A Research Internship at Longwood in Kennett Square, Pen nsylvania By Erin Regan UW-RF Adviser - Dr. Terry Ferriss On Site Advisers - Alan Petravich & Dr. James Harbage

Cannas Graduate School Program Cedrus Germination *Problem The graduate school program at Longwood Gardens is taken I worked on finding the most efficient means of -Many cannas around the country, including some rare in cooperation with the . During my germinating Cedrus seeds. Due to the length of the experiment selections made by Longwood Gardens are infected with a internship at Longwood, I joined the Fellows on their Friday and the brevity of my internship, it was necessary to pass along virus. the latter portion of the experiment to a fellow intern. From *Solution field trips in order to gain a better understanding of public management and the graduate school program. We what I worked on, it was found that in order to open a Cedrus -Rid cannas of virus by means of cone, it must be soaked in warm water. If a cone is heated in the meristematic isolation. visited the Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania, the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, oven, as some propagation books instruct, the cone simply will *My involvement not open. -Isolate the meristems and Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, Pennsylvania. -Transfer explants to fresh tubes -Spread out the population of Longwood , thereby Propagation of Plant Material from Expeditions increasing the chance of healthy plants, by sending plants to -Longwood Gardens’ curator travels the other gardens around the country and world. Morris Arboretum world in search of new and unusual plant -Wash roots of all soil matter -Private Garden since 1887 material. -Have plant material inspected for shipping -Made public in 1932 -When the plants finally arrive back at the -Properly pack and ship plants -Boasts a wonderful woody collection, gardens, they are sent to the Research -Inspect canna plants onsite for the virus Garden Railway, camera obscura, and Department. The researchers find ways to more successfully propagate and grow the new -Most of funding is earned material. -16% University support -I had the opportunity to propagate -218% increase in endowment since *Problem hundreds of exciting new plants from 1993 -Many chrysanthemums, a very important crop at Longwood, China, , and Greece. were infected with Virus B (CVB). The Scott Arboretum *Solution Plant Evaluations -Rid chrysanthemums of CVB by means of -Allows Swarthmore College to be “The Most Beautiful meristematic isolation. Campus in America” Before a plant can be incorporated *My involvement -Heavily based on Quaker traditions into the gardens, it must undergo evaluation -Take inventory of all chrysanthemums -Mission to educate is beautifully by a committee. The committee consists of -Maintain healthy plants of each executed directors, gardeners, designers, and in tissue culture -Host of well-known Perennial and researchers. If the plant is liked, or even -Test grown chrysanthemums for CVB Woody Plant Conferences considered, more discussion is involved. If *Result -73% of funding from endowment the plant is not liked, it is discarded. I was -We found that a number of the cultivars were successfully able to be a contributing member of many cleansed of the virus through meristematic isolation. Chanticleer of these evaluations. -A pleasure garden Guinea Hens -Has been providing floral display Tissue Culture only since the early 1990’s Guinea hens are kept as a part of the Integrated Pest Through my work with the cannas and chrysanthemums, -All bridges, iron works, furniture, Management. They are kept in I was able to gain experience in all aspects of tissue culture. I made and murals are made by the the nursery area to help control specialized media, ran the autoclave, transferred plant material, horticultural staff ticks and other small insects. inspected and cleaned out contaminated cultures, performed -Rebuilt ruins add wonder to the I was responsible for getting the meristematic isolations, and weaned plants from a tissue culture beauty new chicks settled in at the environment to a greenhouse environment. -100% supported by endowment beginning of the summer, -One of the “10 Gardens That Inspire Us” by Horticulture making sure they were fed, and Magazine. rounded up in the evening.