Quarterly

Vol. 26 No. 2 Spring 2009

Picea abies ‘Reflexa’ Photo by Dennis Groh The Conifer Quarterly is th e pub lication of the American Conifer Society

Contents 7 How I spruced up Georgia by Tom Cox 10 A Fungus Made Us Do It by Bill Van Kosky 17 Brassica hirta by Phil Syphrit 19 Stonehedge, the Garden of Ken and Elena Jordan Text and Photos by Jack Ayers 26 Winter Burn on by Ellen Kelley 28 Evaluating Landscape Adaptability of Hemlock Species Picea abies 'Lanham's Beehive' ( spp.) in Western North Carolina Photo by Randall C. Smith, Courtesy of Iseli Nursery Tsuga by Anthony V. LeBude and Thomas G. Ranney 32 Collecting Northern Conifers by William Journeay 36 Conifer Destinations by Tom Cox 38 Conifers with Leaves by Maud Henne

American Conifer Society Voices 2 President’s Message 4 Editor’s Memo 16 Letter to the Editor 41 ACS 2009 National Meeting 44 2009 Western Region Meeting 46 $7,000 Awarded to Four Southeast Regional Gardens

Picea omorika ‘Pimoko’ Photo by Randall C. Smith, Courtesy of Iseli Nursery Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 3 Conifer AS I SEE IT FROM THE PRESIDENT ’S DESK “Everything is connected to everything At the recently concluded Winter way to recruit new members. else. There is one ecosphere for all living Board Meeting, the board focused on The charge to each region, then, is to Quarterly organisms and what affects one, affects membership. Our concern is not as much develop a plan to increase membership in all. ” with members who do not renew their region. PowerPoint presentations Spring 2009 This is the first law of ecology as (although that is always a concern ), but is are available . Community organizations Volume 26, No 2 written by Dr. Barry Commoner in The with the significant drop in the number of are always looking for speakers; mem - The Conifer Quarterly (ISSN 8755-0490) is Closing Circle in 1971. As the effects of new memberships. To illustrate: In 2003, bers need to advertise their availability to published quarterly by the American Conifer the winter of 2008 –09 unfold, I think we we reached the high of 448 new mem - do short presentations. I’m sure that each Society. The Society is a non-profit organization will see in bold relief the truth of this bers; in 2005, there were 328 new mem - region will come up with ideas for events incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is tax exempt under section “law.” The droughts in California and in bers; in 2007, 248; and last year, 197 new where conifers and the ACS can be 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code. the South, the rains and snows in the members, the lowest number in the last promoted. Each region is asked to You are invited to join our Society. Please northwest, the sustained temperatures ten years. develop their membership plan. address membership and other inquiries to the American Conifer Society National Office, 175 between –10°F and +10°F with dips at When asked how they learned about This effort will depend on current Charisma Lane, Lewisville, NC 27023-9611. –25° to –30°F, plus the rain, ice, snow , the ACS, 29 percent of new members members responding. Regional officers Membership: US $30 (indiv.), $35 (joint), and winds in many parts of the country indicated they were referred by members, cannot, and should not be expected to , $30 (institutional), $50 (sustaining), $100 (corporate business) and $130 (patron). If you are will be a rigorous test of our . friends, or business associates. The next carry out this effort alone. It’s a good way moving, please notify the National Office 4 weeks The health of our plants is connected largest group, 22 percent, indicated they to get involved in your organization and in advance. to the health of the air we breathe as well learned about the Society from the Web to increase your knowledge. All editorial and advertising matters should be sent to: Evelyn Cox, 1621 N. Lake Dr., Canton, as larger eco-systems, and connected to site. This tells us that one-on-one I am always looking for ideas to GA 30115, (770) 663-7576 or email coniferquar - the health of many livelihoods, and so personal contact is the most effective improve our ability as a Society to fulfill [email protected]. forth . our mission. I invite any member to Editor Is there an ACS response to these submit ideas or to volunteer to assist in Evelyn Cox climatic occurrences? I think as we see any ACS program. There are many certain trends developing, our first opportunities, and some of them are Technical Editors Ethan Johnson responsibility, in keeping with our “one-shot” activities. You need not be a Susan Martin mission, is to continue to educate both professional or an expert. As you will R. William Thomas professionals and the public on best see elsewhere in this issue of CQ , several Advisory Committee practices and best choices for specific other opportunities to volunteer are Ellen Kelley, Committee Chair climate conditions. available. Marvin Snyder The Reference Garden program is You are the American Conifer ex officio: Tom Cox ex officio: John Martin one way to demonstrate not only the Society. And it’s up to you to make the physical aspects of a certain — ACS the premier plant society in the Copyright © 2009, American Conifer Society. All color, form, size, growth rate, etc. —but . rights reserved. No material contained herein may be reproduced in any form without prior written also the effects of environment on the Ellen Kelley permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed plant , particularly regarding hardiness by authors and advertisers are not necessarily and root stock issues. Here, the Collec - This is Miss Lily, my new Office Assistant. those of the Society. tors Conifer of the Year program can also She is an 8-year-old British Shorthair who emigrated from the Mother Country at Note: Hardiness Zone references in the play an important role—both in the the age of 4 months. She keeps a very Conifer Quarterly are USDA classifications unless selection of the plants offered and in the watchful eye on the birdfeeder outside otherwise specified. tracking of the success of the plants in the window of my office, as well as on my the various USDA Zones. work on the computer.

2CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 3 EDITOR ’S MEMO BY EVELYN COX

“April hath put a spirit of youth in special grace in a place overlooking a spread the word to you. Jack and Sharon exciting , too, showing off some great gar - everything.” large pond on our property. Affluently Ayers are life members of the Society dens, including one that was voted the - William Shakespeare green, she dresses up her neighborhood who garden in the Northwest. In this best garden on Puget Sound. See Marc issue, Jack points out an imaginative gar - McCalmon’s article for more informa - utside my window, Asian , of mostly conifers and non- den with a large, diverse collection of tion . redbuds, Yoshino cherries, spirea and coniferous plants when winter moves in. conifers near the town of Roseburg, We are fortunate to have, again, winter hazel are bursting forth with Quite small when we planted her, she O Oregon. Owned by Ken and Elena some fabulous photos to grace our covers renewed vitality. This means that soon the grew quickly into a lovely lady, Jordan, the garden is named Stonehedge. from past-president Dennis Groh and , too, will be full of the spirit of establishing herself early as a standout. As often happens, the two couples got from Randall Smith of Iseli Nursery. Last youth, flushing and coning in their own Even the brilliant red swamp hibiscus connected because of the ACS. but not least, Barbie Colvin tells us about unique way of flowering. Of ours, the four blooms in summer cannot outshine her. We hear from two of our frequent the Southeastern Region’s outstanding I most anticipate are Picea brachytyla , Through the seasons she stands up contributors, Maud Henne and ACS Pres - progress in the Conifer Reference Garden Picea orientalis ‘Early Gold’ , Picea proudly among her neighbors and in ident Ellen Kelley , in this issue and also program. Barbie is our Southeastern likiangensis , and Picea abies ‘Pendula’. spring (very soon I hope) she puts on a learn about some important ACS events Region Vice President. My overall favorite conifer in our special show with luscious lime green coming up around the regions. The Enjoy your spring. When the spirit of collection is one of the Picea abies adornment on her tips. Picea Northeastern Region will host the ACS youth strikes, you will probably struggle ‘Pendula ’ cultivars. I have nicknamed is our theme this issue. National Meeting in Hauppauge, New with that age-old question, “Should I mine “Lady of the Lake” because of her Because I think this genus has so much to offer gardeners, it surprised me that we York , on Long Island. Read all about it plant now or wait?” Only the plant were not flooded with stories about these and mark your calendars! The Western knows. terrific plants in your gardens. But the Region’s annual meeting promises to be offer is still open. I know you have some. In the meantime, my better-half , Next Issue: Summer 2009 who speaks plants much better than I do, Our next issue will feature: Juniperus “volunteered” to tell you about some of Hard to beat for covering slopes and with a variety of shapes the spruces that have been successful for us in the south, including the three I have and colors, junipers can be functional as well as ornamentally mentioned. Also, a member from very far distinctive in any landscape. Tell us about your experiences with north, William Journeay, shares some this genus and/or show us your photos. Include the zone where unique spruces he has found during his you garden and any growing tips. career in the forest industry in eastern Canada. A popular question at ACS gather - Future Issue themes: Please look at future themes and consider ings is “How did you get interested in sending your articles in advance of published deadlines. conifers?” The most unique answer I’ve Cones heard so far is from Bill Van Kosky who Lesser-known Conifers gardens with his wife Judy in Marquette, Companion Plants Michigan. I think you will enjoy his motivation explanation. A fringe benefit of being editor is We welcome news alerts about conifers or about our members. that I get to learn about many unique Contact Evelyn Cox to discuss your ideas. gardens, discover new writers , and then

4CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 5 How I spruced up Georgia by Tom Cox

t’s hard to live under the same roof with building material, and musical instru - our editor without occasionally getting ments. The genus has produced a prodi - Ipressed into service. Such is now the case gious number of exciting cultivars and it as Evelyn is light on material relating to the is unusual to look at a nursery catalog Picea theme for the spring issue so she featuring conifers that does not have at asked if I would write a brief article on least several pages of selections. the genus. The following is a sampling of some Growing up in the South, I never garden worthy selections targeted mainly gave much thought to spruce trees. This at the species level. The intent is to pro - was a plant I saw on television shows vide you with enough information for such as Sergeant Preston of the Yukon . If you to conduct your own search. Since you remember the show, you likely grew grafting is usually the preferred method up in the 50’s. of production, the rootstock that is used As I entered the Army and traveled is relevant to suitability – especially in the world, I had the opportunity to enjoy the southeastern U.S. the majestic beauty of spruces , particu - Picea abies (Norway spruce ). Likely larly during periods of snowfall. This the most widely planted spruce in the was especially so in Germany. Upon re - world, this species has produced a vast tirement from the military I returned to number of gardenworthy cultivars. It is the South and after several years, adaptable over much of the U.S. and has founded an . Spruce trees were proven to be at home at least as far south nowhere on the radar screen. The Ameri - as the Zone 7A portions of Georgia and can Conifer Society changed all that for surrounding states. me . You can find a selection for virtually Since the year 2000, I have evalu - any landscape application as long as ated a number of spruce species and there is full sun and good drainage. Large found many to be quite adaptable here in pendulous cultivars include, ‘Cincinnata’ North Georgia (Zone 7A). We currently and ‘Wingle’s Weeping’ aka ‘Wingle’s grow 16 species. Visitors now receive a Weeper’. Upright growers include ‘Clan - litany of reasons why I feel this genus is brassiliana Stricta’ and ‘Cupressina’. under appreciated in the South. Some smaller mounding ones are ‘Tom - Depending on the taxonomist, the pa’ and ‘Ohlendorffii’ , or for a more genus Picea contains some 35 species prostrate look, ‘Formanek’ . Last but not and all are native to the Northern Hemi - least is ‘Pusch’, the 2008 Collectors sphere. Their greatest concentrations are Conifer of the Year Dwarf Selection. found in boreal regions. In addition to Picea alcoquiana (Alcock spruce ). their value as landscape plants, they are a While there are other selections, this utilitarian group as an important source species is primarily represented by the in the manufacture of pulp and paper, cultivar ‘Howell’s Dwarf’ which is a

6CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 7 good selection with bi-colored needles. If years for us. Plantsmen have selected a Pacific Northwest giant grows to be one POSITION OPEN: NATIONAL CHAIRPER - one desires to maintain it as a shrub, care plethora of garden worthy cultivars, in - of the tallest trees in the world. One par - SON, COLLECTORS CONIFER of the YEAR should be exercised to remove any cen - cluding ‘Pendula Bruns’, the 2007 full- ticular cultivar has always caught my (CCOY) tral leader that appears ready to form a size selection for Collectors Conifer of eye , ‘Papoose’ , a dwarf version growing Do you have a passion for and knowledge tree. This species is also known as P. bi - the Year. For smaller spaces, try ‘Nana’ to around 6 feet high with needles that of conifers? Are you looking for an exciting, rewarding ,and creative volunteer color . and ‘Pimoka’. are green with silvery-blue undersides, experience? Then the National Board of Picea brachytyla (Sargent spruce ). If Picea orientalis (Oriental spruce ). If producing a two-tone effect. It has shown the American Conifer Society is looking for you are ever fortunate enough to visit I could only grow one species, this would surprising adaptability in our arboretum you! longtime ACS member Don Howse’s be my choice. It has the shortest needles for the past four years. Porterhowse Gardens in Sandy, Oregon , of all the species and one of the best dark Picea smithiana (Himalayan spruce ). QUALIFICATIONS include: • An understanding of suitable gen - you will agree with me this is among the green colors of any conifer. In spring, Having the longest needles of any spruce, era/species for each region – to include most beautiful species in the genus. For ‘Early Gold’ garners more attention than this is a full -size tree. Seeing a full grown adaptable rootstock for grafted plants some unknown reason, growers seldom any other conifer in our collection. For specimen at the Hoyt Arboretum in Port - • An awareness of and sense for the offer this splendid tree. about two weeks in April, the new growth land convinced me this is a species wor - interesting, new introductions Picea chihuahuana (Mexican is a bright gold, set against dense, dark thy of being planted where space can • The ability to work with various potential producers to bring the spruce ). This is a good , blue -colored green foliage. One visitor even wanted to accommodate its size. We may have been plants to market species for warmer portions of the U.S. trade her husband for the plant, but she the first garden in the South to plant this • A knowledge of lead times for dwarf A spectacular specimen grows at said he couldn’t prune so I just said “No .” species and it has grown over 1 foot per and miniature plants Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Sonoma, The golden foliage gradually darkens and year. It should be adaptable in all por - • The ability to establish minimum sizes California . The only minus is its is a rich dark green by summer. Two tions of Zones 7 and 8. and quality standards for finished plants • Production experience is a plus, but not extremely sharp , yucca -grade needles . stunning yellow cultivars, golden There will no doubt be readers who required Picea glauca (white spruce ). Not a throughout the year, are ‘Skylands’ and feel frustrated at the lack of specifics on species recommended for the South , but ‘Tom Thumb’. The latter is another these plants and others who have BENEFITS include: it has great garden appeal where it can be Dwarf Selection for Collectors Conifer of favorites not mentioned here. The • The opportunity to assist the ACS in a cultivated . Among the newer selections I the Year (2007). If you want to appreciate purpose of this article is to stimulate you very important fund-raising endeavor • The opportunity to exercise your like is ‘Daisy’s White’. This is a small, the species at its best in the U.S., visit the to further explore the genus Picea and entrepreneurial and creative abilities slow-growing gem with creamy-white Spruce Trail at the Hoyt Arboretum in seek out selections that will work for • The satisfaction of promoting this new growth in spring that turns green as Portland, Oregon. you. significant group of plants the season progresses. Picea pungens (Colorado spruce ). • The opportunity for an exciting Picea glehnii ( spruce ). One Known mainly for its blue (glaucous) se - learning experience • The opportunity to be among the of the best selections of this good -looking lections, it, along with Norway spruce, is first to see the next sexy new plant species from Japan is ‘Yatsubusa’ – a one of the mainstays of northern gardens. slower grower offering a good , tight Recommending one’s favorite is akin to TO APPLY: shape and bluish green needles. Again , being asked which child you like best. In Send your application, including your for a perfect example of how good this brief, these are several that stand out. experience in the field of conifers, your qualifications , and your contact infor - plant can look, visit Don Howse. ‘Iseli Fastigiate’ is a good upright , blue mation to: Picea morrisonicola (Taiwan cultivar. ‘Montgomery’ is a mounding spruce ). Like many plants from Taiwan, form with consistent blue color. ‘Spring Ridge Goodwin, this full -sized spruce is adaptable all the Ghost’ , continuing to grow in popularity , P. O. Box 310, Holicong , PA 18928-0310 way as far south as Mobile, Alabama. It is has a pleasing cream color on the new Fax: 215-794-7104 E-mail: [email protected] fast -growing , rapidly reaching full tree growth. We are also growing an attractive size. blue selection named ‘Omega’ , which Deadline for applications is June 1, 2009. Picea omorika (Serbian spruce ). This looks promising. favorite of mine has grown well over the Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce ). This

8CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 9 A Fungus Made Us Do It! gravel, but it took years of rock picking Fearing that the State of Michigan and the addition of innumerable loads of would designate the east end of our yard by Bill Van Kosky leaves and homemade compost to an official brown spot fungus demonstra - transform 900 square feet of gravel into tion zone, in 2001, I spaded up a couple s new members attending out first will inquire, “How about you?” rich, friable garden soil for the vegeta - hundred square feet of the worst-looking ACS annual meeting in 2008, my Our reply: “A fungus made us do it.” bles. lawn and planted some shrubs and Awife Judy and I asked several attendees, In 1968 we bought 50 acres of north - After the house was built in 1971, conifers from a local garden center. Al - “How did you become interested in ern hardwood forest southeast of Mar - we hired a contractor to grade around it though I had more than 50 years of expe - conifers?” The answers were as varied as quette, Michigan, about a mile from the and spread six inches of topsoil over the rience in vegetable gardening and as an the routes by which coniferites traveled south shore of Lake Superior. If the name clay. After raking and smoothing this, we orchardist, I knew next to nothing about from their homes to the meeting in sounds vaguely familiar, it’s probably be - planted grass. shrubs and conifers. My plant choices Dubuque, Iowa. cause you’ve seen Marquette on the tele - Until the mid-1990s, the lawn proved this. They served mainly to take One long-time member told us how vision weather map along with looked reasonably good, but suddenly up space. The most praise I could muster his plan to start a Christmas tree planta - references to winter storms and deep scattered spots and patches of it died. for them was to say that they appeared tion went awry several decades ago. snow. Snow begins to accumulate here in Whatever ailed it seemed to follow the more pleasing to the eye than dead grass. First, an unscrupulous dealer sold him a mid-November and continues until same pattern that bubonic plague does in Over the winter, I thought about this bundle of cull seedlings. Then, site sometime in April, averaging a total humans; the interval between onset of and concluded that, if my new plantings preparation errors further reduced the snowfall of 14 feet over the winter. The symptoms and death was one or two were to accomplish anything beyond re - spindly seedlings’ chances for survival. positive side of this is the consistent days. The Michigan State University Ex - placing sickly grass with nondescript The resulting fiasco prompted this bud - snow cover that provides protective insu - tension Service identified the source of plants, I had better learn more about ding entrepreneur to decide that he lation for the plants beneath it. Also, the our woes as brown spot fungus. perennials, vines, shrubs, grasses, and needed to learn a great deal more about big lake that gives us so much snow mod - Year after year in the fall, I’d buy conifers. Quite accidentally, the fungus the Christmas tree business. His search erates the temperatures. We are solidly in several rolls of sod and cut it into patches had started us on a path that would ulti - for information led him to the informal USDA plant hardiness Zone 5, while gar - to replace dead grass. This turf repair mately lead to ACS membership. network of conifer enthusiasts that even - deners just a few miles inland have to chore was time-consuming as well as te - That same winter, Judy showed me a tually founded the ACS. contend with Zone 4 conditions. dious. The lawn looked good the follow - magazine article about heath and heather. Another member described how he Well drilling at our future home site ing spring, but the appearance of the This was something novel, at least in the had been searching for something out of revealed that we were sitting on 40 feet fungus in early July was as predictable as Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I bought a the ordinary –he didn’t know just what –to of nasty pink clay. Within a few years, we the return of the swallows to Capistrano. couple of books, sent away for some cat - add to the plantings on his property. An discovered that the advance and retreat of Liquid and granular fungicides were ex - alogs and, the following spring, dug up acquaintance suggested that he check out glaciers many thousands of years ago had pensive in the quantities needed and were another 150 square feet. After lowering the array of conifers at Rich’s Foxwillow played some strange tricks on our land. only marginally successful in preventing the pH to about 5.5, I planted three-dozen Nursery in northern Illinois. Scarcely a hundred yards from our home, or controlling the fungus. heather and heath plants. They did so “When I saw that,” he told us, “I knew we cut a clearing for a vegetable garden At last, I grew weary of the annual well that I’ve planted more of them in that I’d found what I’d been looking for.” and orchard. Attempting to dig there, we ritual of crawling around with a trowel, every new bed we’ve created since 2002. Others to whom we talked were, like encountered not clay, but pebbles, gritty cutting out dead spots and patching in At present, there are more than 100 of us, experienced gardeners who recog - soil, fist-sized rocks, gravelly soil, and fresh sod. I came in with dirty knees and these plants, comprising nearly 60 culti - nized the potential for conifers to en - large rocks. At one edge of the new clear - a sore back one evening and said to Judy, vars. hance the beauty and diversity of their ing, we found an abrupt transition from “This is organic matter such as is found One of the catalogs noted that dwarf gardens and joined the ACS to learn rocky soil –actually, soily rock –to a siz - in cattle pastures!” (not my exact words). conifers were good companion plants for more about this aspect of horticulture. able deposit of coarse sand. (Great stuff Henceforth, in the battle between Van heather. Most of the garden centers in our Naturally, when you ask people how for any gardener to have close at hand!) Kosky and fungus, Van Kosky would vicinity stock the same old conifers year they became interested in conifers, they Apple trees are flourishing in the switch from defense to offense. after year. So, I bought some more books,

10 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 11 started subscribing to a gardening maga - heather, and heath would predominate in So you see, it’s true. We wouldn’t zine, and sent away for more catalogs. I designs for each new bed in our yard and have 2,000 square feet of plantings in found that there were many mail-order as replacements for other plants that die, which conifers are prominently featured, sources for conifers and that there were a languish, or fail to live up to their press nor would we be ACS members, if it lot more species and varieties than I had notices. hadn’t been for the doggone fungus that thought. made us do it! By 2003, we were converting 200 –300 square feet of brown spot fun - About the author : Bill and Judy Van gus habitat to plantings each year. Each Kosky live and garden in Marquette, of these beds has several conifers. Our Setting aside sod and topsoil Michigan. Their garden is open to conifer count going into the 2009 garden - members by appointment. ing season is 51. Eight years ago, I was and I dig each new area out, dispose of cutting grass on 8,000 square feet of the clay, and refill the excavation with a lawn. Now it’s down to 6,000. blend of soil ingredients (topsoil, sand, New beds being laid out in an area that Those who know that our natural peat moss, and compost, in proportions had severe fungus infection soil is dense clay want to know how of 2-1-1-1, respectively). we’ve been able to grow so many nice In the absence of more advanced To do this and do it well, we needed to things in such lousy soil. There are two technology, we dig with picks, pick-mat - become as knowledgeable and confident answers to this question. For 30 years, tocks, heavy-duty garden forks and shov - about growing conifers as we are about Judy has been digging leaves and com - els , and use a large garden cart and other kinds of gardening. By joining the post into flower gardens next to the house 5-gallon buckets for hauling clay and soil ACS, Judy and I have gained access to and along the edges of the yard so that ingredients. This is primitive and ardu - the collective knowledge and practical clay in those areas is now only one com - ous, but it gets the job done. Working experience of a broad-based group of ponent among many in what has become steadily for four days, an old geezer and conifer hobbyists and professionals. This a very fertile soil with good structure. a teenager can dig out and refill a 150- has already enabled us to choose our When starting the large-scale turf re - square-foot area, 16 inches deep, which conifer purchases more wisely and in - duction project, I opted for an approach is immediately ready for planting. creased our confidence that we are prop - that was labor intensive but accom - erly caring for the trees once they are in plished the conversion of compacted clay the ground. to a rich, well -drained but moisture reten - tive, plant-growing medium in days rather than years. Our husky grandson

After clay is dug out, sod will be placed upside down in the bottom of the hole

By 2006, when I first noticed refer - ence to the American Conifer Society in a list of resources in a gardening catalog, Until 2003, the fungus reigned supreme Example of clay to be disposed of in this part of the lawn I had made up my mind that conifers,

12 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 13 ACS Scholarship my course fees and tuition for the fall and spring semesters. The generosity of the Want to learn more by Matt Wilson American Conifer Society has been a tremendous source of support and about conifers? The is called the kingly tree, Part of my research with Dr. Jeff encouragement for me to work hard and Go to our Web site It well deserves full royalty. Sibley at Auburn University is to evalu - give my best to help provide others with www.conifersociety.org The hemlock’s called the princely tree, ate the genus Tsuga ’s heat tolerance and information to benefit those who have This lower rank is not for me. suitability in southern landscapes. given so much to me. Thank you for Right here and now O! Hemlock tree Currently , we are evaluating eight providing me the opportunity to pursue A royal crown is given thee. species of hemlock including eastern my education and research with our Not prince, but equal, queenly tree, hemlock ( T. canadensis ), Carolina hem - “Queen of Conifers .” In beauty, grace and symmetry. lock (T. caroliniana ), western ( T. hetero - Great honors his, full honors hers, phylla ), mountain hemlock (T. With Greatest Appreciation, The King and Queen of conifers. mertensiana ), southern Japanese hem - Charles F. Jenkins lock ( T. sieboldii ), northern Japanese ( T. Matt Wilson diversifolia ), Yunnan hemlock (T. yun - M.S. Graduate Research Assistant he poem above was written by Charles nanensis ), and Chinese hemlock (T. chi - [email protected] F. Jenkins, the curator and founder of nensis ). Our work currently consists of 41370 SE Thomas Road • Sandy, OR 97055 the Hemlock Arboretum at Far Country in 503.668.5834 phone/fax T taking needle and root tissue and expos - EMAIL : [email protected] Germantown, Pennsylvania. Many would ing the tissues to various temperatures. www.porterhowse.com agree that Jenkins’ sentiments capture To determine the amount of damage that much of conifer enthusiasts’ passion and occurs, we measure the amount of cell regard for members of the genus Tsuga . contents leaked due to breakdown of the As a graduate student working with cells when exposed to destructive tem - hemlock, I find these descriptions quite peratures. This procedure is known as accurate in conveying the majesty and electrolyte leakage and is a mean by GEE FARMS beauty found in the soft texture and which we can see the effects of tempera - pendulous branches displayed by most ture on the plant. This is only a small part hemlocks. of the equation as humidity, water and Nursery & Landscaping Early work pioneered by plant nutrient availability, and light intensity 10 Acres of Container Plants enthusiasts and researchers, such as Dr. all affect plant growth and suitability for Conifers, Hosta, Ornamental Grasses, Perennials John C. Swartley’s work to classify and plants to thrive in diverse climates. We describe eastern hemlock’s varieties and hope this research will contribute to 10 Acre Arboretum and Water Features cultivars, brought to attention Tsuga ’s information and understanding of Field Grown Specimens, Grafts g variety and suitability for many diverse lizin hemlock’s requirements to thrive in ecia & landscapes. In recent years, research has Family Owned since 1849 Sp rare various environments and situations. the l turned to combating and preventing in sua It is my wish to thank members of 8:00 am till 8:00 pm – 7 days unu hemlock wooly adelgid infestations in the American Conifer Society for your Gary, Kaye & Kary Gee forest stands. While much research has support of my education and research 14928 Bunkerhill Rd., Stockbridge, MI 49285 been done to evaluate the genetic diver - through the giving of the ACS Scholar - PH: (517) 769-6772 or 1-800-860-BUSH sity and insect resistance of hemlock, ship. Support provided through the schol - FAX (517) 769-6204 little work has evaluated hemlocks’ heat arship has been useful in alleviating the Visit our Web site @ www.geefarms.com for our plant list tolerance. costs of attending school by paying for

14 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 15 Letter to the Editor: Brassica hirta by Phil Syphrit Dear Evelyn. Hope you don’t mind me pointing out a few mistakes in the recent Conifer Quarterly publication winter 2009. t’s good to keep a jar of spicy mustard University. They’ll confirm this for me! I around for those times when you have to get my reply: a yew would be considered Except for the first one listed, the mistakes all seem to be in the article for Ieat crow. It makes it easier to swallow. a conifer! the ACS International Trip 2008. In the Conifer Quarterly Vol . 26 No. I send all this information to the 1, I read the book review of Aljos editor. She replies “Do you still want me A Natural History of to run your letter?” I hesitate. “No, don’t Page 26 - photos top left and right, should be Cedrus deodara ‘Feelin’ Blue’ Farjon’s book not ‘Feeling Blue’, Conifers. In the review , I read the print it yet, please. Not because I’m willing to admit I’m wrong,” (See, I Page 28 - Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Chirimen’ not Chamaecyparis obtusa sentence “Could you easily explain why ‘Chairman’, a yew is a conifer and an alder is not?” STILL KNOW I’M RIGHT despite this growing sense that maybe I am wrong Page 28 - Pinus uncinata ‘Eva’ not Picea uncinata ‘Eva’, “Wait a minute, ” says I, “a yew is not a somehow) “I just need to do some more Page 30 - Picea pungens ‘Hermann Naue’ not Picea pungens ‘Herman Nave’ conifer at all. ” It has arils, not cones. digging into this question.” Page 31 - Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Wissel’s Saguaro’ not Chamaecyparis Quickly I dashed off a short note to the Fortunately one of the definitions I’d obtusa ‘Weissel’s Sugaro’ editor pointing out the error. There. I’d found on the internet had a reference for Page 31 - Leucothoe axillaris ‘Curley Red’ not Leucothea axillaris ‘Curley set the record straight. And I knew I was Red’ right. a paper presented in 2003 at the Interna - Page 32 - ‘ Blue Saphir’ not ‘Blue Sapphire’ (This is the correct Czech Well, a day or so later I get my reply tional Society for Horticultural Sciences spelling) from the editor saying that several entitled “Analyzing the Reproductive Page 33 - Photo, bottom right hand corner - Kostelnicek not Kostelnecik. authorities disagreed with me. A yew is Biology of Taxus : Should it be Included in Coniferales?” I track this article down; Page 34 - Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Chairman (repeated mistake) indeed a conifer. Can she publish my it includes other references including an Page 34 - Picea omorika ‘Peve Tijn’ not Picea orientalis ‘Tijn’ letter as a letter to the editor raising this article published in the American Journal Page 34 - Photo bottom of page - These are not Microbiota decussata , question to the readership at large? Now of Botany vol . 85 , issue #5, 1998 entitled they look like cultivars of Juniperus communis . I’m a little taken aback. I KNOW I’m right. An aril is not a cone! “Phylogenetic Relationships of Conifers Kind Regards, I start looking at various references: Inferred from Partial 28s R RNA Gene Stephen Grubb. Bailey, Dirr, various on-line dictionaries, Sequences.” Encyclopædia Britannica on-line. They These articles essentially say that all seem to support what I believe to be using current genetic analysis one can true: A female cone is a megastrobilus feel pretty comfortable saying that with a central stem and scales emanating (gasp!) yews are conifers! Fortunately for from it supporting the naked, ovuliferous my ego the American Journal of Botany scale. A male cone is a microstrobilus article includes the sentences (p.688) producing pollen. A conifer, by defini - “The phylogenetic position of Taxaceae tion, has cones. An aril is a modification is one of the oldest unsolved problems in of other tissue that either fully or partially gymnosperm systematics. Members of encloses the seed; essentially a fleshy this family are unique because they seed coating. are devoid of the ‘classical’ cone that I make one more reference check at characterizes the majority of conifers.” the L. H. Bailey Hortorium of Cornell I email the editor of Conifer Quar -

16 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 17 terly – again. “Never mind.” There are several lessons that I am Gardening with Conifers in the willing to draw from this whole little Northwest story . First, I’m reminded of an old Text and Photos by Jack Ayers Buddhist proverb: When you know you are right, check again anyway. Second, the science of genetic Stonehedge, the Garden of Ken and Elena Jordan research (of which I know nothing) is transforming the way we can analyze and he one -and-a-half acre garden of Ken garden of the Gamble House (see next classify many things, and in a way that and Elena Jordan, located just west of paragraph). In the photo are shown to their seems to be much more essential than TRoseburg, a small town in southwestern left and right Cedrus deodara ‘Blue many previous systems of analysis have Oregon, would be of interest to any conifer Snake’ and Pinus thunbergi i ‘Ogon’. allowed. With this method of analysis we enthusiast because of its diverse collection Immediately behind them is Sequoia are brought to a place where we need to of more than 400 cultivars, while their sempervirens ‘Kenwood’. look deeper into what constitutes imaginative use of stones and companion Ken and Elena developed their “coniferness.” It doesn’t appear to be the plants makes it a site any garden lover garden from modest beginnings after presence of “classical” cones. would enjoy. Ken and Elena are shown in building their showplace craftsman style Third, our use of words like conifer,  .EWBURG.EWBURG 2OAD2OAD Figure 1, posed in an enclosure for a glider home, which is shown in Figure 2. The evergreen, and gymnosperm can be 2OCKFORD 2OCKFORD ),),  which is recessed into their hillside garden. house is inspired by the famous Gamble confusing. Language is one of our most PP      The enclosure is patterned after one in the House in Pasadena, California, which complex tools, but sometimes it is not an FF      easy tool to use . INFOINFO JJCARLSONGROWERSCOMCARLSONGROWERSCOM Fourth, I will always keep on hand a jar of spicy mustard.

66 Jackson Lane, Bethlehem, CT 06751

Owner: Dennis Dodge Phone/Fax 203.266.7783 [email protected] www.bethlehemnursery.com Figure 1) Ken and Elena Jordan shown in an enclosure for a glider which is not yet built

18 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 19 was designed by the renowned architec - ryana ) which give a mature feel to this enthusiasm for rocks and their knowl - tural firm of Greene and Greene. Ken, a relatively young garden. One of these edge of sources for nearly free rocks in master carpenter and woodworker, did all is evident in Figure 3, framing a the National Forest Service rock quarries of the carpentry with the help of his southeasterly view out over the south in the nearby Cascade Mountains . (The brother, as well as much of the other fork. The river and valley views are best Forest Service issues permits to gather work including the cabinetry and most of from the decks at the back of the house, for $20 per ton .) the beautiful brickwork evident in the where the bluff is so steep that little of it photo. Elena is very active in the garden can be gardened. and contributed greatly to the construc - Ken and Elena have composed some tion of the house though she is employed interesting raised beds in relatively flat full time as an anesthesiologist. The grassy areas at either end of the house, ascending stairway in Figure 2 leads to a but it is the large terraced garden on the large brick terrace across the full front of front side of the house which is of most the home. The terrace is surrounded by a interest to me. As they developed this brick wall upon which are located several area , they acquired a growing interest in interesting potted plants of diverse conifers, particularly Hinoki cypresses genera . (Chamaecyparis obtusa ). That interest

Figure 4) View to the west from the drive in front of the house. All the rocks were collected in Forest Service quarries.

A few such rocks can be seen in Fig - Figure 3) A small bed containing diverse ure 4 , a view from the front of their house companion plants under a native white , with the south fork of the Umpqua out over the top of the terraces into the River evident in the valley below small valley separating the bluff they live on from the first low ridge of the Coast When they got their membership list Mountain Range. This borrowed scenery they searched it for other members in this enhances their garden. That the small area. From it , they discovered that my pond in the valley is on common land has wife Sharon and I are the only other not deterred the Jordans from planting Figure 2) Frontal view of the Jordan’s home. The highlight of the rock garden to the left of members in the area. Noticing that our several larger -growing conifers and red the stairway is a beautifully laid out dry stream bed, only a portion of which can be seen. garden was open to visitors , they called to which are just beginning to show ask if they might come by for a tour. We their potential. The dwarf conifers in the Their home is located on a bluff was greatly enhanced when they met were pleased to show them around and foreground include several small Dou - overlooking the juncture of the north and Larry Stanley at a garden show in delighted to discover what a wonderful glas (Pseudotsuga menziesii ) on the south forks of the Umpqua River on what Portland about seven years ago. Larry couple they are. Both of our gardens have left with an Abies pinsapo ‘Horstmann’ may be the most scenic building site in convinced them to join the American benefited from this friendship. They ini - behind them, Picea pungens ‘Swifty’ just the county. Their property has several Conifer Society . tially benefited from our then greater to the right of center, Picea glauca ‘Pixie’ large Oregon white oaks (Quercus gar - knowledge of conifers and we from their to the right of it, Picea glauca ‘Alberta

20 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 21 Globe’ peeking over a rock, and Ilex cre - ered to lighter colors on their surfaces. Rivers slate and quartzite, both purchased nat a ‘Dwarf Pagoda’ in front of a rock. Ken and Elena are amused to tell at a rock yard. The pine to the left is Pinus visitors that they originally placed the strobus ‘Pendula’, the plants just above pillars of Figure 5 in upright positions, the wall are Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea’ but that they sagged and tilted. Most and Picea glauca ‘Little Globe’, while the observers believe as I do that this happy prominent plants in the background and accident produced a beautiful, natural foreground are Chamaecyparis obtusa looking ensemble. Behind the rocks is ‘Torulosa’ and a blue fescue. one of the most distinctive trees in the The most recently developed portion garden, Cedrus libani ‘Pendula’. Ken has of the garden is shown in Figure 8. This removed the larger horizontal branches relatively steep area, to the right of the from this 30- foot tall tree working from a house and above the driveway, is terraced 16- foot orchardist’s ladder. Prominent with bluestone walls and short volcanic plants in the foreground are, from the columns. Somewhat surprisingly, these right, Metasequoia glyptostroboides columns are from the same small quarry ‘Gold Rush’ , Acer palmatum ‘Otto’ , as the bearcat stone in the more regular Berberis thunbergii ‘Rosy Glow’ , Acer walls. Sharon and I particularly like this palmatum ‘Emerald Lace’ , and Acer stone and have used it to border two palmatum ‘Shidara Gold’. This photo elevated beds in our own garden. Unfor - illustrates Ken and Elena’s effective use Figure 7) A stairway built by Ken in a lush, tunately , this popular quarry is now of more than 75 cultivars of Japanese diverse planting nearly picked clean of any interesting maples in their garden. Figure 6 illustrates two of the several above and below it from stone purchased types of retaining walls used in the gar - from a local road building company. The den. The central wall was built by a con - rounded stones between the walls are Figure 5) Garden view featuring a group of tractor with stone called bearcat from a sandstone concretions purchased from volcanic columns gathered in the nearby Cascade Mountains Forest Service quarry of the same name. the same company at minimal cost. The Ken built the less regular bluestone walls large stones above the central wall were gathered locally and placed by machine, A portion of the garden with a some - though the Jordans with the help of their what more structured group of rocks is son have placed some remarkably large featured in Figure 5. Some readers might rocks. In Figure 6 the small plant find it interesting to learn that these between the concretions is Picea rubens volcanic pillars, and most of the other ‘HB’, immediately above them is Pinus rocks shown here, were formed from sylvestris ‘Albyns’, and to the right is magma generated by subduction of the Cedrus deodara ‘Devinely Blue’. Juan de Fuca oceanic plate under the In most portions of the hillside North American continent, a process garden , grade changes are traversed by which often produces lavas more rich in way of large stepping stones that were silica (white colored silicon dioxide) than gathered in the mountains . But as Figure the more widely known black basalt Figure 6) A view showing the effective 7 illustrates, Ken has also built some very Figure 8) Terraced beds constructed with lavas. Most columns we find locally have blending of conifers and stones nice stairways. The one shown here is volcanic columns collected in a a dark grey internal color and are weath - in the garden constructed from a stone called Three Forest Service quarry

22 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 1 Vol. 26 No. 1 CONIFER QUARTERLY 23 stones of either type. We have probably the mosses employed in the traditional the natural world. If you are ever in west - vain hopes that the Forest Service will Japanese moss gardens, a style of garden ern Oregon you really should make this someday soon bring in some heavy which particularly appeals to Elena. drive, and I know you would enjoy a equipment and enlarge this quarry. As Figure 9 illustrates, she has visit to the Jordan’s garden. You are also The near portions of the area shown solved this problem admirably by em - welcome to visit our more humble were constructed and planted within the ploying a small naturalized plant, Sagina garden. past two years so it does not look as lush subulata , which I have considered a weed as other portions of the garden. It is, because it springs up even in our un- About the author : Jack and his wife however, very interesting to study be - watered, crushed rock paths. Although it Sharon are life members of the Society, cause as the Jordans run out of planting is a flowering plant, the flowers are having joined in 1990 while living in room they are increasingly concentrating inconspicuous, and on casual inspection northern Virginia. There Jack was on miniature cultivars, only a couple of one would think it to be a moss. Elena has employed as a civilian scientist at the which can be seen in the photo. The fence used it very effectively in the area shown Naval Research Laboratory in Washing - at the top of the picture was placed to and in several other spots within the ton, DC. He took early retirement in keep deer out of their productive veg - garden. The beautiful foreground conifer 1998 and they returned to their native etable garden. They have surprisingly in Figure 9 is Cedrus libani ‘Green northwest to indulge their passion for few deer problems in the major unfenced Knight’, the maple is Acer palmatum gardening. portions of the garden because their lov - ‘Wilson’s Pink Dwarf’, and under it is able labradoodle Augie keeps them at Cryptomeria japonica ‘Koshyi ’. bay. The relatively flat areas at either end Those unfamiliar with the climate of of the Jordan’s house have nice lawns the Northwest may assume that it rains all with raised beds and are surrounded in the time here, but the reality is somewhat part by mixed gardens, one of which is Figure 9) Small section of garden with a different. We have a Mediterranean cli - shown in Figure 10. This small garden is Japanese motif, featuring Sagina subulata mate, meaning that we have wet winters located to the left (north) of the house, as a moss substitute and dry summers. Furthermore , the wet - and the view shown looks down toward ness of the winters and the dryness of the the pond evident in Figure 4. The garden Cascades so that the friend could load a summers varies substantially within the contains several fine plants, of which I very large column (which proved to region. Sharon and I grew up in the will name only three, the purple leafed weigh over 13,000 pounds) onto the Northwest, spent our working careers in tree Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ on truck . With much help from Ken and the Washington, D.C. area, and returned the left, the beautiful Pinus parviflora some from me , the column was loaded. to the west when we retired. ‘Goldilocks’ in the left foreground, and Then we moved to another part of the I found the long wet winters too the ‘Chitosemaru ’ in the quarry where the friend used the boom to dreary when we lived in Seattle, so I con - group of rocks to the right of it. load Ken’s pickup with the columns vinced Sharon to settle in southern Ore - I particularly like these rocks be - shown and mine with similar ones. gon where only the winter months cause of their unusual structure. They are Sharon and I have since returned there to normally have more than 3 inches of rain, stubby basaltic columns which are un - gather smaller stones of this type to bor - and the summers are long and dry. Most usual in that they are filled with large der a landing in our garden. conifers do very well here, but some pores created when gas escaped from the The highway leading to this quarry Figure 10) The small moss garden of plants, such as rhododendrons, require hot lava as it flowed over the earth ’s sur - Figure 9 is located in the center of this follows the north fork of the Umpqua beautifully laid out bed. much more supplemental water here than face. I am very fortunate to have gone River and is one of the most scenic drives they do further north, and some do not with Ken and a friend of his who owns a in the country. This highway proceeds on thrive at all. This is particularly true of truck with a boom to a quarry high in the to Crater Lake, one of the true wonders of

24 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 25 and to the winter sun. Also keep them all of your conifers in the fall) to help Winter Burn on Conifers away from your furnace or clothes dryer protect their crowns and roots from by Ellen Kelley vent! freezing temperatures, and from heaving due to wide variations in In addition , several other practices temperature. nce again it’s spring. As homeowners branches are dead, and a truly severe case can minimize or prevent winter burn : and gardeners emerge from their of winter burn can completely kill the • Avoid heavy applications of nitrogen Owinter hibernation and venture forth into plant , rendering it brown and crispy. • Don’t let your conifers go into the win - fertilizers in late summer to allow their yards and gardens, they will This normally occurs on the south or ter with dry soil. Plants need moisture proper hardening of plant tissues. inevitably notice the ravages of winter on southwest side of the plant, or if it is in an in the soil to replace the moisture loss some of their prized trees and shrubs. This exposed location, on the windward side. from the needles. Keep plants watered is the time of year when the winter damage A very important contributing factor is well, especially if they have gone known as “winter burn ” appears on ever - lack of snow cover, especially when the through a dry spell in the late summer green plants, especially conifers. soil freezes early before the needles get a or fall. October , November and some - Winters can be really tough on land - chance to acclimate to the cold weather, times December are not too late for scape plants. The combination of cold causing even more moisture loss. Reflec - watering, as long as the soil is not temperatures, winter sun, reflection from tion off the snow on sunny days or a late frozen and will take the water. snow, and drying winds can damage or cold snap in the spring after the new even kill buds, bark, and roots by draw - growth has appeared can also cause • Provide some winter protection for ing upon the reserves of moisture in the browning. newly planted conifers, yellow or needles . The injury occurs during sunny The most susceptible plants are variegated cultivars, plants in suscepti - and/or windy winter weather when plants juniper, pine, hemlock, arborvitae, and ble locations, or plants which for other lose water from their leaves through yew. New plantings can get hit especially reasons might need protection. A com - transpiration faster than it can be re - hard, as can yellow or variegated mon method is to use a sheet of burlap , placed by roots which are in frozen soil. plants.The best way to prevent winter available at most large garden centers, Gardeners can identify winter burn burn is to plant your conifers in the right wrapped around the plant and held to - by looking for golden or brown needles location. Avoid locations that are both gether by twine. Just make sure you or needle tips. Sometimes, entire exposed to the northwest winter wind don’t wrap it too tight, and leave it open at the top for air to get in and out. Even with good management, injury • Use anti -desiccants, which are mixed to young growth or insufficiently hard - with water and sprayed on the plant, ened tissues may still occur as a result of leaving a “waxy” coating to prevent unusual weather patterns. Little can be moisture loss. Be aware, however, that done to prevent injury in these instances. anti-desiccants will need to be re- The good news is that after several applied at intervals during the winter. years , many, if not most, of the conifers This will need to be done when the that have had the tendency to burn will temperature is above 40° F. Unfortu - have adjusted and won’t burn unless the nately, recent research has shown the winter, especially late winter weather , is results to be generally disappointing. particularly fierce. The other good news is that a mantle of burlap can be applied • Mulch around the bases of root-tender at any time, if the signs of winter burn plants (it’s a good idea to mulch around begin to appear.

26 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 27 Hybridization studies between North larly desirable clones from collections Evaluating Landscape Adaptability of American hemlocks and Asian hemlocks throughout the United States . Evalua - Hemlock Species ( spp.) in Western have shown promise (e.g. Bentz et al. tions for resistance, form, and commer - Tsuga 2002). The potential for resistant plants cial merit will begin following planting North Carolina to survive in areas that have been heavily in the field. Evaluations will continue for infested should be evaluated along with 5-10 years. by Anthony V. LeBude and Thomas G. Ranney, NC State University progeny of crosses between susceptible Cooperators for this project include: and resistant Tsuga. A comprehensive, Bill Barnes, Lorax Farms, Warrington, replicated planting of diverse species of PA ; Charles Tubesing, Holden Arbore - This article was originally published in the November/December 2007 hemlock would also provide a foundation tum, Kirtland, ; David Parks, edition of Nursery Notes, the bi-monthly magazine of the for additional work on mechanisms and Camellia Forest Nursery, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association. genetics of host plant resistance. NC ; Denny Werner, J.C. Raulston he hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA), One long-term management option The hemlock wooly adelgid now in - Arboretum, Raleigh, NC ; Kunso Kim, (Adelges tsugae Annand ), is a major is to plant resistant hemlocks to reduce festing the eastern United States is Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL ; Paul Tthreat to Tsuga spp. in forested and urban the impact of HWA on ornamental plant - thought to have originated from southern Cappiello, Yew Dell Gardens, Crest - areas in the eastern United States (Mc - ings and forested areas. In Asia, HWA ap - Japan (Havill et al. 2006), which is the wood, KY ; Andrew Bell, Chicago Botan - Clure 2001, 1987). This insect is cur - pears to be a relatively minor pest. native range of southern Japanese hem - ical Garden, Chicago, IL. ; Richard rently in more than 16 states where it has Although this may partially be due to cli - lock. There is, most likely, considerable Olsen, US National Arboretum, contributed to the decline of eastern and mate and natural enemies, observations variation in host plant resistance within Washington, D.C. ; Tomasz Aniśko, Carolina hemlock and has substantially and studies of different Asian species in - all species. Sue Bentz (US National Ar - Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square PA. ; altered plant communities and ecosys - cluding Chinese hemlock, (T. chinensis boretum, personal communication) re - Tony Aiello, Morris Arboretum, tems. HWA has recently moved into and (Franch.) Pritz.) , northern Japanese hem - ported that infestations and damage on Philadelphia, PA ; Washington Park rapidly spread throughout western North lock (T. diversifolia (Maxim.) Mast.) and southern Japanese hemlock at USNA, Arboretum, Seattle, Washington . Carolina and is a considerable threat to southern Japanese hemlock (T. sieboldii Glenn Dale, MD and Morris Arboretum, We anticipate finding and docu - the nursery industry, established land - Carr. ) have indicated considerable host Philadelphia, PA have ranged from none menting a broad range of resistance to scape plantings, and native forests in plant resistance (McClure 1996, 1995, to severe. Information on resistance of HWA among these accessions, particu - these areas. Skeletons of large hemlocks 1992 ; Lagalante and Montgomery 2003; other Asian species, varieties, popula - larly among species. If adequate resist - haunt the streams and mountainsides Lagalante 2003; Montgomery et al. 2005; tions, and clones is lacking for the west - ance is found within any of the species throughout the high forests. The ecologi - Montgomery 1999 ). From anecdotal re - ern part of North Carolina. Further this will provide opportunities to select cal and visual consequences of large ports in western North Carolina, some research is needed to determine adapt - and introduce clonal cultivars and geno - scale loss of hemlock due to HWA are accessions of Chinese hemlock may not ability to growing conditions and to de - types that may have utility for establish - predicted to parallel those of chestnut be adequately cold hardy . However, Chi - termine variation in resistance, within ment of seed orchards to produce blight. Attempts to identify and release nese hemlock has a broad range and and between species especially in a field planting. It is also anticipated that some natural predators of HWA are underway, some selections from more northern setting. of the Asian species and genotypes will but losses continue to escalate as the provenances are doing well in USDA Approximately 40 taxa comprised of exhibit high levels of resistance and that range of HWA expands. While Eastern zone 5. Mountain hemlock (T. merten - T. caroliniana, T. canadensis, T. sieboldii, selections (including cultivars) can be hemlock (T. canadensis L. ) and Carolina siana (Bong.) Carr. ) and western hem - T. chinensis, and T. diversifolia were made for desirable nursery and landscape hemlock (T. caroliniana Engelm. ) have lock (T. heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. ), both planted at the Mountain Horticultural characteristics including regional adapt - shown little or no resistance within areas native to northwest North America ap - Crops Research and Extension Center, ability, desirable form, and rapid growth infested by HWA, there may be a range pear to be somewhat more resistant to Fletcher, NC (elev. 2200’) in spring rates. of resistance in other species of hemlock HWA than their east coast relatives; how - 2008. Growth habit of many of the Asian Literature Cited or in the over 270 cultivars of eastern ever, mountain and western hemlock hemlock species is highly variable and Bentz, S.E., L.G.H. Riedel, M.R. Pooler hemlock that exist. generally grow poorly here. efforts have been made to select particu - and A.M. Townsend. 2002. Hybridiza -

28 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 29 tion and self-compatibility in controlled USDA, For. Serv. For. Health Tech. En - pollinations of eastern North American terprise Team, Tech. Transfer, FHTET- Nominations Sought for 2010 and Asian hemlock ( Tsuga ) species. J. 2001- 03, p. 14pp McClure, M.S. 1992. Arboric. 28: 200-205. Hemlock wooly adelgid. Amer. Nursery - American Conifer Society man 175(6):82-89. Havill, N.P., M.E. Montgomery, G.Yu, S. Shiyake, and A. Gaccone. 2006. Mi - McClure, M.S. 1995. Diapterobates Awards of Merit tochondrial DNA from Hemlock Wooly humeralis (Orkbatida: Ceratozetidae): Adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) sug - An effective control agent of hemlock Every year the American Conifer Society honors its members with Awards of gests cryptic speciation and pinpoints wooly adelgid (Homoptera: Adelgidae) Merit. Nominations for next year’s recipients must be received by November 30, the source of the introduction to eastern in Japan. Environ. Ento. 24(5):1207- 2009. North America. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 1215. 99:195-203. Marvin and Emelie Snyder Award of Merit for Dedicated Support McClure, M.S. 1996. Woolly Bully. of the ACS Lagalante, A.F. 2003. Analysis of ter - Amer. Nurseryman 138(11):52-57. penoids from hemlock ( Tsuga ) species Montgomery, M.E. 1999. Woolly adel - This award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to by solid-phase microextraction/gas chro - gids in the Southern Appalachians: Why the American Conifer Society through their service, enthusiasm, commitment matography/ion-trap mass spectrometry. they are harmful and prospects for con - and promotion of membership in the Society. J. Agr. And Food Chem. 51: 2115-2120. trol. USDA Forest Health Technology Also, this award acknowledges those who have been deeply involved in Lagalante, A.F., and M.E. Montgomery. Enterprise Team (FHTET-98-14). In: the activities of the Society, organizationally or otherwise. 2003. Analysis of terpenoids from hem - Proceedings of the Southern Ap - lock ( Tsuga ) species by solid-phase palachian Biological Control Initiative Award of Merit for Development in the Field of Conifers microextraction/gas chromatogra - Workshop, Sept. 26-27, 1996, p 47-57. phy/ion-trap mass spectrometry. J. Agr. The criteria for this award include the collecting and displaying of Montgomery, M.E., A.F. Lagalante, and And Food Chem. 51: 2115-2120. conifers, a willingness to share knowledge of plants, and the enthusiasm and K.S. Shields. 2005. Resistance of Hem - drive to discover and develop noteworthy cultivars. McClure, M. S., 1987. Biology and con - lock to Adelges tsugae: Promising new Also taken into consideration are published articles, books, or texts as well trol of hemlock woolly adelgid. developments. Third Symposium on as new or improved propagation techniques and designs for the use of conifers. Bull. Conn. Agric. Expt. Stn. No. 851, p. Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Asheville, 9pp McClure, M. S., S. M. Salom, and NC. Abstract. To be considered, your nomination must be accompanied by an outline of the K. S. Shields, 2001. Hemlock woolly nominee’s contributions in the appropriate category. If you wish to nominate adelgid. a member for either of these awards, include your candidate’s name, address, and phone number as well as a brief description of why the person is deserving of the award. Please send your nominations to: Don Howse 41370 SE Thomas Road Sandy, OR 97055 Phone/FAX: 503 668-5834 Email: [email protected]

30 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 31 been successfully transplanted into culti - been successfully propagated by grafting Collecting Northern Conifers vation but is not yet propagated. but has not yet produced any cones. by William Journeay Another red spruce P. rubens ‘Char - lotte ’s Pillow ’ was also discovered grow - ing in the wild in Nova Scotia and is a or many years I have marveled at the collecting and propagating some unique dwarf dense mound with typical red extreme variations in our native trees. and yet bizarre plants. I would like to in - spruce foliage and a darker green color. FAs I travelled the forest of eastern Canada troduce a few of the many selections I The tree is also about 30 years old and 2 during my career in the forest industry ,I have found and named and hope that oth - feet tall with very slow annual growth discovered some very strange plant forms. ers might enjoy them as much as we do. (<2 inches per year) . It has not yet pro - Since retiring , my wife and I have joined Most of my selections can be found at duced seed. This tree has also been suc - the American Conifer Society. We are Kingsbrae Gardens (ACS Member) in St. cessfully transplanted into cultivation but amazed at the many cultivars previously Andrews , New Brunswick. I strongly is not yet propagated. unknown to us in this area. We also noticed recommend a visit to the gardens where that many of the northern conifers were not they have recently added to their conifer as widely publicized. collection. I continue to add new speci - Several years ago , I decided to start mens as I find them each year. Red spruce ( Picea rubens ) is quite common in Atlantic Canada and some very interesting dwarfs have been discov - ered. One that I’d like to share is the very slow growing conical P. rubens ‘Halle ’s Cone ’ that was discovered growing in an Picea mariana‘ Jack William’ industrial plantation in Nova Scotia . The tree is currently about 5 feet tall with Another interesting specimen is dwarf foliage and cones and is about 30 Picea mariana ‘Jack William ’. This was years old. A very dense conical shape has discovered growing in the wild in a been retained with annual height growth spaced young conifer forest, which is a about 2 to 4 inches per year. This tree has natural population that has been mechan - ically thinned to optimize growth for commercial purposes. It has a very up - right habit with very attractive weeping Picea glauca ‘Scotia Spider’ branches. It has good annual height growth (>1 foot per year) and has been A few years ago I discovered a successfully grafted. It is now established bizarre white spruce I have named Picea at several locations. glauca ‘Scotia Spider ’ growing in the Recently I discovered another very ditch along a major highway in Nova exciting black spruce Picea mariana Scotia. This tree is quite breathtaking in ‘Craig ’ growing in a young forest planta - that it has very rapid height growth with tion. This extremely dense and perfectly little or no internodal branching at any symmetrical compact black spruce is part of the tree and a pronounced hook at very similar to Picea glauca ‘Laurin ’ and Picea rubens 'Halle's Cone' Picea rubens 'Charlotte's Pillow' the ends of lateral branches. This tree has Picea abies ‘Ohlendorffii ’. This is a

32 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 33 followed by a gradual fading to green needles with faint white tips. I have heard About the author: Bill and Sandra of a few other similar white spruce and a Journeay recently joined the ACS. They black spruce in the area but have not seen live and garden in Nova Scotia Canada. them. This tree is very comparable to Picea orientalis ‘Aurea ’ and Picea orien - talis ’Early Gold ’. It grafts well and has Editor’s Note: Cultivars are named been established at several locations. selections of plants, usually clonally These are but a few of the many propagated. To formally name a cultivar, strange conifers that I have identified and the name needs to appear in print. With hope to have officially recognized. I have this article, Mr. Journeay has officially many that are still under investigation named the plants. The plants not yet and have not yet been named or propa - propagated will become useful cultivars gated. Most are at least established in my once they are propagated. garden. If there are any readers with a particular interest in all northern conifers , I look forward to hearing from them to exchange ideas and photos.

Picea mariana ‘Craig’ Picea glauca ‘Sandy’s Gold’ beautiful tree for any location. It has been transplanted to cultivation but has not yet been propagated. A red spruce and white spruce exhibiting the same compact and symmetrical shape have also been dis - covered and collected. The small conical red spruce and white spruce were discov - ered at other locations. The white spruce was along a highway and the red spruce was discovered in a wild population in the forest. All three are now established at Kingsbrae gardens in St. Andrews , New Brunswick . Lastly , I would like to introduce Picea glauca ‘Sandy ’s Gold ’. One of my wife’s favorites , this beautiful tree was discovered along with a few other wild trees growing in an old farm field. It is a well shaped tree with an amazing yellow flush of new growth that seems to last longer each year as the tree matures. We Picea glauca ‘Sandy’s Gold’ expect about 4 weeks of brilliant show

34 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 35 Conifer Destinations by Tom Cox

2009 is our 63 rd year in business. We offer dwarf and unusual conifers and Japanese maples.

Please call ahead (717) 486-5142 or those looking for a different experi - life in the midst of an old-growth ence, consider a visit to Francis Beidler swamp. It also offers a canoe trail on 816 Holly Pike Forest in Harleyville, South Carolina. As which guided trips are led, providing Mt. Holly Springs, PA 17065 an added bonus, visit the antebellum city of visitors the chance to explore deep into www.suncrest-gardens.com Charleston and the nearby the swamp’s interior. Plantation and Gardens – the oldest As a footnote, the largest remaining public garden in America. old-growth stand of bald-cypress is Beidler Forrest is one of few remaining located at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary locations where one has an opportunity to near Naples, Florida. see old-growth stands of bald -cypress (Taxodium distichum var. distichum ). About the author : Tom Cox is past-pres - Most of the huge bald -cypress are in the ident of the ACS and a rabid conifer neighborhood of 1 ,000 years old. The lover. When he is away from his oldest known tree in the sanctuary is collection, he must always find conifers approximately 1 ,500 years old. Along somewhere. THE ENHANCEMENT OF with live oak ( Quercus virginiana ), bald - NATURE ’S DEFINITIVE SPACES cypress is a legendary tree of the Deep Websites: WOLF-RUN South, famous for its knees, dangling www.corkscrew.audubon.org www.beidlerforest.com NURSERY Spanish moss, and buttressed trunk. LANDSCAPES Bald -cypress is in the Taxodiaceae fam - www.magnoliaplantation.com ily, which are not true cypresses. True •RARE AND UNUSUAL PLANTS •EXOTIC CONIFERS cypresses are in the Cupressaceae Karen & Mark Priebe 610-779-5717 (cypress) family and are not native to the Toll Free 877-779-5715 29 Klappenthal Road southeastern United States. Fax 610-779-0555 Reading, PA 19606 Beidler has a 1.75-mile boardwalk E-mail: [email protected] wolfrunnursery.com trail , which affords a close-up view of

36 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 37 Conifers with Leaves mann’s outline in his world map. Hardiness: Zone 8–10. by Maud Henne 4) Trees of North America –Golden Field Guides : This book from St. Martin’s Press lists podocarps under t took me 20 years of caring for and bidder. That plant put out 1.5 feet of “Some Introduced Gymnosperms” about conifers to find out that there are growth in each direction in my living and shows a drawing of P. nagi that Iconifers with leaves. We hobby gardeners room within six months , between illustrates the leaves and fruit. commonly associate the term “conifer” September and March. Since I was not with trees that bear cones and have needles. willing to raise my ceiling, I donated this I know a lot more about podocarps I acquired a leafy conifer at the plant plant to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gar - by now. In time , I will have to make a auction of the SE Region meeting at Clem - den in Richmond , Virginia . It is kept in a decision: son University, South Carolina, in fall greenhouse there. When I visited in Should I risk planting it outside? Or, 2008. It is a donation of the Friends of the spring 2008, it looked fat and happy. should I keep it as a house plant and , as State Botanical Garden in Athens, Georgia. Having acquired an 8 -month -old , soon as it threatens to outgrow my living It is labeled “Broadleaf Conifer – Nageia 4-foot-tall baby leafy conifer, I could not room, take it to Richmond and donate it nagi .” The name did not mean anything wait to get home and consult various tree to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden ? to me , so I asked an expert. books. Here is what I learned: “It is in the family of the 1) Manual of Cultivated Conifers About the Author: podocarps ,” I was told. (Gerd Krüssmann ): Among approxi - Maud Henne, a native of Germany, I asked, “Will it grow in zone 7?” I mately 100 species listed and residing in Charlottesville, Virginia, has was assured it would if the location is described, there it is P. nagi . Tree, taken care of her late husband’s conifer more 7b than 7a. 15–20m (49-65 feet ) from southern collection since 1989. She increased it to “It is a tough plant ,” somebody said. Japan . over 200 plants. Maud has been a 2) Conifers :The Illustrated Encyclo - member of ACS since 1985 and is a Past pedia Volume 2: L to Z (D.M. van President of the Southeastern Region. Gelderen and J.R.P. van Hoey She gives lectures about garden conifers Smith ): This book shows the tree with slides and cuttings for plant and a branch with fruit. societies and garden clubs, and is part 3) Trees and Shrubs : In a Firefly En - of the lecture program for the cyclopedia of more than 8,500 Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards. In plants, I learn that all six species in 2007, her collection was featured on Don’t miss your the Nageia genus require well- regional PBS. drained soil and water during dry Conifer Quarterly! periods. Their frost tolerance is min - Contact the Society with imal. They are evergreen trees ; their your new address. It is a pretty plant. It is 4 feet tall. distinguishing feature is broad, When I inquired about the age of the lance-shaped, multi-veined leaves, a plant, I was told , “Eight months, but it character that is unique in conifers. John Martin was grown in a greenhouse. It will slow Nageia nagi is described as a tree American Conifer Society down now.” I was reminded of an Arau - that grows to 70 feet (21m) or more 175 Charisma Lane caria bidwellii I got stuck with at a silent and occurs in Japan, , and Lewisville, NC 27023-9611 ACS auction because I was the sole Taiwan , which verifies Dr. Krüss -

38 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 39 The Jean Iseli Memorial Award ACS 2009 National Meeting

The 2009 ACS National Meeting will be held August 6 –8, 2009, in Hauppauge, PPLICATIONS OW EING CCEPTED AND UST E ECEIVED Y A N B A M B R B New York. Our host hotel will be the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge JUNE 1, 2009 . he Northeast Region is calling all ing and beautification. There are magnif - The American Conifer Society, which supports the development, coniferites to attend our annual meet - icent specimen trees of all species to be conservation and propagation of conifers with an emphasis on Ting to be held in Hauppauge, Long Island, found here, and over the years, the uni - dwarf or unusual varieties, awards a $3,000 grant to a public New York, on August 6–8. We will embark versity brought into its sphere some of garden, arboretum or horticultural institution. on a tour reminiscent of the Great Gatsby, the most distinguished early members of visiting some of the best examples of late our Society such as Ed Rezek, Joe Reis, The award was established in 1986 in honor of the memory of 19th and early 20th century “robber baron” Joel Spingarn, and James Cross. Their estates, complete with magnificent speci - plantsman, Jean Iseli of Boring, Oregon. Jean Iseli was an ACS men trees, lush gardens, and 100-year-old founder and conifer propagator. (in some cases older) pinetum plantings. Proposals must contain the following: Most of these conifers had only recently been discovered in China and Japan by a. Name, full address, and phone number of the applicant/institution Western horticulturists and plant explorers b. Brief description of how ACS funds will be used and were considered wildly exotic at the c. List of plant materials (if the request involves conifer purchases) time. d. Budget For those spouses whose enthusiasm e. Short overview of mission statement or horticultural background for conifers may be forced, you have the of your institution option this year of visiting these estate houses and seeing the furnishings, Send Applications to: personal effects, and lifestyles of the Coe, Phipps, and Cutting families, almost Ethan Johnson as if they had only recently moved away [email protected] (Microsoft Word documents) and left everything there for you to see. or by regular mail There is a great deal of history here, captured in architectural revival styles, c/o The Holden Arboretum furniture, and fabric design. This was a 9500 Sperry Road period of landscape innovation, with the Kirtland, OH 044094 Olmstead brothers having been very active on Long Island and, in particular, Ethan Johnson chairs a three-person commitee that reviews applica - with the Planting Fields, which you will tions and makes its recommendation to the ACS Board of Directors see on the tour. at the annual summer meeting. Taking our venues in order, on Au - gust 7, we will begin with Hofstra University (the site of the presidential Announcements of the award recipient will be made by debate last fall), a Dutchman’s college, August 1, 2009. which at one time devoted a significant Old Westbury Gardens proportion of its budget to campus plant -

40 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 41 influence and plant contributions are to start an arboretum devoted to conifers. fabled Hamptons on the eastern end of evident throughout the campus. Some of these early trees were Long Island, a playground of the once We will then board the buses for Old venerable specimens when a terrible rich and famous, will be our primary Westbury Gardens, still owned by the hurricane occurred in the 1960s that focus. We will visit public as well as pri - Phipps family and a prime example of a wiped out a distressing number of them. vate gardens, some devoted to conifers, Charles II-style mansion with interior Today, after a determined effort to one to sculpture, one to perennials, one furnishings and garden amenities typical replant, there is a nice mix of the old with a strong Chinese classical design of the era. We will tour the mansion or specimens with younger trees, some of style, and one that is an intimate garden grounds, according to your interests, and which are now approaching 50 years old. so cleverly composed and packed with then assemble in the café in the woods Everyone at the arboretum is very ex - plants, you’ll be very cross when told its for a picnic lunch. cited about our visit. The director said, time to leave. Following lunch, we will board the “Wouldn’t Bayard have been pleased?” We have been invited to have lunch buses for the Coe Estate, known as the You will be pleased, too ! at two of the area’s foremost garden Planting Fields, and a New York historic Come to Long Island this summer centers and design firms, The Bayberry public arboretum and state park. The and prepare yourselves to be well taken in Amagansett and Marders in Bridge - Tudor revival mansion will again be open care of and well entertained! hampton. Lastly, very good wine is made to conifer refusenics, but as always, the in Eastern Long Island, and a winery stop perfectly spaced ancient specimen trees, is planned to let you sample some! the pinetum, and the dramatic Olmstead The extended tour usually sells out landscape make it difficult for you to quickly as there is room for only 50 choose! people. This is going to be a good one as The next day, Saturday, will be extended tours go, so don’t miss out. full of adventure! We start off with a bus Send your application back by ride to the prominent and internationally return mail! New York Botanical Gardens known New York Botanical Garden, con - sidered by many to be the finest public We invite you to visit these Web sites garden in the United States. They have a Waxman was instrumental in assembling. to learn more about the great things 95 million dollar annual budget, which Tram rides will be available to ensure in store for you at the 2009 National supports not only the gardens but also the that we see as much as possible of this Meeting: International Plant Science Center. The historic and beautifully maintained ar - www.nybg.org center, along with the Mertz Library and boretum and spectacular public garden. Steere Herbarium, are regarded as among The next stop on Saturday may well www.bayardcuttingarboretum.com the best in the world. be the sleeper of the entire weekend. http://www.hofstra.edu/Community Funds for the arboretum have tradi - Bayard Cutting was a wealthy financier tionally been raised by the “must have” and railroad investor who built an exten - /Arbor/index.html ticket of the New York social season, the sive estate on Long Island’s south shore www.oldwestburygardens.org annual New York Botanic Garden Ball. bordering the Connetequot River. He was Bayard Cutting Arboretum The NYBG is delighted to host the a well traveled man who, like his peers, www.plantingfields.org American Conifer Society and will be became interested in the flow of new Extended Tour particularly pleased to show off their plants coming into the country. Instead of The four-day extended tour (August newly restored Benenson Ornamental settling with just your ordinary everyday 9–12) will range from gardens that are Conifers, a collection of dwarf and un - pinetum, Mr. Cutting seems to have been charming and will delight you to those usual conifers that our late member Sid an early victim of coniferitus and went on that will amaze and astonish you! The

42 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 43 Saturday morning Frank Byles will woodland plants. Following this, folks Conifers, Japanese Maples and Alpines – talk about the use of Japanese maples in can travel to Coenosium Gardens where Oh My! the landscape. Frank has amassed a col - they can tour the pinetum and purchase lection of about 800 Japanese maples, plants from Robert Fincham, Rick Lupp by Marc McCalmon many of which have been installed on the and Frank Byles. campus of South Puget Sound Commu - Hope to see you there! The 2009 Western Region meeting will be held In Olympia Washington, June nity College (SPSCC). Following his (Need more information? Contact Marc 26-28. The meeting will focus on the utilization of conifers, Japanese maples, presentation , the group will tour the McCalmon ([email protected]) and alpine plants in gardens. collection at SPSCC. he forests of the western United States Boulders, stunted and contorted conifers, range from temperate rainforests to and a tapestry of alpine plants create a di - Tsub-alpine environments. Across the distri - versity of texture, form, and color. bution of these coniferous forests, several Conifer enthusiasts range from dedicated species of maples can be found, growing collectors who enjoy planting groups of primarily on sites having a balance cultivars from one species, to gardeners of moisture (mesic sites). The fiery red, who use conifers to achieve a desired orange and magenta fall colors of vine design effect ; all can benefit from good maple ( Acer circinatum ) and Douglas design principles. maple ( Acer glabrum ) contrasted against The 2009 Western Region meeting the rich dark green of their conifer neigh - will provide an opportunity to learn more bors is striking. Gardeners can achieve about the use of conifers, Japanese After lunch on Saturday, the group this same effect with the use of Japanese maples, and alpine plants . Friday will tour three not-to-be-missed gardens! maples. evening , Robert Fincham will kick One garden was voted to be one of best things off with a presentation on conifer six gardens on Puget Sound; another was cultivars and their uses in the landscape, featured in a national garden magazine. including a comparison of old selections The evening will include a no-host bar, with new selections. With a presentation silent auction, dinner, a keynote presenta - title of: The Good, The Bad, and The tion, and the oral auction. Lucy Hardi - Ugly: Beauty is in the eye of the man will present the keynote. Lucy is a beholder , you know it will be good! fifth generation Oregon gardener. She is recognized for her innovative approaches to garden design. Her garden and those of clients have appeared in many magazines and books. Lucy is well known as a fun, dynamic speaker. As coniferous forests transition to A Sunday breakfast presentation by the alpine zone, visitors can see an amaz - Rick Lupp will be on constructing sand ing assortment of herbaceous plants, beds for growing alpines and conifers. shrubs and grasses. The transition Rick is owner of Mt. Tahoma Nursery, a between subalpine and alpine environ - small specialty nursery involved in the ments can provide a perfect template for selection, propagation and selling of a conifer collector’s garden design. choice rock garden, alpine house and

44 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 45 program makes good use of our Regional year, one of the highlights of the $7,000 Awarded to Four Southeast money. Regional Meeting is the plant auctions, Regional Gardens both live and silent. The proceeds from The J. Sargent Reynold Community Col - these auctions go directly into our treas - by Barbie Colvin lege (JSRCC) , Goochland , Virginia , was ury and then are funneled back to our re - awarded $1 ,500 toward the installation gional gardens through the Reference of a conifer garden which will qualify as Garden Grant Program. The amount natural extension of the education-based our Southeast Reference Gardens re - a Reference Garden once completed. available year to year varies, depending conifer gardens that already exist on ceived great news in early February , as This new garden will serve as an educa - on the success of the auction. The 2009 campus. Work on the new garden will Fgrants designed to improve their conifer tional, outdoor, hands-on classroom fo - Southeast Regional Meeting is scheduled begin soon , and a full report on the com - programs were approved by the ACS, both cused on conifer diversity, cultural care , for September 18–19 in Richmond , pleted garden will be made later this year. nationally and regionally. and use/evaluation by future landscape Virginia . We’re encouraging all members Three other regional gardens sub - and nursery professionals studying for to start saving their pennies to spend East Tennessee State University mitted grant requests , and the Southeast their Associate ’s Degree at JSRCC. The during the auction, as their frenzied Arboretum (ETSUA), Johnson City, Ten - Region awarded funds to these gardens : Al Gardner Conifer Garden has a high bidding will result in improvements for nessee , led the list by receiving a $3,000 level of support from the college, area more of our Reference Gardens next The Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG), grant, which was awarded to the South - nurseries and suppliers, garden clubs , year. Atlanta, Georgia , requested and received east Region from the American Conifer and avid conifer enthusiasts. Contribut - $1,000, which will be used to replace Society. This National Grant, designated ing toward the development of a new About the Author : Barbie Colvin and her many conifers which have grown beyond for a Reference Garden, rotates among garden, which will also serve as a Refer - husband Rick live and garden in their allotted space over the past several the four regions each year. In 2009, it was ence Garden, is another good investment Milledgeville , Georgia. Barbie is Vice years. With our grant money, ABG will the Southeast Region’s turn and ETSUA by the Southeast Region . President of the Southeast Region and remove some oversized specimens and was our Region’s recommendation. The also chairs the SE ACS Reference replace them with varieties that will bet - grant will pay for a new conifer garden You might wonder where the re - Garden Committee. She can be reached ter fit the space. Stay tuned for updates designed to showcase two interesting bi - gional grant money comes from. Each at [email protected] . ological themes. The first theme will on which new cultivars are included in show the close evolutionary relationship this planting . The SE Region is glad to between geographically distant species support ABG’s continuing commitment within a conifer genus. to showcasing a diverse and unique The second theme will highlight the conifer collection in the Southeast . extreme morphological variation in size and growth form which occurs within a The University of Tennessee Gardens, Publication Dates single conifer species. This size-variation Knoxville, Tennessee , was awarded Deadline to Publication Date theme continues ETSUA’s emphasis on $1 ,500 toward updating conifer signage Issue Calendar Quarter submit articles (approx. mailing) dwarf conifers and their many interesting on new specimens as well as helping to variations . Our regional president Duane defray some expenses of a planned Winter Jan/Feb/Mar Nov 15 Jan 15 Ridenour presented a recommendation conifer symposium scheduled for Sep - Spring Apr/May/Jun Feb 15 Apr 15 about ETSUA to the ACS National Board tember 2009 . The Garden has substan - Summer Jul/Aug/Sept May 15 July 15 at their February meeting , and the recom - tially expanded its conifer collection in Fall Oct/Nov/Dec 31 Aug 15 Oct 15 mendation to fund the $3,000 project was the past few years, so keeping the signage Submit articles/photos to: unanimously approved. Dr. Frosty Levy current is an important component of the Evelyn Cox, Conifer Quarterly Editor • 1621 N. Lake Dr., Canton, GA 30115 and Dr. Tim McDowell from ETSUA Reference Garden program. We are al - proposed this new conifer garden as a ways glad to hear of pending conifer-re - PH (770) 663-7576 • E-mail: [email protected] lated programs, so helping to fund such a

46 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 47 Directorate

Officers

President Ellen Kelley, 3445 Oakory Ln, Bettendorf, IA 52722-3938 PH (563) 650-2212 Vice President Ridge Goodwin, P.O. Box 310, Holicong, PA 18928 Treasurer PH (215) 794-3216 Secretary Kathleen Pottratz, 42438 SW Vandehey Rd., Gaston, OR 97119 PH (503) 985-7561, E-mail: [email protected] Past President Tom Cox, 1621 N Lake Dr., Canton, GA 30115 PH (770) 772-9747, FAX (770) 663-4063, E-mail: [email protected]

Directors

Term expires 2010 Scott Burrell, 428 North Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23221 PH (804) 339-0873, FAX (804) 354-8247, E-mail [email protected] Christopher Daeger, Stanley M. Rowe Arboretum, 4600 Muchmore Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45243 PH (513)-561-5151, E-mail: [email protected] Joe Harris, III P. O. Box 518 Boring OR 97009-0518 PH (503)-663-3822, E-mail [email protected] Gerald Kral, 900 Winton Rd. N, Rochester, NY 14609 PH (585) 288-5082, E-mail: [email protected]

Regional Presidents

Northeastern Region Larry Nau, 25 Knollwood Dr., Churchville, NY, 14428 PH (585) 202-1815, E-mail: [email protected] Central Region Bill Barger, 3200 Rohrer Rd, Wadsworth, OH 44281 PH (330) 336-9695, E-mail: [email protected] Western Region Brian Jacob 13455 SE Lafayette Hwy., Dayton, OR 97114 PH (503) 868-7941 Email: [email protected] Southeastern Region Duane Ridenour, P.O. Box 361, Jacksboro, TN 37757 PH (865) 310-1026

Conifer Society Staff

National Office John Martin, 175 Charisma Lane, Lewisville, NC 27023-9611 PH (336) 945-0483, FAX (336) 945-0484, E-mail: [email protected] Editor, Evelyn Cox, 1621 N. Lake Drive, Canton, GA 30004 Conifer Quarterly PH (770) 663-7576 E-mail: [email protected] Picea pungens 'Blue Pearl' Graphic Design & Monya Barnes, 2255 Barrett Drive, Cumming, GA 30040 Printing PH (770) 888-0434, E-mail: [email protected] Photo by Dennis Groh

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48 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2 Picea pungens 'Blaukissen' Photo by Dennis Groh