Look at the variegated leaves.
It is a regular sweetgum and will get large and will produce gumballs. After all my dithering about a yard tree, and my rejection of sweetgums because of the mess and the size, I went and got this one and put it right by the driveway, where the gumballs will be a problem. I planted it at the end of the Drive By garden, where the hydrangea serrata is.
I have long wanted shade on that side, and this tree will shade the open pavers by the garage. The cornus mas will stay smaller behind it, the hydrangea will remain under it (that's the pile of twigs in the photos, ack), and I can keep it limbed up to walk under. The gumballs - - - hmmm. I will have to keep them cleaned up.
It adds a light look at that end of the long garden. After seeing Cheryl Fox's mature garden Thursday night at book group, I just felt like what I had was tentative and I could use more of everything. More shade, more trees, more mass, deeper borders, more repetition. Sigh.
It was very hot and humid today, in the 80s, but I got it planted before it got too miserable. The rest of the day was oppressive and it feels like a storm may come up. I hope.
I also planted another salix yezoalpina that I got from Kevin's nursery. The whole patch on the east side is spreading out beautifully. What a neat groundcover.
The climbing hydrangea is blooming at the top (I pruned all the blooms off the lower branches when I shaped it this spring.) The doublefile viburnum is gone by finally. Amsonias are blooming including the transplanted Blue Ice dwarf ones.
The Korean spirea Pink Parasols is blooming.
The kiwi vine seems to be recovering from something that had tinged the leaves brown.
The male has the distinct pink markings.
So much is happening now. Something new every day.
