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PAGE 16A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. APRIL 29. 2004
In the garden with ,
Francis Stewart
In the garden with...
Francis Stewart
By Christie Pool
Azaleas and Rhododendrons can
be intoxicating flowers that
entrance all who see them in the
spring.
For one Pickens County man,
the love of these shrubs, among the
most popular landscape plants in
the South, has lead to decades of
growing and cultivating native and
rare forms.
In the South it is rare to find a
yard without an azalea blooming in
the spring and at Francis Stewart's
home you will find many. Stewart,
for almost three decades, has been
planting and caring for azaleas and
rhododendrons and along the way
has amassed great knowledge of
the shrubs.
"If you walk out in the woods,
the ground is pliable and soft and
this is where rhododendrons and
azaleas thrive," Stewart said. "The
plants have shallow roots that
extend past the plant's drip line.
They enjoy a little sun but need
protection from the afternoon sun."
Native azaleas will take full sun.
"In fact, the more sun they get
the more blooms they'll have.
Rhododendrons, however, need
protecting from the hot afternoon
sunshine," he said.
Rhododendron's are handsome
evergreen shrubs that, depending
on the variety, can reach from three
to 12 feet tall and an equal width.
They prefer organic, slightly acid,
moist and well-drained soil. The
plants grow steadily but not rapidly
with each branch growing about six
inches and a single whorl of four to
six-inch leaves each year. The top
foliage reaches upward while the
lower branches layer gracefully
along the ground.
Recently one of Stewart's rhodo
dendrons was awarded the blue rib
bon at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Show. The plant, a hybrid cross of
Scintillation, came from Louisiana
and blooms very early in the sea
son. It has showy white blooms
from the decade-old plant.
Stewart's landscape features
many varities of rhododendrons
and azaleas, some, he says, are
more attractive than others.
"The Xerox has a beautiful truss
(the cluster of blooms) and beauti
ful bloom but it's leggy and not par
ticularly an attractive plant," he
said.
Dexter Victoria is one of the
most hardy rhododendrons and
Stewart's features an attractive pur
ple bloom in late spring. The
"Cadillac of rhododendron",
according to Stewart, is Scintilla
tion.
"It has pink bloom and is very
hardy, unfortunately it didn't put on
a lot of blooms this year," he said.
"Last year there was lots of rain
after four years of drought and the
rhododendrons did not put out
many buds but they did put on
good bit of new growth."
Pairing wonderfully with rho-
dendrons is leucothoe (agarista
populifolia), a graceful evergreen
shrub that enjoys shade to partial
shade. Leucothoe reaches eight to
12 feet tall and spreads four to six
feet wide and has an upright arch
ing growth habit with shiny narrow
leaves and profuse white flowers in
May. Leucothoe is very sensitive to
drought until the roots are well
established, which may take two
years. The plant's common name is
Dog Hobble and is a native shrub.
"It makes a nice companion
plant to rhododendrons as they are
often found growing together along
mountain streams - with the most
common native, Rhododendron
Maximum, that blooms in late June
and July in the higher mountains,"
Stewart said.
Deciduous azaleas, sometimes
called native azaleas or bush hon
eysuckle, are twiggy shrubs that
can reach a height of 15 feet.
Like rhododendron, they are
most often found at the edge of a
wooded area or tucked beneath the
canopy of trees. There are hundreds
of azaleas and one of the most pop
ular forms is the Southern Indica
hybrid that can survive 10- to 20-
degree temperatures. This group
include the 'Mrs. G.G. Gerbing,'
'George Lindley Taber,' 'Formosa,'
'Pride of Mobile,' and 'Southern
Charm.'
The Glenn Dale hybrids can sur
vive at temperatures down to zero
degrees and some names in this
group include 'Everest,' 'Aphrodite,'
and 'Glacier'.
The Satsuki hybrids include the
low-growing and late-blooming
(for azaleas) ground cover azaleas
known as Gumpos. Stewart's gar
den features a selection of these
that bloom in May.
"Satsuki means fifth month so
these bloom in May, later than
other azaleas," he said. "They have
varieties that are white and pink."
Paired with the gumpos, Stewart
has pachysandra planted under
neath as a groundcover. Pachysan
dra is a low-growing plant that
thrives in shade.
One of Stewart's favorite azaleas
is a fragrant native named 'My
Mary'.
"The gentleman who developed
this one got in a lot of trouble over
it because he named it after his
wife who, like the plant, is as wide
as she is tall."
The azalea is a White Alaba-
manese variety that is fragrant and
found in just a few counties in
western Georgia and Alabama.
"They perfume the whole yard,"
Stewart said.
Another native azalea favored
by Stewart is the 'Aromi Sunrise'
which blooms in mid-April and
features lovely orange-yellow flow
ers.
Many plants started from seed
can take several years to make their
best show and Stewart's 'Ilam' azal
ea proves that gardeners must have
patience and love for their plants.
The hybrid was developed by a
man who lived in Ilam, a suburb of
Christchurch, New Zealand. Stew
art received 'Orange Ball' Ilam seed
from a friend about 15 years ago
and it first bloomed after eight
years.
"My best knowledge is that this
thing has traveled all the way
around the world," he said.
Stewart also cultivates an azalea
aptly named the "Royal." The par
ticular variety is alone among azal
eas in that it requires lime.
"The blooms come out almost
before the leaves do and it's likely
to get killed back in a late cold snap
so, just like royalty, it's really
fussy," he said.
Stewart's passion for natives
extends beyond azaleas and rhodo
dendron and on his property you
will find several species of native
plants, some in danger of becoming
extinct. "I have an Oconee Bell
(,Shortia glacifobia) that is on the
endangered and protected list,"
Stewart said. "It has tiny bell
shaped blooms on it. This plant was
discovered by a frenchman in the
late 1700s in the mountains of
North Carolina and it was another
75 years before it was rediscov
ered."
According to the book, Wild-
flowers of the Southeastern United
States by Wilbur Duncan, 'Oconee
Bell' is one of our rarest wildflow-
ers and is only found in seven
counties in Georgia, South Carolina
and North Carolina.
"I have been told that too much
time was spent looking for it in
North Carolina and that there are
some large clumps of it around
Oconee, South Carolina -1 suppose
that is why it now has the common
name, Oconee Bells," Stewart said.
Fringed Campion (Silene
polypetela), found in only a few
counties in west central Georgia in
the wild, is also featured in Stew
art's garden. According to Duncan's
book the plant likes rich, deciduous
woods and is usually found on hill
sides in Florida and West Central,
Georgia.
"I started it here in 1989 and
have a good start of it down in the
nursery area as well as a small
clump near the house on the edge
of the driveway."
It blooms in May and lasts only
a week but, Stewart says, the pink
bloom with the feathery fringe is
distinctive.
Another plant, Golden Seal
(Hydrastis canadensis) is also pres
ent. Duncan's book says this
species is very rare in the South
east. "It may have been overlooked
and possibly has been exterminated
from many areas by digging roost-
ocks for medicinal purposes," Dun
can writes.
Stewart purchased two of these
plants at Western Carolina Univer
sity's Landscaping with Native
Plant Conference and set them out
in 1996. They have bright red
berries in July.
From his mother-in-laws garden
in Alabama to his own, Stewart and
his wife, Clarice tend to a climbing
rose that, after just three years of
growth, snakes its way up a nearby
tree and has showy blooms in the
summer. Stewart cautioned garden
ers to stay away from the Cherokee
Rose.
"The Cherokee Rose came origi
nally from China and is the official
flower of the Women's Garden
Club of Georgia and when bloom
ing produces a white cascade of
blooms that looks just like a water
fall but it will take over every
thing."
Stewart said one cheap and easy
way to landscape in clay is by
using daylilies. They are good on a
steep bank as well, he said.
"I also recommend the
Louisiana Iris because they seem to
thrive on neglect and that's what I
like," he said.
In addition to this amazing
selection of rhododenron and azal
eas, Stewart's landscape features
holly trees, camellias and mahonia,
on which he says birds love to par
take of the berries.
A Guide to planting
and caring for Rhodo
dendrons and Azaleas
[From a brochure of the Ameri
can Rhododenron Society]
Rhododendrons and Azaleas are
best planted in early fall or spring
but can be planted nearly year
round with extra care. They grow
best in a porous, moist, well
drained, acidic soil, high in organic
matter. Large-leaf rhododenron and
evergreen azaleas generally prefer a
site protected from drying winds
and hot summer sun. Small-leaf
rhododendron and deciduous azal
eas tend to be more tolerant of
more exposed planting sites.
1. Soil preparation: Dig the
planting hole wider, but no deeper,
than the root system of your plant.
If your soil is poor quality, mix in
peat moss, and/or fine pine bark,
and good loam to the soil excavated
from the hole (but limit organic
additions to 25 percent to enable
roots to quickly re-establish in the
ground). In hot areas (Zone 7 and
warmer) it may be necessary to use
50 percent pine bark to increase
Francis Stewart is pictured
with his Scintillation rhododen
dron whose bloom was awarded
a Blue Ribbon at the Atlanta
Botanical Garden Flower Show
this season. The hybrid plant
was a gift from a friend in
Louisiana and is a decade old.
soil drainage. If soil is poorly
drained, plant in raised beds.
2. For plants in pots and burlap:
Remove the container or root-wrap
ping material from your plant.
Expose the root ends an inch or
more by abrading with your fingers
or a scratcher, or by washing with
water before setting the plant in the
hold.
3. Backfilling: Make sure the
top of the root system ends up no
lower than final ground level. Hold
extended root ends up and gently
pack the soil around the roots, and
form a saucer or berm near the
outer edge of the hole to hold water
to irrigate the roots.
4. Mulching: Add 2 to 3 inches
of bark mulch or other porous
material to help control week ger
mination, conserve moisture and
hold the soil. Avoid covering the
root crown at the base of the plant.
5. Watering: As soon as you fin
ish backfilling and mulching, add
enough water to thoroughly soak
the soil and root system. This helps
pack soil around the roots and
assure rapid root growth into the
surrounding ground.
Maintenance Recommendations
1. Watering: During the first
year add water once or twice a
week to avoid drying roots and
ensure proper establishment of the
roots. Thereafter water only as soil
conditions require. Soil should not
stay wet.
2. Mulching: Maintain 2 to 3
inches of mulch.
3. Fertilizing: Most rhododen
drons and azaleas require very little
fertilizing.
4. Deadheading: Twisting off
faded flower heads soon after
bloomiong enhances bud-set the
following year. Be careful not to
damage vegetative growth shoots.
5. Pests and diseases: Healthy
and vigorous plants tend to not
have pest problems, but rhododen
drons and azaleas can be suscepti
ble to root weevil and leaf chewing
insects as well as root disease prob
lems.
6. Pruning: Properly sited rhodo
dendrons and azaleas need minimal
maintenance. If branches must be
trimmed, this is best done right
after flowering finishes to enable
the best regrowth and flowering the
following year.
Stewart's garden features
many plants native to the area
including this Aromi Sunrise
azalea that blooms a beautiful
golden orange in mid-April.
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