Cuddy’s Blog- October 19, 20 & 21, 2012
Candice Lapointe and Ashly Haagsman
Hi Everyone,
It’s Ashly and Candice here. Wow, what a busy weekend at the Cuddy Gardens. We are getting the plants all ready for winter and there are a lot of plants to prepare!
We worked on the beautiful patio and prairie garden area of the Cuddy Gardens. We went through and cut back all the foliage of the Hostas, Iris, Phlox, and Miscanthus. This prevents damage occurring to the plants and garden from the weight of the snow. It also can prevent pest and disease from affecting the plant from sitting on thawed soil in the spring. Many plants benefit from fall clean up and winterizing.
We mulched the beds 3-4” thick to keep weeds away in the spring, more insulation for the plants over the winter and for nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. But a mulched bed doesn’t look complete unless it is edged first! So we edged the outside of the prairie border, to complete the serpentine shape and design of the bed.
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| a freshly mulched bed, accented by a sculpture and some beautiful Geranium ‘Blogold’ -Blue Sunrise Geranium
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| The patio after the fall cleanup has been completed.
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We are also doing some renovations to our already expansive and beautiful rose garden. We are extending both central beds in the garden. We used a sod cutter to remove the turf and rototilled the bed to loosen the soil.
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| Candice cutting the sod with the sod cutter to expand the rose bed.
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We still have lots of work to complete the winterizing of the gardens, but it is coming along beautifully. Any time of the year the A.M. Cuddy Gardens are a magnificent sight to experience the wonderment that is plants.
Plant Profile
Fothergilla gardenii
Dwarf Fothergilla
Candice and Ashly’s Opinion
Is an excellent specimen plant with interesting fragrant apetalous flowers in the spring. Vibrant autumn colours, and lush dark green foliage in summer.
Botanical Information
Family
-Hamamelidaceae
Genus
-Fothergilla
Species
-gardenii
Category
-Woody
Type
-Deciduous Shrub
Origin
-Fothergilla gardenia originated in northeast area of North America and was named after John Fothergill. He was an English doctor whose personal botanical garden showed a specific interest in American plants.
Details
USDA Hardiness
- 4-8
Canadian Hardiness
- 5
Temperature
- (-)29-(-)26C
- (-)20-(-)10F
Height
- 1m
Spread
- 1m
Description and Growing Information
Landscape
-Planted mostly as a specimen for its interesting, bottlebrush like, fragrant flowers, which appear in late spring, prior to any foliage emerging. Fothergilla grows best in moist soils. The best conditions to plant Fothergilla in to obtain the best autumn colour are in full sun and well drained soils. These conditions cause a brilliant orange, red, and/or yellow leaf at its most vibrant.
Propagation
-Fothergilla gardenii has a two valved capsule that ripens in September. This capsule should be collected before dehiscence occurs. Place the capsule in a brown paper bag and store in a warm, dry place until the capsule splits open and release the seed. The seed requires a six month warm period to germinate. Locations such as a window sill or greenhouse bench will allow fluctuation between night and day temperatures which is ideal. Fothergillas may also be propagated from young shoots in June and July.
Habitat
-Fothergilla gardenii thrive in swamps of southeastern North America. It does best in full sun and moist, well drained soils.
Shape
-Has a neat, weakly rounded, yet slender dwarf form.
Growth
-Slow
Flowering Period
-April to May
Cultivation
-Requires full sun to produce intense autumn colour and large amounts of flowers. May be grown in partial shade but it will not have as intense of an autumn colour. It prefers soils that are well drained, moist and high in organic matter.
Pests
-Is resistant to most pests and diseases.
Notable Specimens
-Located at, The A. M. (Mac) Cuddy Garden, Strathroy, Ontario, Canada.
ID Characteristics
-Gardenii’s most notable features include the bottle brush like, petal-less flowers, which bloom before the appearance of leaves. Leaves are shallowly toothed, and obovate with intense autumn colour, ranging from red, yellow and orange on the same leaf.
General Description
-Weakly rounded dwarf shrub with interesting dense apetalous flowers. Has a deeply veined leaf, with an intense autumn colour.
Flower Description
-Flowers are no bigger than 5cm long. Flower is described to be a bottle brush apetalous.
Bark Description
-The bark is a tan colour but is not as notable as the rest of the plant.
Leaf Description
-Leaves are alternate, shallowly toothed, and deep veined. They are 4 - 5 cm long and 2 - 5 cm wide. The petiole is 9 mm in length.
Texture Description
-Has a thick density and medium foliage texture.
Colour Description
-Interesting white flowers. Has an intense red, yellow, and/or orange autumn colour that can appear on the same leaf.
Bud Description
-The buds on Gardenii can be obvate or oblong with larger terminal buds. Buds have two large scales that are shed off early. Flower buds are 4 - 5 mm around and pear shaped.
Fruit Description
-The fruit is 2 cm long, with two valved capsules that are green to brown in colour.
http://plantfacts.osu.edu/pdf/0246-452.pdf
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FP/FP21400.pdf
http://www.delmarlearning.com/companions/content/0766836347/pdf/Bridwell_165.pdf
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/f/fotgar/fotgar1.html
http://www.everchanginggarden.ca/myplants/2011/11/03/fothergilla-gardenii-dwarf-fothergilla/
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=FOGA
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