Come explore the world ofgardens in the W'orld W'here America gre'W March 21 st through 26th, join us for five event­ filled days as Colonial Williamsburg, in associa­ tion with the American Horticultural Society, celebrates the 30th Annual Garden Symposium with workshops, panel discus­ sions and lectures on everything from an histori­ cal perspective on Ameri­ can botany to the fine art of flower photography. In addition to a once-a­ year opportunity to learn from some oftoday's lead­ ing flower arrangers, landscape architects, and horticulturists, th@re'll be tours of Colonial Williams­ burg's own gardens, can­ dlelight concerts, a special Yorktown Bicentennial tour and much, much more during this Bicentennial Year Symposium. Reservations must be accepted as they are received, and we strongly recommend that you make plans to attend now. We promise an experience that's sure to make you grow. Bookshop for Gardeners From the stock of Laurie T odd's comes the finest in gardening literature THE ORCHIDS: SCIENTIFIC STUDIES THE TREES OF CHRISTMAS FERNS FOR GARDEN AND GREEN- Carl L. Withner $22.50 Edna Metcalfe (comp) $ 7.95 HOUSE This 1974 edition is no t a revision of The Horticul tural Society of Davidson Philip Swindell s $ 7.50 1959 edition. New Material. County, Tennessee whose annual exhibit THE RHODODENDRON VOL. II "Chris tm as T rees of Many Land s" was THE NATURAL GARDENS OF NORTH Published by both the in spiration for and basis fo r CAROLINA: WITH KEYS AND DE­ The Leslie Urquhart Press $3 5.00 this book. SCRIPTIONS OF THE HERBACEOUS WILD FLOWERS FOUND THEREIN 18 reproductions from paintings by FLORA OF THE PACIFIC NORTH­ $ 7.95 Carlos Riefel. WEST: AN ILLUSTRATED MANUAL B. W. Well s MICRO-CLIMATE: THE BIOLOGICAL C. Leo Hitchcock $25.00 ENVIRONMENT A taxonomic treatment of all the species CREATE A BUTTERFLY GARDEN Norman J . Rosenberg $13 .5 0 of flowering plants, co ni fers, ferns, and L. Hugh Newman $ 2.00 fern-related plants native to or estab­ WILDFLOWER TRAILS OF THE lished in Washington, northern Oregon ALPINES FOR TROUBLE FREE GARD­ PACIFIC NORTHWEST and Idaho, western Mo ntana and south­ ENING Art Chipman $15 .00 ern British Columbia. Alan Bloom $ 5.00 236 full color illus. Over 10,000 illu s. PLANTS OF SHAKESPEARE DWARF BULBS CARNIVOROUS PLANTS Adelm a Grenier Simmons $ 2.50 Brian Mathew $12.95 Randall Schqartz $ 6.95 Published in association with the Royal How to find , grow, feed and care for THE COOL GREENHOUSE TODA Y Horticultural Society . 700 species covered. more than 40 species. A unique myth Deenagh Goold-Adams $12.50 and mystery chapter with cartoons, com­ A SAMPLER OF WAYSIDE HERBS : 250 genera described. Construction, ics and old engravings. REDISCOVERING OLD USES FOR equipment, management. FAMILIAR WILD PLANTS THE PHILADELPHIA AREA GREEN FERNS OF MICHIGAN Barbara Pond $17 .50 PAGES: A HANDBOOK FOR GREEN­ Cecil Billington $ 5.00 ING OF PHILADELPHIA Fern allies, rushes, club mosses included. One of the most exquisite books ever $ 3.00 stocked by Laurie Todd;s - sought A HISTORY OF THE ORCHID after even by the non-gardening biblio­ An indispensible guide for any gardener phile. 32 full-color paintings, 60 fin e living in Philadelphia Area. Published by Merle A. Reinikka $15 .00 line pencil drawings. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Foreword by Rebecca Northen Free gift wrapping. Card enclosures. Mailed anywhere Send order to: LAURIE TODD'S 62 E. Stratford Ave. Lansdowne,Pa.19050 /"elude 50c postage handling. Pa. res idents add 6 % sales tax. Your order will entitle yo u to be on th p Laurie Todd mailing list to rece ive all catalogues and listings. An Editorial Horticulturists: Certified, Sealed, and Delivered How reliable is the information available to gardeners advanced gardeners, therefore, must play major roles and in the United States? Many of us have "Dear Abby's" to handle many of the jobs communicating the hows, whys, help guide us with gardening problems. Yet, with do's and don'ts of the plant world. thousands of varieties of plants to be grown, few general All horticultural courses in our universities, arboreta, horticulturists are available to answer the countless ques­ botanic gardens and local clubs are now brimming with tions which arise. The problem is further compounded by students. Many do not expect to weave this gardening incompetent "sayers and sages" who present misleading, knowledge into a profession. They just want to acquire a inaccurate, and obscure methods of solving horticultural few basic skills. However, some of these people will want problems. to become professionals. This is why AHS started the Each of us has limits to our knowledge and gardening Horticultural Certification Program. At the Washington initiative. Th is is why "I iars panels" or "plant cI in ics" rate Congress-October, 1974, AHS awarded the first certifi­ high in the needs of every gardener. But they do not cates to five people. They had shown through a written provide the ultimate solution. Each of us tends to select or test and a demonstration of practical skills that they had hear only the flow of words that we want to hear and the basic knowledge to be recognized as a " horticul­ often disregard the rest. Seldom does one hear later that turist." We are currently restructuring and expanding this "your suggestion did a (pick one) good, poor, lousy, program with the cooperation of the American Associa­ fantastic job for me." Most of us forget where a gardening tion of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta and its more than idea came from anyway. This information is blended with 100 member institutions. We are developing a way for other ideas and distortions to produce new impressions. qualified individuals to gain professional recognition. When I was a beginning gardener, I sought the advice and Horticulturists must have more than ski lis, they must be continuing guidance of seasoned gardeners. Sometimes communicators of sensible and clear gardening informa­ they suggested procedures that later on did not bear up tion. I have had the opportunity to gain a national audi­ under the scrutiny of a "so called" technical education, ence through the written and spoken word. Recently, I but at least they got me headed in the right direction. It is appeared on the NBC TODAY Show forthe eighth time in not usually poss ible to learn someth ing the "correct" way two years. Each show emphasized the discovery of new the first time. plants and gardening techniques that were feasible for How do you acquire basic gardening knowledge? Very everyone. All scripts were reviewed by other horticul­ few of us decide that acquiring gardening information turists and stressed the best and the most up-to-date in­ will be the major pursuit of our lives. Even in my days as formation. Perhaps this is the only course of checks and an undergraduate in the horticultural department in my balance open to us : read the materials published, make state university-our numbers were small. Few of my comments about material that is unsufficient or mislead­ classmates in the undergraduate and even graduate pro­ ing and fire it back to the author. This magazine, Ameri­ grams are still working with plants today as a vocation. can Horticulturist, serves only when it provides the best Real estate, banking or association work uhimately be­ information for all gardeners. None of us can claim to be came their professions. The American Society for Hor­ master gardeners, but all of us can claim to be growing ticultural Science lists about 3000 professional horticul­ gardeners. Henry M. Cathey 2 turists in the U.S.-hardly enough to go around. The President, AHS American Herticulturist Volume 54 Number 6 December 19.75 for United HorticultLlre ... the pa rti cular O. KE ISTER EVA NS, Executive Director obj ects and business of The Ameri can MURRAY KEENE, Editor Horti cultural Soc iety are to promote and JANE STEFFEY , Edi tori al Assistant encourage nati onal interes t in sc ientific DONALD WY MAN, Horticultural Consultant resea rch and educati on in horti culture in ALEX BERR Y, Art Director a II of its branches. The Ameri ca n Horticultural Society, Pu bli sher AMERICAN H O RTICULTURIST is the of­ Mount Vern on, Vi rgi nia 22 121 fi cial publicati on of The American Horti ­ 7031768-5700 cultural Soc iety, 793 1 East Bouleva rd Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22308, and is iss ued in February, April, June, August, October and December. Membershi p in 2 An Editorial the Society automati ca lly includes a sub­ scription to American Horticu lturist and 42 AHS Horticultural Travel Plans $1.5 0 is designated for each iss ue of thi s publicati on. Membershi p dues start at $15. 00 a yea r. 39 Books Refer editorial matters to: Murray Keene Plants for Christmas Ameri ca n Horti culturist 4 A New Era for Poin sett ias: Perform ance and Resistance-Dr. Henry M. Cathey Mount Ve rnon, Virginia 22 121 18 Hollies for Chr istm as and th e Landscape- William F. Kosar Refer adverti sing matters to: 22 Sprays of Holly-Martha Pr ince Publisher Services, In c. 621 Duke Street 34 Christmas Tre es fr om Coast to Coast-Philip H. Jones Alexandria, Virginia 223 14 14 Plants of Christma s and Before- Sally Meeting Address requests for reprints of arti cles to The Ameri can Urban Horticulture Horti cultural Society, 10 From Pa vement to Garden- Linda Yang Mount- Vernon, Virginia AMERICAN H O RTICULTURIST is devoted Historical Horticulture to the disseminati on of knowledge in the 12 " Liberty Hyde Ba iley as I Knew Him"-L.H.