In the Garden with Kerry Heafner: TREES THAT DEFINE THE DEEP SOUTH

Many different elements have come to define gardens and landscapes of the Deep South. So many, in fact, space here doesn’t permit even scratching the surface. But, as this is the “style” issue of BayouLife, let’s look at three of these elements: the venerable live oak, the magnolia, y’all, and the crepe myrtle!

Live oaks (Quercus virginiana), perhaps more than any other tree, have come to define Deep South landscapes. Who can resist the enchantment of the oak allées leading to the front porches of the old antebellum plantation homes, especially when realizing that those who planted them two centuries ago did not live to see the same vistas we enjoy in the 21st century. The architecture of the live oak tree is unmistakable: a relatively short trunk with broadly diverging branches that, on older specimens, drape down to the ground and grow upwards again. The trunk and large canopies provide habitat to two other distinctly southern natives, Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) and resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides). Spanish moss is a flowering plant in the bromeliad family and not at all a true moss. Resurrection fern “wakes up” from a state of metabolic stasis after a rain to both photosynthesize and release tiny, dust-like spores that will eventually make more plants. Neither plant is parasitic, so there’s no damage to the host tree. The deep shade provided by a live oak’s sprawling canopy is a welcome escape from the summer sun. It also dictates what plants can, and perhaps more importantly, can’t be used in these areas. Establishing a lush lawn in the shade of a live oak canopy is a chore requiring much more input than it may be worth. A few of our southern turf grasses will tolerate some shade, but none are adapted to a long life with no direct sunlight. This is due to the type of photosynthesis they carry out, which is different than most other plants. Rather, naturalizing shaded areas under live oaks can be accomplished with shade-adapted plants like cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), sasanqua and Japonica camellias, Japanese acuba, and oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Shade-adapted groundcovers like bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) and Japanese ardisia (Ardisia japonica) are good options, too. Containers filled with shade-adapted plants can be placed under live oak canopies for splashes of color and texture. Impatiens and wishbone flower (Torenia sp.) provide warm-season color while English ivy (Hedera helix) and begonias make great fillers and spillers for containers. Holly ferns (Cyrtomium falcatum and C. fortunei) are planted in-ground in deeply shaded areas, and don’t forget about native ferns like Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) and the aptly named Southern lady fern (Athyrium asplenioides); these are great perennials for deep shade provided by expansive live oak canopies.

Another stately tree that is distinctly southern is the magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). Magnolias immediately conjure up images of Scarlett O’Hara herself promenading the grounds of Tara on an early summer afternoon with a mint julep in her hand and her hound dog, Beauregard, trotting behind her. Okay, that was a stretch. But, you’ll certainly agree that the heady, lemony fragrance of those large white flowers that practically glow in the dark perfume in the early summer air like nothing else. Magnolias are great trees for both shade and attracting pollinators, which is all the rage right now. The aggregate seed pods that result later in the year and the large, waxy, evergreen foliage make attractive additions to fall and winter decorations, too. Just recently, our family historian (yes, we have one) sent me a picture of my dad when he was young standing in his front yard in front of a magnolia sapling my grandfather no doubt planted. Today, seventy-odd years later, that same tree is visible on Google Earth! They get big! Magnolias easily reach heights of 100 feet under ideal conditions. Along with the aforementioned live oak, magnolias make up a significant percentage of the canopy in a naturally occurring plant community seen mainly on the southeastern seaboard called maritime forest. We’ve moved their elegance into our landscapes and the results have been a staple for many generations. If your landscape has limited space, try a smaller version of its wild cousin, ‘Little Gem’ magnolia. Same architecture and same huge, white, perfumed flowers, but this Louisiana Super Plant is a smaller tree making it an ideal choice in smaller spaces.

Crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) are introductions from Asia that have become staples in the mid and late summer southern landscape, and do we ever love our crepe myrtles here in deepest Dixie! Crepe myrtles hold up to southern summers by tolerating heat and humidity. They are reliable bloomers and do so at a time when a lot of our spring and early summer color has faded. And, they have relatively few pests, although crepe myrtle bark scale is aggressively making the rounds in our area. If you’ve noticed crepes around town turning black, that’s appropriately named sooty mold (either Alternaria sp. or Cladosporium sp.) and is a secondary effect of an insect called crepe myrtle bark scale. The insect shows up as tiny white flecks all over the branches. Scale insects tap the vascular tissue of the tree and suck the sap out. While doing this, they excrete a sugary liquid called honeydew, and this is what the mold spores colonize. The result is everything is coated in black soot. The insect must be controlled in order to control the black mold. Crepe myrtle bark scale, however, is minor compared to the annual butchering of trees that has come to be known as “crepe murder!” This is an inexcusable offense that actually has basis in a draconian form of tree pruning called pollarding which, in this reporter’s opinion, has no place in modern horticulture unless you’re trying to control fruit trees. Most crepe myrtle varieties are trees and should be planted in a setting that will allow them to achieve maximum height. They also need full sun. Planting them as understory trees where they get shaded stresses them and makes them vulnerable to pests and disease. If crepes must be planted under powerlines, select dwarf varieties that won’t need topping.

Let’s check the calendar!

• September 3rd, 6:30 p.m., Ouachita Valley Branch of the Ouachita Public Library, 601 McMillan Road, West Monroe, program on trees in the landscape.

• September 10th, 6:30 p.m., Morehouse Parish Extension Office, 9609 Marlatt Street, Bastrop, new Master Gardener class kicks off.

For advice on how to make your garden thrive, go to the Ag Journal page at www.myarklamiss.com and submit your questions. I’ll answer them every Tuesday on Louisiana Living!