Spiral Whitefly

This insect pest is causing damage to many landscape plants including Tabebuias, Gumbo Limbo, Live Oak, Pongam, Mahogany, Calophyllum, Clusia, Kapok, Pigeon Plum, Noronhia, Black Olive and other plants with smooth leaf undersides.  Palms include: Coconut, Adonidia, Veitchia, Date Palms and others, Shrubs include: Barbados Cherry, Duranta ‘Gold Mound’, Oleander, Cocoplum, Copperleaf, Wax Myrtle, and Dwarf Clusia.  Many edible plants like Mango and Banana are also attacked by this whitefly.

Sooty mold stains cars, furniture, and everything below affected plants.  The adult whiteflies leave disturbed plants like flying clouds of white.  This pest is especially troublesome in parking lots.

The whitefly congregates on the leaf undersides and lays eggs in a spiral pattern.  A waxy substance covers the eggs making the whitefly hard to control.

Natural control is always best and a tiny non-stinging parasitic Encarsia wasp has been released that will control the spiral whitefly.  The predator populations are always slower to build up than the pest but historically the natural predator is the best long term solution.  Some cities are not spraying at all due to expense and killing off the predatory wasps.  Once can fertilize plants to encourage plant vigor which will also help.

Parking lots and other locations of major impact may wish to apply other solutions but the predatory insect populations can be affected.  One should apply a strong jet of water to the undersides of foliage and then follow up with applications of Neem Oil every 7-10 days until the problem disappears is one possible solution.  Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Protect and Feed used as a soil drench should last for 6-8 months but must be used away from water.  It is imperative to follow label directions exactly.  I would not use any other chemical treatment.  Hopefully the predator insect will win if not poisoned by overzealous spraying.  Visit http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/ and click onto the “gumbo limbo spiraling whitefly link to view photos of the spiraling whitefly.

Laurelwood

We spent 3 days at Laurelwood, a 250 acre property on top of Signal Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The mountain has an elevation of 2300-2600 feet above sea level making it about 10 degrees cooler than the city below the mountain. The property is used as a wedding venue and is well suited to that task. Spring and fall weddings are the most popular.

The extensive perennial gardens feature changing bloom displays through the growing season. The gardens cover several acres and provide a terrific background for wedding photographs. Koi fish are a feature of the small pond with fountain. The nearby small lake has azaleas, ornamental grass, and perennials which provide another background for photographs. Rare flowering trees and shrubs give structure to the gardens.

The main building functions as a home for the owners at one end. The other side of the building is a huge 40x80 foot cathedral like space which is available for weddings, receptions, and dancing. Chandeliers, a pipe organ, handicapped rest rooms and kitchen facilities are available in the main building. Sheltering porches are available for dining.

The bridal cottage is available for the wedding party before the event. There is a pavilion nearby that overlooks pasture featuring a herd of llamas. The pavilion is ideal for viewing the llamas and for use as a beverage station.

The most interesting venue is available for rent. Contact Larry Bannier at 423-949-5511 or Email info@laurelwoodweddings.com for inquires. The property can be viewed by appointment. Visit them on the web at http://www.laurelwoodweddings.com/ to see great photos of the property.

Bellingrath Gardens

The last stop on our 4100 mile reunion trip was to Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, Alabama which is near Mobile. The temperature was in the mid-upper 90’s at the time of our visit so we did not see the whole garden. One thing that surprised me was the lack of Spanish moss on the oak trees. One tree near the entrance had some Spanish moss on it but I expect it was placed there for effect. One always associates the Deep South with oaks and Spanish moss.
Once inside the gardens we visited the rose garden which was laid out in 1936. The gardens contain over 2000 plants with 75 varieties represented. The rose plants are primarily hybrid teas and floribundas, changed out annually as the gardens is a test site for the All American Rose Selections. New roses are planted one year before they are available to the public. They are all grafted on Fortuniana root stock to avoid nematode damage. A big three tier cast iron fountain was added in 2010. The garden layout represents the Rotary Club emblem.

The conservatory was built in 1935 and is used to house tropical plants. The glass house was restored in 1996.

The great lawn is the site of a former farm and is the biggest open site on the property. The lawn is kept green year round using various seasonal grasses. The lawn is bordered by a 400 foot long flower bed featuring tropical bedding plants changed out yearly.

We missed the camellia parterre and continued to the live oak plaza with its artesian spring which carries water down to the Fowl River. The mermaid fountain, Rebecca by the Well bronze relief, and Monolith plaques describing the gardens history, the Bellingrath family and architect George Rogers who designed the gardens.

We were thrilled to arrive at the 15 room house built in 1935 for the luxury of air conditioning. The house is completely furnished with historical furniture and objects collected by Mrs. Bellingrath. The tour was very complete and the guide very knowledgeable.

We walked down to the river pavilion which offers great views of the river and docking for visitors arriving by boat. We took photos of the house from the pavilion.

We took a quick tour of the Delchamps/Boehm gallery which houses the largest collection of Boehm porcelain open to the public. The gallery was opened in 1967.

The heat was really on so we missed the chapel, bayou boardwalk and observatory, and the Asian-American garden, rockery and gazebo garden. We did stop at the overlook and the over view of the Asian-American Garden. One person almost passed out from the heat.

This is a beautiful garden and well worth a visit. We did not pick the best time to visit but in cooler weather the gardens would have been more enjoyable. I would like to revisit the parts that we missed.
The gardens is located at 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road, Theodore, Alabama, 1-800-247-8420, http://www.bellingrath.org/

Brookside Gardens

It was good to see Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland, after many years. I was Educational Horticulturist and then Director of the Gardens from 1973-1979. One of the most enjoyable things at the garden was introducing new plants and fund raising for plant exploration overseas. Brookside Gardens introduced many Asian plants through the plant exploration efforts of Barry Yinger in various Asian countries. I visited southern gardens and one of the plants still at the garden from those trips is the Needle Palm. The palm has done very well and the gardens are warmer than in the 1970’s. I remember 8 degrees below zero during the 1970’s at the conservatory.

Phil Normandy has been at the gardens since 1979 and is a Longwood Gardens graduate. He gave us a wonderful tour of the gardens and seeing all the changes over the years. Some of the gardens were similar to the old days including the Rose, Gude, Trial, Azalea, and Formal Gardens were similar in scope to the old days except with better plant selections. The Formal Gardens were broken up into individual rooms including Yew, Maple Terrace, and Perennial with the Wedding Gazebo at the top of the walk. Some plant improvements include replacing the short lived Purple leaf Plum with long lived Japanese Red maples on the Maple Terrace. The vertical growing Junipers broken up by snow were replaced with long term Foster’s Holly. The ‘Appalachee’ Crape Myrtles are a great addition to the Rose Garden.

We were pressed for time and did not see the whole 50 acres of gardens. We did see the new Children’s Garden and the Visitors Center which features large meeting rooms, library, and other facilities. I did not remember the Viburnum, and Camellia collections but we did have a Winter Garden. The Winter Garden had the Ghost Rubus with white stems which still was there.

We did see some Yinger plant introductions including the Weeping Japanese Silverbell and the purple foliaged Albizzia.

This very quick but enjoyable tour should be a must for all visitors to the Washington D.C. area. The gardens are located at 1800 Glenallan Avenue in Wheaton, Md., 20902. Phone is 301-962-1400. Check out the website at http://www.brooksidegardens.org/

Chanticleer Garden

Chanticleer Gardens was a great treat to visit. This meticulously maintained garden served up the best of Pennsylvania horticulture in an incredible display garden. The terrain is rolling and we “Flat-Landers” from Florida were not up to the task of viewing the entire property of 35 acres open to the public. The temperature was around 90 degrees for our visit and between hills and heat we took short cuts on our tour. We missed a number of interesting gardens on our trip that will necessitate a return visit in a sedan chair.

One garden that captured our Florida attention was the tea cup garden that was loaded with familiar tropical garden friends. Tropical plants are over-wintered in basements, bathrooms and other cool facilities on the property. Many plants are in pots and beautiful color combinations give the visitor lots of gardening ideas.

I enjoyed the entrance to the main house that had the most incredible display of hydrangeas I have ever seen. This mix of plants had lace cap, mop-head and flower forms in a tremendous variety of colors. Hydrangeas are a relatively new buzzword with horticulturists who have developed many new types including those with repeating bloom that really extends the flowering season for this group of plants. You felt like you were on a cloud passing through these plants. This was a garden highlight for me.

We visited the vegetable, cut flower and the ruins garden which were also very interesting. The ruins garden featured many succulents which you do not associate with the Northeastern states. The gardens change dramatically from spring to fall with every plant having its special show-off time as its season of beauty unfolds. This peek into the gardens at the end of June just gives a hint of what Chanticleer is all about.

Visit the Chanticleer web site at http://www.chanticleergarden.org/ for more information. This garden is a must for anyone in the Philadelphia area to see.

Longwood Gardens

I recently attended our Longwood Graduate school program 45th reunion at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The 2 year Masters Degree program takes 5 students yearly and offers a full scholarship provided by the DuPont family. Students have a 3 week overseas garden experience as part of the program. The gardens are world famous and cover 1050 acres featuring gardens, greenhouses, woodlands and meadows. The property has a long history with the Pierce house dating to 1730. Pierre DuPont purchased the property in 1906 and expanded gardens and greenhouses through his death in 1954. The present greenhouse complex covers over 5 acres of land and offers spectacular seasonal displays throughout the year. Some of the green house uses go back to the old days including the cut flower indoor rose garden, estate fruit garden featuring oranges, banana house, orchid house and main conservatory. Newer gardens include the silver garden, indoor children’s, garden, palm house, Mediterranean garden, fern passage, cascade garden and the cactus house. The huge pipe organ, ball room and music room adjoin the main conservatory.

The outside gardens include the main fountain garden which features some water jets that shoot water 130 feet in the air. Color lights and music add to this spectacular display garden. The fountains are on display during the evening hours in summer. Exterior gardens include the Italian water garden, flower garden walk, topiary garden, open air theatre, idea garden, water lily display garden, and Pierces woods featuring huge old trees dating back over 200 years. Visit http://www.longwoodgarden.org/ to see more of these unbelievable gardens.

Grafted roses

Grafted roses are the preferred way to grow hybrid teas, teas and other roses in nematode ridden Florida. The preferred rootstock in ‘Fortuniana’ rose. This root stock resists nematodes and allows many favorite roses to grow in our climate. Root knot nematodes are microscopic worms that clog the root systems of roses, gardenias, some hibiscus, and other plants. The clogged root systems cannot take up water and nutrients so the plants gradually decline. Grafted roses on ‘Fortuniana’ root stock can last 30-40 years or more in the landscape. Unfortunately sometimes the graft does not last and the expensive top of the roses slowly dies away.

My ‘Mrs. B. R. Cant’ rose is one of the biggest of the shrubby tea roses. My plant grew 10 feet tall with a 12 foot spread. This beautiful rose has cabbage-like blooms that can be up to 4 inches across in the winter months. Summer flowers are smaller averaging 21/2 to 3 inches across. Flowers are dark pink in the winter and darken during the summer months to almost red. The thorns on this rose are big so weeding can be a problem.

My rose is slowly dying back now one large branch at a time. The weed whacker never touched the plant as its thorny stems kept that implement at bay. I can see stem dieback at the graft union and this can happen with these plants. It is very sad to see this garden friend slowly die but the lawn man will certainly appreciate its demise.

“The Ever Changing Garden”

This is the title of our new e-book which we will present in chapter form over a period of time. Our first efforts will feature flowering trees and we will present the “Best of the Best’ for the tropical and subtropical conditions we have in Florida. The new book should be useful for readers who have similar climate conditions world wide. Co-author nurseryman, Jesse Durko has traveled around the world collecting colorful plants appropriate for our growing conditions. Plants are tested for 3 years before introduction to see if they have invasive characteristics under garden conditions. Florida is suffering from plant, animal and reptile invaders. Pythons and iguanas are the latest receiving publicity on the news. Our climate is ideal for harboring these pests as there are no controls to stop their spread.

I just added ‘Pink Pet’ to my collection of easy care roses. This is a small China class rose and so far is doing beautifully. The plant should grow about 3x3 feet in size with small clusters of pink blooms for most of the year. This plant is not evergreen has attractive fall color before the foliage falls. The plant grows on its own roots so does not suffer from possible graft failure. This is a major benefit as most roses must be grafted here because of nematode problems. My “tough” ‘Knock Out’ rose has black spot free foliage but chili thrips and Sri Lankan weevils decimate the foliage at my home. This plant will be retired and I will select something more durable. Jesse Durko has a collection of old roses at his nursery which is located at 5151 SW 70th Avenue, (Viele Road), Davie, 954-792-2297.

Robert Haehle