#TeachingTuesday: Euphorbia, AKA Spurge

Euphorbias are a fascinating group of plants. There are over 2,000 species in the genus Euphorbia, including cactus-like plants such as crown-of-thorns, and well-known flowers such as poinsettias. Many of the species are native to southern Africa, Madagascar, and Central America. One thing they all have in common is a milky white sap containing latex. But we’re not going to talk about the wide range of diversity today– we’re going to focus on just two cultivars, Ascot Rainbow spurge (Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’ PP#21,401) and Ruby Glow spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Waleuphglo’ WALBERTON’S® Ruby Glow PP 22,200). You’ll notice that both of these plants have numbers after the names. These are plant patent numbers, and it means that propagation of these plants is prohibited without paying royalties to the patent owner until the patent expires. Modern plant breeding is complicated!

Fun fact: poinsettias are euphorbias too! Euphorbia pulcherrima became a popular Christmas plant after being brought back by the first US ambassador to Mexico (Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett), where they are native. The red “petals” are actually bracts (leaf-like structures), and they turn red after being exposed to 12 hour nights (periods of total darkness) for several weeks.

How to Use Spurges in the Garden

Ruby Glow and Ascot Rainbow spurges do bloom in the spring/summer, but it’s typically the beautifully colored foliage that catches the eye. They tend to stay evergreen in our warm NC and SC climates, so they work well in fall/winter seasonal plantings, perennial borders, or rock gardens. They can be especially effective in container plantings! While technically a sub-shrub, they are often used in annual plantings and composted after the season ends. Because these types of spurge come from a Mediterranean climate, they prefer well-drained soils.

A mixed planting of yucca, spurge, pansies, and ornamental kale.
Photo credit: Suzy Talucci

Mixed planter containing tulips, pansies, spurge, and dianthus. The spurge has the small yellow-green flowers.
Photo credit: Jenna Meeks

ID Tips

Ascot Rainbow spurge is a cultivar of Martin’s spurge (Euphorbia x martinii), which is a naturally occurring hybrid between Euphorbia characias and Euphorbia amygdaloides, originally discovered growing wild in southern France. This means that the Ruby Glow spurge species is a parent of Ascot Rainbow spurge, and therefore they have very similar characteristics.

They both have long, narrow leaves arranged in rosettes around stiff stems
The leaves are sessile, meaning that they attach directly to the stem without a small stalk in between (called a petiole).
The flowers are borne in sprays at the end of the main stem, and are actually very tiny–in the photo below, the red parts are actually the flower petals, and the larger chartreuse parts are actually bracts. This is why spurges appear to bloom for a very long time, because the bracts are much tougher and longer-lasting than true petals would be.

Flowering Ascot Rainbow spurge
Photo credit: Jenna Meeks

#TeachingTuesday: Dianthus, AKA Pinks or Sweet Williams

Almost everyone has come in contact with dianthus at some point in their lives. The carnations in floral arrangements are a type of dianthus, it’s a popular fall annual flower, and there are also perennial types as well. Dianthus is ancient flower, known to humans for thousands of years, but most of the ones planted today are new hybrids. In addition to the scientific name of Dianthus, these flowers are also known as sweet williams or pinks. It is believed that the color “pink,” actually came from the flower, like the color “rose” refers to the color of the rose flower. Pinks, the flowers, were named for the zigzagged edges of their petals. If you have a family member who sews, you may be familiar with the special scissors called “pinking shears,” which are used to “pink” the edges of fabric to help prevent raveling.

Pinking shears cut a zigzag along the edge of a seam.
Dianthus flowers, or “pinks,” have zigzag edges on their petals.

Maintenance Tips

Sweet williams have a fairly short blooming period, so frequent deadheading is necessary if you want to keep them in bloom. They should be planted in well-drained soils, otherwise they will be susceptible to crown rot and rust. Snails and slugs can pose a problem, so some type of deterrent such as diatomaceous earth may be necessary.

ID Tips

While there are many different species of dianthus, the most common ones for fall annual planting are China pinks, Dianthus chinensis, or a hybrid between China pinks and another variety. Some of the key features to notice in Dianthus species are:

Lance-shaped leaves (similar to a blade of grass or bamboo leaf) that wrap around the main stem.
Leaves may have a bluish or silvery cast, due to a waxy layer. This is more pronounced in other Dianthus species.
The flowers have 5 fan-shaped petals, and tend to be quite flat. The edges of the petals have a “pinked” appearance, ranging from a slight zigzag to deeply fringed petals resembling eyelashes (check out Dianthus superbus).
Flowers range in color from white, pale pink, and lavendar, to brilliant and intense shades of hot pink, red, and fuchsia.

#TeachingTuesday: Muhly Grass

Because of the short weeks we had due to rain and the Thanksgiving holiday, today we had our first new plant for plant identification training in 3 weeks! Last week, the crews reviewed the plants they learned in November: Carex ‘Evergold’, Chinese pistache, and tea olive.

20181204_091816 — The Myatt Landscaping office is ready for the holidays!

Pink muhly grass, or Muhlenbergia capillaris, is one of my top favorite plants. Best grouped in masses, this ornamental native grass blooms in fall creating the effect of fluffy, pink clouds. These grasses can add ethereal beauty to the home garden perennial border, or a stunning display of fall color in public parks and along highways in mass plantings. In late fall, the pink flowers develop into gray-purple seeds, which are eaten by birds and small mammals. The seedheads then fade to a light buff color, and retain their attractiveness until spring, adding texture and movement to the winter landscape. They thrive in full sun, and are tolerant of heat, humidity, drought, poor soil, and are also highly tolerant of salt and deer! These grasses do well in every part of NC as long as they are not planted in shady or wet areas.

muhlenbergia_capillaris_02_ATTRIBUTE — *Muhlenbergia capillaris* (Photo credit: Mark Turner)

Although the most widely accepted common name is pink muhly grass, more recently it is being referred to as simply “muhly grass,” because of a white-flowered variant developed in the early 2000’s, Muhlenbergia capillaris ‘White Cloud.’ White Cloud muhly grass is a bit more upright than the species.

20181204_092015 — Muhlenbergia ‘White Cloud’ in the plant holding area at our office.

Maintenance Tips

Both pink and white muhly grass are very low maintenance. They typically do not need to be cut back the first year after they are planted, but may need to be cut back or thinned in early spring after they are well established. This will help ensure that they have enough air circulation, which will protect against disease.

c8e43b2751b8f23c926559a3a009d23e — Muhly grass in winter (Photo credit: JC Raulston Arboretum)

ID Tips

The leaves are dark green, thin, and wiry, and grow in a neat, rounded clump. There aren’t many other grasses that look similar. There are many species of Muhlenbergia, but M. capillaris is the most commonly available one.
The blooms are unmistakable–panicles (clusters) of pink to deep rose hair-like filaments.

Muhlenbergia_capillaris800a

#TeachingTuesday: Tea Olive

Today for #TeachingTuesday, we will cover two species of tea olive: Osmanthus fragrans and Osmanthus x fortunei. Tea olive is also known as false holly, or simply ‘osmanthus.’ Personally, tea olive is one of my all-time favorite shrubs. I have fond memories of walking across the NC State campus in late October and smelling that sweet, sweet fragrance, then looking around trying to find the large shrub it was coming from (sometimes more than 50 feet away!). Plant these evergreen shrubs near windows, porches, and outdoor living areas to enjoy the enchanting scent through the fall. The shrubs/small trees are long-lived and virtually free of pests and diseases.

Osmanthus fragrans – Fragrant Tea Olive

The fragrant tea olive is, unsurprisingly, the most fragrant Osmanthus species. However, it is also the least cold hardy, and is only marginally successful in zone 8 (it prefers zones 9-11). For reference, Raleigh-Durham is zone 7b/8a, Wilmington is zone 8a, and Charleston, SC is zone 8b/9a. We see it more on coastal properties, but it can also be grown as a container plant, or in sheltered locations with winter protection.

There is also an orange-flowered form, Osmanthus fragrans f. aurantiacus, which is slightly more cold-tolerant than the species.

1200px-Osmanthus_fragrans_(orange_flowers)

Osmanthus x fortunei – Fortune’s Tea Olive

Fortune’s osmanthus, or Fortune’s tea olive, is the most common species used in our area. It is a hybrid between Osmanthus fragrans and Osmanthus heterophyllus (false holly). Like its parent, it has small, white, highly fragrant flowers, and blooms in October-November, but is much more cold-hardy, surviving throughout zone 7. It has been around in the western horticultural trade since 1856, when it was introduced to Britain from Japan.

Fortune’s tea olive can be grown as a shrub, a small- to medium-sized tree, or even a hedge. Its spiny leaves make it very resistant to deer damage, and it is also drought tolerant, and somewhat tolerant to shade and salt.

3280043402_70ed0c2c33_b — A large screen of *Osmanthus* x *fortunei*

ID Tips

Although at first glance many tea olive species may look similar to hollies, there is an easy trick to tell the difference: tea olive leaves are always in opposite pairs, while holly leaves alternate along the stem.
Fragrant tea olive leaves are slightly larger and longer than Fortune’s tea olive leaves, and will have either entire margins (meaning smooth edges) or dentate margins (meaning finely toothed edges). The tip of the leaf is not spiny.
Fortune’s tea olive leaves are smaller and more oval-shaped, and will have a spiny tip at the point of each leaf. There are three kinds of leaves on Fortune’s tea olive: the juvenile leaves (leaves near the base of the plant), which will have 10-12 triangular, spiny teeth on each side (the younger, the spinier). The mature leaves, which are found on the upper branches of the shrub/tree, will have smooth edges, but will still have the spiny point at the tip. In the middle, there will be leaves that have a few spines near the tip of the leaf, but smooth edges near the base.

Do you have more tips for identifying tea olives? Leave a comment!

20181113_110026 — All *Osmanthus* species have leaves in opposite pairs.

20181113_110512 — Note the spines disappearing toward the base.

20181113_105829 — Individual flowers are very small, but very fragrant!

#TeachingTuesday: Chinese Pistache

This week, the Chinese pistache trees at our office burst into flaming glory, showcasing their brilliant fall color palettes of yellows, oranges, red, and even pinks and deep maroons. We couldn’t ignore it, so it’s our plant of the week!

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Chinese pistache, or, scientifically, Pistacia chinensis, is a tough, medium-sized tree that fares equally well as a landscape specimen or urban street tree. It is drought tolerant and has no serious pests or diseases. Renowned plantsman Michael Dirr describes the tree as gawky when young in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, but it matures into a beautiful specimen tree, rivaling the sugar maple as one of the prettiest trees for fall color in the south.

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Fun Facts

Pistacia chinensis is a cousin to the pistachio tree (Pistacia vera), which produces the pistachio nut.
Chinese pistache trees have separate male and female flowers, and the flowers are on separate trees. This type of flowering is called dioecious, and some other common examples of dioecious trees include hollies and ginkgos.
The stems of Chinese pistache have a strong odor when bruised or crushed.

ID Tips

20181106_071717 — Notice the 5 pairs of opposite leaflets and no terminal leaflet.

The leaves of Chinese pistache are compound, which means a single leaf is made up of multiple small “leaflets.” The leaflets are arranged opposite of one another, and are almost always in 5 or 6 pairs. Unlike many nut trees, such as walnut, pecan, and hickory, there is no terminal leaflet.
The buds are large, oval-shaped, and dark brown or blackish in color. There are multiple clustered buds at the branch tips (terminal buds).
The buds are arranged alternately along the stem.

20181106_071758 — Notice the alternating buds along the stem (the buds are not in pairs).

20181106_081029 — Fruit only develops on female trees, and can range in color from blue to red. The fruit is eaten by birds.

#TeachingTuesday: Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’

Today our plant of the week is the Evergold sedge, Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold.’ We use this plant extensively in our fall & winter planter designs because the striking foliage holds up well in the cold weather. It is also used in perennial shade gardens, where grasses typically can’t grow because there isn’t enough light. Sedges are more tolerant of low light and wet soil conditions than grasses are, and can add nice texture and, in the case of Evergold and other variegated sedges, a pop of brightness. They are also deer resistant, which is good news for shade gardeners–combine sedges with heuchera (our plant of the week from last Tuesday) and you will have a good start to a deer resistant garden.

Maintenance Tips

In our area, zone 7b/8a, Evergold sedge is typically evergreen, but may be affected by prolonged periods of cold, dry, windy weather, which may cause it to develop brown tips. Make sure to keep plants watered in the winter to help prevent this. Because Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ is somewhat slow-growing, it typically should not be cut back in the winter, especially if being used in a winter container garden. If there is severe browning due to cold weather, wait until springtime and cut back the foliage just as the new growth is starting to emerge.

ID Tips

At first glance, the leaves of Evergold sedge and variegated liriope (Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’) may look similar, both with creamy stripes along the length of the leaves, a clumping habit, and a similar height of about 12″. Liriope is a fast grower, and should be cut back in the late winter/early spring, so make sure you learn these tips so you can tell the difference and cut back only the correct plants!

The leaves of Evergold sedge are creased along the center, causing a ‘V’ shape when cut in cross-section. Liriope leaves are flat and strap-like.
Evergold sedge has a single cream-colored stripe running down the center of each leaf, while Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’ leaves have a green center with cream colored margins along the edges.
Evergold sedge leaves taper gradually to a very long, thin, wiry point which sometimes curls, while liriope leaves have blunt, rounded tips.
If you can remember what the flowers looked like back in the summer, sedges have small, brown, tufty seedheads, similar to what you would see on an ornamental grass, while liriope has clusters of tiny, purple flowers that are quite attractive.
Liriope may develop stalks of black berries that persist into the fall and winter, which you would never see on a sedge. But, these may not still be present when it’s time to cut back liriope foliage in the spring, so don’t rely on this tip by itself!

There are many other variegated sedges, grasses, and other grassy plants like liriope. The more you see and learn, the easier it will be to tell them apart!

carex leaf tips — Long, thin, wiry tips of Evergold sedge

liriope leaf tips — Blunt, rounded tips of variegated liriope