Gardening Journal November 2021: Plant of the month – Parrotia persica
October 31st, 2021
The garden can be a spectacular riot of colour with all plants fading as we progress through Autumn. The warm, vibrant and fiery colours create a spectacular display before we are left with the bare bones of structure that the deciduous trees and shrubs provide throughout the winter months. November is all about the leaves, it’s not just about their beauty as they fade and fall, it’s about the mess they leave on the ground too. Whatever your task, enjoy the last of the autumn before the cold, damp days of winter set in.
Parrotia persica is an ornamental tree which makes a great year-round feature with something to offer in every season. In late winter/early spring, when there is little interest amongst other trees, Parrotia persica provides us with a show of clusters of witch hazel-like ruby-red flowers on bare branches from February-March. The flowers are actually petal-less and what you see is the red stamens.
Early to leaf in Spring, the foliage is lustrous and green with a waved edge throughout summer. Then autumn brings one of the finest displays of colour, with vibrant hues of yellow, red, orange and purple. The bark of mature Parrotia trees is also an attractive quality. It is smooth but exfoliates in thin scaly plates (like a plane tree) to reveal cream, yellow and greens patches of colour.
Holding its leaves for a long time, the autumn display is often extended for several weeks. This beautiful short trunked, spreading tree will grow to 6 x 4 metres in 20 years and has almost horizontal branches which add to its appeal during the winter months when the structure of the trunk and stems become more evident.
Parrotia persica is a spectacular specimen tree named after the German naturalist Friedrich Parrot. Commonly called Persian Ironwood. This tree originates from Iran and belongs to the genus Hamamelidaceeae, related to Hamamelis (Witch Hazel). Tolerant of almost any conditions apart from drought, it copes with exposed positions, sun to light shade and acid to alkaline soil. However Persian Ironwood will do best in a moist well drained soil, with an acidic pH giving the best autumn colour.
Parrotia persica is perfect as a specimen tree in a small garden underplanted with spring flowering bulbs and perennials. However, If there are oak trees nearby, you may not want to plant this species.
It is a known host for Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that causes sudden oak death. Don’t let this put you off though, it’s a great little tree that provides plenty of interest throughout the year.
Jobs To Do This Month Include:
Ornamental Garden:
• Part prune roses to prevent windrock.
• Continue to tidy borders if weather permits.
• Final cut for lawns if no frosts.
• Remove fallen leaves.
• Cutback spent foliage and flowers of herbaceous perennials.
• Leave the seedheads of grasses like Miscanthus to provide winter structure.
• Continue to lay turf for new lawns – avoid frosty days if possible.
• Remove surplus dead leaves from ponds.
• Complete planting of bulbs.
• Mulch borders – especially borderline hardy perennials.
• Plant bare root shrubs and roses.
• Prune long stems of roses to avoid windrock.
• Take hard wood cuttings of roses and other deciduous shrubs.
• Scarify lawns.
• Keep off lawns in wet and frosty weather.
Vegetable Garden:
• Begin winter pruning of fruit trees.
• Plant fruit trees, soft fruit and cane fruit.
• Plant garlic cloves.
• Apply grease bands around trunks of fruit trees to protect from winter months.
• Apply a good layer of compost / manure to bare areas of ground.
• Protect salad plants under cloches/ fleece etc.
• Clear spent old plants and compost of disease free.
Parrotia persica is an ornamental tree which makes a great year-round feature with something to offer in every season. In late winter/early spring, when there is little interest amongst other trees, Parrotia persica provides us with a show of clusters of witch hazel-like ruby-red flowers on bare branches from February-March. The flowers are actually petal-less and what you see is the red stamens.
Early to leaf in Spring, the foliage is lustrous and green with a waved edge throughout summer. Then autumn brings one of the finest displays of colour, with vibrant hues of yellow, red, orange and purple. The bark of mature Parrotia trees is also an attractive quality. It is smooth but exfoliates in thin scaly plates (like a plane tree) to reveal cream, yellow and greens patches of colour.
Holding its leaves for a long time, the autumn display is often extended for several weeks. This beautiful short trunked, spreading tree will grow to 6 x 4 metres in 20 years and has almost horizontal branches which add to its appeal during the winter months when the structure of the trunk and stems become more evident.
Parrotia persica is a spectacular specimen tree named after the German naturalist Friedrich Parrot. Commonly called Persian Ironwood. This tree originates from Iran and belongs to the genus Hamamelidaceeae, related to Hamamelis (Witch Hazel). Tolerant of almost any conditions apart from drought, it copes with exposed positions, sun to light shade and acid to alkaline soil. However Persian Ironwood will do best in a moist well drained soil, with an acidic pH giving the best autumn colour.
Parrotia persica is perfect as a specimen tree in a small garden underplanted with spring flowering bulbs and perennials. However, If there are oak trees nearby, you may not want to plant this species.
It is a known host for Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that causes sudden oak death. Don’t let this put you off though, it’s a great little tree that provides plenty of interest throughout the year.
Jobs To Do This Month Include:
Ornamental Garden:
• Part prune roses to prevent windrock.
• Continue to tidy borders if weather permits.
• Final cut for lawns if no frosts.
• Remove fallen leaves.
• Cutback spent foliage and flowers of herbaceous perennials.
• Leave the seedheads of grasses like Miscanthus to provide winter structure.
• Continue to lay turf for new lawns – avoid frosty days if possible.
• Remove surplus dead leaves from ponds.
• Complete planting of bulbs.
• Mulch borders – especially borderline hardy perennials.
• Plant bare root shrubs and roses.
• Prune long stems of roses to avoid windrock.
• Take hard wood cuttings of roses and other deciduous shrubs.
• Scarify lawns.
• Keep off lawns in wet and frosty weather.
Vegetable Garden:
• Begin winter pruning of fruit trees.
• Plant fruit trees, soft fruit and cane fruit.
• Plant garlic cloves.
• Apply grease bands around trunks of fruit trees to protect from winter months.
• Apply a good layer of compost / manure to bare areas of ground.
• Protect salad plants under cloches/ fleece etc.
• Clear spent old plants and compost of disease free.
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