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Exceptional Foliage Shrubs

Although flowers often take center stage when it comes to attractive ornamental plant features, some plants have leaves that are just as pretty. Foliage plants come in many forms, and their leaves often stand out for their textural effects and unique shapes. Read on to learn about a few of the best ones.

Holly

Holly shrubs are best known for their association with the winter holiday season. However, these plants look fantastic all year with broad evergreen foliage that has a sharp texture. These plants also produce bright red fruits that persist throughout the coldest months of the year.

Ninebark

Although ninebark shrubs come in several varieties, one of the most common ones is known for its deep purple foliage. These deciduous leaves stand out from the typical greens that you are used to seeing in the landscape. Ninebarks also have small white flowers that form in clusters at the end of the branches.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are best known for their flowers, but the oakleaf hydrangea offers much more than that. While the blooms of this plant are impressive, the leaves are just as eye-catching and give this plant its common name. These leaves have a true green color and an oak leaf-like shape. In fall, they turn an impressive reddish-orange color.

Gold Dust Plant

Gold dust plant, also known as Japanese laurel, is a plant that has some of the most elegant leaves that you can find in any garden. Those leaves each have an elongated but simple shape and are primarily green in color. Across those green leaves are golden speckles that appear scattered like dust.

Variegated Red Twig Dogwood

The leaves of a traditional red twig dogwood are not necessarily impressive. However, the leaves of the variegated variety have as much appeal as any other deciduous leaf. Variegated red twig dogwood leaves have a two-toned appearance consisting of irregular patches of light green and cream color. When the leaves drop, they reveal the vibrant red stems that this plant shows off in winter.

Fruiting Vines

For most, the climbing habit of vines makes them impressive enough. However, when vine plants can produce delicious fruits as well, they become an even more valuable addition to the landscape. As you’ll soon see, there are several fruiting vines that you can grow on a fence or any other garden structure.

Grapes

Grape vines are some of the most popular plants that bear fruit and grow like a vine. Some gardeners grow these vines to eat their fruits raw, while others raise grape vines to create wine. In either case, you should give your grapevines a chance to grow on a fence that faces south and receives plenty of sunlight each day.

Kiwi

Kiwis are some of the most nutritious fruits on earth, and the variety commonly known as hardy kiwi is one of the most popular. As their name suggests, hardy kiwis can withstand the cold, surviving as far north as hardiness zone 3. This hardiness makes kiwi vines an ideal fence plant option for many throughout the United States.

Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit vines require a hotter climate, but if you can provide the right temperature and environment, this plant will reward you with some fruits that are more common throughout Central and South America. At most, these plants reach about 10 feet tall and require a fence or trellis for support.

Tomatoes

Tomato plants come in two main forms: vining tomatoes and bush tomatoes. The vining tomato variety is an excellent plant option to grow in front of a fence. Tomatoes also prove to be one of the easiest plants to grow successfully, even if you have minimal gardening experience.

Cucumber

As is true for tomatoes, cucumber plants can be either bushes or vining. Vining cucumbers often grow larger and produce more fruits, meaning that if you choose a vining cucumber plant for your fence garden, you can expect some large yields when harvest time arrives.

Fruiting Shrubs

Many of our favorite fruits come from tree species. However, there are several fruiting shrubs that are beautiful and enjoyable to grow as well. In this chapter, we’ll consider a few of the best fruiting shrubs that you can grow near a fence.

Highbush Blueberry

Blueberries are perhaps one of the most recognizable and popular fruits that grow on a shrub, and the highbush blueberry variety is one that may be perfect for growing near a fence. These plants often grow best when they receive full sunlight and can spread their roots through acidic soils.

Raspberry Bushes

Raspberry bushes are another incredible edible shrub option that bear a fruit that many people love. These plants also grow in a wide range of climate regions, including hardiness zones 3 through 10. Raspberry bushes are also known to spread, so having a solid fence nearby is an effective way to control their expansion.

Serviceberry

The serviceberry tree is an underrated North American native species that has admirable ornamental features and edible berries. These shrubs bloom early in the year with white flowers, which eventually give way to reddish berries. These berries are often best when incorporated into jams and desserts.

Currant Bushes

Currant bushes come in several varieties, most of which are recognizable by the color of their fruits, which may be black, red, or white. These small fruits can appear in large quantities on mature plants, despite these shrubs maintaining a manageable size of about 6 feet tall at most.

Lingonberry

Lingonberries are one of the best plants to grow near a fence as they tend to be small and will rarely crowd your fence as other plants might. These evergreen shrubs produce bright red berries that are edible raw and have several culinary uses; often, you can substitute lingonberries for cranberries in recipes.

How to Transport a Tree

Purchasing trees can prove challenging because of their size. Many retailers can deliver a tree to your home (and some will also plant it for you), but that option isn’t always available. If you need to transport a tree home in a vehicle, here are some considerations to keep in mind.

Think Ahead

If your vehicle is not large enough to transport the size of tree you’re thinking of purchasing, look into borrowing or renting one that will accommodate your needs. To that end, you should have a general idea of what size tree you’re going to purchase before heading out. Of course it’s possible to buy a tree that is just a few feet tall or even smaller, but trees grow relatively slowly, so many people prefer to purchase one as large as they can reasonably afford and transport.

How to Protect a Tree in Your Vehicle

Depending on the type of vehicle and the size of your trees, you can either transport them horizontally or vertically. If they will be traveling horizontally, it’s a good idea to bundle leaves and branches together to minimize the chances of them breaking. If the nursery hasn’t wrapped the trees for you already, you could use a garbage bag, old bed sheets, bubble wrap, or just twine to hold branches in place. If you are transporting the tree vertically, make sure that it is braced firmly in place and won’t be knocked against any other items or the side of your vehicle.

It’s also a good idea to secure the pot so that soil doesn’t spill out during the trip. A plastic bag can be used to cover the entire top of the soil (garden tape or rubber bands help keep it in place), or you could use some cardboard cut to size and secured with tape.

How to Treat a Tree That Was Shipped From Somewhere Else

If you purchase a tree from elsewhere, you will not be able to control the treatment it receives in transit. If you can find the tree you want locally, this is generally the best option. Your tree can suffer from shock due to extreme temperatures and being in the dark for an extended period of time, so buying by mail increases the likelihood of problems once your tree is planted.

However, some people don’t have the luxury of buying a tree in person and need to order one to be shipped to them. If this is your situation, never fear — there are some steps you can take to minimize the stress on your new tree.

First, take your new tree out of its box as soon as it arrives. Inspect it for damage, insects, or any other signs that it is unhealthy. Water if necessary. Then keep your tree inside for at least two days in a bright location that is out of direct sun. After that, you can start acclimating it to direct sun by moving it outside for longer periods over the next few days. Then it will be ready for planting.

Watering Trees

Many trees don’t need watering at all once they are established. Ideally, your tree will be suitable to the amount of rainfall in the area and will only need watering during especially hot and dry periods.

When Do Trees Need to Be Watered?

Newly planted trees will need to be watered regularly until their roots are established. They should be watered roughly on this schedule, depending on rainfall and temperatures in the area at the time:

Be sure to water deeply each time, for 15-20 minutes, to be sure that the developing roots receive enough water.

Established trees shouldn’t need water except if the weather is especially hot and dry. If the forecast is outside of the typical climate for your region, use one or more of the methods below to monitor your trees, and water them as necessary.

How Can I Tell if My Tree Needs Water?

The best way to determine if your tree needs water is to test the soil. If you get to the symptoms of underwatering listed below, your tree is already starting to be stressed. That’s why it’s a good idea to monitor precipitation and heat so you can anticipate your tree’s needs.

The first way to test the soil is to penetrate the soil near the base of the tree with a strong, thin object (traditionally an 8-inch screwdriver, but any similarly shaped object will work). If it is difficult or impossible to insert all the way, your soil is too dry and should be watered.

You can also dig about 5 to 7 inches in the soil below your tree and check the moisture level. Soil at that level should feel cool and moist to the touch. If it is dry and crumbly, your tree needs to be watered.

Symptoms of Overwatering and Underwatering Trees

These symptoms will show up in your tree if something has gone wrong with your watering — either too much or too little water over time.

Underwatering

Not enough water will cause the tree to develop curled and wilting leaves. The leaves may also develop brown edges and leaf tips as the part of the plant farthest from the water source dries out. The browning will continue toward the center of the plant if the problem isn’t remedied. You may also see groups of yellowing and undersized leaves in certain areas of the plant. If combined with intense sunlight, an underwatered tree might develop leaf scorch.

Overwatering

Too much water in the soil can cause a tree to develop root rot and/or grow fungus. This prevents the tree from taking up water and nutrients from the soil. Symptoms of overwatering include wilted and yellowing leaves, which usually feel soft and may be fragile. Note that an overwatered tree may not display any leaf discoloration, making it difficult to diagnose. That’s why monitoring the soil to make sure it is draining well and not getting waterlogged is the best way to avoid overwatering trees.

Encouraging Fruit on Trees

Figuring out why your fruit tree isn’t producing can be tricky, and you may have to try out several solutions before you hit on the correct one. But don’t get discouraged; trees require patience and sometimes a little extra help to begin fruiting. They also have natural variation from year to year, so your problem may be solved just by waiting.

Troubleshooting

Overall Health

Does the tree have any obvious signs of disease? Are there pests? Is it otherwise growing well? An unhealthy tree will not have the resources to put toward developing fruit, so this is your first checkpoint to troubleshoot potential problems. If you identify anything that could be causing the tree to experience stress, you will need to remedy that before the tree can be expected to produce fruit.

Flowers

A tree needs flowers in order to create fruit, so the presence (or absence) of flowers can give you important information about what’s going on with your tree.

When Will a New Tree Bear Fruit?

Young trees need to reach a certain level of maturity before they can be expected to bear fruit. In most cases, your tree will take anywhere from two to four years after being planted before it produces fruit.

Solutions

Cross-Pollination

Certain types of fruiting trees require another specimen of the same tree to be in the vicinity for cross-pollination. Many varieties of apple, pear, cherries, and certain citrus trees require cross-pollination. Other species of fruit that are considered self-pollinating may also benefit from having other fruit trees around, even though it’s not strictly necessary.

Improve Pollination

The majority of trees need pollinating insects to create fruit. Even self-pollinating plants need to have pollen moved from one flower to another. While wind, rain or birds can accomplish this for them, insects are more efficient. If your tree has flowers but no insects, that may indicate that you need to take steps to attract them. Adding other plants to your garden that bees and butterflies prefer like goldenrod or asters, can help with your pollination efforts. Obviously the use of pesticides should be avoided if possible.

Protect Trees from Frost

When cold weather unexpectedly hits while trees are already blooming, the flowers can be killed off and ruin a whole season’s worth of fruit. If possible, cover trees overnight to protect them from frost. Planting trees in a protected area, such as near a hedge, can also help keep them safe from cold.

Treat Pests

Certain insects and birds love to eat young fruit and flower buds before they have a chance to develop. A cage around the tree keeps birds out, and natural predators can help keep insect populations in check before they can cause significant damage to your fruit trees.

Keeping a Tree Healthy

This section will cover the high-level basics of keeping trees growing strong and healthy. Each of these topics is covered in more detail in its own section later, so if you need any more information beyond what’s covered here, use the index to find the corresponding article.

Sunlight

Trees are the tallest types of plants that exist, and part of the reason that they are so tall is for them to be able to access a lot of sunlight. The majority of tree species need at least six to eight hours of direct sun per day. There are a few types of trees that can grow in shady conditions, but you will get the best result by planting your trees in a location away from buildings or other trees that block the sun.

Water

Trees are adapted to their environments, so they have very different water needs depending on where the particular species originated. Some prefer dry conditions and are drought-tolerant, while others thrive in marshy land with occasional flooding. It is vital to assess the available moisture and choose a tree that can do well with the amount of natural moisture available through precipitation or groundwater; otherwise, you may end up having to water your tree constantly or having it die due to root rot.

Drainage

Aside from those trees that are suited for consistently moist areas, most trees’ root systems require soil that doesn’t hold too much water. You can gauge the drainage of your garden soil in various parts of your yard to see which areas drain well and which tend to remain soggy. A soil amendment such as compost or shredded leaves can be used to increase drainage around your trees.

Soil

Loamy soil works best for the majority of tree species, as it’s a balanced mix of sandy soil, clay soil, and silt soil. However, if your soil is not naturally loamy, you can still find a tree that is well-suited to your soil type.

Fertilizer

Ideally, your trees will not need any extra fertilizer because they will be able to access all their nutrients and minerals they need from the organic matter in the soil in your yard. However, if the soil does not naturally contain the required nutrients, fertilizer can be added to support the trees’ health.

Temperature

Check the USDA Hardiness Zone in your area and compare it to the guidance on the tree’s care instructions. It will be very difficult or even impossible to grow a tree successfully if the climate is not compatible with the tree species. This applies both to climates that are too hot and too cold.

Humidity

How Much Sunlight Does a Tree Need?

The short answer is: Trees need a lot of sunlight. Most tree species can’t tolerate being planted in a shady spot. The main adaptation that makes a tree a tree is its height and having leaves concentrated at the top of the plant to collect the most sun. However, some trees are adapted to being grown in the shade of other trees, meaning they can do well in a shadier location.

Required Light for Different Tree Species

Trees Needing the Most Sunlight

The trees that need the most light are those that are from equatorial habitats that receive a lot of sunlight year-round and don’t truly experience a winter season. The trees that grow the tallest in this environment are able to receive the maximum amount of sun (12+ hours per day) by stretching high above their neighbors. Some examples of extremely high sunlight trees are the kapok, Brazil nut tree, baobab tree, and Couratari species.

‘Full-Sun’ Trees

The majority of trees that people grow in their yards or gardens need at least six hours of sunlight per day. These will generally have “full sun” written on their care label, despite the fact that they can survive on significantly less sunlight than the trees described above. You can assume this is the standard amount of sunlight required for a typical tree sold in a garden center such as an elm, birch, or willow.

Medium- to Low-Light Trees

Although most trees will take as much sunlight as possible, there are some species that can tolerate partial or full-shade conditions. Partial shade generally means three to six hours of direct sun per day. Be aware that planting any types of trees in shade may decrease their production of flowers or fruit, and they will grow more slowly than the same species planted in a sunnier spot. Shade-tolerant trees include Japanese maples, sugar maples, American pawpaw, and American beech trees.

Symptoms of Insufficient Light in Trees

Insufficient light can be compared to a slow starvation of your tree. It won’t kill the tree right away, since it’s still receiving some amount of energy from the sunlight it does get, but the tree will never really thrive and will show signs of stress and be generally unhealthy.

Trees that aren’t getting enough light will grow more slowly than usual. Their leaves lose their color, turn yellow, and eventually drop off. New growth may be spindly and stretched, with longer-than-usual internodes, as the plant attempts to position its leaves into more intense sunlight.

Fixing the Problem

If your tree isn’t getting enough light, it will be difficult (but not impossible) to fix the problem. First, try to identify if you can remove any obstacles that are preventing sunlight from reaching the tree. Maybe some nearby trees or shrubs can be pruned to open up the area. If your tree has been recently planted, you may be able to dig it up and relocate it.

To avoid having to take extreme measures like relocating your tree, be sure to evaluate the spot where you’re planning to plant your tree before committing and planting it. Monitor it over the course of a day to see how much direct sun will actually be available. Although this takes a little more work on the front end, it’s much less of a headache if you can avoid planting a tree in an area that’s too shady.

How to Maintain a Cut-Flower Garden

Getting seeds in the ground is just the first step for establishing a cut-flower garden. The real work takes place over the rest of the growing season as you tend to fragile seedlings and maximize their bloom potential.

1. Weed Thoroughly and Often

By far, the biggest threat to your cut flowers will be weeds. These tenacious plants can grow from tiny seedlings to looming hulks seemingly overnight and quickly choke out your flowers.

The best strategy for keeping them under control is to remove weeds as soon as you see them. This means you’ll need to get into the garden bed for weeding every few days as your plants get established. Once your flowers grow to size, they will start to shade out weeds and better be able to out-compete them.

2. Keep Things Trimmed

Plants produce flowers as a means of reproduction. Their goal is to get these flowers fertilized so the plant can produce seeds. Once it succeeds in creating the next generation, your plant will stop producing more flowers.

Your job is to prevent this process by continuously trimming off flowers (even the ones not perfect enough for a bouquet). This ensures the plant continues to produce new blossoms in an attempt to finally succeed in making seeds.

3. Have a Replanting Plan

Even with consistent trimming, all cut flowers have a finite lifespan. If you really want to maximize the blooms from your growing space, you’ll need to plan several succession plantings. This might mean staggered plantings of the same variety, or plans to pull out dying plants to replace them with something entirely new.

Note: It may take a few garden seasons for you to master your planting plan. The goal is to always have enough flowers blooming to make visually interesting bouquets. Expect it to take some trial and error to figure out what works best for both your growing space and cut-flower requirements.

4. Address Pests and Disease Problems Immediately

Unlike fruit and vegetable plants, flowers tend to deal with fewer pest problems. But even so, a small infestation can cause significant damage if you don’t address the situation immediately. After all, no one wants a bouquet with zinnia with half their petals chewed off.

The best way to avoid insect problems is to monitor your growing space regularly. Inspect plants every week, looking for bite marks and checking the undersides of leaves for egg clusters. Treat any signs of an infestation with an insecticidal spray so you can combat the problem before it gets out of hand.

Disease problems should be addressed the same way. Treat infected plants with fungicides or other relevant products immediately, and remove and destroy infected plants if the situation doesn’t seem to be improving.

Planting Your Cut-Flower Garden

For many gardeners, the biggest challenge with a cut-flower garden is starting it on the right foot. Without the proper foundation, your flower garden will quickly turn into a weed fest that leaves you discouraged. So, before you start planting, make sure you have a plan in place to keep things under control. Here’s how to get those seeds in the ground the right way.

1. Think Through Plant Height and Harvesting Time

Prior to planting, map out where you want each variety to go. Think carefully about the overall arrangement. Some gardeners try to keep plants that will be harvested around the same time together for easier access, while others prefer to intersperse them to avoid “dead patches” without blooms in the garden.

Another consideration? Plant height. You don’t want a crop of tall sunflowers to shade out your snapdragons before they can bloom.

2. Prepare the Garden Site

Like any garden crop, cut flowers require nutrient-rich soil to thrive. Consider doing a soil test the season before planting so you know what amendments to add. Most varieties will thrive with several inches of compost or aged manure added to the soil.

Then, in the weeks before planting, till or hand-weed the garden bed to remove any weeds that could compete with the flower seeds.

3. Establish a Watering System

Without consistent watering, your flower garden will fade fast, leaving you with barely a bloom for your bouquets. You’ll want to have a watering plan set up before the first seeds are in the ground. Depending on your garden size, this can range from an overhead sprinkling system to drip irrigation or even some conveniently located watering cans.

4. Sow Seeds According to Package Instructions

There are a variety of ways to plant flower seeds. Some need to be buried at least a centimeter into the ground, while others require sunlight to germinate and must be surface-sown.

Still others require several weeks of chilly temperatures to mimic winter conditions in a process known as cold stratification. For best results, make sure you understand what each variety requires before stating.

5. Have a Planting Schedule

Some flower varieties will bloom throughout the summer, while others have a single flowering session. If you want consistent cut flowers, you may need to plant several successions of flowers for one-and-done varieties. Stagger your plantings every two weeks from the start of the last spring frost through the beginning of fall.

6. Put Down Mulch

Mulch is a wonder product for gardens. Not only does it keep weed seeds from sprouting, but it helps retain soil moisture so delicate plants won’t dry up. Consider using a lightweight mulch like shredded leaves or straw so tiny seedlings can sprout through it.