University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science
Anytime News
Article
AWARD-WINNING TREES
AND SHRUBS
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
Many states and regions of the
country have programs to award and promote new plant introductions, and others
that aren't new but deserve wider use in landscapes. In New England,
distinctive trees and shrubs are given the Cary Award. Named for a Massachusetts
nurseryman, and administered by the Tower
Hill Botanic
Garden, this award is given to several winners
each year as judged by a panel of professionals. Over the last three years since 2006, eight
woody ornamentals have been selected—ones you might consider for your own
landscape.
Cary winners in 2008 included the Fragrant
Sumac (Rhus aromatica), Golden Hinoki Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis
obtusa), and Three-flowered Maple (Acer triflorum). This sumac is a native vigorous groundcover,
hardy to zone 3, and gets about three feet high and up to eight feet wide. The shiny green leaves turn scarlet and
orange in the fall. This falsecypress
was introduced in 1901 in England,
and is noted for its evergreen foliage with golden tips. Keep this zone 5 plant protected from winter
sun and winds, and in 15 years it may reach 15 feet tall and 5 feet wide. This small maple only reaches about 20 feet
high and wide, and is noted for its attractive amber-colored peeling bark, and
nice fall colors. It is hardy to zone 4.
Cary winners in 2007 included the Fringe Tree
(Chionanthus virginicus), 'Olga Mezitt'
Rhododendron ,
and 'Little King' River Birch. (Betula
nigra). The Fringe Tree reaches
about 15
feet tall and
wide. This hardy plant (zone 3) is noted
for its long panicles of fragrant white flowers in early summer. Named
for the wife of a famous New England nurseryman, this evergreen
rhododendron is
similar to the well-known P.J.M. only with pink instead of purple
flowers in
spring. It is hardy to zone 4, and
reaches about five feet tall and wide in ten years. This compact
version of our native river
birch reaches about 10 feet tall and wide, with colorful patches of
peeling
bark, and is resistant to the bronze birch borer and leafspot. Hardy
to zone 4, it may be found by the trade
name Fox Valley.
There were two Cary winners for 2006 including the Morioka
Weeping Katsura Tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), and Wintergreen
Japanese Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata). The genus name for the Katsura Tree means
"leaves like Cercis", the name for redbud, referring to the
blue-green leaves similar to those of the redbud, only smaller. Leaves turn
shades of orange and yellow in fall, with a slight scent of caramel. Hardy to
zone 4, the fluttering leaves on this 25-foot tall weeping tree give the effect
of a waterfall. The slow-growing,
pyramidal umbrella pine may at first glance resemble an attractive plastic
Christmas tree. The shiny, dark green
leaves on this zone 5 plant are in whorls at the ends of branches. This is the only species in this genus that
has been found in fossils 230 million years old.
The USDA hardiness zones for winter
cold range from 3 in the northern parts of New England, to 5 in central
New England and protected sites. Unless noted, all these plants prefer
well-drained soil and full sun. Look for
them at specialty plant nurseries and garden centers.
Return to Perry's Perennial
Pages, Articles 