I stumbled upon three of the prettiest Paperbark Maples I've ever seen today at Spring Grove. As many times as I've been there, I've never happened upon these before. That is the thing about Spring Grove, it is so large and convoluted and not very well marked that you're always finding something new there.
Scott
Sometimes Paperbarks seem so stiff and gawky, but these were just perfect. And the color of the bark seemed exceptional.
Scott
Another.
Scott
They did have a "Girards" nearby. It looked fine.
Scott
And an Acer triflorum was trying awfully hard to compete.
Scott
Mmmm, me like! A lot! That triflorum is one of the best I've seen. I'm getting Arboretum envy with you having all those great places nearby. Just keep posting them pics.
Regards,
Ernie
Scott, that triflorum photo is just incredible. Are you familiar with the phrase gym rat? You know, that's the basketball junkie they can't keep out of the gym. I think we've got an arboretum rat. ;>)
Wonderful photos! That's the ticket, keep on taken 'em for us armchair enthusiasts. ;0)
Well, no one has ever had trouble keeping me out of a gym, but I am a bit of an arboretum groupie, I think. I'm finding it is about the cheapest entertainment I can afford. A little gas to get there is all an interesting and beautiful afternoon costs, and--now in the digital age--I can come home with a ton of pictures. More cheap hours of interesting and beautiful entertainment ensue while I sort and title all the shots. Its a win-win. And as long as you guys are enjoying the pictures, I'll keep posting them.
Scott
Arboretum Rat - keep posting, great entertainment and education with my early morning coffee!
Debbie
Hi Scott. That A. triflorum picture really IS incredible -- almost looks like some fantastical creature rather than a tree. I too am an "arboretum groupie". It is cheap entertainment, and for the likes of us, a wonderful way to learn about woody plants and see great specimens.
I am curious about exactly where Spring Grove is and what other arboreta you have in Cincinatti? My daughter goes to school at Miami University in Oxford, so I come down there every once in a while. I would love to go there. I have also thought about bringing my truck sometime and trying to get a bigger specimen of one of the hardier cvs of Magnolia grandiflora -- I have heard they are available in your area, but not at all in Michigan.
One thing about paperbarks that amazes me is watching how the bark starts to peel. I have had 2, one in my old garden that is probably now about 5-6" dia, the other in my new garden 3-4". When I bought each of them, the bark was still completely smooth. I was nervous about buying each of them that they might never peel or that they woulld have less anyway than other trees. But they were both good specimens so I went ahead. In each case, after a year or so, the bark started to peel. And when it did, the whole tree was peeling, almost overnight! (well, maybe within a few days...). Somehwhat like watching a snake shed its skin. The one in my garden now has beautiful peeling bark, when it had no peeling at all a year ago.
David,
Spring Grove is one of those big, old city cemetery arboretums. Serving two functions, and growing trees is absolutely secondary, it does have a few frustrating issues. A lot of things are unmarked, and there are no decent maps showing the locations of things, but it has a huge range of material mostly all growing beautifully and a lot of it mature specimens. I think the arboretum has around a dozen state champion trees on the premises. Well worth seeing, but to enjoy the place most efficiently, I suggest a decent guide. I would suggest me!
Mt. Airy Arboretum is okay. It is a part of a city owned park/forest, so it has its own problems. Still, worth seeing and very close to Spring Grove.
Over my way, and near a free home-cooked meal, would be Rowe Arboretum, which was the private gardens of the Rowe Family, left to the city of Indian Hill and now run as an arboretum. It is fairly small, but a nice place. Lots of old, old conifers, dwarf conifers, many crabapples, and a mishmash of this and that.
Down south of the airport in Kentucky is the Boone Country Arboretum. An up and coming facility, they are working hard to put together a nice collection of material. Most everything there is new and young, which is both a positive and a negative, and it is sprawled out, but it is refreshing to see both a new arboretum and one that is part of a recreational park complex. What a great way to introduce so many great plants to busy soccer moms, runners, and other park goers.
Scott
Another Acer griseum
Resin
Why Resin, that tree looks much more "buxom" than Scott's. Or am I seeing things? LOL Like it's "skin" is positively stretched over it's limbs, and it's bursting at the seams.
Great Pictures Scott and Resin,
I need to print that picture of the A. triflorum to take out and show my A. triflorum. I need to give my tree something to aspire to! I need to go out and check the bark on my A. triflorum tomorrow. It's been a while since I've inspected the tree closely.
I have a small A. griseum (approx. 2') in a pot, but I'm chicken to put the tree in the ground. Too many people have lost them in our area. This plant may remain a potted specimen for the rest of its life. It sure does turn a nice red in the fall!
Mike
decumbent, you need to get yourself up to the Miami Univ. campus in Oxford. I grew up there, went to school there -- they maintain the campus like an arboretum. Our botany classroom was quite literally a "moveable feast", running from one tree or shrub to another as the prof. continued lecturing....lol
Greenday,
I've wondered if I should ever go up to Miami and have a look around. It is my experience that many college campuses are great horticulturally, and that is such a wonderful campus.
I further wondered after the book "Palms Don't Grow Here" was published, since it was written by a Miami professor. It seemed intriguing to go have a look, even though I was disappointed by the book. A photo of Houyttuynia growing in zone 6A as if to say this is a challenge! What??? No one can get rid of the horrible thing. I wondered if it was some kind of joke.
There is, too, a nursery called Mary's Plant Farm, or something like that, which is supposed to be up that way, and it is supposed to be worth a trip. So I'm thinking I'll do a twofer sometime soon.
Scott
Hey Scott, I would love to come over sometime when I am down there and spend a day trekking around to arboretums and cemetaries and nurseries and the like. We will have to plan that, maybe for April when my daughter would be still in school and spring will be starting to show....
The Miami campus is indeed very beautiful, and they do have some nice specimen trees -- especially the various M. grandifloras which are mostly planted right up next to the buildings. I heard the botany professor who wrote the book you describe above give a lecture up here, and I was expecting great things in terms of diversity of plantings the first time I visited Miami. I have to say that I was actually disappointed -- they didn't seem to have that much rare stuff that I could find. Of course, I have mainly visited in the fall and winter, never spring/summer so the time was probably not optimal. I was probably spoiled by having been so many times to the Swarthmore campus (Scott arboretum) and Michigan State, both of which have really incredible gardens and woody plant collections right on campus.
The plant collections are concentrated in the N.E. end of campus, behind the old stadium, adjacent to the new (as in 1985) conference center. Did you see the Dawn Redwood?
