All About Narcissus

There are several different myths on the origin of the Narcissus flower, but probably the most well-known is the Roman version told by the poet Ovid. According to the legend, there was an exceptionally handsome young man named Narcissus -- a man so handsome that every girl who saw him fell in love with him. But for some reason or another, Narcissus wasn't interested in women and denied all their romantic advances. After one particular incident where Narcissus broke a young woman by the name of Echo's heart -- the heartbreak of which reduced her to only a voice -- Narcissus came upon a pool of water. When he bent down to take a drink, Narcissus was struck by the beauty of the man looking up at him. And so he spent the rest of his days sitting by the pool of water, staring at his own reflection until he was no more. But from the spot where he sat by the water sprang a flower -- the Narcissus we're learning in class.

In the legend and today, the love of Narcissus is something experienced by many. As it goes with just about any plant or flower, there are several groups dedicated to developing new varieties, informing the public about the care of Narcissus plants, and more than anything, just coming together to experience the beauty of this beautiful plant! Last year, I had the opportunity to attend the East Tennessee Daffodil Society Show and see the huge variety of plants growers had tenderly cared for and selected in the hopes that their Daffodil would be recognized at the show.

Daffodils are judged by their category, and over the years 13 categories to classify each type have emerged, and miniature varieties of most divisions. Below are photographs of an example of each category from the American Daffodil Society website - www.daffodilusa.org

1. The Trumpet Division: When I remember this, I picture someone playing a trumpet. These daffodils' cups are at least as long if not longer than the length of the petals. Also, like many of the daffodil's we're familiar with, it has only one flower per stem.

the trumpet division

2. The Large Cup Division: These cups are still large, but smaller than those of the Trumpet division -- between 1/3 the length of a petal and the length of a petal. These also have only one flower per stem.

the large cup division

3. The Small-Cup Division: This cup is smaller than the Large Cup division; that is, the cup measures 1/3 the length of a petal or less. Again, there is only one bloom per stem.

the small-cup division

4. The Double Petal Division: Instead of having just one set of petals, there are two, lending a more ruffled appearance. There can be more than one flower per stem on this type.

5. Triandrus Division: Take a look at the picture below, and your first thought may be that these flowers look kind of like hanging bells. According to the American Daffodil Society, this type usually has at least two if now more flowers per stem.

6. The Cyclamineus Division: Looks like a person with long hair being blown back by the wind. One flower per stem.

7. The Jonquilla Division: These are the Jonquills we hear so much about living in East Tennessee. Some of the older generation are so familiar with Jonquills that they are prone to label all Narcissus as Jonquill, but really Jonquills are only those in this category. The Jonquill flowers are really fragrant, with flat petals and narrow foliage. Can have as many as three blooms on a stem.

8. The Tazetta Division: These fragrant flowers clusters generally come with more than three on a stem. This profusion may be the reason why the stems are so thick -- the plant needs to transfer more up and down the stem than if there were only a few flowers.

9. The Poeticus Division: White petals with a crinkley disk. The disk color generally follows the same color scheme: green, yellow, red rim. Also fragrant with just one flower per stem.

10. The Bulbocodium Division: This is a weird hybrid division, where the flowers look like a woman wearing a hoop petticoat that fell over.

11. The Split-Cup Division: Instead of having a tea-cup, petticoat, or trumpet shaped cup, these flowers' cups have split to fall with the back petals usually at more than half the length of the back petal.

12. Miscellaneous Division: These flowers don't fit into the previous 11 divisions, probably because they're a hybrid between two or more different divisions.

13. The Wild Division: Narcissus as you might find them in nature.

14. The Miniature Division: Blooms tend to be less than 1.5 inches in diameter.

Narcissus are great to use in the landscape as specimens (for a little while at least, as they divide relatively quickly), mass clumpings, or even as an alternative lawn! And if you're interested, you can find daffodils that flower in early spring, or early summer. In my home landscape, you'll see daffodils from late February until early June. But keep in mind that these bulbous plants don't like to be planted in poorly-drained soil. I'd recommend planting at the top of a slope or hill, or maybe a container. Another thing to remember is that even after the flower is gone, you should leave the foliage so the plant can store up energy for next year's flowers. As this isn't very attractive, try inter-planting with a summer-flowering plant like daylilies that can mask their foliage. Like most plants, daffodils like to be fertilized, you just have to do it at the right time. If you fertilize in spring or summer, you risk burning their delicate roots. The best time to fertilize is definitely fall, because it won't damage the roots and it will boost your flower performance the next spring!

To learn more about the genus Narcissus, you should go experience some first-hand. If you take a look at the UT Gardens this spring, you will surely be able to find several of these types of daffodils. Another great way to learn more is to check out the East Tennessee Daffodil Society Show that will be in the Hollingsworth Auditorium in the Ellington Plant Sciences Building this March 15-16. Its really interesting and there are plenty of informative people to talk to about these beautiful flowers!

Cedrus atlantica 'Aurea' - Golden Atlas Cedar

One thing that you may come to find from taking plant identification classes, is that cultivars that have different habits, heights, and colors are usually more valued horticulturally. The specimen of Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' the class saw in front of the Ellington Plant Sciences building is valued compared to other coniferous options because of its blue color and the horizontal habit it gains with age. Dirr, the writer of the text Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, points out that C. 'Glauca' could even be taken as the true variety of Atlas Cedar, and that the blue color occurs naturally (like with Colorado Blue Spruces). The needles are held in spherical bundles, generally of 15 needles per bundle. Dirr says of this Atlas Cedar that it is an, "extremely picturesque and interesting tree, its beauty perhaps unmatched by any other confier."

Cedrus atlantica 'Aurea' is a cool Atlas Cedar because in addition to its foliages' striking blue color, there is a shock of yellow at the tips of the branches. When planting golden varieties of confiers, its usually a good idea to plant them where they can get full morning sun and partial sun in the afternoon. This should prevent foliage damage by the sun. The golden variegation should be more noticible in the Spring when it has more new growth. In the UT Gardens, yellow spring-flowering plants such as daffodils are nearby to accentuate the Gold Atlas Cedars golden foliage.



Source: Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. 196-197.

Itea virginica 'Little Henry'

Itea virginica is a plant native to our area that is valued for its fragrant flowers and sometimes fantastic fall color. Given the common name of "Sweetspire", the June blooms of Itea which Dirr describes as "lightly fragrant" were aromatic enough to draw my attention this summer in the UT Gardens. In flower, Itea will have cascading white racemes that cover the entire plant. In his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Michael Dirr notes that when Itea is planted in full sun and maintained well, the result is more prolific flowering. The straight species of Virginia

Sweetspire may require some pruning to keep the plant from becoming leggy, but when pruning remember that this plant's flower buds form on old growth. That means the best time to prune is immediately after flowering to ensure flower buds for next year. In addition to having brilliant summer flowers, Virginia Sweetspire is also renowned for its fall color which ranges from yellows and oranges to deep, dark reds. Don't forget that Itea is an adaptable plant that is native to stream banks but will tolerate dry soil, so it will do fine in a variety of landscape conditions.

Dirr mentions that in 1990 there was only one cultivar of Virginia Sweetspire that was on the market; its name was 'Henry's Garnet'. How this variety came to be is an interesting story that begins with Michael Dirr noticing an Itea with particularly outstanding dark fall color at Swarthmore College. After being introduced to the market, a Josephine Henry brought a number of seedlings to her garden, some of which were given to Swarthmore College. Dirr states that the cultivar name comes from Josephine Henry and Swarthmore's school colors: 'Henry's Garnet'.

Itea virginica 'Little Henry' is valued for its compact form, fantastic fall color, and longer racemes. It was developed by Richard Feist - who is noted for developing compact varieties of Sweetspire and some neat varieties of Clethera - of Burlington, Kentucky's Hummingbird Nursery and marketed through Spring Meadow Nursery. Because 'Little Henry' may reach three feet in height, it is a great low-growing plant for borders, mass plantings, or maybe even as a ground cover. The Proven Winners, an association that evaluates plants based on outstanding landscape characteristics, lists 'Little Henry' a color choice plant, describing it as a, "delightful addition to the mixed border," and, "a rewarding experience throughout all seasons". With praise like that, who can't find something to love about this little plant?


Form of Itea 'Little Henry' in the UT Gardens


Fall color of Itea 'Little Henry' in the UT Gardens


Seed head of Itea 'Little Henry' in the UT Gardens

Sources:

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. 495-497.

"'Little Henry'". PW: Proven Winners. 2008. 12 November 2008 .

"'Little Henry'". Spring Meadow Nursery Inc. 12 November 2008 .

Why I Would Never Plant A Hackberry Next to a Parking Lot

Wooly hackberry aphid, photo courtesy of ag.auburn.edu (mine didn't turn out)

Years ago, many of America's street trees were from the genus Ulmus.  With the rise of Ophiostome ulmi, or Dutch Elm Disease, many Elm street trees were in need of replacement.  Celtis occidentallis, better known as the Common Hackberry, seemed like the tree for the job.

Walking around the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, next to many roads, parking meters, and parking lots one will notice an abundance of these graceful trees.  They provide nice filtered shade and grow relatively well in their locations.  Hackberries also have an attractive (if sometimes gnarly) growth habit, interesting warty bark, delicate yellow fall foliage, and fruits that birds and other wildlife can't resist.

So what's the problem?

This summer, the Asian Wooly Hackberry Aphid hit our area, and our hackberries, hard.  A hackberry in the very back corner of my back yard was so eaten up by the wooly aphids that it looked like it was covered with snow.  Many a time this summer I would be working in the front yard when a breeze would come from that direction and the wooly aphids would blow all over the place (like pollen, an insane amount of dandelion seeds, or again, like snow).  They would blow on my clothes and in my hair.  And while that is annoying, that's not the worst part.

Many may know that aphids excrete a substance called "honeydew".  Ants love this sticky substance because it is sweet.  When the wooly aphids are on a hackberry, they drop their honeydew all over anything below the tree.  One hackberry provides shade for a picnic area next the the UT Gardens, behind the vet clinic.  This summer, that area was glossy and even kind of sticky from the excretion.

Many cars parked under hackberries on the street will also become glossy and sticky from the honeydew.  Before a road trip, I noticed a friend's car had this honeydew on it.  He wanted to leave it because he likened it to a "cool paint job".  Remembering that a coworker informed me that honeydew will turn into a black mold, I strongly suggested he wash his car at the first gas station we come to.  As soon as the soapy water touched the car, a terrible smell enveloped the area that took more than half an hour of driving with the windows down to get rid of.

Don't get me wrong.  Hackberries are beautiful, soft, graceful trees.  They have great landscape value and their warty bark provides really great winter interest.  These trees would make a great addition for most landscape uses -- but not as a street tree where, if it gets hit with the Asian Wooly Hackberry Aphid, the cars below will need to be washed regularly.

Cercidiphyllum 'Pendula'

Walking through the lower rooms of the University of Tennessee Gardens, there is a unique tree that never fails to grab my attention. Its blue-green leaves with silver backs fluttering softly in the breeze bring to mind memories of a waterfall or fountain. Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Pendula', commonly known as the Weeping Katsura Tree, is an excellent specimen plant, especially for areas designed for calm and reflection. You would be hard-pressed not to feel more relaxed in the presence of its cool foliage color, graceful weeping habit, and gentle movement in the wind. It is pleasing to almost all the senses, especially since its leaves occasionally give off a fragrance likened to a cotton candy smell. Although this tree is deciduous, its light, shaggy bark and delicately hanging branches will still grab passerby attention in the winter months.

Michael Dirr in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants mentions that this variety may grow 15 to 25 feet in height, but the specimen in the UT Gardens strikes me as being more around 30 feet tall. There is a similar variety called Cercidiphyllum magnificum 'Pendulum' (easy to confuse with 'Pendula') which could reach 50 feet in height. That variety has larger leaves, but according to Dirr may not weep as well as 'Pendula'.

'Pendula' would serve as a great specimen plant in the landscape for reasons already mentioned, and also because it is a fast grower that will fill in an area at the rate of one foot in height per year. One negative aspect to this plant is it would be a hassle to propagate one for yourself, unless you have the skill and tools to graft the weeping form onto a rootstock of the straight species.

In conclusion, this is a great plant any time of year, and would go great in an area of calm and reflection, a sensory garden, or especially near water.

silvery, blue-green foliage

habit makes me think of a hunch-back

Sources:

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. 207-208.

Canna 'Bengal Tiger'

A perennial that has always been a favorite of mine is Canna x generalis, commonly known as Canna, or the Canna Lily. It adds a strong, bold, very vertical element to a landscape, with its erect stems that reach five feet in height, and its big, two foot long leaves that reach for an upright position. Adding to the verticality of this plant are varieties specifically bred for the venetion such as, my favorite, ‘Bengal Tiger’.

‘Bengal Tiger’ has almost neon yellow leaves with vertical lime green venation. Its most notable feature is definitely its foliage, which is big and bright. ‘Bengal Tiger’ will also flower profusely in our zone with highlighter orange flowers. Although this Canna has pretty flowers, other varieties are bred more for big flowers, which may be striped or speckled. These cultivars generally have smaller leaves and possibly no foliage variegation. If you like the looks of ‘Bengal Tiger’, another good foliage Canna is ‘Tropicana’ which also has large leaves and striped venation, but is a more muted bronzy color which would look nice next to a brick structure.

One thing that I do for any Canna if it has flowers is remove the spent blooms before they go to 'seed'. In my opinion, it cleans up the appearance although some people prefer to leave the seeds because of their interesting spherical appearance. There are benefits to removing the seed heads, such as encouraging faster flower production and saving energy that would be spent on making seeds for making bigger blooms. When pruning the flowers though, be careful not to prune so far back that you remove the next flower head!

This perennial will die back to the ground in the fall, but don't worry it will come back! Remove the dead growth in the fall so its not in the way of other plants that may not be done yet and wait for the Cannas to shoot back up next Spring!




Sources: Stills, Steven M. Manual of Herbacious Ornamental Plants. p. 161-162.

Ipomoea 'Lime'

Ipomoea 'Lime' is not currently on the market, but it is being tested at our very own UT Trial Gardens and Greenhouses. In class or simply walking through the garden, you may notice this chartreuse sweet potato vine completely dominating the area in which it was planted (see left photo). In the area your group probably saw during class, this test variety of Ipomoea 'Lime' had grown over a mass planting of Geraniums, and into a small conifer and small Japanese Maple. In the photographs below, John - a volunteer at the UT Gardens - and I are attempting to control an area it has been planted by the entrance (see middle photo). Originally, three containers of Ipomoea 'Lime' were planted to fill in some blank space. Over time, it grew over a small planting of Coleus and into a Hydrangea, a small Japanese Maple, and a couple conifers. To quote John on how is best to control this plant: "There's not use being delicate with it and clipping it back nice. It'll be back just as bad by the end of the week," he exaggerated for effect, "so the what you want to do is just cut it way back."

Also, in the last two pictures is an actual sweet potato which we dug up in the process. Actually, before we began we were walking through and it had grown up above the surface several inches! It is roughly the size of a human head. CAUTION: Do not eat the sweet potatoes off an ornamental sweet potato vine, as they may not be suitable for human consumption. Check before eating. Additionally, sometimes regular sweet potatoes may also be planted for ornamental purposes.

In conclusion, if you need to temporarily fill up an area in the landscape quickly, this variety and several others are excellent choices for the job (since 'Lime' is not yet on the market, try 'Marguerite'. It is incredibly popular so you'll be able to find it basically anywhere). Just remember if something else is planted nearby, you may need to come by occasionally and cut away the sweet potato vine.





Sources:

on variety - pers comm Beth Willis 16 September 2008

on controlling and edibility - pers comm John 16 September 2008

Coreopsis 'Presto'

The species Coreopsis grandiflora, also known as Tickseed Coreopsis, is favored in the plant world for its versatility. It can grow in dry soil or moist, fertile soil, but according to professor Andy Pulte of UT's Plant Sciences department, the real key to its success is dry soil. It can grow in partial shade, but prefers full sun. Its golden flowers grace the garden from April until August. Although Tickseed Coreopsis may be susceptible to several diseases and insects such as leaf spot or the potato aphid, it is rarely affected.

In 2007, a cultivar of Coreopsis grandiflora by the name of 'Presto' was tested as an annual trial by the 34 All-America Selections trial sites -- including the University of Tennessee Gardens located in Knoxville and Jackson. 'Presto' went on to win gold that year from Flueroselect which is based across North America and Europe. So what's so great about this cultivar? Unlike regular Tickseed Coreopsis which can grow up to three feet tall, 'Presto' is naturally compact. One clump can produce many double-petaled flowers, even in its first year.

So, if you are planning a flower bed on a difficult site, and you need a compact clump of golden flowers, Presto! look no further because Coreopsis grandiflora 'Presto' is the perfect plant for the job.



Sources:
UT Gardens 2007 Annual Trial Results
Fleuroselect: the International Organisation for the Ornamental Plants Industry
Thompson and Morgan Seed Company
Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants by Steven Stills