the appeal of it’s fast growth rate and love of wet soil.

At the time, I wondered aloud about how best to prune it and when. I had quickly realized it could wear out its welcome in it current location yet I enjoyed having something substantial in my relatively young garden. I also wanted to determine the best way to maximize the variegation and stem color. How was one to deal with such a life altering dilemma?

Fast forward to this past spring and I had yet to touch it.

And she looked damn good.

Upon closer inspection, I even had catkins growing for the first time. Small and delicate in nature and a nice added bonus to its spring appeal.

And that fantastic Salix Hakuro Nishiki leaf color was still in play as the spring progressed.

The sight of the back lit leaves with the late afternoon sun grabbed my eye every time I gazed out on to my deck.

But as you will see in the following pics, homegirl finally outgrew her spot.

So now the time has finally arrived to prune Salix Hakuro Nishiki back hard in late winter 2015. I’m thinking a severe pruning down to about a foot hoping that by season’s end, this willow will recover to a size of about 4′ x 4′.

I’m also hoping to continue to have the appealing red winter stems I’ve seen on this willow with the current season’s growth.

More to come in 2015.

Favorite photos of 2014

Posted on December 17, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, Foliage, Ornamental grass, Perennials, Shrubs .

First off, I want to thank all of you for your kind comments on the last post and/or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Text. Each one made the sadness just a little bit more manageable and that was so appreciated by my family and me.

We are all still bumming big time over the loss of our Casey and the new “normal” thrust upon us. It is so painfully empty in the house. And damn I had no idea what slobs the kids are; the crumbs Casey disposed of are now piling up. She did an awesome job of covering up for them.

So while I don’t have the drive or want to write up a witty post or research a favorite perennial, I did have the need to look back through ALL of my garden photos from 2014 for an energy lift out of these doldrums.

I find it so easy to immerse myself right back into the bloom and foliage colors like it is the middle of summer.

If I had any sense of smell (note to self – surgery in 2015) I could smell those flowers like they were in the room with me.

I can physically feel the warmth of that time.

This all feels damn good right about now.

So here is the what I think is the best of the best.

Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’

Posted on November 11, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Shrubs .

After a long, cold and brutal winter, is there anything better than the sweet scent of flowers in spring? The correct answer is “yes” with baseball spring training a close second and NCAA March Madness a distant 3rd. There is no argument in regards to this answer.

For me, the sweetest smelling flower in spring is hands down Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’.

Typically this shrub is in full bloom by mid April here in zone 6B New Jersey and it is a welcome sight along with all of the spring bulbs in bloom. Beyond the bloom show, it signifies that warmer weather is on the horizon and that the cold weather will soon be a distant memory.

Here are some more deets and photos on my beautiful relationship with this gem.

I purchased this shrub as a tiny little guy (approximately six inches in height) back in 2009 from Bluestone Perennials. It didn’t take long to establish as here she is back in 2011.

While it took shape early on, the deer nipped off at least half of the buds each fall/winter.

I would get blooms each spring, but they were sporadic. I knew she could deliver more.

I had the shrub located in a more hidden part of my garden so I made the executive decision in spring of 2013 to move it into a more prominent location where I didn’t expect the deer to find it. With fingers securely crossed, it has thrived and the deer have left it alone.

Here is a timeline for this Viburnum starting in late winter/early spring:

The buds start to show a hint of color in March.

Then the pink buds really start to take form in early April.

Soon after, the shrub is covered in pink buds.

And then one day … boom. Full blown blooms and full blown heavenly scent.

As I was compiling this post, I realized that more often than not, the dandelions in the lawn were blooming at the same time. No significance here really, just an observation. Moving on …

While ‘Aurora’ is in full bloom, it creates a “white garden” in my front bed along with the blooming Mt. Hood daffodils. It also helps take the eye away from the recently cut down ornamental grasses.

The bloom period is rather short – maybe two weeks – but it is worth the bang for the buck in spring.

From May through mid October, this Viburnum still looks great, it just takes a back seat to all of the summer blooming shrubs and perennials.

But then by mid October, big show #2 hits with the fantastic fall color.

It has become a focal point in perfect view as visitors walk up my front walkway and to the front door.

And as a bonus, I get to dream of the following spring as the buds have formed and stand in nice contrast to the wine red foliage color.

Dreaming of next spring’s Viburnum blooms already #garden #plants

A photo posted by john markowski (@jmarkowski0) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:12pm PS

A few additional bits of info before we call it a day:

Size – on average it is 5′ x 5′
Sun requirements – Full sun or partial shade
Soil requirements – Well drained in any soil type – works in my wetter clay soil
Zones – 4 to 8
Pruning – only immediately after blooming for shaping purposes
Native to Korea
Introduced in 1958
Many sites claim it is deer resistant but mine has been nipped over the years

Ninebark ‘Diablo’ is a winner

Posted on November 6, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Shrubs .

Back in March, I wrote about the spring pruning of one of my Ninebark ‘Diablo’. You can read about it here.

This deciduous shrub sits smack dab in the middle of the foundation bed in front of my home, so homeboy has quite the impact. Yes, conventional garden wisdom says an evergreen would be the right call here, but I play on the fringes so convention be damned. I dig the red leaf color in contrast to all the other green in this bed and enjoy the untamed look where formality is typically the norm.

As most of you know, Physocarpus (Ninebark) can get quite large if not kept in check (10′ x 10′). At a minimum, I had to selectively prune it this Spring if I wanted to keep it in its current location. The test was under way.

Important note – this shrub has lived in at least three other locales and in each, the deer chowed down on it like mad. This new spot seems to be outside the deer purview.

So here is ‘Diablo’ as of this past summer, post spring pruning.

Pretty sexy, eh?

I would say it maxed out at about 6′ x 5′ which is just about perfect for this spot. If I can continue to keep it at this size and assuming the deer continue to not be able to find it, we may have a winner here.

I should also add, this location gets about half sun and half shade but has managed to keep its fantastic foliage color.

And while it didn’t bloom profusely, there were enough to keep things interesting.

And those flowers are the gifts that keep giving as they turned into awesomely ornamental seed heads.

And while Physocarpus loses all of its leaves by November, that bark provides a decent show all winter long, especially when draped in snow.

More to come in Spring ’15.

It’s Clethra time

Posted on July 29, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Shrubs .

As of the past week or so, there is an unbelievable scent that overwhelms me each time I skip out of my garage and head to work. And that is coming from a guy in desperate need of fixing his deviated septum. Seriously, I can’t smell a thing most of the time.

The producer of said perfumey scent is my Clethra ‘Hummingbird’:

This deciduous shrub has been a top performer for me for years now. The deer leave it alone, it doesn’t mind the wet feet and blooms profusely each and every July. But maybe the coolest thing about it is the way it attracts all sorts of critters to it when in bloom:

I’ve even captured a quick video to truly represent the bee party that goes on all day long:

Knowing how solid Clethra is in my garden, I finally made the smart decision to add even more shrubs this spring. Here is where those stand as we speak:

I am even enjoying the fact that ‘Hummingbird’ has started to sucker at the base of the plant:

Sucker away you beautiful thang. The more the merrier.

I plan on scouring the nurseries this fall for even more Clethra shrubs on the cheap.

I can’t have enough of these gems.

Random musings

Posted on July 18, 2014 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, Ornamental grass, Shrubs .

Some thoughts as we head into the weekend:

I am now realizing the ornamental interest with Baptisia seed pods:

The grasses are starting to make their presence known:

Miscanthus ‘Variegatus’:

Panicum ‘Northwind’:

From left to right – Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’, Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ and Calamagrostis ‘Eldorado’:

Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’:

I planted Veronica ‘Royal Candles’ in mass this spring and the color blast is most welcomed right now:

Daylily ‘Little Grapette’ is still chugging away and I am enjoying the blooms for the first time in three years as the deer have stayed away. Like I’ve always said, daylillies are the greatest:

And finally, Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’ is kind of liking its space. Looking at a severe pruning next winter:

Have a great one.

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The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Category Archives: Shrubs

Spring pruning time

The forgotten Spirea and another garden TV idea

Pruning the Redtwig Dogwood

Pruning Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’

Salix Hakuro Nishiki

Favorite photos of 2014

Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’

Ninebark ‘Diablo’ is a winner

It’s Clethra time

Random musings

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