Plant Journal

COMMON NAME    Linden Viburnum

BOTANICAL NAME   Viburnum dilatatum

ZONE       5 – 8

SIZE       7’ HT x 10’ SP   Have seen in the woods 15’ HT x 10’ SP

FOLIAGE   Broad leaf, deciduous shrub.

FLOWER     White, flat-topped cymes in early spring

FRUIT     Clusters of small, red, drupe type berries, appearing in early fall.

GROWING CONDITIONS   Full Sun to Part Shade.  Have observed volunteers in the woods.  Drought tolerant.

NOTES    Deer Resistant.

Favorite cultivar…’Cardinal Candy’

Plant Journal

COMMON NAME    Grassy-leaved Sweet Flag

BOTANICAL NAME    Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’

ZONE      5 – 9

SIZE       12” HT & SP

FOLIAGE    Almost evergreen.  Bright chartreuse foliage.  Tufts of narrow, linear leaf blades.  Foliage is sweetly fragrant when bruised.
Tufts slowly spread by rhizomes below grade.

GROWING CONDITIONS   
Water: They do like wet conditions, but will tolerate medium to wet conditions well.
Full Sun to Part Shade.  Will tolerate Heavy Shade.
Commonly grown in water gardens and boggy areas.

DO NOT let soil dry out.  Scorched leaf tips or withering leaves are often the first signs of drying soils.    

NOTES    
Deer Resistant

Plant Journal

COMMON NAME    Mountain Hydrangea

BOTANICAL NAME   Hydrangea serrata

ZONE       5 to 9

SIZE       2-3’ HT & SP – a little smaller than Hyd. macrophylla

FOLIAGE   Simple, medium green, opposite

FLOWER     Either mophead or lacecap in shades of pink, blue, purple and red.  There are quite a few different cultivars available.  Blooms mid-late summer, just a bit later than the normal Hyd. macrophylla.  As the season’s temperature becomes colder, the color will usually deepen in intensity.  In general, the mopheads are not as large as the Hyd. macrophylla.

Popular cultivars…
‘Preziosa’ – mophead
‘Tuff Stuff’ – lacecap
‘Little Tuff Stuff’ – lacecap
‘Blue Billow’ – lacecap

GROWING CONDITIONS   Drought resistant.  In the north, can handle FULL SUN.  In the south, needs afternoon shade.

NOTES    

More hardy than Hyd. macrophylla.  Because it blooms a little later, the buds may not be affected by our late spring freezes.

Powdery Mildew can be a problem.

In the winter, it looks just as bad as the other Hydrangeas.

Plant Journal

COMMON NAME    Itoh Peony – The Series 

BOTANICAL NAME   Paeonia x Itoh Series – sometimes called intersectionals.  These are a cross between the herbaceous P. lactiflora and the tree  P. suffruticosa.  Some of these tree form peonies are Lutea Hybrid peonies. 

The stems are sturdier than the herbaceous, and they are a bit hardier than the tree form. 

ZONE  3 – 8      

SIZE   3’ HT x 4’ SP     

FOLIAGE Smooth, cutleaf foliage with a strong presence thoughout the growing season.  Seems to be a bit more resistant to powdery mildew.  Dead head after flowering to enjoy a beautiful shrub appearance. 

FLOWER     Large, full flowers in the spring, and wonderfully fragrant.  The stems are better able to support the weight of the blooms, but after a rain, some may bend over.  Color options range from purple, pink, yellow, white. 

FRUIT   A 3-part capsule will develop if you fail to dead head.  Nothing particularly showy. 

GROWING CONDITIONS   Full Sun to Part Shade.  Well-drained soil.  Some people plant on a mound or in a raised bed in order to improve the drainage, but I have yet to find this necessary.    

Cut back to 4-6” HT in late fall or early spring.  Buds that form on last year’s stems 12” or more above grade tend not to be quite as vigorous as those that form closer to the base. 

Can be divided in the fall.  (see DIVIDING PERENNIALS AND HERBACEOUS SHRUBS)

NOTES    

Deer Resistant. 

 If powdery mildew appears, cut back to healthy foliage.  This usually occurs quite late in the season, therefore, this will not affect the new growth the following year.  

Plant Journal

COMMON NAME    Winterberry

BOTANICAL NAME   Ilex verticillata

ZONE         3 – 9

SIZE       6-10’ht, same spread

GROWING CONDITIONS   Acid soil; Adaptable to wet conditions

                          Full sun to partial shade.  Best fruit set in full sun.

FLOWER   White and insignificant

FRUIT   Striking, small red berries on female plants from October through winter; Use ‘Apollo’, ‘Jim Dandy’ or ‘Southern Gentleman’ as the male.  Only need 1 male for the whole group.  Select the male that blooms at the same time as your female. (See chart)

FOLIAGE   Fall color – yellow which contrasts nicely with the red berries

FAVORITE CULTIVARS    ‘Winter Red’ – full with berries; ‘Sprite’ – good dwarf form

NOTES  Deer resistant.  Best when in a mass of at least 5 or 7.

Winterberry Pollination Chart