Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Bark is beautful on some cherry trees

Q. I visited an arboretum and I saw a cherry tree with shiny peeling bark. What kind of cherry is this? And are they easy to grow?

-- D. W. of Glen Carbon

A. Most ornamental cherry trees are grown for their spectacular flower displays in spring. But there are two different cherries grown for their colorful bark. One is the Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula). This tree has a reddish-brown, mahogany-like bark that peels. The bark is super shiny, especially right after it peels away. But please resist peeling the bark by hand as this will delay the time it takes for normal exfoliation to occur. This is a relatively small tree in maturity, reaching 30-feet tall. Its white flowers are hardly noticeable, and there is rarely any fruit produced. This cherry produces thin willow-like leaves that turn yellow in the fall. They are somewhat difficult to find commercially, although they were introduced to the U.S. about 1908, but worth seeking.

Make sure this tree is grown where the bark will be the central point of interest.

The second is the Manchurian cherry (Prunus maackii) or the Amur chokecherry. This larger tree (35- to 45-feet tall) produces two- to three-inch racemes of white flowers in great profusion in early to mid-May, which almost look like mop heads. These produce black bitter cherries that birds enjoy. The bark produced by these trees is a rich cinnamon brown, which also exfoliates in shaggy masses similar to a birch tree. There have also been individuals that produce bark colors from brownish-yellow to reddish brown. Not all chokecherry trees develop this attractive peeling bark, so it is wise to pick one of these at a nursery so you can see the attractive bark colors and characteristics. Depending upon soil conditions, they might develop a yellow to purple fall leaf color.

Q. I love tuberous begonias. The flowers are so big and full of color, but they are expensive. Is there a way to store them during winter so I can plant them again next spring?

-- C. D. of Fairview Heights

A. A lot of gardeners treat tuberous begonias as expensive annuals and throw them away every fall. What a waste! It is easy to store them through the winter and then replant them the following spring. In addition, they grow larger and larger each year.

In late October, move the plants indoors and stop watering them. When the leaves dry up and start to fall off, cut off the shoots and wash the dirt from the roots. Dry these tubers and store them in dry peat moss in an unheated garage or basement. Then, in spring, plant them hollow side up in moist peat moss to get them growing. When the shoots are several inches tall, you can transplant them into containers again and later move them outside after the danger of frost passes. Just be ready with larger containers after about two or three years.

Send your gardening questions to Charles Giedeman, Lifestyle, P.O. Box 427, 120 S. Illinois St., Belleville, IL 62222-0427.