Trees and shrubs in parks and gardens 2014

[freddyvl]

A few Hamamelis varieties from the many in flower in our garden:

- 'Livia': Named by Robert and Jelena de Belder (Kalmthout, Belgium) after their first granddaughter Livia. One of the best red cultivars and it has also one of the longest flowering periods of any witch hazel. (flowers 22mm long);
- 'Orange Peel': This cultivar has a more upright growth and wide petals (3 mm). Overall effect is a clear orange. (flowers 22 mm long);
- 'Amanon': Raised by van Heijningen (Netherlands) and named for his granddaughter Manon; however, he wanted all his cultivars to begin with the letter A, ensuring prominence at the top of any alphabetical list ! (flowers 25 mm long);
- 'Robert': Named after Robert de Belder after his death in 1998. (flowers 23 mm long)

[freddyvl]

A few Viburnum with a good scent are also flowering in the garden at the moment:

- Viburnum bodnantense Dawn
- Viburnum foetens

[Onion]

This look like a journey to Kalmthout Arboretum ?

[Gerdk]

Some pics from last weekend - made inside the GRUGA park of Essen (Germany)

1. + 2. Paulownia tomentosa
3. Cercis siliquastrum - white selection
4. + 5. Rosa majalis

Gerd

[johnstephen29]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this post, but here is my cherry tree in full flower a few week ago.

[David Nicholson]

I have a couple of Acers in pots both of which are probably reaching the end of their potted days. Is it possible to take cuttings please and if so what is the best time of year to do this and how should I take and keep them?

[Maggi Young]

I haven't much experience of trying acers from cuttings - but there are  ways to rejuvenate Acers in pots.  You can take them out , get all the soil off, then cut back the roots a bit before re-potting - and then cut back the bushes quite hard. Sort of bonsai technique really- but good to give new lease of life to a nice acer.  We have even dug up a 3m acer from the garden with a 10 -12cm trunk and cut it  down to  45cms and regrown it as a pot plant.

[David Nicholson]

Cheers for that Maggi. Need to be brave then?

[Maggi Young]

Yes, bravery called for. Leave it a couple of weeks then go for it. They'll bleed a bit, but in a couple of weeks the flow shouldn't be too bad.

[Michael J Campbell]

David, Acer cuttings can be difficult if they are not managed properly. They are not that difficult to root but getting them through the first winter is the problem. I found that I had to bring the parent plant into the greenhouse in late winter and force the new growth to produce cuttings and get a early start, because if you don't get  a substantial  amount of growth before the first winter they will fail to grow in the spring. It is a while since I was growing them so modern science may have come up with a better system or maybe I didn't acquire the proper technique.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for that Michael. If you find them difficult I'll find them impossible so I'll give Maggi's suggestion a try.

[Maggi Young]

A little out of season, but I found this photo (here ) and couldn't resist showing it ....
 Wisteria avenue in Kawachi Fuji garden, Japan.



Apologies to those struggling to get their wisteria to flower........

[Chris Johnson]

A little out of season, but I found this photo ...

Wow.

[Maggi Young]

Wow.

I know - just glorious, isn't it? 20 different species  I believe. The garden is apparently a bit tricky to get to.
http://www.tourismontheedge.com/places/asia/a-colorful-walk-wisteria-tunnel-at-kawachi-fuji-gardens-japan.html

[Maggi Young]

Tweeted by Panayoti Kelaidis:
 

The worth of a tree!