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For Immediate Release: Firespire © Musclewood
and Ping Pong™ Buttonbush
UpShoot, LLC
jn plant selections LLCFor Immediate Release

Name:  Maria Zampini
Company: UpShoot™ LLC
Address: 5010 South Ridge Rd Madison, OH 44057
Cell: 440.812.3249
Fax: 440.357.7676
Email: maria@upshoothort.com
Blog: The CoHort Zone
Website: www.upshoothort.com

Upshoot adds Firespire® Musclewood and Ping Pong™ Buttonbush from breeder Mike Yanny to Roster of Award-Winning Plants

Firespire MusclewoodFirespire® Musclewood and Ping Pong™ Buttonbush have joined the UpShoot garden of new plant introductions. Breeder Mike Yanny of JN Plant Selections, known for his breeding work with native plants says, “I’m really happy to be working with UpShoot. Maria and Jim Zampini are real ‘plants people’ that understand the value of plant improvement in all aspects. Together we are all about bringing better plants to market that will perform well for both the growers and consumers.”
“We’re thrilled to help Mike promote several of his new and future introductions, including Firespire® and Ping Pong™. They’re multi-dimensional nativars that fill several holes in the landscape with their compact growth habit, seasonal interest, and wildlife support,” says Maria Zampini, president of UpShoot. Experts agree.
“I needed a plant for screening in an area that goes from occasional flooding to standing water, to a shallow water table. Unlike the species, which has a loose and gangly habit, Ping Pong™ Buttonbush is uniform, dense and compactly upright at about 6 ft. tall. Ping Pong™ plays well with others and has a unique flower display. What’s not to love with a well-behaved nativar?” says breeder William (Will) Radler aka “Mr. Knockout.”
Plantsman and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Edward R. Hasselkus says about Firespire®, “I have grown Carpinus caroliniana ‘J.N. Upright’ Firespire® for 10 years in the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens (USDA Hardiness zone 4) and it has been more reliably winter hardy than any of the other columnar hornbeam selections. Its fiery red-orange autumn foliage coloration rates the best of the columnar hornbeams, so I consider Firespire® to be an ideal choice for use as a small-scale columnar tree.” Read more about Firespire® in the July 2016 issue of Nursery Management.
For grower license information or for high res photos to accompany media stories, please contact Maria Zampini at maria@upshoothort.com.

More about Firespire® Musclewood and Ping Pong™ Buttonbush

Firespire® Musclewood
Firespire® Musclewood

Carpinus caroliniana ‘J.N. Upright’

Height & Spread:  15’ h x 8-10’ w
Shape: Upright
Zone: 3 – 4
Foliage: Orange-red fall color
Features:
Useful screening or hedge plant because of its upright habitat
Tolerance for both sun and shade
Minimal pruning required
Selected native
Beloved by wildlife, particularly cardinals
Smooth gray bark provides winter interest

The tree was selected for its narrow, upright form and outstanding orange-red fall color. Additionally this tree has excellent density with a free branching habit. The plant is useful as a large hedge or screening plant as it can quite easily be prevented from infringing on living space with minimal pruning. It will grow in full sun to full shade, developing its best orange-red fall foliage coloration in high light situations. The species is sensitive to quick freezing low temperatures to its root system, so mulching is highly recommended for all plantings. Single stemmed plants may be useful as street trees under utility wires but have to be in low salt use locations. Firespire® is not tolerant of heavy use of road salt. Propagation of the plant is done by grafting onto Carpinus caroliniana seedlings.
Ping Pong™ Buttonbush
Ping Pong™ Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis ‘J.N. Select A’

Height & Spread:  8’ h x 8’ w
Shape: Upright
Flower: Globe-shaped creamy white inflorescences, similar to small ping pong balls
Zone: 3 – 4
Foliage: Dark green foliage
Features:
Can tolerate periodic flooding
Excellent choice for use in wet, heavy soils
Flowers for up to four weeks
Selected native

Ping Pong™ Buttonbush originated at Johnson’s Nursery in 2004 from a seedling selection made by Michael Yanny from a crop of open pollinated Cephalanthus occidentalis. The selection was made based on the plant’s dark green foliage. Most of the plants in the block were a yellow to yellow green color due to alkaline soil induced chlorosis. Ping Pong™ has an upright growing habit and rich, glossy, dark green leaves. It is not uncommon for plants to have some flowers on them for over 4 weeks. Cephalanthus occidentalis is a wetland shrub that can tolerate periodic flooding, so it is an excellent choice for use in wet, heavy soils. The plant requires full sun. Ping Pong™ will grow to about 8’ tall by 8’ wide.

UpShoot Hort Provides Full-Scale Representation for New Plant Introductions

New plants need help to reach the end consumer, and UpShoot Hort can assist. The firm represents breeders and growers through all phases of a new plant introduction process, from patent and trademarking, to licensing and royalty collection and management, and even marketing. Depending on the plantsman’s needs, UpShoot can facilitate one or all portions of the new introduction process.
To learn more visit: www.upshoothort.com/plants

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