There is a good deal of confusion about the azalea parentage, but the whole family is known as “Knap Hill” hybrids. In local nurseries you can find Exberry hybrids and Millis hybrids, bith part of this large family of interesting shrubs.
Exberry and Millis hybrids are variable in shape, especially if you buy un-named varieties (seedlings). These normally grow upright in form to a height of 3 to 5 feet tall. Both groups of hybrids will grow well in shade or full sun. They bloom in late May and early June from previous season buds. You can find all ranges of yellow, salmon, red, orange and cream.
Buy named varieties when you can to be more certain of hardiness and color. Un-named plants can be just as hardy, but may be variable in shape (more sprawling) and should be purchased while in bloom to be certain of color. This family of plants requires acid soil. Add peat and sulfur to the planting location before you prepare the soil.
A Dwarf Evergreen
Japanese holly is an evergreen shrub of exceptional quality as a landscape plant. It is an evergreen with small, lustrous dark green leaves and spreading character that thrives in the shade or partial sun. Its mature size of nearly 20 feet complicated its use as a landscape plant until dwarf varieties were developed.
“Helleri” is a handsome dwarf variety of Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) that matures at three feet tall. Its miniature-sized glossy foliage and globe-shaped habit of growth is a delight in a home landscape. It never requires pruning. Its slow rate of growth may not provide the “instant action” some gardeners desire, but in doorway plantings and as part of planting with boulders and in rock gardens it is a beautiful “living rock.
Helleri does well in a landscape of partial shade. Helleri will grow well in slightly acid soil. It makes a nice combination with azaleas and rhododendrons. Annual fertilizing accentuates the glossy foliage and promotes steady growth. Other dwarf varieties of Japanese Holly are “Stokes” and “Hetzi”. Both mature near three feet tall as dwarf spreading evergreens. These have larger leaves and a more “open” character of growth while “Helleri” grows as a dense clump. The variety “Convexa” is a larger sister of these dwarfs maturing at four to five feet tall.
All these varieties of Japanese Holly are sold in the area, with Helleri and Convexa being the most common. If you have an east or north exposure, or considerable shade, these gems are worth your serious consideration in any future landscape plans.
Korean Boxwood
Korean Boxwood is a dwarf evergreen shrub with 2 by 2 dimensions and a good record of hardiness. A lot of confusion over boxwoods has complicated the use of this interesting dwarf evergreen as a landscape plant. Common Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is the old standby in areas parallel with Carbondale and farther south and shows a good deal of winter injury in St. Louis when a tough winter occurs.
Korean boxwood or little leaf boxwood (Buxus microphylla) has an extra degree of hardiness to survive and prosper in some areas. Korean boxwood is a slow growing, fine leaf plant which finally matures as a 30-inchtall and 30-inch-wide shrub. It is an evergreen, but is noted for its brownish tone in the mid-winter season. It greens up as mild weather returns and can be sheared to produce a uniform, compact specimen or continuous planting. Local varieties like Sunnyside and Wintergreen will serve you well.
Boxwood requires careful transplanting to preserve the fiberous, somewhat delicate root system. Use a soil and peat mix while planting and be careful not to plant the plants deeper than their natural depth. Occasional watering through the first summer and fall mulching will insure success. Boxwood does not require acid soil. Cacti and their relatives are well adapted for hot, dry homes.
Their main problem is adapting to low light. Good growth and the prospects of flowers this spring call for a bright sunny location that is not too cold. Cacti and succulents should be set directly on window sills between the curtain and the glass, while geraniums, fuchsias, coleus and impatiens thrive in cool rooms, cacti and succulents are in trouble if the temperature drops below 50 degrees.
Succulents and cacti should not be watered too often. House plants should be checked every day to see if they need watering. When the soil of regular house plants begins to feel dry, it’s time to water. Cacti and succulents should be allowed to dry a little more than regular house plants. But don’t wait until the soil around cacti reaches a chalky-dry consistency or the root system will be damaged.
