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Horsetails, sometimes called rushes, are relics of prehistoric times. They require ample water and grow well in swampy areas.
Photograph by Shari Kaplan
Toupees and drumsticks: a horticultural slang study
By Tony Tomeo
For longer than I can remember, my colleague Brent Green and I have been expanding our vocabulary of "horticultural slang," as necessary, to explain issues so rarely discussed that commonly accepted terminology has not yet been invented. Some of our slang is now actually commonly used among other horticulturists. The term "toupee" originated from one of our botany professors, who wore an old one that remained dark brown long after his real hair had turned silvery gray.
Now, the term is used to describe an odd plant species within a formal hedge of another species. Very commonly, the odd species originate from nearby parent plants as seedlings that were not removed, but instead were allowed to mature and become incorporated into the hedge. They may also often originate as new plants that were installed to replace missing ones, but are of different cultivars or species. Even the most precise shearing will not hide a toupee!
This is why "volunteers" should be removed, rather than incorporated into hedges. Suckers and watersprouts from other species that emerge below hedges should also be removed. When acquiring replacement plants, one should be certain the new plants are of the same species and also of the same cultivar. This may be difficult with some outdated cultivars,
Those who release "mow, blow and go gardeners" in their gardens risk other shearing problems, such as the possibility that some plant species that should not be sheared will be. The ridiculous shapes which result are referred to by what they may resemble, such as "drumsticks," "fish sticks," "dice" and "biscuits.'
Many were originally functional specimen trees that were not high enough to escape the wrath of the so-called gardeners. Victims are most commonly low-branched trees that resemble shrubbery when young, including Tristania laurina, New Zealand tea tree, purpleleaf plum (low bud), crape myrtle and the various species of Podocarpus.
An office building in my neighborhood exhibits a pair of "drumsticks" flanking the front doorway. They're composed of Tristania laurina and would be very suitable small trees, if they had been pruned properly over the past few years. However, now they detract from the appealing architecture, rather than enhance it. This is a classic example of a designer's good intention gone bad.
Espaliers and trellised vines should not be sheared regularly, but selectively pruned to minimize accumulation of superfluous growth. Most espaliers are grown for their appealing inner structure, which is best exposed with selective pruning. Blooming vines that may be sheared between bloom cycles to maximize successive bloom cycles should be pruned or severely sheared annually, usually at the end of winter.
Hedges comprising species used for showy blooms require well-timed shearing. Very often, such hedges are sheared just before bloom, so that flowers are not permitted to develop. Severe shearing before the start of bloom will allow more space for completion of a bloom cycle before the next shearing.
Perennial of the Week: Horsetail
Horsetail, Equisetum hyemale, is known by several names, including rush, horsetail rush and scouring rush. Photosynthesis is conducted in the green, hollow, unbranched stems, which grow to about 4 feet tall. Black rings containing microscopic vestigial "leaves" separate stem segments. Spores are produced in spikes shaped like pine cones at the tips of the stems. Horsetail grows well with direct sun exposure, or in part shade.
Regular irrigation is preferred even if soil remains moist between irrigation or is poorly drained. It is very useful in swampy areas. Horsetail, however, is extremely invasive and will require regular root pruning if not contained. Fortunately, horsetail also grows well in containers. It is particularly suitable for simple landscapes near buildings of contemporary architecture; it is also a classic in Victorian gardens.
Because horsetail is not a commonly popular species, it is not available at all nurseries and may need to be obtained from more specialized ones.
Horticulturist Tony Tomeo may be contacted at 408.358.2574, or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
