January 17, 2006
Conifers
In parts of the world where the deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter, conifers stand out this time of year. They can form the backbone of a garden or landscape, require little care, and give so much beauty in return. This is a good time to study the ones in your region to appreciate their shape and size without their leafy cousins obscuring the view. Maybe you'll want to add some come spring to anchor a corner of the garden or create a backdrop as in this photograph. Follow the link to see Sunset Magazine's recent list of their favorites.
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November 09, 2005
Dove Tree Sonoma
This is the perfect specimen of Dove Tree for your really discriminating gardener (in zones 6-8) who really does have everything. Remember our previous post on the Dove Tree–Davidia involucrata Dove Tree? It sounded pretty unusual, didn't it? But here we have a new cultivar for sale in a limited supply, one to a customer. The Dove Tree Sonoma grows much faster, blooms earlier, gets taller and is all around an easier tree to grow than the original Dove Tree. They ship a two-year-old speciman so you should get blooms the second spring. And they say the "doves" or "handerchiefs" (actually the bracts) are double blooms a foot long! At $125 it is a gift for the specialist gardener you want to dazzle!
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August 30, 2005
The Dove Tree, Davidia involucrata
The flowers and bracts of the Dove Tree, Davidia involucrata, have been compared to large white butterflies when stirred by a breeze. This is a specimen tree of the north-temperate flora native to southwest China and was named after the French missionary plant explorer, Pere Armand David. It is also called Ghost Tree or Handkerchief Tree.
We feature this unusual tree, probably beyond the garden proficiency of most of us, in order to introduce you to the Plant Explorers website at www.plantexplorers.com. Its seed store is not available to United States' gardeners as yet, but all of you in Europe can order a variety of interesting seeds from the Van Dusen Seed Collectors' Store. I was charmed by the website and its articles but have no experience with the products sold.
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