The Asian dogwood

The Asian dogwood rather than the American dogwood

There is a difference between American dogwoods and Asian dogwoods. American dogwoods have an extraordinary bloom in April. Unfortunately, here, they have caught a disease called anthracnose which is devastating to the foliage. The Domaine des Rochettes has therefore decided to stop selling them, in favor of Asian dogwoods.

Cornus kousa var. chinensis is a dogwood on which many other dogwoods are grafted. It has a beautiful white bloom, even pink for some cultivars. It also has the advantage of not being sensitive to anthracnose.

Portrait of the Asian dogwood

The Asian dogwood is a small shrub that grows up to 3 or 4 meters high, although we find subjects of 5 to 6 meters in English botanical parks.

It is a deciduous tree which starts to grow in April, and which blooms for a month and a half, from May to mid-June. It has quite extraordinary autumnal colors; as soon as a sunbeam illuminates its foliage, we obtain pink to red tones, with a little yellow or green hues.

Today, it can be found almost everywhere in France, in all nurseries, or specialized garden centers, whereas 10 years ago, it was more difficult to get one.

The culture of the Asian dogwood

The Asian dogwood is a tree that likes cool soils and sunny exposures, possibly slightly shaded.

The most important thing is not to install it on a calcareous ground. If you plant a young tree, the soil should be acidic. But if you plant it when it is already adult, a neutral soil will be appropriate.

The Asian dogwood also needs space and light so that it can grow in all directions and become a beautiful spreading tree.

A location sheltered from cool winds is desirable. It should be remembered that the dogwood is the classic tree of English gardens, which are relatively protected gardens, and where temperatures do not fall too low (with almost no frost).

The pruning of the Asian dogwood

From a maintenance point of view, the dogwood is a tree of choice, as it requires no maintenance. You can always remove a branch that does not suit you, but overall, it is a fairly homogeneous tree whose branches grow a little in all directions, giving it its very pretty silhouette.

Planting the Asian dogwood

Planting a young dogwood does not pose any particular problem. On the other hand, if you buy it of adult size (3 m high for 3 m wide), not only you will not be able to plant it alone, but moreover it will be necessary to place its root ball of 1 meter in diameter for 50 cm in height in a hole of 1,40 m in diameter.

Its root system remains confined in its root ball: it does not spread and, at the time of the plantation, the cut of the roots remains little important.

The planting of the Asian dogwood is ideally done in the fall, but the planting period can run until March 15. However, the longer the winter rest, the better the tree will do when it is time to recover.

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!