“Could you recommend a tree for me?” is a question I am frequently asked.  I routinely follow the question with one of my own.  “Where will it go?” The tried and true adage of “right plant, right place” is particularly applicable to tree selection.  Are you planting in a small courtyard, or looking for a towering shade tree?  It is often said that we don’t plant trees for ourselves; we plant them for our grandchildren.  It takes decades for a tree to reach its mature height.  Careful planning can insure that the variety selected will be beneficial for both you and the tree.  Sweetgum, silverbells, and black tupelo are three underutilized trees that would make ideal candidates for the home landscape.

Liquidambar styraciflua. Courtesy of Penncrest Farm.

History says that American sweetgum first appeared in a Spanish work by F. Hernandez, published in 1651, in which he describes it as a large tree producing a fragrant gum resembling liquid amber, hence the latin name Liquidambar sytraciflua.  Ranging from New York to Illinois, south to Florida, Texas and Mexico, sweetgum prefers moist soils with a standard pH.  Averaging 60-75’ in height, sweetgum is easily recognized by its combination of star-shaped leaves and spiked seed pods.  Leaves bear a resemblance to maples, but differ by the glossy, leathery appearance.  Autumn brings a spectacular display of color as leaves change to various shades of orange, red, and purple.  Inconspicuous spring flowers develop into spiked orbs.  Wikipedia lists numerous nicknames:  space bug, monkeyball, bir ball, gumball, cukoo bir, and sticky ball are a few.  Sweetgum would gain greater favor if not for the fruit, produced in abundance, and unpleasant beneath the foot.

Liquidambar styraciflua 'Slender Silhouette’. photo credit: J. Coceano

Several cultivars, ‘Rotundiloba’ being one, are fruitless.  ‘Slender Silhouette’ is a 2011 Gold Medal Award recipient. Bestowed by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Gold Medal plants “will exhibit standards of excellence for pest and disease resistance, as well as ease of growing, when planted and maintained by recommended methods.”  While not fruitless, the narrow columnar form will reduce the area affected by seed drop and make fruit collection an easier task.  ‘Slender Silhouette’ makes a dynamic vertical exclamation in the landscape.  When I was a child, sweetgum fruit was a popular toy.  My brother and I would imagine them as crude medieval weapons while our mother had a different view, using them effectively in floral arrangements and seasonal wreaths.

Halesia tetraptera. photo credit: T. Rounsaville

Halesia are spectacular native small trees that deserve far better representation in horticulture.  Michael Dirr states “A great tree for understory planting along stream banks, in the back of the shrub border, against a background of large conifers, or as a single specimen, yet uncommon anywhere in American gardens.”  Also known as snowbells or silverbells, Halesia is named after Stephen Hales, credited with being the first to accurately describe the movement of water in plants.  Several species can be found at the Scott Arboretum including Halesia tetraptera, Halesia monticola ‘Rosea’ and Halesia diptera var. magniflora.  Mature specimens can be observed inside the Parrish West Circle, adjacent to Clothier Hall.

Fruit of Halesia diptera var. magniflora fruit. photo credit: J. Coceano

Tree shape is dependent on the number of trunks.  Single-trunk specimens bear a classic tree outline, while multi-trunk trees give a low, shrubby branch profile.  In late April and May, the white bell-shaped flowers appear in clusters, usually before leaf break.  ‘Rosea’ is a pink-flowered form.  When looking for pink forms it is best to observe when in flower as degree of pink can range from near white to rose.  Winged fruits dangle from the branches like carefully placed ornaments.  Halesia will grow 40-50’ tall in moist, well draining, slightly acidic soils in sun to shade.

Nyssa sylvatica. photo credit: D. Mattis

Black Tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica, is often the first to herald the autumn season.  In late August and into September, Nyssa leaves begin to change from deep green to orange, scarlet, and maroon.  Nyssa generally grow 50 to 70’ tall and naturally range from Maine to Michigan, south to Florida and Texas.  The trees bear a distinct pyramidal shape that often persists into maturity.  Under a full canopy, tupelo bark appears black.  Closer inspection yields a distinct bark pattern: deep valleys run the length of the trunk producing a blocky configuration.  Dirr notes that “a single specimen is spectacular, but groupings of five to seven trees, each expressing a different fall color, provide pause for reflection.”

The tree is uncommon in the nursery trade, perhaps because it is known for being difficult to transplant due to a dominant tap root.  Dirr believes it would be a top-five landscape tree if not for transplant issues.  Other sources cite that small balled and burlapped or containerized specimens normally transplant readily.  A workhorse in the landscape, Nyssa prospers in dry to swampy soil in full sun situations.

Nyssa sylvatica bark detail. photo credit: J. Coceano

“Could you recommend a tree for me?”  Visit the Scott Arboretum and see firsthand an amazing collection of trees.   We would be happy to discuss which trees might be a great choice for your situation. The arboretum website contains two publications regarding trees for home landscape use: Recommended Trees for your Home Landscape and Native Trees for the Delaware Valley.

“He who plants a tree plants a hope.”
~Lucy Larcom, Plant a Tree

Autumn is upon us in the Delaware Valley and I find myself scheduling several early morning and late afternoon “golden hours” each week to try and capture the fleeting transition of the flora around us. It is this fleeting nature of autumn that captivates me this time of year as a photographer. One day, just a few hours or even just a few seconds can make an entirely different moment any time of year, but autumn seems to be exceedingly fleeting and what might be a beautiful scene of fall color one day might be a bare landscape the next.

Reflections on the pond at Mt. Cuba. photo credit: R. Maurer

There is so much to take in visually and I also find my sense of hearing and smell heightened at this time of year. Just this weekend the sound and scent of Eastern white pine needles toasting in the afternoon sun took me back to sleeping on a bed of these needles in a pine forest when I was about 10 years old. I use all my senses to frame my vision for a photograph. Personally, I’m trying to convey meaning, trying to listen to what nature is saying and trying to excite the senses with my finished images; but every photographer has a different vision for their work.

October colors of Helenium 'Mardi Gras'. photo credit: R. Maurer

Some tools I always take with me into the field along with my camera and lenses are my tripod, graduated neutral density filters and circular polarizer. I carry the tripod with me everywhere as I often find a need for it even on the brightest of days. The circular polarizer minimizes reflections off of water, leaf surfaces and structures when at 90 degrees from the sun. Graduated neutral density filters help to compensate for exposure differences between a brightly lit sky and foreground at times such as sunrise and sunset. I might even pack along a neutral density filter to control exposure for movement.

Rhoda Maurer capturing the "fleeting transition of flora" with her camera. photo credit: B. Rahlings

Autumn is an amazing time of year; moments in time to become closer with knowing ourselves as photographers, artists and human beings. It’s also a good time to brush up on your skills as a photographer and artist. Join me October 22^nd and 29^th for a two part workshop on the techniques and creative aspects of digital photography held at the Scott Arboretum. Session One will cover topics such as: composition, filters, exposure compensation, white balance, shutter speed, and depth of field. Session Two will be an opportunity to explore your own creative vision using the techniques learned in Session One. Register online or by calling the Scott Arboretum office at 610-328-8025.

The saddleback caterpillar is stunningly beautiful, but it is most likely to impress its presence upon you with a devilish sting. If you innocently brush against one where it hangs on the underside of a leaf, you will be punished with an intensely burning welt for several minutes at least. Perhaps you can forgive its cruelty as you marvel at its vivid color and otherworldly form.

The caterpillar’s common name refers to the brown, saddle-like blotch in the center of its rich kelly green back. Each end is capped with reddish-brown and bears a pair of imposing bristly “horns.” The head is moustachioed with additional spines and the tail end bears large white eye spots reminiscent of spiderman’s. Both sides of the abdomen are lined with yet more spines.

Saddleback capterpillar photo credit: N. Lewis

The saddleback caterpillar is the larva of a fairly inconspicuous brown moth. The species, Acharia stimulea (formerly Sibine stimulea), is native to the eastern United States. You are most likely to encounter the caterpillar in August and September. I have found them on roses, Itea, shrub dogwoods, and Carex, but they are documented to feed on dozens of common garden plants.

When I was the curatorial intern here at the Scott Arboretum, I was given the task of producing the annual evaluation and report of our James R. Frorer Holly collection which would be then given to the Holly Society of America. I remember quiet afternoons by myself tromping around in the snow, checking accession tags, assessing the fruiting and general health of the trees. This is when I realized what an incredible collection we have here at Scott, and how much I enjoy spending time in it. The collection is a designated National Holly Arboretum by the Holly Society of America and is part of the North American Plant Collections Consortium. It is located next to the Palmer Meadow along the Crum Creek and is a wonderful place to visit year-round. The fall and winter seasons are especially pleasant because of the fruiting hollies and the variety of bird species that are attracted to them. Many hollies are wonderful additions to the garden to add year-round interest and colorful berries during the winter.

There are around 400 species of the genus Ilex, one of the two genera of the Aquifoliaceae family. Here at the Scott Arboretum, we have over 350 different species, cultivars, and hybrids in various locations around the Arboretum, many concentrated heavily in the Frorer Holly Collection. Ilex opaca, the American holly, is the most represented species in the collection, with over 90 cultivars, and there are also several wonderful specimens throughout the Scott Arboretum. My favorite specimens of the straight species are in front of Parrish Hall. All year these magnificent trees offer structure, texture, and color to the facade of Parrish. This tree is native to eastern North America and can grow to 60 feet tall. The leaves are spiny-toothed and elliptical and remain evergreen throughout the year. The species name opaca refers to the opaque, non-lustrous surface of the leaf. Many kinds of songbirds, gamebirds, and mammals eat the berries which ripen in October and which are usually red, but can be yellow or orange depending on the cultivar, like Ilex opaca ‘Canary’. American hollies are also deer-resistant. These trees thrive in full sun to partial shade and are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9.

Holly has been used as a symbolic winter decoration since the Celtic peoples of Northern Europe who decorated their homes with it during the winter solstice, or Yule. Don’t forget to come to our 5th annual Greens Sale on Tuesday, December 9th from noon to 6 pm. Fresh cut greens, do-it-yourself wreath kits, and completed green wreaths will be available for purchase for you to decorate your home.

If snakes or other predators don’t eat them, they will burrow into the ground and turn into shiny brown pupae. They will stay underground for one or two winters and then emerge in the spring as the adult royal walnut moth, also known as the regal moth. This moth is orange-striped with yellow markings and can have a wingspan of up to five and a half inches.

Be on the lookout for these amazing caterpillars this September!

In another sure sign of spring, many of these birds are molting into their bright breeding plumage. Just yesterday evening, Arboretum gardener Nicole Lewis and her young daughter, Maysie, observed six very yellow American Goldfinches cavorting high among the flowers of the massive Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa, behind the Scott Arboretum office. Maysie is already quite the young plant enthusiast, and she is developing into a good birder for a four year old.

Also yesterday evening, I spotted my first warblers in breeding plumage. These Yellow-rumped Warblers were also high up among oak flowers very busily chasing insects. Keep your eyes and ears open because spring has definitely sprung.

If you are interested in learning how to attract birds to your garden, Nicole and I will be teaching a workshop titled “The Bird-Lover’s Garden” on Saturday, May 3 from 10 am to Noon. Nicole and I will also be leading the Early Morning Bird Walk on Sunday, May 4 from 7 to 8:30 am. Come join us and maybe we will see some of Maysie’s American Goldfinches.