![]() While some native plants are tremendously adaptable to a wide range of environmental conditions, many are quite habitat-specific. The key to success with native plants is carefully choosing plants that match your site conditions. honeylocust, Kentucky coffeetree, Juneberry, potentilla, ninebark, and several viburnums) are actually native to Michigan. In fact, gardeners may be surprised to discover that some popular trees and shrubs (i.e. Regardless of your definition, there are many plants to choose from. Some people have a very narrow geographic focus for their definition of “native” while some are content as long as the plant is native to North America. These plants were present at the time Europeans arrived in North America. These plants naturally occur in a particular region, ecosystem or habitat without human intervention. ![]() While we would all love a no-work garden, just like any plant in your landscape, native plants do require care. To top it all off, native plants can result in lower long term maintenance costs, increased plant hardiness and less work.Ī word of caution when considering natives: Native plant promotions sometimes claim the benefit of “no care” and “no maintenance.” Unfortunately, this isn’t true. When properly selected and placed, native plants also benefit our environment through reduced water use and less need for pesticides and fertilizers. Beyond the popular array of easy-to-find exotic plants, there are many native plants that can provide natural beauty and enhanced habitat for wildlife. Read Part 2 - Shrubs.īeautiful landscapes begin with a strong foundation of woody trees and shrubs. Don’t overdo it! If you pollinate too many flowers, you’ll have to thin the crop to prevent the branches from breaking under the weight of the fruit.This is Part 1 in a two-part series on Native Trees and Shrubs for the Michigan Landscape. Most flowers contain several ovaries, so each flower results in more than one fruit. ![]() The stigma is most receptive when the pistils are green and glossy and the anthers are hard and green. Use a small, soft artist’s paintbrush to transfer the pollen from one tree to the stigma inside the flowers of another tree. When you can see a brown ball of anthers with yellow pollen grains in the flowers, it is time to gather the pollen. To further complicate matters, the insects that pollinate pawpaws aren’t efficient or abundant, so you may have to fertilize the trees by hand to get a good crop. Pawpaw trees can’t pollinate themselves, so you will need two different types of trees to produce fruit. Afterward, use a granular fertilizer or a layer of compost in spring. Help young seedlings and saplings establish themselves by fertilizing pawpaw trees with a balanced liquid fertilizer every few weeks for the first growing season. Prepare a soil that is rich in organic matter by working a thick layer of compost deep into the soil. The soil should be slightly acidic to neutral and well-drained. These saplings are usually root suckers that won’t have a good root mass of their own. You probably won’t be successful planting a pawpaw tree that was dug from the wild. The pawpaw trees available for sale in nurseries and online sources are usually grown from seeds, although you can occasionally find grafted trees. Thriving in river-bottom lands where the soil is deep, moist, and fertile, you can usually find them growing in clumps and thickets. Native to North America, they grow wild in 25 eastern states and Ontario. Pawpaws ( Asimina triloba) are small deciduous trees that can fit into almost any landscape. ![]() Pawpaw tree care includes watering to keep the soil moist, a regular schedule of fertilization, and in most cases, hand pollination of the flowers. Ornamental qualities include an attractive shape that can be pyramidal or conical, and leaves that often turn brilliant yellow in autumn before dropping from the tree. The tasty fruit is popular with raccoons, birds, squirrels, and other wildlife as well as man. The aromatic pawpaw fruit has a tropical flavor, resembling creamy custard made from bananas, pineapples, and mangos. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |