Our Hardy Chicago Fig survived an unprotected winter in Utah! Everything died back, but here it is alive and well in July 2015.

This has been so fun to see. It really starts late in the spring and needs a lot of heat to get growing.  Once it started it gained quite a bit of growth. We will need to protect it from the winter this fall to try to keep some of this growth for the following spring. Hopefully we can get some fruit this year, but I am not counting on it.

They say it can get 8-10 feet tall and wide but I don’t know if it will grow that large and if it does, it will be with a bit of work.  It needs full sun and a lot of heat. A southern exposure by your house might be your best bet.

Hardy Chicago Fig in Utah – September 2015, 1 year after planting a 4-5″ plant.

1 year after planting a 4-5″ plant, we have one fig!

This is all new growth in 2015. In the Spring there wasn’t anything above the ground. By July it was close to 12″ tall. In September it is 2′ tall, sprouting new shoots out of the ground and has one fig! Not too bad for a 4-5″ plant and no protection from the winter.

2016

June 2016 – 2 year old plant in the Spring. After another winter without any special care, new leaves are out in June. There are buds all over the bare branches and we are hopeful that they will pop soon. I think it is ahead of where it was this time last year.

We got this Nanking Cherry as a bare root plant. Planted May 2015.

Back in February 2015 we ordered five bare root Nanking Cherry plants (Prunus tomentosa) from the Timp-Nebo/Alpine Tree sale. We received them in mid April. We planted them right away in 1 gallon pots and they leafed out pretty good. We got around to planting them in the ground at the end of May. We’ll add some chicken wire around the tomato cages to keep the rabbits and deer away while the plants get a start.

They are said to grow 6′-10′ tall and up to a 15′ spread. We didn’t leave enough room for that kind of growth, but we’ll deal with when and if they grow. They should grow 1′-2′ per year.

• Adapts well to cold winters, hot summers and drought.
• Blooms in early spring, with pink buds opening up into fragrant pale pink or white flowers.
• The cherries are tart and tangy scarlet-colored and can be eaten fresh or used in pies, jams and jellies.
• Two or more shrubs should be planted within 100′ of each other to ensure cross-pollination. It isn’t self-fertile.
• Can be planted 4–5′ apart to form a hedge.
• Adapts to a variety of soil conditions and pH levels. It prefers well-drained soil but will tolerate drought and can grow in semi-arid conditions.

I’m anxious to see what kind of cherries we get off these $3 plants.

Orange Rocket Barberry – Spring 2015

The Orange Rocket Barberry starts out coral-orange/red in the Spring, green in the summer and ruby red in the Fall. They grow up to 4-1/2′ tall and 1-1/2′ wide.

• Height: 4-1/2′
• Width: 1-1/2′
• Full Sun/Partial Sun

Pros

• Pros: Deer Resistant.
• Makes a good hedge

Cons:

• Thorns – sharp thorns.
• Lots of color in the Spring and Fall.

Lime Glo Barberry, Spring 2015

Lime Glow Barberry can grow up to 5′ tall and 4′ wide. It is a slow grower and will need regular watering when it is hot. It should turn a brilliant red in the Fall, I can’t wait to see it and get some pictures on here.

• Height: 5′
• Width: 4′
• Full Sun

Pros

• Deer Resistant
• Leaves can handle the sun, some light green/yellow barberries do not

Cons

• Thorns (this can be a plus if you want to deter people from an area)
• Slow growing

Orange Rocket and Lime Glow Barberries

Here is why I’ll never plant it again. It spreads. It sends roots out 20-30′ to pop up a new plant and it just won’t die. It is nearly impossible to remove from a yard. You’ve been warned.

Russian sage with purpler flowers. Also in the photo, Artimis Powis Castle, and an ornamental grass.

• Height: 3-4′
• Width: 3-4′
• Sun: Full sun
• Flowers: Summer
• Low water requirements

Feather Reed Grass ‘Karl Foerster’

• 5 Ft Tall
• 2-3 Ft Spread
• Full Sun
• Zones 5-9

Compact Pampas Grass ‘Pumila’

This was a gorgeous grass but it was not a perennial here in Eagle Mountain. It didn’t last the first winter.

• 4-5 Ft Tall
• 2-4 Ft Spread
• Full Sun
• Zones 6-10

Miscanthus ‘Little Dwarf’

• 3-4 Ft Tall
• 2-3ft Spread
• Full Sun
• Zones 5-9

Blue Fescue “Elijah Blue’

• 8-10 inches tall and wide
• Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Zones 4-8

Don’t let the dwarf name fool you. I’ve listed the sizes here according to what we saw in our yard. They are always advertised in the 3-5′ range, but it isn’t uncommon for them to be much larger.

• Sun: Full to partial
• Height 5-6′
• Width 5-8′
• No flowers

• Botanical Name: Philadelphus x virginalis
• Height: 6-7′
• Spacing: 4-6′
• Spread: 4-5′
• Sun/Shade: Full sun to partial sun
• Color: White blossoms
• Foliage: Ovate 3 inch medium green leaves
• Blooms: May – early June

Rose Glow Japanese Barberry can grow up to 5′ tall and 4′ wide, but it is a slow grower. It will need water weekly or more often in the heat.

• Height: 5′
• Width: 4′
• Full Sun

Pros

• Pros: Deer Resistant.
• In a mild winter they will keep many of the leaves and berries so you can have some winter color.

Cons:

• Thorns – sharp thorns.

I loved this tree in the spring time. The smell and colors and big white lilac type flowers were awesome. Always the first plant to start to bud and bloom in the spring. The end of the spring though, the leaves start to turn from green to red. Which I love that it is not green all summer and adds another color to my other green plants, but the leaves look dried up and almost dead all summer and fall. It quickly becomes one of my least favorite plants and I get excited for the leaves to fall off. If it hadn’t been right in my walkway I might not have minded so much but everyone had to go past it to get to the front door.

• 20-30 Ft Tall
• 18-25 Ft Spread
• Zones 2-7
• Full Sun Partial Shade
• Flowers in Spring