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10 June Favorites

Magnolia 'Kay Parris' With so much going on in the garden in June, it is hard to choose only ten favorites. I challenged myself and have done just that. These are plants that look good around the midway point in June, specifically from June 15-20.  I begin with Magnolia 'Kay Parris'. Believe it or not, having spent the majority of my life in the South, I never grew a magnolia. They are emblematic of the South, where magnificent specimens grace old plantation homes and stately homes in older neighborhoods. I always thought of magnolias as huge trees, not suited to a small garden, but things have changed, and more varieties are now available that are not supposed to grow as large.  We now have two magnolias in our garden, both of which were added recently. When one of the old photinias that line our back property line died, it left a gaping hole. I had been looking at magnolias at the nursery and decided a smaller one might make a good backdrop and create a good privacy s...
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Windstorm

 


For once, the weather forecasters were correct yesterday when they said to expect a strong windstorm. It all started around 5pm when the skies became very hazy and then the wind hit. Gusts up to 50mph were mentioned. I'm not sure how strong they actually were but we were on pins and needles watching our trees and plants whip around in circles.

Fortunately, we fared well and had no damage. Just up the street, however, our neighbors lost a big honeylocust tree -


We always worry about our eucalyptus tree. This was a tiny slip of a plant when I brought it home from the nursery a few years ago. It is now reaching for the sky and continues to grow. Talk about a fast grower! Although I have an 8-ft. rebar stake next to it, it is woefully inadequate. I'm not sure how you go about staking a tree this size.


The morning, the smoke and haze had cleared and it is a beautiful day although it is still windy. 

 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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  1. ksSeptember 8, 2020 at 5:43 PM

    I have sure seen lots of photos of downed trees up your way.My brothers-in-law live in Lake Oswego and their next door neighbor had a very large Mimosa go over. Scary . I love Eucs, but they are controversial here in California. I think if you go to the U of Wa extension website and search for info on tree staking you will find that it is not longer recommended. If I remember correctly, the science is that trees develop better resistance to wind if they are allowed to be subject to it.

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowSeptember 9, 2020 at 11:31 AM

    I am happy for you that you didn't have any damage. Wind is a terrible thing to happen. It seems like there is more and more wind now days. Scary seeing your neighbors tree down.

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