Lilacs are one of the most well known and widely grown plants. Most are in bush form, but some can be grown as single stem trees and some can be grafted to a single stem to create a small tree. There are many varieties, but we will discuss only a few that are commonly grown. 

Syringa vulgaris, the Common Lilac has flower colors ranging from white to purple. These are some of the largest grown lilacs and the flower panicles are ones that we common reminisce about when we think lilacs. Single white flowering (Common White Lilac) and single purple flowering (Common Purple Lilac) are the old varieties that we find in the trade. The purple flowering common lilac may not always be purple, but may be shades from lilac blue to purple. Hybrids of Common Lilac are called French Hybrids. If you are looking for a true dark purple variety, chose Yankee Doodle Lilac, a French Hybrid that most often will exhibit true dark purple flowers.

Miss Kim Lilac is a hardy lilac from Korea that grows 6 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide.  It exhibits purple buds that open to single pale lilac blue flowers. It is fragrant and does not grow as much sucker growth as the Common Lilac varieties. It is one of very few lilacs that have the burgundy-red fall color.

Dwarf Korean Lilac only grows 4-5 feet in height and 5-7 feet wide.  It has a nice uniform growing habit. The plant flowers profusely and the flowers are fragrant. The flowers are pale lilac in color. There are also grafted tree forms of Dwarf Korean Lilac with rounded heads that grow to around 8 feet tall.

In recent years, there are other small grown lilacs that have been introduced. There is a Fairytale series that consists of a group of very hardy small lilacs that grow from 4 to 6 feet tall and up to 7 feet wide. (Some are wider than tall -depending on variety). Thumbelina Lilac and Tinkerbelle Lilac have single light pink flowers. Prince Charming Lilac has single, lavender-pink flowers, Sugar Plum Lilac has single, rose-pink flowers, and Declaration Lilac grows a little larger and has reddish-purple flowers. All have a distinct lilac fragrance.  

Ivory Silk Lilac can be grown as a large shrub or small tree.  We grow it mostly as a tree form.  It grows only up to 25 feet high and 15 feet wide and has creamy white flowers in early July when most other lilacs are done blooming.

Josee Lilac is a unique small growing lilac that flowers mid-spring and then flowers sporadically throughout the rest of the summer. The flowers are fragrant and are light lavender in color.

Flowering crab apple trees are still some of the most beautiful spring flowering trees. Their flower color can be white, light pink, pink to red, and have single or double flowers. They can be naturally dwarf size or dwarfed by grafting, and some are weeping. They can grow from 4 foot to 30 foot. An ornamental flowering crab is defined by the size of the fruit. They are considered ornamental if the fruit is less than ½ inch in diameter. Although, whether a crab apple tree or apple tree is considered ornamental, can be defined by “the eye of the beholder”. Trees that produce fruit that are over ½ inch in diameter and up to approximately 2 inches may be used for spiced crab apples or crab apple jam. ’Dolgo’ produces a small apple often used in crab apple fruit processing.  Remember they are apple trees with just smaller fruit. Like trees with larger apples, most are very hardy in our Northern Michigan climate.

Mature growing size, form, and flowering color are probably the main characteristics when choosing a flowering crab for your landscape. And like apple trees, they prefer a sunny location. Some of the flowering crabs have fruit that persists- that means the fruit stays on the trees well into the winter months. This gives the birds a chance to devour the fruit throughout a longer period of time. With fruit color from yellow, orange blush to red, they stand out in the winter months after losing their leaves in the Fall. At this time ‘Spring Snow’ is the only variety that I know of that flowers (white) and does not produce fruit.

We find the best varieties are those that are resistant to apple scab disease. Apple scab causes the leaves of the tree to prematurely turn brown and causes varied leaf drop- usually beginning in July. This makes the trees appearance less desirable in the late summer and throughout the fall months.

Some of the varieties that we find are the most resistant to leaf scab are Sargent Flowering Crab (white flower) varieties, Red Jewell Flowering Crab (white flower), Red Jade Flowering Crab (white flower), Louisa Flowering Crab (pink flower) and Prairie Fire Flowering Crab (bright pink). We carry these trees in our crab apple inventory.

Spring brings with it the need to freshen up your landscape.  It is the perfect time to add new shredded bark to existing bark beds. We suggest at least 2 inches of additional shredded bark each year to help smother weeds and prevent them from sprouting. Shredded bark also helps hold moisture around the plant and prevents them from drying out. Spreading new shredded bark in your beds can help give your yard a new personality. The color and freshness of new bark helps your plants stand out in your planting beds.

Bark that decomposes over a period of time helps create a media for micro-organisms and will help increase the water holding capacity of the soil –water that helps carry nutrients to the plants.  Decomposed bark and especially woodchips can deplete nitrogen in the soil; therefore adding a nitrogen fertilizer around the plants may be necessary for those plants that are mulched with shredded bark or woodchips. We found recently that pine bark may actually add some nitrogen to the soil, as well.

We carry hardwood, cedar and red bark in bulk by the cubic yard, and will be happy to load your truck or trailer.

Green Roofs are the latest trend in outdoor landscaping - and for good reason. The existence of green roofs has a positive effect on the environment.  Green Roofs are areas that have been landscaped with certain plants on a roof area or portion of a roof. It can be accomplished by the use of roof planters, a roof patio with benches, a side wall on a roof, or any portion of a roof to create a living masterpiece. The following are excerpts from the article “Green Rising” written by Nicole Wisniewski from Design Building Magazine; June 13, 2013

These are some reasons that Green Roofs play an essential role in maintaining the ecological integrity on otherwise paved areas:

1.      Reduce the amount of heat in crowded cities- reducing the temperature up to 10 degrees F than in less developed areas. They cause a cooling of the air.

2.      Reduce the temperatures of entire cities by 5 degrees F according to Gilhooley Consulting’s Pamela Nelly.

3.      Reduce the amount of storm water that runs off buildings by 50% to 90%.

4.      Create a wonderful environment for wildlife, such as for butterfly and birds to dwell.

5.      Can reduce the amount of noise pollution (such as in or near airports and factories).

6.      Reduce the amount of toxins in the air, such as dust and smog.

7.      Wall planters can create a living wall or a living fence planted with vegetables and herbs.

8.      Create a community garden or garden room setting area.

9.      Can cut the cost of building air conditioning up to 50% and the heating cost up to 25%.

10.  Can extend the life of the roof membrane by 15% by protecting it from the elements.

The following are some statistics and predictions on the use of Green Roofs in the future:

1.      It is predicted that Green Roofs and Green Walls will rise 70% over the next 5 years.

2.      Green Roofs will become a $7.7 billion dollar market by 2017, driven by mandates and incentives in cities over the globe.

3.      Green Roofs will redefine sustainability in the context of building design.

4.      The initiative Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) included Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Portland Oregon and Washington D.C. These cities were early adopters of Green Roofs.

5.      Ten acres of Detroit’s Ford Motor Co. has developed landscaping on roofs.

6.      Some municipalities require certain new buildings to have Green Roofs.

7.      GRHC reported that in the last year alone North American Green Roofs grew by 24%.

8.      The cost of a Green Roof is from $10 to $24 per sq. ft.; and up to 50% cheaper when roof areas exceed 10,000 sq. ft. Green Roofs will significantly increase property value.

We carry 7 varieties of apple trees; we also have pear, peach, plum and cherry trees. Our varieties are mainly semi-dwarf trees. The biggest advantage of semi-dwarf trees is they begin producing fruit within a year or two from the time they are purchases; whereas standard size varieties may take several years before they produce fruit.  The fruit size on semi-dwarf trees are just as large as those grown on standard size trees, but the tree itself grows only half to two thirds the size of standard trees. The small size helps them fit well in a residential situation and the lower branching makes them easier to pick. Many fruit farms also prefer certain varieties of semi-dwarf trees over standard size because they are easier to maintain.

We have had individuals ask about apple trees in the fall to grow apples for the deer, but it is best to purchase earlier in the spring when you can be assured that the trees are more readily available. The trees are available at our Garden Center beginning mid to late April.

When dogwood is mentioned, most people think of the tree form of Japanese Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida). Flowering dogwood is native in the southern states, but is also grown in Northern Michigan. It is best to plant Japanese Flowering Dogwood grown from northern grown seed as they are usually hardier than those from southern destinations. Tree-form dogwoods thrive in shady areas. If they have been balled and burlapped from red clay soil, the dogwood trees are most likely to be southern-grown trees.  The Japanese Dogwood is a relatively small tree that have mostly white bracts (some types have pink to red bracts), and they flower mid spring in our area. In my opinion, the Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) - also known as Chinese or Korean Dogwood - is a better choice for a tree dogwood in our area. The Kousa Dogwood appears to be hardier than the Japanese Flowering Dogwood. The flowers (bracts) are smaller than its counterpart, but flowers are produced more profusely than in the Japanese Flowering Dogwood. It also blossoms later therefore is less prone to freeze and the flower color is more creamy white.

Pagoda Dogwood is a small dogwood tree that grows native in Northern Michigan. Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternafolia) is the only Dogwood that I know of that have “Alternafolia” leaves. This means that the leaves grow alternately along the stems of the tree. The other types of Dogwood have leaves that are arranged opposite along their branches or twigs. Pagoda Dogwood is a relatively small, open, irregular grown tree or large shrub with creamy-white bracts (flowers). Pagoda dogwood trees have a beautiful dark red fall color.

There are several varieties of shrub-form Dogwood that can be grown in our area. Many shrub-forms of Dogwood are very special in winter landscapes as the twig color is especially pronounced against the white of snow.  Probably the best known is the Red Osier Dogwood that exhibits bright red twigs. There are several other improved red twig varieties with red twig color. Some of those varieties are: Cardinal Dogwood, Isanti Dogwood (wide spreading), Siberian Dogwood, and Baton Rouge Dogwood (a compact red twig dogwood). Varieties of red twig dogwoods with variegated green and white leaves include: European Red Twig (grows upright to 6’) and Ivory Halo (has many twigs 4 to 6 feet and is wide-spreading). Yellow Twig Dogwood, and Variegated Yellow Twig Dogwood are also spectacular in the winter against the white snow. Dogwood shrubs will withstand some shade and will grow in wet areas, but will adapt to drier areas. Winter Flame Dogwood has striking bright orange and yellow twigs. Dogwoods with colored stems indeed give them year around appeal in the landscape.

Dorian