Plant of the Month-April 08

My choice for April's Plant of the Month is Pulmonaria x 'Trevi Fountain'. There can be no other stunner that is used very little in the garden.

I happened upon it about five years ago when I mail ordered three of these lovely plants. I am not sure what happened to the other two because I now only have one, but the one is about two feet wide by two feet. That is a presence. It is a low grower and likes a moist, acidic and somewhat cool soil.

I planted all three under a crabapple tree (Prairiefire) in a low area on the north side of my garden. While the spot is protected, somewhat shaded, and gets some water from runoff, the spot is also prone to sun. This plant went semi-dormant last summer. Lucky it, sometimes I wish I could've with all the heat and drought. As you can see, it has bounced back wonderfully.

Pulmonaria's common name is Lungwort. I believe this comes from the latin prefix name of 'pulmon', which has something to do with lungs and breathing. I hope you can see the speckled leaves but in addition to having about three colors of flowers (pink, purple, and blue), it also has a soft gray green leave with gray spots.

I have had difficulty dividing and won't even attempt to do so anymore. Many visitors would love some-can't share it though. I need to get better at propagating like Dave over at The Home Garden.

This plant will bloom for a month or so and the foliage looks good about nine or ten months out of the year. There is no fragrance to the flowers, but it is still my choice for Plant of the Month.

in the garden....mulching of course! I have some much needed paper bags and newspapers...now to go get the pine needles from my neighbor.

Crabby Crabapples

I like small trees, especially since I have a ton of large trees. I just can't fit anymore large trees in but I for some compulsive reason, just seem to want to add more small trees.

Crabapples fit the bill though had I known about better small trees such as serviceberries and sourwood, I would probably have added a few of them instead of the three crabapples I did add. What is done is done.

This particular crabapple was purchased as a three foot tall tree at Rural King in 2003 for $10. I am fairly certain the cultivar name is 'Prairiefire'. Just look at that foliage! It is the only red crabapple I have growing and it is stunning. The flowers come out a maroon-pinkish and are fairly big.

This crabapple has grown from a 3 foot tall twig to a 10'x10' upright tree. I have continually pruned it in order to ensure a good shape in its old age. One thing all crabpples are prone to do is to sucker.

The second picture shows some bright red suckers already growing. This is a bad trait of the crabapples and the only thing you can do is to prune out the suckers-constantly.

I wish more people would plant these trees around the area. Cherry and Bradford Pear trees seem to be the preferred trees in landscapes. I agree they are very pretty but a variety is nice too.

Crabapples can be prone to some diseases and I have a few friends who absolutely hate this trait. Some of the diseases they are prone to are: Cedar Apple Rust and Fireblight. Since I do not spray or treat my plants, I have to live with these diseases should they rear their ugly heads. My way of dealing with them is to prune out the infected areas, ensuring my pruners are sterilized with diluted bleach in between cuts. I can honestly say I have not had much of a problem. Fireblight did affect two of the three crabapples but I simply pruned away the infected branch. This particular variety of crabapple has not been affected by any diseases.

The pretty blue plant to the left of the crabapple is my March Plant of the Month. I will post about it later, but the name of the cultivar is 'Trevi Fountain' to give you just a taste of what is to come-a bit of Italy maybe?

in the garden....