With a common name like “Harlequin Glorybower,” you would think this plant just fell from Mount Olympus or something! In fact, the botanical name for this genus, Clerodendron, stems from the Greek words kleros (meaning fate) and dendron (meaning tree). The common name references the fact that the flowering structures resemble the costume of Harlequin, a character from ancient Italian classical theatre – fancy! “Glorybower” is a semi made-up word meaning, “stunning garden arbor” which presumably refers to the domed shape of the mature plant. I find this part of the name particularly funny, since it is considered a “trash- tree” in much of the southeastern US where it has become naturalized since its introduction from Japan in the 1860’s.
The species of Clerodendron that is most suited to growing in our area, C. trichotomum, is a large shrub or small shrubby tree, native to Asia. It grows well in full sun to part shade in rich, well-drained soils. The stems and bark look somewhat like elderberry, beginning green and aging to a nubbly brown. The medium green, ovate leaves have a slight downy texture and range in size from 4″ to 9″ long by 2″-5″ wide. One of the distinguishing characteristics of this plant is immediately apparent when any part of the plant is bruised — They have a very peculiar peanut butter scent, hence the second common name, Peanut Butter Tree. In Mid-August the plant produces clusters of blush-pink flower buds that open to white. As the flowers fade, the calyxes, just below the petals, become a vibrant magenta-red. The fruit appears in the center of the calyxes, beginning white, changing to a bright blue and aging to a deep blue-black.
Dr. Michael Dirr does not have a glowing review for this plant in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. He says, “Over the years, my feelings toward this plant have ebbed and flowed like the tide. In flower and fruit it is delightful but at its worst has the appearance of an overturned Dempster Dumpster.” I somewhat agree, but I think it’s definitely worth a try. I’ve observed this plant growing in my neighbor’s yard mid-island since being planted perhaps 8 years ago. With little to no care, the plant is now chest-high with an equal spread. It has never been browsed by deer and seems perfectly happy in unirrigated typical Nantucket soil in part sun.
ONE FINAL NOTE: This plant is at the edge of its hardiness range here in zone 7 ish. During a prolonged cold winter, the plant may die back somewhat, or perhaps even to the ground. If it dies back considerably, it is very likely to rebound from the roots.
Colonies of Sassafrass are easily identified from a distance by their “Dr. Seuss-looking” growth habit of more or less upright, wiggly trunks and branches. Up close, the youngest twigs are a shiny green while more mature branches and the trunks become grayish and furrowed over the years. In early May, yellow flowers seem to burst out of the tips of the twigs, filling the whole canopy in a bright sunny haze. Another easy way to identify these trees is by the leaves. While most trees have leaves that are all the same shape, these trees have a set of three different leaves that appear throughout the canopy at the same time: a simple ovoid shape, a “mitten” shape and a shape with three lobes, resembling a trident. During the growing season the leaves are a medium green, but they take on hues of brown, maroon, orange and deep scarlet in the fall.
Everyone loves flowering trees. When in bloom, they can change the entire look and feel of the landscape, especially if there are many trees planted throughout a property. Ornamental cherries and pears make up the vast majority of the flowering trees that we sell at the nursery, but there are lots of lesser-used trees that are also very beautiful. In recent years, we have had more and more customers including Crape Myrtles in their gardens.
I’ve spent many, many hours on ladders and on top of roofs and pergolas as a professional gardener on Nantucket. The bulk of those hours have been spent on rose care, but pruning and training wisteria is actually one of my all-time favorite garden tasks. This graceful, spring-flowering vine requires a lot of work to keep in bounds and looking its best. This is especially true of the Asian varieties, which are quite a bit more rampant than their North American cousins. Although there are many cultivars and hybrids, Asian wisteria can generally be separated into to groups: Japanese and Chinese.
Clethra alnifolia, as botanists refer to it, is a native North American plant that is endemic to Nantucket where it can be found growing in low-lying areas and at the edges of wetlands. If grown in moist soil, it tends to sucker and form colonies over time. However, this plant is well-behaved and very adaptable, doing well in most any island garden where average soil and even water is available. It prefers full sun, but will flower in shade. The overall look of these plants is a pleasant green, twiggy shrub with an upright, balloon-shaped habit. They have medium green, rounded, ovate leaves with finely-toothed edges. In mid summer, they produce loads of fragrant flowers that are reminiscent of small, skinny bottle brushes. The native form of this plant generally has white flowers, but there are pink cultivars available, as well. Beneficial insects like it just as much as we do; many species of butterflies, bees, wasps, flies and other flying insects frequent the plant while it is in flower during July and August.