Tennessee Greentimes - Fall 2013

VOL. 14/NO. 3

Fall 2013

The Witchhazels...

Enchanting LateSeason Bloomers

It’s Easy to Create Dynamite Container Plantings This Fall

Table of Contents

In the Landscape Mobile Weed Manual: A New Resource for Managers of Ornamentals and Turf

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VOL. 14/NO. 3

Fall 2013

Plant Profile The Witchhazels...

Enchanting Fall and Winter Bloomers

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Other Features Recent Events Snapshots from Tennessee Green Industry Field Days in McMinnville and Knoxville.......................................................................18

DEPARTMENTS From the President, Bill Seaton.........................................................................................6 TNLA New Members..........................................................................................................7 Calendar of Events............................................................................................................22 Index of Advertisers..........................................................................................................22

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Garden Notes It’s Easy to Create Dynamite Container Plantings This Fall

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The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Tennessee GreenTimes, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright Š2013 by the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. Tennessee GreenTimes is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Tennessee Green Times allows reprinting of material. Permission requests should be directed to the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association.

We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs.

Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.

From the President Bill Seaton

Thanks for Your Years of Service to Our Industry‌ Happy Retirement and Best Wishes from TNLA!

TNLA Would like to

Thank

the following companies for being

Jim Eisler

Plant Inspector with the TN Dept. of Agriculture, and a 2010 TNLA Hall of Fame Inductee

Membership Sponsors Gold Membership Sponsors Barky Beaver Mulch & Soil Mix, Inc. Envirotexx, LLC Greenrise Technologies, Inc. Randall Walker Farms Samara Farms Swafford Nursery, Inc.

Silver Membership Sponsors Common Grounds Landscape Management, Inc. Stowers Cat Tennessee 811 Turf Masters Lawn Care, Inc. Turner & Sons Nursery Warren County Nursery 6

tennessee greentimes Fall 2013

Mark Halcomb

Area Nursery Specialist with the Univ. of Tennessee, and a 2010 TNLA Hall of Fame Inductee

Welcome,TNLA New Members!

ACTIVE MEMBER

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Shady Rest Nursery | Mike Shirley 8917 Smithville Highway McMinnville, TN 37110

Luton’s Web | Bill Luton 1008 S. College Street Smithville, TN 37166 GrowTech, Inc. | Belinda Wendt 7106 Crossroads Blvd., Suite 216 Brentwood, TN 37027

The Tennessee Greentimes is the official publication of The Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 115 Lyon Street McMinnville, Tennessee 37110 (931) 473-3951 Fax (931) 473-5883 www.tnla.com Email: mail@tnla.com Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com Editors Dr. Bill Klingeman Dr. Amy Fulcher Associate Editors Dr. Donna Fare Dr. Nick Gawel Dr. Frank Hale Mr. Gray Haun Dr. John Sorochan TNLA Officers President Bill Seaton TruGreen LandCare 1st Vice President Matt Dawson Samara Farms 2nd Vice President Jeff Harrell Tennessee Valley Nursery 3rd Vice President Kim Holden Holden Nursery Secretary-Treasurer Randall Walker Randall Walker Farms Associate Director Tony Graham Tractor Supply Company Ex-Officio Michael Kassees Forest Nursery Co., Inc. Executive Director Louree Walker Administrative Assistant Pam Stern

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In the Landscape

Figure 1. Mobile Weed Manual (www. mobileweedmanual.com) is a new turf and ornamental weed-control resource.

Figure 2. Mobile Weed Manual provides three options for selecting herbicides.

Figure 3. The “Search by Weed Species” function.

Figure 4. The colorcoding of herbicides corresponds to expected levels of control.

Mobile Weed Manual: A New Resource for Managers of Ornamentals and Turf

By James T. Brosnan, Ph.D., and Greg K. Breeden, University of Tennessee

H

erbicide selection is an important step in effectively managing weeds throughout the landscape.

Individuals caring for warm- or coolseason turfgrasses and/or ornamental plants can face unique challenges in selecting herbicides for weed control. Weeds that persist in ornamental areas are often different from those found in turfgrass stands.

Additionally, desirable ornamental plants found throughout the landscape can be quite diverse and thus exhibit variable tolerance to herbicide applications. Lastly, many herbicide products labeled for use

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in turfgrass are not labeled for use in ornamentals and vice-versa. All of these factors make the process of herbicide selection in turf and ornamentals quite challenging.

What is Mobile Weed Manual?

The University of Tennessee Turf & Ornamental Weed Science Team has developed a new resource to help green-industry professionals meet this challenge.

Mobile Weed Manual is a new mobile website —www.mobileweedmanual.com — to help practitioners select herbicides for use in both turfgrass and ornamental

areas (see Figure 1). The site contains weed-control efficacy data and turfgrass and ornamental tolerance information for over 2,300 different species, as well as labels for nearly 100 different herbicides, all of which are optimized to be easily accessible from the palm of your hand.

How does Mobile Weed Manual work?

Mobile Weed Manual will work on any mobile device (i.e., smartphone, tablet, etc.), regardless of manufacturer or operating system. Although the site will also

Figure 5. List of herbicides displayed from a Mobile Weed Manual search.

Figure 6. Additional information on a particular herbicide.

function on a desktop or laptop computer, it was designed for use on devices with touchscreen capability.

Mobile Weed Manual offers users three means of selecting herbicides for weed control (Figure 2).

Search by Herbicide This option is designed for individuals who are curious about which products are labeled for preemergence (PRE) or post-emergence (POST) weed control in either turfgrass or ornamentals, regardless of species. How could this be useful?

Select PRE herbicides for turf, and the site will list all active ingredients labeled for PRE weed control in turf. Interested in POST weed control in ornamentals?

This function will populate a list of all products labeled for such use.

Search by Desirable Species This option is designed for individuals who need to know which herbicides are labeled for PRE and POST weed control in or around the specific turf/ornamental species that they manage. For example, this option would allow a lawncare professional to view a list of all the herbicides labeled for PRE weed control in tall

Figure 7. Links to herbicide label and MSDS information.

fescue turf or determine products labeled for POST weed control in a species of Liriope. The opportunities are endless.

Search by Weed Species This is the most powerful function of Mobile Weed Manual. This function allows user to select herbicides to control a specific weed that is growing in a particular species of turf or ornamental planting.

The steps are simple (Figure 3): • Select a use area (i.e., turf or ornamentals).

• Select an application timing (i.e., PRE or POST).

• Select the desirable species (i.e., the type of turf or ornamental planting in which weed control is needed).

• Select the weed type.

• Select the specific weed to be controlled.

These steps serve as filters to narrow down the 100 different herbicides and 2,300 different plant species to best fit the user’s situation. All of these filters must be completed for the site to function properly and provide correct herbicide recommendations. Users will be alerted in the event that they omit required information.

Figure 8. Mobile Weed Manual shortcut on the bottom right-hand side of the home screen on an iPhone.

The site will then display a list of herbicides labeled to control the weed selected. Herbicides are color coded by the level of control that can be expected by an application made, according to label directions (Figure 4). These rankings are based on the results of research trials conducted at the University of Tennessee. It is important to note that it is impossible to research the efficacy of every herbicide for control of every weed that could possibly invade a landscape. Thus, herbicides coded gray are labeled for control of the weed selected but have not been evaluated in research trials at the University of Tennessee (Figure 5).

Users can select a particular product from the list to access additional information about how to best use this herbicide for weed management. Mobile Weed Manual will display a page that provides users information on the full array of turf and ornamental species listed on the product label, suggested application rates and remarks and precautions to adhere to before applying the product (Figure 6).

Lastly, this page will contain links to each product’s label and material safety data sheet (Figure 7). It is always the herbicide applicator’s responsibility, by law, to

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In the Landscape read and follow all current label directions for the specific herbicide being used.

How to Access Mobile Weed Manual

Figure 9. Support link for users interested in donating funding to support the continued development of Mobile Weed Manual.

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Using the internet browser on any mobile device, simply visit www.mobileweed manual.com. We recommend that users bookmark the site and create a shortcut to it on their home screen (Figure 8).

Directions on the Mobile Weed Manual home page can guide users through this simple process. Creating a shortcut on the home screen will facilitate faster access to Mobile Weed Manual content in the future.

At the current time, Mobile Weed Manual is a free resource. Should users find value in the content provided, they can donate funding (in an amount of their choosing) to support the continued development of this new weed-control resource.

Donations can be made by selecting the “Support� button on the Mobile Weed Manual main page (Figure 9).

Impact The University of Tennessee Turf & Ornamental Weed Science Team hopes that Mobile Weed Manual becomes a valuable tool for all green-industry professionals. The site will be updated continually to expand the database of turf, ornamental and weed species information, as well as to include information on new herbicides entering the marketplace.

Since debuting online in May 2013, the site has been used by individuals managing turf and ornamentals in all 50 U.S. states and 72 countries worldwide. Our hope is that Mobile Weed Manual use expands even further in the future.

Please send any questions, concerns or comments about the Mobile Weed Manual to info@mobileweedmanual.com. Also, be sure to stay in touch with the University of Tennessee Turf & Ornamental Weed Science Team at http://tennessee turfgrassweeds.org. C

Plant Profile

The Witchhazels…

Enchanting Late-Season Bloomers

By Adam Blalock, TSU Nursery Area Extension Specialist, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center

One

of my favorite things about working in and around the nursery industry is the opportunity to see and learn about some really interesting plants. Last winter, while I was driving around, I kept seeing a brightly colored shrub in full flower, despite the frigid temperatures. Curiosity piqued, I watched as a new cultivar would appear each day with even more fantastic color, fragrance and shape than the last. I soon learned that these captivatingly beautiful, mysterious, winterblooming plants were witchhazels or Hamamelis.

Witchhazels (Hamamelis species), are represented by trees and shrubs in the family Hamamelidaceae, which includes other commercially important plants

‘Jelena’ has been a reliable and popular cultivar among witchhazels for a number of years.

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like Fothergilla and Parrotia. Generally, witchhazels are separated into one of four species — H. japonica, H. mollis, H. vernalis, and H. virginiana. Although H. mollis and H. japonica are native to Asia, H. vernalis and H. virginiana are native to North America, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida and parts of Mexico. Cultivation of the two Asian species in close proximity to one another has yielded some commercially available natural hybrids that may be noted in catalogs as H. x intermedia.

This hybrid is the source of most of the showy cultivars available today.

Flower colors of available cultivars vary across shades of deep purple, red and yellow. Plant forms can be miniatures to specimens more than 20 feet tall. Their branches can be weeping,

‘Diane’ is a classic choice for a red-flowering witch hazel.

Colors can vary substantially from year to year.

horizontal spreading, upright or anything in between. Under ideal conditions, many cultivars will display exceptional fall color. Most of the hybrids also have floral fragrance, which adds to their allure.

Growth form and function varies across species. For example, during and after flowering of fall-blooming species, particularly H. virginiana, seeds develop in thorny capsules during the growing season and then split open when ripe.

Dehiscence is explosive, sometimes hurling seeds up to 20 feet. Thus, to collect seed, you must collect the fruit just before it splits open. If sown outdoors, seeds will require 18 months to germinate due to the requirement of a warm period followed by a cold period. The warm treatment breaks down the hard seed coat, and the cold treatment primes the

‘Nina’ produces bright-yellow blooms on two-year-old twigs.

Flowers and seedpods seen together are not uncommon on the witchhazel plant.

embryo for germination once spring arrives. Witchhazels that flower in the fall will require nearly two and half years before the seeds from those flowers will germinate naturally (Figure 1, next page).

Most seed-sown witchhazels are used for rootstock onto which desirable cultivars and hybrids are budded. Typically, H. virginiana is used as the rootstock.

Reports indicate that other species, especially H. vernalis, are less desirable as rootstocks due to their nature to develop root suckers. Even H. virginiana will sucker somewhat.

Although witchhazels will root from stem cuttings, it takes more time to raise a marketable plant from a cutting compared to a budded or grafted plant. Chip budding is generally the preferred method for propagating desirable cultivars, and

The delicate beauty and colors of the witchhazel plant make it a late-winter jewel. tennessee greentimes Fall 2013

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Plant Profile

Flowers pollinated

Fall

Winter

Spring

Seeds collected and sown

Summer Fall

Winter

Spring

Seeds germinate

Summer

Fall

Winter

Spring

Figure 1. The natural seedling production cycle for H. virginiana. In natural field conditions, the timeframe from flower bloom to seed germination can be nearly 2.5 years.

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budding is usually done in August. Other forms of budding (like T-budding and side veneer grafting) have proven successful under unique circumstances. With any grafting, it’s important to keep the buds from drying out, and avoid cutting the rootstock back until the following late winter to early spring.

Growing witchhazel to salable sizes may sound like the obvious way to regain your labor and production investments, yet there are other options for marketing this plant. The cut flower industry is always looking for unique ways to use fresh twigs, foliage and flowers from ornamental plant species. Particularly during late winter, few landscape plants and specimens not maintained within greenhouses are flowering. Demand for flowering, cut Hamamelis stems should be at a premium. Flowers are produced on wood that is two years and older, so growers can prune to promote long canes that will persist until the following year.

To ensure healthy plants, maintain good drainage, a pH between 4.5 and 6.5, and moderate to low fertilizer rates.

Few arthropod pests cause injury to witchhazels, which may be a selling point to many growers and gardeners.

Occasionally, deer and rabbits can be a problem, but plants will usually recover quickly. Caterpillars, weevils and aphids are some occasional landscape pests, but in my experience, aesthetic damage is usually minimal.

One mystery about witchhazels that I haven’t quite been able to figure out is why this plant is not more common.

Despite its potential benefits in the landscape, it is still grown by only a few passionate gardeners and landscapers.

Perhaps potential buyers overlook the plant because it is not in bloom when they’re likely to be shopping for ornamental plants and so miss the chance to appreciate these shrubs’ unique bloom and fragrance. Or, perhaps the misperception that witchhazels are difficult to grow keeps buyers away. Regardless, I still think witchhazels are a wise investment in the landscape and deserve a space in any garden. C

Garden Notes

It’s Easy to Create

Dynamite Container Plantings This Fall

By Susan Hamilton, Ed.D., Director of the University of Tennessee Gardens

Never

before have we had such an exciting assortment of containers and cool-season plants to create dynamite displays in our fall and winter landscapes. Besides just being “pretty,” containers can have a variety of uses in our landscapes. They can (1) add color and interest in a humdrum area, (2) soften architectural features, (3) add style, (4) define space and (5) direct traffic. Fall is a great time to plant some containers to enliven your landscape.

As you put together your container plantings, consider these basic design principles and suggestions.

Drainage Any container will work, as long as it drains. The deeper the container, the easier it will be to water and maintain over the growing season. Colorful containers selected to complement flower and foliage colors (as well as the outside house colors) are especially striking.

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Compatibility Combine plants that are compatible in regard to light, water and growth. For fall, pansies, violas, snapdragons and diascias are great choices for flowering plants. They combine well with cool-season foliage plants like autumn fern, Swiss chard, heuchera, giant red mustard, bull’s blood beets and ornamental cabbage or kale. Dwarf conifers are wonderfully small and sometimes colorful evergreens that are perfect for using in combination with the above flowering and foliage plants.

Scale Select and combine plants that fit the scale of the container and each other. Plants taller than one to one-and-a-half times the height of the container may look out of scale with the container.

Form For interest, a good container will include various plant forms.

Plant forms include (1) vertical and erect (thriller), (2) spherical and round (filler) and (3) prostrate and weeping (spiller).

Color Use color to make a statement, both in containers and plants.

Harmonious colors (same hues and shades of a color) are soothing. Contrasting colors (opposite colors) are exciting.

Repeating the colors of flower, foliage and container throughout your combinations is most effective. Great plant combinations use plants with strong flower-power color mixed with those used for their foliage color.

Texture Good plant combinations incorporate a variety of plant textures. Combine plants with contrasting textures.

Big and bold foliage plants go great with fine, small foliage plants.

Balance Arrange plants and accent pieces so that the container is visually weighted or balanced.

Rhythm If the container is large enough, repeat plants, colors and textures. This gives rhythm to the design, which is visually pleasing.

Focal Point The container should have a focal point, even if it is a plant (i.e., metal art, birdhouses, whirly gigs, a tall plant in the center of in an oval container, etc).

Tiers Plant the container in tiers. Determine the viewing perspective of the container and determine its center. From that point, tier downward and outward to the containers edge.

Fragrance Consider adding fragrant plants, especially to containers that will be located around a porch, deck or patio where people will be able to enjoy the aromas. Rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme are great fragrant evergreen herbs for cool-season containers.

Displays Dramatic container displays include a combination of three to five varied container types and sizes clustered together.

Maintenance Apply a good 2" to 3" layer of mulch to help insulate plants throughout the winter and help hold in moisture. It may be necessary to periodically prune dead blooms. Keep an eye on watering, as it is not uncommon for us to have periods of warm and sunny days even in winter. C

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Recent Event

Snapshots from the TENNESSEE GREEN iNDUSTRY FIELD DAY

June 4, 2013 Tennessee State University Nursery Research Center McMinnville, TN Thanks to Our Exhibitors!

Airtech Tools Anderson Mulch & Soil, LLC General Equipment Co. Kifco, Inc. Middle Tennessee Nursery Association New Market Agricultural Equipment Co. OSU Nursery Short Course/ CENTS Pleasant Cove Nursery Randall Walker Farms Riverbend Nurseries, LLC Samara Farms Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture Tennessee Farm Bureau TN State University Tennessee Valley Tractor & Equipment TriGreen Equipment, LLC Walker Gardens

Thanks Also to Our Water Sponsor!

Blankenship Farms 18

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Snapshots from the TENNESSEE GREEN iNDUSTRY FIELD DAY June 25, 2013 The University of Tennessee Gardens Knoxville, TN Thanks to Our Exhibitors!

Airtech Tools Anderson Mulch & Soil, LLC Dickens Turf & Landscape Supply Greenrise Technologies Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies JG Supplies Middle Tennessee Nursery Association Nature’s Best Organics of Tennessee, LLC New Market Agricultural Equipment Co. Randall Walker Farms Samara Farms Tennessee Valley Tractor & Equipment Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture

Tree Equipment Design

Thanks Also to Our Sponsors!

Lunch Sponsors Forest Nursery Company John Deere Landscapes Water & Ice Sponsor Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies C tennessee greentimes Fall 2013

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Recent Event

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Digital Marketplace Scan the QR code: Download your favorite QR reader to your phone and scan the code to learn more about these companies.

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Calendar of Events

September 26

Systems-Based Pest Management Training for Nursery Owners and Employees/Workforce TSU Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center McMinnville, TN Contact: dcochra1@utk.edu

October 23–25 PLANET Green Industry Conference Louisville, KY Contact: 800-395-2522 www.landcarenetwork.org

October 23–26

School of Grounds Management and Green Industry Expo Galt House Hotel and Kentucky Expo Center Louisville, KY

November 2–6

IPPS Southern Region Annual Meeting Athens, GA Contact: 803-743-4284 Email: scplant@bellsouth.net ipps-srna.org

November 15–18

ASLA - Annual Meeting & Expo (American Society of Landscape Architects) Boston Convention & Expo. Center Boston, MA Contact: www.asla.org

January 6–8, 2014 48th Annual TTA Conference and Trade Show (TN Turfgrass Assn.)

Marriott Cool Springs Franklin, TN Contact: 615-591-8286 www.ttaonline.org

Index of Advertisers

January 8–10, 2014

Mid-American Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) Baltimore, MD Contact: 800-431-0066 www.mants.com

January 13–17, 2014 Green & Growin’ Show (NC Nursery & Landscape Assn.)

Greensboro, NC Contact: 919-816-9119 www.ncnla.com

January 13–15, 2014

Boshancee Nursery, Inc.....................................................................13 www.boshanceensy.com

Braun Horticulture..............................................................................20 www.braungroup.com

Center Hill Nursery.............................................................................14 Coleman Farms...................................................................................21 D & D Agri............................................................................................20 Dayton Bag & Burlap Co......................................Inside Front Cover www.daybag.com

Evergreen Nursery................................................................................7 www.evergreennurseryinc.net

Ewing Irrigation...................................................................................17 www.ewing1.com

Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies.........................................15 www.griffins.com

CENTS (Ohio Nursery & Landscape Assn.)

Columbus, OH Contact: 614-899-1195 www.centshow.org

Hidden Valley Nursery........................................................................21

January 17–18, 2014

Low Falls Wholesale Nursery...........................................................22

www.hiddenvalleynursery.com

John Deere Landscapes....................................................................13 www.johndeerelandscapes.com

John Holmlund Nursery.....................................................................21 www.jhnsy.com

Tennessee Green Industry Expo Music City Center Nashville, TN Contact: 931-473-3951 Fax: 931-473-5833 Email: mail@tnla.com www.tngie.com

January 22–24, 2014 KY Landscape Industries Winter Education & Expo Louisville, KY Contact: 502-320-3733 Email: mail.knla@gmail.com

www.lowfallsnursery.com

Mid Tenn Turf, Inc.......................................................................13, 21 www.midtennturf.com

Motz & Son Nursery...........................................................................20 OHP, Inc................................................................................................21 www.ohp.com

Smith Seed Services..........................................................................21 www.smithseed.com

Surface Nursery Inc...........................................................................10 www.surfacenursery.com

Swafford Nursery, Inc........................................................Back Cover www.swaffordnursery.com

Tennessee 811....................................................................................19 www.tennessee811.com

Thomas Nursery..................................................................................21 www.thomasnurserytrees.com

Trivett’s Nursery....................................................................................5 www.trivettsnursery.com

VIS Seed Company.............................................................................14 www.visseed.com

Walker Nursery Co. & Walker Gardens............................................3 www.walkernurseryco.com

Wellmaster Carts................................................... Inside Back Cover www.wellmaster.ca

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