What do Jaws, Jimmy Hendrix and emergency sirens have in common? They all include the ‘Devil’s Trill’! “What is this?” you may ask. Well, it is ‘Satan in music’ and was once banned by the Catholic Church for being a “demonic combo”! The Violin Sonata in G minor by Tartini or the Devil’s Trill Sonata is the notes F & B played together and they clash so much it gives us an unnatural feeling of foreboding. Some people twitch when they hear these keys played together.

Police sirens are a perfect example. They are typically the notes C and G flat – can you hear them in your head? They clash – trouble is coming. You will find the ‘Devil’s Trill’ in movies like The Exorcist, The Shining and of course Jaws (da-dum… da-dum; Can you see the shark coming? The music gets faster as the shark gets closer… da-dum. P.S. Did you know that it’s a Tuba in Jaws?). Or maybe you are into the Rolling Stones (“Sympathy for the Devil”), Metallica ,(“Enter the Sandman” Fun note: this is my cup of tea!) Led Zepplin, (“The Rover”, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”) or, of course, “Purple Haze” (Jimmy plays the B-flat while bass man Redding plays an E, da-dant… da-dant, in the opening riffs) These groups use the demonic combo!

You get the idea but what has this to do with plants – nothing. What does this have to do with Kim – lots! We receive a lot of trucks from growers. Some are small – some are large. I try my hardest to get out and look at every truck and the material. But I must admit there are some nurseries that as I am about to look into the back of the truck and *wham*, a “Devils Trill”!! I also hear it when we open the houses up in the spring and, of course, when someone walks into my office and says, “I need a favor!” It is usually Jaws that plays in my head at work, but, nevertheless, it is in my head as a sign of foreboding! (Usually, I internally yell at myself for thinking that way – especially when the load is beautiful or the favor is easy!)

The ‘Devil’s Trill’ itself was composed by Giuseppe Tartini. An Austrian dude from the late 1600’s. He has two claims to fame – He was the first ever owner of a Stradivarius Violin and his Sonata in G Minor or “The Devils Trill”. The Sonata was basically the first “Devil Went Down to Georgia” style song (and story).

I will admit I also get it in my head before I step into the doctor’s office, dentist, and even sometimes as I about to put on the news. Funny thing is that in those moments the trill I hear is ‘Purple Haze’, I didn’t know it had a name, but it does and a cool one at that. (Not really sure where I learned the name or why.)

A couple of last Devils Trill footnotes.

• Did you watch the Sopranos? The season finale? Because they purposefully used Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and purposefully ended it at the ‘Devil’s Trill’ just to make it even more irksome.
• It is the hardest piece of music to play on a violin.
• If Giuseppe lived in our age, he would have been in a major Heavy Metal Band. 

Cornus (Dogwood) is not a species of plant that we put much thought into. Most of them sit in the background being the workhorses they are. Cornus are one the of the few species that cover all “types” of plants. From the 3” perennial Cornus canadensis (“Bunchberry”) to the shrubby ‘Ivory Halo’ types (many of them natives) to multiple sizes of ornamental trees which also include many natives.

Let’s start with humble Cornus sericea and its cultivars, the “Redtwig’ and “Yellowtwig” dogwoods. We’ll cover the natives first, then cultivars.

C s. Baileyi… Wait, I said natives first!!! And ‘Baileyi’s’ gets included in with the natives. Unlike its cousins ‘Bergessons’, ‘Kelsy’ etc., ‘Baileyi’ is a naturally occurring hybrid that was found on the side of the road in Minnesota by a worker from Bailey Nursery. Yes, officially ‘Baileyi’ are considered a cultivar (scientifically speaking) but because it is a naturally occurring hybrid it is usually ok to swap for straight Cornus sericea. The straight species, ‘Baileyi’, and all the other cultivars of Cornus sericea like wet to swampish locations and have a vase-shaped habit. What is the difference? ‘Baileyi’ has a deeper red color in the winter! That is it! …officially

Unofficially, there is another problem. I can get you #3 or #5 Cornus s. ‘Baileyi’ all day long. Nice full plants, foliage fairly clean, well maintained, and pruned accordingly for success. However, to get a native Cornus sericea, I have to go to smaller nurseries that specialize in native material. Typically, straight Cornus sericea is available in a #2 or #3 pot with a couple of sticks sticking out of the pot in all directions. It’s hard for me to sell, and more importantly, really hard for you to sell. I understand and you do also, but know that if you want straight species, I am going to sell it to you – only because even though it may be 2 sticks in a pot it is rock solid hardy, and will grow up to be a nice 7-9’ tall plant. It just doesn’t start as pretty as ‘Baileyi’ or any other cultivars.

Other sericea that are noteworthy are:

• ‘Kelsy’ A cute little mound of green leaves and bright red stems growing 2-3’ x 2-3’.
• ‘Buds Yellow’ is an older cultivar but a well-established “Yellowtwig” that is 5-7’ tall with a vase shaped habit.
• ‘Bergessons Compact’ grows 4-5’ x 4-5’ with dark red stems.

Very closely related is Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo’ or tartarian dogwood. These are not as aggressive as Cornus sericea cultivars can be. The stems get red but not as red as the “Redtwigs”, but the green and white variegated leaves are where it is at!

Another closely related species is C. sanguinea “Bloodstems”. Proven Winners® have some newer ones that are just starting to hit the market in quantities. We had a few here last year, but we will see more this year. ‘Arctic Fire’, ‘Arctic Fire Yellow’, and ‘Arctic Fire Sun’ all have a nice, rounded habit, get 3-4’ x 3-4’, and have bright red (or yellow) stems.

There are many others on the market these days. Many are native to us or other parts of the states. We have our favorites and they have theirs.

Before I go, I would like to go back to the natives for a minute.

• Cornus racemosa “Grey dog’” prefers a swampy area and will reach 10’ tall. It has red stems but not a great color.
• C. amomum “Silky dog”. It really has no stem color and like the “Grey dogs” like a wet swampy area. “Silky’s” have a nice, rounded habit.

Ps: There is a rather large elephant in the room while I talk about Shrubby Cornus. All “dogs” from the perennials to the trees have fungal leaf spot issues! Less sun, water on leaves, and tight space only exacerbate the issues.

With Boxwood still in limbo I thought I would give a refresher on some plant substitutions that have been flyin’ out the door as a replacement.

I would have to start with Ilex glabras – seriously! I would have considered these an underused plant, but their time has come to step out in the world! “Inkberries” are hardy to a zone 4, not too bothered by wet feet, and can take part shade. They are not as deer-resistant as boxwood but are on the ‘least browsed’ list. Ilex glabra do not like our alkaline soils and to look their best with an acidic fertilizer applied. (Our alkaline soils are why they get yellow.) They are also salt tolerant. Straight Ilex glabra gets rather leggy and is known to sucker. However, the newer cultivars are an improvement in both leafing all the way down and less suckering (…they say no suckers but… I don’t always believe what they say.)

Even “Mugos” have seen a resurgence. Pinus mugo prefers full sun but is light-shade tolerant. Of all the evergreens it is the one that gets the least winter burn. They will tolerate our heavier soil but prefer something a little sandier. Pinus mugo is also deer-resistant and tolerates salt. Nothing new and fab but some tried and true ones are available…

Globe shaped Thuja occidentalis have been moving up the popularity ladder for the last several years. The Globe “Arbs” have some newer well-behaved cultivars (not that the older cultivars are not well-behaved!!). Thujas will take our alkaline soil as well as wet soils. They prefer full sun but will take part shade.

You may ask, 'Why?' or perhaps “Do I need a Hallmark card?" No cards are required. And, ‘Why?’, Well, because peonies are about to bloom! Which peonies? – ALL the PRETTY PEONY!!

I have written a lot of articles in my life, but I do not usually jump up and say me, me, me please, pick me. But an article about PEONIES?!? – Yes, please. They have always been my favorite. The flower is massive, and the fragrance is sweet (it is also one of the few smelly plants that does not give me an instant allergy headache!). I cut them and enjoy them inside by the bucketful. I may end up with a few ants indoors – but who cares, it’s worth it for peony flowers! And, well, they are just ants.

But the production crew does not stop there. No, they have added Itoh Peonies to their production list. A totally different animal than an herbaceous Peony. Itoh’s are a cross between an herbaceous peony and a “Tree Peony” (they are known as “Intersectional” Peony – in case you were wondering). Why would you ever want that – well Itoh’s form a semi-woody stem that is able to hold up the huge flower (both come from the “Tree” Peony (Peony sufferticosa), and it also has and produces herbaceous stems – so if it dies to ground no problem. I have several at home. I do not cut them back until spring and then only to the buds on the woody stems. Every year they get bigger and bigger as new herbaceous stems join the 'club'. Believe it or not, they look more and more fab every time I see them. The easiest to come by is 'Bartzella'. It has a semi-double to double yellow flower that can be 6-8” in diameter. ‘Morning Light’ has a semi-double fuchsia flower. On the upside the plant flowers for longer period as side shoots will also flower and the colors cannot be found in P. lactiflora. (there aren’t even semi vigorous yellows in herbaceous Peony.) The foliage is very clean and lasts all year and when it blooms it is covered with flowers not only on the top but also on the sides. The only thumbs down I would give the Itoh cultivars is like a “Tree” peony the flowers are not cuttable. Vase life is only hours!

I can’t let you go just yet because although I no longer have much to do with perennials and even less on production I know a secret. There are – are you ready for this – “Tree Peonies” in stock. Yeppers. True “Tree” peonies are a rare find. They are incredibly hardy with massive flowers held up by woody stems. The group we have is an “assorted” color collection. But it doesn’t really matter because they are, well, not only Peonies but they are “Tree” Peonies and……. IT IS PEONY MONTH – YEAH! 

/ˌrōdəˈdendrən/
     noun

First of all, “Rhodys”, Azaleas, and ‘PJMs’ are all the same!!! They are all officially part of the rhododendron genus. They are one of our most popular stars of spring. All of those stocked at Christensen’s are Broadleaf Evergreens, flower in the spring, stay leafed out all year, and start the process over again. (We do not stock deciduous Azaleas anymore but if you need them, we will get you some.)

I also like ‘Boursault’, again another purple flower (heading towards pink). ‘Boursault’ is a Rhododendron catawbiense hybrid and is short. It will reach 5-6’ max. Both are those hardier H1 hybrids.

Last on my list of Rhododendrons is the small-leafed “PJM”. ( FYI: PJM is a series developed by Peter J. Mezitt and his son in the 1930s to be exceptionally winter hardy.) They are getting very hard to find. Sometimes we get ‘PJM’, ‘PJM Elite’, or ‘PJM Regal’. They are all very similar and can work interchangeably. All have the same ‘PJM’ flowers and will reach 3-5’.

If you follow our Sticks & Stones articles, you know that as a buyer, my job is to find beautiful plants for you at a reasonable price. I think I do a respectable job at it. Lately, I have had some physical issues that have kept me from walking around as much but the salespeople at the nursery aren’t yelling about anything, so I think I am doing a good job. When I do head out to look at what just came off a truck, some things I do not look at. I just know they are fab. MAGIC!! Just kidding! No not really. Some nurseries do grow certain products that are always to die for, some other items may not be their specialty, so they need to be looked at. It doesn’t matter what nursery they come from, if it is a “Oakleaf” Hydrangea I am all over it!

I have decided this is going to be Hydrangea year again. (A year where I focus on improving my selection in a certain plant) My goal is to find a nice potted Oakleaf! You are going to see some new flavors this coming year! My best hope is with a new cultivar named ‘Jetstream’. Coming in at 5-6’ tall, it’s claim to fame is sturdy stems. I have seen these in a “can” and they look good, the kind of good that makes you look twice and go ‘dang.’ I have seen them at different locations, and they all look good. I have high hopes for these. I have not heard of them being disease resistant, but I have not seen disease issues like ‘Alice’. To counter the trouble ‘Alice’ can cause, a couple of years ago I brought in some ‘Alice in Wonderland’, a 5x5’ Michael Dirr introduction. I have seen some large potted plants, and they are beautiful. I think what I like about these the most is the flowers (on very strong stems) stick out from top to bottom looking kind of like rockets. (Truthfully it reminds me of those centerpieces you get for the 4^th of July – not at all in a bad way!).

I have small handfuls of a couple of other cultivars incoming next year.

‘Toy Soldier’ Bet you thought it was a dwarf!?!? It’s not. It will only do 4-5 x 4-5’, but it is supposed to stand up like a “Toy Soldier” on very strong stems. I also have some ‘Snowcicle’ coming in next year. It has 12-15” long panicles of DOUBLE flowers on a plant that will do 5-6 x 5-6. It is also known for its strong stems.

You will still see ‘Pee Wee’ (4’), ‘Munchkin’ (3-4’) and ‘Sikes’ (2-3’) for dwarfs. The closest thing to a “dwarf” I have found so far is the “Toy Soldier’. I have not seen anything else in a new cultivar and truly dwarf. I do, however, plan on something new in the dwarfs soon!

This year, we had a special order for some Proven Winner ‘Gatsby Gal.’ It is a brand-new cultivar and maybe a fabulous landscape plant. However, I have yet to do a double-take when I see them in a pot. ‘Gatsby Gal’ is considered a dwarf at 4x4’. It has large white flowers on very sturdy stems. ‘Gatsby Pink’ (6’) opens white and quickly changes to pink. “Gatsby Moon’ is a large “Oakleaf” coming in at 8x8 with big white mophead flowers I am going to watch these; Maybe give them one more chance. Maybe!

P.S. To those who pay attention to such crap. This is 30 years and 2 full boxes of staples for me!

In my job, the only thing worse than May is August. I must buy plants to sell now and next spring. It gets a little confusing sometimes (and we may end up with an extra group of plants right now or perhaps I put them on my spring order and they’re missing from the ‘now’ order!) Did I mention I also have to do my fall orders now – I kinda forgot about those!! After 29 years you would think I could handle this. I can’t (just in case you were wondering). I do, however, have a lot of backup at the nursery.

The worst part of this is; because spring is a screaming time of the year, I need to do the thinking now so later I can point and shoot on the fly! The problem is my decisions all depend on you! I must figure out what you are going to do so I can figure out what I am going to do! It is such a vicious circle! Some of you are thinking “who is this chick?” If she has been there for 29 years why haven’t I seen her?? You have. It is just that I am way older looking than you might remember! And, I am chained to my desk in deep thought (sending you a message about what you should do next year because I already had to make the decision).

It is the decisions! At this time of the year, I often come into work and announce that today is “no decision day”!! Sometimes days in a row are no decision days (I don’t think I have hit a whole week yet). I have noticed that this has become an annual (perennial?) thing! I have yet to have a day at work this year where I don’t have to make at least one decision! But I shall keep trying! Someday it will happen, I have faith.

So, I have already made a couple of decisions for you. I have a little time left to make changes – so if you have a problem with my decision, please see your nearest salesperson at Christensen’s and let them know!

Decision #1 MORE Hydrangea paniculata ‘Puffer Fish’. Wow, isn’t she awesome (It is a she because of the awesomeness!!) I was told it was a ‘BoBo’ on steroids. They weren’t kidding. The flower is far larger and more numerous than a ‘BoBo’, though the plant itself is nearly identical in size and shape. You may find these already in stock… (…if they’re not sold! They seem to sell as fast as I can order them.)

That’s probably all I have room for today. I didn’t get very far down my list. Maybe I will have a part two article coming up with more sneak peeks at my decisions!

P.S. I have been at work this am for 1 hour and have had to make 5 maybe 6 decisions already!! Tomorrow is definitely going to be a no-decision day.

Welcome back – I hope that everyone had a great holiday. Whew! Spring is finally over! For me, summer is a time of slight relaxation. 2023 is humming along and I have a month until I must start 2024. (Let’s not think about that!).

I wanted to check with everyone and make sure you all saw some of the new plant varieties at the nursery – if not, come on in as there are more newbies here and incoming.

There are a couple of new plants that I am excited about. Of the hundreds of new cultivars every year it is hard to know what to choose. Sometimes, I throw dice, sometimes I look at the magic 8-ball, and sometimes it has to do with a catchy name (I am a sucker for a catchy name!). Then I do some research and decide if the name is catchy enough! Check some of these out:

I have a couple of newer grasses this year, as well. My favorite is the Andropogon gerardii cultivars. Check out ‘Holy Smoke’ (Cheech and Chong movie ??), ‘Blackhawks’ (again with the movie?), and Red October (another movie!). ‘Holy Smoke’ and ‘Blackhawks’ both are going to be 4-5’ tall and ‘Red October’ is a dwarf coming in at 2-4’. All 3 are native prairie grass and rock hardy. All 3 also have purple-green leaves and get varying shades of red from mid-late summer through fall.

I also have a couple of new Hydrangeas! Please don’t tell Chris!!! They are a secret. The one I am most excited about is Hydrangea paniculata ‘Puffer Fish’, “a Bobo on steroids”! It has white flowers that age lime and pink. They will typically send another flower at this same time and rebloom over top of older blooms. It gives the effect of double flowers – very showy. It seems everyone likes the compact habit of the ‘Tuff Stuff’ so take a look at this one ‘Pop Star’ . This one is from the Endless Summer people. This is a typical blue or pink lacecap (macrophylla). However, ‘Pop Star’ is far more compact (and looks far denser) than the traditional ‘Endless Summer’. Its biggest claim to fame is that it reblooms much faster than a traditional ’Endless Summer’.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get my hands on Jeffery’s Weigela ‘Bubbly Wine’. If you were unaware, Jeff Good is now the patent holder of Proven Winners® Weigela ‘Bubbly Wine’. I will let him tell you all about it. I on the other hand will tell you about a relative of Weigela ‘Midnight Wine’ with darker, shinier burgundy leaves and a 12’ tall about 3’ wide habit. W. ‘Midnight Wine Shine’ is also much denser. Finally, W. ‘Very Fine Wine’ is a dwarf – 30x30” with better hardiness and heavier rebloom.

Before I let you go – let’s talk Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’ I have not grown this personally and we have not had it at the nursery before. Everyone is yelling at me about this plant. Everyone wants it and I keep saying it is not hardy enough for us, you keep saying it is! I have special ordered this plant in the past and those that have put it in the landscape have told me they are hardy. So, this year I will stock a few. Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’ is a female ilex and will need a pollinator to bloom (any ilex that blooms at this same time will work.) ‘Sky Pencils’ get to be about 6-8’ and 2’ wide – yes, with a very columnar habit. It is a very dense tightly branched shrub. Considered a solid zone 6 possibly a zone 5 – it may all depend on the winter. Berries or not, it is a good-looking plant!

Have you tried these new varieties? Let us know what you think of them! We welcome your feedback on the plants we stock.

I hope to see you around the plant center, checking out all the new stuff!

I don’t do trees. Personally, I find them scary. Not just because they can fall on your house, in your pool or knock out your power. They are a force to be reckoned with! One time a tree came down on a house in my neighborhood and I was relieved when it didn’t totally crush the house.

Trees with weak limbs are definitely on the scary list. Pear. Silver maple! And of course, the tree that takes the scariest contest win every time. Weeping willow. Seriously, every scary movie has a weeping willow in it somewhere and as soon as you see it the creepy music starts playing. Oh, but wait. Google "weeping willow" and you get pics like this one from a horror novelist site. 

You heard the music didn’t you?

Maybe the weeping willow isn’t THAT scary, but how about this horrifically misshapen weeping beech at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Massachusetts? Honestly it looks like it wants to grab you by your hair. Massachusetts has plenty of spooky - ever hear of the Bridgewater Triangle?

Or check out the Burmis Tree in Alberta, Canada. It died in 1970 after living probably 700 years. Amazing and weird – yep, but the story goes on, this ancient limber pine stayed standing for another 28 years until it was knocked over by a wind storm. Now for something straight out of Steven King: the locals propped it back up and – like a zombie – it still stands on it’s cliff top for all to see.

Examples of scary trees like these exist all over. Scary trees don’t bother you? How about haunted trees? Let’s start with The Island of Dolls in Xochimilco, Mexico, haunted by hundreds of creepy whispering dolls hanging from the trees. Or the Hoia-Baciu Woods in Romania. Did I say Romania? I meant TRANSYLVANIA. This forest has a haunted circle where no trees will grow. And then there is the Freetown-Fall River State Forest ALSO in Massachusetts, aka the Cursed Forest, site of murders, supernatural events, and Sasquatch sightings. Something for everyone, really.

None of the examples above have given you the chills? People can find faces in grilled cheese, why not in trees? And feeling creeped out and scared can be easily caused by too much Halloween partying. Let’s return to the easier facts then.

You just can’t make this up. Barbed wire? No… thorns on a tree!!! Scientific fact – this is your old friend the Honeylocust sporting these daggerlike thorns. Thank a nurseryman for breeding the thorns out of them for us. This photo makes me think of some evil creature in a horror movie dragging a club with thorns – I can’t remember the movie but some horror slasher from the ‘80s.

But it could be worse – check out the spikes on the trunk of this charming specimen. Introducing the White Floss Silk Tree, Ceiba insignis. I am happy to report that it is NOT HARDY HERE.

(We are going to pass on cactus with their evil kitten claws, for now)

With all that said, I love October. Keep your pumpkin mocha – give me a good scary movie and some popcorn. I do love to be scared, just in a different way.

When I started in the nursery long ago there were maybe five other women I knew, and two female landscapers, in the entire industry. Well, ok not really. I might be exaggerating. But It was a man's occupation for sure. But nowadays we women are absolutely everywhere! Fabulous! 

I would say that more the half of all the contacts I have in the industry are women. Perhaps way more than half. Once it used to be a female landscaper would come in once a week, now it is more like several times a day. I also get forwarded a lot of plant lists from designers and architects and most of them are women. Even Christensen’s is being taken over by women. There are fourteen of us on staff here now.

Back to that long ago time. There were just four girls at the Plant Center. Problem was three of them worked inside the office and the fourth was me! So it was me and the boys at break, me and the boys helping customers, me and the boys unloading trucks, fixing irrigation, pulling poly, going to trade shows (and hanging out with more boys!). Then I got to hire a girl for the perennial department and then another and another. Before you knew it - it was not the perennial department but the "perennial girls". I was so proud!

Now, new hires of either gender feel comfortable joining our team. A recent hire expressed how pleasantly surprised she was at the equality she found here at Christensen’s. Her experience with another green industry company had not been so amiable and she feared that it would be an obstacle she faced no matter where she went in our industry.

Thinking about how I was going to write this I looked at some statistics and it all made perfect sense, from 2012-2019 Michigan women owned business grew 29%. In 2015, 11% of the landscapers nationally were women, in 2021 it was 21%! I hired my first perennial girl in about 2012-2013 and now there are six of them. Move on over boys, the ladies are here to stay!

Inclusivity is always a good idea in any business, but especially in an industry where a majority of the end consumers are women. It is important to have perspectives that reflect all of the customers to know and understand your clientele.

I am happy to have witnessed the ascent of women in this industry. I may be a little impartial being a woman myself but the rise of women in the industry is the truth.