EverWinter

It's late fall now and the thoughts of the holidays begin to take hold. Many are still raking up the leaves in our yards and may be noticing that our evergreens are getting some brown spots towards the inner needles. This is Fall Cast-Off. Like deciduous trees, evergreens react to the changing sunlight exposure that fall and winter bring. Since there is chlorophyll in the needles just like in deciduous leaves it needs a certain amount of light to be maintained. When the light decreases the tree will shed or cast-off some of the older inner needles. this helps it to conserve the available energy that it has. There is no cause for alarm, this is as natural as the leaves falling off the trees around it. The  reason the tree loses the inner needles is because they are not as exposed to the open sunlight as the surface needles. That is why when you look at an older tree, you will notice that it grows out like an umbrella. Do not mistake cast-off for other diseases that can materialize ...

In one of my earlier posts I stated that the "Firs" were my favorite of all the conifers, but, the true soldiers of Winter are the "Spruces". Their shape and branch structure differ slightly from the Firs in that they are a more dense tree. Their conical shape is more defined and consistent. There are less gaps in their branches. The needles are evenly distributed at 360 degrees around each branch. Typically Spruce needles are prickly to the touch. The cross-cut of a needle is shaped like a cross. In the valleys of the cross running the length of the needle is a thin white line. This feature tends to make the tree present with an overall lighter shade of the main color. One species that does not have this additional color is the Colorado Blue Spruce. All other Spruces have this. Their trunk bark is generally smooth with small randomly scattered ulcers approximately 3mm in diameter. The true calling of these green giants is in creating a privacy line or a wind break...

"Solemnly they stand, unwavering under a frozen blanket, the soldiers of Winter. God's sentry's over the forest as it sleeps. The wind blowing through their branches, transformed into the whispers of the ages." Thomas R. Marcucci

Today I had the privilege of putting out flags on the grave sites of our veterans to prepare for the memorial holiday. It was part of my sons Tiger Cub Scouts Project. Every year they get together with our local V.F.W. and help them. It was a great chance for me and my son to do something together. He had no trouble understanding why we were there and how important they were. We were there for about 3 hours. There were plenty of volunteers. In all total 1500 flags were placed. When we were done we looked across the cemetery and the first word that came to mind was...sobering. This was the local cemetery in my home town of Bensalem. There was a sea of flags. Add up all the cemetery s of our country and the picture would be staggering. I told my son that this is what it took for our family to be able to live the life that we live. This Memorial Day will be particularly important for us as our nephew has just deployed with the Marines to Afghanistan, this is his first o...

The Hollies, one of my favorite berrying evergreens. They are comprised of both evergreen and deciduous versions. There are many variations of holly available to the home owner. First we'll discuss the evergreen version. Typically they have tough glossy green foliage that has sharp points to help discourage foraging animals from eating all the fruits (berries). Varieties that grow in the northern regions tend to be tougher to survive harsher climate levels. The scientific classification is: Illex, the most common specimens available is Illex Meservae, sometimes called "China Girl" and "China Boy" its male counterpart. Another popular version is called Illex Opaca, it comes in two different berrying colors, red and yellow. Their common name is "American Holly", the yellow version has an additional common name, "Canary Yellow". Illex Opaca has been depicted in countless Christmas representations. Holly is found throughout the globe. There are ...

These are my favorites out of all the conifers. One key feature of Firs is their needles, They are an Emerald Green on the top side of their needles and a silvery blue on the bottom. This presents in a duel colored tree and the color changes if the wind blows. The needles on a Fir are not positioned in a 360 degree circle around the branches. Rather they are concentrated at 180 degrees to the branch. This gives the branches a fuller almost fuzzy appearance. It's no surprise that the firs are the most popular choice for Christmas trees each year. The most commonly used are the Balsam and Frasier Firs. These two also provide the best aroma inside the house that we all know and love. If you want to do something special one Christmas, consider getting a live tree instead of a cut tree and plant it outside in your yard after the holiday. But, enough about that, I'll do a post that goes into more detail closer to the holiday.  There are quite a few different specimen choices when i...

One of the key things to be aware of when designing your Winter Garden is the range of your palette. It is comprised of four things; size, shape, texture and color. Generally your tree evergreens such as Spruces, Firs and Pines will be the largest and tallest elements in your design. there are many small evergreens that you have to choose from as well. Many of the Cotoneasters and Hollies make fine additions and help to add small accents of color. these plant types will be individually described in detail in later posts along with many others. The next thing to consider is shape. Many of the Spruces, Firs and Pines generally have a conical shape, however through crossbreeding efforts many new shapes have come to be readily available. I have seen many free form Spruces being used to accent a landscape bed. They can also be seen as bush shaped or global. There is a wide variety to choose from. The next thing to consider is texture. Evergreen leaves can vary from the needle form of mo...

Well the Spruces are getting their new Spring foliage. Thought I'd throw in a picture or two. These are some spruces that I started last season from seeds that I collected. This season they are getting their first Spring growth.

 This post will center mainly on the Conifers such as Spruces and Firs. First I would like to give you some explanation for the shape of the aforementioned types. Nature gave them their conical shape for a reason. This shape sheds snow very well and can still hold a large amount of snow on its branches. The tree's branches are distributed in such a manner that each one can help support the one above it. So when it snows there is a cascading effect. The snow weighs down an upper branch that rests and is supported by the one below it and this continues until the bottom branch is reached and it rests on the ground. This information is key and its significance will be more evident in the list of Do's and Don'ts. See the accompanying photos of my own Blue Spruce, pictured above. Conifers unlike deciduous trees do not hibernate in winter. They will slow down their metabolism to react to reduced sunlight but they maintain their Chlorophyll levels year round. That is why it is cr...

Evergreens, natures "Soldiers of Winter". They stand tall and proud against all that winter can throw at them. Limbs strong yet designed to bend under the weight of the snow to rest on the branch below. Generally when people think of evergreens they see a stand of one color trees lined up like soldiers. The world of evergreens are comprised of many colors from emerald green to electric blue to gold. The trouble is people are introduced to a small amount of specimens. People generally rely on what is easily available to them at  Home Depot or Lowes. I will show you many of the different less common species that are available to you, but, you may have to visit a local nursery or surf the web for them. In the picture you will see a tree called, Golden Hinoki. It's needles are very short and are bright yellow golden in color. It produces clusters of small round cones. This species will grow quite well in most parts of the U.S. I will show you how to add color to your Winter G...

Gentlepeople, Hello, my name is Thomas Marcucci. I am starting this blog to share my knowledge and love of Evergreens, Winter Gardening and Poetry. Since I am launching this in the spring months I will concentrate on introducing everyone to the many different types of evergreens there are and how best to implement them into the winter landscape. I have gained a good bit of knowledge about their care and maintenance and wish to share it with all who will listen. I will be showcasing plants that are not necessarily evergreens but, will compliment the winter garden and provide additional color at a time that is normally stark. As we reach the halfway point in Summer, I will begin to share my views on what a Winter Garden should be. This will be achieved through verbal explanation as well as photographs. So join me on this journey of knowledge about the plants in our world that were designed to be rugged and hold their beauty the year round. And in addition I will try to show all the beaut...