Module 7

Red Admiral butterfly on Buddleia davidii. Image Source: ndrwfgg

Announcements

Learning Objectives

• Describe the ID characteristics of the plant species covered this week.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this week's plant species.
• Define the terms associated with plant species covered this week

Terms-To-Know

• lanceolate
• capsule
• spines
• dioecious
• pellucid glands
• crenate-serrulate
• drupe

Berry-like cone found on Juniperus. Image Source: cogdogblog

Plant List

AQUIFOLIACEAE
Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana' - Dwarf Buford Holly
Ilex cornuta 'Carissa' - Carissa Holly
Ilex cornuta 'Rotunda' - Rotunda Holly
Ilex crenata 'Convexa' - Convexa Holly
Ilex crenata 'Helleri' - Heller Holly
Ilex glabra - Inkberry*
Ilex X attenuata 'Fosteri' - Foster Holly
Ilex X 'Nellie R. Stevens' - Nellie Stevens Holly

CUPRESSACEAE
Juniperus chinensis 'Blue and Gold' - Blue and Gold Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Pfitzeriana Aurea' - Golden Pfitzer Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Pyramidalis' - Pyramidal Chinese Holly
Juniperus rigida 'Pendula' - Weeping Temple Juniper
Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl' - Grey Owl Juniper*

SCROPHULARIACEAE
Buddleia davidii - Butterfly Bush

*Indicates native plant species

Reading Assignment

• pages in textbooks related to this weeks plant materials
• Review pictures of each species in Family Photo Album

Study Questions (10 pts, answer in complete sentences)

1. Buddleia davidii and Vitex agnus-castus are often confused by the beginning plant materials student. Write a brief paragraph differentiating between the ID characteristics of each.
   
   
2. Chinese Hollies occasionally fruit very heavily providing additional ornamental benefit. However, this drain on stored carbohydrates and nutrients can cause other problems. Describe the problem and how to remedy it.
   
   
3. What is the biggest problem with Ilex cornuta cultivars in modern landscape design?
   
   
4. Choose three Ilex cornuta cultivars that you find interesting and describe them. Using the internet try to locate sources for each and report the online price (be sure to include size).
   
   
5. Discuss the landscape value of Ilex crenata. What are mistakes that have been made in the past with Ilex crenata that a landscape maintenance specialist should be sure to avoid.
   
   
6. Describe the best way to propagate Ilex crenata.
   
   
7. Differentiate between new and old growth on Ilex crenata.
   
   
8. Compare and contrast the form and landscape uses of Juniperus chinensis 'Blue and Gold' and J. chinensis 'Pfitzeriana Aurea'.
   
   
9. Discuss the variation found in the 'Pfitzeriana ' cultivar family.
   
   
10. Differentiate between the identification characteristics of Juniperus chinensis and Juniperus virginiana.
    

Extra Credit (list the correct definition of each botanical term below, +1 each)

• cornuta
• crenata
• glabra
• attenuata
  

Excellent Juniper Bonsai. Image Source: sheilaellen

Module 6

Alchemilla mollis after the rain. Image Source: Linda N.

Announcements

Learning Objectives

• Describe the ID characteristics of the plant species covered this week.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this weeks plant species.
• Define the terms associated with plant species covered this week

Terms-To-Know

• needle-like foliage
• scale-like foliage
• awl-like foliage
• fleshy cone, berry-like cone
• juniper oil
• diuretic
• zigzag rachis

Crocosmia X crocosmiiflora. Image Source: Xerones

Plant List

ASTERACEAE
Leucantheum X superbum - Shasta Daisy
Rudbeckia fulgida - Orange Coneflower*

CUPRESSACEAE
Juniperus chinensis 'Nick's Compact' - Nick's Compact Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltoni' - Blue Rug Juniper
Juniperus procumbens 'Nana' - Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper
Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' - Blue Star Juniper

IRIDACEAE
Crocosmia X crocosmiiflora - Crocosmia or Montbretia

ROSACEAE
Alchemilla mollis - Lady's Mantle
Potentilla X bicolor 'Gibson's Scarlet' - Himalayan Cinquefoil
Spirea X bumalda 'Anthony Waterer' - Anthony Waterer Spirea

SAXIFRAGACEAE
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' - Smooth Hydrangea*
Hydrangea quercifolia - Oakleaf Hydrangea*

*Indicates Native Species

Shasta daisies. Image Source: bcballard

Reading Assignment

• pages in textbooks related to this weeks plant materials
• Review pictures of each species in Family Photo Album

Study Questions (10 pts, answer in complete sentences)

1. There are several genera of Alchemilla that are used in the landscape. What is probably the quickest way to identify Alchemilla mollis in side-by-side comparison with A. alpina, A. ellenbeckii, A. erythropoda, and A. glaucescens.
2. Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora is available in many different cultivars. Choose three cultivars that you sound interesting and briefly discuss their strength's and weaknesses.
3. A client loves their Crocosmia hybrids and want to know how to plant more. Explain propagation and plant maintenance procedures for this species.
4. What does Shasta daisy have in common with Delphinium and Lupine?
5. What growth habit allows Rudbeckia fulgida to rapidly form colonies? What are the different ways this species can be propagated?
6. Hydrangeas have an unusual inflorescence. Explain to the uninitiated the difference between sterile and fertile flowers that constitute the inflorescence of several different Hydrangea species.
7. Discuss some of the rewards and challenges of using Hydrangea quercifolia in the landscape.
8. Juniper is one of the most diverse and varied genera in the CUPRESSACEAE family. Describe the variation in landscape habitat that these species are adaptable to.
9. Differentiate between Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltoni' and Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'.
10. What are some environmental limitations of using Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' in the landscape?
    

Extra Credit (list the correct definition of each botanical term below, +1 each)

• mollis
• fulgida
• quercifolia

Hydrangea quercifolia. Note sterile and fertile flowers. Image Source: meshmar2

Module 5

Yucca filamentosa in the landscape. Images Source: Miki James

Announcements

Learning Objectives

• Describe the ID characteristics of the plant species covered this week.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this weeks plant species.
• Define the terms associated with plant species covered this week

Terms-to-Know

• xeriscaping
• succulent
• Erwinia

Gaillardia X grandiflora. Image Source: MShades

Plant List

ARACEAE
Zantedeshia spp. - Calla Lily

ASTERACEAE
Artemisia schmidtiana 'Silver Mound' - Silvermound Wormwood
Gaillardia X grandifolia - Blanket Flower*
Stokesia laevis - Stoke's Aster

AGAVACEAE
Yucca filamentosa - Adam's Needle Yucca*

CAPRIFOLIACEAE
Abelia grandiflora 'Francis Mason' - Glossy Abelia
Abelia grandiflora X schumannii 'Edward Goucher' - Edward Goucher Abelia

CRASSULACEAE
Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce' - Spruce-leaved Stonecrop, Stone Orpine
Sedum spurium 'Tricolor' - Two-row Stonecrop

FABACEAE
Baptisia alba - White Wild Indigo*

ROSACEAE
Spirea japonica 'Shirobana' - Shirobana Japanese Spirea

*Indicates a native species

Reading List

• pages in textbooks related to this weeks plant materials
• Review pictures of each species in Family Photo Album

Flowers of Abelia X grandiflora. Image source: jam343

Study Questions (10 pts each, answer in complete sentences)

1. A client in the central region of North Carolina has repeated problems with their planting of Silvermound Wormwood during the summer. Explain to the client what the most likely cause of the depressing summer appearance of the plant is.
   
   
2. In a mixed sun and shade garden explain how Baptisia alba might be effectively used in conjunction with Baptisia australis to promote color and plant health.
   
   
3. Gaillardia X grandiflora is a tetraploid. Conduct internet research and describe what a tetraploid plant is. Give examples of other common plant tetraploids.
   
   
4. Members of the genus Sedum are often used in xeriscaping. Describe xeriscaping and explain what anatomical features of Sedum reflexum and Sedum spurium make these species useful in xeriscaping.
   
   
5. Build a dichotomous key for the cultivars of Stoke's Aster listed in your textbook. (you do not need to use complete sentences for this one)
   
   
6. We have covered several members of the ASTERACEAE family during this semester. List these species and one unique attribute of each.
   
   
7. Calla Lilies are beautiful garden plants, but gardeners should be aware of two severe challenges with using these species. Discuss the two challenges and management practices that might help reduce or alleviate those issues.
   
   
8. Describe appropriate landscape uses of Abelia X grandiflora. How might this be an advantageous plant to include in a landscape being designed to be low maintenance?
   
   
9. Describe the soil conditions needed to optimize the growth of Yucca? Explain how you could use this plant in the landscape even with its course texture.
   
   
10. Describe to a horticulture enthusiast how to correctly identify Spirea japonica 'Shirobana'.
    

Extra Credit (list the correct definition of each botanical term below, +1 each)

• laevis
• reflexum
• spurium
  

Additional Resources
Do It Yourself Xeriscaping
Xeriscape Colorado (Great Source of Information)

Residential Xeriscape in Albuquerque, NM. You can imagine how much this landscape would reduce transpirational water loss as compared to a traditional turf lawn. Image Source: teofilo

Module 4

Canterbury Bell. Image Source: skye820

Announcements

Learning Objectives

• Describe the ID characteristics of the plant species covered this week.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this weeks plant species.
• Define the terms associated with plant species covered this week

Unopened Ballon Flower. Children love these. Image source: audreyjm529

Terms-to-Know

• invasive plant
• pubescence
• ground cover
• hybrid
• domestication
• plant breeding
• long-lived perennial
• short-lived perennial
• biennial
  

Plant List

APIACEAE
Daucus carota - Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot)
Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpurescens' - Bronze Fennel

ASTERACEAE
Echinaceae purpurea - Purple Coneflower
Matricaria chamomilla - German Chamomile (sp. also listed as recutita)

CAMPANULACEAE
Campanula medium - Canterbury Bells or Cup and Saucer
Campanula persicifolia - Peachleaf Bellflower
Platycodon grandiflorus - Ballon Flower

POACEAE
Arundo donax - Giant Reed Grass

RANUNCULACEAE
Delphinium X elatum - Hybrid Delphinium

ROSACEAE
Rubus calcinoides - Creeping Raspberry

SAXIFRAGACEAE
Rodgersia henrici - Rodger's Flower

Echinacea detail. Image Source: Zanastardust

Reading Assignment

• pages in textbooks related to this weeks plant materials
• Review pictures of each species in Family Photo Album

Study Questions (10 pts each, answer in complete sentences).

1. Arundo donax is an invasive species. Personally I recommend that it never be planted in the landscape. Its size texture and growth potential have made it a choice selection for some designers in gardeners, but this reed quickly escapes the garden and causes problems with local ecosystems. Read the following abstract and discuss the biological attributes of Giant Reed Grass that make it an invasive species.
   
   
2. Explain how the life cycle of Campanula medium has limited its use in modern gardens? Further discuss how the use of perennials has impacted the labor requirement of modern landscapes (be careful before you jump to conclusions).
   
   
3. Conduct internet research on Daucus carota. What is the difference between Queen Anne's Lace and the cultivated carrot? How long did the selection process take to go from a wild plant to plant useful for human and domesticated animal consumption?
   
   
4. The use of Delphinium and Lupine in the garden is limited by some of the same factors. Discuss these limitations.
   
   
5. Most of you are very familiar with Echinacea purpurea. However, you may not have realized the number of different cultivars that are available. Develop a dichotomous key for the cultivars of Echinacea purpurea listed on pages 371 and 372 of your text.
   
   
6. Explain why the author of your text describes Fennel as a plant for everyone.
   
   
7. German chamomile is a classic example of where taxonomists and horticulturalists lose sight of the goal of the system of binomial nomenclature. Read the wikipedia article on German chamomile and discuss the variation in names that are botanical synonyms for this species.
   
   
8. Explain several advantages that Platycodon grandiflorus has over Delphinium and Lupine when designing the ornamental landscape.
   
   
9. What is somewhat uncommon about the floral morphology of Rodger's Flower in bloom?
   
   
10. Shady non-invasive ground covers for Western North Carolina are in demand. Describe a species covered this week that could fill this design niche.
    

Extra Credit (list the correct definition of each botanical term below, +1 each)

• persicifolia
• grandiflorus
• elatum
  

Additional Resources
The Global Invasive Species Initiative
Invasive Plant Information from the National Arboretum
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Worst Invasives in the U.S.

Hybrid Delphinium. Image Source: MShades