I just clicked through nearly 40 pages of google image results looking for one good image of an arborvitae hedge.   That I found none, is my first piece of damning evidence in a little rant about hedging.

I’m just not a fan of the “Arborvitae hedge”.

The expectation is this:

and this: (never-mind that neither of these are arborvitae, they are, in fact, yew…but I found them under arborvitae in google results)

and the reality is this (at best):

I suppose arborvitae is fine if you want a hedge with holes, no uniformity across the sides, and inconsistent heights.  Add to it a general inability to recover from common winter burn and you have a recipe for crap hedge.

I know I am shaking the tree here, but the common mislabeling (on many a landscaper website) is leading me to believe there is a bit of overselling going on in the landscape industry – which might explain why there are far too many dumb looking arborvitae wannabe hedges in (at least my corner of) the world.

Arborvitaes do not equal Taxus, (or boxwood, or myrtle) and I for one am quite tired of the depressing results that are achieved with them when put in as hedges.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually like the arborvitae plant, either when used interestingly, or of interesting variety.  Take the stout, chubby variety of Berkmans Golden Arborvitae.  Their happy rotund nature and fresh color would be a welcome addition to many planting schemes but as a hedge, I think they would look like a bunch of flabby soldiers who clearly aren’t cut out for their job.

The thujas that are commonly recommended for hedges go by the names of ‘Green Giant’, ‘Nigra’ and ‘Emerald Green’ (to name a few)….but here is the big secret here….this is their general form:  A Cone. (love it or leave it, but don’t plan to change it…you have little chance of getting smooth square hedge from this)

Cone shaped can be very nice – and can even provide some screening, but I think they look best when clumped together (not in a straight line) or when they stand in a zig zag fashion.  I most like to see them interspersed with other plants.  Ultimately, they are a little like people; they all carry their chub in slightly different places.  If you use a little distraction, they can all look consistent and cohesive, but if you line them up, you suddenly highlight their differences.

And speaking of differences….I have another little arborvitae rant.  It seems that the word “arborvitae” has become synonymous with ‘green cone that you plant along the edges of your property or as a “foundation plant” ‘.

You can’t just throw around the word ‘arborvitae’ and expect people the know what you are talking about.  There are hundreds of very different, interesting and exciting ‘arborvitae’; it is worth exploring some other more unique varieties.   Here are a few of my favorites:

Thuja plicata “Emerald” clipped spirals ,Thuja plicata Whipcord, Thuja Occidentalis Sherwood Frost Folia, Thuja occidentalis Degroots Spire, , Thuja Danica, Thuja plicata daniellow

And to give you a few ideas about how to use the ‘Green Giant’ and it’s similar friends (in a good way), here is a little gallery.

Thuja mixed with Redbud trees

Thuja to draw you down a snaking path.

A grove of thuja.

Corrour Lodge is a modern twist on the classic Scottish shooting and hunting lodge.  The original lodge burned but was rebuilt in 2003 by architect  Moshe Safdie.  Fitting into the Highland environment and surrounding the lodge are the beautiful wild gardens designed by Jinny Blom.

Jinny Blom is a master of creating the wild and beautiful meadow gardens and the images captured by Allan Pollock Morris are beautiful.   (click through to follow Allan’s Northfiled Editions Collection on Facebook).

Vicia cracca

Throughout the property there are beautiful details.  The sauna has a wild green roof and the sculpture in the trees is by Antony Gormley.  Jinny took pains to create a victorian alpine garden and reinterpreted the ‘antigarden’, as an experimental approach to non-interventionist gardening. The intent was to tend to and renovate native plantations – the results beautiful – don’t you think?

Make sure to check out North Field Editions facebook page to see even more images.

This is it!….the 50th native in the 50 natives series.  I can’t believe we made it.  I might need to have a glass of wine to celebrate!

image from Sophora secundiflora

The last and final native is from Texas and I have to admit I am quite envious of Texas gardeners who can use such a beautiful plant.  Mountain Laurel is an evergreen  with aromatic violet flowers that can be shrubby, but lends itself to well to pruning into a small tree.

1. laurel, 2. Mescal Bean Seeds (Texas Mountain Laurel), 3. Mountain Laurel??, 4. tExaS moUnTaiN LaUrEL

Texas Mountain Laurel  (Sophora secundiflora)can be used as a specimen, patio, or street tree and is ideal for use as a screen, bank cover, or an espalier.  It is a beauty in spring,  when it  displays its dense, pendulous clusters of purple/blue, fragrant flowers that are reminiscent of wisteria. The hairy seedpods which follow ripen to reveal the inner,bright red seeds. The seeds are quite decorative and have been used to make necklaces but they are also poisonous.

If using it in a design, try planting a row on 15′ or 20′ centers to form a nice canopy over a walk.  The bark on multi-trunked specimens shows off nicely when lit up at night from beneath the canopy.

So there it is….now what?  Well I have some ideas…I am still trying to figure out which I will take up right now….I am considering bringing back the ‘Can you make this into a garden series’ — but maybe renaming it to ‘Inspired by’ or something like that.  (CYMTIAG is just too long and annoying to type).   Also I think a series about plant pairs might be fun.  Or maybe also a series that highlights less commercial plants — but not obnoxiously difficult ones, just those that are sadly underrepresented in average garden stores (but for no good reason except lack of imagination).   The new thing (whatever it turns out to be) will start next Tuesday.

image by ZarahMaria

Tarragon is one of my most favorite herbs.  I had never tasted it before I went to college, but I soon discovered a little treat for myself – takeout, from a place called Elda’s that offered tarragon chicken with a side of broccoli that was cooked with garlic.   I have never been able to re-create the heaven that was, but hope to try, now that I have planted tarragon in my herb garden.

Such an exotic flavor, I would hardly guess that it was a native plant, but sure enough, you can find the Artemisia dracunculus wild in most western states (including South Dakota).

1. Tarragon, 2. Dragoncello

The plant itself, like many herbs, is not terribly showy for landscape purposes but because it has nice foliage, it can easily be tucked into a container plant group or with others in a perennial bed and will act a green textural fill.

Tarragon is one of the four fines herbes of French cooking, and particularly suitable for chicken, lasagna, fish and egg dishes.  Besides my beloved Chicken Tarragon, I am interested to try it in this beautiful recipe for tarragon egg salad that I found over at Gastronomy blog.

image by solitude48

Indian legend has it that many, many suns ago when the native american indians lived in great numbers in the western US, life was abundant.  But the indians became jealous of each other and they traded stick games for tomahawks and they began to war.  The Great Spirit was displeased and he dried up the corn and berries – the earth refused to yield.  The Indians sorrowed and prayed to the Great Spirit. One day the sun shone bright up on the hills, and the people saw a little plant growing everywhere. When the Indians tasted the root, they knew the Great Spirit had saved them, and ever after, they refused to fight where the Sego Lily grew. They called it the ‘Little Life Plant of the Hills’.”

1. Sego Lily – Calochortus nuttallii, 2. Sego Lily, Calochortus nuttalli

The Sego Lily is a beautiful native plant that is protected in Utah (where it is the state flower).  If you love the look, you can plant it or other varieties of chalohortus that are a bit more flexible regarding restrictions.   It grows 10-20 in. high, from an onion-like bulb. One to three very showy, white to lavender-blue, tulip-like flowers are borne atop the stem in an umbel-like cluster.  It is a fascinating plant because it literally plants it’s self.   Below ground, the Sego Lily has an amazing mechanism to move its bulb through the soil to an optimal depth. Following germination at or near the soil surface, the small bulb slowly moves deeper into the soil by contractile roots until it reaches a depth of 10 cm or more.

There are only 2 states left in the native plant series….South Dakota and Texas.  I am not sure what to replace this feature with.  What do you think? I could start all over again with 50 more plants from 50 states, move abroad, or perhaps try something else all together.  You ideas or thoughts are, as always, happily accepted and considered.

A couple North American introductions got a lot of attention at Chelsea.  Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’  ( which I can’t wait to plant in the new clay garden I created when I dug out my new front steps) is a beautifully airy plant that blooms over a long season, from mid-April to October.

image from Bluestone Perrenials

And Eriophorum russeolum, commonly known as red cotton grass is a cold tolerant (even arctic tolerant), native grass for bogs and swamps.   I am trying to imagine a perfect site where I can pair these two for a totally wow combo.

Photographed by R.Elven