September 27-29
Although the
morning of Friday September 27th was unseasonably warm, the sun did
not rise until we were well on our way to Cuddy’s as expected on an early fall
morning. When we arrived, Lucas assigned us to the daunting task of weeding and
preparing the grass border at the front of the hatchery for a variety of
perennial plants. We eagerly began by
gathering the tools and equipment needed for the day and got on our way. By lunch, we were over half way done! After
we had completely weeded the bed, Lucas brought out the perennials and laid
them out for us to put in the ground. We
planted the perennial plants and cleaned up the area putting our tools away.
Just before heading home for the day, we labeled the Dahlias that were missing
their tags along the perennial border and got ready to head home as the sun
was setting after a long, but productive day at the Cuddy Gardens.
On Saturday
September 28, 2013 everyone in the Horticulture programs got together along
Veterans Memorial Parkway to plant 400 large caliper trees with volunteers. The
day turned out to be a fantastic sunny day where everyone participated, learned
and just had a great time. When we arrived the trees had already been placed in
a hole, so all we had to do was remove the wire and burlap, then back fill and
stake the trees. The group that we were
with for the day was Girl Guides and the Women of the Rotary club. The section
that our volunteers were in had 50 trees and they all did really well with
following the proper steps in planting trees.
At
the end of the day we all met back at Starlim for lunch and pictures. During
lunch we had a live show which was pretty good and we got amazing cake! We had
a great time and can’t wait till next year’s tree planting.
On Sunday, September 29th
Jessica and Emily decided to divide and conquer the large amounts of edging
that we were assigned for the day.
Jessica edged the north planting bed along the hatchery while Emily
finished edging the front grass border bed.
By lunch we were almost finished edging which we completed after a few
odd jobs that needed to be done after lunch. Once we finished the edging, we cleaned up and
did the remaining tasks that needed to be done before we headed home at 6.
Plant Profile
Acer
rubrum ‘October Glory’
October Glory Red Maple
Emily
L & Jessica R
Opinion: October Glory Red Maple if a beautiful fall blooming tree that is underused
in my opinion. It is well suited to urban environments and tolerant of many
difficult conditions. Its showy colour that emerges late in the season makes it
unlike any other maple. This tree is one that can slip your mind until you see
it in Autumn.
Genus: Acer
Species: rubrum
Cultivar: ‘October Glory’
Common Name: October Glory Red Maple
Family: Sapindaceae or Aceraceae
Category: Woody deciduous
Canadian Zone: 3
USDA Zone: 3-9
Origin: Eastern North America
Growth: Fast
Texture: Medium
Height: 40-50 feet
Spread: 25-35 feet
Notable Specimen: At Fanshawe College, Ontario present along the back
fence of lot 8.
Shape: Rounded or oval in form.
Flowering Period: March-April
Bark Description: The bark is soft and easily damaged by machinery. No
obvious distinguishing characteristics or particularly showy.
Leaf Description: Leaves of A. rubrum ‘October Glory’ are opposite,
simple, ovate, palmate with a green colouration in Spring/Summer turning a
showy orange/red in Autumn.
Flower Description: The flowers are red and have 5 small sepals and petals
that are grouped in clusters on slender stalks. The flowers will appear before
the leaves and the pollen flowers and the seed flowers are found on separate
branches on the same tree.
Fruit Description: The fruit are called samara. They can be 12-25mm long
and are reddish in colour. The keys mature and then are released in early
summer.
Bud Description: The terminal buds can be 3 to 4 mm long, round, and
smooth. The buds are red in colour and have scales.
Colour Description: Outstanding ornamental qualities do to its unique
deep orange/red colour that emerges late in Autumn. Throughout Spring/Summer, October Glory Red
Maple is a medium green in colour.
Propagation: The best method to propagate October Glory Red Maple
is to take large cuttings. The cuttings should be taken from August to
September and should be 8-9 inches with 3 nodes. You then should use 0.3% IBA
rooting powder and then place them in perlite for better air circulation. The
cuttings should then be placed in a propagation chamber.
General Description: Is known for its brilliant red autumn colour that last
several weeks and its rounded form.
ID Characteristics: Easily identifiable in fall by its distinct
attractive colour. Also distinguishable by its unusual oval/rounded form and
persistent fruits.
Pests and Problems: Susceptible to verticullum wilt but overall, fairly
pest and disease resistant.
Habit: Prefers part sun to part shade in moist acidic soils.
Landscape: Excellent street tree in residential and other suburban
areas however take caution with machinery due to its fragile bark. Looks best in groupings or clusters but can
also be used in buffer strips around parking lots, near a deck or patio, as a
screen/shade tree or as a specimen planting.
Works Cited
Dirr Michael, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants.
(Pg 54) Stripes Publishing L.L.C. 2009.
Farrar John, Trees in Canada. (Pg. 140)
Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited. 1996.
Fleming
Nurseries, http://www.flemings.com.au/topten_details.asp?CULT_ID=OCTOB. Fleming Nurseries Ltd.
Gilman Edward, Acer
rubrum, ‘October Glory’ October Glory Red Maple Facts. (Pgs. 1-3)
Forest Service Department of Agriculture 1993.
No comments:
Post a Comment