Focus — The Sights and Smells of Spring
Underused Woody Plants for Spring by Heather Prince
Ah, Spring!
As we look around and think about how to delight clients and increase plant diversity, there are many spring-blooming woody plants besides traditional favorites. We talked with Scott Beuerlein, Manager of Botanical Garden Outreach of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden after his lively presentation at iLandscape 2022. “People are always worried about whether a plant will live or die, so they’re afraid to try new things,” commented Beuerlein. “Once you realize a plant dying is not the worst thing in the world, it’s an opportunity. You end up learning something and seeing different things and enjoying new experiences.” As we try to educate clients and broaden our plant knowledge, trying new plant ideas is worthwhile. “It’s fun to try things you don’t know to see if they survive, thrive, and if you’ll even like them. There’s a lot of plants I’ve bought because I’d never heard of them before. Some of those turned out to be really amazing plants, and some died, or were hideous. I think you get a cooler garden out of it in the end and a more diverse one. I used to experiment with about 10% of the plants in client’s gardens, telling them I don’t know how well these plants will do but I want to try them. That little bit of risk expanded my palette and made the garden more exciting for them. Gave them a story. Of course, I’d make it right if my experiment failed.”
A Little Spice
By bringing a diverse plant palette to the table, you not only create beautiful, interesting garden spaces, but also bring a new level of diversity to the community as well. “A diversity of gardeners adds to a diversity of the whole landscape or community or ecosystem,” said Beuerlein. “Letting me be my crazy plant self means I’ve added maybe 1,000 plants to the local ecosystem. My neighbor who’s growing other plants contributes a whole bunch more and the person down the street with a completely different garden then adds more, too. Then, there’s somebody with a vegetable patch or someone with a cutting garden. It all adds up.” Plus, as we navigate our changing world, “People are going to have to be more flexible as climate change dictates that things that used to work no longer do. We must figure out what’s going to do well now.” These selections are ones that will extend bloom season in our landscapes. They are available, but some may be a bit harder to find than others. A few will need a protected spot as they are hardy to Zone 6. Let’s explore some of Beuerlein’s favorite shrubs and small trees for spring color and fragrance.
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Cercis chinensis ‘Don Egolf’, Don Egolf Chinese Redbud Zone: 6 to 9 Size: 10 to 12 feet high and wide Habit: strongly vase-shaped Sun: Full sun to part shade Soil: Average to moist well-drained Flowers: Larger rose-purple flowers than the native bloom in April and smother the stems in blossoms. Foliage: Glossy heart-shaped leaves turn yellow in fall. Notes: This variety of compact Chinese redbud from the U.S. National Arboretum has a strong vertical vase shape, making it easy to tuck into a landscape. “It’s a bonus that it’s sterile so you don’t get countless fruits,” reported Beuerlein. “It blooms insanely, and the pollinators absolutely love it. It shoots up a lot of stems and you will need to prune it for it to really look its best.” (continued on page 42)
The Landscape Contractor May 2022
