Bring Me a Shrubbery

Two big boxes from ForestFarm arrived today.  I feel like the stars of the show have finally appeared, and I want to tell you about them all tonight.  So first, let's have a round of applause for...

The Upright Japanese Yew!

The Upright Japanese Yew is notable for its verticality, unlike other yews, which are likely to be hedgier.  This is not a moral judgment; it's all about shape.  Also, its needles are longer than those of a true yew.  The Latin name is Cephalotaxus harringtonii Fastigiata (genus, species, cultivar).  The plant was first known as the Japanese Plum Yew, but it's not actually a yew at all, never mind a plum.  It is, however, Japanese, so they got something right.

Sadly, when it arrived, the Upright Japanese Yew was quite root-bound.

I have only recently learned what "root-bound" means, but it's what happens when you grow a plant in a pot that's too small for it.  The roots have nowhere to go, so they wrap around the root ball.  It's
not healthy, and a root-bound plant that is replanted as-is may not thrive.


I did some Googling, and learned that I should try to massage the roots gently to try to release them from the pot shape, and then trim the long ones.  Hope I did OK.

Then I planted it with the heuchera.

 Let's also have a great big hand for... the Prince William Serviceberry!

 The serviceberry, a.k.a. Amelanchier grandiflora, is native to Canada.  It has lovely white blossoms in the spring (probably missed out on the whole blossoming thing this year) and grows berries in the summer that are said to make tasty pies.

Fortunately, Prince William was not root-bound at all and went happily into his planter with the hydrangeas and the Creeping Jenny.

Next, give a warm welcome to... Mr. Bowling Ball!

No, I did not make that up - "Mr. Bowling Ball" is his actual cultivar name.  In Latin, he is Thuja occidentalis, which is somewhat more dignified.  He is an arborvitae, and is supposed to grow in a natural spherical shape, requiring no pruning.

Mr. Bowling Ball's roots didn't look so hot either.

So I did the massage/loosen/prune thing again, and gave him the galvanized planter.  He's all alone for now, but some friends are on the way.

Finally, I'd like to introduce the winterberry holly family, Jim Dandy and Red Sprite (Ilex verticillata).  You may be more familiar with English holly, Ilex aquifolium, which is the more familiar holly, with the waxy, prickly leaves that you have likely seen as a Christmas decoration.  Winterberry holly is an American holly, and is native to this area.  It is deciduous, meaning that unlike the evergreen English holly, it loses its leaves every autumn, and the bare branches with the berries are quite striking.

You may know this already, but in order to achieve berries on your holly, you need both a male and a female.  They are wind pollinated, so they need to be somewhat near each other.  I had planned to put them both in the same pot, but it seems I wildly miscalculated.

You see, Red Sprite is very small.

But her beau, Jim Dandy, is enormous.

So Jim Dandy will take the big pot with the ivy and the Raspberry Sundae Hosta, and Red Sprite is in a little flowerpot by herself.