The gardener's eye

The Gardener's Eye

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Farewell Malus 'Red Jade'

I planted a weeping crabapple called 'Red Jade' in the Lower Garden in 1993 and I have been training its canopy ever since. It was barely a whip when I started and I have enjoyed watching it mature. In the springtime, the pendulous branches are covered with light pink apple blossoms and in the fall, a flock of cedar waxwings devour the persistent small red fruit in less than a day. However, this Malus doesn't always look its best in the summer when the leaves prematurely turn brown and fall off. It has also been getting too large for its location near the terrace. It is taking more and more light from the perennial border and as it grows to its mature size, 15 tall and nearly 20 feet wide, it is clear that it will be too big for the site.

I have been contemplating removing the tree for about a year. A very early spring with a sudden cold snap made my decision easier when all the buds froze and I realized that there would be no fruit this autumn. Last week, I removed the tree. It was sad, but also liberating. The scale of the plantings in the mixed border felt better immediately. As the Acer griseum x 'Gingerbread' on the opposite side of the terrace has gotten larger, the terrace has become too shady. Now I have spot on the terrace for all my sun-loving potted plants which I have been having an increasingly more difficult time making happy in the shade.

After I amended the soil with compost, I planted a small shrub called Leptodermis oblonga and two Persicaria 'S'cunnet Pink' in place of the crabapple. Leptodermis oblonga, also known as false lilac, grows to about 3 feet and  has small fragrant purple blooms that begin in spring and last all summer. Persicaria 'S'cunnet Pink' is a plant from Opus, Ed Bowen's nano-nursery in Little Compton, RI. Ed selected this plant for its "6+ inch tapers of pink flowers, each with a deeper pink eye, from still deeper calyces atop 3-5 foot stems midsummer to frost." Ed says it is a Zone 6 plant. I'm hoping the site, against a newly revealed stone wall with southern exposure, will be make this beauty happy.



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12 comments:

  1. A brave decision. I have just been reading in the RHS monthly mag that one shouldn't be shy about revamping the garden every so often. I tend to give my plants the chance to flourish, even though I should have removed them a long time ago.

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  2. L, it certainly wasn't a decision made without a lot of thought. I'll miss the tree but I am excited about the new opportunities.

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  3. That's a good decision revamping your garden once in a while. It will do you good and the plants as well. The garden also looks more lively.
    motorbike loans

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    1. I agree, Natalie. Sometimes these changes in the garden creep up on you and you don't even notice them.

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  4. It's always sad to take out a plant...but if it wasn't performing and had grown out of scale...I think you were wise to remove it. I've never heard of 'Scunnet Pink'...I'll have to keep an eye out for it!

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    1. Thanks for the support, Scott. I have noticed the persicarias in your garden (don't you have a very short cultivar?) . I'm not sure you can get 'S'cunnet Pink' outside of New England yet. I'll let you know how it performs next summer.

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  5. Oh how sad! Removing a plant you used to care for dearly is something hard to accept at first, but if that plant wasn’t helping you anymore then I think you made a good and wise decision. Indeed, your landscape looks more attractive and neat now. Cheers, Michael!


    Jeremy Beauregard

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    1. It was sad, Jeremy. It was like putting a pet dog to sleep. Thanks for your optimistic comment!

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  6. So sorry you had to remove that tree. I love how it softened the stonewall. But, today I just advised my clients to remove a beautiful tree planted too close to their home. It's a tough decision....

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    1. Loi,
      I am hoping the new planting will compliment the wall. How did your client take the news?

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