The American lIorHcullural Sociely inviles you Io Celehrate tbe American Gardener al our 1999 Annual Conference Roston" Massachusetts June 9 - June 12~ 1999 Celebrate Ute accompHsbenls of American gardeners in Ute hlsloric "Cay Upon lhe 1Iill." Join wah avid gardeners from. across Ute counlrg lo learn new ideas for gardening excellence. Attend informa-Hve ledures and demonslraHons by naHonally-known garden experts. Tour lhe greal public and privale gardens in and around Roslon, including Ute Arnold Arborelum and Garden in Ute Woods. Meet lhe winners of AIlS's 1999 naHonJ awards for excellence in horHcullure. @ tor more informaHon, call1he conference regislrar al (800) 777-7931 ext 10. co n t e n t s Volume 78, Number 1 • '.I " Commentary 4 Hellebores 22 Members' Forum 5 by C. Colston Burrell Staghorn fern) ethical plant collecting) orchids. These early-blooming pennnials are riding the crest of a wave ofpopularity) and hybridizers are News from AHS 7 busy working to meet the demand. Oklahoma Horticultural Society) Richard Lighty) Robert E. Lyons) Grecian foxglove. David Douglas 30 by Susan Davis Price Focus 9 Many familiar plants in cultivation today New plants for 1999. are improved selections of North American species Offshoots 14 found by this 19th-century Scottish expLorer. Waiting for spring in Vermont. Bold Plants 37 Gardeners Information Service 15 by Pam Baggett Houseplants) transplanting a ginkgo tree) Incorporating a few plants with height) imposing starting trees from seed) propagating grape vines. foliage) or striking blossoms can make a dramatic difference in any landscape design. Mail-Order Explorer 16 Heirloom flowers and vegetables. Bananas 42 by Alice L. Ramirez Urban Gardener 18 By selecting the right species and cultivars) even A Japanese-style garden in Texas. gardeners in temperate regions can grow these Natural Connections 20 tropical beauties- and encourage them to bear fruit. Keeping ]:vild birds safe in winter. Barry Yinger 48 Book Reviews 54 by Rick Darke Gardener)s general reference) pest and disease This modern-day American plant explorer is identification and control) CD- ROM references. scouring the Far East for botanical treasures to Regional Happenings 58 bring back to North American gardens. Renovations at the National Herb Garden) symposium at Davidson College. On the cover: Blooming as early as late January) Lenten Hardiness and Heat Zones 62 roses (Helleborus orientalis) are one of the nonpareil plants in the late winter garden. Photograph by Alan Pronunciations 63 and Linda Detrick. American Horticultural Society 7931 East Boulevard Drive Alexandria) VA 22308-1300 (703) 768-5700 commentary wWlv.ahs.org ~ The American Horticultural Society (AHS) educates and inspires people illennium fever! I've caught it and am a of all ages to become successf11-1 willing sufferer. It's all about new begin­ and environmentally responsible nings, fresh ideas, renewed creativity. As gardeners by advancing tl1e art M and science of horticultur.e. happens each new year, many of us have done some inner searching and made resolutions to improve the ~ quality of our lives this coming year. Here at the PRESIDENl1'/eEO American Horticultural Society, the Board ofDi­ LINDA D. WALLMAN rectors, National Committees, and staff are actively developing programs and services that will enhance BOARD OF DIllBCTORS Ojjicers i998 -1999 . AHS's local and national presence. Why? Because IO.TY MOSSWA'RNEll., ClIAlRMAN promoting the value of gardening and the appreci­ 'take Buenw trml!; Floiiifda ation of gardens is critical to our nation's physical NPiNCY S. U\iOMAS,FtRS'll WeI! CHl\I:ltMAN and emotional health in 1999 and beyond. As a Houston, Texas member of AHS, you know how important gar­ PAm ECK'E,JR.,SEC0ND VICE C~ Encinitas, California dening is to you. Now we must resolve, together, to WILLIAM A. POSEY, SBCR'ETA:Rl' educate and inspire others to become successful and Washi'l-!ftI!n D. C. l environmentally responsible gardeners. How? This process starts in our own homes and G.EfARL~ !f:ENR,Y Siv!i'J.lR)'R., ~ Middleburg, ltirginiw communities by making resolutions about our own gardens. Perhaps this year we will replace some of that lawn with flower beds. Or strive to rely S#ll;RMAN ADJi!ER West Palm Beach, Fliirida less upon synthetic fertilizers and pesticides as a means to cope with weeds and insect pests. .. );,. M. BA1<BR)& Or maybe we will finally build that water garden we have been talking about for years. WinstOn-Saicm, North Carolina Ifyour resolution is to do something daring with your garden, you're in luck. In this WfuLIAM'li.J3AR'R1Glii, i?,f'!;.lll. I'MMEDIATE PAS'!" G~ issue, we take a look at bold and beautiful plants for winter and spring. Pam Baggett, a Pine MOllntl#n, Ge01lJia nursery owner and writer, describes a diverse selection of dramatic, architectural plants S-mM.EY:BAR11LEFf that will become the centerpiece of any design. And if you've always wanted to grow a SantI' Barbara, California banana tree, tropical fruit specialist Alice Ramirez tells us about some of the best cultivars J(A'lJ:ll1;RINE Mo;KPlY BE~ Charlotte; N:orth CMoUna and explains how gardeners can get these flamboyant plants to bear fruit. J~ 1,. CO;i,\FIELID Bold is also an appropriate adjective for hellebores, which are among the first heralds GenlWa, :Ilitnoir of spring for winter-weary gardeners. Frequent contributor C. Colston Burrell describes AMBEL¥- S. ElANE Bostono Masrachllsetti the best hellebore species and provides an update on the latest breeding work being done JOHN ALEX FL9W T:R. on these stylish and dependable perennials. Birmingham, /!!JtJbama We take many of our most beautiful plants for granted, but often they were brought DORO;m:¥ 1': MtEt::A:NJlJ Birmingham, AJi"b~ma into cultivation only through the extraordinary efforts of plant hunters. We offer a peek Wu:tlAM R. MA:Ri<EN into the lives and achievements ofplant hunters past and present through articles on David Lo, Altos, OaiiflWnia Douglas and Barry Yinger. Garden historian Susan Davis Price tells us about Douglas, a J1{EOli>ORE R. MtillSTON Kirkland, Washington 19th-century Scottish explorer who tramped thousands of miles through the American GllNE M. M!:i;.!&!l, wilderness and left his legacy in the numerous plants that bear his name. And writer Rick Silver Spyi,'!!, Maryla"d Darke profiles the PeIU1sylvania-based Yinger, who is best known for introducing dozens .EGON M,OlJJBAK Seattk, Washington ofstriking Asian plants to America during more than two decades of work for a variety of DlJDLEY M ®RGA'N botanical gardens and nurseries. Nashville, Tennessee Every year we learn more about the value and significance of plants. As we begin this GEOFFl\E~ i.. RAOSCH new year, let's make one more resolution. Together, let's resolve to inspire others to un­ Pimbtlrgh, Penn;yZvania VALERiE L. THOMAS derstand that nurturing plants creates a sense of value for life. Happy New Year! Alexandria, Virginia ROBEltI D. VOLK San. MaJ';no, CaliflWnia ~ PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. ]{. MARC CATHEY -Linda D. Hallman, AHS President/CEO 4 THE AMERICAN GARDENER January/February 1999 THE AMERICAN members' GARDENER EDITOR DAVID J. ELLIS MANAGING EDJTOR rum MARY YEE ASSISTANT EDITOR CHRISTINA M. SCOTT COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT MARK C. MOLLAN DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION JOSEPH YACINSKI DESIGN ~ EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARJl) JOHN ALEX FLOYD JR., CHAIR Birmingham, Alctbwma NINA L. BASSUK Ithaca, New York RICHARD E. BrR Brevard, North Carolina JOHN E. BJ<..XAN Sausalito, California JOHN L. CREECH H endersonville, North Carolina KEimCROTZ Chillicothe, Illinois PLATYCERIUM WILLINCKIl this easy-to-maintain and stw1ning tropical PANAYOTI K:EIMDlS Denver, Colorado ' LEMOINEI' epiphyte, which continues to give joy to When I was growing up, only plants were succeeding generations of our fan1ily. RICHARD W. LIGHTI Greenville, Delaware acceptable to my father as birthday or Fa­ J~tdith Campbell ther's Day gifts. Anything else he turned Los Angeles, California ELVIN MCDONALD West Des Moines, Iowa down as unnecessary. Born in 1897 in ~ New York, he struggled to become an at­ QUESTIONABLE ETHICS torney and was a defender in the best sense I enjoyed C. Colston Burrell's piece on ADVERTISING AHS ADVERTISING OFFICE of the word. epirnediums in the MarchiApril 1998 issue 4350 DiPaolo Cc:nter, Suite B In about 1965 I bought a staghorn fern and am happy these wonderful plants are Glenview, IL 60025 (Platycerium lVillinckii 'Lemoinei') for him getting more attention. One ambiguous (847) 699-1707 • FAX: (847) 699-1703 at Dave Barry'S Jungleland Nursery in statement in tl1e article raised a big ques­ COLOR SEPARATIONS Brentwood, California. The staghorn fern tion, however. Burrell mentioned that FILM GRAPHICS was mounted on a 12-inch-square piece of three nurseries "have combed nurs­ u.s. PRINTER redwood. My father was delighted with this eries and wild places in Europe and BANTA PUBLICATIONS GROUP exotic green plant and promptly hung it by Asia .... " If this means these nurseries col­ TheAmerica.tl Gardetler(ISSN 1087·9978) is pubJished a hook on a pittosporum tree that overhtmg lect plants from the wild, I'm appalled at bimonthly (January/February, MarchiApril, May/June, his apartment patio. He and my mother their practice and at your magazine's im­ JulyI August, SeptemberIOctober , NovemberjDecem­ ber) by the American HorticuJturo.l Society, 7931 East lived tl1ere W1til they died in 1976, at which plicit endorsement. BouJevard Drive, Alexandria, VA ·2-2-308-1300, (703) point my husband and I inherited the great­ I expect, however, they collect cuttings 768-5700. Membership in the Society iI)c1udes a sub­ scription to The America1t Gardener. Annual dues are ly enlarged staghorn. and seeds. If that's the case, Burrell should $25; two years, $45. rntemationalduesarc $60.