June 24, 1997
It's A Shrub. No, It's A Tree
Turn Overgrown Shrubs Into Trees
You've bought a home in an older neighborhood. You know you're going to love the old-fashioned roses and the perennial beds that line the fence. But what about those overgrown shrubs that obviously haven't been given a haircut -- not even a trim -- in many moons?
You have a trio of options. You can move them to locations in your yard where their size is appropriate. But, boy, is that a lot of work!
You can, of course, remove them and replace them with small specimens. But that costs money, which is in short supply just after you've bought a house.
Why not "tranform" those ugly shrubs into attractive-looking trees? A number of Southern favorites can be treated this way:
- Rose of Sharon. Sure it already grows upright like a tree. But Dr. Mel Garber of the Georgia Extension Service suggests that it will look pretty spiffy if you prune it to create lateral branches and a canopy.
- Sasanqua camellia. It makes a good tree shape because it spreads more than Camellia japonica.
- Cleyera.Let it grow and this shrub will top 20 feet. Try to keep it cut back and you spend your summers pruning. The solution, says Dr. Garber, is to remove a few of the bottom branches and turn it into a vertical accent in your landscape.
- Crape myrtle. Anyone who's ever been to San Antonio knows how great these summer-flowering shrubs look as trees. And it's especially true with the mildew-resistant varieties developed at the National Arboretum (they all have American Indian names).
- Burford holly. In the past, way too many people planted this as a foundation shrub and discovered that it would quickly shoot up to 20 feet. Then people discovered dwarf Burford. But they probably didn't realize that "dwarf" could grow to 10 feet tall! To have a good-looking red and green tree that's the perfect accent for the holiday season, remove lower branches and use hedge shears over the tips of the branches to create a rounded head.
- Ligustrum. This looks best if you prune the bottom branches and then prune lateral buds to create an attractive overhanging canopy, says Dr. Garber. With common Privet, experiment and see what happens. I've seen privet standards and also weeping "tree" ligustrums.
Other shrubs you might try the presto-chango routine on are Southern wax myrtle and Osmanthus. Where are those loppers? Better unpack them out in the garage and get started on a more exciting landscape.
But when you have a chance to take a breather, check out the Atlanta Garden Connection, which offers gardening articles, a forum, bird-watcher's corner, Q& A forum, a list of plant societies' Web sites and lots more. Great for those in the mid-South.
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Mississippi State University Cooperative Extension Service
The South is a diverse region, stretching from Zone 6 to Zones 9 and 10 -- the mountains to the subtropics. No gardening information applies to all of the region all of the time. But to find what's best for your particular section, the region's Extension Services are the place to start.
If you live in zone 8, Mississippi State provides information on every gardening topic, even to what you should be doing in the garden each month (with links to some of the plants that will be in flower that month). This is my favorite Extension site because it's so complete.
Aggie Horticulture Home Gardening Information
If you're a Texan. the Aggies of Texas Tech have your gardening needs covered -- from a home gardening guide in Spanish or English to showing you how to grow the best tomatoes ever. Other topics include home landscaping, fruits and nuts, easy gardening and ornamentals. This isn't the usual fact-filled but dry-as-dust Extension information. You'll be entertained as you learn. There's even an introductory Internet course!
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service
Lots of outstanding information that would apply to gardens all over the South since Georgia is home to Zones 7 to 9. A handy link connects you to all the other states' extension service Web pages.
J.C. Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University
Before he died in a December 1996 car crash Dr. J.C Raulston introduced hundreds of superior plants into the nursery trade. Check the Plant Cultivar Introductions and the Superior Plant Promotion at the arboretum's site to find the very best shrubs, trees and other plants for the middle South
Florida Agricultural Information Retrieval System
If anything's missing from the FAIRS site, it's hard to imagine what it might be. While much of it is directed to commercial growers, home gardeners will find plenty to acess in the Pest Management and Master Gardener topics. Excellent links at the site include the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, integrated pest management and organic gardening.
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Southern Gardening
