Growing Trees From Shrubs Effectively
Shrubs such as althaeas, roses, dogwoods and privets are frequently grown in tree form by removing all but one stem which is staked and trained to develop into a miniature tree. This same method could be employed to make small tree-form plants from many other flowering shrubs.
Other plants which are usually considered as trees frequently start to branch close to the ground in the manner of a shrub and are then classified as trees of bush form. Examples are Amur maple, flowering dogwood, silver-bell, magnolia, flowering crabapples, redbud and goldenrain-tree. Trees with three or more main stems starting from the ground are classified as clumps. The white and river birches are frequently grown in clump form.
A number of trees are grown by budding or grafting the desired type from five to seven feet up on the stems of especially grown seedling trees of the proper sort. These are classified as top worked trees and include such varieties as Tea’s weeping mulberry, umbrella locust, umbrella catalpa, rose acacia, weeping cherry and weeping peach. In a similar manner tree form roses and tree form wisterias are produced. Tree form roses in this area (mid America) have been rather short lived due to winter injury. Tree form wisterias can be beautiful specimens in the small garden.
The witchhazels both open and close the blooming season in our shrubbery borders. It is Hamamelis virginiana, the Virginia witchhazel, whose crinkled yellow flowers put on the final show in late October and November. About the middle of this month the vernal or Ozark witch-hazel, Hamamelis vernalis, waves its tiny, red-orange, crinkly ribbons. The Virginia witchhazel is a shrub or small tree, 10 to 25 feet tall. The Ozark variety is low, usually not over six feet.
Hamamelis vernalis purpurea, in full bloom at the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois, on Mareh 18, displayed flowers consistently larger than usual and with noticeably more slender petals of an attractive wine red hue. To emphasize this color deviation, one of the light yellow flowered forms should be planted next to it.
Hamamelis vernalis carnea, the red petal vernal witchhazel, introduces a still different color note, rose pink. Being woodsy in character, it fits best into a natural type of landscape.
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