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Plant Focus: Persian Parrotia

November 25, 2009 •

persian-parrotia www.waysidegardens.com
Persian Parrotia by Eric Grant

As the relaxing breezes of fall’s changing season waft across the land, autumnal tradition is at hand. With flower beds cleaned, and perennials cut back and mulched, the eyes of gardeners lift from the ground and look to the trees in anticipation of the colorful encore of fall. It is tradition. Neither written nor posted on our garden paths, it is the soulful refuge which caps our efforts of another growing season. This culmination of the gardening experience is one of the few for which we need do nothing. It comes to us each year without our prodding, regardless of how well we fertilized, kept up with the weeds, or carefully cultivated our palette of plants.

The predictably late emerging color of one particular tree always catches my attention. The masterful blends of everything autumn are held by the Persian parrotia (Parrotia persica).

persian-parrotia www.whiteflowerfarm.com/
Persian Parrotia Given the vibrant yellow, vivid orange, and nearly screaming scarlet tones of the leaves, I can’t help but wonder why this relatively unknown tree is scarcely planted. With a size and habit inadvertently tailored to suburban landscapes, its rarity is assuredly curious. Usually maturing in the realm of 25 to 30 feet, this is a tree which can truly proclaim being problem-free. It bears strong branching, a multitude of attributes throughout the year, and a grandeur from which insects and diseases run. Whether they know it or not, this is the tree sought by homeowners everywhere, yet found by few. Even in a year of muted tones, the colorful fall performance of Persian parrotia is outstanding.

The harmony of its hues caused me to reflect on its name. I have known this tree for years and have always thought it appropriate that it had the word “parrot” within its title. Research, however, revealed that “Parrot” was actually the name of a naturalist for whom the tree was named, not at all the colorful bird I had assumed. Also ironic is the species name “persica” which aptly refers to its persistence. And persistent it is. While its color is late, it reliably holds well beyond its peers.

When the season’s applause is dropped from its branches, I find myself no less disappointed. The smooth, young, silvery branches are held upright by a maturing trunk cloaked in the most appealing bark. The somewhat peeling, patchy tapestry of brown, green, silver-gray, and off-white offer the most delicate interest. Eye-catching in any season, winter heralds its greatest contrast, as it will again be persistent to not disappoint. Few people consider the winter elements of the things they plant, and even fewer plan for them. Once again, Persian parrotia inadvertently shines through!

So many outstanding attributes leave me nearly aghast to know that there is indeed more. Although some months off, and content with its current presentation, spring will reveal yet another visual delight. Following the small, curious blooms in March (often missed from a distance), the young, unfurling leaves are a purplish shade of burgundy I can’t otherwise describe. The contrast against its spring-green palette seems to enforce the reason that colors themselves exist. Often holding its tones well into spring, these leaves will eventually transform into a rich, deep green. In conjunction with deeply textured leaves, it provides an effect that is both cooling and calming.

Persian parrotia, it seems, knows exactly what we need in every season and then provides it. While native to the Middle East, this tapestry of a plant couldn’t be better suited to our gardens. I can no longer imagine my yard without it.

Eric Grant is from Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy, Michigan.

At a glance: Persian parrotia

Botanical name: Parrotia persica (puh-ROE-tee-uh PER-sik-uh)

Plant type: Deciduous tree

Plant size: 25-35 feet tall and wide

Growth rate: Medium to slow (8 to 14 inches per year)

Habit: Rounded to broad oval

Hardiness: Zone 4-8

Flower color: Scarlet

Flower size: Small (less than 1/2 inch), inconspicuous

Flower time: March

Leaf color: Spring: deep burgundy; Summer: deep green; Autumn: red, orange, and yellow

Leaf size: Length: 2-1/2 to 5 inches; Width: 1 to 2-1/2 inches

Bark: Mature branches and trunks display a mottled tapestry of brown, green, silver-gray, and off-white

Light: Full sun to light shade

Soil: Well-drained, slightly acidic

Uses: Ideal alternative for foundation plantings, or as a small specimen tree for the yard

Remarks: Few other trees can claim the bounty of beauty in four seasons; free of diseases and insects

Working with freshly ground wood chips

November 8, 2009 •

I was thrilled by a recent acquisition of shredded/chipped/mulched trees from a contractor removing storm-damaged neighborhood trees, but now I am second guessing its value. I know some of the trees were healthy; others, I have no idea. Does this material need to be treated? Is it (a treatment) something a homeowner can do? If not, what does one do with 5 or 6 yards?!

There are two negatives that come when you take free wood chips from trees that you are not familiar with, both of which are fairly easily remedied at no cost to you. The first problem is that if the tree had any soilborne disease such as verticillium wilt, which can be found in some maple trees, the wood chips from that tree can spread the disease to your soil as well. The other potential problem is that freshly chipped material, as well as material that includes a lot of leaves in it, takes a lot of nitrogen from your soil to aid in the breaking-down process that all organic mulches go through during a season.

To remedy these problems, treat your new mulch as a pile of compost for part of the year. If you can find an area in your yard to store the 5 yards throughout the winter and early spring, go ahead and place it there. The mulch will continue to break down while it is stored in a pile. This composting process produces quite a bit of heat within the pile. Not only does the process of composting reduce the need for the mulch to consume nitrogen from your soil, the heat from the pile kills off many of the organisms that can cause diseases within your newly mulched garden.

Trumpet vines won’t bloom

November 7, 2009 •

I have a trumpet vine about 5 years old that has never shown a hint of blooming. It does not seem to adhere to a trellis, but grows along the ground until I attach it to the trellis. It gets sunlight for about one-half the day. I also have another trumpet vine that gets full sun, but it has the same problems.

As far as the trumpet vine goes, you could try a couple different things. The first thing to look at is fertilizing. Be sure that you are using a fertilizer that is high in phosphorus (the middle number when you are reading a fertilizer label, such as 0-20-0). Also, avoid a excessive nitrogen fertilizer, which is a high first number (15-3-3). This may mean that you have to watch out where your lawn fertilizer is being spread, since lawn fertilizer is high in nitrogen. Be sure to avoid your trumpet vine when you fertilize your lawn. Also, moderate stress on the plant may induce flowering, so only water as needed and do not overfertilize.

Another way of inducing flowering from your trumpet vine is to do something called root pruning:

1) Cut a circular slit in the ground that is centered around the stem of the plant. The circle should have a diameter of two feet for every one inch of trunk diameter. Use a sharp, pointed shovel to make a slit by plunging it into the ground as far as possible, then rock the handle back and forth slightly to create a V-shaped cut. Proceed around the plant until the circle is complete.

2) Sprinkle bone meal or superphosphate into the opening at a rate of 1 cup per inch of stem diameter.

3) Use a gentle stream of water to wash the powder downward.

4) Once the water has disappeared, use your foot to lightly push down on either side of the cut to close the opening.

5) Replace the mulch over the worked area and water thoroughly to settle the loosened soil.

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At a glance: Persian parrotia