trees – Page 7 – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Wendy Diaz EMGV

What a beautiful spring it turned out to be after that wet winter, and our native understory trees make the North Carolina spring that much more special. Durham’s Finest Trees is accepting nominations now through October 1 for the best examples of specific tree species in our county. The spring blooming trifecta of smaller trees like the Eastern Redbud (Cercis Canadensis), Dogwood (Cornus florida) and Fringe trees (Chionanthus virginicus) are also eligible, not just our magnificent giants like the willow oak or tulip poplar.

*Eastern Redbud in full bloom. March 28, 2019 Photo by Wendy Diaz*

*Dogwood. April 13, 2019 Photo by Wendy Diaz*

*Fringe tree in full bloom on April 24, 2019. Photo by Wendy Diaz*

Eastern Redbud

First to appear around early March along the margins of our leafless woodlands, as puffs of pink to light-purple color, is the Eastern Redbud. This tree is often multi-trunked with a rounded crown that typically grows to 10 to 25 feet with a similar spread^{1, 2}. The showy pea-like flowers bloom on bare branches before the tree leafs out.

After flowering, flat bean-like seedpods emerge containing six to 12 seeds. The heart-shaped to broadly ovate leaves are short pointed at the tip and are also attractive. The leaves turn yellow in the fall. The Eastern Redbud does well in full sun to partial shade. The benefits to wildlife are threefold as the blossoms provide nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies (Henry’s elfin butterfly Callophyrus henrici)³, the tree hosts its larvae⁴and the seedpods provide food for songbirds. Honeybees also use the flowers for pollen.

*Native Estern Redbud self-seed in natural buffer area of our backyard. Photo taken April 4, 2019 by Wendy Diaz*

*Closeup of self-seeded native Redbud in my backyard. Notice bee in upper left hand corner. Photo taken April 4, 2019 by Wendy Diaz*

Many cultivars of Redbud are sold at your local nursery such as the cultivar ‘Forest Pansy’ with purple leaves. One of the most extensive collections of redbuds in North America is found at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh⁵. Redbuds do best in moderate to dry soil conditions and tolerate clay soil. Protect their sensitive roots with a wide mulch apron. A new sterile (does not produce seed pods after blooming) variety developed by Dr. Dennis Werner at North Carolina State University called ‘Pink Pom Poms’ has beautiful double pink flowers⁶. It has Texas redbud genes so it tolerates heat, which is an important consideration due to our rapidly changing climate.

If you remember seeing a beautiful Redbud or any other impressive tree why not fill out the two page Nomination Form. Information on how to estimate the tree size is given on this webpage or the following link https://durhamnc.gov/1580/Durhams-Finest-Trees

References:

1.http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=280440&isprofile=1&basic=redbud

2.https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/wp-content/themes/nhas/library/docs/native-plant-growing-guide-piedmont-nc.pdf

3. https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ceca4.pdf

4. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=cecac

5. https://jcra.ncsu.edu/horticulture/collections/details.php?name=redbud-

6. Triangle Gardener March-April 2019, Beverly Hurley editor, page 17

by Andrea Laine, EMGV

cypress2 — The growth of three cypress at the far end of this photo seem stunted and just one large one, not pictured, remains. *photo credit: Andrea Laine*

Once upon a time, there were 10 Leyland cypress trees (x Cupressocyparis leylandii) along this fence (see photo). They were planted about 15 years ago and most had matured to 15-feet tall and a few feet wide. Sadly, three fell in a winter ice storm in 2013. And three more were blown over a few weeks ago in a 12 mph south wind following a very soggy December in Durham county. This loss is disheartening – especially as there are cypress hedges in landscapes throughout the area that seem to be doing just fine as my husband curiously noted.

Because Leyland cypress is a fast-growing, dense evergreen, they are attractive to homeowners and often used in landscaping as privacy screens. Indeed, the ones in my yard served that purpose; they were a natural buffer, so the view from my deck was of year-round greenery instead of my neighbor’s driveway and dog pen.

But what often goes unsaid is that fast-growing trees and shrubs tend to be weak and short lived (5). As a master gardener, I’ve learned that the Leyland cypress, while popular, is not a well-regarded ornamental shrub. Though mine seemed to be healthy, the species is plagued by a variety of diseases and pest problems (6). Truth be told, I rarely observed them up close; they could have been suffering and I was unaware.

Hedging Options
Here are some shrubs we are considering to replace the fallen cypress, the general criteria being shrubs that are evergreen, grow tall and wide, are dense, grow well in sun to part shade, and enjoy well-drained soil. All the better if they offer some additional feature like fragrance or flowers. And, of course, they must grow in hardiness zone 7.

(1) Chindo viburnum (Viburnum awabuki ‘chindo’)

(2) Sweet osmanthus/Fragrant tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans)

(3) Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria Japonica)

(4) Nellie Stevens Holly (Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens)

Not all plants will do well in all places. If you also desire an evergreen hedge, follow the links to NC Extension’s Plant Database provided in the Resources section below to learn what these plants need and then consider if your yard can deliver the right combination of sun, soil and space conditions.

There are also non-shrub options for solving landscape challenges like this one. You can train an evergreen vine to climb the fence, install a solid fence, or screen the deck instead of the property line.

Resources and Further Reading:

(1) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/viburnum-awabuki-chindo/

(2) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/osmanthus-fragrans/

(3) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/cryptomeria-japonica/

(4) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/ilex-x-nellie-r-stevens/

(5) https://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/2016/10/what-is-the-best-evergreen-for-screening/

(6) https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/leyland-cypress-diseases-insects-related-pests/

https://lee.ces.ncsu.edu/2014/06/leyland-cypress-tree-problems/