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Identify

What’s THAT Evergreen? Can I grow it?

December 16, 2022

 

Evergreens in the landscape

‘Tis the season that evergreens are on display. Not only as wreaths, swags, and holiday trees, but in our landscapes. As autumn leaves fade and fall, the evergreens that remain gain our attention and appreciation. Although evergreen conifers can be great assets to our gardens, some are more suitable than others.

Evergreen conifers
There are many types of evergreen conifers you’ll see in local landscapes. These include members of the pine family (Pinaceae):

White pine bud or candle in spring_Lal Beral_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
White pine needles with bud or candle
      • cedars (Cedrus),
      • firs/spruce (Abies, Picea),
      • hemlocks (Tsuga),
      • and pines (Pinus)

the cypress family (Cupressaceae):

      • arborvitae (Thuja),
      • Chamaecyparis,
      • Cryptomeria,
      • Cunninghamia,
      • Hesperocyparis,
      • junipers (Juniperus),
      • and hybrids such as Leyland cypress (x Hesperotropsis leylandii)

and the yew family (Taxaceae):

  • Cephalotaxus,
  • Taxus,
  • and Torreya.

Identifying evergreens
If you admire a particular evergreen in the forest, a neighbor’s yard, or even a live holiday tree, the first thing to do is identify it. With evergreen conifers the “leaves” provide important clues:

  • Members of the Pine and Yew families have needles—Yew family needles tend to be broader than pine family needles.
  • Most members of the Cypress family have either awl-shaped leaves or scales.
Arborvitae needle scales
Chamaecyparis needles
Yew needles
White pine needles and cones

Cones and bark offer other important clues to confirm conifer ID. See, below, for helpful sources.

Choosing evergreens for your landscape
Once you’ve identified interesting evergreens, decide where and how they will fit into your existing plantings.
General considerations. Evergreens provide shade and cover all year round, which can be a good thing, but before planting think about:

  • mature size—both height and width
  • impact on views
  • shape—how will the shrub or tree change in shape over its lifetime and how much effort will it take to maintain it?
  • avoiding a monoculture—planting several of the same plants—because if disease or pests attack even one, the planting may fail.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgids

Insects, diseases, and other problems. Not all evergreens that can survive in our area are good choices —including some natives—even if they will fit your homesite.

  • Some popular Cypress family choices— arborvitae, Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), and Leyland cypress—have many known problems (read more at: https://pdic.ces.ncsu.edu/decision-guide-for-cypress-problems/). Leyland cypress is considered so problematic it is not recommended for planting anywhere in North Carolina!
  • In the Pine family, hemlocks need protection from hemlock woolly adelgids, and firs and spruce are subject to other insect and environmental problems, as are some pines (see details, below).
  • Yews, too, have insect, disease, and siting issues to consider (links below).

What about choosing a live holiday tree? Many trees are sold live in containers or wrapped in burlap for planting outdoors after indoor display for the holidays. North Carolina Forestry specialists note that of the most common holiday trees sold live, only a few are adapted to mountain environments:

  • white pine (Pinus strobus),
  • Fraser fir (Abies fraseri),
  • blue/Colorado spruce (Picea pungens),
  • Norway spruce (Picea abies), 
  • and white spruce (Picea glauca).

Note that other live trees sold for the holidays—Arizona cypress (Hesperocyparis arizonica), and Virginia pine (Picea glauca)—are better suited to transplanting in Coastal and Piedmont regions of the state.

Fraser fir and Blue/Colorado spruce

Unfortunately, even the mountain-adapted species have limited success planted in home landscapes. Fraser fir is often afflicted with balsam woolly adelgid. White pine and spruce trees do best in cooler sites, protected from winds. White pine does well in altitudes up to 3,000 feet; spruce species seem to do better at higher elevations; our only native spruce species, red spruce (Picea rubens), naturally occurs only above 4,500 feet!

Which native evergreens are good choices? Some native evergreen trees that do well in the mountains and are valuable to wildlife are:

  • eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), which provides cover for wildlife, fleshy fruit to eat, and is a host for butterfly larvae,
  • shortleaf pine (Pinus echinate), which provides cover, seeds to eat, and is a host for butterfly larvae,
  • white pine, which provides cover and seed,
  • and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), which provides cover and seed, and is a host for butterfly larvae.

Article written by Debbie Green, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer

For more information:

Identification:

Leaves:

https://www.trianglegardener.com/tips-to-identifying-conifers-in-the-landscape/

https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2019/02/arent-they-all-just-pines-how-to-id-conifer-trees/

https://herbarium.ncsu.edu/tnc/vis_gymno.htm

Cones and bark: https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/Basic_conifer_key.pdf

Evergreen conifer problems:

Overview: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/insect-and-related-pests-of-shrubs/pests-of-conifers

Cypress family: https://pdic.ces.ncsu.edu/decision-guide-for-cypress-problems/

Pine family:

Pines: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/pine-pest-management-calendar

Hemlocks: https://savehemlocksnc.org/info-for-landowners/landowner-treatment/

Blue/Colorado spruce: https://henderson.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/07/colorado-blue-spruce-issues/

Yew family:

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/yew-problems

https://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/treepestguide/taxus.html

Live holiday trees: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/selection-and-care-of-living-christmas-trees

Landscaping with native plants: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/landscaping-for-wildlife-with-native-plants

 

 

 

 

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Categories Trees Tags conifers, evergreen, garden planning, Identify, landscape planning, native plants

Non-Native Invasive Plants: Tree of Heaven

August 9, 2019

Once you learn about non-native invasive plants they seem to be everywhere! One of the worst of these—Ailanthus altissima—has the misleading common name “Tree of Heaven.” Introduced as an ornamental, Ailanthus is an attractive, fast-growing tree—but when cut back it can sprout up more than 10 feet a year! Water and wind can spread seeds that will grow new trees as tall as 6 feet their first year.

Ailanthus trees produce a lot of pollen and all parts of the tree can produce skin irritation in some individuals. If that doesn’t give you pause, we now have a new reason to double down on eliminating this invader: it is the preferred host tree for an exceedingly destructive insect, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), which may be making its way south! Removing Ailanthus now will make North Carolina less hospitable to this planthopper, which is a major pest of many fruits, including apples and grapes.

Adult Male Lanternfly

How to know if you have tree of heaven?

Characteristics to look for:

  • Bark: Smooth bark that looks somewhat like cantaloupe skin.
  • Leaves: Each leaf has from 10 to 40 leaflets with smooth edges, except for 1 to 2 “teeth” at the bottom of each leaflet. Leaves have a very strong peanut-butter odor.
  • Flowers: Yellowish flowers April through June.
  • Seeds: Winged seed pods in large clusters that may stay on the trees in winter.
    Smooth Ailanthus bark
    Ailanthus leaves
    Ailanthus flowers
    Ailanthus seed pods

Management
Tree of heaven is difficult to control because of its extensive root system and re-sprouting ability. Success depends on treatment timing and following up the next year. Be sure to wear gloves and other protective clothing when removing tree of heaven because of the possibility of allergic reactions.

Mechanical

  • Hand-pull young seedlings as soon as they are large enough to grasp. They are best pulled after a rain loosens the soil.
  • Remove the entire root because small root fragments are capable of generating new shoots.
  • Note that root suckers are easily confused with seedlings and are nearly impossible to pull by hand.
  • Although cutting down a tree of heaven will cause it to re-sprout and sucker, you may want to prune out limbs during the winter after leaf fall.
  • If seed clusters are present on cut limbs, collect, bag, and dispose of in heavy trash bags so they will not sprout have a chance to sprout.

Chemical

  • Herbicides containing the active ingredient triclopyr are effective. Apply all chemical treatments between July 1 and when the tree begins to show fall colors.
  • When removing a tree of heaven, use foliar herbicide sprays where tree height and distribution allow effective coverage without unacceptable contact with nearby desirable plants.
  • Treat the foliage with an herbicide first, allow 30 days for it to take effect before cutting the tree down.

 Native alternatives for Ailanthus altissima

Suggested by NCSU’s “Going Native” website:

  • Hickories (Carya)
  • Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)
  • Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
  • Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra)

                              Article by Debbie Green, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer

 For more information:

Identifying:
https://projects.ncsu.edu/goingnative/howto/mapping/invexse/treeofhe.html

More on landscaping with native alternatives:
https://projects.ncsu.edu/goingnative/index.html

Spotted lanternfly watch:
https://ipm.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SpottedLanternflyPestWatch.pdf?fwd=no

 

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Categories Invasive Plants Tags Ailanthus, Control, herbicides, Identify, IPM, native plants, Spotted Lanternfly, Tree of Heaven

Wildflowers Part II: Find, Identify, and Protect

March 11, 2019

Hike in the southern Appalachian Mountains, drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, or visit the Botanical Gardens at Asheville, or the North Carolina Arboretum and you’ll find wildflowers in bloom virtually year-round. As we discussed in Wildflowers Part I, hundreds of species make their homes in our unique mountain environment.

Gray’s Lily

Where to look
Some wildflowers are quite common and cover a wide range of elevations, like the many species in the Aster family. Others are very rare and endangered, such as Gray’s lily (Lilium grayi) and Rugel’s ragwort (Rugelia nudicaulis). While some wildflowers cling to rocky outcroppings, others prefer the nutrient-rich forest floor or a wet bank by a stream.

What to look for
There are some very unusual looking wildflowers: stiff gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia), with blossoms like Christmas tree bulbs, bear corn (Conopholis americana) that resembles a corncob more than a flower, and Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) that is easily mistaken for a fungus

Bear Corn

Stiff Gentian
Indian Pipe

Within a single genus, such as Trillium, you may find different species with blossoms in an assortment of colors—white, yellow, red, and multi-colored!

Trillium

The variety is almost endless. The fun is in the discovery.

Identifying characteristics
Botanists’ nomenclature for every plant part and shape enables them to identify and categorize plants—but paying attention to a few basic characteristics will help identify many wildflowers.

Habitat. The process of elimination begins with observing the plant’s habitat. It’s unlikely you’ll find a pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii), whose natural home is seeps and stream banks, on a dry, rocky slope! Assess habitat according to sun/shade, wet/dry, open area/woodland, and elevation.

Flower. Consider color, number of petals, and blossom shape—single bloom or cluster; upward spike or drooping panicle; flat or rounded. Flowers can grow on different parts of the stem. Is the flower at the top of the stalk, growing from a joint between the leaf and the stem, or at ground level?

Leaf pattern or arrangement. Wildflowers’ leaves are also important to their identification. Leaves may be basal (growing at the base of the stem next to the ground), opposite (growing in pairs on either side of the stem), alternate (alternating on either side of the stem), or whorled (more than two leaves growing in a circle around the stem). Some plants have both basal and stem leaves; others flower with no leaves at all!

Leaf shape and margins. Basic leaf shapes are linear (long and narrow), lanceolate (lance-like), oblong, elliptical, ovate (egg-like), and cordate (heart-shaped). The margins or edges of the leaf may be smooth, serrated/toothed, or lobed/scalloped. A compound leaf may appear to be multiple leaves, but is a single leaf composed of several leaflets.

Consult a reference
Now it’s time to match the characteristics you’ve observed with a high-quality wildflower reference. One of my favorites, Wildflowers of the Smokies, includes color photos, plant descriptions, bloom time, and typical location. Plant and wildflower identification apps are available for smart phones—even if you don’t have a reference app, phones are great for taking pictures of wildflowers to look up later. Make note of wildflowers you observe, the place, and the date. As you expand your knowledge of wildflowers, you’ll become more adept at finding and identifying them.

Conserving wildflowers
With the establishment of state and national parks and forests in the 1930s, public appreciation and conservation of native plants and wildflowers began to take hold. Appalachian forests clear-cut for logging are recovering with government protection and help from conservation groups, but threats remain from non-native plants, insects, and diseases!

Native plants lose the competition with exotic kudzu, Japanese stiltgrass, princess tree, and privet. Woolly adelgids attacks native hemlocks and emerald ash borers threaten ash tree species and the American fringe tree. Anthracnose kills flowering dogwoods.

Humans who “over-love” our mountains pick or dig flowers, hike off-trail, and camp in undesignated areas. Poachers remove and sell conifer seedlings, perennials, and roots of the American ginseng plant.

In Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway, J. Anthony Alderman coins the Ten Commandments of Wildflower Conservation: “Thou shalt not pick, bend or break, trample, dig, poach, let pets run free, set fires, [or] alter the environment. Thou shalt enjoy and preserve and educate.”

Article by Beth Leonard, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Stay tuned
Wildflowers Part III describes a few of the most common southern Appalachian wildflowers.
Wildflowers Part IV discusses gardening with wildflowers.

Learn more
Alderman, J. Anthony (1997). Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The University of North Carolina Press.

Spira, Timothy P. (2011). Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains & Piedmont. The University of North Carolina Press.

White, Peter (2000). Wildflowers of the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains Association.

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Categories Wildflowers Tags Bear Corn, Conservation, Identify, Indian Pipe, native plants, Stiff Gentian, trillium, Turtlehead, wildflowers

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