Fall is a busy time, it’s Halloween weekend already and the holidays are on the horizon, but there’s still lots to see in the Redbud yard. The nursery is open 8am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Our last open day for the year will be Saturday, November 18. And our grand finale of the season, the Winter Market, will be held the weekend after Thanksgiving, November 25 & 26. More details on that are below.
When’s the best time to plant a tree? Today! (aren’t you glad I didn’t say 20 years ago?)
Today is definitely a good time to take advantage of our Keystone Starter Trees. These are small trees in a #2 container (roughly equal to a 2-gallons) typically about 2’ -3’ tall. We have various species such as oaks, willows, cherries, and birches. Keystone species are certain species that support a large number of butterflies and moths as well as specialist and generalist bees.
If bigger is better, we also have lots of options for trees in larger size containers and a variety of species from understory flowering trees (like dogwoods and redbuds) to mid-size trees (like black gum and muscle wood) and large canopy species (like oaks, tulip trees and sycamore.)
No matter what size tree you plant, mulch is a good idea. A layer of 2”-3” (maximum) placed over the root zone (never against the trunk!) will help to retain moisture in the root zone, inhibit weed seeds from germinating and will keep the mower and string trimmer away from the trunk preventing damage to the root flare.
Unusual Plants at Redbud
We also have a few more uncommon natives at the nursery. Stop by to get to know these new favorites:
Clethra acuminata (cinnamon clethra) can grow taller than our old friend Clethra alnifolia (to 15’-20’) but can also be periodically pruned to keep more shrub if you like. You may want to let this one get a bit taller so the main trunk and lower limbs are visible to show off the bark which will exfoliate with age and reveal the cinnamon color below.
Euonymus americanus (hearts a’busting or strawberry bush) a medium size (4’-6’ tall and wide) suckering shrub that will tolerate a range of soil types and deep shade but not deer. The reason to grow it is for the fabulous fruit –5-lobed magenta red capsules (resemble strawberries-sort of?) open in the fall to reveal bright orange seeds! Love it.
Ptelea trifoliata (silent p) (hoptree, wafer ash, stinking ash) needs a good hype person- here goes. A member of the Rutaceae (citrus) family, this underused small flowering tree grows 15’ to 20’ tall and wide, will tolerate a range of cultural conditions and is adaptable to sun or shade. The flowers are an understated greenish-white but effect is lovely when in full bloom. The fruits are ‘wafer like’ – hence one of the common names. True of most citrus family plants, this tree is aromatic- which means it’s deer resistant – win!) but personally I don’t think it deserves the moniker ‘stinking ash’ as I detect more of a lemony-grassy fragrance than something worse. This tree is also a host to our Giant Swallowtail and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies.
Plant on people!
Angie’s Painting
Many of you may have met Angie Diaz, who worked with our sister business, TEND landscape architects. Angie recently took a full-time position as Landscape Designer with Princeton Hydro. She is thrilled to be working on ecological restoration projects as well as urban sites. We miss her greatly but more so we’re proud of her and her accomplishments. She recently gifted us this lovely portrait (above) of the Redbud Shop- isn’t it beautiful?
Upcoming Events
We’ll be leading a class at Longwood Gardens on November 1 (online) & 4 (garden walk at Longwood)
Planting with Fall Natives | Longwood Gardens
Ecological Landscape Alliance’s Fall Conference:
Regenerative Solutions for Resilient Landscapes (R & R for short) will be held on November 9th at Longwood Gardens. This year’s theme is Changing Culture and the speaker line up is great- don’t miss it! Spend some time on the ELA website- there are many great educational opportunities and great deals for members.
Mark your calendar for our 4th Annual Winter Market: November 25 & 26, 10a -2p
We’re excited to share news about this year’s Winter Market. You will see some familiar faces but also many new vendors. New this year – chocolates and craft spirits! We’ll share a full vendor list in a future newsletter and on our website. And of course, our shop will be stocked with books and gifts for the gardener. and we’ll have a wonderful assortment of seasonal greens and cut stems and berries.
We will offer free talks and demos on both days. And this year we’ve added a ticketed wreath making workshop. Details and registration for the wreath workshop are here.
We are pleased to announce our 4th bespoke card collaboration with Jackie Small of Small Print Studio. Sets of cards, featuring native plants in all their fall color glory along with bird and insect associations, will be available during our Winter Market.
