Today we will meet with the wood owners of “cold” beauty, endowed with silver, gray-green, gray leaves.
Such plants are exquisite and look luxurious, as if skillfully made of precious metal. They have the “gentility” of the nature that can be attributed both to their advantage and disadvantage. And here’s the reason.
You each time will have to think well, weigh, determine the place of planting for a silver tree or shrub, as they will look gorgeous against a gray or dark brown stone wall (fence, arches, gazebos), but will not fit into the plant composition of the bright brickwork.
They will pick up the idea of mixborders in cold colors, Statute accents or extras in contrasting compositions with dark purple, purple shapes, plants with flowers of the same color or blue, blue.
Despite the exquisite outfit, they will often not be taken in a bright dance of plants with yellow and red flowers. With the exception of silver and forms, endowed with flowers warm colors from nature.
The fashion for silvery wood will never pass either in the South or in the North, because they are able to soften the contrasting combinations and harmonize in the nuanced compositions.
Some of them are familiar to you from previously published materials on the pages of the site and, perhaps, some are already growing in your country.
Other types, forms are only included in the lists of planned acquisitions and landings.
Still others are already in front of you. Meet the most beautiful” cold ” beauties and beauties for the villas of the middle lane.
Pyrus salicifolia
Beautiful silvery tree native to South-Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus.
Pyrus salicifolia is a deciduous species with a height of 8 m and a width of 6 m with pendulous shoots, and lanceolate leaves grey pubescent. Young shoots are covered with white-fiber pubescence, which is lost with age. The flowers are creamy white, 2 cm in diameter, collected 6-8 in dense umbrella-shaped brushes; bloom in the spring. Fruits pear-shaped, 3 cm long. Form ‘Pendula’ 5 m high, 4 m wide, branches elongated-weeping.
This silver pear is loved by landscape designers and summer residents in the southern regions, as it is drought-resistant and undemanding to growing conditions; it develops better on drained soils.
At the age of 20-50 years it reaches the maximum height.
Propagated by seeds-sowing in the greenhouse under the winter; form-grafting in early spring.
Pyrus elaeagrifolia
Silver beauty comes from our region — the Crimea and the Eastern part of Asia Minor.
Pyrus elaeagrifolia-spectacular (often with spines) tree up to 15 m with narrow grayish (bottom — white) leaves. White flowers with a diameter of 2.5 cm bloom in April-may. Yellow-green fruits up to 3 cm in diameter ripen in October-November. Grow slowly.
This is a great party dense prickly (as molded and free-growing) silver hedges. Winter hardy: withstands up to -30 °C; better developed on open stony and dry soils.
Propagated by stratified seeds for 3 months.
Caryopteris incana
Luxurious silvery shrub native to China, Japan.
Caryopteris incana-dense cushion-shaped deciduous shrub 0.5-1.2 m high,1-1. 5 m wide. Leaves up to 7 cm long fragrant, oval, gray-green, serrated on the edge. Small light purple-blue (sometimes white) flowers are collected in a rounded umbrella complex; bloom in the autumn in the axils of the upper leaves.
This view is very similar to another silver handsome C. cladonensis.
Both are grown on light, moderately fertile, well-drained soils, in lighted places. In the southern districts withstand -15 °C, in the more Northern regions are in need of shelter. In Central Russia are grown as herbaceous perennials (with pruning shoots to the ground and mulching for the winter). It is better to put them at the wall of the southern orientation.
Multiply:
- in autumn-seeds in greenhouses or containers;
- late spring-semi-woody cuttings;
- early summer softwood cuttings (rooted better when using the water-holding capacity, slightly clayey substrate).
In addition, beautiful silver leaves flaunt Elaeagnus.
But closer with them you will meet in my next articles.
I will not yet talk about Olea europaea, because I want to present it in a new incarnation and a rather unexpected perspective.
But with Vitex agnus-castus I will introduce you right now.
Vitex agnus-castus
This silver Mediterranean is especially appreciated for late flowering, which begins in late summer (sometimes in the 3rd decade of July) and lasts until mid-autumn.
Vitex agnus-castus-a deciduous shrub height and width of 2-8 m, with a tart aroma, palmately dissected 5-7-lobed leaves with pointed tops. Tubular purple (blue, light pink) flowers are collected in apical panicles 13-18 cm long.
It is quite hardy, can withstand up to -17,8 °C without damage. It is better to plant in sheltered from the winds of the sun (for example, the wall), on drained soils. Propagated by seeds at +6…+12 °C in autumn or spring; semi — woody cuttings-in summer.
But my story would be incomplete if I didn’t mention exotic woody leaves with a bluish tinge:
- Yucca;
- Agave;
- Nolina;
- Beschorneria and other outlets.
They are good in the southern dachas, and above all-in rockeries.
Undoubtedly, these are the accents of the compositions.
They bring southern charm to our cottages, and it’s wonderful!
And in conclusion-the traditional question: what kind of silvery trees grow on your site?