I need to get this plant: Dwarf fothergilla

Horticultural lust for Fothergilla gardenii

I'm starting a new series of special posts  titled "I need to get this plant:" with strong feelings of masochism, (zone) denial and greed. All gardeners (yes, you included, dear reader) feel these emotions walking through the garden center during the first blush of spring. during a garden visit of better (wealthier) homes and gardens or, for me, ambling through the Toronto Botanical Garden recently.

Here's the object of my affection:

Fall foliage of Fothergilla gardenii
(Dwarf fothergilla) at the
 Toronto Botanical Garden 

You may know from previous posts like "Common witch hazel not common at all!" and "When Arnold (Promise) met Jelena" that I get weak-kneed for all things witch hazel (and actually all things Hamamelidaceae) so when I gazed at this Fothergilla's fall foliage (unintended alliteration), (a) I had to get out my camera and (b) said to myself "I need to get this plant!"

Fall foliage of dwarf fothergilla
(Fothergilla gardenii)
at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)
fall foliage at the Toronto Botanical Garden  

Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii )
fall foliage at the Toronto Botanical Garden 

Fothergilla gardenii (Dwarf fothergilla)
fall foliage at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Hence, the garden muse struck and suggested this post.


Here's a picture of the fragrant spring bottle-brush blooms:

Fothergilla gardenii  (Dwarf fothergilla)
spring blooms

Good information sourced from the Missouri Botanical Garden website (apologies in advance, I don't think of plant sizes in metric):

Common Name: dwarf fothergilla

Type: Deciduous shrub

Family: Hamamelidaceae

Native Range: Southeastern United States

Zone: 5 to 8

Height: 1.50 to 3.00 feet

Spread: 2.00 to 4.00 feet

Bloom Time: April to May

Bloom Description: White

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium

Maintenance: Low

Flower: Showy, Fragrant

Leaf: Good Fall

Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, acidic, organically rich soils which have good drainage. Best flowers in full sun. May spread by root suckers to form colonies if suckers are not promptly removed.

Why the lust?

• Amazing fall foliage
• Cute spring flowers
• Somewhat harder to find and expensive = snob appeal

If I get this plant, I don't have to get:

• Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) 

The Allan Gardens Conservatory 2014 Fall Chrysanthemum Show

I swear on me (fall) mum, it's a fantastic show!

Each fall,  the Allan Gardens Conservatory puts on its Chrysanthemum Flower Show to the delight of visitors, local and tourists. I recently dropped by to see what the floral artists envisioned and executed for this year's show. I have mixed feelings about "mums" as common folk like me call non-hardy florist chrysanthemums on sale now at big box stores and stuffed into containers with the requisite kale and ornamental peppers one sees all over the city. On one hand, these cold hardy plants will last into December and look better than the wilting potato vines and begonias from summer's containers. But I find the big mounds of orange, yellow and red a little too robust. And then what happens after the flowers fade? Now you have a grey mound to deal with...

(Maybe the bias I have against non-hardy "annuals" in general stems from my reluctance to pay for them in May and chuck them out in October. With fall mums, we buy them in October,  throw them out in December and not bat an eyelash: truly disposable plants!)

Now the chrysanthemums (no one would dare call these "mums" said the hybridizer) on display at the Conservatory aren't, for the most part, what you'd normally see on the streets. I suspect that many aren't cold-hardy, assuming this trait has been bred right out of them in exchange for frilly petals, massive blooms, etc. But let's not quibble over plant hardiness (who cares, you're in a greenhouse!) and enjoy the show with me:

Allan Gardens Conservatory 2014
Fall Chrysanthemum Show 

Allan Gardens Conservatory 2014
Fall Chrysanthemum Show red mum 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 pink frilly mum  

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
 Chrysanthemum Show 2014 pink frilly mums 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 pink mum

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 pink mum 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 fairy gardening 

Looks like the Conservatory has succumbed to the Fairy Gardening craze this year (or the gardener was channeling Lewis Carroll.)

Flowers made up of flowers....very trippy.

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
 Chrysanthemum Show 2014 Fairy House 

I won't be a curmudgeon and offend Fairy Gardeners out there. I admire the artist who put this together: to design and create on such small scale are qualities I lack, along with the patience.

Kudos to you, sir or madame!

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 Fairy House Wall

The Fairy House from the side. It must be LEED certified with the green roof and living walls...

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 red mum 

Allan Gardens Conservatory
Fall Chrysanthemum Show 2014 red orange mums

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 white margin purple mum

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 white pink frilled mum 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 white purple mum

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
 Chrysanthemum Show 2014 yellow frilly mum 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
 Chrysanthemum Show 2014 yellow frilly mums

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 yellow mum

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 

Allan Gardens Conservatory Fall
Chrysanthemum Show 2014 orange mums

A new Leslieville, Toronto garden design and installation: a case study

No grass? No problem!

What happens to a small patch of lawn (about 60 square feet) when the homeowner is often away and can't water and mow the area regularly? Well, see below!

Leslieville garden renovation design before by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

This patch of sod/turf was put in, I'm sure, as a cheap solution by the previous homeowners for this awkward area that leads to the back gate on the left towards the fence (so think of the space as a "L"). Why would anyone plant such a small area of grass and then worry about mowing it? Buying a mower or weed trimmer just for this area seems silly. They left it to the new owner/s' to deal with this problem.

On the right is a raised interlocking patio about 2 feet above and in the foreground the interlocking pavers lead to the garage.

New garden renovation Leslieville before by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

New Leslieville garden renovation design before by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Yes, the very healthy tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) saplings in front of equally vigorous Virginia Creeper vines (which were on their way to engulfing the garage) spelled major maintenance issues in the future.

The client hired me to do something (anything?) that was (get ready...) "no maintenance." I assured her that this was impossible with living objects like plants so, if she didn't want to pour concrete and make this into a pad, some watering and weeding was required on her part.

The site receives full sun for at least 6 hours per day. Functionally, the area leads to a gate to the laneway. The dimensions are roughly 10' in length by 6' across.

The client does not want any flowers (flower scent and attraction to pollinators was not desired.)

I came up with this very rough sketch:

Two rectangular garden beds would be created. One to hold some sort of vine growing up the garage wall and the other for low-maintenance plants with no scented flowers.

The path would either be completely pea gravel or have "stepping stone" pavers if the client didn't want to be kicking gravel walking in this area.

Leslieville new garden plan by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Leslieville garden renovation design after by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Above is the new garden area about a year after the initial installation;

I planted two Jackmanii clematis growing up the garage wall trellises to replace the Virginia creeper. The clematis are better behaved, have wonderful non-scented flowers and, most importantly, can/should be pruned every spring.

In the roughly 3' x 10' rectangular bed, I planted a "Bloodgood" Japanese maple
(Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood') and six "Ice Dance" variegated carex/sedge (Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance')

A 2-3" layer of mulch was added to reduce watering and weeding.

Both beds are "boxed" in by pressure-treated 6" x 10" boards and amended with bags of triple mix (loam, compost and peat).

Rectangles dominated this backyard so creating a curved path with curved garden beds seemed incongruous. The only "irregularity" found was in the pre-cast stepping stones but even this is an illusion since all the stones are identical.

New garden renovation Leslieville before by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

The client and I discussed the materials to be used for the path. I preferred to use random flagstone, dry-laid, for the "L" shaped path but she wanted something less expensive. She decided on using these pre-cast concrete pavers bought from a big box home improvement store. They are set on top of a 4" compacted limestone screening base topped with a thin 2" layer of pea gravel.

I don't love the look of the pavers as they are not random looking (because, well, they're not.)  But the truth of the matter is it's the client's budget so my opinion doesn't really matter.

New Leslieville garden renovation design after by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

This "lower-maintenance" garden involves simply pruning the Carex sedge and clematis every spring. I anticipate the Japanese maple to grow at a medium rate to eventually frame this view as a small tree for the client and her guests entertaining outside.

Something tells me the former tree of heaven saplings would not give the same effect!

A new garden in the Danforth/Greektown area of Toronto: a case study

Formally informal or informally formal...you decide

As you, gentle reader, may know, I occasionally design gardens and when I do, I remember and implement the design principles I learned as a student of landscape design, oh, about ten years ago. We (the students) were taught the process of:

• creating a preliminary scaled site drawing
• site review of existing conditions and deficiencies
• speaking with the client to determine needs, wants and budget
• drawing a functional diagram with "bubbles", based on specific uses and activities
• considering certain geometric styles (square, rectilinear, circular or free-form)
• considering certain garden styles (informal, formal, Western, Eastern)
• creating several preliminary designs, one of which will be selected
• creating a planting plan
• creating a final master plan

Oh, and a last point not usually included in textbooks: getting paid in full.

Of course, to roughly paraphrase German military strategist Helmuth von Moltke, no landscape plan survives contact with the client. (His quote was "no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.") Assumptions surface and promptly blown out of the water. Material and plant lists change depending on budgets or lack of them. And on and on...

But creating the final plan wasn't painful with these clients at all. They're really sweet people!

Since I'm not a landscape architect, landscape gardener, landscape designer, or their variations, I haven't gone through this formal checklist since my final landscape design assignment. But they are ingrained and I recalled them more or less automatically when I was asked to create a planting plan for this garden:

the danforth Toronto garden design before by Paul Jung Gardening Services

Greektown Toronto garden design before by Paul Jung Gardening Services

the danforth garden design before by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

the danforth new garden design before by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Greektown garden design before by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Here's my thought process:


A) Site analysis:

The area:

• is a 16' x 14' rectangle with the side bed measuring about 2 ' by 25'
• has compacted clay, mainly due to construction equipment
• receives full sun until mid-afternoon so about 6 hours of direct sunlight
• is in front of the new garage, wall colour is a dark grey or charcoal if you want to get fancy
• bounded by, as you can see, grey concrete pavers making up the patio and path to garage

B) The clients want:

• perennials with a specimen tree or standard
• a green and white motif (green leaves, white flowers only)
• lower garden maintenance, and agree to water with a hose regularly
• an informal garden design (after rejecting my first formal style plan)

C): Functional bubble diagrams not required

 This area was the last piece of the puzzle when the backyard was rebuilt. I imagine the owners viewing the garden mainly from the patio table when entertaining or from the kitchen door. Creating a bio-diverse garden environment isn't important to them.

D) Plant selection:

Based on the green leaf and white flower request, I suggested:

• "Guacamole" Hosta
• "Bridal Veil" astilbe
• "Honorine Jobert" Japanese anemone
• "David" summer phlox
• "Seiryu" Japanese maple as a focal point
• Maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis "Gracillimus" for the side strip) 

There's a flowering sequence from late spring (the astilbes) until fall (the Japanese anemones). The specimen Japanese maple has green foliage until turning a lovely crimson/orange in the fall.

There's a contrast in foliage texture as well between the finely dissected foliage of the "Seiryu", the hostas' bold lime green and rough, almost hairy, astilbe leaves. 

The maiden grass would accentuate the length of the path, spills over nicely and softens the paver edge and requires very little care.

E) Garden style:

• clients prefer the plants sited informally, no rows or quadrants
• I sited them ad hoc, based on intuition and feel.

F): Soil amended:

25 bags of triple mix dug into the compacted clay. A 2-3" inch of black mulch (clients' preference) applied on top after planting.

Here are the immediate results:

the danforth Toronto garden design after by Paul Jung Gardening Services

Greektown Toronto garden design after by Paul Jung Gardening Services

the danforth garden design after by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

the danforth new garden design after by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Greektown garden design after by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

The monochromatic colour scheme lends to a formal style but the plant placement (in small groups co-mingling with one another) feels more informal.

I returned recently to clean up the gardens a little (weeded and trimmed away the wilting hosta leaves) and had a perfect opportunity to see the Japanese anemones on full display. The clear white blooms contrast so well against the dark grey garage wall. The "Seiryu" Japanese maple is just starting to change colour but won't peak until November. Lastly, the maiden grass is just forming its seedheads. They will not be cut back until net spring, providing winter interest until, yikes, March.

the danforth Toronto garden design after autumn by Paul Jung Gardening Services

Greektown Toronto garden design after autumn by Paul Jung Gardening Services

the danforth new garden design after autumn by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

Greektown garden design after autumn by Paul Jung Gardening Services Toronto

It will be interesting to see how this garden evolves over the years. I imagine the plantings will get bigger and lusher to balance the hard edges and surfaces of the pavers. And just maybe the clients will invite me over for dinner outside one evening so that I can truly admire the design!


Update as of September 2015:

Yes, the plants have really filled in nicely! It's late September and the "David" summer phlox is still blooming while the "Honorine Jobert" anemones are the real stars now. The clients planted two columnar hornbeams as well in keeping with the green and white monochromatic colour scheme.

 "Honorine Jobert" Japanese anemone x hybrida
and "David" Summer Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
fall blooms in Toronto

"Honorine Jobert" Japanese anemone x hybrida as part of monochromatic colour scheme

Monochromatic green garden design
in this Danforth backyard

 Paul Jung Gardening Services
Danforth new backyard update

Danforth new backyard installed by
 Paul Jung Gardening Services: an update