All About Ornamental Bling
All about ornamental bling
Gardens are shrinking, but we all need trees for shade, as focal points, to attract birds and for the well-being of the environment. No matter what kind of space you have available, there are so many benefits to having trees and there will certainly be a variety out there to suit your needs.
Having a deciduous feature tree is a great way to create contrast in your garden, with the structure or framework of the tree in winter when it’s naked, the bright autumn colours of the foliage before it falls, or the bright leafy lushness of the spring growth. It’s also important to think about its function, whether you are looking to create shade in summer but allow winter sun through, creating a top canopy for under-planting, gorgeous autumn foliage or superb abundant blossom in Spring.
Your tree can definitely suit your different needs – shade, privacy or colour.
AUTUMN COLOUR
Yes, deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn and yes, they require a bit of blowing and raking to keep the garden tidy, but the benefits outweigh the negatives. As the seasons change and the cold weather comes in the intense colours create a wonderful contrast against evergreen foliage, or the blue green of a conifer, or make a warm welcome with a tree lined driveway.
Autumn leaves can be red, orange, yellow, brown, pink, purple and any related shades in between. The intensity of the colour will be even deeper if the plant is under some stress with cool dry weather will producing the best colour. By careful selection, you can get a wonderful succession of colour as some trees hold their autumn colour for a long time. When walking around your neighbourhood, take note of the trees, and the best on show will be the varieties which are proven to perform in your area.
SPRING BLOSSOM
There is nothing more remarkable than a prolific exhibition of copious amounts of delicate blossom almost overflowing from a tree. These are the ornamental forms of regular fruiting trees, grown for their displays of blossom in the Spring, providing a spectacular display before the new leaves appear.
Perhaps the most popular Spring flowering deciduous trees for big impact, is the flowering cherries. Grafted weeping forms with strongly pendulous branches are elegant. Grown on tall straight trunks as standards, they are ideal for small spaces. Pot them up or use them as a focal point in your garden and they won’t disappoint as a colourful display or a feature of skeletal form in Winter.
Spring flowering trees are never pruned in Winter as this would remove flowering branches. Should they need any pruning, it is best done after all the flowers are gone and the tree is in full active growth. The delayed pruning also allows rapid healing of the wounds, reducing the possibility of infection from bacterial and fungal diseases.
FEATURE FOLIAGE
Also a crowd pleaser, changing up the colour spectrum when the trees are in full foliage deciduous trees can add a great deal of interest to your garden landscape, with a display of wonderful colour as their normal foliage. It ranges from the lovely lime green of the Gleditsia Sunburst or Golden Elm to the very dark burgundy of the Prunus Nigra or Ruby Flare.
OUR STOCKIST
Established in 1887, the Wicks family built the Adelaide Hills business from land acquired for the propagation of stone and pome fruit. As well as the nursery the family had 120 acres of fruit trees with apples as their main focus. They were also instrumental in the construction of Australia’s first fruit cold store.
In 1999, the Joyce family, Adelaide Hills largest orchardists, saw the potential of the local iconic business. They moved it to greater acreage in Charleston taking advantage of the rich loamy soils and good water supply which were well suited to propagation and harvesting of trees. Their significant capacity, knowledge, drive and innovative thinking led them to expand their bare-rooted operations and now supply fruit trees and ornamentals across the country all year round.
Balhannah Nurseries provides the best new varieties as well as maintaining a base of ‘tried and proven’ old favourite lines and a wide variety of high quality ornamentals.
VARIETIES IN-STORE
CLARET ASH
A very hardy tree is able to grow in a wide range of climates and soils. A beautiful fast-growing tree with fine feathery deep green leaves turning to a claret red in Autumn. It can also tolerate periods of drought and some salt spray. It’s a big tree growing to 10 -15 metres high to about 10 metres wide. No blossom on this one.
PRUNUS
PRUNUS NIGRA
An upright growing tree extremely popular for its very dark purple foliage creating a great contrast in the garden. A medium sized tree growing about 5 metres high to about 4 metres wide it has single baby pink blossom.
PRUNUS RUBY FLARE
A cultivar of prunus ‘nigra’, it also has burgundy foliage but with a deep green tinge as well. A great hardy and versatile tree in any setting it is often used as a screen or planting in positions where space is limited. It bears masses of single white blossoms and grows to about 7 metres high but only about 3 metres wide.
PRUNUS ELVINS
A smaller but quite wide tree that would definitely fit in a smaller space but even in a bigger garden, it can hold its own. Its late blossoming covers every branch and produces a rich show of masses of pink flower buds which become white when fully open. Only grows to 3 metres high and 4 metres wide.
PRUNUS BLIREANA
This one is a medium tree with reddish-purple foliage growing to 5 metres high and 4 metres wide. The tree virtually disappears under masses of deep pink double blossoms in Spring, which makes it a very popular addition to any garden.
ORNAMENTAL PEARS
PYRUS CAPITAL
An upright quite narrow tree with glossy green foliage turning a dramatic mixed spectrum of red, burgundy and orange in Autumn then topping off with single white blossom in Spring. It grows up to 10 metres high by only about 3 metres wide making it ideal not only for its form but its striking colour in narrow spaces and avenues. This also comes in a dwarf variety with all the same attributes but only grows approximately 6 metres high
PYRUS FESTIVITY
A great compact version of the Manchurian Pear growing 4 metres high by about 5 metres wide, making it an excellent shade tree for the small garden. Its Autumn colour is in the red-orange range and it gets a beautiful covering of single white blossoms in Spring.
PYRUS GLENSFORM
A very popular variety with the full spectrum of Autumn colour and the single white blossom in Spring. It grows in a tear-drop shape up to 10 metres high and 5 metres wide.
MANCHURIAN PEAR
This is a fantastic shade tree which can be quite drought hardy once established. Lush glossy green foliage with the full spectrum of Autumn colour followed by single sweetly scented blossom in Spring. It grows to about 10 metres high and about 7 metres wide.
CRAB APPLES
IOENSIS PLENA CRABAPPLE
A very free flowering traditional style tree grows about 6 metres high to about 3 metres wide and is also available in a standard. Large pale pink fading to pure white double blossoms start off as bright dark pink buds have a slight perfume. Autumn colours are in the red/ yellow spectrum range.
FLORIBUNDA CRABAPPLE
The abundant Spring blossom has a two-toned effect with pink buds opening to single white flowers followed by small yellow crab apples. It has a spreading habit growing 5 metres high by 5 metres wide. It is quite disease resistant and its Autumn foliage is a golden yellow.
WYCHWOOD RUBY CRABAPPLE
This is an outstanding feature or screening tree with lush green foliage which turns a rich burgundy colour in Autumn. It has stunning fluffy double deep pink blossom followed by small claret coloured crab apples. A small tree ideal for a great show in a small backyard, with a height of 4 metres and a width of around 2.5 metres.
DOUBLE CRIMSON FLOWERING ALMOND
Another great feature tree suitable for a small garden, this tree grows 4 metres high by about 4 metres wide. The very attractive red brown foliage will create a great contrast to any garden only to be outdone by a beautiful Spring display. The spectacular blossom of this crab apple is rich dark red-purple fluffy double flowers which appear early spring.
WEEPERS
CHEALS WEEPING CHERRY
A very delicate looking tree with double pink blossoms produced in great abundance, flowers later than all the other cherries. Grafted on to 1.5 to 2 metre standards and benefits from regular trimming of the canes to keep them off the ground and maintain the shape.
FALLING SNOW WEEPING CHERRY
Ideal for use in confined spaces this is a slender weeping cherry bearing masses of single white flowers cascading along the length of its branches. It also benefits from regular trimming of canes to maintain shape and keep canes off the ground. Grafted at 1.5 to 2 metres and prefers a free draining soil.
ROSEA WEEPING CHERRY
This weeper produces an abundance of small pale pink single blossoms during early Spring. Its grafted onto a 1.5 to 2 metre standard and responds well to some pruning. Prune in the early years to an upwards pointing bud to establish the tree shape and the tree will take on a weeping form thereafter.
WHITE WEEPING CHERRY
The flowers of this tree are pink in bud but open up to pure white single blossoms. An ideal specimen tree, it flowers profusely and has good autumn colours. It also benefits from pruning to keep the canes off the ground and maintain shape. It has more of an upright crown growth and is grafted on a 1.5 to 2 metre standard.
