
I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
Well, not really. Living in the NE Ohio snowbelt can make for one long and snowy winter. So what I’m truly dreaming about is spring and a different type of snow; a cascade of white blooms thanks to Snow Fountains weeping cherry.
Why am I so anxious? It just happens to be a tree my father Jim Zampini is known for selecting and bringing to market so it has a soft spot in my heart. Secondly, its early blooms are a sure sign spring has arrived. This fall UpShoot received and planted a Snow Fountains Living Tree Chair from Bower and Branch so I can hardly wait to see this innovative piece of functional tree art come to life!
If you’re not familiar with Snow Fountains and all the ways it can be used in the landscape, check out the article I wrote for State by State Gardening. It’s one of the most versatile trees you’ll ever meet.
And if you’ve not heard of Bower and Branch, learn more about this innovative eCommerce company, including all five of the genera they offer as living tree chairs. You can purchase mature trees online and have them delivered right to your local IGC!
Kermit and Gardeners Know Best
The Pantone Color Institute has selected their 2017 color palette. Many shades reference the plant world including Primrose Yellow, Pale Dogwood, Hazelnut, Pink Yarrow, Kale and the 2017 Color of the Year, Greenery.
Pantone calls it “a refreshing and revitalizing shade, symbolic of new beginnings.” It is also referred to as nature’s neutral. I’ve always called green “the little black dress of the garden” and the consistent backdrop that makes all the other colors pop.
UpShoot represents a new “greenery” arborvitae:
Virginian™ Arborvitae
Thuja plicata x standishii ‘Virginian’ PP#26684 P3

The Virginian is a narrower, shorter, and faster growing sport of Thuja ‘Green Giant’ that requires no pruning and creates a dense screen, hedge, or property border; a superior barrier to wind and sound. It holds up well in southern heat and humidity.
View UpShoot’s press kit to see which new plants introductions can brighten up your landscape in 2017.