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Black Locust

Black locust is a stately tree.

Flowering locust within home gardens are quite different from their wild relatives. Black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, is one of such wild relatives which can not behave. It was popular decades ago, but is no longer available from nurseries. It was useful for lumber, firewood, erosion control and soil conditioning. Then, it naturalized to become invasive.

Consequently, it sometimes finds its way into home gardens. It grows fast and develops upright and lofty stature. Its furrowed bark is quite distinguished. Its pinnately compound and deciduous leaves have a fine texture. Their shade is moderate. The nicely fragrant spring bloom resembles that of wisteria. Small white flowers hang in pendulous trusses.

Although black locust has many appealing characteristics, it can become a problem. It is aggressively invasive, so often grows where it should not. It is very difficult to eradicate. Roots that remain after the removal of established trees can generate suckers for years. Such suckers are difficult to remove because they are so very thorny. Fortunately, black locust splits easily and makes very good firewood.

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Firewood Is A Renewable Resource

Firewood should be seasoned by now.

Autumn is becoming more apparent. Deciduous foliage is turning color and falling. Days are noticeably shorter. Weather is cooler. In fact, it is almost cool enough to resume use of fireplaces and woodstoves. Some have already done so, especially in cooler regions. Procurement of firewood and maintenance of fireplaces or woodstoves is now in order.

Of course, not all households have use for firewood. Modern homes generally lack now old fashioned fireplaces or woodstoves. Building codes for many regions prohibit them. Modern gas and electric heating systems are more efficient and simpler to use anyway. Besides, not many have time to cut and split firewood. Some find smoke objectionable.

There are certainly a few other disadvantages to fireplaces and woodstoves. They lack thermostats or any method of regulation. They generate ash, which is messy to remove. Firewood for one season occupies significant garden space. Then, it must be brought in to burn. It may not actually be much less expensive than heating with gas or electricity.

Regardless, firewood is a renewable resource that literally grows on trees. It is certainly not completely obsolete. Several tree service businesses sell mixed firewood, which is a byproduct of their work. They actually prefer to leave it on their jobs sites for whomever has use for it. Woodcutters sell particular types of wood from private forests or orchards.

Firewood for this season must be seasoned, or aged, so that it is dried enough to burn. Otherwise, it burns inefficiently and generates excessive smoke. Purchased firewood is generally, but not always, seasoned already. Softwoods like pine or redwood are not as efficient as hardwoods, but season faster. Hardwoods like oak or elm may need a year.

Fireplaces and woodstoves may be in need of maintenance prior to their seasonal use. Chimneys or stovepipes require annual cleaning for moderate use. Such cleaning likely happens at either the beginning or the end of the season. For daily use, or for common use of softwoods, it may be necessary twice annually. Trees and shrubbery outside may need pruning for clearance from chimney exhaust.

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Six on Saturday: Best for Last

Again, these six lack a common theme. Fortunately, no theme is necessary.

1. Crinum bulbispermum, Orange River lily was so rootbound when it was installed into a new landscape that its potting medium was obscured, and its can needed to be cut off.

2. Rhododendron spp. is blooming very much out of season. It was too far away to get a good picture. I do not know what cultivar it is. I believe that it is typically deeper purple.

3. Hosta spp., like rhododendron, is known only by its genus name, and is blooming out of season. At least it is trying to bloom. The weather may become too cool for it to finish.

4. Phoenix roebelenii, pigmy date palm should supposedly bloom for spring, but actually seems to bloom whenever it wants to. Such bloom is not showy, so is generally ignored.

5. Heather is not as angry as she looks in this picture. She seems to purr constantly. It is gratifying that she is so happy at the shops at work. It is surely not a luxurious situation.

6. Rhody is more difficult to get a good picture of, particularly if he sees that I am aiming the camera at him. Yet, he and Heather are always the favorites of my Six on Saturdays.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

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Flowering Pear

Flowering pear should become exceptionally colorful.

Some of the most reliable autumn foliar color is that of flowering pear, Pyrus calleryana. Some may know it as Callery pear. It develops foliar color as soon as the weather cools. Such color ranges from brilliant yellow to deep burgundy red, but is mostly fiery orange. This colorful foliage lasts for two or three weeks, but can be dislodged by rain and wind.

After winter, many trees bloom with billowy white flowers. Bloom is more abundant after exceptionally cool winters. Vigorous young trees may not bloom as much as established trees. Unfortunately, some may find the floral fragrance of some cultivars objectionable. Some mature trees produce tiny but potentially somewhat messy fruits during summer.

Flowering pear can grow about twenty feet tall or a bit taller. Its branch structure can be quite dense and compact. Consequently, crowded limbs can break away from otherwise symmetrical mature trees. Leaves are somewhat rounded and about two or three inches long. They develop as spring bloom finishes. Fireblight sometimes becomes a problem.

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Autumn Foliar Color That Shines

Several species color splendidly for autumn.

Autumn is known as fall for a reason. It is when foliage falls from deciduous plants. It is, of course, more interesting than that. Some deciduous foliage first provides spectacular autumn foliar color. Formerly green foliage turns bright yellow, orange, red or even dark purply red. Even some shades of brown are visually appealing as the weather changes.

All sorts of deciduous plants develop autumn foliar color. They can be shrubbery, vines, groundcovers or even perennials. The biggest and best are deciduous trees. Deciduous plants may seem to be messy, but that is only because they shed all at once. Many are tidy after autumn. Evergreen plants shed also but do so slower through longer seasons.

Sweetgum, or liquidambar, is likely the most familiar tree to produce autumn foliar color. It is also one of the messier deciduous trees. That is only because it does not shed all at once. Instead, it retains much of its color through autumn and perhaps into winter. Spiky seed capsules can become a nuisance among mature trees. Roots can be aggressive.

Chinese pistache is as colorful, with bright yellow, orange and red autumn foliar color. It seems to be a bit less messy because it sheds more efficiently. This means that it does not retain its color as late into autumn or winter. Its pinnately compound leaves fall apart into individual leaflets. These smaller leaflets take more effort to rake than larger leaves.

Ginkgo lacks orange and red autumn foliar color but excels at vividly bright yellow. It is a stately tree with tall and slender form. Modern cultivars are exclusively male, so can not generate messy and stinky fruit. While young, their roots are reasonably docile, which is why they are popular street trees. Ginkgo can defoliate prematurely, particularly in rain.

Although some deciduous plants do not develop autumn foliar color, several do. Quite a few options are available. Flowering pear and crape myrtle provide both foliar color and showy bloom. Flowering pear blooms white for spring. Crape myrtle blooms with various bright colors for summer. Boston ivy is a clinging vine that provides autumn foliar color. Smokebush is a big deciduous shrub that develops splendid color for autumn.

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Six on Saturday: Slim Pickings

There are not as many flowers to take pictures of now as there were earlier in the year. I suppose that there will be fewer later into winter.

1. Prunus persicaria, nectarine proves that we do experience autumn here by its orange foliar color. It will defoliate soon. Several other species are likewise showing foliar color.

2. Bergenia crassifolia, pigsqueak prematurely proves that we also do experience winter here by its pink winter bloom. Actually, this proves nothing, but almost sounds credible.

3. Canna X generalis ‘Stuttgart’ canna is growing when it should not be growing, as the weather cools. It made this almost completely white leaf, which looks like a papal mitre.

4. Campanula americana, American bellflower is finishing its bloom and drying out for autumn. It disperses its seed so profusely that it seems to naturalize where it is irrigated.

5. Punica granatum, pomegranate reddens as it ripens through autumn. This fruit is the largest of only three small fruits, but it is more than I expected from a small potted tree.

6. Hibiscus X rosa–sinensis, tropical hibiscus is brighter yellow than it looks here in this picture, which was taken a bit too early on Thursday morning. It was still dark out there.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

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Dutch Iris

Dutch iris is a spring bulb.

The only thing Dutch about Dutch iris, Iris X hollandica, is the location of its breeding. It is a hybrid of various iris from Morocco, Algeria, Spain and Portugal. It became popular originally for the cut flower industries of Europe. It did not become available to American home gardens until the 1950s. Even now, it remains somewhat rare for home gardens.

Unlike most common iris, Dutch iris grows from bulbs rather than from fleshy rhizomes. They produce narrow leaves that stand about a foot and a half to two feet tall. Their big iris flowers bloom about May, just below the tips of their foliage. Floral color is primarily blue but can be yellow or white. Flowers lack fragrance. Bulbs are conducive to forcing.

Like other spring bulbs, dormant Dutch iris bulbs should go into their garden about now. Bulbs can be set about six inches apart, and about four or five inches deep. If nurseries do not market enough varieties, more are available online. ‘Imperator’ blooms dark blue. ‘Wedgwood’ blooms light blue. ‘Yellow Queen’ blooms pastel yellow. ‘White Excelsior’ is shorter and blooms white. Mixtures of a few varieties are available.

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Spring Bulbs Start In Autumn

Plan now for certain spring flowers.

Autumn is time for planting. This does not apply to all plants, but is certainly relevant to spring bulbs. Many have been available from nurseries for a while already. They all are dormant by late summer or early autumn. So, they are unaware of their relocation from their farms to home gardens. They will learn about it when the resume growth next year.

Actually, though, spring bulbs begin growth sooner than that. It merely does not become visible until foliage emerges above its soil after midwinter. Roots begin to disperse when their soil is dampened either by irrigation or rain. Growth is initially slow because of cool autumn and winter weather. It accelerates as weather warms, as spring replaces winter.

Spring bulbs know how the seasons change from temperature. They adjust their growth accordingly. They know that they can disperse roots early. They delay other growth until after a specific duration of cool weather, or vernalization. From the nursery, many spring bulbs are prechilled, or already vernalized. That is why they are so conducive to forcing.

Summer bulbs prefer later planting because they do not need vernalization to bloom. In fact, some are susceptible to rot if they must overwinter in cool and damp soil. They are more resilient once established, after their first summer. These include gladiola, canna, calla, dahlia, tuberous begonia and most lily. They become available after spring bulbs.

Because winter is so mild here, some spring bulbs are unreliable after their first season. They may not receive the degree of chilling, or vernalization, that they require. Hyacinth and tulip, for examples, may bloom only once for their first spring. Afterward, they might not be reliably perennial. Dutch iris and Dutch crocus are only somewhat more reliable.

Freesia and narcissus, including daffodil, are some of the most reliable of spring bulbs. Within favorable conditions, they can multiply and slowly migrate. Grape hyacinth might actually become slightly invasive. Ranunculus and anemone may be reliably perennial, but may not bloom much. Bluebells are supposedly very reliable but remain uncommon.