Weeping Kousa Dogwood

Weeping Kousa Dogwood
Cornus kousa 'Lustgarten Weeping'
(KOR-nus) (KOO-sa)

This tree is blooming right now, which is just one of its special attributes. It flowers long after the native Dogwoods (Cornus florida) and has the added beauty of having the leaves out and that provides a nice green backdrop for the flowers. It also gets a nice fall color and even has a good winter outline.

There are actually two of these trees at the Estate and they are slightly different and that has always been a bit of a mystery to me but researching this post revealed there is 'Lustgarten Weeping' and ‘Elizabeth Lustgarten’ cultivars of Weeping Kousa Dogwood. I always thought it was a seed source variation. Both specimens are growing in a lot of shade and seem to be taking forever to mature. They need a little pruning and not much maintenance in general.

I am not sure who the interloper is on the first photograph but he is probably up to no good. I am happy that I captured the actual flower of the Dogwood, which is the little green part in the middle. The showy white parts are bracts, which are really modified leaves.


This second picture shows the attractive star shaped flowers as a group. It was shot in monochrome with the Coolpix P6000 compact camera.

Golden Nellie R. Stevens Holly

Hybrid Holly
Ilex x cv. 'Gold Nellie R. Stevens'
(EYE-leks)

One of things I enjoyed at Planting Fields was their huge Ilex collection. Both in the scope and size of the plants. This cultivar is one type I had never seen before, and realize that it is not for everyone. The regular or normal Nellie Stevens Holly is a beautiful shrub or tree but it doesn’t grow well in my part of Connecticut. I would say about 6 out of 10 winters it is severely leaf burned and it sustains some damage 8 out of 10 years. Even though mine are planted in a sheltered location the constant winter defoliation has been taking its toll. It doesn’t actually kill the tree but makes more of a semi-evergreen, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a Holly. It seems these problems also effect the berry production as I have only had a few scattered berries in the 18 years I have been growing mine even though there are plenty of males around.


Now on Long Island they seem to thrive and are not as affected by the winter. They can attain a height of 15 to 25 feet (or more) and get a large spread. It can be quite vigorous and adaptable, growing several feet in one season. Although many books list it being hardy in USDA Zone 6 I would have to add that it is root hardy but does much better in Zone 7. It is a hybrid between I. cornuta x I. aquifolium and I couldn’t find any references to the gold cultivar.

Yellow berries on American Holly Tree (Ilex opaca f. xanthocarpa)

I have been trying to get a picture of the yellow berried form of the American Holly Tree for a long time. Mine don’t seem to get a great crop of berries and are located in a dark corner of the garden, hence difficult to shoot pictures of. I didn’t do much better at Planting Fields with this picture but they had a lot of different specimens that were loaded with yellow berries. So, I am posting this picture of Ilex opaca f. xanthocarpa to get it out of my system. This will hopefully allow me move on and get that picture of Lily of the Valley flowers I have been trying to take forever.

There several yellow berried cultivars of American and other Hollies. I think they add a little spice to a Holly collection.