Rosa rugosa is one of Nantucket’s quintessential plants, right up there with blue Hydrangeas. These Asian roses have been grown on Nantucket since the beginning of the last century, and possibly earlier. They do very well in our inhospitable maritime environment. They tolerate salty winds freezing winters and drought, all the while producing loads of flowers and disease-free foliage. They can be found planted all over the island and have naturalized in many of our dunes.
Rosa rugosa ‘Hansa’ flowers
The botanical Latin term, “rugosa” means wrinkled. It refers to the quilted look of the shiny green leaves. Rosa rugosa has a beautiful pink single, or sometimes white flower. The white-flowered plants are often labeled as the cultivar, ‘Alba.’ The fragrant, single flowers are very beautiful, but there are many cultivars available with different flowering characteristics.
We currently have a large group of ‘Hansa’ in stock. This stunning rose was introduced in 1904, making it more than a century old! ‘Hansa’ sports huge, fully double flowers in a deep pink color. They flower throughout the summer perfuming the air with a clove-like fragrance. After the flowers fade, their hips enlarge and turn shades of orange and red, making them even more interesting to look at.
For more information check out our Blog post Rosa rugosa 101
We sell loads and loads of climbing roses here at Surfing Hydrangea. Happily, antique climbers grown on their own roots are coming back into popularity. Many of these are rambling roses with long flexible canes that lend well to growing on split rail fences, up into trees and over pergolas. These guys are large, but if planted in the right place and allowed to sprawl, they make a spectacular show in June.
We’ve just stocked a group of ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ roses that are sure to please. This variety was introduced around the turn of the century and has been growing strong ever since. This rose is disease resistant and very adaptable – said to bloom heavily with only half day of sun. Although rambling roses only bloom once, they are well worth the wait. ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ covers itself in double pink blossoms that produce an intoxicating scent. A 30′ tall cascading curtain of roses can’t be missed!
Island gardeners tend to grow few evergreen trees and shrubs compared to their counterparts in America. Admittedly, it can be difficult to grow robust conifers and broad-leafed evergreens on Nantucket. Desiccating salty winds and hungry deer can do a real number on them, especially in the winter. But in town, or in a protected garden, free from deer, evergreens can be grown successfully on The Grey Lady
One of my favorite evergreen shrubs in Japanese plum yew. This elegant evergreen very much resembles it’s namesake. Like Yews (Taxus sps.), there are several species and forms on the market today. We tend to carry Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Prostrata’ for use as a spreading form and Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Fastigiata’ for it’s columnar shape.
These cultivars are males, and will not bear fruit as many yews do. The broad needles are a slightly shiny deep green color and look just like exaggerated yew foliage. The green color persists in winter as long as the plants aren’t in an exposed location. This makes them a nice alternative to boxwood, which can bronze or even turn bright orange in winter. Although we can’t say Japanese plum yew is the answer to all your evergreen desires, it has proved to be very durable and somewhat deer-resistant in one neighborhood in Tom Nevers.
This plant will tolerate a number of conditions, but is best grown in shade. It will flourish in moist, well drained soil and, once established, won’t miss a beat during short dry spells. Try pairing the spreading types with plants that have broad, variegated or colored leaves like Hostas. Why not go for the gold and pop in some spring bulbs like Scilla or Snow Drops to bloom in bare areas while the Hostas are still asleep in early spring? The dainty flowers would look great set off by the deep green needles of the Japanese plum yew. The upright form ‘Fastigiata’ makes a superb punctuation in the garden. Plant it next to an entry or a funky container; it would also make a great hedge if well-maintained.
We love Hydrangeas here at the nursery, and not just the mop heads. We love them all! My personal favorite species at the moment is Hydrangea paniculata. These beauties bloom reliably year after year, and don’t require complicated pruning to do so. Every year it seems there are more cultivars on the market. In fact, it’s gotten really hard to keep them all straight!
A few weeks ago, Anna took the time to compile a list of the panicle Hydrangeas we carry. It’s a good beginning, but we are happy to answer questions in person too.
‘Angel’s Blush’
Type of Flower: Lacy
Size: Fast growing to 8 to 12 ft. tall, 6 to 10 ft. wide.
Color: Long-lasting, 10 inch-long white flower clusters in early summer. Rosy-red as they age in late summer and fall.
‘Bobo’
Type of Flower: Mounded
Size: 3ft tall to 3-4ft wide (Dwarf)
Color: Creamy white flowers in summer, providing a nonstop show until frost. In fall, flowers may turn a pinkish hue.
‘Bombshell’
Type of Flower: Compact, mounded
Size: Dwarf Form 2-3ft both in height and width
Color: White to ivory
‘Dharuma’
Type of Flower: Lacy
Size: 3-4ft Tall & 3ft Wide
Color: Starts off white but quickly turns to a rose.
‘Fire & Ice’
Type of Flower: Lacy
Size: 3-4ft Tall & 3-4ft Wide
Color: Blooms open creamy white in early summer, turn pink in mid-summer, becoming deep red in fall.
‘Grandiflora’
Type of Flower: Mounded
Size: 15-30ft Tall & 10-15ft Wide
Color: Giant white flower heads turning pink with age.
‘Great Star’
Type of Flower: Large, starry blooms.
Size: 6-7ft Tall, equal in width
Color: Creamy White
‘Kyushu’ or ‘Snow Mountain’
Type of Flower: Lacy
Size: 15-20ft Tall to 10ft Wide
Color: Mid July flowers are white and turn pinkish to almost purple with age.
‘Limelight’
Type of Flower: Mounded
Size: 6-8ft Tall, equal in width
Color: Unique chartreuse blooms in mid-summer that changes to pink in fall.
‘Little Lamb’
Type of Flower: Mounded
Size: 6-8ft Tall and 4-6ft in Width
Color: White
‘Little Lime’
Flower Type: Mounded
Size: 3-5ft both in height and width, considered as “dwarf” variety
Color: Green, turning pink in the fall
‘Little Quick Fire’
Flower Type: Large, loosely held blooms
Size: 3-5ft both in height and width
Color: Open creamy-white, quickly turn a deep rosy-pink
‘Pink Diamond’
Flower Type: Cone, mounded
Size: 8-10ft both in height and width
Color: White flowers that age to pink
‘Pinky Winky’
Flower Type: Large Lacy Blooms
Size: 6-8ft Tall
Color: The large white panicles open in mid to late-summer, and as summer turns to fall the florets at the base of the panicles turn pink
‘Quickfire’
Flower Type: Lacy
Size: 6-8ft Tall and Wide
Color: Begins white, turns pink as the summer progresses.
‘Sweet Summer’
Flower Type: Mounded
Size: 4ft. Tall and Wide
Color: Shows white and shades of pink at the same time.
‘The Swan’
Flower Type: Starry like blooms, lace-like qualities.
Size: 4-6ft Tall and Width
Color: Primarily white, shows shades of pink and ivory.
‘Tardiva’
Flower Type: Lacy
Size: Reaches 8-10ft Tall Spreads 6-10ft
Color: White and shades of pink
‘Unique’
Flower Type: Lacy
Size: 6-10ft Tall and 6-10ft Wide
Color: Mostly white with shades of pink
One of the most frustrating problems that befalls Hydrangeas in residential landscapes is leaf spots. In the beginning, a few small spots appear on the leaves. As July turns into August fungal diseases become more and more noticeable. What began as a few purple specks can quickly spread into a pattern of many small or large spots, some even leaving holes in the leaves. A heavy crop of spots can really destroy the ornamental value of a plant.
When Hydrangeas are well grown, leaf spots are generally not an issue. Overhead irrigation, warm foggy days, and damp nights favor the spread of these diseases. There are two common fungal leaf spots that affect these plants: Cercospora and Anthracnose.
By the end of the summer, the entire leaf is infected
Cercospora Leaf Spot is caused by the fungus Cercospora hydrangeae. These are generally small spots, starting as small purple or tan spots at the base of the plant. As the disease progresses the spots will move up the plants, affecting most of the leaves. By early fall, the spots develop a “frog-eye” look, with a papery-tan center and dark purple halo. Heavily spotted leaves often turn yellow and fall to the ground. These infected leaves serve as inoculum for future infections. Anthracnose Leaf Spot is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum gleosporioides. These spots initially look similar to Cercospora, but can become many times larger, as the fungus radiates out from the initial point of infection. Alternating darker and lighter rings form, giving the spots a distinctive bull’s eye appearance. The rounded spots may become irregular as they contact veins in the leaf. Infected areas of leaf tissue can take on a sunken appearance as well. Unlike Cercospora, Anthracnose often occurs simultaneously on leaves and flowers in both the lower and upper part of the plant. During favorable conditions (temperatures between 75 and 90 degrees F) spores develop in overwintering leaf debris. These spores are primarily spread to the leaves by splashing water during rain events.
Bacterial Leaf Spot is also a problem with Hydrangeas. The bacteria Xanthomonas campestris causes spots to appear on infected Hydrangea leaves starting in summer. The bacteria is splashed up onto the leaves from overwintering innoculum in the soil or leaf litter. The bacteria enters the leaves through wounds or the natural openings (stomates and hydathodes). These angular lesions continue to grow and coalesce forming large necrotic patches on the leaves.
Treatment for leaf spots of all kinds is generally the same. At the first sign of infection, (or earlier in areas that are historically spotty) begin to spray with a suitable fungicide. Copper-based products are touted to help with bacterial infections as well. Just be careful with copper, some plants are sensitive to it – check the label. The fungicide should help to stop the infection from spreading to new leaves. If the spots haven’t spread throughout the entire plant, consider removing infected leaves. More fungal spores can be released from the spots, if the fungus completes it’s life cycle. Continually remove fallen leaves, and be sure to clean up any leaf material that remains after the frost. Old leaf litter is the primary source for these pathogens.
We sell hundreds of ornamental trees on Nantucket every year. And as much as I love selling majestic Elms, elegant Styrax and the like, I have a special place in my heart for fruit bearing trees. There is something really exciting about being able to grow fruit for yourself. Pear trees, in particular, seem to be very rewarding.
Pears grow well when planted in full sun in average to fertile soil that is well drained. Like other fruit trees, they require a little care and benefit from a spray program to control certain pests. But if well cared for, a good crop is within the reach of any home gardener.
Similar to apples, European pears require more than one variety to ensure proper pollination. If a pollinizer is not planted within 100 feet of the desired variety, the crop is likely to be very small or non-existent. The standard pear for flavor and texture is ‘Bartlett’. This variety is properly pollinated by ‘Bosc’. ‘Sekel’ another common variety, will not pollinate ‘Bartlett’, so be sure to add a third variety to your yard if you want to try ‘Sekel’ as well.
All that being said, Asian pears are self-fruitful. So if you only have room for one fruit tree, try an Asian pear. These are the round, brown varieties that are found year-round in the store. They tend to be very crisp, but have less flavor than European pears. Although less hardy than their European cousins, they should do well on Nantucket due to our mild winters.
Standard pear trees can get quite large. Luckily, the fruit trees we sell are generally semi-dwarf. This means that one can expect our fruit trees to mature at about 20 feet. The smaller size makes these trees easier to spray, prune and harvest.
This Summer has been one of the busiest in recent years here at Surfing Hydrangea. Contractor sales have been higher than ever and retail business is also strong. For me, it’s been strange to not be at the nursery, in the thick of things, during the busiest part of the year.
As many of you know, I have been out of commission since the beginning of June. I started back to work the second week of August after two months off. What seemed to be just another sore back this spring, shifted into extremely painful sciatica issues in late may. Apparently I badly herniated one of the disks in my lower back and ended up having back surgery in June.
It really gets one thinking about how our physical bodies are connected to our livelihood in the green industry. For me, seasons of spring pruning, garden maintenance and fall clean-ups really did a number on my body. Add a few years of nursery work, wrenching heavy boxwood up out of the chips and moving large containerized plants all over the yard and VOILA! Stuck on the floor, laying on my side with a pillow between my knees for two months when I could have been selling plants!
I’m a shining example of what NOT to do. I seldom paid any attention to how I lifted things. I worked hard, and not very smart. My body has paid the price. Please, please please, take care of yourself out there!
Avoid twisting when lifting heavy objects like buckets of mulch. When possible, use a wheel barrow instead.
Try to bend at the knees and use your legs to lift, instead of bending at the waist and rounding your back.
Avoid bending for long periods. If the shell driveway needs to be weeded, put the whole crew on it for half an hour instead of sending out one person to work on it for four hours.
Break up monotonous tasks that involve bending with other work that allows you to straighten your back. i.e. Alternate cleaning the day lilies with deadheading the tall butterfly bush.
Landscaping is hard work, and often a little frantic. It’s so important to move steadily forward, but avoid running around the job site. The likelihood of tripping on an errant rake is much higher if you aren’t paying attention to your feet.
Strain caused by repetitive motions is cumulative. Try to limit repetitive motions if possible, or break them up. i.e We know that gardeners have to bend over to cut down ornamental grasses in the fall. But, do we need to send out a crew to cut down all the grasses in the customer list for an entire week? Consider breaking it up so that crew members can recover from the strain, while continuing to work on other tasks, like fall pruning or fencing.
Those of us who are out there, year after year, really love our jobs! Pay attention to how you use your body. If you are mindful, you can garden as long as you want. But trust me, if you aren’t mindful, there is a distinct possibility that your body won’t let you.
-Brad MacDonald
The industry standard for large woody plants has always been balled and burlapped, or B&B. In this production style, liner trees are grown in the field until salable size. In order to ship them, they are dug with a mechanized spade. The root ball is wrapped with burlap, twine and/or a wire cage. Most often, digging is done in the spring or fall while the plants are dormant. There are several drawbacks to this style of growing: Most of the root system of the plant is left in the field, so transplanted trees must rapidly grow a new root system during the first year of planting to support the top growth. The root balls of field-dug plants can be extremely heavy, which can make planting difficult and expensive. Unless trees are root-pruned, it is not advisable to dig trees while in leaf; this limits custom orders to Spring and Fall. Some also believe that the difference between the native soil and the soil in the root ball can inhibit establishment.
A new system for growing larger nursery stock in bags has been gaining popularity. Liner trees are planted in a felt-like bag with a relatively light soil mix. These are then planted in the field, bag and all. As the root system of the small tree grows it fills the bag and some roots penetrate the bag into the surrounding soil. The bags encourage a well-branched, fibrous root system that is easily harvested with minimal root disturbance. The roots do not circle around the trunk, as roots often do in plastic containers.
Trees grown in these e bags establish extremely quickly, without the transplant shock that is associated with B&B material. This system also allows for a much smaller and lighter root system that is far easier to handle and plant, decreasing costs from harvesting to installation. Keep in mind, the bags MUST be removed just prior to planting. Having stocked trees grown this way, we advise a sturdy staking system at planting. Tree that we have brought in to the nursery grown this way have tendency to blow over in a much lighter wind than conventional B&B trees.
Winter is a harsh time for both people and plants. As we huddle indoors, keeping out of the snow, ice and wind our treasured plants are feeling the full brunt of the weather. Woody plants, in particular, are prone to winter damage because their trunks, branches, stems and buds hang out above ground all year. After a recent storm, I took a drive around town to survey the damage. One of the most obvious problems on that day was splayed privet hedges.
As snow blankets the ground and begins to pile up on roofs and roads, it is also collecting on our hedges. An improperly maintained privet hedge is very likely to bow under the weight. Proper pruning is the key to avoiding this problem all together.
If you follow these tips, you should have a healthy, sturdy hedge, no matter how many snow storms we have:
Keep your hedge healthy: California Privet performs best in full sun, with average, well-drained soil. If a soil test indicates a lack of fertility in the soil, it is wise to apply a fertilizer at the recommended rate. Try not to use privet in shady areas. When planted in dense shade (like on the North side of a building) hedges tend to be spindly, with weak growth that is prone to drooping under the weight of snow and ice. If shaded by a large tree, consider having an arborist thin the canopy to let in more light.
Give your hedge the proper shape: Professionally maintained hedges will always be narrower at the top than the bottom. This shape helps distribute the weight of the snow evenly, so that top doesn’t bear the full weight, causing it to splay. During the growing season, this shape also allows the maximum amount of sun to reach the bottom of the hedge, keeping it dense all the way to the ground.
Whack it back: Every few years, the hedge should be rejuvenated by hard pruning during dormancy. Hedges that are constantly sheared on the same plane begin to form a thick layer of tiny twigs at the outside. This provides a surface for snow and ice to accumulate on. I have seen established hedges cut to the ground that have grown to five feet in one season. But if that scares you, consider splitting the job up into sessions during two consecutive winters. With a pair of sharp, sturdy loppers, cut back the top and one side well below the outer layer of twigs. Don’t be afraid to cut into thick, old wood; Privet plants have hundreds of dormant buds all along their stems – these will break and quickly fill in the area that has been removed. During the second winter, rejuvenate the remaining side.
Lighten the Load: If you haven’t been able to get your pruning done, there is no shame in getting out there and shaking or brushing off the snow with a broom once and a while. However, ice is best left to melt naturally; trying to knock it off is likely to cause even more breakage.
We sell hundreds of ornamental trees on Nantucket every year. And as much as I love selling majestic Elms, elegant Styrax and the like, I have a special place in my heart for fruit bearing trees. There is something really exciting about being able to grow fruit for yourself. Pear trees, in particular, seem to be very rewarding.
