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Hello Great Gardeners,
Bear with me this edition as I had carpal tunnel surgery and am typing one-handed. I have a new found respect for those who have to do everything one-handed all the time. It is not easy.
The fall season is right around the corner. Many gardens are starting to look a little worse for wear. Pull any annuals or vegetables that are done for the season. Refresh gardens with mums or flowering kale.
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As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, hit reply. I would love to hear from you. Have a great-gardening day.
Sincerely,
Holly
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The holly genius consists of over 480 evergreen and deciduous species, including trees, shrubs, and woody vines.
Most holly species are dioecious (from the Greek for “two households”), meaning that each individual holly plant is either male or female. In order for a female to produce ornamental berries, a male needs to be planted nearby.
Hollies are truly iconic plants that are often associated with symbols of hope and rebirth. Their symbolism is one of the main reasons why they are used as such a major part of Christmas décor.
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Blue Holly: Ilex meserveae - Evergreen shrubs noted for their dark blue-green foliage, purplish-green stems, and red berries on the female plants. These shrubs require a male to pollinate the female. They are also native to North America. Best planted in areas with moist, well-drained and slightly acidic soil. In partial to full sun.
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Blue Holly
'The Royal Family'
Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Prince & Blue Princess’
A profusion of bright red berries fall through winter is assured because a male pollenizer is planted in the same container. Makes a beautiful specimen or dense hedge; tolerates shearing well. Long-lasting fruit is great for holiday decorations.
Height: 6-10 Feet , Width: 6-8 Feet
Click Here To Order Online
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Inkberry Holly: Ilex glabra - this is an evergreen species found native to Europe and North America. Most produce black fruit, but some can produce white fruit. The leaves do not have spines. Prefers moist well-drained, acidic soils in part sun to part shade areas. Females need a male pollinator to produce berries.
Gallberry honey is a highly rated honey that results from bees feeding on inkberry flowers. This honey is locally produced in certain parts of the Southeastern U. S. in areas where beekeepers release bees from late April to early June to coincide with inkberry flowering time.
The berries of inkberry holly were used by Civil War soldiers to make ink for their personal correspondance.
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Inkberry Holly
'Shamrock'
Ilex glabra ‘Shamrock’
Selected for its compact habit and bright, glistening new foliage, this dwarf grower makes an excellent hedge or border plant. The dense twiggy habit displays an abundance of black berries through winter.
Height: 3-5 Feet, Width: 3-5 Feet
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Inkberry Holly 'Gem Box'
Ilex glabra ‘Gem Box’
This cool new dwarf, broadleaf evergreen looks more like a boxwood than an inkberry. A dense, ball-shaped plant, Gem Box ilex has small, dainty, dark green leaves with attractive red tips during the spring flush. It maintains good branching right to the ground so it never looks bare-legged like other cultivars may. It’s great as a small evergreen hedge or used as a container specimen in milder climates.
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'Gem Box' Inkberry Holly is a female variety and can potentially develop berries. However, there are no compatible males currently on the market to ensure the cross pollination required for fruit to form.
Height: 24-36 Inches, Width: 24-36 Inches
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Winterberry Holly: Ilex verticillata - is a native shrub that loses its leaves each autumn. After the leaves have turned yellow and dropped, you are left with a breathtaking view of thousands of brightly colored berries clinging to every stem. Plant in full sun or part shade. Performs best in acidic soil. Females need a male pollinator to produce berries.
More than 20 species of birds feed on the berries.
Florists often use winterberry for floral arrangements and those who enjoy winter crafts use it for wreaths and window boxes.
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Winterberry Holly 'Jim Dandy'
Ilex verticillata ‘Jim Dandy’
An extremely hardy holly with rich, deep green foliage on a dense, twiggy, oval to rounded form. Use as a pollenizer for berry production on female varieties. An excellent choice for the shrub border.
Height: 6-10 Feet, Width: 6-10 Feet
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Winterberry Holly 'Winter Red'
Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’
Abundant large bright red fruit persisting into winter. Superior contrast against snow. Dark glossy green foliage turns yellow in fall. Excellent for mass effect, shrub borders or wet areas. Use ‘Southern Gentleman’ or ‘Apollo’ for male pollinator.
Height: 6-9 Feet, Width: 5-8 Feet
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Winterberry Holly 'Little Goblin Guy'
Ilex verticillata ‘Little Goblin Guy’
Little Goblin® Guy winterberry holly is a male pollinator for Little Goblin® Orange and Little Goblin® Red. Though it will not bear fruit itself, it plays a crucial role in getting the best from the female varieties. Little Goblin® Guy blooms at the same time as the female Little Goblin varieties, guaranteeing a good crop of showy berries all winter long.
Height:3-4 Feet, Width: 3-4 Feet
Click Here To Order Online
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Winterberry 'Little Goblin Orange'
Ilex verticillata ‘Little Goblin Orange’
Little Goblin® Orange winterberry holly lights up the darkest season with dozens of extra-large, bright orange berries. Smaller habit makes it much more landscape-friendly than other winterberry hollies. To get fruit, you will need to plant Little Goblin® Guy winterberry holly as a pollinator – one Little Goblin® Guy will pollinate up to 5 Little Goblin® Orange and/or Little Goblin® Red plants. Plant the male within 50 feet of the female varieties to ensure a heavy berry set.
Height:3-4 Feet,Width: 3-4 Feet
Click Here To Order Online
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Garden Mums
9 Inch Pot
5 or more
$8.99 each
(Regular $9.99 each)
(Does Not Include Igloo Mums or TriColor Mums)
Click Here To Order Online
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From The Buckeye Yard & Garden Line
TREE LEAVES DROPPING EARLY MEANS…WHAT? The calls have begun to come into the Extension offices from concerned citizens, regarding their trees which are dropping leaves. Most of the concerns for the trees center on these leaf losses and whether or not the trees are dying. While there is no direct correlation between early leaf loss or coloration and tree death, it may suggest that there are stress factors which are impacting that tree.
There is no question that drought stresses causes leaf drop in certain species of trees, like river birch (Betula nigra) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera).
These trees typically/normally combat drought conditions by methodically dropping their leaves. The reason for this drought avoidance adaptation in their evolutionary history is that by dropping leaves, they will lose far less precious water because there are less leaves overall requiring water to keep them cool and functional.
The tree is performing a great balancing act and even though it appears to be losing a lot of leaves, as much as 10 - 20% of leaves can drop without causing serious injury to the health of the tree.
Another noticeable factor serving as a tree's stress indicator is the early fall leaf color. Early fall color does NOT necessarily mean that the tree is going to die, rather it is merely a signal that the plant has suffered some significant stress.
In actuality, there are many factors that can cause the leaves to color early, such as damage caused by insect feeding and/or diseases directly affecting the foliage.
If the leaf is damaged by insect feed or impacted by a disease to the point that it requires plant resources to keep it functioning, then the tree will often drop/eliminate that leaf.
How can one tell or judge if the tree will be okay in spite of leaf losses? The best way is to examine the quality and quantity of the new twig growth or extension. Investigate the length of these annual growth increments over the past five years.
Are they generally the same length or have they gotten steadily shorter over time? Also scrutinize the overall size of the leaves and the density of the remaining leaf canopy.
The leaf size should be representative of that tree species and the overall tree canopy should block out most if not all of the sunlight before it reaches the ground beneath the tree.
If these tree health indicators appear to be typical or normal, then most likely the tree will survive just fine to leaf out to experience another year, another spring and another challenging growing season!
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Stop Do Not Kill!
Scollid Wasps are beneficial wasps that feed on Japanese Beetle and June Beetle Larvae.
Scollid Wasps appear May-August here in Ohio.
Their bi-color abdomen easily identifies them with black on the upper half and red on the bottom half, with two bright yellow spots in the red area.
The female wasp flies low to the ground and can sense grubs hidden in the ground. When it detects one, it digs through the soil, burrowing its own tunnel or following one made by the grub. Once located, it stings it on the throat and paralyzes it. The female wasp then lays an egg on it, and when the young hatch, they eat it.
Males are incapable of stinging, and females do not sting unless stepped on or carelessly handled.
Their presence, however, means that grubs are present. Monitoring for a white grubs infestation may be appropriate.
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