backyard book

THE BACKYARD BOOK

Samantha Gray

THE BACKYARD BOOKBy Samantha Gray

Table of Contents

-Black Raspberry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 5

-Black Tupelo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

-Blue Ice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

-Blue Ray Blueberry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

-Chestnut Oak. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5

-Common Sassafras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7

-Dragon Lady. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9

-Eastern White Pine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1

-Lowbush Blueberry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 2 5

-Minuet Lilac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 7

-Prairifire Crabapple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 9

-Red Maple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1

-Red Sprite Holly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..3 5

-Red Sunset Maple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..3 7

- Starking Hardy Giant Pecan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 9

-Stuart Pecan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1

-Tulip Poplar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3

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INTRODUCTION

This book serves as an informal guide to my world in the spring; my father taught me how to identify the trees in our yard by their bark and their buds, so I have collected photographs of these identifying factors, as well as interesting (to me, at least!) facts about each plant. In addition, this book shows glimpses of the springtime nature around and in my backyard, located in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. This little space in the middle of nowhere has quite a bit of charm to it; something that I had not entirely appreciated before I began photographing for this book.

-Samantha Gray, Spring 2011

Black Raspberry; Rubus occidentalis

5

It can be difficult to tell the difference between black raspberries and blackberries; however, blackberries are larger, smoother, and shinier than black raspberries are. 1

Black Tupelo; Nyssa sylvatica

7

The Black Tupelo, or Black Gum, is sometimes associated with wet areas; its latin genus name, Nyssa, is the name for a Greek mythological water sprite. 2

Blue Ice Cypress; Cupressus arizonica

9

The Blue Ice Cypress is commonly used as a Christmas Tree, despite the fact that its delicate branches can only support the weight of tinsel and Christmas lights. 3

Blue Ray Blueberry bush; Vaccinium corymbosum

11

The Blue Ray Blueberry is unique in that it can grow best on sites where most other crops would fail; they are hardy in cold regions with difficult winters. 4,5

Chestnut Oak; Quercus prinus

15

The Chestnut Oak is also called Rock Oak, Rock Chestnut Oak, or Mountain Oak. This is because it can be found in “dry, rocky soils at the tops of hilly ridges.” 6

Common Sassafras; Sassafras albidum

17

“The roots, leaves, twigs and fruit of the Common Sassafras have a spicy odor; the oil contained in these parts is used for a tea in medicines, perfumes, and more. Its wood is used chiefly for fuel and fence posts.” 7

Dragon Lady Holly; Ilex x meserveae

19

The Dragon Lady Holly is one of the most deer resistant hollies available because of its stiff, pointed spines, which aren’t exactly appetizing to deer. 8,9

Eastern White Pine; Pinus strobus

21

The bark of the Eastern White pine is used as an astringent, while the wood has been used to produce white pine tar - an antiseptic, expectorant, and protective. 10

Lowbush blueberry; Vaccinium angustifolium

25

The Algonquin Indians used an infusion of Lowbush Blueberry leaves to treat infants with colic and women after a miscarriage. In addition, an infusion of Lowbush Blueberry roots was used by Algonquin women to induce labor. 11

Minuet Lilac; Syringa x prestoniae ‘Minuet’

27

If it is grown under ideal conditions, the Minuet Lilac can be expected to live for about 30 years. 12

Prairifire Crabapple; Malus Prairifire

29

The Prairifire Crabapple was introduced by D. F. Dayton of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1982; it is most notable for its foliage being completely disease resistant. 13

Red Maple; Acer rubrum

31

The nation’s largest Red Maple lies in the Great Smokey Mountains Nation-al Park; it was declared the largest in 1997, and is 141 feet tall and just over 7 feet in diameter. 14

Red Sprite Holly; Ilex verticillata

35

A man named P.A. Sicbaldi first discovered a Red Sprite Holly seedling in the wild of Hampden, Massachusetts in 1980. 15,16

Red Sunset Maple; Acer rubrum

37

The sap of a Red Sunset Maple tree can be used to make sugar, but it is not as desireable to use as the appropriately-named Sugar Maple. 17

Starking Hardy Giant Pecan; Carya illinoinesnsis

39

The ‘Starking Hardy Giant’ resulted from a campaign started in 1938 by a man named George James to find the best pecan for the central Missouri district. 18

Stuart Pecan; Carya illinoensis

41

The Stuart Pecan tree was originally discovered by Colonel Stuart in Mississippi, growing on a fence row, and as a result Stuart was recognized as the father of modern pecan orchards. 19

Tulip Poplar; Liriodendron tulipifera

43

Thomas Jefferson nicknamed the Tulip Poplar “The Juno of our Groves” when he sent a packet of the Tulip Poplar’s seeds to his friend in 1805. 20

SOURCES

1. Differece Betweenhttp://www.differencebetween.net/object/comparisons-of-food-items/difference-between-blackberry-and-black-raspberry/

2. About Forestryhttp://forestry.about.com/library/tree/blbltup.htm

3. Super Glossaryhttp://www.superglossary.com/Definition/Christmas_Trees/Blue_Ice_Cypress.html

4. Nature Hillshttp://www.naturehills.com/product/blueray_blueberry.aspx

5. American Meadowshttp://www.americanmeadows.com/blueberry-blue-ray

6. ODNR Division of Forestryhttp://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/trees/oak_chestnut/tabid/5391/Default.aspx

7. Cook Foresthttp://www.cookforest.com/articles/trees/Common-Sassafras.cfm

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SOURCES 8. Goshen Enterpriseshttp://www.goshenenterprises.com/html/plantcatalog/plantpages/ilex_dragonlady.php

9. Highland Hill Farmshttp://www.seedlingsrus.com/IlexDragonLady.html

10. Northeastern Area State & Private Forestryhttp://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_1/pinus/strobus.htm

11. USDAhttp://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?40981

12. Schriemer’s Nursery & Garden Centerhttp://search.schriemers.ca/NetPS-Engine.asp?CCID=11050001&page=pdp&PID=1450

13. Horticulture & Home Pest Newshttp://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1996/4-12-1996/toty.html

14. The Tree Guide at Arborday.orghttp://www.arborday.org/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=28

SOURCES

15. Back Yard Gardenerhttp://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_dfc0-2.html

16. Dave’s Gardenhttp://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/123911/

17. About Maple Treeshttp://www.aboutmapletrees.com/red_sunset_maple_tree.shtml

18. College of Agricultural and Environmental Scienceshttp://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fruits/pecanbreeding/cultivars/starking/starking.html

19. TyTy Nurseryhttp://www.tytyga.com/product/Stuart+Pecan+Tree

20. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticellohttp://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/tulip-poplar-tree

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