Early Spring Has Begun!

Selected cuttings from the Washington Park Arboretum (March 2 - 16, 2015)
Selected cuttings from the Washington Park Arboretum (March 2 – 16, 2015)

1)  Acer triflorum        Three Flower Maple

  • A small, slow-growing deciduous tree 20’ to 45’ where it is native in Manchuria and Korea.  An excellent landscape tree boasting light grey vertically-furrowed bark and vivid red and orange fall color.  The name refers to its flowers, which are borne in clusters of three.
  • Discovered by noted plant explorer, Ernest H. Wilson in 1917.
  • Located in the Asiatic Maples Collection.  Grid: 26-B

2)  Corylopsis sinensis var. calverescens        Winter Hazel

  • A medium-sized deciduous, broadly vase-shaped shrub in the Witch Hazel family.
  • Bean describes it as flowering in April.
  • Located in the Witt Winter Garden.  Grid: 34-1E

3)  Magnolia x loebneri‘Ballerina’        Magnolia

  • This small deciduous tree is a hybrid between M. x loebneri ‘Spring Snow’ and M. stellata ‘Water Lilly’.
  • The specific epithet honors Max Loebner, a German horticulturist, who made the first cross of this hybrid in the early 1900s.
  • Located on the west side of Arboretum Drive in the Magnolias Collection.  Grid: 28-4E

4)  Rhododendron thomsonii ssp. thomsonii        ‘Glory of Penjerrick’

  • A large evergreen shrub with a rounded crown noted for very early bloom time.
  • An early hybrid used as parent for many subsequent Rhododendron hybrids.
  • Located west of Azalea Way, north of the path to the Wilcox foot bridge.

5)  Sorbus caloneura        Whitebeam

  • This small upright deciduous tree is native to southeastern China and Tibet.
  • The leaves are heavily pleated, giving them the appearance of beech leaves.
  • Fruit are extremely hard and persist well into winter.
  • Located at the south end of the Sorbus Collection.  Grid: 20-4E