The rustic fuchsia

Fuchsia: a food plant

When we talk about food plants (interesting for all the inhabitants of the garden, like insects and birds), we often forget to talk about fuchsia. However, it is a plant that will interest many insects, on the one hand in summer, but also in late season. Indeed, the flowering of fuchsia will last until the first frosts, which can take us sometimes until late November or early December.

Hardy fuchsias

Hardy fuchsias are simple to grow. It is not necessary to bring them in during the winter, even if it is very cold (however, it is preferable to install a protection the first few winters). The mother plants of the nursery have already faced very low temperatures (-21°C), without protection.

Fuchsias and the sun

The sunnier the season, the longer and more important the flowering. Contrary to what has been assumed for a long time, the fuchsia is more of a semi-shade plant than a shade plant, because, of course, it needs coolness, but it also needs sun for its flowering.

Small and large hardy fuchsias

Hardy fuchsias offer a wide variety of plants, with small fuchsias that are no more than 60 cm tall and others that can reach 2.50 m tall.

In fact, the size of the fuchsia depends on the previous winter: the harsher the winter, the more necessary it is to cut back the branches that have taken the cold, while following a mild winter, the cuts are very light.

Two varieties of hardy fuchsias in the spotlight

• The fuchsia "Ville de Rocquencour" (French obtention, as its name suggests): a very decorative fuchsia, 70 cm high, is very well adapted to small gardens, to the front of flowerbeds, or to pots on balconies and terraces. Its flowering is long and beautiful, with its petals curved upwards and its long hanging stigmas.
• Magellanic fuchsia (Fuchsia riccartonii): the other name of this fuchsia is oat grain, referring to its small, long, hanging flower resembling an ear of oats. In some years, when the winter has been mild, this fuchsia can reach 1,50 m to 2 m. It is a fuchsia that can be installed in a shrubbery or as an isolated plant.

The winged charcoal, growing tips

Charcoal trees are numerous in Europe, but also in the world: they can be found on all continents. They are often found under the name "Bishop's cap".

A winged charcoal

The charcoal presented by Nicolas Hennebelle is called winged charcoal and its scientific name is Euonymus alatus. The explanation of its name comes simply from the physiognomy of its branches. Indeed, if you observe it a little more closely you will notice that its branches have small corky wings which are very decorative, especially in winter, when the foliage has fallen (the winged fusain is a deciduous shrub), revealing the whole structure of the tree.

The winged charcoal: the king of autumn

In autumn, the winged charcoal takes on its full importance: its green foliage gradually turns pink and red, illuminating the entire garden.

However, to obtain these beautiful fall colors, the winged charcoal needs light. It must therefore be planted in full sun, or even under a light shade.

In a country hedge or a shrubbery, the winged fusain blends very well with other shrubs with colored foliage, such as the blood dogwood whose yellow foliage offers a beautiful contrast with the reddish pink leaves of Euonymus alatus.

The winged fusain: an easy-to-grow shrub

The winged fusain is an easy tree to live with. It adapts to many situations and supports all types of soil. It even grows on limestone soils. The only fear that it can have concerns wet soils: stagnant water is the enemy of its small roots.

The winged fusain can be pruned; but knowing that it is a shrub of rather slow growth and that its size remains modest (its adult dimensions are 2 meters high and 2 meters wide), it is hardly necessary, nor even advised.

The winged charcoal: a shrub for small gardens

Because of its small size, Euonymus alatus is a perfect shrub for small gardens.

There is another fusain that looks very similar to it but with a more compact habit: Euonymus compactus. The only difference with Euonymus alatus is that the wings of Euonymus compactus are a little less developed.

The oleander

Oleanders: cold-resistant species

The oleander, belonging to the genus Nerium, is a plant native to North Africa.

If some varieties are not very hardy (they are generally classified in the list of plants called "orangery", there are oleanders that can withstand up to -15 ° C and whose aerial parts, ie the foliage and buds, are damaged only below -10 ° C. This is the case, for example, of the oleander 'Louis Pouget' which is also very fragrant, of 'Mrs Roeding' (triple fragrant flowers, salmon pink with white), of 'Cavalaire' (double bright pink flowers), of 'Villa romaine' (reputed to be the most resistant to cold), ...

Dimensions of oleanders

Planted in a sunny spot, these oleanders can reach a height of one and a half meters or even two meters and just as much width; you have to take this into account when choosing their planting place because they take up a certain amount of space!

However, there are dwarf species among the hardy ones that are no more than one meter high, as is the case with 'Petite Red', which is between 60 and 80 cm high.

Growing fragile species in pots

The non-hardy varieties of oleander (frosty at -5°C) are usually grown in pots. To obtain a beautiful bloom, it is necessary to offer them a lot of water during summer as well as a fertilizer rich in potassium.

In winter, we take care to install them in a slightly enlightened, fresh and frost-free room (between 5 and 10°C). Watering is strongly reduced.

Pruning oleanders

The oleander emits vigorous shoots which grow quickly. It is therefore necessary to cut them back after the winter, around April-May when vegetation starts again, to keep the harmonious and rounded shape of the oleander.

Be careful not to cut the branches too short: large stems would develop to the detriment of the flowering. However, there is a downside to this principle: from time to time, it is necessary to sacrifice a flowering and to cut back the oleander in order to prevent the plant from becoming bald.

The oleander, an air of vacation

During a vacation in Brittany or in the Mediterranean basin, who hasn't fallen in love with the splendid flowering of the oleander? Bringing back a cutting is very tempting, but you will have to know how to acclimatize this frileuse to see it grow.

The oleander, a perfume from elsewhere...

As a shrub or as a tree with a real trunk, the oleander is one of those plants that inspire vacations. Crossed with the liking of the strolls on the littorals where the climate remains soft all the year, this shrub evokes the joys of idleness and the evenings spent under its delicate scents. Because in addition to being beautiful, the oleander distils a sweet fragrance mixing almond and vanilla.

At the roadside, it takes the place of the usual plane trees and other trees of alignment in some villages of the extreme South. Another advantage is that it blooms continuously from June to October, which makes it an outstanding ornamental subject.

In Mediterranean gardens, it is used to compose hedges to nicely underline a fence or to shelter from prying eyes around a swimming pool. Pruned as a tree, it is an unparalleled ornamental subject on a lawn.

It embellishes the backgrounds of beds with its beauty and blends in with rhododendrons and azaleas to relay their blooms in Breton gardens. The temptation is therefore great to cut it or to buy a subject in a garden center or at a plant festival...

An oleander in the North ?

The oleander (Nerium oleander) is native to the Mediterranean basin where it grows spontaneously at the foot of waterways. This is why a newly planted subject will need regular watering, especially in hot regions, contrary to what may be said here and there! Once well installed, it supports the heat and the dryness without concern.

The oleander is a cold plant that does not tolerate frost except very occasionally, for a short time and of low amplitude. Its planting in the open ground in the North and in mountainous regions is therefore not recommended. It is preferable to plant it in pots in order to be able to overwinter it in a greenhouse, veranda or winter garden as soon as the first frosts arrive.

The typical species with single pink flowers resists a little better to the cold than the cultivars with very double flowers. The yellow (very rare) and salmon colors are much more fragile and therefore to be avoided in the coldest regions under penalty of disappointment.

To obtain an opulent bloom, place your oleander in full sun and in the warmest place of your garden or balcony.  Water it very often, especially in summer.

Prune the oleander with moderation because it produces its flowers on the previous year's wood. However, if you want to contain it, prune it just after flowering, keeping some branches intact.

The sarcococca, a shrub with very fragrant flowers in winter

The scent of the sarcococca

The sarcococca is an Asian evergreen shrub that reminds us of the box tree (they both belong to the same family Buxaceae). Its beautiful dark green and shiny foliage, made of small lanceolate leaves, is therefore decorative all year long. But this is not its only interest. The sarcococca also blooms in winter, producing apetal flowers with very developed white stamens and a very pleasant perfume that spreads all around it, on a perimeter of 1,50 to 2 m, even when it is cold. It is therefore interesting to install it near the entrance door.

Where to plant this shrub ?

The sarcococca is best planted in a semi-shaded area, especially south of the Loire where it has difficulty withstanding the hot sun. However, in Normandy, Brittany or in regions where summers are more temperate, it is possible to plant it under a full sun exposure.

To know: the sarcococca is quite resistant to dryness.

How to care for the sarcococca ?

The sarcococca is an easy plant to live with. On the one hand, because it has no known pests or diseases. On the other hand, it has a cespitose port; that is to say that over the years, it will emit new shoots from the base. The clump will thus widen little by little, forming a beautiful rounded shrub without the need to prune it.

The hardiness of the sarcococca

The sarcococca resists without problem to cold temperatures close to -15°C. It can therefore be planted in any season. However, if the plantation is done in spring or summer, it is necessary to think of watering it.

The plantation of the sarcococcus

The sarcococca appreciates rather rich soil (on sandy soil, it tends to yellow). After planting, mulch the soil to keep it fresh. Use an organic mulch (RCW, lawn clippings, straw) which, as it decomposes, will nourish the soil and the plant.

The multiplication of the sarcococca

After a few years of cultivation, the shrub produces fruits, pretty round drupes, first blood-red, then black, which, falling on the ground, will sow themselves to give birth to new small sarcococcas that can be transplanted or given to your friends!

Proper planting distances for trees and shrubs

We rarely ask ourselves the question of the development of a plant when it is planted. Whether planted alone near a building or in a hedge, trees and shrubs must have enough space to grow and not cause any damage.

Trees with large development

Would you like to adorn the front of that old wall with the silhouette of a majestic tree? Be careful, some species will undoubtedly lend themselves to this, but others should be avoided. Let's take the simple image of an iceberg: the emerged surface represents only a part of the existing... For trees it is the same thing! Some of them develop a root system so important that it represents twice the volume of the foliage!

Generally speaking, plan to plant large trees such as oaks, plane trees, pines or cedars at a minimum distance of 10 meters from any concrete construction. Only trellised pear or apple trees and, of course, climbing plants will be able to adorn your old wall in complete safety.

Similarly, certain trees that produce suckers should be avoided near buildings, such as mahonia, locust trees or even certain poplars whose roots can slip under the structures.

Let's not forget either that a large tree weakened by a storm can become dangerous and that falling branches are not rare. Some trees are more susceptible than others. So never plant a walnut, a poplar, a eucalyptus or an ash tree, not far from a veranda or a roof.

The same goes for drains and septic tanks, which should always be kept away from future plantings because the roots looking for water could very well make them explode.

Medium-sized trees

The planting distance will be a little shorter for medium-sized trees such as the plane tree, the hornbeam or the Judas tree. For these plants, leave a space of 5 meters from a building. Beware of the fig tree, which under its harmless appearance, has intrusive roots that play on any masonry element with disconcerting efficiency.

Don't imagine that you can stop tree roots with anti-rhizome barriers like those used to control bamboo! Much deeper and more intrusive, tree roots will be totally insensitive to them. It is therefore better to respect the right distances.

Ornamental shrubs

Forsythia, lilac, seringat, buddleia and other weigleias are very appreciated for their decorative flowers. For them to grow well, leave a distance of 1.20m on all sides around the shrub so that it can benefit from both the light and the ventilation necessary for its good health. In beds, bush roses should be spaced 80 cm apart.