Ilex opaca – American holly
Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree-
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most constantly?
The wild-rose briar is sweet in spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who will call the wild-briar fair?
Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with holly’s sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He still may leave thy garland green.
-Emily Bronte
Many decorations, especially wreaths, include the leaves and fruit of Ilex opaca, American holly. Native to the eastern United States, Ilex opaca may reach 40 to 50 feet tall in its southern range, but in Massachusetts it is more often a smaller tree, 20 to 30 feet tall, with stiff evergreen leaves. The leaves, 1 ½ to 3 ½-inches long, have several sharp spine-like points along the margin. The leaves remain on branches for two to three years before being replaced by newer leaves. The name opaca means opaque or shaded, and refers to the duller sheen of the leaves and fruit compared to the English holly, Ilex aquifolium.
(more…)Juniperus virginiana, Eastern redcedar
If my decomposing carcass helps
nourish the roots of a juniper tree…
-that is immortality enough for me.
-Edward Abbey
In many an old country graveyard, even those with few trees, one may still come across Juniperus virginiana, Eastern redcedar, its evergreen leaves perhaps once providing a metaphor for eternal life. Native from southern Maine to the Badlands of South Dakota, and south to eastern Texas, and back up through the higher Appalachians, this is a small to medium sized tree, forty to fifty-feet tall at a maximum, but often half that size. Despite its common name this is yet another tree that is not a true cedar, or Cedrus, but rather a juniper.
(more…)Horticulture Highlight: Leucothoe
…frosts will lie upon the grass
like bloom on grapes of purple-brown and gold.
The misted early morning will be cold…
-Elinor Wylie
Early morning frosts might not be favorites of many and they increase the leaf-drop of deciduous foliage as we approach winter. Now is a good time to highlight evergreen shrubs. Some visual workhorses within our winter landscape, mountain laurel, rhododendron, yew, boxwood, Japanese andromeda and Oregon grape, have already been profiled in the past.
(more…)Horticulture Highlight: Katsura Tree
Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across
thousands of miles and all the years we have lived.
-Helen Keller
Many visitors to Mount Auburn come not only to be in the here and now, but also to be conveyed to another place, perhaps across time, that includes significant, even spiritual memories. For some, plant fragrances may influence or even embellish one’s feelings or mood. Throughout the calendar year, flowers with signature aromas, such as tree peony, crabapple, lilac, rose, linden and many others may evoke deep responses. With some plants it is their fragrant foliage such as sweet fern, monarda and Russian sage. Each autumn I anticipate being fondly transported to yesteryear from a less expected source, the senescing and fallen leaves of the Katsura tree, Cercidiphyllum japonicum. This scent, for me, recalls cotton candy from myriad locations of childhood, decades in the past.
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