Trees & Shrubs

Dutch Elm disease did a number on the region.

..................and they are such beautiful treeslike a giant bouquet

Terrible history of tree diseases. Chestnut, Elm, Hemlock. Ashes are in trouble from the EAB. The ALHB's are threatening Maples and others. Scary. Why do all these bugs come from Asia and wipe out our trees but we never hear of North American bugs wreaking havoc in Asia??

Visiting the twin cities one year the streets and avenues of Minneapolis were lined with Elms, they tried everything to save them I just hope they succeded

Maria, and they are such beautiful trees like a giant bouquet, I agree. I remember when my 'ex' worked as an arborist for the city in Bangor, Maine - it took them three long years to take down all the diseased elms, one after the other - beautiful trees, so sad :(

rcn48 - if you've been up here, do you rmember all the graceful tamarak trees we have up here? It's so fun to live in an area where a deciduous conifer is native!

LOL "if you've been up here" Still consider myself a 'native', only lived in VA since 2000. And yes, I do remember "all the graceful tamarack trees" :) One of the first things I realized after moving south and going back "home" for visits is what a luscious green state Maine is. I guess I always took it for granted while living there, but after living in VA for a couple of years and traveling back up I-95 to Bangor, the 'tunnel' of green was such a welcome sight :)

'Magine you musta thought I was pretty funny writin' that. Yuh, yuh, it's awful dahn green up heah.

Way I see it, most people plant wash tubs and refridgerators in their front yards up here 'cause the plants get so stove up by the deer and turkeys, no sense puttin' anything else out.

Speaking of natives brings back a memory of when I first arrived in Massachusettes. I was reading the entire paper to familiarize myself with the area. In the obits, I read: " A long time resident of Westport, Mr. Smith, 86 years old- although not a native of Ma. as he moved here when he was 3 mos. old.......". Right then I knew I would always be an "outsider". I've been here for 35 yrs. and that hasn't changed. Rooting loudly for the Yankees probably does not help. :)

Perhaps you could get honorary status by blowing up all those RV's parked on the beach.

While you're down there say hi to Sylvans for me. I miss that nursery.

I spent 20 yrs. as a ME expat in MA. Born and raised in Maine. Moved back and everything but am no longer a true native in my own home. Too much time amoungst flatlanders. A few too many fancy ideas in my head now, I suppose.

Watersedge I believe that's the job of hurricanes (Don't want to mess with Mother Nature.).

Daisy, we,ve had a few good days rooting for those Yankees. Isn't it ironic that most yankees hate the Yankees??

Dave that is what would make Arsinio go; "hmmmmmm".

LOL watersedge, when I bought my property back in '76 that's the first thing that was hauled to the dump - a junked washing machine in the FRONT yard!! The place was disgusting, ten trips to the dump just to clear away the junk! Most of our friends questioned why we even bought the place - I had a "vision" :))

Unfortunately the people who bought the property had their own "vision" - everything to the left of the house was added after we sold it and all the rock walls, gardens and beautiful bed of Hostas under the pines out front are no more :(

Absolutely shocking! What a huge disappointment! I'm stunned.

So sad.

Why would they do that?? Talk about beauty in the eye of the beholder!!

Anyone know how and when to prune a Holly bush? This baby is 6 yrs. old and about 10ft. tall.

How sad, rcn. Celeste, I would start with a few of the long branches. Do it in the Spring before new growth starts. Never remove more than 1/3 of a plant at a time. I like to stay about 1/4. Follow the long branches all the way back to the main trunk and cut them there. After that's done and the shrub is more even looking, you can decide if more is needed. If so you can do 'heading' cuts where you but back to a bud or a smaller branch.

Thanks Victor, next spring it gets a hair cut! Don't laugh( I know your gonna) but I never trimmed it because I was afraid it wouldn't form berries. After 5 yrs. still no berries....my brother said "Didn't Mom & Dad tell you about the birds N' the bee's? You need a female to pollenate it!" I bought female and had berries for the first time last year. Yup...just a little slow sometimes!!

Aren't they great? I love seeing the dark, shiny leaves with bright red berries when they have a coating of snow on top!

One of the best parts of seeing snow if you ask me.

One of the ONLY, if you ask me!!

Well I love when my snow dogs see snow for the first time of the season as they act like kids rolling in it. Here's one of them.

Beautiful - reminds me of one my grandmother used to have.

That's Jade...she's 7 and a bit over weight. What kind did your Grandmother have? Jade is Chinook.

I'm not even sure - I was just a kid. Very similar face! Her name was Duchess.

Chinook are very very loyal dogs. Never seen one as loyal, they also have a great history about them, you can read about them here.
http://www.chinook-dogs.org/history.html

So does my retreiver loves the snow, and it comes down he chaces the flakes, so funny.

The deer chops up my three holies at the edge of the woods every winter. the come back but have not seen a berry on them for 5 years though there are female and male, plus they do not get any growth

Cute puppy!

My hollies went to live at my sons house because the deer chewed them every year too. Replaced them with three rhododendrons...they are also gone now for the same reason. Now have pieris 'Mountain Fire', so far so good.

ngam, that looks like a very nice shrub, when does it bloom?

In the spring it has white sprays of little bells aka the lily of the valley shrub. New growth on this one is red as you can see, a slow grower but is evergreen and likes part sun/shade. Gets to about 5' tall and wide. Best thing it is not favored by the deer. :)

thanks ngam, will try to find one

Hi everyone...not new to gardening, but am new to DG. First, where the sam heck can I buy a 5-6' Oxydendrum? Without paying an arm and a leg for shipping and handling. How about: Hibiscus 'Fireball', Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow' and of the Hammelis(sp?), Juniperus horizontalis 'Limeglow', Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold', Fagus 'Tricolor', any of the Knock out roses...the Japanese beatles loved mine this year...2 evergreens that can take a butt kickin: Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl', Juniperus chinensis 'Gold Star'...One of my favorite new acquisitions, Abies koreanna 'Hortsmans Silverlocke/Silberlock/Silberlocke' Pictures do this evergreen no justice what so ever! If you can get your Muck gloves on one, pick up Acer 'Peaches and Cream' the new growth is gorgeous, it holds well into early summer, get a little greeny/whitey, but now its even more stunning!!! Katsuras, Nyssa, and Stewartia...they are all tops in my book. I just need/want/desire/have to have an Oxydendrum...lol. I have 9 Acer palmatums, but for the love of me I can't remember their names...I think...'Bloodgod' 'viriescent' 'red laceleaf' 'pixie' 'ono ?' it's pink/white/green...'butterfly' I can't remember the others...I should come up with another DG sn, instead of Hemhostaholic, Hemhostaceroxyholic...lol.

Wow! Welcome to DG and the Forum, Hem. I wish you'd show some more excitement! Hee hee. I bought my Oxy from a nursery last Fall. It's one of my favorites too. It was about 7'. Fairweather Gardens has a 30 - 40 inch one for $50 but their shipping is not cheap. Once you reach a certain amount, it's 25% of the order. Below that, it's more! Have you checked the local nurseries? I got mine T Twombly in CT.

Welcome HHH and good luck finding all the shrubs you want. Fall sales are normally 50% off around here so by next weekend you might start seeing some of them.

Hem - how old and large is your Peaches and Cream? I do like it. I have Weeping Katsura and Stewartia pseudocamellia. I'll look up that Abies. Fringe Tree and Franklinia are two more nice ones.

Victor, it's only in its second season here. The first season, it sort of looked like the Charlie Brown Acer...lol. It was tall and lanky and not very filled out...now it's fluffing up a bit, still columnar, and with a heck of a lot more branching...honest, if you can get it, do it...lol

I'll ask for the Snoopy one.

Hem, welcome to the Northeast Gardening forum!!! I'd say we'll all learn a lot from you - the generous sharing of knowledge and experience with a fun touch of humor is what you've bought into here.........how can you beat that??!! I'm still a newbie myself, but wouldn't miss it for a single day, and I have really learned so much from the NE crowd. You'll fit right in!! Enjoy!

I have bona fide fall color in the trees in this area. All of the swamp maples are red around the ponds, and I have our first all red & yellow tree to report right here at our farm.....Today is the prettiest day of the year!!!