Bloodroot...and Ultrarunning

In my shady woods, one of my favorite early wildflowers is the bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis).  Mine just bloomed around 15 April here in southern PA, hardiness zone 6.

The graceful white flowers with the yellow centers are perhaps 2" across, and my plants stand about 6" high.  The deeply lobed leaves come later and are very reminiscent to me of watermelon leaves.

See here and here for more details, but this was the wildflower that I originally fell in love with when we moved to this home back in 1978.  Since then I have carefully nurtured mine and saved other wild specimens from destruction in the woods adjacent to my property.

Oh, and the link to Ultrarunning?  When these guys come out in April, along with the Virginia Bluebell, you know it's prime long run season.  Sure, you've plowed through some long training runs over the winter, but they've been of workmanlike necessity.

Now it's time for a fun spring run!

 

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

(all photos by Gary)

This is a tough time of year for me.  We are well into fall here in Pennsylvania, when things are dying back, cold weather and snow are on the way, and it rather depresses me.  Already I am thinking ahead half a year to when one of my favorite trees re-emerges in a big way.

One of our first plant acquisitions when we bought our home some years ago were several Eastern Redbuds, Cercis canadensis.  I "liberated" 3 or 4 of them as knee-high seedlings from a nearby abandoned quarry area and transplanted them into our yard, where they have thrived.

So my eldest are some 25+ years old, and I have an equal number of their offspring from their own natural seeding. The tree is a prolific seed producer, and the babies sprout and grow rather easily.

Why do I like the Eastern Redbud? In a word, it's the flowers. Well, actually it's 3 words: Lovely. Early. Flowers.

This tree produces small (1/4") but stunning pink-to-purple flowers closely upon its branches and even the trunk. Once a tree is fairly mature, say 5-8 years old, the trunk and branches are covered with these flowers, and they come early. This splash of color comes in early April, just before the dogwoods. Although spring flowers are up, this is a still a time in southern PA when the predominant colors are dull grays and browns.

According to Landscape America, "George Washington reported in his diary on many occasions about the beauty of the tree and spent many hours in his garden transplanting seedlings obtained from the nearby forest."

Gotta give it to the father of our country.  He sure knew his trees!


My Eastern Redbuds in full flower, April 2010:

Same shot in late October 2010:



Close up of the seed pods...after all, the biological point of all those flowers!



As I've posted before, in the spring, when I I return from a local run, turn that last corner, and see those trees, I just have to smile at that stunning natural beauty.

 

Bittersweet

Photos by Gary.  Trellis is 6' high.

Close-up of a fruit cluster, approx 4" long.

Several years ago we planted a couple American Bittersweet vines (Celastrus scandens). I just love the name…it evokes a sort of wistfulness that goes hand-in-hand with the outpouring of beautiful orange fruit just as the first traces of winter begin to loom on the horizon.

From HowStuffWorks on 24 Oct 2010 we learn the following facts:

American bittersweet, a climbing shrub, is native to North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It is an extremely rampant grower and care should be taken not to let it escape into desirable trees or shrubs.

Description of American bittersweet: This woody shrub climbs by twining around its support and is so efficient that it frequently strangles the trees it grows on. It can grow to whatever height its host attains. The stems are woody. Its deep green, glossy leaves are ovate and pointed, turning yellow before dropping in the fall. The male and female flowers, inconspicuous, appear on separate plants. If pollinated, female flowers bear striking orange berries in the fall, lasting through much of the winter.

Growing American bittersweet: This plant will thrive in nearly any soil that is not constantly wet. It requires full sun or partial shade to get started. Make sure to plant at least one male per group of three females to ensure pollination. Prune severely in early spring to stimulate flowering and also cut off unwanted suckers.

Uses for American bittersweet: American bittersweet is often used to cover unsightly fences and rock piles. It can be trained up arbors, trellises, and even mature trees, but should never be allowed to climb young trees or shrubs because the vine's twisting woody stems can cut off their sap as they grow. The seeds, although poisonous to humans, seem to do no harm to the birds that eat them in winter. The fruit-bearing branches are often harvested for dried winter decorations.

American bittersweet related species: The Loesener bittersweet (Celastrus Loeseneri or, more correctly, C. Rosthornianus) is similar, but less hardy and not as attractive. Asian bittersweet (C. Orbiculatus) is an invasive weed and should not be planted.

There are both male and female plants, with a pair required to set fruit. Not knowing whether there was another specimen of the opposite sex in pollination range, we elected to plant one of each sex in at the same spot. I built a simple trellis out of 4x4 treated posts, and affixed a decorative metal fencing piece inside the arches.

Don’t be scared off by the dire warnings above. It’s a pretty plant with beautiful fruit, just don’t plant it where it can vine over onto something else.