THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410200065
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDEN COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 176 lines
It's not that families don't want attractive yards, but dad is on the road, mom works full-time and the kids are in school. Who has time to care for the landscape?
Many plants care for themselves and create a beautiful landscape without requiring endless hours of attention. The problem is that some of the plants we've all relied on for years are ``high-maintenance'' plants. They became popular when fathers worked 40-hour weeks or less and mothers were usually at home. Those conditions rarely exist anymore.
It's time to let go of old-fashioned gardening ideas and unearth some easier ways of landscaping.
Prominent Hampton Roads horticulturists were asked to name high-maintenance plants and practices that are best avoided. Our panel consisted of Brian O'Neil, owner of Southern Meadows Landscapes, Virginia Beach; Jay Mears, owner of Virginia Landscapes, Chesapeake; Bill Kidd of McDonald Garden Centers in four locations; Linda Pinkham of Smithfield Gardens Inc.; and Bonnie Appleton, horticulturist at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Center.
Without exception, these experts named roses as the No. 1 high-maintenance plant. O'Neil commented: ``Some feel the rewards are worth the effort, but I suggest to my clients that they consider David Austin English roses or `antique' or `heritage' roses that require less spraying. The butterfly rose, Rosa chinensis mutabilis, is a new-found favorite of mine that seems to thrive on neglect, once established.''
Mears noted that roses are a lot of work because they have to be ``sprayed, pruned and deadheaded constantly.''
Roses require regular spraying every seven to 10 days, Kidd said. ``If roses are a must, try one of the more disease-resistant English roses or wait for the new, highly disease resistant Ben Williams roses coming in spring, 1995, or Flower Carpet rose coming in August 1995. Flower Carpet has the highest disease rating of any rose,'' he said.
Pinkham also gave thumbs down to roses, but noted, ``The Fairy, Lady Banks, Carefree Wonder and Butterfly Rose (R. chinensis `Mutabilis') thrive in my garden with no special care and no spraying.''
Appleton says all members of the rose family are high maintenance, due to diseases and insects, particularly Japanese beetles. The only roses she considers low-maintenance are the rugosa roses. TOO BAD, JOHNNY APPLESEED
Second on the list of plants to avoid are fruit trees. Mears, Kidd and Pinkham noted that apples, peaches and cherries require regular spraying, annual pruning and frequent thinning of fruit.
``If you want to grow fruit with low maintenance, try figs, persimmons or blueberries,'' Kidd said.
Pinkham added the more exotic kiwi and pomegranate to the acceptable list, but noted, ``Fruit trees are a lot of work if you want to feed your family. If you grow them for the blooms and consider the fruit a bonus, you'll be a happier gardener.'' THE LOVELY BUT AGGRESSIVE VINES
Wisteria was the vine most often singled out as problematic. ``It grows too fast and will literally take over,'' Mears said. ``I've seen it growing over houses, creeping under shingles and into attics.''
Pinkham also generally advises against wisteria but acknowledges, ``Some plants are so desirable, it doesn't matter that they require some maintenance. The Japanese type, especially the white, is less vigorous, as is the native W. frutescens.''
Personally, I condemn it as one of the plants we should push off the globe. Every seed makes a new plant, and the seedlings won't bloom for seven years, so don't give them to a friend. Often it won't bloom at all, which aggravates gardeners. It's so invasive it will tear up a house, kill a tree and drive you crazy trying to keep it under control. IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU GROW IT
Several of the experts pointed out that habits rather than plants are one of the prime causes of high maintenance.
Kidd said that topiary or formally pruned plants, usually junipers or hollies, are trimmed to shapes such as globes, spheres, tiered levels or sometimes even animals.
``These need regular trimmings four or five times a year to maintain shape and form,'' he said.
Similarly, the technique of espaliering, or pruning to forms, is a high-maintenance practice. It is most commonly used with pyracantha, crab apples and pears.
Another cause of too much maintenance, Appleton said, is plants planted in the wrong place. ``They become high maintenance because they're in the wrong place, such as trees that are too tall. They get into utility lines and cause a lot of pruning.''
Appleton believes a lot of foundation plants are allowed to grow until they're too large, hiding the house. ``Homeowners don't get in and keep them pruned naturally when the plants are young,'' she said. ``There are smaller cultivars of the same plant that homeowners should be using. Dwarf or slower-growing varieties usually cost more, but they're worth it.''
Similarly Pinkham cautioned against planting fast-growing shrubs that mature at 12- to 15-feet tall in front of windows that are only 3 or 4 feet off the ground. ``This is a commonly made mistake by shoppers who want the biggest they can get for starters,'' she said. MORE OF THE BAD BOYS
The following are other plants to avoid, chosen by the horticulturists.
Brian O'Neil
Lawns: ``I recommend to my clients that they reduce their lawn area. Expand ground covers or low shrubs, especially around and under trees where lawn grasses don't grow well.''
Japanese holly: ``Homeowners usually inherit these when they buy a new home because the builder planted them. The homeowner then prunes them in balls or cone shapes, which are highly contrived and do not relate to the rest of the landscape or the house architecture. These shapes require constant pruning.''
Bill Kidd
Clerodendron: ``Also known as Butterfly Tree or Harlequin Glory Bower, the fragrance is wonderful. Flowers last for nearly two months, but controlling the new plants that come up not only from seed but from the roots is a constant chore.''
Jay Mears
Photinia: ``They must be pruned two or three times per year. Because of terrible leaf-spot problems, they also have to be sprayed often.''
Linda Pinkham
Fescue lawns: ``Working couples might try Centipede, `The Lazy Man's Grass.''
Bonnie Appleton
Purple leaf plum: ``The Japanese beetles devour this tree.''
Crab apples: ``They can be good, if homeowners use the new, disease-resistant varieties. But most in this area are old varieties that get diseases.''
Azaleas: ``If you plant them in the sun, they have lace bug problems. Neither azaleas nor rhododendrons will tolerate wet feet and should not be put where there is poor drainage.''
Boxwood: ``It won't grow with wet feet and has many other problems, such as leaf miner. If you don't prune it right or don't start when the plant is small, they become overgrown and are a major pruning problem.''
Leyland cypress and Junipers: ``They often get loaded with and killed by bagworms or spider mites.''
Euonymus: ``Avoid this plant because of horrible scale problems.''
Sweet gum: ``Because of dropping gum balls, this tree can be a problem. But we have a wonderful new Rotundaloba cultivar that doesn't drop fruit.''
Plants that make suckers: Abelia, thorny eleagnus and clerodendron are among them.
English ivy: ``We hear a lot more complaints about English ivy and its suckering problems. It climbs up everything and how do you control it? One application of Roundup won't get rid of it.'' IN MY OPINION
There are only a few that I would add:
Trumpet vine: This old-fashioned vine has orange trumpet blooms. It belongs along country roads and not in city landscapes. Every seed that drops makes a new plant that must be pulled up or moved.
Carolina jasmine: Many will disagree. It's popular now, but, again, each seed makes a new plant - and it drops hundreds of seeds. As the vine matures in 10 to 12 years, it becomes ratty around the bottom.
Hanging baskets: Though beautiful, they require daily watering and weekly fertilizing in summer. Be prepared for a lot of work.
Those are plants to avoid if you're doing new plantings. Tear them out if you have them and replant easier-to-care-for varieties. Next week we'll give you some of the experts' recommendations for low-maintenance plants. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
LAKE COUNTY NURSERY
ALL-AMERICA ROSE SELECTIONS
RIGHT: Roses need more care than almost any other plant.
LEFT: Crab apples fall prey to disease and drop fruits on the lawn.
BETTER HOMES & GARDENS COLOR PHOTOS
Formal gardens like this require continual pruning and weeding.
Naturally shaped shrubs are easier to maintain.
Hanging baskets require daily watering and weekly fertilizing during
the summer.
Rhododendrons, like azaleas, won't tolerate wet feet. Poor drainage
often kills them.
by CNB