Community Advocate • Summer Guide • Friday, May 20, 2011• 5

Plants that offer lasting interest

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By Michael ArnumMarketing Director at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston

While it may be relatively easy to select plants with spring fl owers, what about after the tulips have faded and the last dogwoods have bloomed? Be-yond bedding annuals, can there be hope for the “dog days” of summer? At Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, the answer to that question is an emphatic “Yes!” Here are fi ve trees and shrubs with late-season interest for the home landscape.

Sweet Pepper Bush (Clethra alnifolia)

Th e common name of this native shrub is derived from its persistent seed pods which are reminiscent of peppercorns, and it gets the description “sweet” because of the de-lightful fragrance of its white, bottle-brush like fl owers that are born in the heat of July and August. Th ese plants can grow along a streambed, yet they are very adaptable to average garden conditions as well. A

striking pink fl ow-ered variety called “Ruby Spice” was selected for the pres-tigious Cary Award. Impatient garden-ers should beware that these plants are slow to “leaf-out” in the spring, so don’t worry if it appears that nothing’s hap-pening after other plants have started to grow.

False Camellia (Stewartia

pseudocamellia) Despite the name, there’s noth-ing false about this lovely small tree. A contributor to every season, the False Camellia has beautiful, smooth, mottled bark, remi-niscent of a tortoise shell in its patches of diff erent shades of brown and beige. Its camellia-like fl owers (hence the name) are white with a bunch of yel-low stamens in the center, and

they open in succession over a multi-week period in June and July. False Camellia trees can also have striking fall color - a mix of yellow, orange and tints of red. 20 to 40 feet in height.

Seven-Sons Flower (Heptacodium miconioides)

Few trees garner as much attention as the Seven-Sons Flower when it is in bloom in September. A large shrub or small tree up to 20 feet in height, its many white, lightly fragrant, daisy-like flowers open in late August through September - they are magnets to bees and butterfl ies that are anxious for that last bit of nec-tar before summer’s end. Th e show continues into October after the white petals drop and showy red sepals become apparent. Th is is also a Cary Award winner.

Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulata)

Lilacs do indeed come in a variety of shapes and forms, and this one is a small tree that sends up plumes of white fl owers in July that do not have the perfumy fragrance of the common lilac, but smell more like privet fl owers. A valuable street tree or accent for the home garden, the Japanese Tree Lilac has shiny bark that resembles that of cherry trees.

It is very adaptable and could be successfully used as a patio tree. Its leaves are dark green in summer, and can have yellow to purple fall color. It ultimately reaches a height of about 30 to 40 feet, with a 12 to 25 foot spread.

Autumn-fl owering Cherry (Prunus subhirtella autumnalis) Now here’s a tree that doubles your money because it blooms not just once in the spring, but again in the fall. Th e fl ow-ers are rose pink, semi-double and quite showy. Considered to be the most cold-, heat-, and stress-tolerant of all the cher-ries, this moderate to rapidly growing tree is easy to trans-plant. It ultimately reaches a height of 20 to 40 feet, with a spread of about 15 to 30 feet.

Michael Arnum is the Marketing Director at Tower Hill Botanic Garden at 11 French Dr. in Boylston. All of the plants mentioned may be seen at the Garden; more information is available at www.towerhillbg.org, or by calling 508-869-6111.

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Clethra is a popular, hardy and striking selection for the backyard.

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