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Broadening the gardeners palette |
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Broadening the gardeners palette |
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Botanical Name: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Tamarix - Tamarisk
Thymus - Thyme Tamarix ramosissima ‘pink cascade’ Deciduous shrub Full sun Tamarisk This fine-textured deciduous shrub is most often used in coastal gardens because it is exceptionally tolerant of salt spray. It has a loose, open form composed of thin, wiry branches that are lined with bright green, scalelike leaves resembling Juniper leaves. The effect is soft and feathery. In late summer, countless small, rich pink flowers appear in large panicles at the tips of the branches, creating a pink haze that lasts a month or more. Tamarisk requires full sun and well-drained, acid soil that is not too rich. It gets by very well in dry, sandy soil. Left unpruned, it grows 10–15ft tall or more. An annual hard pruning in early spring keeps it compact and improves the floral display, which occurs on the current season’s growth. Zone 2.
Taxus Conifer Full sun to shade Yew Yews are grown in truly massive quantities by the large wholesale nurseries. Most of these plants end up along the foundations of houses, where they are sheared heavily into balls and boxes to keep them compact. We grow three very dwarf cultivars that need no pruning. They are suited to rock gardens and conifer borders and, yes, foundations. Like all Yews, they’ll grow equally well in sun or shade, but they require evenly moist, well-drained soil.
T. baccata ‘Davie’. Miniature. A selection of the English Yew with ascending branches that form a squat, rounded column. Its dark green needles take on a nice deep amber-bronze color in winter. The new growth is sometimes banded with gold. Size in 15 years: 20in x 14in. Zone 6.
T. cuspidata ‘Nana Aurescens’. Miniature. This Japanese Yew produces yellow new growth over a green interior and maintains excellent gold winter color. It makes a low mound that is useful for brightening the edge of a border or providing a glowing highlight in a conifer garden. Dynamite with red cutleaf Japanese Maples such as ‘Tamukeyama’. Gold coloring is most pronounced on plants that receive partial to full sun. Height: 18–24in. Zone 4.
NEW T. ´ media ‘Flushing’. Dwarf. This is a columnar selection with glossy, dark green foliage. It makes a striking vertical accent. Grows slowly to 5ft x 2½ft. Zone 4.
Thuja Conifer Full sun Arborvitae Small to medium-size conifers closely related to Chamaecyparis. Their adult foliage is small and scalelike and is borne in flattened sprays. We offer several slow-growing selections. All are easy to grow in full sun and moist but well-drained soil, and they aren’t picky about pH. Growth rates (miniature, dwarf, intermediate, large) are those defined by the American Conifer Society. Thuja occidentalis – American Arborvitae The species and the larger selections are commonplace in northeastern landscapes, but the dwarfs are not. They make handsome additions to the rock garden or conifer border, and a few are suited to specimen use elsewhere in the landscape. Zone 3.
T. o. ‘Ellwangeriana Aurea’. Dwarf. Excellent color is provided by the soft-textured, orange-yellow juvenile foliage, which has overtones of pinkish orange in spring. This cultivar also offers outstanding winter color of coppery bronze. An indispensable companion for Winter-flowering Heaths. Full sun is necessary for best orange color. In light shade, the foliage turns a lime green that is attractive in its own right. Forms a broad, upright dome 3ft x 3ft..
T. o. ‘Golden Globe’. Dwarf. Strong golden foliage that never burns is carried on fanned branches. Forms an excellent, upright globe. 3ft x 3ft.
T. o. ‘Microphylla Nana’. Dwarf. A very dense, rounded selection with bright green foliage. Unlike the species, ‘Microphylla Nana’ doesn’t turn bronze in winter. Retains a neat, ball shape without pruning. Useful where a formal look is desired. 3ft x 3ft.
NEW T. o. ‘Teddy’. Miniature. This German selection forms a dense little ball of greenish gray juvenile foliage that’s so soft you can’t resist the urge to pet it. Takes on a light bronze cast in winter. Excellent in the rock garden or at the corners of a small formal garden. 2ft x 2ft.
T. o. ‘Tiny Tim’. Miniature. A perfect tiny globe of very good green foliage. 2ft x 2ft.
T. o. ‘Wansdyke Silver’. Dwarf. Creamy white variegation makes this little conical bush stand out in the garden. Height: 4ft.
T. o. ‘Yellow Ribbon’. Intermediate to large. A narrow, upright tree with bright orange-yellow foliage. We have a hard time meeting demand for this showy plant. 8–10ft x 2–3ft.
T. orientalis ‘Juniperoides’. Dwarf. The needlelike juvenile foliage is a light blue-gray in summer and turns an outstanding lavender-plum color in winter. Like other selections of T. orientalis, it carries its foliage on branchlets that are held vertically instead of horizontally, which gives it an attractive, furrowed look. ‘Juniperoides’ may be damaged by heavy, wet snowfalls if the snow is not knocked off promptly. It is more tolerant of heat and dry soil than T. occidentalis cultivars but less cold hardy. Makes a broad, upright bush. Height in 8–10 years: 3ft. Zone 6.
Thymus Evergreen ground cover Full sun Thyme Common Thyme (T. vulgaris) is widely used as a medicinal and culinary herb, but it and several other species also serve as terrific evergreen ground covers for sunny, well-drained sites. They are low-growing, often prostrate, subshrubs with small, aromatic leaves and even smaller flowers, which are nevertheless capable of putting on a very good show. All need full sun and excellent drainage—lean sandy soil is ideal and automatic irrigation is to be avoided at all costs. Thymes are well suited to covering an exposed bank, flowing around stones in a rock garden, cascading over a wall, and filling crevices between stones in a dry-laid walk or terrace (the prostrate kinds bear up well under light foot traffic). Zone 5.
T. “By the Step.” We propagate this Thyme from plants that have thrived for many years along stone steps in the Cross garden, which is next door to the nursery. Their origin is a mystery, but their appeal is quite plain: minuscule, tightly packed, gray-green foliage and pink flowers in June. Plants are perfectly prostrate. Ideal for dish or rock gardens.
T. x citriodorus. Lemon Thyme. The foliage of this hybrid has a pronounced lemon scent. It’s also very handsome, with bright gold new growth that turns dark green in summer. Lavender flowers are plentiful in May and June. Makes a dense rug no more than 4in high.
T. praecox subsp. articus ‘Albus’. This cultivar forms a ground-hugging mat of bright green foliage, the perfect setting for the tiny but abundant pure white flowers that open in May and June.
T. pseudolanuginosus. This species is commonly known as Woolly Thyme because the prostrate stems bear long hairs, giving the plant a fuzzy look. The leaves are a very attractive dark gray. Lavender flowers are borne sparingly in July, providing just the right accent for the outstanding foliage. If given the super drainage it requires, Woolly Thyme makes a neat silver-gray carpet.
T. vulgaris ‘Silver Edge’. The leaves of this variegated selection of the Common Thyme have a fine white edge. They give the shrubby, mounding plants a lighter, brighter look that sets off the foliage and flowers of neighboring shrubs. In winter, the leaves take on a conspicuous rose-pink glow. Plants grow about 1ft tall and may be sheared as necessary. The clippings can be used fresh or dried to flavor meats, stews, and soups.
Tsuga Conifer Full sun to shade Hemlock The Hemlocks are graceful, shade-tolerant evergreen conifers with needles that are somewhat similar to those of Yews but smaller and finer. The species are tall, stately trees, but our interest, as usual, is in the slow-growing cultivars. Our native Eastern Hemlock (T. canadensis) has obligingly provided dozens of compact selections, some of the best of which are listed below. Like the species, they grow equally well in sun or shade (Hemlocks tolerate shade as well as Yews do) and in moist but well-drained, acid soil. They are fully hardy to Zone 4. The one T. mertensiana cultivar we list is hardy to Zone 5. Growth rates (miniature, dwarf, intermediate, large) are those defined by the American Conifer Society.
T. canadensis ‘Armistice’. Miniature. A very slow-growing, flat-topped bush that carries its branches horizontally in tiers. Needles are a glossy, dark green. Height: 1ft.
T. c. ‘Bennett’. Miniature to dwarf. Short, bright lime green needles clothe a low, spreading shrub with arching branches borne in symmetrical layers. It grows broader than tall. A pretty plant with a great form. Excellent for partially shaded borders or foundations. Harold Epstein called it “the most beautiful and graceful of the dwarf hemlocks.” 2ft x 3ft, eventually growing 3ft tall and up to 8ft wide.
T. c. ‘Cole’s Prostrate’. Miniature. One of the slowest growing and most prized selections of the Eastern Hemlock. It is almost completely prostrate, hugging the ground as it inches forward. With age, the flattened main branches loose their needles to expose their unique architecture. ‘Cole’s Prostrate’ looks best cascading over a stone in a rock garden or flowing out of a trough. It requires partial shade. 3in x 2ft.
T. c. ‘Gentsch White’. Dwarf. A variegated, globe-shaped cultivar whose needles are dark green in the interior of the plant, creamy white at the tips of the branches. It looks as though it has been frosted. A great way to light up the edge of a partially shaded border. Discovered by Otto Gentsch of West Merrick, Long Island. Prune to encourage plants to produce more of the variegated new growth. 31/2ft x 31/2ft.
T. c. ‘Jeddeloh’. Miniature to dwarf. A broad, globose, flat-topped plant with a depression in the center, like a bird’s nest. Needles are bright green. A good choice for a small garden. 2ft x 3ft.
T. c. ‘Jervis’. Miniature. The irregular, upright form of this distinctive cultivar is crowded with dark green needles. The tips of the new growth are often twisted and growing at odd angles, giving the plant an unusual texture. Best planted in partial shade. Very slow growing. A 30-year-old plant will only be about 21/2ft tall.
T. c. ‘Minuta’. Miniature. Extremely slow growing, and hard to find as a result. It forms a very congested, irregular bun that’s perfect for use in rock gardens and troughs. Best planted in partial shade. Size after 10 years: 6in x 6in. Ultimate height is no more than 2ft.
T. c. ‘Pendula’. Dwarf. A thick mass of overlapping, pendulous branches forms a broad arching mound. Size in 10–12 years: 3ft x 5ft. It will ultimately become quite large and elegant. A 30-year-old specimen will measure nearly 5ft high by 12ft wide.
T. mertensiana ‘Mt. Hood Blue’. Dwarf. The Mountain Hemlock of the West Coast is a towering conifer that’s rarely seen on this side of the continent. We offer this slow-growing dwarf selection that bears beautiful, silvery blue needles on stiff branches. It is very dense, with an irregular, conical form. ‘Mt Hood Blue’ is hard to come by on either coast, and we’re pleased to be able to offer it. 4ft x 3ft.Less hardy than our native Hemlock—to Zone 5. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Environmentals, Inc., 22275 Main Road, Cutchogue, New York 11935, (631) 734-6439, Fax (631) 734-6452 info@environmentalsnursery.com
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