A walk in the Greentrees neighborhood to Holmes Park and back

April 18 (Good Friday) brought spring warmth again after a week of cold. Monday morning I woke up to 36 degree weather. Fortunately, I had not put the aspidistra outside yet. The sunny holiday inspired a walk with my wife Susan and our schnauzer Rosie down to the local park (Holmes Park). Both going and returning we saw many stunning plants, flowering or just growing. I wanted to document the Park since it is a wild woodland with native Memphis trees, vines and ground plants.

Walking down Hickory Crest

Tree #51a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

Japanese maple east of Black Oak, April 18, 2014

These trees are favorites in Memphis. You do not have to walk far to see them in purple (purpurea variety) or green (see below). 

Tree #51b Japanese maple 

A beautiful layered green Japanese maple on Hickory Crest

 Tree #51c Japanese maple
 

A feathery lace-leaf Japanese Maple over the pond in the author's backyard. April 18, 2014

The arbor behind this maple is the home of the non-flowering (or almost non-flowering) wistaria (previous post). The three panicles (much branched inflorescences) on the tree this year give the author great pleasure. A dream of an arbor drooping with these flowers was the original goal when these vines were planted. Well, you take what you can get, or you have to replant. This picture was taken sitting at ease from the shade of the other arbor in the yard covered by a huge Lady Banks Rose (see below).

Vine #2 Lady Banks Rose

Lady Banks rose April 18, 2014. In a week to 10 days this plant will be covered with small yellow flowers.

We planted this rose at the same time as the wistaria 19 years ago. This vine took off and covered the arbor. We had to cut much of it back to re-shingle the roof, but it is coming back strong. On a trip to Madrid we saw a much larger Lady Banks rose at a botanical garden. It was the size of a house (maybe I can find that picture and post it here). The woody vines that support this massive plant are shown below.

The vines that form the Lady Banks rose. The author's feet are in the frame as well as Susan's Corona.

Tree #52 Azaleas

Fuchsia azaleas east of Red Gum Cove. Azaleas are often planted in banks, sometime mixing the colors.

Red and white azaelas outline the front of this house on Hickory Crest

Tree # 53 Yoshino cherry trunk

Trunk of a Yoshino cherry showing the linear blisters on the bark

When I was talking in the previous post about the weeping Higan cherry I noted the bark was very different from Yoshino cherries. Here is a shot showing the characteristic lines in the Yoshino cherry trunk. These lines are made up of lenticels, pores for gas exchange across the bark. You can see these on may trees like birches. This tree is behind Holy Spirit Catholic Church next to Holmes Park on Hickory Crest.

Holmes Park woodland forest 

A picture up at the canopy in Holmes Park, April 18, 2014

Holmes Park has trees typical of the Memphis and midsouth region. There are tulip poplars (the Tennessee state tree), large oaks (probably mostly southern red oaks), river birch, sassafras, elms, hickory, maples, sycamores and sweetgums. This park does not have trees more common along river banks like cottonwood and American beech. These trees can be found along the Mississippi River like the park at Harbortown on Mud Island that is lined by cottonwoods. Meeman-Shelby State Park has beautiful large beech trees along a trail leading toward the river. Here I will show many examples of trees in Holmes Park.

Tree #54 Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Characteristic leaves of the Tulip tree

Tulip trees are large trees. Most of their leaves and branches are far off the ground. This is a young sapling near ground level. "Leaves of the Tulip Tree" is the title of a book by Juliette Huxley, wife of Julian Huxley. [Topsfield MA, Salem House 1987, 248 pages] for a review see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1715244/
The relevant part for this blog is the recounting of the story of Adam and Eve. As they were being expelled from the garden for eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Eve tried to take a branch with her. She was only able to tear away the tip of one leaf, leaving a notch in the leaf remaining on the tree. This notch is what we see in the leaves of the tulip tree. If you find this intriguing and you want to read more about Juliette Huxley but cannot find this book, try the "Dear Juliette, Letters of May Sarton to Juliette Huxley W. W. Norton and Co. 1999. May Sarton is the well known poet. Juliette Huxley was the muse for May Sarton for many years. Their relationship was very complex (read the letters). 

Tree #55 Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua)

Sweetgum leaves and trunk

Sweetgums are pervasive in the neighborhood. They are attractive trees providing shade and highways for squirrels. On the down side these trees shed huge numbers of sweetgum balls. Hundreds (more like thousands) of the balls will drop on driveways and in yards making these very messy trees. The balls are quite painful to step on in bare feet, if you are not paying attention. Lawn mowers are not good at picking these up and you cannot kick them very far because they have a stem on them so they do not roll. I would not recommend planting one in your yard. Enjoy them in someone else's yard. 

Those pesky gumballs (in the authors driveway) April 19, 2014

 

Close up view of sweetgum balls (Don't Tread on Me)

Vine #3 Poison ivy

Poison ivy is something most of us have had at some time. It is worth avoiding, but it is also a part of the Memphis ecology. Walking in Holmes park you can find it on the ground like a ground cover in some places, but more often it is on trees. It seems to prefer older oaks. The vines get hairy and quite large growing on oak trunks .

Poison ivy vine growing on oak trunk

 

A very large and hairy poison ivy vine

Two smaller vines side by side

On the ground in these woodlands one can find the May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum).

May Apple also called wild mandrake (April 18, 2014)

This plant my produce one white flower under the umbrella shaped leaf. 

flower found at the junction of the two stems

Podophyllotoxin is from this plant. This serves as a precursor molecule to etoposide, an anti-cancer drug. Mandrakes are featured in the Harry Potter books as a rather more magical kind of plant.

Tree # 56 Sycamore (see also tree #22)

Sycamores are found in these woods. Here is the bole of a rather large sycamore. We may have more to say in a later post about the murder of the sycamores in Harbortown.

An old Sycamore, looking rather like it came from the Old Forest

Tree # 57 Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia)

An understory shrub near the entrance to Holmes Park

When I saw these leaves and flowers they reminded me of The University of Washington in Seattle with all its horse chestnut trees. They are both in the horse chestnut family so that was not incorrect. I remember the flowers in the Seattle trees would change color from yellow to red once a bee had visited them to pollinate them. The tubular red buckeye flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. 

Tree #57 red maple (Acer rubrum) springtime foliage.

The leaves are light green but have the tri-lobed shape of red maple.

The maple is such an iconic tree it has been incorporated into the Canadian flag and it is a symbol of the American heartland. Rod Serling used it in one of the top 10 rated episodes of the Twilight Zone "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street". For a synopsis see the quick link.

Tree #58 willow oak (Quercus phellos) with narrow leaves

Rather than being lobed like most oaks, this one has lance-shaped leaves, that are difficult to rake up in the fall.

Tree # 59 American elm (Ulmus americana)

Elm leaves have an asymmetrical base

Our next door neighbors have one of these mature trees. Though the trunk is in their yard the branches overhang our roof about 30 feet away. It is part of the great squirrel highway that connects the whole neighborhood. The squirrels can even cross the street without coming to ground level.

Tree #60 unidentified hickory

Tree #61 Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape is not native to the midsouth, so this is a planting near the park

Oregon grape is the state flower of Oregon. I learned Mahonia as an ornamental plant in a botany class at U of W in the 1970s. This class was a great opportunity to go to new parks and botanical gardens every week for a semester and to be instructed on the plants by our Japanese botany professor. We learned about 300 plants. I still have the syllabus from that class in my attic.

Tree #62 Boxelder (Acer negundo)

The leaves look like poison ivy leaves, but this is a maple. April 18, 2014

On the way back from the park we saw this wall of red tips. This is across the street from Holy Spirit Catholic Church. 

Tree #63 Red tip (Photinia x fraseri)

Red tips are named for the new red leaves that cover the plant in the early part of the year. 

Close-up of the red tip leaves (Photinia x fraseri) April 18, 2014

Tree #64 Ginkgo
Back at our home the ginkgo, now in its second season in our yard has leafed out and is growing new branches.

This ginkgo replaces a tulip poplar that just died one winter with no spring leaves at all. Overwatering with a new sprinkler?

Vine #4 Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)

Carolina jessamine is South Carolina's state flower

The yellow trumpet shaped flowers are very attractive. We had some of these vines planted on the arbor with the Lady Banks rose, but the rose dominated and those vines eventually died off. This vine has been in competition with some wild grape vines that we just cut back.

Close-up of Carolina jessamine flowers

Tree #65 Drake elm or lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia)

After our walk to the park we were inspired to plant some ferns in the back yard to fill in a gap where some gold leaf spirea had been removed. Those shrubs had lost vigor and were showing bare branches and were beginning to resemble sagebrush. At the Goodwinds nursery on Sunset we found a row of unusual elms planted there some time ago. These, we were told by the owner, were Drake elms, also known as Chinese elms or lacebark elms.

Drake elm (Ulmus parvifolia) with bark showing several tones and textures

 The foliage was not too remarkable, but the bark was very interesting.

Close-up of the bark similar to crepe myrtle or sycamore bark

April Comes to Memphis

Murasaki Shikibu was the author of The Tale of Genji, possibly the earliest novel. The story depicts the life of a mythical prince in Heian Japan 1000 years ago. The tale describes the nature of life at court and the emphasis on poetry and appreciation of beauty and evanescence or the transient nature of life. Flowers and especially cherries serve as metaphors for these sentiments. One recurring theme in the book is the competition between Genji and Muraskai, one of his wives/lovers over what is the best time of year. Murasaki has a fondness for spring and the renewal of life, of course involving cherry blossom parties and poetry contests to describe the falling petals. Genji on the other hand is attracted to the fall, which has its own kind of beauty. They both have their own gardens that peak at their favorite time. Many short poems are exchanged in this friendly battle of wits.

Here we find ourselves in April, Murasaki time in Memphis. As already shown in the earlier post, the cherries have come, and some have gone. Many other flowering trees and shrubs are also in bloom. There are streets one should see now before the glory fades. One of these streets is Belvedere Blvd. in Central Gardens, midtown, between Union and Central. There is a wide median well planted and tended. It is wild with dogwoods, cherries, magnolias, redbuds and unidentified shrubs. Here are a few highlights along Belvedere.

Tree # 46 redbud (Cercis canadensis)

A remarkable redbud blooming heavily along the trunk, April 13, 2014 (Palm Sunday)

Redbuds are a favorite Memphis tree. Cercis canadensis or Eastern redbud is the most likely species to be seen.  This tree is a legume in the pea family and the flowers have the distinctive pea flower shape. Later in the year pods like pea pods develop. A relative, Cercis siliquastrum called the Judas tree (European or Asian) is traditionally the tree Judas hanged himself from, thus the red flowers are like blood weeping from the trunk.

I have taken pictures of two more redbuds that seems striking. The overcast day may not have been ideal for photographing them, but time is critical as the flowers will soon be gone (evanescence again).

Redbud at the southwest corner of Poplar and Manassas. April 13, 2014

This redbud caught my eye on my drive home as it sits before a line of dark green Southern Magnolias.

An eye-popping redbud at 2909 Central in front of a massive wall of Southern magnolias. April 13, 2014

Tree #47 Kwanzan cherry (Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan')

In the same block of Belvedere as the gnarled flowering redbud, we find our third type of cherry, the Kwanzan cherry. These have double flowers, a kind of prized mutation seen in many flowers like tulips.

Kwanzan cherry in full bloom. April 13, 2014 Belvedere Blvd.

Close-up of the doubled flowers.

We have a Kwanzan cherry in our own yard, but it is shaded by a large neighboring elm and a crepe myrtle making it a bit hard for it to thrive. However, these trees have not leafed out yet, so the cherry is in bloom and looking very attractive in its tight space. There may be good reason to cut back the offending part of the crepe myrtle to give the cherry more room.

Tree #48 dogwood (Cornus florida)

Characteristic trees of Memphis in spring are the dogwoods, both pink and white.

Pink dogwoods (Cornus florida rubra) on Belvedere. April 13, 2014

There are so many dogwoods and they are all so striking it is only possible to select a few to show. Here is a white one a few doors down from the pink ones.

There was another large white dogwood on Central on the north side east of Belvedere.

White dogwood on Central April 13, 2014

I have a special set of dogwoods (three in a cluster) on the southeast corner of Park and White Station. I will try to capture those before they fade and post the picture here. The owners of the property for many years have been trying to sell two adjacent lots for commercial use. My fear is that the new owners would cut down the trees. Such people should be sent to a thought police camp to have their minds reprogrammed.

Three-in-one dogwood on the corner of Park and White Station April 15, 2014

One more picture shows the clever gardener mind at work, planting a tall pink dogwood behind a shorter cluster of white dogwood. One of these trees (on the left) is a different, later blooming variety of dogwood. It makes for a pleasing view.

Three to four dogwoods of different types on the corner of Satinwood Dr and Satinwood Cove. April 13, 2014

The last picture showing a large dogwood is from a house on the corner of Southern and Prescott, north of the railroad tracks. The other notable feature of this yard is the lovely wistaria fence with an arch leading to the front door. The owner talked to me when I took this picture. He said "My yard shines for two weeks each year." I have to agree. I have serious wistaria envy.

Northeast corner of Prescott and Southern, April 19, 2014. Wistaria grows all along the picket fence.

While driving home from work for several weeks I have been admiring a tall blue atlas cedar. This tree is a multi-trunked tree that has survived the many ice storms in Memphis that often break the leaders of these trees. I had to stop and photograph it today, but the light was not ideal and the picture of the full tree does not do it justice.

Tree #49 Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica glauca) [see also trees #39 and #40]

Blue Atlas Cedar, north of Central before the rail crossing (in photo) at Cooper. April 13, 2014

Close-up of the trunk (west view)

Close-up of the trunk (north view)

Tree #50 possible black oak

Memphis has many types of oaks and some are very old and large. Storms can sometimes topple them. I saw a small house smashed in half by one of these trees. It looked like a doll's house. Here I have picked an unknown type of oak to show the odd ribbed trunk.

Oak at the corner of Satinwood Dr. and Hickory Crest

Close-up of this ribbed trunk, April 13, 2014

Newly emerging leaves from this same oak.

Vine #1 wistaria (Wisteria floribunda)

Memphis has abundant wild wistaria that grows through the trees. This time of year the purple spikes of wistaria florets cover these vines, unless you happen to have a cursed wistaria. Here is an example from a vine someone planted on a light pole on Satinwood Dr. The vine has long since escaped from the pole into the neighboring trees, but the crossover point is too high to reach to cut the vines. Good for the wistaria, not so good for the trees.

Lovely lavender wistaria flowers at the base of the overgrown lamp pole

A second view April 13, 2014

When we moved into our house on Satinwood Dr. we decided to professionally landscape the backyard. An arbor was built and wistaria vines were planted to cover the arbor. This was in 1995. After more than 10 years the wistaria had never flowered. It was a cursed vine. To remove the curse, at one of our Cinco de Mayo parties we set up a Haiku table in the yard and requested guests to write a Haiku for the wistaria. More years passed and still no blooms. Last year for the first time we did find three small sprays of wistaria flowers, so it was not a sexless vine after all. It could produce flowers. This spring I looked again and once more there are three flowers on the vine. I tried to get a shot of one but the light was not good, yet you can still see the small flower spike in the middle.

19 year old wistaria finally blooms. Flowers are seen center, just to the right of center and bottom middle

Fast forward to 2016. We sell Satinwood and then the wistaria blooms.