Thanks Trees Atlanta

I’m not the type to get excited over trees, especially trees I haven’t seen, but the Trees Atlanta annual sale showed me how riveting saplings in buckets can be. Micah and stumbled out of the house at 8  (we’d gotten home at 2 AM from presenting at BarCamp Atlanta), and sped over to Piedmont Park for the sale. Our goal: snag a pretty, verdant, rugged, fast-growing tree for the front lawn. (You know, the kind that’s delicate yet indestructible and looks like it’s been there for years about fifteen minutes after it’s planted.) We didn’t quite get that tree, because it apparently doesn’t exist in what gardeners call “reality.”

Despite Atlanta being “The City in the Forest,” it’s hard to find many varieties of trees for sale. So, we and other locals flocked to Piedmont in ripped jeans and  rent-a-trucks, armed with wheel barrows to battle over elms, oaks, and sequoias. “Get out of the car and find a tree!” I shouted to Micah. I slowed the car to a safe enough roll to let him exit, “I’ll get a parking spot near that fly fishing class.” Eyes narrowed, I stared at a group of men pretending to reel in trout, “Keep fishing, guys. Don’t even think about buying a beech tree.”

I parked, put on my Angry Biker jacket, and jogged towards the sale, casing everyone I passed: blue tracksuit, not a threat… plaid flannel, possible competition. By the time I got there, Micah had befriended a volunteer named Mike, who was showing off a dwarf magnolia. “Um, we’d like something a little bigger,” I said abruptly, watching an couple snatch a basswood. We walked towards a Tulip Poplar. “This will give you instant gratification,” Tree Mike said. We grabbed the poplar like junkies looking for a quick fix.

“Nice magnolia,” an elderly man said. We were staring at a Daphne Magnolia. “It’s gonna bud.” I turned to Tree Mike, “What goes with a Tulip Poplar?”  He directed us to an 8-foot tall Redbud. “This’ll be red in fall, when the poplar’s turning yellow.” We nodded in approval, both realizing the Redbud probably wouldn’t fit in our Toyota Corolla without a serious haircut. “We’ll keep it in mind,” I said and grabbed an oakleaf hydrangea on the way out.

A few feet away, another volunteer, Steve, was telling a young shopper his favorite online nurseries. As a landscaper, Steve was in the know about ordering plants. We chatted about favorite websites. Steve told me about a nearby online hosta farmer who was open to the public one weekend a year. He also mentioned having a six-thousand-plant database that he’d been compiling for twelve years. “It’s not just climate zones, it’s also moisture zones,” he said proudly, giving me his card.

We wheeled our plants past a few young couples entering the sale. The next day, we got up early to plant the Tulip Poplar. “Looks a little crooked,” Micah said, fastening a yellow ribbon around the curving trunk and an upright bamboo stake, “but it’ll straighten out soon.”  I admired the thin, leaf-covered stick jutting out of our lawn, “At least, we’ll get instant gratification, but let’s also buy a Redbud tree.”

Behind Harry Lauder

Scottish-born Sir Harry Lauder supposedly first appeared in his vaudeville career as an Irish comedian. He made twenty-two trips to the U.S. and several to Australia in his career. Lauder was dubbed by Churchill as “Scotland’s Greatest Ever Ambassador.”

Lauder wrote many of the songs he performed, often using Scottish themes or stereotypes in his comedy.

“Sir Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick” (also known as the “Contorta,” “Corkcrew Hazel,” “Contorted Filbert,” “Politician Plant”)  was actually discovered a couple decades before Sir Harry.  According to Dayton Nurseries:

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick was discovered growing in an English hedgerow in the mid-1800s.  This deciduous, twisted stemmed shrub usually grows to just 8-10′.   The species is commonly grown commercially for nut production but this cultivar usually does not produce nuts.  The light green leaves turn yellow in fall.   The branch form becomes quite noticeable in winter after leaf drop and provides great winter interest.   Twigs are used by florists in flower arrangements.

Finding what I think is a well-priced Harry ( twenty-five bucks),  I’ve just planted a Harry Lauder in my shade garden. Its twisted branches offer a sculptural contrast in the fall and winter, while hanging chartruse seed pockets give a unique look when most other perennials hybernate.  In most cases, three-gallon Contorta’s (the smallest you can usually buy) cost between forty and sixty dollars. However, when the leaves are wilting and the plant goes dormat, you can find a cheap Harries for yourself in the fall.

A Harry Lauder from Landscapedia.Info

Hedging Our Bets

For two years, we’ve been wanting to put in a hedge in our front yard,  but a huge privet and dying dogwood stood in the way. (The privet engulfed a cherry tree that’s now seeing daylight for the first time in a couple seasons.)

We decided to plant eleven Sweet Olives along the south side of the house.

Before and After:

What we hope it’ll grow into:

Sweet Olive Hedge

Plants Cannot Fight Back

It should go without saying that plants cannot, in fact, fight mammals. Sure, some South American plants are carnivorous; poison-ivy is a nasty, nasty vine; and, there’s a good chance that the Spanish Inquisition was overseen by a rose bush, but that’s beside the point. Having pets or children will influence what’s planted in your yard and what plants are potted in your house.

For the backyard, look for dense, hardy shrubs like hollies, junipers, acuba, mock orange, even anise bushes (plants thrive in zone 7). Some heirloom tea roses also make for good garden shrubs, but they may lack the large blooms of the more popular knock-out roses. Still, survival is key. To soften and add interest to the space, plants like Pachysandra, Ajuga, Lenten Rose, Yucca and Nandina can be great resources. Some bulbs also weather well, like iris and daylilies.

In the house, also choose hardy plants like snake plants and succulents (soft to the touch but tough growers). For a unique hanging plants, look at the Davallia (Hare’s Foot Fern).

Cast Iron Plant (great for indoors or outdoors)