The American GARDENER The Magazine of the A The Magazine … · 2019. 9. 20. · The American...

T h e A m e r i c a nGARDENERT h e A m e r i c a nGARDENERThe Magazine of the American Hort icul tural SocietyThe Magazine of the American Hort icul tural Society September / October 2008September / October 2008

®®

charmingNativeMagnolias

Species Tulips OfferPerennial Blooms

Hardy Orchids forTemperate Regions

Letting Plants DriveGarden Design

charmingNativeMagnolias

Species Tulips OfferPerennial Blooms

Hardy Orchids forTemperate Regions

Letting Plants DriveGarden Design

Mouthwatering tomatoes. Luscious berries. Vibrant blossoms. That’s just what you’ll get the first time and everytime you use Osmocote® Smart-Release® Vegetable & Bedding Plant Food. The secret is in our formula. It balancesvigorous top growth with strong root development for four full months. Best of all, you don’t have to worry,because Osmocote is guaranteed not to burn when used as directed. Maybe that’s why passionate gardeners havetrusted Osmocote for 40 years — no matter what they’re growing.

How does your garden grow?

© 2006, Scotts-Sierra Horticulture Products Company. World rights reserved. www.osmocote.com

3September / October 2 0 0 8

5 NOTES FROM RIVER FARM

6 MEMBERS’ FORUM

7 NEWS FROM AHSAHS joins No Child Left Inside Coalition,River Farm gets grant from DominionFoundation, Denver Garden Schoolcelebrates natives, AHS Seed Exchangeturns 50, Longwood graduate’s research aidsplanning for future AHS children’sprograms, recipients of 2008 GrowingGood Kids children’s book awards, Dr.Cathey Day lecture at River Farm inOctober.

44 ONE ON ONE WITH…Amy Stewart, maverick garden writer.

46 GARDENER’S NOTEBOOKSpray-on frosttolerance invented,researchers discoverplants can recognizekin, USDA releasesnew Tecoma guarumecultivars, new onlineplant collectionsdatabase launched,indoor gardens at NewJersey’s Duke Farms close, the cacao treegenome to be sequenced, glyphosateoveruse poses risk of resistant weeds.

50 GREEN GARAGE®

Safely feedingbackyard birds.

53 BOOK REVIEWSA Genius for Place,Growing Trees fromSeed, and HerbaceousPerennial Plants.

Special focus:Gardening for the greater good.

56 REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

60 HARDINESS AND HEAT ZONES AND PRONUNCIATIONS

62 PLANT IN THE SPOTLIGHTViburnum nudum ‘Pink Beauty’.ON THE COVER: Bigleaf magnolia is big in every way: It produces leaves up to three feet long and

flowers up to eight inches across, and it can grow up to 50 feet tall. Photograph by Rob CardilloTO

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contentsVo l u m e 8 7 , N u m b e r 5 . S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 0 8

F E A T U R E S

14 GROWING FERTILE MINDS BY DENISE COWIE

Highlights of the 16th annual National Children & YouthGarden Symposium in the Greater Philadelphia area.

18 ORCHIDS FOR TEMPERATE GARDENS BY BRIAN F. JORG

Hardy terrestrial orchids add an exotic touch to any garden.

24 SPECIES TULIPS BY JOAN DE GREY

Returning year after year, species tulips are elegant additions tothe spring bulb display.

28 PLANTS WITH PRESENCEBY SCOTT OGDEN AND LAUREN SPRINGER OGDEN

In the design process, take into account a plant’s cultural needs,but also its character and how it reflects a sense of place.

34 PROFILE: HOLLY SHIMIZU BY CAROLE OTTESEN

As executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden, Holly Shimizuis connecting people to plants in the nation’s capital.

38 AMERICA’S MAGNOLIAS BY GIL NELSON

Deserving of more attention, native magnolias range from bash-ful woodland denizens to bold sun-loving giants.

D E P A R T M E N T S

page 28page 28

page 46

page 50page 50

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4 the American Gardener

American Horticultural SocietyEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tom Underwood

Board of DirectorsCHAIRMAN Susie Usrey Dayton, Oregon

F IRST VICE CHAIRMAN Don E. Riddle, Jr. Davidsonville, Maryland

SECOND VICE CHAIRMAN Leslie Ariail Alexandria, Virginia

SECRETARY Albin MacDonough Plant Baltimore, Maryland

TREASURER Arnold Steiner Birmingham, Alabama

Allan M. Armitage Athens, Georgia ■ Suzanne Bales Oyster Bay, New York

William E. Barrick, Ph.D. Theodore, Alabama ■ Kurt Bluemel Baldwin, Maryland

Carole Hofley Wilson, Wyoming ■ Margaret Kulp Louisville, Kentucky ■ Caroline Lewis Coral Gables, FloridaMelissa R. Marshall Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ■ Shirley Nicolai Fort Washington, Maryland

J. Landon Reeve IV Woodbine, Maryland ■ Harry A. Rissetto, Esq. Falls Church, Virginia

Michel Sallin Groveland, Florida ■ Steven Still Hilliard, Ohio

PRESIDENT EMERITUS Katy Moss Warner

AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY7931 East Boulevard Drive Alexandria, VA 22308-1300(800) 777-7931 fax (703) 768-8700 www.ahs.org

Making America a Nation of Gardeners, a Land of Gardens

President’s Council

CHAMPION’S CIRCLE Mr. and Mrs. John H. Ariail, Jr. ■ Mr. Franklin Y. Hundley

■ Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Kulp, Jr. ■ Ms. Melissa Marshall ■ MTR Landscape

Architects, LLC ■ Mr. and Mrs. Harry A. Rissetto, Esq. ■ Mr. Arnold Steiner ■

Mr. and Mrs. W. Bruce Usrey ■ Mrs. Pauline E. Vollmer

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE Mrs. Susan M. Cargill

LIBERTY HYDE BAILEY CIRCLE Mr. Gerald T. Halpin ■ Ms. Minako Henderson

■ Deane H. Hundley ■ Ms. JoAnn Luecke ■ Mr. and Mrs. J. Landon Reeve IV

■ Mr. and Mrs. Klaus Zech

HAUPT CIRCLE Ms. Lynda A. Bachman ■ Mr. and Mrs. Carter Bales ■ Nancy

J. Becker, M.D. ■ Mr. and Mrs. C. William Black ■ Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Bluemel

■ Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Bogle ■ Mr. Richard C. and Mrs. Katherine Stark Bull

■ Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. Dane ■ Ms. Judy Daniel ■ Mrs. Richard W.

Hamming ■ Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Hanselman ■ Mrs. Carole S. Hofley ■

Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Matheson, Jr.* ■ Mrs. Rosalyn Milbrandt ■ Dr. and Mrs.

David E. Morrison ■ Mr. and Mrs. James T. Norman ■ Ms. Katy Moss Warner

COUNCIL MEMBER’S CIRCLE Mrs. Katherine Belk ■ Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bigos

■ Mrs. George P. Bissell, Jr. ■ Dr. Sherran Blair ■ Count and Countess Peder

Bonde ■ Mr. and Mrs. William L. Carr, III ■ Anne S. Chatham ■ Mr. and Mrs.

Nicholas Demisay ■ Mr. and Mrs. Robert Duemling ■ Dr. and Mrs. John A.

Floyd, Jr. ■ Mrs. Carolyn V. Foil ■ Ms. Marguerite Peet Foster ■ Ms. Amy

Goldman ■ Mr. and Mrs. Joel Goldsmith ■ Ms. Ingrid A. Graham ■ Dr. and

Mrs. William O. Hargrove ■ Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Hohlt ■ Mr. Brian Holley

Mr. and Mrs. Allan L. Holmstrom ■ Mrs. Elizabeth Hooff ■ Mr. Philip Huey

■ Mrs. Deborah Kern ■ Ms. Mary A. Lambert ■ Mrs. Marta Lawrence ■ Mrs.

Carolyn M. Lindsay ■ Mrs. Dorothy Marston ■ Mrs. Barbara McClendon ■

Mrs. Paul Mellon ■ Mr. and Mrs. Egon Molbak ■ Mr. and Mrs. Ken

Mountcastle ■ Mrs. Shirley Ann Nicolai ■ Ms. Patricia Painter ■ Mr. and Mrs.

Albin MacDonough Plant ■ Dr. Julia Rappaport ■ Mr. and Mrs. James A.

Runde ■ Mrs. Deen Day Sanders ■ Mrs. Josephine Shanks ■ Mr. and Mrs.

Emanuel Shemin ■ Jeanne Shields ■ Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Smith, Jr. ■ Mr.

R. P. Simmons ■ Mrs. P.M. Spreuer ■ Dr. and Mrs. George E. Staehle ■ Mr.

Harold Stahly ■ Mr. Donald B. Stott ■ Mr. and Mrs. John B. Strasenburgh ■

Mr. and Mrs. Russell Terry ■ Dr. Sarah K. Thomson ■ Mr. Howard McK.

Tucker and Ms. Megan Evans ■ Mr. Joe Viar ■ Ms. Angela M. Vikesland ■ Mr.

and Mrs. Robert D. Volk ■ Mrs. Enid N. Warner ■ Mr. and Mrs. Dennis White

■ Mr. and Mrs. Harvey C. White ■ Mr. and Mrs. John W. White, Sr.

HONORARY PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL Mrs. Enid Haupt* ■ Mrs. John A. Lutz* ■

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Miller*

*In memoriam

Education SponsorOXO International

Corporate PartnersThe Care of Trees ■ Chapel Valley Landscape Company

Homestead Gardens ■ Monrovia ■ Osmocote ■ TerraCycle, Inc.

Horticultural PartnersAmerica in Bloom Symposium & Awards Program ■ Bellingrath Gardens and Home ■ Colonial

Williamsburg Foundation Garden Symposium ■ Cox Arboretum MetroPark ■ Epcot International

Flower & Garden Festival ■ The Gardeners of America/Men’s Garden Clubs of America ■ The

Homestead in the Garden Symposium ■ Inniswood Garden Society ■ Morris Arboretum

Oklahoma Botanical Garden & Arboretum ■ Oklahoma Horticultural Society

Clarissa Bonde, Washington, D.C .

Walter Bull, Columbia, South Carolina

Anne Bucher, Silver Spring, Maryland

Elaine Burden, Middleburg, Virginia

Patty Bush, St. Louis, Missouri

Skipp Calvert, Alexandria, Virginia

Dr. H. Marc Cathey, Davidson, North Carolina

Russell Clark, Boston, Massachusetts

Bartie Cole, Owings Mills, Maryland

Jim Corfield, Geneva, Illinois

Lucinda Crabtree, Falls Church, Virginia

Ginny Hill Daisey, Dedham, Massachusetts

Edward N. Dane, Center Harbor, New Hampshire

Ben Griswold, Glyndon, Maryland

Henry Jameson, Kula, Hawaii

Richard W. Lighty, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Carolyn Marsh Lindsay, Ponte Vedra, Florida

Mickey Lynch, Dunmore, Pennsylvania

Bob Malesardi, Easton, Maryland

Robert and Joanna Martin, Menlo Park, California

Barbara McClendon, Alexandria, Virginia

Stu McMichael, Falls Church, Virginia

G. Ray Miller, Brandon, Florida

Egon Molbak, Bellevue, Washington

Dean Norton, Mt. Vernon, Virginia

Nancy Keen Palmer, Nashville, Tennessee

Bob Patterson, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Julia W. Rappaport, Santa Ana, California

Deen Day Sanders, Norcross, Georgia

Josephine Shanks, Houston, Texas

Barbara Shea, Owings Mills, Maryland

Holly Shimizu, Glen Echo, Maryland

Charles Henry Smith, Jr, Middleburg, Virginia

Tom Szaky, Trenton, New Jersey

Nancy Thomas, Houston, Texas

Bryan Thomlison, Haddonfield, New Jersey

Pauline Vollmer, Baltimore, Maryland

Joyce and Harvey White, Nashville, Tennessee

Joannah Williams, Sebring, Florida

Sheryl Wood, Middleburg, Virginia

2008 Advisory CouncilBeverly Hanselman, Nashville, Tennessee – Chair

To access the members-onlyportion of the AHS website atwww.ahs.org, the username isahs and the password is sprout.

5September / October 2008

T h e A m e r i c a n

GARDENEREDITOR

David J. Ellis

MANAGING EDITOR AND ART DIRECTOR

Mary Yee

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Viveka Neveln

EDITORIAL INTERN

Kirsten Winters

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Rita Pelczar

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Carole Ottesen

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

CHAIR Richard E. BirBrevard, North Carolina

Allan M. ArmitageAthens, Georgia

Nina L. BassukIthaca, New York

Steve BenderBirmingham, Alabama

John E. BryanSan Francisco, California

John L. CreechColumbus, North Carolina

Panayoti KelaidisDenver, Colorado

Richard W. LightyKennett Square, Pennsylvania

Elvin McDonaldWest Des Moines, Iowa

CONTACT US The American Gardener7931 East Boulevard DriveAlexandria, VA 22308(703) 768-5700

EDITORIAL E-MAIL: [email protected]

ADVERTISING & E-MAIL: [email protected]

PARTNERSHIPS

The American Gardener (ISSN 1087-9978) is published bimonth-ly (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, Septem-ber/October, November/December) by the American HorticulturalSociety, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308-1300,(703) 768-5700. Membership in the Society includes a subscrip-tion to The American Gardener. Annual dues are $35; two years,$60. International dues are $50. $10 of annual dues goes towardmagazine subscription. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Vir-ginia, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please sendForm 3579 to The American Gardener, 7931 East Boulevard Drive,Alexandria, VA 22308-1300.

Botanical nomenclature is based on The American HorticulturalSociety A–Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, on A Synonymized Check-list of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada and Greenlandand on the Royal Horticultural Society Index of Garden Plants. Opinionsexpressed in the articles are those of the authors and are not necessar-ily those of the Society. Manuscripts, artwork, and photographs sent forpossible publication will be returned if accompanied by a self-addressed,stamped envelope. We cannot guarantee the safe return of unsolicitedmaterial. Back issues are available at $8 per copy.

Copyright ©2008 by the American Horticultural Society.

Printed in the U.S.A.

IN OUR GARDENS, the onset of fall offers a wonderful time to take stock ofour successes, to begin painting a picture in our minds of what we hope to ac-complish next year, and to invest time and energy in endeavors that provide

the greatest rewards in the months and years to come.Just as individual gardeners pause to celebrate their achievements and reassess

their direction, so do organizations like the American Horticultural Society. Look-ing back at the summer of 2008, we are greatly encouraged by the interest and par-ticipation we are seeing in the Society’s national programs. As just one example,our 16th annual AHS National Children &Youth Garden Symposium in July attract-ed record attendance. You’ll find a retro-spective on the symposium and all of itsactivities starting on page 14.

The energy we are seeing from programslike this is very encouraging, but we needyour help to keep up the momentum. Aswe look to the future, we want to be sure weare addressing the interests and expectationsof all our members throughout the UnitedStates. For that reason we will be conducting a major AHS member survey thisfall. We encourage you to take a few minutes to complete this survey and let usknow how we are doing. To find out how you can participate in the survey, pleaseturn to the news article on page 7.

We hear from many gardeners that fall is the time when they start thinking aboutnew gardens, garden makeovers, and new plantings. Regardless of whether yourdreams are big or small, we encourage you to take advantage of this wonderful timeof year to demonstrate and share your passion for plants and gardening. If a new land-scape project or a garden makeover is in your future, you will find inspiration in themovement that is afoot to place renewed emphasis on plants in garden design. In thisissue of The American Gardener, we offer an introduction to plant driven design, withan excerpt from the newest book by acclaimed garden designers and writers ScottOgden and Lauren Springer Ogden. If your interests run more towards fine tuningyour garden and plant selection, feature articles on native magnolias, species tulips,and hardy terrestrial orchids will provide valuable information, ideas, and guidance.

In addition to spending quality time in your garden this fall, we hope you willtake advantage of one of many opportunities to be involved with the AHS. No mat-ter where you live, there are many ways to do this, including nominating one of yourheroes for an AHS award in 2009 (the deadline is September 30), participating inour 50th anniversary Seed Exchange, registering for the next gardening webinar, orjoining us at River Farm on September 20 for our annual fundraising gala with hon-orary chair Roger Swain. You’ll find information on these programs and events inthe “News from AHS” section starting on page 7 and on the AHS website.

Whatever your plans, we hope you enjoy the season. Happy gardening!

Susie Usrey, Chair, AHS Board of DirectorsTom Underwood, Executive Director

CNOTES FROM RIVER FARM


SLUG CONTROL TIPAfter reading the article “UnderstandingSlugs is Key to Control” in the July/Au-gust issue of the magazine, I thought Iwould offer a tip that I discovered thisyear. It also provides another use for those“disposable” water bottles. I slice off thetop of a bottle at its widest point so it cre-ates a funnel. Then I insert the funnelback into the bottle, so the funnel ispointing downward, and staple the edgestogether. I put some Sluggo (one of theiron phosphate-based slug controls) intothe bottle and place it on its side under ahosta. The slugs crawl into the bottle toget the bait but they can’t get out, and theSluggo does not wash away or leach intothe soil. I replace the bottle every fewweeks, or when it gets too disgusting.

Linda BentlerIssaquah, Washington

STATING HER MINDI enjoyed reading the article about grow-ing cactus in the Pacific Northwest(July/August). However, the editingpushed one of my buttons. I was born andraised in the state of Washington. I workedin Washington, D.C. There is no Washing-ton State—just as there is no Massachu-setts State or Vermont State. I understandthat in the eyes of most of the world,Washington means the capital of the Unit-ed States; however, that doesn’t justifychanging the name of my home state.

Kathe CookSequim, Washington

CMEMBERS’ FORUM

PLEASE WRITE US! Address letters to Editor, TheAmerican Gardener, 7931 East Boulevard Drive,Alexandria, VA 22308. Send e-mails [email protected] (note Letter to Editor in subject line).Letters we print may be edited for length and clarity.

For 40 years, distinctive, award-winning landscapes havebeen the hallmark of Chapel Valley Landscape Companyʼscommitment to creativity, quality and service. We design,install and maintain landscapes that make a positive firstimpression. Call us today to discuss your plans using ourcomprehensive landscape services.

Maryland 410.442.2310 Virginia 703.406.0802 Washington, D.C. 301.924.5400www.chapelvalley.com

Membership ServicesWe love to hear from our members! Ifyou have questions about your Amer-ican Horticultural Society member-ship, would like to become a member,renew your membership, give a gift ofmembership, or update your mailingor e-mail address with the AHS,please call (800) 777-7931 ext. 119or e-mail [email protected].


News from AHS September / October 2008PROGRAMS • EVENTS • ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dominion Foundation AwardsGrant for River Farm DOMINION, ONE OF the nation’s largest producers of ener-gy, recently awarded the AHS a $25,000 grant through its foun-dation to help support the first phase of critical infrastructureupgrades being planned at the Society’s River Farm headquar-ters in Alexandria, Virginia.

“This grant,” says Trish Gibson, River Farm manager, “willhelp complete the pre-construction and planning phase for theproperty’s transition from well water and a septic system to Fair-fax County domestic water and sanitary sewer.”

The Dominion Foundation contributes more than $20 mil-lion annually to nonprofit organizations in support of educa-tional, environmental, cultural, civic, and other services.

AHS Member SurveyIN A CONTINUING effort to ensure AHS programs and ben-efits are tailored to the interests of the Society’s members acrossthe country, a major survey is taking place this fall. All mem-bers are invited to participate in the 2008 Member Survey andprovide feedback that will play a critical role in development of

future programs and member benefits. The survey takes ap-proximately 15 minutes to complete, and responses will be bothanonymous and confidential.

If we have your current e-mail address, you will receive a sur-vey via e-mail. If you’d prefer to receive a copy of the survey bymail, please contact the AHS membership department at (800)

2008 Gala Celebrates Eating LocallyI N Y E A R S P A S T , the Annual Gala, one of the Society’s keyfundraising events, has been a formal affair that showcased and

celebrated various garden aspects. With thetheme “Local Harvest, Bountiful Earth,”the 2008 Gala on Saturday, September 20,will embrace the informal style and pas-sionate enthusiasm that characterizestoday’s renewed focus on sustainability andnutritious, locally grown food.

The evening will feature Roger Swain,former host of PBS TV’s “The VictoryGarden” and proponent of gardens that“taste as good as they look.” Locally grownTO

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AHS Joins No Child Left Inside CoalitionAT THE American Horticultural Society’s National Children & Youth Garden Symposium in July, Executive Director Tom Un-derwood announced the Society’s official registration as a member of the national No Child Left Inside Coalition (NCLIC). Thecoalition, comprising more than 600 educational, environmental, and other groups across the United States, supports the devel-

opment of high quality environmental education programs andoutdoor learning activities that would focus on getting childrenactively engaged with the natural world around them.

“While many factors are contributing to the trend of youngpeople becoming increasingly disconnected from nature,” saysUnderwood, “there’s so much all of us can do to help childrenexperience the wonder and understand the importance of theiroutdoor environment.”

Currently, the NCLIC’s key goal is passage of the Federal NoChild Left Inside Act (H.R. 3036 and S. 1981). This legislationwould help fund environmental education initiatives in schoolsas well as informal outdoor educational programs. This bill willlikely come to a vote before Congress this September, but if finalpassage does not occur this year the NCLIC plans to continuelobbying for the bill in 2009.

If you would like to voice your support for the No Child LeftInside Act, write or call your representative in Congress. Sampleletters and more information on how to get involved are avail-able at the organization’s website at www.nclicoalition.org.The No Child Left Inside Coalition supports outdoor learning for kids.

Roger Swain

777-7931, ext. 119, or e-mail your request to [email protected].

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produce will star in flavorful light fare created by Whole Foodsof Old Town Alexandria. Guests are invited to enjoy casual alfrescodining throughout River Farm’s gardens and lively acoustic musicby the Mark Little Band. A vintage couture auction, conductedby students from the Art Institute of Washington, will take re-cycling beyond the garden with an array of classic clothing. Guestsmay also participate in a raffle of gardening goods, books, andother select items that reflect the evening’s theme. The gala willconclude with a special performance by the celebrated “CompostTheatre” of Ithaca, New York. This unique, off-the-wall theatrecompany will share its comical take on recycling and waste re-duction through composting.

Proceeds from the gala support the stewardship of River Farmand the AHS’s educational programs. For tickets and more infor-mation, e-mail [email protected] or call (703) 768-5700.

Garden School in DenverFORTY-ONE PEOPLE from 14 states attended the AHS’s Gar-den School, “Gardening with Native Plants,” held in Denver,Colorado in June. Daryl Beyers, an editor for Fine Gardeningmagazine who attended the event, called the presenters a “castof champions.” These included award-winning garden design-er and author Scott Calhoun, who served as guest horticultur-ist, and other native plant experts John Greenlee, Panayoti

Kelaidis, Robert Nold, Janet Rademacher, and DavidSalman. Hosted by the Denver Botanic Garden (DBG), thetwo-day event immersed participants in the world of plants thatare native to the western United States through presentationsand tours of DBG and other nearby gardens. According to at-tendee Donna Cuin of the Cooperative Extension Service inCasper, Wyoming, the Garden School was, “in a word, won-derful. It was really a great topic and the speakers brought a lotto light. The tours just topped off the whole subject.”

Sustainable gardening practices will be among the topics thatupcoming AHS Garden Schools will focus on next year. Formore information, visit www.ahs.org or call (703) 768-5700.

Seed Exchange Turns 50FOR 50 YEARS the AHS Annual Seed Exchange has been a wayfor members to share seed with other gardeners nationwide andaround the world. In celebration of this golden anniversary, theAHS invites past participants to share “Seed Stories” related toseeds received or donated through the Seed Exchange.

Stories may include details about your family enjoying atasty vegetable grown from AHS seeds, an adventure you hadcollecting seeds, a tree you started from seed, or a cherished

family heirloom you sharedwith other AHS members. Im-ages are also welcome. Select-ed stories and images will beposted in a section of the AHSwebsite dedicated to this occa-sion, and the very best will beselected for publication in TheAmerican Gardener. Pleasesend your stories and picturesto Seed Stories, AmericanHorticultural Society, 7931

East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, 22308. Stories canalso be e-mailed to [email protected] (please type “Seed Stories”in the subject line). For questions, call (703) 768-5700 ext. 115.

If you would like to participate in this year’s Seed Exchange,see the insert between pages 8 and 9 of this issue.

Shades of Joy

Caladiums of all colors, such as speckled ‘Gingerland’ and green-edged ‘Florida Sweetheart’, brightened up the gardens at River Farmthis summer. More than 2,000 bulbs were generously donated byDarlene Phypers and Danielle Daum of Happiness Farms in LakePlacid, Florida, one of the world’s largest caladium producers.

Dan Johnson, curator of native plants at the Denver Botanic Garden,center, gives Garden School participants a tour of the wildflower garden.


Costa Rica: Gardens, Rainforests and OrchidsAHS host to be announced

Tour escorted by Mary KroeningFebruary 19 – 27, 2009

Art and Gardens of the NetherlandsAHS host to be announcedTour escorted by Susie Orso

April 24 – May 2, 2009

Gardens of FlorenceAHS host to be announcedTour escorted by Susie Orso

May 22 – 30, 2009

Gardens of ChileAHS host to be announced

Tour escorted by Mary KroeningOctober 8–21, 2009

��Awe-Inspiring Gardens of New Zealandwith AHS host Katy Moss Warner, President Emeritus of the American Horticultural SocietyTour escorted by Mary KroeningJanuary 10 – 23, 2009■ Enjoy the fabulous gardens and spectacularnatural scenery of New Zealand. We will explore boththe North and South Islands, providing opportunitiesto see private gardens galore, along with penguins,fjords, snow-capped mountains, and wineries. This isa trip that will be remembered for a lifetime.

��

For more information about the AHS Travel Study Program, visit www.hiddentreasuresbotanicaltours.com or call (573) 881-6316.

THE AMERICANHORTICULTURAL SOCIETYTRAVEL STUDY PROGRAM2009 TOURS

THE AMERICANHORTICULTURAL SOCIETYTRAVEL STUDY PROGRAM2009 TOURS

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS TODAY!

Longwood Fellow’s Research AidsAHS Plans for Children’s ProgramsGRADUATE STUDENT Grace Chapman recently complet-ed her thesis project that focused on educational programmingoptions for the Family Discovery Garden being planned forAHS’s River Farm headquarters.

A student in the Longwood Graduate Program in PublicHorticulture through the University of Delaware, Chapmanused interviews, surveys, and focus groups to assess what kindof children’s programs would be of interest to River Farm visi-tors and residents of the surrounding community. She also in-terviewed designers and educators from across the United Statesto identify some of the most successful elements of children’sgardens and youth programs.

“Understanding the wants and needs of our visitors is an im-portant part of our planning for future educational programs,”says Stephanie Jutila, the AHS’s education programs manag-er. “Grace’s research will be very valuable as the AHS developsthe Family Discovery Garden and we start conceptualizing pro-grams for children, youth, and their families.”

The Family Discovery Garden, which is a major element ofthe AHS’s master plan for River Farm, will be an innovativespace for interactive learning and play. Currently in the designphase, it will include both indoor and outdoor spaces for chil-dren of all ages to explore plants, horticulture, and nature.

Dr. Cathey Day Lecture at River Farm EACH YEAR at River Farm, the AHS celebrates Dr. H. MarcCathey Day in honor of its former president, who was also a U.S.Department of Agriculture research scientist. For this year’s fourthannual event on October 23, the Society will host a presentation

on “The Science andMagic of Flowers” byAHS President EmeritusKaty Moss Warner.Pick up ideas for yourgarden as Warner de-scribes some of thenewest and most excitingplant selections that havebeen introduced to thehorticultural market.She will also discuss thescience behind how

breeders create these outstanding new selections that featurelonger lasting, larger flowers in a full range of colors.

The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets are $12 for AHSmembers and $15 for non-members. Call (703) 768-5700 or visitwww.ahs.org for more information about this event and other up-coming programs at River Farm. A

HS

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Dominion PowerMs. Ingrid A. GrahamMrs. Wanda HammingMr. and Mrs. Norm HofleyMr. Deane H. HundleyKurt Bluemel, Inc.Monrovia Nursery CompanyDr. and Mrs. David E. MorrisonPSE&GMrs. Philip M. SpreuerMr. Arnold SteinerMr. Donald B. StottMr. Howard McK. Tucker and Ms. Megan EvansMr. and Mrs. W. Bruce UsreyMr. Joe Viar and Ms. Bonnie ChristMs. Angela M. Vikesland

In honor of John Floyd, Jr.Mr. Bob Doak

In memory of Maita FisherMr. and Mrs. Joel Goldman

In memory of Kevin McNameeMs. Sharon Jones

In addition to vital support through membership dues, the American Horticultural Society relieson grants, bequests, and other gifts to support its programs. We would like to thank the following

donors for gifts received between June 1 and July 31, 2008.

If you would like to support the American HorticulturalSociety as part of your estate planning, as a tribute to aloved one, or as part of your annual commitment tocharitable giving, please contact: Stephanie Perez, (703) 768-5700 ext. 127 or [email protected].

Gifts of Note

H. Marc Cathey and Katy Moss Warner

Growing Good Kids Children’sBook Award Recipients for 2008THE FOUR WINNERS OF the 2008 “Growing Good Kids–Excellence in Children’s Literature Award” were announcedduring the AHS’s National Children & Youth Garden Sympo-sium in July. This annual award program, initiated in 2005, rec-

ognizes children’s books thateffectively promote an appreci-ation for gardening, plants, andthe environment.

Selected from books pub-lished in 2007, this year’s win-ners are: The Old Tree by RuthBrown; If I Were a Tree by DarHosta; The Runaway Gardenby Jeffery L. Schatzer and il-lustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler;and Mother Earth and Her

Children by Sibylle von Olfers, illustrated by SieglindeSchoen Smith and translated by Jack Zipes.

“The four award winners come from large and very smallpublishers alike, and we hope this award brings new recogni-tion and a wider audience of young readers to these very de-serving titles,” says Randy Seagraves, national curriculumcoordinator for the Junior Master Gardener program, whichjointly administers the award program with the American Hor-ticultural Society.

Award nominations for books published in 2008 will be ac-cepted until April 24, 2009. For nomination instructions, alist of past winners, and additional information about the“Growing Good Kids” book award program, visitwww.jmgkids.us or contact Randy Seagraves at (979) 845-8565or [email protected].


These four children’s booksreceived the 2008 Growing GoodKids–Excellence in Children’sLiterature Award.

Offering hands-on,practical experience,internships are one of theSociety’s most importanteducational programs.Internship opportunitiesavailable in 2009 includepositions in publications,horticulture, and education.

Deadlines for 2009internships are Nov. 1 forWinter/Spring; March 1for Summer; and August1 for Fall.

Visit www.ahs.org or call (703) 768-5700 ext. 121for more information.

AMERICAN HORTICULTURALSOCIETY INTERNSHIPSat River Farm

Green Garage at Green Festival THE AHS will participate as a community action exhibitor in theGreen Festival™, which will be held November 8 and 9 at theWashington Convention Center in the nation’s capital. Thisevent, a joint project of the national nonprofits Global Ex-change and Co-op America, brings together socially responsi-ble businesses and environmental, social justice, andcommunity organizations to celebrate sustainable living. TheAHS exhibit will include a model of the Green Garage® to pro-mote environmentally responsible gardening. For more infor-mation on Green Festivals, visit www.greenfestivals.org.

Volunteer’s Bequest Supports AHS ProgramsJANE STEFFEY , who had been involved with the AHS in var-ious capacities for several decades, died April 21. Through herestate, she left a $50,000 bequest to the Society.

Steffey’s association with the AHS began shortly after WorldWar II, when she became a member of the organization and vol-unteered with the Annual Seed Exchange. In the 1970s, she servedas an editor and columnist for the American Horticulturist, whichwas the former title of The American Gardener. Her assignmentsincluded writing a regular column, titled “Strange Relatives,” thatexplored the intriguing relationships within plant families.

Steffey became an AHS President’s Council member in the 1990sand in 2001, she donated $50,000 to the Society to be used for staffeducation. Her current gift will be used to support the AHS’s edu-cational programs and the stewardship of River Farm. �

News written by Editorial Intern Kirsten Winters. AH

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• SEPT. 20. AHS Annual Gala. George Washington’s River Farm,Alexandria, Virginia.

• OCT. 16. Webinar: Design and Plants for Woodland Gardens byC. Colston Burrell.

• OCT. 23. Dr. H. MarcCathey Day. GeorgeWashington’s RiverFarm, Alexandria, Virginia.

• DEC. 1–23. HolidayTrees Display. GeorgeWashington’s RiverFarm, Alexandria, Virginia.

• DEC. 11. Annual River Farm Holiday Reception. George Wash-ington’s River Farm,Alexandria, Virginia.

AHS NATIONAL EVENTS AND PROGRAMS

2008 CALENDAR

Mark your calendar for these national events that aresponsored or co-sponsored by the AHS. Visit

www.ahs.org or call (703) 768-5700 for more information.

With the strong sunlightand high humidity in sum-mer, my garden looks tiredand washed out. Do youhave suggestions for gar-dening in high summer?

Robin Ferguson-GonzalezChapel Hill, NC

To keep the colors fresh, se-lect vivid saturated colorssuch as rich yellows, or-anges, reds to peak in mid-summer, Heliopsis, Liliumhenryi, Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’are good choices. Deadleaf-ing—removing brown ortatty foliage in midsum-mer—will give the garden a“face lift.”

What plants have boldspiky form and will growin shade?

Maggie RaywoodNorth Bergen, NJ

That can be a challenge.However, ti plant (Cordylineaustralis ‘Atropurpurea’) andsago palm (Cycas revoluta)will both grow in part shade.

Do you know of any partic-ular colors in leaves andflowers that deer avoid?

Willis JohnsonGreensboro, GA

I’ve never heard of deeravoiding a particular color.Wouldn’t that be helpful!

AHS Webinars Cast Spotlight onGarden Design NEARLY 200 PEOPLE from 40 states participated in “De-signing with Color and Texture for Visionary Effects,” an on-line seminar presented exclusively for AHS members bydesigner and author Tracy DiSabato-Aust in July. The eventincluded an hour-long slide presentation and a lively question-and-answer session. For a taste of what was discussed, see thesidebar to the right.

The next AHS webinar will be “Design and Plants forWoodland Gardens” on October 16, presented by plantsman,author, and landscape designer C. Colston Burrell. Burrellhas twice won the AHS book award: most recently in 2007for Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide, and in 1998 for A Gar-dener’s Encyclopedia of Wildflowers. During the webinar, hewill focus on the challenges of designing shaded spaces anddiscuss the many plants, both native and nonnative, thatthrive in woodland or shade gardens.

Registration will open on September 17 in the members-onlyarea of the AHS website at www.ahs.org (see page 4 of this issuefor the current password). Because space for the webinar is limit-ed, early registration is encouraged. A high-speed or broadbandInternet connection is also recommended.

During the “Designing with Color and Texture for Visionary Ef-fects” webinar, Tracy DiSabato-Aust took questions from her en-thusiastic audience. Here are a few examples.

Holiday Trees Display

American Horticultural Society2008 Annual Gala

Honorary Gala Chair, Roger Swain

AMERICA’S GARDEN CELEBRATION

SSSH

September 20, 2008River Farm, Alexandria, Virginia

The 2008 American Horticultural Society Annual Gala will bea true celebration of the bounty of the earth and American

gardens. Join us for an elegant evening to savor the seasonalflavors of the local harvest. Roger Swain, America’s gardenchampion and beloved host of “The Victory Garden,” isserving as Honorary Chair for this extraordinary event.

Proceeds from the gala support the stewardship of River Farmand the Society’s educational programs.

For tickets, call (703) 768-5700 ext. 119

Local Harvest,Bountiful Earth

DOMINIONFOUNDATION

Sponsored by

Proud sponsor ofAHS Educational

Programs

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ONE DAY, on a trip to her localgrocery store in Chester Coun-ty, Pennsylvania, Jane Kirk-

land looked up and saw a bald eaglesoaring high over the parking lot.

A bald eagle—America’s symbol—flying right above her head! She couldscarcely believe it.

That glance skyward changed her life,Kirkland told hundreds of horticultur-ists, educators, and children’s gardeningadvocates at the American HorticulturalSociety’s National Children & YouthGarden Symposium in July. Because ofthat bald eagle, she quit a successful ca-

reer as a writer of computer books andbegan writing for young people aboutnature, wildlife, and outdoor adventures.

But it wasn’t because spotting an eaglein the skies above her hometown was so ex-traordinary—quite the opposite, in fact.“Bald eagles had been flying over that partof Chester County for 20 years,” Kirklandsoon discovered. “But I had never seen onebefore—because I had never looked up.”If one glance could reveal bald eagles over-head, she figured, imagine what regularbreaks to observe nature could do.

Kirkland, the opening keynote speak-er for the youth gardening symposium

that was held in the Greater Philadelphiaarea from July 24 to 26, expanded that ideainto an award-winning series of Take-a-Walk® books as well as radio and televisionprograms that urge young people to “takea minute to be in it.” Since that day adecade ago, she has inspired countlessschoolchildren—and numerous adults—to open their eyes and really look at thenatural world around them.

LEARNING TO LOOK UPKirkland’s campaign to excite childrenabout the natural world was a perfect fitfor the 16th annual symposium, “Grow-ing Fertile Minds and Communities,”which focused on promoting programsfor children and young people that in-volve plants, gardening, and nature.

About 330 people attended the sympo-sium, based at the University ofDelaware’s Newark campus, saysStephanie Jutila, AHS education pro-grams manager. The participants camefrom 35 states plus the District of Colum-bia, and included representatives fromBarbados, Canada, New Zealand, and theU.S. Virgin Islands.

Four local hosts also contributed theirexpertise and gardens to the symposium:Camden Children’s Garden in southernNew Jersey; Longwood Gardens inChester County, Pennsylvania; the Penn-sylvania Horticultural Society inPhiladelphia; and Winterthur Museum& Country Estate in northern Delaware.

For some in the audience who listenedraptly to Kirkland’s tales, attending thesymposium for the first time was a bit like“looking up.” Three days of educationalsessions and field trips to several out-

Growing Fertile Mindsand Communities

BY DENISE COWIE

Garden visits, educational sessions, and shared experiences motivate participants at the 16th

annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium.

Poster session participants, left to right, David Simpson, Mariana Haque, and Renee Byrd ofClemson University at the 2008 National Children & Youth Garden Symposium.

standing children’s gardens presented pos-sibilities that they might never have con-sidered otherwise.

Among them was Joelle Morris ofBethesda, Maryland, who had only avague knowledge of the American Horti-cultural Society before she came across apostcard promoting the symposium.Morris, a naturalist at Locust Grove Na-ture Center in Bethesda, decided to at-tend—and came away with a newperspective on her job.

“I had all these things that I wanted totry, but just didn’t have the courage to getit together. At the symposium, though,everything gelled,” she says. “One session

in particular, the Nature-CurriculumConnection, gave me a lot of ideas for howmy nature center can support teachers intheir curriculum for getting kids outside.”

For another first-timer, Mona Mar-garita, the symposium brought valida-tion that the kind of work she does as aneducator at Philadelphia’s inner-city Aw-bury Arboretum is not only about funbut is important as well.

Margarita was especially inspired byKirkland and by New Jersey author DarHosta’s supercharged sessions on creativi-ty, as well as by the Brooklyn Botanic Gar-den’s multi-layered strategies for recruitingteenage interns.

“I feel very empowered,”Margarita says of her experience.“We will actually be having thechildren ‘look up’ in our sum-mer nature program at Awburyand Dar Hosta’s book If I Werea Tree will be a lesson for ourTree Jubilee.”

SHARING IDEAS AND INSPIRATIONAll participants sought to shareideas and experiences that havesuccessfully sparked young peo-ple’s interest in gardens and na-ture. And share they did. Nearlythree dozen educational sessionswere presented over two days, inaddition to interactive posterdisplays and daily field trips to

children’s gardens. Here are some of the highlights from

these sessions:

■ The Rhode Island Children’s GardenNetwork team outlined its plan that everyschool and youth organization in RhodeIsland will have a garden by 2010. Suchgardens—designed and developed by stu-dents and the community—are essentialto grow the next generation of land stew-ards, environmentalists, and gardeners,team member Stuart Nunnery said, andto provide a link to careers in horticulture,agriculture, and the environment. ■ Debbie Greene of the Pilcher Park Na-ture Center in Joliet, Illinois, related howthe center’s after-school program cele-brates diversity and imparts American his-tory by using the Underground Railroadfrom Joliet to Canada to teach lessons ongardening and nature. What seeds mightthese escaped slaves have carried withthem? And what foods would make themhealthy enough to survive the trip?■ Philadelphia teacher Chuck Laffertyshowed videos of some of the country’syoungest entrepreneurs—his kindergartenstudents at Longstreth Elementary School.They held a penny drive to fund a schoolgarden that evolved into an award-winningschoolyard wildlife habitat in inner-cityPhiladelphia. The students also harvest theseeds and sell them in hand-decoratedpacks for their Kinder-Garden SeedCompany. Lafferty, who acts as CEO,says people shouldn’t underestimate whatkindergarteners can do. C

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Above: Jane Kirkland inspires the audience with ananimated keynote presentation. Right: Author and artist DarHosta speaks about cultivating creativity in young people.

Stuart Nunnery describes his group’s plans for creating school gardens in Rhode Island.

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■ Dave Francis shared some of the hands-on activities from his Environmental Sci-ence Field Guide. The guide, designed tograb the attention of middle-school stu-dents, includes fun activities such as mak-ing biodegradable plastic and usingGlobal Positioning System technology.Francis, who’s with the Utah State Uni-versity Extension 4-H program in Ogden,uses garden settings to teach environmen-tal science. “We can’t return the earth to apristine state,” he says, “but we can em-power kids with the knowledge to makethe earth a better place.”■ Carol Rathmann talked about a specialtherapeutic program at the Humane So-ciety’s Forget Me Not Farm in SonomaCounty, California, where abused chil-dren are helped to heal by learning to carefor plants and animals. ■ Think gardening is low-tech? Not forthe fourth-grade students from Washing-ton Elementary School in Summit, NewJersey. Natalie Cassidy and CindyHedin detailed how the students parlayeda simple salad garden into lessons that sat-isfied a host of curriculum “technologycompetencies.” The students made amovie of the various stages of their garden,complete with music and voice-overs,then designed and printed invitations toattract an audience to view it.

GARDEN VISITS AND FIELD TRIPSAs a counterpart to the educational ses-sions, the children’s gardens at Long-wood, Winterthur, and Camdenshowcased many different approaches forengaging children’s imaginations.

Longwood’s new Indoor Children’sGarden, for example, shows the influenceof classic Italian gardens in child-scalemazes, grottoes, and water features. AtWinterthur, the fairy-themed EnchantedWoods promises magical outdoor adven-tures. And at the four-and-a-half-acre,stand-alone children’s garden in Camden,gardens ranging in theme from dinosaurs

to “Three Sisters” vegetableplots offer urban youngstersa place to play and learn.

Whatever the approach,though, children’s gardensare becoming more popularthan ever.

“Children’s gardens are explodingnow,” says Jane Taylor, whose 4-H Chil-dren’s Garden in East Lansing, Michigan,was on the vanguard of the children’s gar-dening movement. “Pick up a newspaperany day of the week, and you’ll readabout a school starting a garden. Teach-ers are realizing this is how they can teachany number of subjects, and nutritionistsare delighted.”

The designer of Winterthur’s Enchant-ed Woods agrees. “If public gardens don’thave a children’s garden now, they’re plan-ning one,” says W. Gary Smith, who par-ticipated in a panel discussion about designheld on a field trip to Longwood. And be-cause of this trend, children’s gardens arenow on the cutting edge of garden design,adds Tres Fromme of Mesa Design Group

in Dallas, Texas, who served as lead de-signer for Longwood’s indoor garden.

In addition to the garden visits duringthe event, a pre-symposium workshopprovided the opportunity to help build aliving sculpture at Longwood Gardens.Participants molded soil and covered itwith sod to create three large interlockingcircles around three weeping redbud trees.Marcia Eames-Sheavly, a senior Exten-sion associate at Cornell University inIthaca, New York, who led the workshop,notes that creating living sculpture is aparticularly effective activity for engaginghigh-school-aged youth, a group that chil-dren’s gardens often struggle to reach. Liv-ing sculptures can be any shape thatmight grab teens’ attention, for examplesofas and cows, which Eames-Sheavly has

Above: Symposium attendeesexplore the Faerie Cottage inWinterthur’s Enchanted Woods.Right: The living sculpturedisplay at Longwood Gardenswas part of a pre-symposiumworkshop.

Cleveland 2009Mark your calendar now for nextyear’s National Children & Youth Gar-den Symposium, which will be host-ed by the Cleveland Botanical Gar-den from July 23 to 25.

helped create as part of Cornell’s GardenBased Learning Program.

Sod sofas sound like a great idea toSandy Livermore, president of the yet-to-open Bookworm Garden in Sheboygan,Wisconsin. Since this stand-alone gardenis based on 74 works of children’s literature,Livermore says, “we need a couple of thosefor kids to sit on and read our books.”

CREATING CONNECTIONSBut the Symposium wasn’t only aboutworkshops and educational sessions. Itwas also about relaxing and socializingduring an ice cream social at Winterthur,enjoying a ride on the carousel horses atCamden, and dining in the magnificentconservatory at Longwood.

“My favorite memory is sitting in theconservatory at Longwood Gardens withlike-minded people,” says Joelle Morris. “Ilearned a lot from them.”

Small wonder, then, that when the 16thannual symposium concluded withsinger/songwriter Erica Wheeler’s con-cert of sometimes-funny, sometimes-poignant songs about our connection tothe environment, members of the enthu-siastic audience lent their voices to therousing chorus:

“Inch by inch, row by row,Gonna make this garden grow.All I need is a rake and a hoeAnd a piece of fertile ground…” �

Denise Cowie is a former garden columnistfor the Philadelphia Inquirer.

PANEL DISCUSSION FOCUSES ON ART IN BLOOM

During a panel discussion on “Garden-Based Education: The Philadelphia Story”at the symposium, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) staff members sharedtheir experiences with a traffic-stopping garden built by seventh-grader students ofSt. Francis Xavier School in Philadelphia. It’s a living work of art—an Art Gardeninspired by famous artists whose work hangs in the Museum of Art down the street.Under the guidance of teachers Terri O’Brien and Patty Carr, and religion coordina-tor Brendan Petersen, the stu-dents visited the museum tosee the paintings, then plantedbeds of sunflowers for Vincentvan Gogh, poppies for GeorgiaO’Keefe, and irises for van Goghand Claude Monet.

They mounted colorfulframes on the fence surroundingthe garden—so passersby couldview their floral art as though itwere in a gallery—along withtheir poems, essays, and illus-trations. Their teachers used thegarden for lessons on art, litera-ture, botany, and other sciences.

The project grew out of the students’ participation in the PHS’s Green City Youthprogram, which involves young people in schools all over Philadelphia in creatinggreen spaces to improve their communities. “This program is a dream come true,”says Larry Stier, a former teacher who now heads up the greening initiative for PHS.

Launched in 2005, Green City Youth led to the creation last year of Green CityTeachers, which shows Philadelphia-area educators how to build gardens as well ashow to incorporate horticulture and environmental education into their curricula.

At St. Francis Xavier, participation in the project also showed the students themeaning of community: While school is closed for the summer, older volunteers fromthe neighborhood are keeping the Art Garden alive by watering and weeding.

—D.C.

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Norm Lownds of Michigan State Universitycomes out of his shell at the DinosaurGarden at Camden Children’s Garden.

“Framed” poppies, top, grow in an Art Garden createdby students at St. Francis Xavier School, above.

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TH O U G H O F T E N associatedwith lush tropical jungles, or-chids can actually be found on

every continent except Antarctica. Theorchid family (Orchidaceae) includessome 1,000 genera and be-tween 15,000 and 20,000species that grow from theArctic Circle to the equator-ial rain forests.

Orchids boast some of themost complex flowers in theplant kingdom. The bloomsso intrigued Victorian plantcollectors that it sparked theinfamous orchid craze of the19th century. Orchid hunterswere commissioned to travelto tropical regions and collectas many new varieties as theycould find. They sent themback to England, where mostof the plants died.

Most of the tropical or-chids that so excited early col-lectors were epiphytic, that isthey live on the branches ofother plants, typically trees,where their aerial roots ab-sorb moisture and nutrientsfrom the atmosphere. Butother kinds of orchids,known as terrestials, maketheir home at ground level,rooting in soil.

For years orchids werelimited almost exclusively to collectorgardens, but today, tropical orchids aresold at supermarkets and hardy terrestri-al varieties are becoming increasinglypopular additions to temperate gardens.

So why has it taken so long for theseelegant plants to become the “hot” item inAmerican gardens? The principal reason

is propagation, which, until recently, hadto be done by seed or clump division. Be-cause these methods are too slow for com-mercial purposes, many species of orchidshave been collected from the wild, an un-

tenable practice that has led to the declineof many native orchid populations. How-ever, with advances in laboratory propa-gation (see “Orchid Propagation Today,”page 22), certain orchids are now beingproduced in large numbers.

“The market for terrestrial orchids maydevelop in a manner comparable to themarket for tropical orchids, just 50 or 70years later,” says Michael Weinert ofFrosch Exclusive Perennials in Germany,

which produces hybrid lady’sslipper orchids for the whole-sale market with worldwidedistribution.

SLIPPER ORCHIDS Among the first temperateorchids to be mass-pro-duced, the slipper orchids(Cypripedium spp.) domi-nate the commercial marketfor hardy natives. Foundgrowing over a wide range ofNorth America, they’re agood orchid for the garden.

As a rule, Cypripediumspecies grow best in moist, butnot wet sites, in soil that islight and porous and of theproper pH, which varies ac-cording to species. They arenot drought tolerant and mayrequire supplemental irriga-tion through dry periods insummer. Most species can begrown in open, light shadeand will benefit from morningsun, but should be protectedfrom direct midday sun.

Most slipper orchidsbloom from spring to early

summer. They are lovely combined withferns, hostas, epimediums, and springephemerals. Because orchids do not likeroot competition, they should not beplanted near trees with lots of surfaceroots, such as maples.

Among the most popular of the slipperorchids, the large yellow lady’s slipper

Terrestrial Orchidsfor temperate gardensAdd a touch of the exotic to your garden with these hardy orchids. BY BRIAN F. JORG

Showy lady’s slipper (Cypripedium reginae)bears three-inch-wide blooms in spring.

(Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens,USDA Hardiness Zones 2–9, AHS HeatZones 9–1) is native to eastern NorthAmerica, from Nova Scotia and Ontarioto the mountains of North Carolina andeastern Tennessee. One of the easiest na-tive orchids to grow, it thrives in the openshade under a high canopy but will also dowell with direct morning sun. Soil shouldbe rich, moist—but well drained—with aneutral pH. This species grows two feettall and produces beautiful two-inch yel-low flowers in early May in my Cincin-nati, Ohio, garden.

The pink lady’s slipper (C. acaule,Zones 3–7, 7–1) also occurs over a widerange of eastern North America, inhabit-ing hummocks in bogs in the north anddry pine and oak woods in the Appalachi-ans. Producing a pair of basal leaves inearly spring, this acid-loving orchid typi-

cally bears its blooms atop a 10- to 14-inchstem in June over much of its range. Al-though pink lady’s slippers can be foundthriving in a well-suited natural habitat,they are extremely finicky when it comes

to most cultivated situations. They requirea pH near 4.5, so necessitate special con-sideration in most gardens, such as addingpine needles and sphagnum peat to light,sandy soil. I also use low rates of cidervinegar added to rain water to help acidi-fy the growing area. Even with these ex-treme measures, this orchid remains achallenge in my garden, where the natur-al pH is near 7.5.

Another of my favorites is the showylady’s slipper (C. reginae, Zones 2–7, 7–1).In its native habitat, from maritime Cana-da to the mountains of North Carolinaand Tennessee, the plant requires fairlyspecific site conditions, and is usuallyfound near a bog or fen, where it can formlarge colonies. In cultivation, it requiresmoist, well-drained soil. I grow it in anarea in the garden that is one-third nativegarden soil and two-thirds a mixture ofperlite and sand. Plants produce a singleor, sometimes, double blossom in lateMay to early June. The large white bloomis tinged with pink. Occasionally, purewhite-blooming forms are commerciallyavailable. Plants grow from 18 to 30 inch-es tall, depending on growing conditions.

The Kentucky lady’s slipper (C. ken-tuckiense, Zones 6–10, 10–6)can produce one of the largestblooms of any Cypripediumspecies. This robust orchidgrows in alluvial habitats, oftenacidic sand, from Virginia toTexas. With its distinctly south-ern range, it has better heat tol-erance than other nativeCypripedium. The large, cream-colored bloom appears in mid-May in my garden. This plantwill often reach 30 inches inheight, and over time will formlarge clumps that can be divid-ed and transplanted.

Several hybrid Cypripediumhave been selected for theirform, color, and vigor. Hybridsare often much heartier in cul-tivation than their parents, soare a good choice for the noviceto grow. ‘Gisela’ (Zones 3–6,

7–2) is a vigorous hybrid of C. parviflo-rum and C. macranthos that produceslarge burgundy-red and creamy yellowflowers in spring. Plants grow 16 to 24inches tall. ‘Hilda’ (Zones 4–8, 8–1) is aTO

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Above: Spring-blooming ‘Gisela’ is aCypripedium hybrid with exceptional vigor.Right: The easy-to-grow yellow lady’s slipper(C. parviflorum var. pubescens) adds springcolor to a bog garden.

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cross between C. kentuckiense and C.macranthos var. ventricosum. It bears largeblooms in June or July that range fromyellow to red and purple.

OTHER SPECIES OF NOTEA native of China and Japan, the Chineseground orchid (Bletilla striata, Zones 5–8,8–5) is a wonderful addition to the peren-nial border. It adapts to full sun or partshade and most good garden soils. In thecolder areas of its range, a layer of mulch isadvisable. Blooming for up to three weeksin early summer, it produces manyintricate purple to pink blossomsalong an 18- to 24-inch flowerspike. The variety B. striata var.alba has white flowers tinged withpink. Provided adequate moistureuntil flowering, this orchid toler-ates drier conditions.

The rose pogonia or snakemouth orchid (Pogonia ophio-glossoides, Zones 3–8, 8–2), can befound growing in bogs and wetareas over the eastern half ofNorth America, from Canada toFlorida. This delicate orchidneeds acidic, moist soil to thrive.Growing in full sun under favor-able conditions, it will form adense colony. In summer, eachplant typically produces a singlefragrant pink flower on a stem

that is usually less than nine inches tall. Igrow this orchid in my bog garden, alongwith lobelia, grass pink orchids, pitcherplants, and cranberries.

Downy rattlesnake plantain (Goodyerapubescens, Zones 6–9, 9–6) grows in shadyand semi-shady habitats in acidic soils,forming dense colonies when conditionsare right. Another native of the easternUnited States, it is prized for its distinctivesilvery green foliage highlighted with whiteveins. The evergreen foliage outshines thenumerous small, white flowers, which

bloom in late summer on a 12-inch spike.The limestone-derived soil in my garden isnot conducive to such an acidic-soil-lovingplant, so I grow it in an area where I haveartificially lowered the pH by acidifyingthe irrigation water and mulching withpine fines. So far it is thriving.

There are five species of grasspink or-chids (Calopogon spp.) found in the east-ern half of North America. The tuberousgrasspink (Calopogon tuberosus, Zones3–10, 9–2) is the most commonly foundin commercial trade. It blooms in early

summer, producing one, or, occa-sionally two, beautiful two-inchmagenta flowers atop an 18-inchstem. Its leaves are grasslike, hencethe common name. Grasspink or-chids are typically found in moist,boggy environments in full sun.They are most dependent onmoisture as seedlings, becomingmore adaptable to dry conditionsas plants mature.

“Once established, this specieswill reproduce prolifically in thegarden,” says William Mathis,founder of the Wild Orchid Com-pany, which produces hardy, terres-trial orchids native to NorthAmerica, Europe, and Asia. Math-is grows grasspink orchids primari-ly from seed; he is able to growCalopogon from flask to bloom injust three years.

There are some 30 species oflady’s tresses (Spiranthes spp.) na-tive to North America, but for gar-

Above left: Rose pogonia requires constant moisture. Right: Bletilla striata combines well with hostas and Solomon’s seal in a perennial border.

A popular selection of the noddinglady’s slipper, ‘Chadds Ford’ bearsvanilla-scented flowers in fall.

den cultivation the standout is fragrantnodding ladys’ tresses (S. cernua var. odor-ata, Zones 4–8, 8–4). Sometimes listed asS. odorata, this orchid is native to moistsites in sun to part shade from New Jerseysouth to Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

A vigorous selection called ‘ChaddsFord’ is an ideal choice for anyone tryinga first terrestrial orchid. From a basalrosette of glossy, evergreen leaves, it sendsup a two-foot spike of spiraling, vanilla-scented white flowers that bloom in fall.It spreads by stolons as well as by seedand, if conditions are to its liking, will re-ward the gardener with rapidly expand-ing colonies. It grows best in slightlyacidic soil that stays moist throughoutthe year, but is quite adaptable and willgrow in any moisture-retentive soil thatsupports plants such as hostas or astilbes.A site in part sun or the open shade of ahigh canopy is ideal.

Western gardeners who live in coolclimates might consider the western falsehellebore (Epipactis gigantea, Zones 3–6,6–2), found in cooler areas of the west-ern United States. It prefers full sun andconstantly moist, acidic soils. In sum-mer, it produces flowers in shades ofbrown, yellow, and red. Paul Martin

Brown, an orchid expert and author ofseveral field guides for native NorthAmerican orchids, recommends it onlyfor gardeners in areas of the West whereit grows naturally. “Those who have

tried it in the East have not been suc-cessful,” says Brown. When purchasing,take care to choose sustainably propa-gated plants. For more hardy orchid se-lections, see the chart above.

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OTHER HARDY ORCHIDSName Height Flower Color/ Cultural Notes Origin USDA, AHS

(inches) Bloom Time ZonesBletilla ‘Kate’ 12–18 pale lavender-rose/ full sun to part shade, keep hybrid origin 6–9, 9–6

summer constantly moist until afterflowering

Calanthe seiboldii 12 yellow/spring humus-rich, moist soil, Asia 7–9, 9–7part shade (evergreen)

Cypripedium ✕andrewsii 12 white sometimes neutral to alkaline soil, naturally occurring 3–6, 6–2tinged with rose/ keep damp, not wet; open hybridearly spring shade

C. guttatum 4–13 white with pink requires very cool climate, Alaska, NE Asia 2–4, 4–2(Alaska lady’s slipper) markings/late spring slightly acid, humusy soil,

to early summer dappled shadeC. parviflorum var. 12 yellow with maroon constantly moist, acid to Newfoundland to 2–9, 9–2parviflorum (small sepals/spring neutral soil, part shade Georgiayellow lady’s slipper)

C. ‘Emil’ 14–19 dark purple sepals with open shade, moist, not hybrid origin 4–8, 8–3yellow pouch/late spring wet soil

C. ‘Hank Small’ 12–18 maroon sepals with open shade, moist, not hybrid origin 4–7, 7–4yellow pouch/late spring wet soil

C. ‘Michael’ 10–12 purple and white/late part sun or dappled shade Chinese hybrid 5–7, 7–4spring moist, slightly alkaline soil

Under ideal conditions—boggy soil, full sun, and a cool climate—the western false helleborewill self seed to form large colonies that bloom from late spring to early summer.

ORCHID CULTUREAlthough orchids grow in a wide rangeof habitats, individual species are notvery adaptable. To grow a hardy orchidsuccessfully, you must be able to repli-cate the growing conditions of its nat-ural environment in your garden.“Know the soil requirements of thespecies in the wild—lime, acid, serpen-tine, moisture levels, etc.,” says Brown.For novice orchid growers who have abog garden, “Calopogon tuberosus andPogonia ophioglossoides are easy to growin most any climate.”

William Cullina, the former directorof horticultural research for the New

England Wild Flower Society, recom-mends the large yellow-flowered lady’sslipper, followed closely by the Kentuckylady’s slipper, for novice orchid growers,especially if they have lighter soils.Michael Weinert believes that Cypripedi-um hybrids such as ‘Gisela’, ‘Emil’, and‘Hank Small’ are the easiest orchids forthe home gardener to grow successfully.“There will be some collectors who pre-fer the straight species, but most hobbygrowers will enjoy the more rewardingand easy-to-grow hybrids,” says Weinert.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!It is obvious that there are quite a few op-

tions for the beginning orchid grower. Bychoosing reputable retailers, you can helpreduce the unethical harvesting of theseintriguing plants from the wild, which isa practice contributing to the decline ofnative species.

So select an orchid that suits the grow-ing conditions where you live, purchasea sustainably produced plant, and growit in your garden. With just a little effort,you will be well rewarded with a true gar-den gem. �

Cincinnati resident Brian F. Jorg is a horti-culturist and photographer who has beengrowing native plants for nearly 30 years. B

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ResourcesAmerican Orchid Society, www.aos.org.

The Gardener’s Guide to Growing HardyPerennial Orchids by William Mathis.The Wild Orchid Company, Carvers-ville, Pennsylvania, 2005.

Growing Hardy Orchids by John Tullock.Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2005.

Native Orchid Conservation Committee,http://newisos.org/Conservation/Native_Orchid_Conservation.htm.

SourcesAsiatica, Lewisberry, PA. (717) 938-8677. www.asiaticanursery.com.

Fraser’s Thimble Farm, Salt Spring Island. B.C. (250) 537-5788.www.thimblefarms.com.

Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, NC.(919) 772-4794. www.plantdelights.com.

Raising Rarities, Toledo, OH. (419)866-4241. www.raisingrarities.com.

Vermont Ladyslipper Company, Ltd.,www.vtladyslipper.com.

The Wild Orchid Company,Carversville, PA. (215) 297-5053 www.wildorchidcompany.com.

ORCHID PROPAGATION TODAYA great revolution in orchid propagation transpired in the latter third of the 20thcentury. Today, sustainable laboratory propagation enables growers to producelarge numbers of orchids in relatively short periods of time. This advancement re-placed propagation using clump divisions, a method that took quite a long time todevelop large numbers of plants.

In the 1980s, propagators started to cultivate orchid seed in the lab. By artificial-ly supplying nutrients to the embryo, growers were able to develop the seed withoutmycorrhizae, the symbiotic fungi on whichthe plant is dependent for germination in thewild. This breakthrough modernized orchidpropagation. Growers found that lab propa-gation produced a superior plant to mostspecimens collected in the wild. These lab-produced plants helped satiate a growing de-mand—orchids could now be sustainablypropagated on a commercial scale, helping toreduce collecting pressures that were deci-mating some wild populations.

William Cullina, who until recently wasthe director of horticultural research for theNew England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS)in Framingham, Massachusetts, says thatthe society began selling clump divisionsof lady’s slippers from the original planti-ngs at the gardens. “By the late ’60s, wehad large numbers of mature specimen yel-low lady’s slippers. These clumps were in-formally divided and sold at the spring plant sale,” says Cullina. When Cullina ar-rived in 1995, he expanded the propagation beds for slipper orchids. The followingyear he began purchasing the first seedlings from outside labs. Today, the orchidsat NEWFS are all lab propagated.

With commercial, sustainable propagation a reality, it is imperative to make sureyou are purchasing plants from an ethical source. Plants collected from the wild stillabound. I have personally seen orchid colonies decimated by illegal digging. The hopefor the future is that those who admire and love these plants in their garden will do theright thing and only purchase plants from sustainable sources. —B.F.J.

Provided with a nutrient-rich medium,orchid embryos grown in test tubesproduce superior plants in a short time.

Rare finds… found here.

VISIT THE AMERICAN ORCHID SOCIETY BOTANICAL

Garden and you will discover hundreds of the world’s most exotic and rare orchid species and hybrids.

Our orchid greenhouse is always in bloom. You’ll be captivated by the amazing array of colors, shapes, sizes

and tantalizing fragrances. Take a stroll through the3 1/2 acre tropical garden and find orchids blooming in the trees. Come lose yourself in our enchanting garden!

Delray Beach, FL 561-404-2000 AOS.orgAdjacent to the Morikami Museum

TOUR ORCHID GARDENS SHOP FOR ORCHID GIFTS BEAUTIFUL ART EXHIBITS

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AT THIS TIME of year, it’s hard toresist the glossy color photos of hy-brid tulips in the catalogs that

flood our mailboxes. But the majority ofthese tulips are one-year wonders that re-quire fresh bulbs to be planted each year. Ifyou’re looking for something more perma-nent, consider species tulips. When grownin suitable conditions, species tulips natu-ralize to form large, perennial clumps thatbloom year after year. They are wonderfuladditions to rock gardens, at the front of

borders, along pathways, beside doorways,in terrace and patio gardens, and in con-tainers. “We’ve heard people have successperennializing these tulips, especially ingardens with good drainage that stay dryin the summer,” says bulb expert BeckyHeath of Brent & Becky’s Bulbs inGloucester, Virginia. “Species tulips are be-coming more popular because it seemsvoles have a harder time finding them.Also, many rock gardeners grow speciestulips by duplicating the bulbs’ nativehabitats, where they love baking in thesummertime sun.”

From among the approximately 100species tulips that have been identified,gardeners can select from a luscious paletteof colors. The flowers open widely in re-sponse to the warmth of the sun, then closein response to darkness, overcast skies, andcooler temperatures. Because of this, tulips

Species Tulips BY JOAN DE GREY

Returning reliably year after year, species tulips are elegant additions to the spring bulb garden.

Top right: A selection of Tulipa pulchella(USDA Zones 5–8, AHS Zones 8–5), ‘PersianPearl’ is stunning in rock gardens. Fragrant,classic tulip-shaped flowers bloom in earlyspring on eight-inch stems with blue-greenleaves.

Bottom right: Tulipa tarda (Zones 4–8, 8–4)naturalizes quickly to form large clumps ofstar-shaped, fragrant flowers. The two-inchblossoms are borne on ground-hugging four-to six-inch stems in early spring.

with contrasting exterior and interior col-ors often appear to be changing hue as theyopen and close.

Species tulips do have slightly more de-manding site requirements than the stan-dard garden tulips. Ideally, the plantingsite should be in full sun and offer free-draining soil that dries quickly after rain.Heath recommends creating raised beds if

your soil isn’t sandy enough. Since speciestulips need space to spread, leave room be-tween them and other perennial plants.

CARING FOR SPECIES TULIPS“After the flowers bloom, pinch off thespent flower so the bulb can channel its en-ergy to regenerating a bloom for the nextyear,” says Heath. “As you would for daf-

fodils, leave the leaves in place until theybegin to turn yellow and flop over.”

As with most spring-flowering bulbs,autumn is the best time to plant speciestulips. The optimum months depend onwhere you live in the country: Septemberand October for USDA Hardiness Zones4 and 5, October and November forZones 6 and 7, and November and De-cember for Zone 8. If you live in an areathat seldom or never experiences freezingtemperatures, most tulips won’t getenough cold conditioning to bloom suc-cessfully outdoors.

Whether in containers or in theground, plant the bulbs four to six inch-es deep, with their roots or basal platefacing downward. Space the bulbs fourto six inches apart to provide room forthem to naturalize over time.

Species tulip bulbs benefit from annu-al amendments of compost or well-rotted

manure. Alternately, apply a balanced,slow-release fertilizer such as 10-10-10 inlate summer. Protect newly planted bulbsfrom squirrels and voles by placing wiremesh over the planting site and covering itwith a layer of mulch. Some growers mixsharp volcanic stone with the planting soil,which helps deter burrowing animals.

The time spent now in selecting andplanting your bulbs will pay off in spring,when the flower stalks emerge almostmiraculously from the earth and theblooms add their delicate beauty to theawakening garden. �

Joan de Grey is a freelance writer based inToronto, Ontario.

For a chart that provides additional infor-mation about species tulip selections, clickon the “Web Special” linked to this articleon the AHS website (www.ahs.org).TO

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Top left: Tulipa turkestanica (Zones 5–8, 5–8)is one of the first taller species to bloom inearly spring. It has narrow, blue-green leavesand arching 10-inch stems that bear multiplefragrant cream and yellow flowers.

Bottom left: Tulipa bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’(Zones 4–8, 8–4) is a late-season cultivarfeaturing large, fragrant flowers on eight-inchstems. The bulbs require mild winters andwarm, dry summers, making it suitable forgardens in southern California.

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THE TAMING OF WILD TULIPSWe tend to connect tulips with theNetherlands because the bulb indus-try is so established there, but ofcourse, the ancestors of cultivatedtulips originated in areas such as tem-perate southern Europe, the MiddleEast, and Asia that have dry summersand cold winters. Two recent books re-count the dramatic history of tulips:Anna Pavord’s Tulip (Bloomsbury Pub-lishing, 1999) and Mike Dash’sTulipomania: The Story of the World'sMost Coveted Flower & the Extraordi-nary Passions It Aroused (Three RiversPress, 2001).

Essentially, the tulip made its wayto Europe in the 16th century. Ac-cording to Pavord’s book, “The flow-ers fitted admirably with the spirit ofthe age and the prevailing craze for‘curiosities’ to be displayed in horti-cultural Wunderkammer, with eachrare and cherished flower exhibitedlike a jewel.” Quickly, the tulip be-came a status symbol in gardens ofthe rich throughout Europe.

The most infamous period duringthe tulip’s rise in popularity is a pub-lic craze dubbed ‘Tulipomania’ thatoccurred in Holland during the 1630s.Dutch citizens from all income groupsstarted paying vast sums of money orbartered commodities such as real es-tate and livestock for the prized bulbs.The most valuable tulips were thosewith variegated, striped, or streakedflowers, known as “broken color.” Inwinter, people gambled on the specu-lation that an individual bulb wouldproduce the highly desirable brokencolors the following spring. The tulipmarket abruptly crashed in 1637,leaving the Dutch economy close to ru-ins. The Dutch government laterpassed a law forbidding speculationon tulip bulbs.

Interestingly, not until the 20th cen-tury did scientists discover that the un-predictable color patterns on tulip flow-ers were caused by a virus that weakensthe bulb so that offsets are not producedas easily. —J. de Grey

Tulipa linifolia (Zones 4–7, 7–4) produces narrow, straplike leaves and long-lasting, bowl-shaped flowers on six- to eight-inch stems in mid-spring. The flowers open widely and have apurple-black base, often with yellow marginal marks. This species is spectacular whethergrown alone or mixed with other spring bloomers.

Tulipa kaufmanniana (Zones 4–8, 8–4) isearly to bloom and especially suited to rockgardens. Also called the water lily tulip forthe shape of its flowers, the species is difficultto obtain, but numerous cultivars—such as‘Ancilla’, shown—are available in a range ofcolors: cream or yellow; pink or greenishoutside; or pink, orange, or red often withcontrasting basal markings. Flowers growlarger and brighter as they mature, eventuallyopening up almost flat in early spring.

In late spring, Tulipa clusiana (Zones 4–8,8–4) has an abundance of fragrant flowersboasting deep-purple centers, yellowish-white inner petals, and bands of pinkish redon the outer segments on 12-inch stems.When the blooms are closed, only thin whitestripes show between the mid-rose exteriorpetals. Brent Heath of Brent & Becky’s Bulbsin Gloucester, Virginia, recommends theadaptable cultivar ‘Lady Jane’, which isslightly paler than the species.

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SourcesBrent and Becky’s Bulbs,Gloucester, VA. (804) 693-3966.www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com.

John Scheepers, Inc., Bantam, CT.(860) 567-0838. www.johnscheepers.com.

McClure and Zimmerman,Friesland, WI. (800) 546-4053.www.mzbulb.com.

Odyssey Bulbs, South Lancaster, MA. (800) 517-5152.www.odysseybulbs.com.

Van Dyck’s Flowerbulbs & Perennials,Virginia Beach, VA. (800) 248-2852. www.vandycks.com.

ResourcesBulbs by John Bryan. Timber Press,Portland, Oregon, 2002.

Tulipomania: The Story of the World'sMost Coveted Flower & the Extraordi-nary Passions It Aroused by MikeDash. Three Rivers Press, NewYork, New York, 2001.

The Tulip by Anna Pavord. Blooms-bury Publishing, London, England,1999.

Tulipa acuminata (Zones 4–8, 8–4) has been grown in gardens since the 16th century butis unknown in the wild. Stems grow 14 to 16 inches tall. The flowers have narrow, four-inch-long petals that twist and curl, reminiscent of a bad hair day. The flowers are yellow or palered, usually streaked with red or green. The stamens have red-brown anthers and yellow orwhite filaments.

Recommended for milder and southernclimates, Tulipa sylvestris (Zones 4–8, 8–4)features light green leaves that grow to eightinches long. The sweetly scented flowersbloom singly or in pairs from mid- to latespring and grow up to three inches across. T.sylvestris spreads rapidly and will naturalizewell in grass for a meadow garden.


HO W D O P L A N T S end upwhere they do in a garden? Twoscenarios present opposite ex-

tremes. The designer sits at the drawingboard, sketching out a plan on paper andeyeing a particular space. Mind connectswith page as well as a mental image of thesite. Visual possibilities begin to spill forth. . . something tall and columnar will lookgood here, some fuzzy low shapes arecalled for over here, and definitely some-thing with red foliage there. Now to findplants that fit those descriptions.

Then there’s the plant-collecting gar-dener visiting the nursery, stalking downthe aisles and eyeing a particular plant. Anarrow ‘Sutherland’ tree caragana getspulled from the pack. What’s that fuzzyasparagus species over there? Wow, look atthe red leaves on that dahlia! While thegardener is unloading the new acquisi-tions at home the conundrum arises, nowto find places for these plants.

Both these approaches have their mer-its and their pitfalls. The best way to bringplants into a garden combines some ofeach. A designer’s visualization of the siteis a way to discover and explore what it of-fers in terms of plant opportunities, andthe collector-gardener’s attraction to cer-tain plants and insistence on giving thema home ensures ongoing interaction andpersonal response. So ideally when a plantis invited into a garden, the person mak-ing that decision has been both designerand plant collector in the process.

What the extreme scenarios miss en-tirely is that plant and site are inextricable.They influence each other continually—how the plant grows there, how the sitechanges by its presence. Neither should beconsidered before the other; rather, theyought to occur simultaneously. By select-ing plants with an understanding of theirneeds and character, and by placing plantswith regard to matching their cultural re-quirements and intrinsic qualities to awell-understood and well-explored exist-ing site or creating a new site that meetsthese needs and respects these qualities,one combines the best of both designerand collector approaches.

Truly transcendent gardens are madefrom a starting point of attraction to andat least a budding familiarity with plants.Having an understanding of a plant refers

Plants withPresence

In the design process, take into account a plant’s needs, but

also its character and how it reflects a sense of place.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHSBY SCOTT OGDEN AND LAUREN SPRINGER OGDEN

most obviously to cultural requirements.A plant must have its climatic tolerance,soil predilection, and growth habit ac-commodated, and its moisture and lightdemands met. But understanding also in-volves what the gardenmaker can do tohonor the plant’s spirit.

CAPTURING A PLANT’S SPIRITAll plants have presence; as individualseach offer something special. This relates

to the obvious: their physical attributes andwhat is particularly striking or uniqueabout them, such as size, shape and growthhabit, color, texture, scent, flower or fo-liage, and the like. It also relates to thingsmore subtle and subjective: emotional,often highly personal responses to them,which can be an experience of magnifi-cence, sweetness, sensuality, exuberance,and such, or linked to a particular associa-tion or memory. To discover the unique

spirit of a plant, ask what makes this par-ticular plant different from other plants,and what attracts you personally to it.

Sometimes this characteristic or set ofqualities may seem obvious, but there’sstill much to be explored. For example,many people will probably concur that ifindeed they like lamb’s ears (Stachysbyzantina), it’s because they are attractedto their soft countenance. Knowing thisisn’t enough to translate into ideal gardenplacement. What makes this plant seemsoft? The hair on its foliage feels soft to thetouch. And the shimmer of this hair givesthe plant an indistinct outline when lightwashes over it. Also, the gray color mixesand blends so well with other plants.

These diverse attributes of softness allcall for different approaches to placement.To touch lamb’s ears, place them along anedge of a planting where people pass by. Tocreate a shimmering halo, orient the plantto either an eastern or western exposure sothat the low light of morning or eveningcan pass over it. To intensify its softeningcolor effect, repeat and thread it through-out a planting so it can join with manycompanions. But there may be other rea-sons for liking the plant. In many of thedry, sunny gardens we are asked to design,we choose lamb’s ears as a favorite to min-gle among others because it has a larger-textured, more settled form than mostdrought-tolerant plants, especially silverones, which tend toward fine textures andsometimes scraggly or spindly shapes.

A PLANT FOR THE SITE, A SITE FOR THE PLANTOnce plants’ intrinsic qualities are dis-covered and the gardenmaker has a mindjammed full of favorites, it becomes nat-ural not only to find the right place forthem on a given site but also to follow theopposite process: approach a particularspot on a site and consider which plantswould enhance the space. Much of ourhome garden in northern Colorado—theentire backyard—faces west to a private


This excerpt is from Plant-Driven De-sign: Creating Gardens That HonorPlants, Place, and Spirit by Scott Og-den and Lauren Springer Ogden, sched-uled to be published in October 2008by Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.

Above: In the authors’ garden in Austin, Texas, temperate maritime and subtropical climatessustain innumerable plants with strong presence. Combining them to show off their powerwhile still allowing other plants and aspects of the garden their due play takes sensitivity andunderstanding. Opposite page: Garden-making in a natural setting is more challenging thanmost other design scenarios. Site and plants are inextricable, a truth that applies anywhere.Penstemon pinifolius and crack-filling Gazania linearis, Veronica pectinata, and Thymuspseudolanuginosus mingle in this Ogden-designed northern Colorado garden.


view of the foothills. Early on we noticedthat afternoon light transforms the space.In the morning, a walk around the backreveals what the day’s chores might in-clude—the strong, flat, clinical lightfrom the east exposes overlooked weeds,sagging transplants, and tattered flowerstalks gone over, motivating the day’swork. By contrast, our favorite late after-noon strolls following the same route,drink rather than weed bucket in hand,feel entirely different. As the lightchanges and comes from behind, it illu-minates colors and highlights textures,meanwhile casting a shimmering hazethat diminishes contrast, unifying thespace. Knowing this, we now conscious-ly seek out and add plants to this part ofthe garden that respond especially favor-ably to backlighting—those withtranslucent petals, foliage, or fruits, andwith hairy or spiny stems and leaves,fuzzy seeds, fine linearity, and such.

Our home garden in central Texas alsoaffords an area to play with backlighting,

most notably in late fall, winter, and earlyspring, as the back garden has a southernorientation that basks in the low angle ofthe sun during those times of the year.The plants we choose for rewarding effectsare in many ways different from thosewe’ve chosen in Colorado. Not only do in-dividual species vary in response to cli-mate, but what’s looking good duringthose seasons when the sun tracks lower inthe sky—glittering broadleaf evergreens,translucent paperwhite narcissi, and glow-ing aloe blossoms—is distinct from what’sfull on during high season up north. Also,

what fits with the garden’s character—asubtropical, small urban Texan oasis—makes for a palette distinct from that sug-gested by the wide-open natural modelthat inspires our Colorado meadow andsteppe garden.

REGIONAL INTERPRETATIONSSuch contrasts in the spirit and characterof a place and how they affect plantchoices highlight the main limitation ongiving specifics about anything to dowith gardens: obviously the medium—plants—varies from region to region.More and more, regional information isrising to the forefront to assist in plant se-lection. However, design informationlags sorely behind in this regard. Mostpeople who entitle themselves to givingopinions on designing gardens seem tobelieve there are universal rules, princi-ples, and ideals that need no translationor revision, no matter what the region.We believe this is wrong and one of thebiggest shortfalls of garden design today.Certainly there are universal concepts,but these must be explored regionally be-fore anything close to a rule, principle, orideal can be discussed.

Once again, plants are key. Observingnot only the individual species that makeup the core of a region’s natural and hor-ticultural identity but also how plants ingeneral in a given locality differ from thosein other places in the way they grow and

Backlighting effects through the seasons inthe authors’ garden in Fort Collins, Colorado.Above: Early spring sun catches Tulipavvedenskyi, T. sylvestris, T. humilis, Pulsatillavulgaris in seed, and Phlox bifida ‘BettyBlake’. Right: In the steppe garden in October:Liatris punctata (prairie gayfeather),Gutierrezia sarothrae (broomweed), Boute-loua gracilis (blue grama).

look invites discovery that enables the gar-denmaker to create spaces that acknowl-edge and celebrate regionality. Thisimmediately grounds a garden, places it ina locally resonant context, and gives it thatelusive sense of place.

Take for instance a very specific exam-ple, that of large trees. Mostgardens, even the smallest,have some need for at leastone or two shade trees. De-signers and gardeners oftenspend a lot of time thinkingabout this selection, andrightly so as a large tree is abig investment, both upfront in terms of cost and ef-fort of installation, and alsoin terms of time as it will beseveral years before the treesettles in and begins to createthe desired effect. Obvious-ly, a good choice marries theconditions on site with thetree’s character and culturalneeds, and joins the aesthet-ic prejudices of the personwho will live with the treewith what’s possible in termsof plant options. Treepalettes and purposes varyfrom region to region, as is tobe expected. But there’s sur-prising overlap, and the sameoverused, generic choicesand placements show up inthe most far-flung places.

Beyond overcomingtimidity regarding trying themore unusual tree, there’smore to expressing regionality with tree se-lection. Trees mature differently in differ-ent climates. What grows straight and tallin temperate and northern regions growscrooked, gnarly, and picturesque or evenpicaresque in hotter and/or drier climates.It makes all the difference to find a treethat gives the right sense of place, and thenplant it where it can grow comfortably andshow off its special qualities.

The well-worn design concept of thegarden room illustrates another hazard ofapplying a principle universally. While theEuropean tradition of enclosing an out-door space has its roots in walled gardensdeveloped during times in human historywhen safety was a pressing concern, the

same psychology of comfort applies todayto creating enclosures. In urban settings,garden rooms function as oases to blocknoise and unattractive views; in suburbiathey afford a chance to create intimacyand privacy for personal expression that isoften otherwise lacking.

Transposing the garden room to anysite or region will not always work, how-ever. In much of this continent—theMidwest, Plains states, interior West, andthe Southwest—a feeling of expansiveopenness pervades the natural landscape.More often than not, garden rooms feel

contrived and claustrophobic in these re-gions, especially for local people who havegrown up far from the sheltering, enclos-ing spirit of a forest. What’s more, the dis-tinctive plant choices of these regionsoffer much less in the way of good-look-ing, hardy, dependable hedge-making

material than more temper-ate maritime palettes do,and one is often left withonly walls and fences as op-tions for enclosure.

The openness intrinsic tothe interior of the NorthAmerican continent is actu-ally defined by plants, or inthe case of drier regions, by alack of them. The ratio ofplants to nonplant ele-ments—sky, stone, andsoil—is different in the inte-rior, resulting in a peculiarprairie, western, or desertfeel. Roughly west of the98th meridian, where lessthan 25 inches of rain falls an-nually, trees recede altogeth-er except near water or athigh elevation, and shortgrasses and low scrub takeover. Much of this half of thecontinent isn’t covered byplants at all: bare earth androck define the strong out-lines and forms characteristicof these western landscapes,and paint that starkly scenicworld in brown, tan, buff,red, and ochre.

When gardens reflectthese differences in plant stature, texture,and density, and in the overall domi-nance of green, a sense of place emerges.Here again the universality of designideals comes into question. The vastswaths of greenery composed of lawns,shade trees, and shrub plantings tradi-tionally used to create repose need to bequestioned in these regions, not only cul-turally but also aesthetically. Serenity canbe interpreted as panels of tawny grassesinterwoven with perennials, or water-thrifty plants more silver and blue thangreen in color, combined with stone orgravel. Beds and borders usually expect-ed to be filled to the gills with lush, leafyplants can in turn make use of wider


Gardens comfortable with their climate andconditions have a grace no overworkeddesign can match. At Mercer Arboretum andBotanic Gardens, in Humble, Texas, palms(✕Butiagrus nabonnandii, Syagrus romanzof-fiana), gingers (Costus speciosus ‘Varie-gatus’, Hedychium sp.), and bambooscelebrate their subtropical Gulf Coast homewith unbridled ebullience.

spacing with rocks or grasses or architec-tural succulent and fiber plants inter-spersed amid the floral melee, whether ina formal pattern or naturalistically. Hereand there gardeners and designers are ex-perimenting along these lines, but themajority still adhere to design tenets cre-ated in and for other regions.

Regional design interpretation deservesconsideration also in relation to the oft-touted ideal of continuous bloom. It wasa breath of fresh air for us to hear a client,unlike most, say that she actually did notwant flowers all season, that she longed forthe tranquility of greens and tans and tex-tures. Most parts of the world experiencetimes of floral extravagance punctuated bypartial quiescence or complete dormancy.In cold regions this follows the calendarseasons; in warm climates it is in rhythmwith the rains. Following this in the gar-den with plants that respond as do thosein the surrounding natural landscapewould be a much more intelligent designideal than continual bloom. Not only is itenvironmentally more feasible—requiringless water, fertilizer, and rotation ofplants—but it also gives a sense of con-nection with the rhythm of nature andprovides anticipation and the excitementof special floral events.

The ebb and flow of floral versus tex-tural emphasis makes for a dynamic gar-den, one that mirrors the surge inpopularity of perennials and plants withfoliar interest over flowering annuals dur-ing the last three decades. People like gar-dens that look different throughout theyear, and they like plants that look goodout of bloom. Where we work and gar-den, flowers are often fleeting and manyherbaceous perennials look tawdry formuch of the year. As a starting point in ourdesign process, we give overall plant tex-ture priority over floral choices. We seeflowers as the much-anticipated and ex-pected dessert that we provide withpanache, but not as the main course.

Still, for most people flowers remain themost cherished happenings in the garden.Finding plants that present them at differ-ent times of the year, marking floral time,is something most gardeners will continueto try to achieve. Some climates have a sea-son of floral explosion—high-elevationand far northern gardens show this off,where perennials bloom for several months

on end in a brilliance of color displaymatched only by its opposite, the depthsof gray, brown, and white that the otherside of the year endures. Warm and hot cli-mates have floral sputterings over most ofthe year, accentuated by rain. Trying tohave flowers most of the year while forcingenthusiasm about so-called winter interestin the North, or trying to have a summer-long “florgasm” in the South amount to afutile battle against these climates and aninsensitivity to plants adapted to them, butthat is exactly what most gardeners in thoseregions long for and attempt.

It all comes back to plants as the start-ing point for design. More than any otherelement in a garden, plants determine the

ultimate outcome and continue to affectand change it over time. If an outdoorspace is to be a garden, not merely an ex-tension of an indoor space or a landscapeinstallation, both choosing plants and se-lecting the best places for them on the sitehave a more powerful effect than optingfor any particular style, color scheme, or ar-tifact. Those latter dimensions should bedeveloped in tandem with plant selectionor subordinate to it, not prior to choosingplants as is frequently the case. �

Scott Ogden and Lauren Springer Ogden aregarden designers, authors, and lecturers. Intheir spare time, they tend acclaimed gardensin Fort Collins, Colorado, and Austin, Texas.


Western North American natives Fallugia paradoxa, Pinus edulis, and Gaillardia aristata blendinto this arid, distinctively western site at the Arlen Bemer garden in Grand Junction, Colorado.

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HO L L Y H A R M A R S H I M I Z U

has spent 36 of her 53 years to-tally immersed in the field of

horticulture. In that time, she hasworked in botanic gardens around theworld, written articles and books, spokento hundreds of garden groups in theUnited States and abroad, and hosted thetelevision series, “The Victory Garden.”As executive director of the United StatesBotanic Garden (USBG), she has beeninvolved with the $33.5 million renova-tion of the new conservatory and the in-stallation of a three-acre National Gardenon the Mall in Washington, D.C.

“Holly Shimizu is providing inspiredleadership to the public garden world, andbeyond,” says American Horticultural So-ciety President Emeritus Katy MossWarner. “Through strategic partnershipsand thoughtful, timely, and innovative ex-hibits at the USBG, she is bringing criti-cal messages about pollinators, food,sustainability, and beauty to Americansthroughout the country and the world.”

“She is the spokesperson most knownby the media and Congress,” says USBGAdministrative Officer Betty Spar, “andshe is associated with fine gardening notonly in Washington but nationally.”

Indeed, her achievements have earnedher the American Horticultural Society’sProfessional Award earlier this year, givenas part of the AHS’s Great American Gar-

deners Awards program. Yet none ofthis—the awards, the books, the lectures,and the promotion of gardening with en-lightened leadership—would have hap-

pened if Shimizu had not had the oppor-tunity to work with plants at crucial mo-ments in her young life.

PLANTS PROVIDE TURNING POINTAs a youth growing up in Philadelphia,Shimizu did not feel any strong ambitions.“In my whole school, I was the least likelyto make anything of my life,” she remem-bers. Restless at her prep school, sheswitched to an alternative school down-town. It was the kind of place “that at-tracted diverse students. There were HareKrishnas in the hall.” But toward the endof high school, Shimizu hadn’t applied toany colleges or, for that matter, formulat-ed any plans whatsoever for the future. Asshe puts it, she was “truly a lost soul with-out real direction…and no trust fund!”

That’s when her mother stepped in.Knowing Holly’s affinity for the out-doors from summers spent with hergrandfather in Rhode Island “pickingsun-warmed raspberries and pears andeating parsley down to the stubs,” Holly’smother took her to Temple University.There, in the program for applied horti-culture, she saw students studying andworking with plants and it amazed her.“I couldn’t get over that I could make aliving by studying plants,” she says. “Itwasn’t one of the topics ever discussed asa career choice and was a relatively newarea for women.” She enrolled at Temple

Holly Shimizutransforming public horticulture

BY CAROLE OTTESEN

Once unsure of her direction

in life, United States Botanic

Garden Executive Director

Holly Shimizu is living proof

that plants have the power to

profoundly change lives.

Holly Shimizutransforming public horticulture

Holly Shimizu, center, is the executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden, which includes the National Garden, top.

University, Ambler School of Horticul-ture in 1972.

“At Temple, I wasn’t a good student,”Shimizu says. “My focus was on havingfun, friends, and relationships.” Nonethe-less, she graduated in 1974 with an Associ-ate of Science degree. Just as before, sheapproached graduation without any firmplans for the future. At the time, she wasworking part-time at a nursery transplant-ing seedlings. Bored with the repetition,she applied to Penn State for a four-yeardegree program in horticulture.

At Penn State, she finally started “tostudy and focus.” Then she received anoffer that opened her eyes to the opportu-nities available in the world of horticulture:“My advisor asked me if I would like to bea summer student at Longwood.” She ap-plied and was accepted for the summer of1975, between her junior and senior years.

“It was heaven, and life changing,”Shimizu says of her experience at Long-wood Gardens in Kennett Square, Penn-sylvania. There, she came in contact withpeople who “were really into plants” suchas the late Judy Zuk, who became presi-dent of Brooklyn Botanic Garden in NewYork, and Paul Meyer, a founding mem-ber of the North American Plant Collec-tions Consortium, who become directorof the Morris Arboretum of the Universi-ty of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Theserole models helped to widen her horizons.

“Meyer had worked in England. Thatplanted a seed,” Shimizu recalls. About his

experience at Hillier Arboretum inHampshire, England, Meyer says, “I wasvery enthusiastic about my time there be-cause, though the wages were low, oppor-tunities were high for experiencing a newculture, meeting other students fromaround the world, and working withamazing plant collections.”

In her senior year at Penn State,Shimizu began investigating internships atgardens abroad. She sent out 20 letterswithout success. Just as she was ready togive up and “sign on to the Peace Corps to

go to Jamaica and help people grow veg-etables,” she got a letter from Sir HaroldHillier from the Hillier Arboretum. “Howsoon can you get here?” he asked.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES ABROADImmediately after graduation, Shimizumade haste to England. There, thrilled tobe working abroad in an outstanding gar-den, she was euphoric. “I cannot tell youhow lucky I felt, even sweeping the walk-ways or picking up trash.” Her experi-ence at Hillier also helped her to discoverthat “horticulture was this huge worldand the people in it were characters.”

And it was at Hillier that she firstmet Osamu Shimizu, a young land-scape designer from Okayama, Japan.“I didn’t like him and he didn’t likeme,” she says of their first impressionsof each other. But as their paths keptcrossing in Europe, these initial atti-tudes were to change.

From Hillier, she went on to the HattNursery in Munster, West Germany.Then, she worked at Kalmthout Arbore-tum in Belgium, noted for its collectionsof heritage roses and rare plants fromaround the world. As fate would have it,Osamu Shimizu worked at Kalmthout,too. There, the two revised their first im-pressions of each other—at lightningspeed. In just over three months, theywere engaged.

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Above: As a student at Temple University,Shimizu began to explore the field ofhorticulture. Right: At Hillier Arboretum inEngland, Shimizu gained hands-on training.

As curator of the herb garden at the National Arboretum, Shimizu often made guestappearances on “The Victory Garden” television show with its host, Bob Thompson, right.

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Before marrying, the couple touredmany of Europe’s great gardens and con-tinued to enhance their horticulturalskills. Shimizu left Kalmthout for a stintat a nursery in Holland where she learnedpropagation techniques. She then con-cluded her European training at Wisley,the renowned garden of the Royal Horti-cultural Society, where she was involved inthe renovation of herbaceous borders andmajor changes to the rose gardens, as wellas the installation of a new herb garden.Wisley, much like Longwood, made aprofound impression on her. “Longwoodchanged my direction. Europe cementedmy path.” She set her sights on a career inpublic horticulture.

BUILDING A PLANT-CENTERED CAREER Holly Harmar and Osamu Shimizu re-turned to the United States in 1979 andwere married the same year. The newly-weds pursued careers in horticulture—he,by establishing the Shimizu LandscapeCorporation; she, by studying for her Mas-ters degree in horticulture at the Universi-ty of Maryland and by landing her dreamjob: working with herbs.

As the first curator of the NationalHerb Garden at the U.S. National Ar-boretum in Washington, D.C., she en-joyed wonderful creative freedom inassembling the collection. “It fulfilled mydesire to learn and teach about plants aswell as grow everything herbal I couldfind,” she says.

Also, beginning in 1981, Shimizu be-came involved with “The Victory Garden”when then-host of the show, Bob Thomp-son, did a segment on the National HerbGarden. “They would call me occasional-ly to do segments if they related to herbs,”she says. “Then I started as a special corre-spondent, covering a variety of stories. Itraveled to several different countries andwent to some amazing gardens.”

The Shimizus were as busy in their per-sonal lives as they were in their careers.They acquired a 100-year-old cottage inGlen Echo, Maryland. They became theparents of two children, Bevan andAlexa—in fact, Holly gave birth to theirfirst child days after completing oral examsfor her Masters degree in 1984. And theybegan their garden, which, like their mar-riage, is a comfortable mixture of East andWest. “Plants,” she says, “are what brought

us together. Plants were what we foughtabout.” And, sometimes, they may still dis-agree over the choice, placement, or care ofa plant. (For more details, see “TheShimizus’ Home Garden” on page 37.)

With the herb garden complete andthriving after eight years, Shimizu left thearboretum to become public programs of-

ficer of the USBG, then, eventually, assis-tant executive director.

In 1996, she became managing directorat the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden inRichmond, Virginia.

“At the time, we were actively buildinggardens,” says Lewis Ginter’s ExecutiveDirector Frank Robinson, “so Holly’s ex-tensive horticultural expertise was partic-ularly helpful to us.” She also oversaw thegarden’s educational programs.

In November 2000, Shimizu returnedto the USBG as executive director. Underher leadership, the USBG has witnessedmonumental changes. From being one ofthe quietest places on the National Mall,it has morphed into one of the most ex-citing, horticulturally speaking.

And the excitement is not alwaysplanned. A year after her return, a newconservatory was slated to open. The newstructure would look like the formergrand Art Deco glasshouse that was de-molished in 1992, but with state-of-the-art infrastructure. The USBG staff wasworking at full throttle to meet a No-vember grand opening deadline. Thencame the September 11 terrorist attack,followed by the anthrax mailings scare.Alan M. Hantman, the Architect of theCapitol at the time, directed Shimizu toturn the West Gallery of the new conser-vatory into a command center for FEMA,the Coast Guard, the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention, and the Envi-

Above: Shimizu gives a tour of the USBGconservatory. Top: Shimizu and RobertPritchard, gardener supervisor for the USBG’soutdoors gardens, discuss details of the AHSGreen Garage® installation, part of the “OnePlanet—Ours” exhibit.

ronmental Protection Agency. She andher staff coped, working around the agen-cies investigating the anthrax incidents.Amid the chaos, they received, installed,and cared for plants, managing to openonly a month behind schedule.

The grand opening was December 11,2001, three months to the day after Sep-tember 11. That particular date was not aconscious plan, but in those uncertaindays after the terrorist attack, a garden

opening “represented solace and heal-ing,” says Shimizu.

SETTING AN EXAMPLEWhen the three-acre National Gardenthat adjoins the conservatory opened onOctober 1, 2006, USBG attendancesoared to unprecedented numbers.Shimizu estimates visitation at “close toa million per year,” but she concedes thefigure “includes those that don’t evenknow they’re there and many who arejust looking for a bathroom.”

No matter why they get there, thosewho wander into the National Gardenoften leave with a better appreciation forplants and their importance to the earth.

“We try to instruct by example by notusing toxic chemicals,” says Shimizu. “Weselect plants that grow well for us, ratherthan those that don’t.”

In addition to the plants, extensive ex-hibits around the conservatory enhancethe overall learning experience at theUSBG. These exhibits, created throughpartnerships with other organizations fromaround the country, also provide a way forthe USBG to increase its national scope.“We are always open to celebrating thework of others that promotes the impor-

tance of plants and the environment to usall,” says Shimizu.

The current exhibit, “One Planet—Ours! Sustainability for the 22nd Centu-ry,” running until October 13, is gearedtoward greener living. Among the nearly40 partnering organizations of the exhibit,the American Horticultural Society is par-ticipating with its Green Garage® displayshowcasing environmentally friendly gar-dening tools and techniques.

“We have the perfect location to reacha lot of people,” says Shimizu. The trick isto make important topics, such as alterna-tive energy sources and using plants toclean polluted water, compelling so that

visitors enjoy these exhibits but can alsodraw their own conclusions about how tomake environmentally friendly choices.“People want to do the right thing,” sheconcludes, “but they need guidelines.”

Shimizu sees her mandate as “bringingpeople and plants together.” If people re-spond to plants, they will respect the greenworld, care about it, and, ultimately, wantto save it. Her bedrock belief is that plantsare good for people. They are beautiful andnecessary. And they have the power tochange people’s lives—as they did hers.�

Carole Ottesen is a contributing writer forThe American Gardener.

THE SHIMIZUS’ HOME GARDENIn her garden in Maryland, Holly Shimizu is “really interested in plants that attractpollinators.” She makes sure to include both nectar providers and plants that larvaelike to feed on. She selects plants so that there is a long season of bloom and plen-ty of diversity, which are key factors for attracting pollinators. “Learning about pol-linators and experiencing the richness they bring to gardens is important to me,”she says. “They are the way I measure the success of my garden.”

And though she stillloves herbs, much of hergarden is shady, so shegrows them with vegeta-bles in her roof garden.Some of her favorites in-clude lemon grass (Cym-bopogon citratus), lemonverbena (Aloysia triphyl-la), fennel (Foeniculumvulgare), basil (Ocimumspp.), and lavender (La-vandula spp.).

The shady heart of thegarden is a sylvan retreather husband created be-hind the house. A streamtumbles over boulders,falling first into a small,and then into a larger,deeper pool. Shimizufinds the sound of the wa-terfalls has a calming ef-fect, something sheappreciates when she re-turns home from a day at her demanding job at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

“I don’t think it is ever complete,” Shimizu says of her garden, “because itkeeps changing and problem areas arise where you need to divide plants, or im-prove soil, and Osamu is always pruning.” She also admits that “whenever Itravel I always come home with interesting plants.” —C.O.

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Holly Shimizu and her husband Osamu sharea laugh at their Maryland home.

The Shimizus’ backyard garden, designed by Osamu,features a series of waterfalls that flow into a serene pool.

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America’s MagnoliasAmerica’s MagnoliasBY GIL NELSON

Ranging from bashful woodland denizens to bold sun-loving giants, America’s native

magnolias offer plenty of interest for any garden.

BY GIL NELSON

Ranging from bashful woodland denizens to bold sun-loving giants, America’s native

magnolias offer plenty of interest for any garden.

MA G N O L I A S A R E the aristo-crats of America’s native trees,primordial relicts thousands of

millennia in the making and little more ad-vanced today than at the time of their ori-gin, when dinosaurs still rumbled theearth. Based on the fossil record, they datefrom at least the Cretaceous Period—135 to100 million years ago—and some expertsbelieve they may be even older than that.

The genus Magnolia is one of only twogenera in the magnolia family (Magnoli-aceae). Two species of tulip poplar (Lirio-dendron)—one in North America, theother in China—round out the family.There are about 220 species of magnoliasworldwide—not including the numerousselections, cultivars, and hybrids—nearlyall of which have been successfully intro-duced into horticulture. About two-thirdsare indigenous to Asia, ranging from Indiato China, Korea, and Japan. The remain-ing species are centered in the West Indies,Mexico, and the Americas.

Nine species are native to North Amer-ica, one of which is found only in thecloud forests of Mexico. The othereight—two evergreen and six decidu-ous—range from New York to Florida andwest to Texas, placing the eastern UnitedStates at the center of North American dis-tribution. But the native species, particu-larly the evergreen ones, have proven quiteadaptable outside their natural range andmany adorn gardens from the Midwest tothe West Coast and Pacific Northwest.

EVERGREEN NATIVESTwo evergreen magnolias occur in theeastern United States, both of which aresouthern in distribution and restricted innature mostly to the broad coastal plainsthat stretch away east and south from thePiedmont’s rolling hills.

Sweetbay (M. virginiana, USDA Har-diness Zones 6–9, AHS Heat Zones 9–6),sometimes called swamp magnolia, is thesmaller of the two. Its fragrant flowers aresmaller than other native magnolias—usu-ally measuring less than three inches widewhen fully open—but they bloom inshowy abundance in late spring and earlysummer. The two-toned leaves are pale

green above and silvery white beneath,causing well-exposed trees to shimmer be-tween these colors in the slightest breeze.

Sweetbay is quite variable in nature, andtwo primary varieties have been identified.The northern one (variety virginiana) istypically a large multi-stemmed shrub thatusually doesn’t exceed 20 feet in height. Itis slightly hardier than its southern cousin,to USDA Zone 4 or 5, but may lose itsleaves in winter in cooler zones. The south-ern form (variety australis) can reachheights of 50 feet or more in the garden(nearly 100 feet in the wild) with an opencrown and attractive smooth grayish

trunk. It performs best in USDA Zones 7to 10. Although both varieties are wetlandplants in nature, they do not require wetsoils in the garden and surprisingly willthrive in dry, sunny locations.

A few cultivars of sweetbay are avail-able. Andrew Bunting, curator of theScott Arboretum of Swarthmore College,says, “One of our favorites is M. virgini-ana var. australis ‘Henry Hicks’, which isa selection made here at the Scott Arbore-tum. In our climate it is semi-evergreen.We also grow ‘Santa Rosa’ which has largeglossy, dark green leaves.”

Nancy Buley, director of marketingand communications for J. Frank

Schmidt and Son tree nursery in Boring,Oregon, likes ‘Jim Wilson’, which is soldunder the trademark name Moonglow.Named after a well-known garden writer,it has an upright habit, tends to be ever-green, and is hardy to USDA Zone 4 or 5,according to Buley.

The other native evergreen species issouthern magnolia (M. grandiflora, Zones7–9, 9–6), which is much larger than thesweetbay, with thick, leathery, dark greenfoliage. Its attractive form and popularitywith gardeners and landscape designershave resulted in the selection of more than125 cultivars.

Standard southern magnolias tend toget so large at maturity that they can growout of scale with residential landscapes.This has driven breeders to seek out small-er selections with compact, columnarforms. Three of the more popular are ‘Lit-tle Gem’, ‘D. D. Blanchard’, and ‘Brack-en’s Brown Beauty’. All have shorter leavesthan the species—often less than six inch-es long—with a covering of attractive rustyor dark brown hairs on the undersides.

‘D. D. Blanchard’ is one of the mostpopular tree-sized selections, reaching 50feet tall and 35 feet wide.

‘Little Gem’ is perhaps the best com-pact form, often growing as a large, dense-LE

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Opposite: Rare in the wild, bigleaf magnoliais a striking tree with leaves up to three feetlong and eight-inch-wide fragrant flowers.

Sweetbay magnolia, left, isprized for its silvery-greenleaves—evergreen in warmerregions—which seem toshimmer in a breeze. It alsobears deliciously fragrant earlysummer flowers, such as thisone, above, from the cultivar‘Henry Hicks’.

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ly foliaged shrub, but sometimes forminga small tree. It is typically less than 30 feettall, about half as wide, and is useful as aspecimen or screening plant. ‘Little Gem’is excellent for gardens in warmer climatesand may suffer during severe winters far-ther north.

‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’(Zones 6–9,10–4), which usually tops out at 30 to 50feet tall and 30 feet wide, is hardier than‘Little Gem’ and has become popular ingardens as far north as New England. Itmay suffer leaf burn or even defoliate com-pletely in severe winters, but is among theselections of choice for colder climates.

‘Kay Parris’ and ‘Edith Bogue’ (6–9,9–6) are similar in size to ‘Bracken’s BrownBeauty’ and should also be tried in north-

ern gardens. ‘Kay Parris’ features a pro-longed flowering period, striking blos-soms, and glossy green leaves that arenearly orange beneath. It may prove to behardier than its USDA Zone 7 rating sug-gests, and its form may be even better thanthat of ‘Little Gem’. A relatively new in-troduction named Alta® (‘TMGH’) is re-ported to grow to 40 or 50 feet with acolumnar habit.

Regardless of attempts to breed coldhardiness into this species, Magnolia gran-diflora is essentially a southern plant.

DECIDUOUS NATIVESWhile the evergreen species are by far themost popular of the native magnolias, thedeciduous species should not be over-

looked—especially the big leaf forms. TheAshe, bigleaf, and umbrella magnolias arespectacular in the garden, featuring hugeflowers and graceful forms. The flowers ofAshe and big leaf magnolias can be nearlytwo feet wide when fully open, withcreamy white tepals that sport a large pur-ple blotch at the base. The flowers of um-brella magnolia are all white and about halfthe size of its large-leaved relatives. Theleaves of all three are exceptionally large,potentially to more than three feet long inthe bigleaf and Ashe magnolias, and up totwo feet in umbrella magnolia. The onlyother widely used deciduous natives in-clude the smaller-leaved cucumber mag-nolia (M. acuminata) and its diminutivevariety, yellow cucumber magnolia (M.

Southern magnolias, like the one growing at the American Horticultural Society’sheadquarters in Virginia, above, make a grand statement in the landscape.Many selections are available, including ‘Kay Parris’, top right, which bearsstriking creamy white flowers from late spring to midsummer, and ‘D.D.Blanchard’, right, which features attractive foliage and a pyramidal shape.

acuminata var. subcordata).Ashe magnolia (M. ashei, Zones 6–9,

9–6) is, at once, the rarest of the deciduousnatives in the wild and one of the mostpopular with gardeners. Named for W. W.Ashe, an early 20th century botanist whofirst collected the plant in the Florida pan-handle, its natural habitat is restricted tobluffs, ravine slopes, and a few upland

woods between Tallahassee and Pensacola.Yet, it has proven cold hardy in trials toUSDA Zone 4 and is comfortably ratedhardy to at least USDA Zone 6. In fact, thelargest Ashe magnolia on record grows atthe Henry Botanic Garden in Gladwyne,Pennsylvania, about 1,000 miles north ofits current natural range.

Its popularity with gardeners is due toits manageable size in residential land-scapes, coupled with its tendency for flow-ering at a young age. Garden plantsaverage well under 30 feet in height andwidth at maturity, and may express them-selves as gangly, single-trunked shrubs orsmall trees. The long, thick, often con-torted branches are highly attractive inboth winter and summer, and the largeleaves add tropical flair to temperate gar-dens. Ashe magnolias produce their firstflowers in as little as two years from seed.Ashe magnolia occurs in nature in the un-derstory of shady woodlands, but it per-forms very well in sunny openings and ismost enjoyed as a specimen tree to show-case its large leaves and oversized flowers.

Ashe magnolia is closely related to

bigleaf magnolia (M. macrophylla, Zones6–9, 9–6); indeed, some experts consid-er it a variety of its slightly larger-leavedcousin. The two are well separated innatural range, but are very attractivewhen planted near one another in thegarden. Bigleaf becomes much larger—to at least 50 feet tall—and is more tree-like at maturity. However, it takes muchlonger to reach flowering age. Reports of10 to 15 years from seed to first flower arecommon. When grown in sun, it takeson a full form with a wide, attractivecrown. Phil Normandy, plant curator atBrookside Gardens in Wheaton, Mary-land, is particularly fond of a grouping ofthree bigleaf magnolias at a satellite gar-den of Brookside. “Originally these trees

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Precocious ashe magnolias start bloomingwhen they are only two or three years of age.

The bold, dramatic foliage on this bigleaf magnolia, growing at Daniel Stowe BotanicalGarden in North Carolina, makes it a standout in the landscape.

SourcesBroken Arrow Nursery, Hamden, CT.(203) 288-1026. www.brokenarrownursery.com.

Greer Gardens, Eugene, OR. (541)686-8266. www.greergardens.com.

Mail Order Natives, Lee, FL. (850)973-4688. www.mailordernatives.com.

Nearly Native Nursery, Fayetteville,GA. (770) 460-6284. www.nearlynativenursery.com.

Rare Find Nursery, Jackson, NJ.(732) 833-0613. www.rarefindnursery.com.

Woodlanders, Inc., Aiken, SC. (803)648-7522. www.woodlanders.net.

ResourcesMagnolias: A Gardener’s Guide byJim Gardiner, Timber Press, Port-land, Oregon, 2000.

The Magnolia Society International,www.magnoliasociety.org.

The World of Magnolias by DorothyJ. Callaway, Timber Press, Portland,Oregon, 1994.

were planted in partial shade, but nowthey are growing in more or less full sun,”says Normandy. At more than 30 feet tall,they offer a very dramatic look.”

Umbrella magnolia (M. tripetala,Zones 4–9, 9–5) also has large leaves—upto at least 20 inches long and 10 incheswide that taper to a point at the base, un-like the slightly lobed leaf base of bigleafand Ashe magnolia. The flowers have sixto 12 tepals and are about eight incheswide. Most umbrella trees top out at lessthan 50 feet tall and may form erect, sin-gle-trunked trees or very large multi-stemmed shrubs. The common namestems from the spreading leaves, whichtend to radiate laterally from the branchtips, creating an umbrellalike canopy. Um-brella magnolia grows naturally fromsoutheastern New York southward to theFlorida panhandle (where only a few pop-ulations are known), and west to Arkansas.It is adaptable and easy to grow in the gar-den and flowers best in light shade to fullsun in rich, moist soils. It is most at homein a naturalistic woodland garden, but sin-gle-trunked forms serve well as specimentrees in more open landscapes.

Mountain magnolia (M. fraseri, Zones4–9, 9–6), an endemic species of mountain

coves and rich woods of the southern Ap-palachians, has moderately large leaves andelegant, fragrant white flowers. Its nativerange is from West Virginia into easternKentucky and Tennessee, and southwardto northern Georgia. Reported to be moredemanding to grow than other native de-

ciduous magnolias, it grows best in moist,acid soils and thrives alongside streams.The pyramid magnolia (M. pyramidata,Zones 7–9, 9–7), considered by some to bea variety of mountain magnolia, is a coastalplains counterpart ranging mostly east andsouth of the Piedmont.

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FLOWERS, FRUIT, AND POLLINATORSThe magnolias’ ancient affinities are most evident in the struc-ture of their flowers and fruit. Unlike many perfect flowers, whichfeature clear division of sepals, stamens, and pistils, magnoliaflowers consist of various parts that are often difficult to tellapart. Numerous stamens and pistils spiral around an erect cen-tral axis subtended by a whorl of creamywhite petallike structures. In most speciesthe petals and sepals are so similar thatexperts refer to them as “tepals,” a botan-ical catchall term that serves where pre-cise morphological language fails.

Magnolia flowers are protogynous,which means that the pistil of an individ-ual flower becomes receptive (matures)before that flower’s stamens release theirpollen. Their primary pollinators are bee-tles, which apparently co-evolved with thegenus in an intriguing pollination mecha-nism. In bud, magnolia flowers are cov-ered by a fuzzy bract that encircles and protects the developingbloom. The stigmas become receptive just before the floweropens, requiring the beetles to squeeze or chew their way through

the thick fleshy tissue to get to the stigmas and stamens. Insmaller-flowered species, the flowers open only partly during thefirst day, close during the evening, and reopen the second dayto shed pollen and drop their stamens. The larger-flowered formsoften remain at least partially open throughout pollination.

Magnolia fruits are often describedas cones, which is not technically ac-curate. True cones, with unprotectedovaries and overlapping scales, are thepurview of the conifers. The magnoliafruit, on the other hand, is a follicle—acapsulelike pod that derives from a sin-gle ovary and splits at maturity along asingle seam. Since each magnoliaflower has many ovaries, it producesmultiple follicles that are clustered toform attractive conelike structures. Atmaturity the follicles open to exposeshowy red seeds that dangle on thin col-

orful threads reminiscent in function and structure to an um-bilical cord. The colorful seed coat—technically an aril—en-cases and protects the developing embryo. —G.N.

The cone-shaped fruits of umbrella magnolia turn pinkish red in autumn.

Southern magnolia’s decorative red seeds

Yellow flowers on trees are one of the“holy grails” of horticulture, so it’s not sur-prising that the cucumber magnolia (M.acuminata, Zones 4–9, 9–2), with itsgreenish yellow flowers, has been of par-ticular interest to plant breeders. Namedfor the shape of its young fruiting “cones,”cucumber magnolia is the hardiest andmost widespread of the American magno-lias, ranging from a small population in theFlorida panhandle north to the Canadianside of Lake Erie. It can grow to more than100 feet high, making it one of the tallestdeciduous native magnolias. Its leaves growto eight inches long, tapering to a point.

The best yellows are produced by thesmaller, less widespread, and less hardyyellow cucumber magnolia (M. acumi-nata subsp. subcordata, Zones 7–9, 9–7).

It fits well into residential landscapes as asmall tree or large shrub that usually doesnot exceed about 30 feet tall. The bestspecimens have distinctly yellow tepalswith flowers that appear in spring beforethe new leaves expand.

Cucumber magnolia has given rise tonumerous cultivars, including the popu-lar M. ✕ ‘Butterflies’, a cross between M.acuminata and the Chinese M. denudata‘Sawada’s Cream’. ‘Butterflies’ is the bestand most widely grown of the yellow-flowered magnolias and extends the har-diness range for yellow-flowered formsnorthward to USDA Zone 4.

CARING FOR NATIVE MAGNOLIASMost magnolias thrive in slightly acidic,well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.Evergreen species usually grow best infull sun, while the deciduous species arebetter suited to part shade, especially inwarmer regions.

Early fall is the best time to plant mag-nolias. Dig a hole about twice the width ofthe rootball but not much deeper. Gentlyagitate and spread the roots along the edgesof the container ball; magnolias have ten-der roots but it helps to spread them a lit-tle before planting. Leave the top of theroot ball about an inch above ground leveland fill the remaining void with the rest ofthe excavated soil.

Magnolias have shallow root systems,so add a layer of mulch around the base of

the tree. They also have thin bark, so avoidmechanical weed trimming or other ac-tivities that might injure the bark, provid-ing an entry point for pathogens.

Water newly planted trees regularlyuntil they are well established, but asidefrom that, little supplemental irrigationshould be needed except during droughts.Avoid overwatering because most magno-lias are prone to root rot.

Magnolias generally need little pruningother than to remove crossed branches orfor other cosmetic purposes. (For infor-mation on propagating native magnolias,click on a web special linked to this articleon the AHS website at www.ahs.org).

LONG-LASTING BEAUTYRegardless of which species you choose,native magnolias add a distinctive charmto gardens through all four seasons and, inmost cases, over a long lifespan. The leavesrange from lush and tropical-looking onthe deciduous species to glossy and two-toned on the evergreen magnolias. Theirattractive forms and showy, fragrant flow-ers are, in my opinion, unsurpassed amongAmerica’s native trees. And in late summerand fall the sculptural fruits and bright redseeds add their own decorative touch. �

Gil Nelson is an author, photographer, andbotanist based in Georgia. His next book, aguide to native plants for southern gardens, isscheduled for release in 2010.TO

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Yellow cucumber magnolia has been usedby breeders to develop popular yellow-flowered magnolia hybrids such as ‘GoldStar’, left, and ‘Butterflies’, above.

Mountain magnolia, native to the southernAppalachians, blooms in spring.

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CONE ON ONE WITH…

Linda McIntyre: You didn’t start out asa writer. Tell us about your background.Amy Stewart: I had always wanted to bea writer, but I wasn’t sure how I wouldmake a living at it, so instead of studyingEnglish, I ended up getting a Masters de-gree in city planning and working as agrant writer for a housing agency. In my30s, I started writing part-time; in fact, myfirst two books were written as side projectsto my day job.

There are a lot of fiction-writing tech-niques in your books. Were you everan aspiring novelist?It’s interesting you notice that. When Iread for pleasure, I read fiction exclusively.I think really good nonfiction should haveall the elements of good fiction, such as

good characters and plot development. ForFlower Confidential, I interviewed over100 people from all parts of the cut-flowerindustry, and I ended up choosing just afew—the most colorful or memorable

characters—to represent a particular seg-ment of the much larger industry.

Just writing about plants can be dull.My subjects always come down tohuman interest, even, in the case of TheEarth Moved, when the topic was worms!Charles Darwin and the scientists whostudy earthworms are fascinating people.

How do you decide what to write about?I try to write the books that I want toread. I look around for something thatinterests me, and my agent, publisher,and I bounce ideas off each other to de-cide what would work for a book. A sub-ject has to interest me enough to devotea few years to it. I spent four years re-searching, writing, and touring forFlower Confidential.

HOW MANY GARDEN WRITERS can say they’ve written a critically acclaimed New York Times best-

seller? Amy Stewart can, but she doesn’t see herself as a garden writer. “I’m a writer who gardens,” she

says. Published last year, her most recent book, Flower Confidential (Algonquin Books), delves into the huge,

complex, global cut-flower industry and was a hit with readers—gardeners and

non-gardeners alike. She is currently finishing a British edition of the book to

be released next spring, and there are plans to do a French edition.

“Garden writing is sometimes seen as a step-cousin to home decorating,”

says Stewart. What sets her garden writing apart from others is the use of a

strong narrative style to present a multi-faceted, thoroughly researched look at

a garden-related subject. Her first book, From the Ground Up, is about her ex-

perience creating her first garden in California, where she moved with her hus-

band from their native Texas in 1992 after finishing graduate school. Her second

book was The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms.In addition to writing books, Stewart contributes articles to many pub-

lications, travels the lecture circuit, and maintains a blog on her own web-

site, www.amystewart.com. She also blogs on www.gardenrant.com, where she is one of four gardeners

offering opinionated views about all aspects of gardening.

Freelance writer Linda McIntyre spoke with Stewart recently about some of her revelations on the inner

workings of the floral industry and about her style of writing that explores gardening’s connection to the

larger human enterprise, a connection that reveals much about our history and character.

by Linda McIntyre

Amy Stewart: Maverick Garden Writer

Earthworms were the subject of AmyStewart’s compelling second book.

What led you to write about the cut-flower industry? The biggest grower of cut flowers in thecountry, Sun Valley Floral Farm, is nearwhere I live in northern California. It hasan open house every year, and one year Iwent, not knowing anything about the in-dustry. Then I found out that LeslieWoodriff, the eccentric breeder of the ‘Star

Gazer’ lily, had lived here, too. Learningthe story of how that flower came to be oneof the most popular cut flowers was likereading a mystery novel. The records wereright here at my county courthouse, andthe story had never been told.

When I started, I was also thinkingabout the globalization of the industry;the flowers we buy can come from Cali-fornia, Ecuador, Kenya, and China. Wethink about buying local a lot these dayswhen it comes to food, but not with theflowers we buy.

What kind of response has FlowerConfidential gotten from readers?My readers—people who garden, plantlovers, and lovers of literature—have toldme, “I buy more flowers now than ever,”

and I think it’s because when peopleknow more about something, they startbecoming connoisseurs—they knowhow to look for the best.

The people in the flower industry,though, aren’t in the habit of letting out-siders in to see how things work, so someof them were fearful the book would elicita negative response. One natural foods gro-

cery chain that also sells flowers, for exam-ple, turned me down flat when I called foran interview. There are sections of thebook—such as when I write about howpost-harvest roses are routinely dipped infungicide—that upset people in the in-dustry, but I tried to be even-handed inhow I presented all the information.

What was the most surprising thingyou learned while researching FlowerConfidential, and is there a most-memorable moment during all yourtravels for the book? The most surprising thing was howdurable cut flowers are. We think of themas delicate, but they’re pretty tough—theytravel all over the world, going withoutwater for long stretches of time.

Of the many memorable events, visit-ing the giant flower auction in Aalsmeerin Holland was the most astonishing. Iwas so fascinated by how large it was andthe fact that about half the world’s sup-ply of cut flowers pass through there. Itwas like the Wall Street for flowers.

You’ve been criticized for expressingstrong views on the GardenRant blog,like the time you wrote about how fedup you were with people writing andtalking virtuously about their eating-local-foods lifestyle. What do you makeof these criticisms? The world of garden writing tends to takeitself too seriously. For me, gardening isabout going outside and interacting withthe plant kingdom. The garden is a placeto have fun. We want to be opinionatedand irreverent on GardenRant and getaway from plant lists and “how-to” arti-cles. We won’t please everyone; sometimeswe even write about plants we hate!

What is your own garden like? I grow more flowering perennials thananything else. I’m a huge salvia fan; Ihave at least 30 or 40 varieties. I used togrow more vegetables, but I travel somuch now that it’s too hard to keep upwith them. I grow berries and artichokes,and before I got my four pet chickens, Igrew lettuce. The chickens are great atscratching out weeds, but they’re alsogood at getting to the seeds of everythingI try to plant!

Are you working on any new projects?I have a new book coming out next springcalled Wicked Plants. It will be about “bad”plants—poisonous plants, plants that havebeen outlawed. There are short sections foreach of the plants, with human stories, ofcourse—for example, one of the plantskilled Abraham Lincoln’s mother.

Do you ever plan to write a non-gar-dening book?Yes, definitely! In the publishing world,there is a tendency to pigeonhole a writerinto just doing one type of work. I’m in-terested in so many things. �

Linda McIntyre is a freelance writer living inWashington, D.C. Managing Editor and ArtDirector Mary Yee assisted with this article.A

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“For the first time, Iwould see flowers

as the factory-producedmerchandise they havebecome. This is business,big business. I could pre-tend that the flowers Ibuy to cheer myself up orcongratulate a friend onher new baby are some-how unique, fragile, andconnected to nature andgardens and plant life,but here there is no deny-ing that each blossom isa unit of profit. What Ido with it, what mean-ings I impose upon it, ismy own business. Butwhile it’s in the green-house, it’s a product, pureand simple.”

—from Flower ConfidentialIn this Dutch factory assembly line, flowers arebeing dyed different colors before going to market.

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FROST TOLERANCE IN A BOTTLEAs fall turns into winter, gardeners in cold-er regions begin the guessing game ofwhen the first frost will occur. But what ifthere was a way to stave off that icy deathblow and extend the season a few days orweeks longer? Now there just might be,thanks to a new spray-on formula called“Freeze-Pruf” developed by a group of re-searchers at Miami University in Ohio.

The water-based spray, a non-toxicmixture of five ingredients, enhances a

plant’s natural ability to survive cold tem-peratures. The researchers tested the prod-uct on a wide variety of plants such aspalms, bananas, tropical foliage and flow-ering plants, tomatoes, and citrus. Ac-cording to David Francko, one of thespray’s co-developers who is now a botanyprofessor at the University of Alabama,they found a four to nine degree Fahren-heit improvement in “both the first tem-perature causing injury and thetemperature causing mortality. Citrus wasthe only exception—there the benefits areonly two to three degrees, but even that issignificant for citrus growers at the mar-gins of the range.”

Currently in the patent process, theproduct may be available by next winterfor commercial and home garden use.

PLANTS CAN RECOGNIZE KINScientists have recently discovered thatsome plants can recognize their siblings, abehavior that was previously believed toonly occur in the animal kingdom. As re-ported last year in the United Kingdom’sjournal Biology Letters, researchers at Mc-Master University in Hamilton, Ontario,noted that root growth of searocket (Cak-ile edentula), an unassuming, fleshy-leavedplant that grows in beach habitats in manyof North America’s coastal regions, differedwhen siblings were present as opposed tonon-related plants. If strangers—other sea-rockets with a different mother plant butfrom the same population—were detect-ed, the plants produced a greater amountof root mass to compete aggressively fornutrients. However, when grown with sib-lings, root growth was more restrained.

How plants are able to recognize kinis not yet well understood, but furtherstudies have revealed similar interactionsin native wild Impatiens, common lambs-quarters (Chenopodium album), and Ara-bidopsis, according to Susan A. Dudley, anevolutionary plant ecologist who conduct-ed the studies with graduate studentAmanda L. File. “These are all species withvery local dispersal, and often found in sin-gle species stands,” Dudley explains, “sothey are likely to interact with relatives.”

NEW TECOMA CULTIVARSHorticulturists with the USDA’s Agricul-tural Research Service in Florida have de-veloped three new cultivars of Tecomaguarume, a semi-deciduous subtropical totropical flowering shrub related to trum-pet creeper. ‘Miami Sunrise,’ ‘Miami Sun-set,’ and ‘Tangelo’ are reportedly hardy inUSDA Zones 9 to 11, and possibly roothardy to Zone 8. These fast-growingplants, reaching about 10 feet in height, re-quire full sun and well-drained soil.

‘Miami Sunrise’ features orange flow-ers that fade to yellow while ‘Miami Sun-set’ has crimson-colored buds that openred to orange-red and fade to reddish-or-ange. ‘Tangelo’ produces orange flowers.

Currently produced in small numbersfor evaluation purposes, these cultivarsare expected to be released for retail salein the next couple of years.

NEW PLANT COLLECTIONS ONLINE DATABASEIn June, the Chicago Botanic Garden, inconjunction with 29 partnering organi-zations, launched PlantCollections.org, anonline database of living plant collectionsat international botanic gardens and ar-boreta. Free and accessible by anyone, thedatabase can be searched by selectingfields such as scientific name, common

Horticultural News and Research Important to American Gardeners

CGARDENER’S NOTEBOOK

When exposed to temperatures between 26and 27 degrees Fahrenheit, the treatedbanana plant on the left suffered minimaldamage. The control plant on the right waskilled after 30 minutes.

Tecoma guarume ‘Tangelo’ is one of threenew cultivars developed by USDA scientists.

Studies show lambsquarters can recognize kin.

name, genus, and family, then inputtingkeywords to find plants of interest, com-plete with images.

“The data for the project,” says BoyceTankersley, PlantCollection’s project di-rector and director of living plant docu-mentation at the Chicago Botanic Garden,“come from leading botanic garden and ar-boretum plant record databases, herbaria,seed repositories, DNA banks, and imagerepositories from around the world.”

Still under development, the databasewill eventually provide access to the plantrecords of more than 50,000 taxa. In ad-dition to being useful to gardeners, stu-dents, and educators, this new resourceis designed to provide a tool for scientiststo better understand the global geneticdiversity of plants and to assist with plantconservation efforts.

Future developments will allow usersto download data to a spreadsheet, locateexperts on particular plant groups ortechniques, create maps showing botan-ic gardens and arboreta that grow variousspecies and cultivars, and locate com-mercial sources for plants.

INDOOR GARDENS AT DUKE FARMS CLOSEAfter being open to the public for nearly50 years, the elaborate indoor gardens en-cased in one of America’s largest glasshouses and created by the late tobacco

heiress Doris Duke closed in June. Lo-cated on the 2,740-acre estate in Somer-set County, New Jersey, known as DukeFarms, the gardens comprise 11 unique“rooms” that represent garden styles fromEngland, France, Italy, China, Japan, andthe Indo-Persia region.

The board of the Doris Duke Charita-ble Trust, which now manages the estate,LE

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The recently closed indoor gardens at DukeFarms are contained in one of America’slargest glass houses, above.

Growing crops, managing roadsides, and even creating backyard gardens haveall been made easier with the use of synthetic herbicides. However, the

overuse of one particular chemical is causing the development of resistant weeds,cautions the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). In a recent report, theorganization stated that glyphosate’s “widespread, repeated, and often sole usefor weed management has selected weeds that have become glyphosate resis-tant and are thus not controlled by this herbicide.”

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in broad-spectrum herbicides such asRoundup® and Touchdown®. Since its introduction in 1974 by Monsanto, it “is used

on more area of field crops and horticultural crops thanany other active ingredient and has been very importantin agricultural production,” says Stefan Seiter, an agri-cultural ecologist with the Linn-Benton Community Col-lege in Albany, Oregon. According to the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, in recent years, between 13 and 20million acres in the United States have been treated with18.7 million pounds of glyphosate annually.

Indeed, weeds like Palmer amaranth (Amaranthuspalmeri) and giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) have de-veloped glyphosate resistance, according to ChrisBoerboom, a University of Wisconsin Extension weedscientist and WSSA member. “Over the past severalyears, we have seen the list of glyphosate-resistantweeds grow to nine species, which are scattered acrossat least 20 states,” Boerner says.

While the presence of glyphosate-resistant weedsmay not yet be a major issue for home gardeners, it is

becoming a concern at botanic gardens. Scott Starr, operations director of theBotanical Garden of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas, says that althoughglyphosate use is minimal at the garden, it has become necessary to apply in-creasingly stronger doses of the herbicide to control certain weeds.

To slow the prevalence of resistant weeds, the WSSA advises rotating betweenherbicides with different active ingredients and using non-chemical controls suchas tilling and mowing. However, these alternatives may create other issues. “Manytimes, a number of changes are needed in how plants are grown if a growerswitches from chemical to non-chemical control,” Seiter notes. If growers switchto herbicides with different active ingredients, “often these active ingredientsare more damaging for the environment,” he says.

“Kochia and Russian thistle are resistant to many other herbicides as well,”says Paul Walvatne, roadside vegetation management unit supervisor for the Min-nesota Department of Transportation. Economic factors can also affect weedmanagement practices. “Our spraying acreage has gone up over the years due toless mowing because of energy costs and wildlife concerns,” says Walvatne. “Butone spraying typically lasts much longer than one mowing because the perenni-al weeds and brush sprout back from mowing with a vengeance.”

Another concern is that “nothing will be done until the problems develop morewidely,” says Micheal Owen, professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University in Ames.He cautions that, because weed seeds can remain dormant for long periods of time,a weed’s resistance may not be immediately recognized. While Owen acknowledgesthere may be no easy solution to the problem of herbicide-resistant weeds, he says,“anything that diversifies the system [of management practices]” will help.

For more information, visit www.wssa.net.—Kirsten Winters, Editorial Intern

Overuse of glyphosate-based herbicides canresult in resistant weeds.

Herbicide Overuse Poses Risk of Resistant Weeds

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made the decision to close the indoor gar-dens as part of “a bold new vision” forDuke Farms to “become an environmen-tal showcase and learning center.” Thismove has not been popular with some ofthe gardens’ longtime visitors and sup-porters, who argue that these gardensshould be able to co-exist with the newplans. Supporters have presented petitionswith thousands of names and encouragedletter-writing campaigns and other actionsthrough the website www.savedukegar-dens.org, but this has not swayed the coursechosen by the trust’s board.

Plans include the renovation of asmaller conservatory on the property toachieve “gold” level certification fromthe Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design Green Building RatingSystem. This building will be used for anew indoor garden, which will incorpo-rate some of the plants from the gardensDuke designed. The rest of the collec-tion will be donated to other conserva-tories and gardens. The originalconservatory and its five attached green-houses, constructed in the early 1900s,will be converted into a production fa-

cility for native plants for the grounds.For more information, visit www.duke-

farms.org or call (908) 722-3700.

SEQUENCING THE CACAO GENOMEChocolate lovers can rest easy now thatthe U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA) has begun a five-year project tosequence the genome of the cacao tree(Theobroma cacao), the source of cocoa.The resulting genetic data will allow sci-entists to target the plant’s genes that pro-vide better disease-resistance, yield,flavor, and other desirable traits.

Though almost no cacao is grown inthe United States, the USDA has an in-terest in this research because many do-mestically produced crops such as nutsand raisins are used in chocolate prod-ucts. Mars, Inc., the world’s largest pro-ducer of chocolate-based candy, will fundthe project with more than $10 million,and IBM is contributing a supercomput-er to analyze the more than 400 millionparts of the genome. �

Written by Associate Editor Viveka Nevelnand Editorial Intern Kirsten Winters.

PEOPLE and PLACES in the NEWSBrooklyn Botanic Garden’s Elizabeth Scholtz Honored for Lifetime AchievementsElizabeth Scholtz, director emeritus of Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) in NewYork, received an Honorary Life Member Award from the American Public GardensAssociation (APGA) in June. Awarded to only 15 recipients in the 68-year history

of the APGA, this honor recognizes thosewho have given long term meritorious ser-vice to the organization and have demon-strated exceptional dedication to the fieldof public horticulture.

“During a botanic garden career that hasspanned nearly 50 years, Elizabeth Scholtzhas been a peerless ambassador and advo-cate for gardens and garden educationthroughout the world,” says Scot Medbury,president of BBG. “The world of public gar-dens has benefitted greatly from her role asmentor to several generations of NorthAmerican public garden professionals.”

Joining the BBG staff in 1960, Scholtzserved as the garden’s director from 1972to 1980. She sat on the APGA board in thelate 1970s and also has served on the com-

mittees for several botanic gardens. Other accolades she has earned include theScott Medal from the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore in 1981 and the Liberty HydeBailey Award from the American Horticultural Society in 1984.

Elizabeth Scholtz, shown here with APGAExecutive Director Dan Stark, center, andBBG President Scot Medbury, left, washonored in June for her lifetimecommitment to public horticulture.

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Feeding backyard birds can provide alot of entertainment since it allows you toget an up-close look at the fascinating an-tics of avian wildlife. If you really gethooked on watching your winged visitors,you may want to participate in CornellOrnithology Lab’s Project FeederWatch, aprogram that tracks the birds that visitfeeders during winter (see “Resources,”page 52).

To make the most of your bird feed-ing efforts, you will want to get a goodsturdy feeder, locate it in a safe (for thebirds) and handy (for you) location, andkeep it well stocked with the right kindsof seed and other food.

TYPES OF FEEDERSDifferent types of feeders favor differentbirds. The platform feeder—simply a flattray for holding birdseed—is suitable for

most seed-eating birds. Be sure the tray isequipped with drainage holes so that theseed doesn’t soak in water and get moldy.Similarly, a hopper feeder features a traybut adds a box for the seed, which is dis-pensed as the seed in the tray is consumed.Hopper feeders generally can hold moreseed, which means less frequent refilling,and they better protect the seed fromwind and rain.

Tube feeders come in many sizes;they consist of a central tube that holdsthe seed and holes through which birdsaccess it. The seed in the tube is usuallywell protected from moisture. Tubefeeders may include perches. Shortperches allow small birds such as finch-es to feed but will discourage larger birdssuch as jays and grackles. Some tubefeeders are designed for tiny nyjer seed,a favorite of finches. Nyjer feeders have

smaller openings and often includeperches above the opening.

Hummingbird feeders are designed todispense nectar (a sugar-water solution)through small tubes or openings. The nec-tar is contained in a reservoir, either an in-verted bottle style or a basin style.Hummingbird nectar can be purchased asa mix, but it’s easy to make yourself. Sim-ply boil water and stir in white sugar untilit dissolves, using a ratio of four partswater to one part sugar. Allow the solutionto cool before offering it to your birds. Youcan store extra nectar in the refrigerator fora week if need be. Since hummingbirdfeeders need to be cleaned regularly—every time you replace the nectar, or everythree to five days—ease of disassemblyand cleaning are important features toconsider when selecting one.

Suet feeders are suspended wiremesh cages, bags, or ornamental metalsupports that hold suet in place so birdscan nibble on it. Most suet, a high-fatfood mixture that is a good choice for in-sect-eaters such as nuthatches and wood-peckers, is made out of beef kidney fat,which is often available (and inexpen-sive) from your grocer’s meat depart-ment. You can purchase processed suetcakes or balls that are ready to pop intoyour feeder or you can make your own(see recipe for Vegetable Shortening“Suet” Cakes, page 51).

Regardless of which type feeders youuse, be sure to keep them clean. Bacteriaand mold can develop, especially in dampweather, and diseases can be spread in birddroppings. Cornell’s Project FeederWatchadvises that you wash your feeders ap-proximately every two weeks in mild,

by Rita Pelczar

Backyard Bird Feeders

BIRD WATCHING and gardening go hand in hand. You can encourage a variety of birds to visit your

yard by growing plants with seeds or fruit that birds favor and that provide cover and nesting sites.

But when your plants are not serving up sufficient fodder—or if you want to boost the quantity and

quality of your offerings—well-stocked bird feeders will fill the bill.

Left: This feeder features a roof designed tokeep squirrels from getting the seeds.Above: Hummingbird feeders hold nectar.

soapy water, then rinse them in a 10 per-cent bleach solution (one part bleach tonine parts water). Allow feeders to drythoroughly before refilling them.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SEEDSWhile there are lots of different kinds ofbird seed on the market, Project Feeder-Watch has determined that black-oil sun-flower seed is the best all-around seed forattracting a wide range of birds to feeders.It has lots of meat for its size, is high infat, and the shell is thin so even small birdsare able to crack it. Finches, chickadees,

titmice, cardinals, and sparrows are par-ticularly fond of it.

Safflower looks like a white sunflowerseed. It will attract many of the same birdsas black-oil sunflower seeds, althoughgiven a choice, they’ll usually go for thesunflower seeds first. Nyjer (sometimescalled thistle, although it is not related toNorth American thistle) is favored byfinches, so is a good choice if you wantfinches exclusively at a particular feeder.

Ground-foraging birds such as juncosfavor millet, a small round grain. Sprin-kling millet beneath your feeders will addanother dimension of feeding activity.

Whole corn is an inexpensive feed thatwild turkeys and ducks enjoy, whilecracked corn is a favorite of doves, quail,jays, and sparrows (for more about seed fa-vored by birds, see “Seed and Food Prefer-ences of Common Feeder Birds,” page 52).

Be sure to store bird seed in a cool, dryplace to prevent mold. Do not use seed ifit becomes moldy.

SITING YOUR FEEDERSPlacement of feeders is an important con-sideration. To be able to watch your birdsas they feed, put the feeders where youare likely to enjoy them—a porch, deck,or in front of a window in the kitchen orfamily room, for example.

Locate your feeder in a somewhatsheltered spot near some natural cover,ideally some evergreen trees and shrubs,which provide your avian visitors a spotto wait their turn as well as some pro-tection from predators and harsh weath-er. On the other hand, siting your feedertoo close to trees and shrubs provideshiding places for hungry cats and com-petitive squirrels. A distance of about 10feet from natural cover is generally con-sidered a good compromise.TO

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Sunflower seeds attract a variety of birds.

A wire wreath for holding suet balls alsoserves as an outdoor decoration.

Vegetable Shortening “Suet” CakesThis is a great project to do with kids,and birds love it as a winter treat! I havesquare wire suet cages to hang thecakes, so I use square, half-pint plasticcontainers for the molds, filled to aboutone inch. They fit just right.

1 cup solid vegetable shortening1 cup peanut butter2 1/2 cups yellow corn meal1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour1 cup cracked corn

Melt shortening, then remove from heat.Add peanut butter and blend well. Mix inthe remaining ingredients. Spoon intoplastic tubs or molds and chill. Whenfirm, remove molds and hang the cakesoutside immediately, or place in individ-ual plastic bags to freeze for later. —R.P.

Many birds—perhaps millions eachyear—are killed when they mistake the re-flection of a window as a pathway to an-other area of your yard. To prevent birdsfrom flying into windows, keep feeders ei-ther within three feet of the window—so

they aren’t likely to gain enough momen-tum to injure themselves—or more than30 feet away from the window—where thereflection will be less inviting.

BIRDS GET THIRSTY, TOOIn addition to feeders, be sure to supplybirds with clean water throughout the year.Birdbaths can add ornamental interest tothe garden as well as supply the water needsof your birds, but simple shallow bowls ofwater placed near feeders work well, too.Change the water and clean the bowls fre-quently, and if you live in an area with coldwinters, consider a birdbath heater to pre-vent ice from forming.

OUTFOXING SQUIRRELSOne of the most common bird feedingproblems is squirrels that scare away birds,eat all the seeds, and destroy the feeders.Squirrels have demonstrated amazing skillat scaling poles, leaping from nearbystructures, and suspending themselvesfrom all sorts of wires or chains used tosupport bird feeders in their attempt todevour the contents. There are strategiesthat can help prevent or at least minimizesquirrels’ ravaging your feeders.

Baffles are fairly effective—at leastuntil the squirrels figure out another wayto the feeder. These dome-shaped orcylindrical devices suspended abovehanging feeders or attached below feed-ers mounted on poles create a physicalbarrier for the squirrels.

Some tube feeders include a cage sur-rounding the tube that allows small birdsto enter the feeding area while keepingsquirrels outside of it. Be sure the cagehas sufficiently small openings, otherwisesquirrels will find their way inside.

Other bird feeders are weight activat-ed: feeding ports remain open for light-weight birds, but close in response to theheft of a squirrel on the feeding platform.And some feeders employ a mild electricshock or can be mounted on a device that

spins the whole feeder until the squirrelis dislodged.

A different strategy is to feed squirrelstheir own repast in a separate part of theyard. Squirrel feeders are usually built tohold peanuts or dried ears of corn—someof their favorite foods.

So as winter approaches and seeds andberries become more scarce, welcomebird life into your backyard with a well-stocked bird feeder, then sit back andenjoy the show. �

Rita Pelczar is a contributing editor for TheAmerican Gardener. C

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ResourcesBirds at Your Feeder by Erica H. Dunnand Diane L. Tessaglia-Hymes. W.W.Norton Co., New York, 2001.

The FeederWatcher’s Guide to BirdFeeding by Margaret Barker and JackGriggs. Harper-Collins, New York,2000.

The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher:Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens by RobertBurton and Stephen Kress. ThunderBay Press, Berkeley, California, 2002.

Project FeederWatch, Cornell Ornithol-ogy Lab, www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/.

SourcesBackyard Bird Company,www.backyardbird.com.

Droll Yankees, www.drollyankees.com.

Duncraft, www.duncraft.com.

Gardener’s Supply,www.gardeners.com.

Outdoor Birdfeeders, Inc.,www.outdoorbirdfeeders.com.

SEED AND FOOD PREFERENCES OF COMMON FEEDER BIRDSChickadees Nuthatches Finches Cardinals & Sparrows & Jays Woodpeckers Titmice Pigeons &

Grosbeaks Blackbirds Doves

Sunflower X X X X X X X XSafflower X X X XCorn X X XMillet X XMilo X XNyjer X(Thistle)Suet X X X X X

Chart adapted from Project FeederWatch of Cornell Lab of Ornithology (www.feederwatch.org), used with permission.

This feeder is enclosed in a wire cage toprevent squirrels from getting to the seeds.


Growing Trees from SeedHenry Kock, et al. Firefly Books, Richmond Hill, Ontario, 2008. 280pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $45.

I HAVE BEEN growing trees from seed since 1952, the yearCanadian author Henry Kock was born. I wish this book had

been available to me when I began, sothat I could have avoided making allmy own mistakes!

Growing Trees from Seed is organizedinto introductory material about treesand their place in the forest, how to findand collect their seeds, and how to ger-minate and grow them, followed by anentire chapter devoted to the conserva-tion of our natural world. The body ofthe book profiles more than 200 species

of trees and other woody plants, giving ecological observationsand details about seed collection and propagation.

Throughout the book, Kock shows an acute awareness of thevirtues of native trees and an equally strong grasp of the potentialproblems associated with some exotics. That said, he still describeshow to grow a variety of exotics, offering caveats where appropri-ate. He manages to convey a sense of which ones should be passedover because they have invasive tendencies and which ones shouldbe attempted even if their cultural requirements are challenging.

The pages’ wide margins are annotated, as an author might dowhile organizing his thoughts, with sketches and notes pertainingto the text. Some of this material is artistic, some is insightful, anda few pieces are cautionary and interestingly contradictory. For ex-ample, “The nine lives of a woody plant” is, in truth, a thought-provoking list of nine ways humans inadvertently kill plants.

The front matter (preface, introduction, etc.) of a book isoften a window into the mind of its author. In this case, I cameaway with the impression that Kock was a true naturalist. Grow-ing Trees From Seed is not merely a how-to reference; for that, seethe substantial appendices. It gives the reader a context, philoso-phy, and background that I have not often seen elsewhere. Sadly,Kock died before completing this manuscript. Fortunately for us,his friends, also knowledgeable and passionate tree folks, took theinitiative to finish his book so that we can all benefit from hisknowledge and insightful views about trees.

—Guy Sternberg

Guy Sternberg is the founder of Starhill Forest Arboretum inPetersburg, Illinois. He is also the award-winning author andphotographer of Native Trees for North American Landscapes andLandscaping with Native Trees.

Herbaceous Perennial PlantsAllan M. Armitage. Stipes Publishing, Champaign, Illinois, 2008. 1224pages. Publisher’s price, softcover: $68.80.

ELEVEN YEARS after the previous edition, the much antici-pated third edition of Allan Armitage’s guide to herbaceous peren-

nials is here at last. Updated and upsized,this new edition includes more than 1,000pages of nomenclature, descriptions, cul-ture, philosophy, opinions, new plants,line drawings, and illuminating stories.

Despite its dry title and drier subtitle,“A Treatise on their Identification, Cultureand Garden Attributes,” this is no austeretextbook. It celebrates gardening’s gifts of“therapy, creativity, and excitement.” Ifyou’ve heard the author speak, you’ll rec-

ognize the passion and wit that make him one of the most sought-after speakers on the horticultural lecture circuit.

Armitage’s most inspirational message is “try it!” Grudginglycalling U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone ratings“the best we have...to evaluate limits,” he gleefully notes, “plantsdon’t read,” so gardeners should try plants that shouldn’t work.

A native Canadian transplanted to Georgia, where he is a hor-ticulture professor, Armitage grasps the obvious differences andsurprising similarities among various climate zones. The AthensSelect plant evaluation program that he oversees at the Universi-ty of Georgia gives him perspective on the horticulture industry’smercenary realities. Straddling disparate worlds, he is well placedto offer refreshing insights about the connections between acade-mia, the nursery industry, and gardeners.

About the only things I could fault are the line drawings in thebook. With nothing distracting the eye, good botanical art shouldcommunicate plant characteristics better than photographs. In myopinion, these don’t. Also, quality seems hit and miss. For exam-ple, Heuchera and Paeonia are splendidly rendered while others,such as Lysimachia, are blotchy.

As compensation, the photographs, clustered in a discrete sec-tion, are excellent. They’d be even better larger, but then this ref-erence might become dangerously close to coffee-table size. Thatwouldn’t work for this book, which is designed to be used regu-larly—in classrooms, potting sheds, and Master Gardener officesthroughout America—until it is dog-eared and tattered.

—John Friel

John Friel is technical marketing manager for Yoder Perennials inLancaster, Pennsylvania, and a board member of the Perennial PlantAssociation, based in Columbus, Ohio.

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A Genius for PlaceRobin Karson, with photographs by Carol Betsch. University of Mass-achusetts Press, Amherst, Massachusetts, 2007. 428 pages. Pub-lisher’s price, hardcover: $65.

YET AGAIN Robin Karson has hit the ball out of the park. Thisis, after all, the American landscape historian who has received

much critical acclaim for her previousbooks. Her latest opus is an edge-of-the-seat discourse on seven sublimeAmerican gardens, their extraordinaryowners, and their exceptional designers.

A Genius for Place covers a periodthat begins in the late 19th century andends as World War II threatens—a timeof unprecedented expansion of wealthand seismic sociological changes. Thiscoffee-table sized book explores a wide

range of design challenges and solutions, along with mesmerizingportraits of the patrons who paid handsomely for, and worked soclosely with, the artists. As a result, Karson restores the luster ofa romantic landscape style which, by the latter part of the 20thcentury, had fallen into disrepute as sleeker designs triumphed andthe idea of “Nature as Guide” faded.

The book opens with an overview of the approach of such19th-century giants as Frederick Law Olmsted and its influenceon landscape gardeners of the day (the term landscape archi-

tect had yet to come into being). This is followed by three sec-tions detailing the creation of seven estate gardens, spanningfrom Massachusetts to California. The chapters within eachsection provide fascinating details about both the garden own-ers and the designers.

The gardens include Gwinn and Stan Hywet Hall in Ohio,Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., Delaware’s Winterthur,the Edsel Ford Grosse Pointe Shores estate in Michigan, ValVerde in California, and Naumkeag in Massachusetts. Theireight designers include five men—Warren H. Manning, CharlesA. Platt, Jens Jensen, Lockwood de Forest Jr., and FletcherSteele—and three women—Ellen Shipman, Beatrix Farrand,and Marian Cruger Coffin. The rising influence of women aslandscape professionals is a fascinating subtext indeed.

The book is generously illustrated with historic pho-tographs. These are complemented by the superb modern blackand white pictures of Carol Betsh, which exquisitely capturethe spirit of each site.

Too often, Americans prefer to focus on gardens on the otherside of the pond, from England to Japan. In this book, as in herprevious works, Karson redirects us towards our own homegrownantecedents. And we are that much richer for it. �

—Linda Yang

A former garden columnist for The New York Times, Linda Yangis the author of four books, including The City Gardener’sHandbook (Storey Publishing, 2002).


THE CURRENT movement toward more ecologicallysound practices has created greater awareness about theeffect our everyday actions have on the environment.

Arguments over what it means to be sustainable, organic, andnatural aside, gardeners have been applying practices meant to“green” their worlds for centuries. In my own quest to tend ahealthier, more productive garden, I am always seeking outpublications describing how to protect habitats, soil, and waterresources. This handful of recently published books offers plen-ty of advice and inspiration for anyone who believes in gar-dening for the greater—and greener—good.

Often, having a basic understanding of the science behindrecommended practices helps us make better gardening deci-

sions. The Informed Gardener (Univer-sity of Washington Press, 2008, $18.95) byLinda Chalker-Scott explores the mythsand realities of these practices and identi-fies whether they are scientifically testedand true. Based on a series of columnspublished since 2000, this well-writtenbook covers topics such as plant physiolo-gy, soil amendments and additives, plantchoices, and mulches, to name a few.“This book will help you develop a sense

of how garden and landscape plants respond to their environ-ments,” writes Chalker-Scott, so that you can become “part ofa sustainable, natural system rather than its adversary.”

“As gardeners we have a tremendous opportunity to affectand improve the health of our environment at home and be-

yond,” writes Joe Lamp’l in TheGreen Gardener’s Guide (CoolSprings Press, 2007, $16.95). To thoseends, this book provides helpful tipsand the most up-to-date, ecologicallysound gardening techniques. Dividedinto one- to two-page sections, thebook succinctly describes planet-pre-serving recommendations and activi-ties, complete with numerous sidebarscontaining statistics, definitions, andfascinating facts. Chapters cover top-

ics such as water conservation, reducing synthetic chemicaluse, recycling or composting waste, using less energy, and pro-tecting the ecosystem. This accessible book includes plenty ofcheckpoints for measuring the impact of various gardeningactivities “to help you understand just what you can accom-plish by taking a stand and acting.”

In The Truth About Organic Gardening (Timber Press,2008, $12.95), Jeff Gillman asserts that “simply assuming that

a practice is good or bad because it is or-ganic or non-organic is a surefire way toget yourself into all kinds of trouble.”For example, he points out that naturaloptions for pest control, such asrotenone, can sometimes be more toxicthan synthetic ones. The book exploresstrategies for dealing with various gar-den pests such as weeds, insects, dis-eases, and wildlife, as well as soilenrichment and fertilization. For each,

Gillman explains the benefits and drawbacks of both organicand synthetic options. At the end of each chapter he gives asummary of important considerations to keep in mind in orderto make the best choices possible.

Composting is one activity that not only reduces landfillwaste, but also helps to build healthy soil, the foundation of suc-

cessful gardening. The Complete Com-post Gardening Guide (StoreyPublishing, 2008, $19.95) by BarbaraPleasant and Deborah L. Martin offersnew information for even the most expe-rienced composter. Moving well beyondthe familiar piling of yard debris andkitchen scraps in a heap or bin, the bookalso describes more unusual methodssuch as composting in trenches or holes,

vermicomposting, and brewing compost tea. Sidebars with sci-entific tidbits, composting trivia, and neighborly advice from theauthors, along with clear color photographs, supplement theeasy-to-read, often entertaining text. A glossary and list of help-ful resources for further exploration complete the guide.

“The most basic gardening rule is to always take your gar-dening cues from the natural world” is Marlene Condon’s ad-

vice in Nature-Friendly Garden:Creating a Backyard Haven forPlants, Wildlife, and People (Stack-pole Books, 2006, $19.95). That’s notto say one must turn the garden intoan unkempt wilderness in order to co-exist with and enjoy nature. Rather,Condon explains techniques forachieving a balance that benefits bothgardeners and wildlife. The author’scolor photographs of creatures foundin her garden enhance the text, which

describes how to attract wildlife such as mammals, birds, andbutterflies with plants and other garden elements. �

—Kirsten Winters, Editorial Intern

CGARDENER’S BOOKS

Gardening for the Greater Good


NORTHEASTCT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT

RAP SEPT. 27. Chile Pepper Fiesta.Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Brooklyn, NewYork. (718) 623-7200. www.bbg.org.

SEPT. 28–OCT. 1. Invasive and Exotic PlantEradication and Plant Community Restora-tion. Seminar. Humboldt Field Research In-stitute. Steuben, Maine. (207) 546-3042.www.eaglehill.us.

OCT. 1. Cherish Our Natural Heritage: Manag-ing Invasives to Promote Native Diversity.Symposium. Connecticut Invasive PlantWorking Group. University of Connecticut.Storrs, Connecticut. (860) 871-4066.www.hort.uconn.edu/cipwg.

RAP OCT. 3–5. Foliage Art & Craft Festival.Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. Man-chester, Vermont. (800) 362-1788.www.hildene.org.

RAP OCT. 4 & 18. Shrub and Tree Pruning.Workshop. Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Boylston, Maine. (508) 869-6111.www.towerhillbg.org.

RAP OCT. 7 & 14. Hypertufa Trough Work-shop. Blithewold Mansion, Gardens, and Ar-boretum. Bristol, Rhode Island. (401) 253-2707. www.blithewold.org.

OCT. 11. The Brine Design: Landscape and Garden Principles in Practice. Work-shop. Brine Garden. Pawling, New York.(845) 855-9023. www.gardenlarge.com/duncan-brine/newfs.

RAP OCT. 18–NOV. 16. Kiku Exhibition andFlower Show. The New York Botanical Gar-den. Bronx, New York. (718) 817-8616.www.nybg.org.

RAP OCT. 25. Fall Workfest. Volunteercleanup day. Landis Arboretum. Esperance,New York. (518) 875-6935. www.landisarboretum.org.

MID-ATLANTICPA, NJ, VA, MD, DE, WV, DC

SEPT. 18–21. American Dahlia Society’s National Show. Longwood Gardens. KennettSquare, Pennsylvania. (610) 388-1000.www.longwoodgardens.org.

RAP SEPT. 19. On Bringing Nature Home. Lecture. Brookside Gardens. Wheaton, Maryland. (301) 962-1400.www.brooksidegardens.org.

RAP SEPT. 19 & 20. Fall Plant Sale.Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. Richmond, Virginia. (804) 262-9887. www.lewisginter.org.

SEPT. 20. Seed Saving Workshop. GardenShop. Monticello. Charlottesville, Virginia.(434) 984-9822. www.monticello.org.

SEPT. 25. Fall Flurry in a Country Garden.Lecture. The Cross Estate Gardens.Bernardsville, New Jersey. (973) 376-0348.www.crossestategardens.org.

SEPT. 26. Maryland Regional ConservationLandscaping Field Day and Tour. Chesa-peake Conservation Landscaping Council.Annapolis, Maryland. (410) 531-5973.www.chesapeakelandscape.org.

RAP SEPT. 26–28. GardenFair at Winterthur.Garden festival. Winterthur, Delaware. (302)888-6400. www.winterthur.org.

OCT. 3–7. Green Infrastructure: Linking Land-scapes and Communities. Annual meetingand expo. American Society of LandscapeArchitects. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.(202) 898-2444. www.asla.org.

OCT. 4. National Capital Dahlia SocietyBloom Sale. Trial Garden. Derwood, Maryland. (703) 241-0442. www.nationalcapitaldahlia.org.

RAP OCT. 5. Fall Festival. Morris Arbore-tum. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (215)247-5777. www.morrisarboretum.org.

OCT. 17. Perennial Plant Conference. ScottArboretum of Swarthmore College. Swarth-more, Pennsylvania. (610) 388-1000 ext.507. www.perennialplantconference.org.

OCT. 17–19. Maryland Home & Garden Show. Maryland State Fairgrounds. Timonium, Maryland. (410) 863-1180.www.mdhomeandgarden.com.

OCT. 18. Eco-gardens with Native Plants.Class. Maymont Nature Center. Richmond,Virginia. (804) 358-7166 ext. 310.www.maymont.org.

RAP OCT. 31. Mutations and Freaks:Plants with Skeletons in the Closet.Walk and lecture. Brookside Gardens.Wheaton, Maryland. (301) 962-1427.www.brooksidegardens.org.

Looking aheadNOV. 8. Lawn Alternatives for the Real World.Lecture. Scott Arboretum of SwarthmoreCollege. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. (610)328-8024. www.scottarboretum.org.

SOUTHEASTAL, FL, GA, KY, NC, SC, TN

RAP SEPT. 20 & 21. Fall Open House andPlant Sale. Reflection Riding Arboretum andBotanical Garden. Chattanooga, Tennessee.(423) 821-9582. www.reflectionriding.org.

RAP SEPT. 26–28. Surround Yourself withShady Characters. Symposium. JC RaulstonArboretum. Raleigh, North Carolina. (919) 513-7005. www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum.

SEPT. 26–28. Kentucky Orchid Society Show. Executive Inn. Louisville, Kentucky.(561) 404-2000. www.kyorchidsociety.org.

RAP SEPT. 30. Florida Top Ten GardenGuide. Class. Harry P. Leu Gardens. Orlando, Florida. (407) 246-2620.www.leugardens.org.

RAP OCT. 1. Seed Workshop. Yew Dell Gar-dens. Crestwood, Kentucky. (502) 241-4788. www.yewdellgardens.org.

CREGIONAL HAPPENINGS

Horticultural Events from Around the Country

Events sponsored by or including officialparticipation by AHS or AHS staff membersare identified with the AHS symbol.

Events hosted by botanical gardens andarboreta that participate in AHS’s ReciprocalAdmissions Program are identified with theRAP symbol. Current AHS members showing avalid membership card are eligible for free ordiscounted admission to the garden or otherbenefits. Special events may not be included;contact the host site for details or visitww.ahs.org/events/reciprocal_events.htm.

OCT. 3 & 4. Trade Show 2008. Middle Ten-nessee Nursery Association. McMinnville,Tennessee. (931) 668-7322.www.mtna.com.

OCT. 6–8. 2008 State Master Gardener Conference. Sea Trail Resort and Confer-ence Center. Sunset, North Carolina. (910)754-4148. www.ncmastergardeners.org.

OCT. 7–10. Eastern Native Grass Symposium.Radisson Hotel and Conference Center. Columbia, South Carolina. (864) 656-3527. www.clemson.edu/~bstrngr/E_Native_Grass.

OCT. 14–17. Tuning Into a Changing Climateand Biological Invasion. Conference. NaturalAreas Association. Nashville, Tennessee.(541) 317-0199. www.naturalarea.org.

RAP OCT. 15. Medicinal Plant Symposium.The State Botanical Garden of Georgia.Athens, Georgia. (706) 542-6156.www.uga.edu/botgarden.

RAP OCT. 16–19. Plantasia! Fall plant sale.Mobile Botanical Gardens. Mobile, Alabama.(251) 342-0555. www.mobilebotanicalgardens.org.

OCT. 17–19. Charleston Garden Festival atMiddleton Place. Charleston, South Carolina. (843) 556-6020. www.charlestongardenfestival.org.

Looking aheadNOV. 1. Fall Family Festival Fun Day.Bellingrath Gardens. Theodore, Alabama.(800) 247-8420. www.bellingrath.org.

NOV. 8. The World of Soils with Tony Avent.Class. Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. Raleigh,North Carolina. (919) 772-4794.www.plantdelights.com.

NORTH CENTRALIA, IL, IN, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI

RAP SEPT. 20. Tour of Toledo BotanicalGardens. The Gardeners of America/Men’sGarden Club of America. Fort Wayne, Indi-ana. (260) 854-2988. www.tgoa-mgca.org.

SEPT. 27. Second Biennial Native Plant Symposium. Purdue University. Hammond, Indiana. (219) 844-3188.www.for-wild.com/chapters/Conf/.

RAP SEPT. 27 & 28. Auxillary Harvest Saleand Quilt Raffle. Minnesota Landscape Ar-

boretum. Chaska, Minnesota. (952) 443-1400. www.arboretum.umn.edu.

AHS OCT. 2–4. America in Bloom Sympo-sium and Awards Program. Columbus, Ohio.(614) 487-1117. www.americainbloom.org.

RAP OCT. 4. Fall Foliage Festival. HiddenLake Gardens. Tipton, Michigan. (517)431-2060. hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu.

RAP OCT. 7. The Art & Business of GardenDesign. Symposium. Chicago Botanic Gar-den. Glencoe, Illinois. (847) 835-5440.www.chicagobotanic.org.

RAP OCT. 7 & 14. Hypertufa Trough Work-shop. Blithewold Mansion, Gardens, and Ar-boretum. Bristol, Rhode Island. (401) 253-2707. www.blithewold.org.

RAP OCT. 11. Earth Tones: Gardening inTune with Nature. Symposium. BoernerBotanical Gardens. Hales, Wisconsin. (414)525-5675. www.boernerbotanicalgardens.org.

RAP OCT. 11 & 12. African Violet Show andSale. Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Madison,Wisconsin. (608) 833-4583.www.olbrich.org.

OCT. 18. Natural Landscaping with NativePlants Symposium. Cardinal Stritch Univer-sity. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (414) 299-9888. www.for-wild.com/chapters/Conf.

RAP OCT. 21. Gourmet Soil. Class. Schoolof the Chicago Botanic Garden. Glencoe,Illinois. (847) 835-8261. www.chicagobotanic.org/school.

SOUTH CENTRALAR, KS, LA, MO, MS, OK, TX

SEPT. 17–20. Texas Plant Conservation Conference. Texas A&M University. CorpusChristi, Texas. (512) 292-4200. www.wildflower.org.

RAP SEPT. 20–NOV. 2. The Great PumpkinFestival. Dallas Arboretum and BotanicalGarden. Dallas, Texas. (214) 515-6500.www.dallasarboretum.org.

RAP OCT. 2–4. Orchids in October. Plantsale. Myriad Botanical Gardens. OklahomaCity, Oklahoma. (405) 297-3995. myriadb-otanicalgardens.org.

RAP OCT. 18 & 19. Mid-American RegionalLily Society Sale. Missouri Botanical Gar-den. St. Louis, Missouri. (314) 577-5100.www.mobot.org.

RAP OCT. 21. Birding at Botanica. Hike andclass. Botanica, The Wichita Gardens. Wi-chita, Kansas. (316) 264-0448.www.botanica.org.A

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“TOUGH NATIVE HABITATS” is the theme for the Central South Native PlantConference to be held October 17 and 18 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Al-abama. The conference offers something for everyone, including lectures, tours, andbook and plant sales.

Participants can choose from an array of concurrent sessions on topics such as droughttolerant native species, the impact of in-vasives, river restoration, waterwise gar-dening, and rare plants. Sessions featurespecialists with extensive experience. Forexample, Jim Lacefield, speaking on“The Geologic Basis for Alabama’s Mo-saic of Landscapes and Life,” is a retiredprofessor who writes about geology, ge-ologic history, and other aspects of Al-abama’s natural environment. SaraBright, photographer and butterflychaser, will join with Paulette HaywoodOgard to discuss their research on thelife cycles of more than 100 species ofbutterflies and these insects’ relation-ships to native plants.

Field trips include a visit to theKathy Stiles Freeland Bibb County Glades Preserve where nine new plant species en-demic to these unique dolomite glades have been discovered and named by naturalistJim Allison, who will be on hand to answer questions. Participants will also have theopportunity to tour Hind’s Rock, Homewood Forest Preserve, Moss Rock Preserve,Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, Talledega National Forest, Shoal Creek District,and Turkey Creek Preserve. For more information, visit www.bbgardens.org/central-south.php or call (205) 414-3900. —Kirsten Winters, Editorial Intern

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is hosting afall Native Plant Conference.

Central South Native Plant Conference

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RAP OCT. 21. Heirloom Plants in the Gar-den. Lecture. The Biedenharn Museum &Gardens. Monroe, Louisiana. (318) 387-5281. www.bmuseum.org.

SOUTHWESTAZ, NM, CO, UT

RAP SEPT. 20. Fall Plant and Bulb Sale.Denver Botanic Gardens. Denver, Colorado.(720) 865-3500. www.botanicgardens.org.

SEPT. 26–28. Home & Landscape Show.Arizona State Fairgrounds. Phoenix, Arizona.(602) 485-1691. www.maricopacountyhomeshows.com.

RAP SEPT. 27. Wildflower Walk. The Ar-boretum at Flagstaff. Flagstaff, Arizona.(928) 774-1442. www.thearb.org.

RAP SEPT. 28. Central Arizona Cactus andSucculent Society Meeting. Desert BotanicalGarden. Phoenix, Arizona. (480) 941-1225.www.dbg.org.

OCT. 4. Fall Plant Sale. Tucson BotanicalGardens. Tucson, Arizona. (520) 326-9686.www.tucsonbotanical.org.

RAP OCT. 17–19. Fall Plant Sale Festival.Desert Botanical Garden. Phoenix, Arizona.(480) 941-1225. www.dbg.org.

RAP OCT. 23. Plant-Driven Design. Lecture.Denver Botanic Gardens. Denver, Colorado.(720) 865-3500. www.botanicgardens.org.

WEST COASTCA, NV, HI

SEPT. 27. Annual Poison Oak Show. Colum-bia, California. (209) 532-6604. www.columbiagazette.com/poison.html.

OCT. 2 & 3. The Garden Classroom. Educatorworkshop. Life Lab Garden Classroom at UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustain-able Food Systems. Santa Cruz, California.(831) 459-5476. www.lifelab.org.

RAP OCT. 4. Fall Plant Sale. Palos VerdesPeninsula, California. (310) 544-6815.www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org.

RAP OCT. 7 & 14. Starting From Seeds.Class. Descanso Gardens. La CañadaFlintridge, California. (818) 985-4200.www.descansogardens.org.

RAP OCT. 11 & 12. California Native and Fall Plant Sale. Fullerton Arboretum. Fullerton, California. (714) 278-3407.www.arboretum.fullerton.edu.

OCT. 13. Bamboo, The Earth and Us.Lecture. San Diego Horticultural Society.Del Mar, California. (760) 295-7089.www.sdhort.soc.org.

RAP OCT. 18. Los Angeles Flower DistrictTour. Descanso Gardens. La CañadaFlintridge, California. (818) 985-4200.www.descansogardens.org.

RAP OCT. 18. Research and Building Programs at the Santa Barbara Botanic

Garden. California Botanical Society Lec-ture. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. SantaBarbara, California. (510) 643-7008.www.calbotsoc.org.

Looking aheadNOV. 13. Native Plant Horticulture: Mythsand Legends. Lecture. Southern CaliforniaHorticultural Society. Los Angeles, Califor-nia. www.socalhort.org.

NORTHWESTAK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY

RAP SEPT. 20. Plastic Pot Recycling Day.Alaska Botanical Garden. Anchorage, Alas-ka. (928) 770-3692. www.alaskabg.org.

SEPT. 27. Fall Plant Sale. Berry Botanic Gar-den. Portland, Oregon. (503) 636-4112.www.berrybot.org.

SEPT. 28. Scarecrow Festival. Tizer Gardens.Jefferson City, Montana. (866) 933-8789.www.tizergardens.com.

RAP SEPT. 28. Touch the Earth. Benefitconcert. Idaho Botanical Garden. Boise, Ida-ho. (208) 343-8649. www.idahobotanicalgarden.org.

SEPT. 29. Fall Plant Identification and International Birds in Flight. Walk. Glacier Park. Montana Native Plant Society. Glacier National Park, Montana.(406) 837-0783. www.umt.edu/mnps.

OCT. 2–5. Portland Fall Home and GardenShow. Portland Expo Center. Portland, Ore-gon. (503) 246-8291. www.otshows.com.

RAP OCT. 5. Fall Bulb & Plant Sale.Washington Park Arboretum. Seattle, Washington. (206) 325-4510. www.arboretumfoundation.org.

OCT. 25 & 26. Fall Festival. Oregon Gardens.Silverton, Oregon. (503) 874-8100.www.oregongarden.org.

CANADA

SEPT. 27. Compost & Bulb Sale. Van DusenBotanical Garden. Vancouver, British Columbia. (604) 257-8666. www.vandusengarden.org.

OCT. 10. Tree Identification. Workshop. TheArboretum at the University of Guelph.Guelph, Ontario. (519) 824-4120 ext.52113. www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum.

OCT. 21 & 22. Garden & Florist Expo. Toronto,Ontario. www.gardenexpo.ca.

RAP OCT. 25. Sunscaping. Workshop. Glen-dale Gardens & Woodland. Victoria, British Co-lumbia. (250) 479-6162. www.hcp.bc.ca. �

PROMOTING THE GARDEN as a healing place, the American HorticulturalTherapy Association (AHTA) will hold its annual convention, with the theme “Con-

necting People with Nature,” from October 30 to November 1in Lexington, Kentucky. According to Gaye Horton, AHTAAssociation Director, “Our conference is the premier event tolearn about the latest developments in the field of horticulturetherapy. We have two days of conference sessions for attendeesfrom around the country and abroad.”

Keynote speaker Nilda Cosco, researcher, author, and co-founder of the Natural Learning Initiative in the College ofDesign at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, will dis-cuss the practical application of research in connecting youngchildren to nature. Other presentations will address a widerange of topics including supported employment for individ-uals with developmental disabilities; the impact of flowers onwellness; horticultural therapy services in acute care pediatric

facilities; and therapeutic garden design.Included in the convention will be tours of Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill and

Ashland-The Henry Clay Estate. To learn more about the event or to register, visitwww.ahta.org or call (859) 514-9177.

—Kirsten Winters, Editorial Intern

American Horticultural Therapy Association’sAnnual Convention in Kentucky

Nilda Cosco will bea keynote speaker.


CPRONUNCIATIONS AND PLANTING ZONES

A–EAloysia triphylla uh-LOY-zee-uh try-FIL-luh (USDA Zones 8–11,

AHS Zones 12–8)Bletilla striata bleh-TIL-luh stry-AY-tuh (5–8, 8–5)Bouteloua gracilis boo-teh-LOO-uh GRASS-ih-liss (5–9, 9–5)✕Butiagrus nabonnandii byew-tee-AG-rus nah-bo-NAN-dee-eye

(8–11, 12–8)Calanthe seiboldii kah-LAN-thee see-BOL-dee-eye (7–9, 9–7)Calopogon tuberosus kal-o-PO-gon too-buh-RO-sus (3–10, 9–2)Costus speciosus KOSS-tus spee-see-O-sus (8–11, 12–8)Cymbopogon citratus sim-bo-PO-gon sih-TRAY-tuss (9–11, 12–1)Cypripedium acaule sip-rih-PEE-dee-um uh-KAWL-ee (3–7, 7–1)C. ✕andrewsii C. an-DREW-zee-eye (3–6, 6–2)C. guttatum C. gyew-TAY-tum (2–4, 4–2)C. kentuckiense C. ken-tuh-kee-EN-see (6–10, 10–6)C. macranthos var. ventricosum C. muh-CRAN-thos var. ven-trih-KO-sum

(3–7, 7–1)C. parviflorum var. parviflorum C. par-vih-FLOR-um var. par-vih-FLOR-um

(2–9, 9–2)C. parviflorum var. pubescens C. par-vih-FLOR-um var. pyew-BESS-enz

(2–9, 9–1)C. reginae C. reh-JEE-nee (2–7, 7–1)Epipactis gigantea eh-pih-PAK-tiss jy-GAN-tee-uh (3–6, 6–2)

F–LFallugia paradoxa fah-LEW-gee-uh pair-uh-DOK-suh (7–11, 12–7)Foeniculum vulgare fee-NICK-yew-lum vul-GAY-ree (4–9, 9–1)Gaillardia aristata gay-LARD-ee-uh ahr-iss-TAY-tuh (3–8, 8–1)Gazania linearis guh-ZAY-nee-uh lin-ee-YAR-iss (8–10, 10–8)Goodyera pubescens good-YAIR-uh pyew-BESS-enz (6–9, 9–6)Gutierrezia sarothrae gyew-tee-air-REZ-ee-uh suh-RO-three (5–11, 12–5)Liatris punctata ly-AY-triss punk-TAY-tuh (4–9, 9–1)

M–RMagnolia acuminata mag-NOLE-yuh ak-yew-min-AY-tuh (4–9, 9–2)M. ashei M. ASH-ee-eye (6–9, 9–6) M. denudata M. deh-new-DAY-tuh (4–9, 9–6)M. fraseri M. FRAYZ-yer-eye (4–9, 9–6)M. grandiflora M. gran-dih-FLOR-uh (7–9, 9–6) M. macrophylla M. mak-ro-FIL-luh (6–9, 9–6)M. pyramidata M. pih-ruh-mih-DAY-tuh (7–9, 9–7) M. tripetala M. try-PET-uh-luh (4–9, 9–5)M. virginiana M. vir-jin-ee-AN-uh (6–9, 9–6)Penstemon pinifolius PEN-steh-mon pin-ih-FO-lee-us (4–10, 10–1)Phlox bifida FLOKS BIF-ih-duh (4–8, 8–1)Pinus edulis PIE-nus ed-YEW-liss (5–8, 8–5)Pogonia ophioglossoides po-GO-nee-uh o-fee-o-gloss-OY-deez

(3–8, 8–2)Pulsatilla vulgaris pull-suh-TIL-uh vul-GAIR-iss (5–7, 7–5)

S–ZSpiranthes cernua var. odorata spy-RAN-theez SAIR-new-uh var.

o-doh-RAY-tuh (4-8, 8-4)Stachys byzantina STAY-kiss bih-zan-TY-nuh (4–8, 8–1)Syagrus romanzoffiana sy-AY-grus rom-an-zof-ee-AN-uh (8–11, 12–8)Thymus pseudolanuginosus TY-muss soo-doh-lan-oo-jih-NO-sus (5–9, 9–5)Tulipa acuminata TOO-lip-uh ak-yew-min-AY-tuh (4–8, 8–4)T. bakeri T. BAY-ker-eye (4–8, 8–4)T. clusiana T. kloo-see-AN-uh (4–8, 8–4)T. humilis T. HEW-mih-lys (4–8, 8–4)T. kaufmanniana T. kawf-man-ee-AN-uh (4–8, 8–4)T. linifolia T. lih-nih-FO-lee-uh (4–7, 7–4)T. pulchella T. pul-KEL-uh (5–8, 8–5)T. sylvestris T. sil-VES-triss (4–8, 8–4)T. tarda T. TAR-duh (4–8, 8–4)T. turkestanica T. tur-keh-STAN-ih-kuh (5–8, 8–5)T. vvedenskyi T. veh-den-SKEE-eye (5–8, 8–5)Veronica pectinata ver-ON-ih-kuh pek-tih-NAY-tuh (2–7, 7–1)Viburnum nudum vy-BUR-num NEW-dum (5–9, 9–5)

Most of the cultivated plants described in this issue are listed here with their pronunciations, USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, and AHS Plant HeatZones. These zones suggest a range of locations where temperatures are appropriate—both in winter and summer—for growing each plant.

While the zones are a good place to start in determining plant adaptability in your region, factors such as exposure, moisture, snow cover, and hu-midity also play an important role in plant survival. The codes tend to be conservative; plants may grow outside the ranges indicated. A USDA zonerating of 0–0 means that the plant is a true annual and completes its life cycle in a year or less.

To purchase a two-by-three-foot glossy AHS Plant Heat Zone Map for $9.95, call (800) 777-7931 or visit www.ahs.org.


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CPLANT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

typically seen it in the wild). The emergingspring foliage is bronzy, turning brightgreen and glossy in summer, and—in mostcases—a potent red to red-purple in fall.The musky or malodorous white flowersbloom prolifically in flat clusters in mid-summer. In autumn, the raisinlike fruitsripen to pink and blue but are usually de-voured by birds.

As with many species, there is greatvariability among plants in the wild. Inmy travels, I have observed open, lanky,and scraggly specimens of V. nudum thateven a die-hard viburnophile would behard pressed to love.

Fortunately for gardeners, there are lotsof sharp-eyed horticulturists out therelooking for superior selections. In the caseof V. nudum, there are several highly tout-ed clones to choose from, includingBrandywine™ (‘Bulk’), ‘Count Pulaski’,‘Earth Shade’, ‘Moonshine’, ‘Pink Beauty’,and ‘Winterthur’. Originally, ‘Winterthur’surfaced as the best with its shiny foliage,superb red-purple fall color, and magnifi-cent pink to blue fruits. However, with in-creasing frequency, I observe large, open,splaying plants of this selection.

A transformational moment for mecame in 1999 at the Sir Harold Hillier Ar-boretum in England, when I first encoun-tered V. nudum ‘Pink Beauty’. The loveaffair was instantaneous: Mirror-reflectivefoliage, relatively compact habit, fruits per-sistent in early April even as the newbronzy leaves were pushing forth. There

were no clear records documenting the ori-gin of the plant or its name, but Mike Buf-fin, then curator at Hillier, allowed me toroot cuttings. I brought the plants to Geor-gia and, based on continued testing sincethen, now rate ‘Pink Beauty’ the best of theV. nudum cultivars. The immature fruitsare green, transitioning pink, then robin’s-egg blue in September to October, and fi-nally becoming darker, almost waxyConcord grape-blue, in winter.

In 2003, I planted a ‘Pink Beauty’ in mydaughter Susy’s garden in Chapel Hill,North Carolina. On February 11, this year,I walked in her garden and noted that theplant measured four feet high and widewithout any pruning. Brilliant blue fruitsstill persisted. Many viburnums require adifferent seedling or clone to facilitate fruit

set, but, based on my observations, ‘PinkBeauty’ appears to be self-fertile. As a pre-caution, a wild V. nudum seedling hadbeen added to Susy’s garden. On that Feb-ruary day, ‘Pink Beauty’ was dripping withfruit but the seedling had none.

‘Pink Beauty’ has proven quite adapt-able in USDA Zones 5 to 9. The heat anddrought of 2007 in the Chapel Hill-Durham-Raleigh triangle was one of theworst on record, yet I was impressed withthe resiliency of this cultivar during thatperiod. Every garden needs a viburnumand ‘Pink Beauty’ is a great first choice.�

The author of Manual of Woody LandscapePlants, among other books, Michael A. Dirris a former horticulture professor at theUniversity of Georgia in Athens.

by Michael A. Dirr

Viburnum nudum ‘Pink Beauty’

IN THE HIERARCHY of Viburnum species, smooth witherod (V. nudum) usually ranks in the top

tier. Native from Florida and Louisiana north to coastal New York and Connecticut, it is adaptable

to wet sites and moderate drought. Its form is plumpest in full sun, more open in shade (where I have

The fruits of Viburnum nudum ‘Pinky Beauty’ turn from green to pink, then blue.

SourceWilkerson Mill Gardens,Palmetto, GA. (770) 463-2400.www.hydrangea.com.

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