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Volume 77, Number 3 May/June 1998
DEPARTMENTS Commentary 4 Wild Orchids 28 by Paul Martin Brown Members' Forum 5 A penonal tour ofplaces in N01,th America where Gaura lindheimeri, Victorian illustrators. these native beauties can be seen in the wild. News from AHS 7 Washington, D . C. flower show, book awards. From Boon to Bane 37 by Charles E. Williams Focus 10 Brought over f01' their beautiful flowers and colorful America)s roadside plantings. berries, Eurasian bush honeysuckles have adapted all Offshoots 16 too well to their adopted American homeland. Memories ofgardens past. Mock Oranges 41 Gardeners Information Service 17 by Terry Schwartz Magnolias from seeds, woodies that like wet feet. Classic fragrance and the ongoing development of nell? Mail-Order Explorer 18 cultivars make these old favorites worthy of considera Roslyn)s rhodies and more. tion in today)s gardens. Urban Gardener 20 The Melting Plot: Part II 44 Trial and error in that Toddlin) Town. by Susan Davis Price The influences of African, Asian, and Italian immi Plants and Your Health 24 grants a1'e reflected in the plants and designs found in H eading off headaches with herbs. American gardens. Natural Connections 26 Insects that use plant toxins. Weed Laws 48 by Bret Rappaport and Andy Wasowski Book Reviews 56 Outdated weed laws are still being used to persecute Ecological gardening, more from Mitchell, gardenen who p1'actice natu1'alistic garden design. Merry H all, A rmitage CD-ROM. Regional Happenings 62 On the cover: The large yellow lady)s-slipper (Cypripedium Huntington plant sale, Everett Children)s parviflorum var. pub esc ens ) is native to damp woodlands Adventure Garden. and swampy areas th1'oughout much of the Northeast. Beginning on page 28, Paul Martin Brown tells us where to Pronunciations 66 see these and othe1' beautiful native orchids in the wild. Hardiness and Heat Zones 67 Photograph by H ugh and Carol Nourse. American Horticultural Society 7931 East Boulevard Drive AlexanMia, VA 22308-1300 (703) 768-5700 commentary ~ The American Hortic-ultural Society (AHS) educates and inspires people of ail ages to vecome successful and ucn like clothing styles, plants and garden mvironmentally responsible gardenel's by ing techniques tend to drift in and out of advancing the art and stience of horticultun. M fashion over time. Those who have gar dened for many years or who are familiar with the ~ works of the classic garden writers know that many PRESIDENT/CEO of the latest "trends" in gardening are merely a res LU'lDA D. HALLMAN urrection of earlier interests and practices. Yet some things never really go out ofstyle. Mock BOARD OF DmEC'llORS Ojfioe1's 1998-1999 oranges-those favorites ofour mothers and grand mothers-still merit a place in the gat·den for their KAIT Moss>Yvj\RNER, o~ I,ake :Sllenn Vutn, Florida; fragrant, graceful white flowers and versatility. In this NAN~ S. TIi0/Y1AS,!FmS'F WeE GHAlllMAN issue, nurseryman Terry Schwartz describes mock Houston, Texas oranges that have stood the .est of time. We'll also PktlL ECKE,J'&, SE€0ND WG;E e~· Encinitas, ({;ati{ornia tell you about some native species that blend in nice Wfl,LTAM A. :Pl'lSE¥, SEG~~ ly with naturalized landscapes. WtUhingt01', 'D. C. Planting less formal, more natural landscapes is ©~'ES H'EN&Y SM>lTH JR" 'ilrnAs~ Mid1/.tebur;g, Vi'lfinia another gardening technique currently enjoying renewed interest. In some cases, how ever, gardeners who plant natural landscapes are being prosecuted under outdated weed '" SFi.ERMAN ADLER Yob. Sanna, Floridn laws. Andy Wasowski and Bret Rappaport describe some cases that have gained national L. M. BAIglR JR. attention and offer tips on how [Q avoid becoming the victim of such laws. WinSton-Salem, North CltJrolina In keeping with the theme that our gardening past is reflected in the present, Susan 'WmT,ft;M B. BARRTC!<, PH.£!. lMMJIDlATE BAST OHMR,\1AN Davis Price continues her series on our gardening heritage. She tells us about the influ Pine /ifoun,ain, Ilieorgia ence of African, Italian, and Asian immigrants. SWRL£Y IlAR'FJ::ETI" SanCa Barb,.,."" California. Charles E. Williams chronicles the ecological damage invasive Eurasian bush honey KA'J1HEMNE McKAy BY;1JK sucldes have inflicted on our natural landscapes and offers suggestions for native shrubs Chadotee, Nor,th Ci.,.olina and honeysuckles that can be used as replacements in our gardens. And orchid expert Jfu.\1:ES !t. CORF)Bll> lJO)V"C1~ G)"uve, nlinois Paul Martin Brown takes us on a tour of the best places in North America to see the crown A'RAllELLA S. ElANE jewels of our native flora---orchids-in the wild. Boston, Massath'lSettS JOHN ALEX 1'LOYI>, J-R. This issue marks an end and a beginning for our magazine, as Kathleen Fisher, eru Bi,.,ningha1H, Alab",ma tor since 1989, departs to pursue free-lance work. Kathy's leadership ensured a smooth J;)O]l.G1'H¥ T. Ht El.Ad'l];) :Birminghfl"", AtabMna transition for our magazine in 1996, when the name changed from American Horti MERLEj'ENSEN culturist to The American Gardener. We "vish her every success. This issue welcomes Tttoson) Arizona David J. Ellis, assistant editor oftl1e magazine since 1994, to the position oferutor. David WILL1M\>! R. MARI
PRESID.ENT EMERITUS DR. H. MARo CATI'!"EY -Linda D. Hallman, AHS hesident/CEO
4 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN members' GARDENER ED'lTOR DAVID J. EU.JS MANAGING EDI'rOR rum MARYYEE DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION JOSEPH YACINSKI D ESIGN
delight to the eye. MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Gaura's open, DARLENE O LIVBR graceful form is also ~ a wonderfiu contrast EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD to more solid plants. NINA L. BASSUK I have it next to a Ithaca, New York Hosta sieboldiana JOHN E. BRYAN var. elegans and near Sausalito, California a floribunda rose JOHN L CREECH called 'Fashion'. Hendersonville, North Carolina This is a terrific KEITH CROTZ Chillicothe, Illinois plant that deserves a place in the border of PANAYOTr KEurniS the most demanding gardener. It won't let Denver, Colorado you down. RICHARD W. LIGHTY Judith Boasbe1;g Greenville, Delat/van Leawood, Kansas ELVIN MCDONALD West Des Moines; Imva Hardy in Zones 5-9 and heat tolerant in ~ ZOl1,es 10-5, this natille of Louisiana and ADVERTISING Texas is, indeed,gaining pop~darity among AHS ADVERTISING OFFICE Ame1t ican gardeners. «Ifand when breeders 4350 DiPaolo C~nrer, Sllite B produce a fulle1t inflorescence and brighter Glenview, IL 60025 flowen, "T/Jrites Unillersity ofGeorgia horti (847) 699-1707 • FAX: (847) 699-1:703 cultUirist Allan Armitage, «this plant will be COLOR SEPARATIONS GAURA LINDHEIMERI ~tsed far m01'e extensiwly." 1mprolled llari FILM GRAPH~CS At a gardening class several years ago, the eties that are already allailable include discussion turned to little-known and (Sisleiyou Pink', a deep pink-flowend selec PRINTER used, but rewarding, perennials. The in tion from Sisleiyou NU1tser'), in Oregon; (Cor BANTA PUBLICATIONS GR.OUP structor asked, "How many of you are fa rie's Gold~ a llariegated selection with cream The American Gardener (ISSN 1087-9978) is miliar with gaura?" Sad to say, not many to gold leaf ma1;gins; and a dwarf selection publ,ished bimonthly (J~jluary /F.b.u,,"ry, hands went up. called, depending on which nference you Mardll April, MayI} lme, July/AHgust, Septe)11- ber/Ocuober, Novernb.J1/Dec"mb"r) oy the Talk about a workhorse! Gau1'a lind consult, either (Whirling Butterflies' or American HortiCld~uJiai Society, 793] East heimeri flowers from late May in my USDA %/Jirling Butterflies'. Sources for these cul S'"ijevaro d Drive, AJexand'Fia, VA 22-308-l300, (703) 7@8-S700. Memb.rs:fu.il:'in tEtg Societyil'l t Zone 5 garden to late July, at which time I tilla1 s and the species include Forestfarm, eludes,," sllbscrjpdoFl to '!!he American @araenM: cut it back and it blooms again from late Au 990 Tetherow Road, Williams, OR 97544- A1mual dues are $45; two yea May / June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 5 books-the latest being Women ofFlow NEOMARICA CONFIRMED AHS PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ers: A T1'ibute to Victorian Women Illus I am inui.gued by the yellow iris pictured in ALEXAt'IDRJA COUNCIL OF GARDEN CLUBS trators-I was happy to see your article the Members' Forum of the January /Feb MRS. ALBERTA WOOD ALLEN "Botanical Illustration" by Diane Bouch ruary issue of The American Gardener. Is MR. AND !v1RS. RICHARD fu'-'GlNO M RS. R USSELL ARUNDEL ier (January/February), yet most un there any possibility that it could be MRS. SUZAi,'NE FRUTIG BALES happy to see it. Trimezia martinicencis rather than Neo DR. WILLIAM E. BARRlCK MRS. JAMES L. BARTLETT JR. Unhappy because you mention Con marica 10ngifolia?The most obvious dis MRS. WILLIAM BECKETT temporary Botanical Artists: The Shirley tinction between the two is that the former MRS. KATHERINE MCKAY BELK JEAN AND DANIEL BELL Sherwood Collection but not Women of has a rounded flowering stem as opposed DR. SHERRAN BtAlR Flowers. Yet your article is mainly about to a flattened, leaflike bloom stalk. MRS. MARY KATHERINE BLOUNT MR. KURT BLUEMEL 19th-centur y botanical artists. This iris-by whatever name-is BORDINE NURSERY, LTD. In my books and lectures I have a,lways common in and along the edges of small MRS. NANC¥ H. CALLAWAY Ms . SUSAN M. CARGILL mentioned the American Horticultural bodies of water in Hawaii and the DR. AND MRS. H. MARc CATHEY Society as well as the Garden Wroi ters As Caribbean, where I have seen it in MR. AND MRS. GLEN CHARLES MRS. LAMMOT DUPONT OOPELANE> sociation of America-which honored bloom in the winter months. It presents MR. AND MRS. Jfy,Vl ES~. C@Rll:I£LD Women of Flowers with its Award of Ex MAIZGEB.Y HALE CRANE a scene reminiscent of Iris pseudacorus in ARABELLA $. DAN$ cellence as best book of 1996. I will con the Northeast states. i\1S. MAUREEN PE ST. CROIX tinue to do so because of the excellence of I got mine many years ago by collect D rSTRIC:F II, TPI£ NCA FEDBMUON 0F GAlRDf-N CLUBS, ~NC. both the Society and the magazine but, ing an offshoot of one I found in the Vir MRS. ~EVE'RLE¥ WH!Il'~ DUNN truly, some apology is necessary. It took gin Islands. It summers out of doors and MR. 'l"l\U:b ECK:E ~iR. DR. JOHN A:-bEX J'lLOYD JR. me seven years to write and accumulate usually flowers in the house in January. Ml,\$. iETmlC W. fOLU data for my book and 30 years of collect Elise C. Sigal GGLDS)V1OCTH SEE-IDS, FNC. MRS. MAR:iON E. GR£liNJE ing botanical art-my personal library. Newton Centre, Massachusetts MRS. JOSEPH E. RAhL Incidentally, some of the original prints MR. GERt\.1D 'F. NM,PfN MRS . ltrcHARD W. H.fu\1MING that were used as illustrations in my book John Bryan, author of the indispensable two 'MR. AL"lD MRS. MAX 'HARTL are to be exhibited at the Chicago Botan volume Bulbs, checked our photograph and MR. AND M~. JOSEPH B. Fi/AA,TN,I$YER MRS. £~D A. HAm'!' ic Garden from April 11 through May 31 confirms that it is indeed Neomarica longi MRs. ELSjE :&lWLLIMW H nU1AN MR. CUUDE Hop]; this year. Jack Kramer folia. Bryan says one ofthe easiest ways to dis MRS. RIC~ r :S;01'P Naples) Florida tinguish the plants is that the three larger MR. iPMJiIil,IP !({UE'f IDGROTHY 'F. TRBLAND outer petals of Trimezia normally curl up MS.l?Alli:R1CIAJOl'lS&\S While we do apologize to Mr. Kramer for and over the center of the flower, while those MRS. JANt: J0tM'M:ERER MiRS. HELEN 'KO\iACS; neglecting to bring his excellent book to our ofNeomarica tend to lay nearly flat. Also, MIR. AND MIRS, ROBERT E. !tULP JR. members) attention when it came out in the swordlike foliage of Neomarica often M~. ANI" MiRS. GEl~eN LEllBER MR. AJ:'lD Mi . M~Ll'ON iJ). LEIGNTON 1996) we did not list it with resources for extends well above the flower stems, which is MRS. GA'R@LYN MiAMI'! LlN'DSAY Diane Bouchier)s article because the main not usually t-rue of Trimezia. But even an Los ANcr;;EUS iEV.',:lWER MARl.<£T OF THE AM'EMC:,!"'! FWRISTS' E'*CMANGE focus of that piece was on 20th-century expert can have trouble distinguishing these MRS. THOMAS MAlt'Jr.IAU botanical artists. Women of Flowers can tropical and subtropical relatives in the iris DR. 6 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 19 98 .f ~, m"!01I~ "11 ttlar luinim vt> ~!Ccrci tatic lobonis n' lodo CO '" news from ahs AHS EXHIBITS AT D.C. FLOWER SHOW used to provide seasonal interest in both for In addition to offering three seasons of The American Horticultural Society is a mal and informal gardens. bloom, the plants used in the exhibit were familiar presence at flower and garden Designed by Sandra Youssef Clinton chosen for their ability to thrive in con shows around the country-in the capac and Jeffrey A. Charlesworth of the land tainers despite exposure to the wide range ity of judging exhibits and awarding scape architecture firm of Oehme, va n of hot and cold temperatures commonly prizes. But in late February the Society re Sweden and Associates, the garden in experienced in the Washington, D. c., area. vived an old tradition by unveiling its own cluded multileveled tiers of plants growing "We envisioned a container garden that exhibit-"Containing Eden "-at the in a wide variety of containers . Floweri.ng demonstrated the right plant for the right Washington Flower and Garden Shoyv, 'Okame' cherries and azalea standards in place," said H . Marc Cathey, president held February 19 through 22. The show oversized pots provided vertical interest emeritus of AHS. attracted more than 50,000 visi tors over and "shade" for a host of other container On the show's first day, Cathey gave the four-day period. plants, including tulips, primroses, Ger presentations on the concepts behind the The l,200-plus-square-foot garden bera daisies, and hibiscus. According to AHS Plant Heat-Zone Map and discussed assembled by AHS staff and volunteers Larkin, the plant that attracted the most his newly published book, H eat-Zone Gar under the direction of Patrick Larkin, the attention was Bacopa 'Snowflal Thanks! HO~~~RAl AHS thanks the following Visitors to the AHS SOCIETY companies for helping us exhibit in the create "Containing Eden" at the 1998 Washington Flower Washington Flower and Garden Show: and Garden Show. left, Baleon were treated to a wel Bell Horticultural Company come preview of Bell Nursery spring . Flowering EuroAmerican Propagators, L.L.C. 'Okame' cherry trees Goldsmith Seeds Michigan and azalea standards Hargrove were unde~planted Kurt Weiss Greenhouse Inc. with a variety of Murphy John's Inc. annuals and perennials, Occasions Catering bottom, including Oglevee Ltd. 8acopa 'Snowflake' PanAmerican Seed Company and florist's cyclamen. Paul Ecke Ranch Rentokil Tropical Plants Shernin Nurseries Inc. Smith & Hawken Weidner's Gardens White's Nursery & Greenhouse Yoder Brothers, Inc. And special thanks to Sandra Youssef Clinton and Jeffrey A. Charlesworth with the firm of Oehme, van Sweden and Associates May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDE NER 7 1998 AHS Book Awards even books published in 1997 were selected to receive ry goal of describing popular and widely available Amelican the American Horticultural Society Annual Book Award. flora. This book not only fills tl1at niche, but does so with SThe awards were presented at the Society's Annual Meet striking photographs and clear, accessible text tl1at offers or ing, held last month in Memphis, Tennessee. An eighth book ganic solutions to problems. was honored in a special category for children's books. The Gardens of The Annual Book Award program was inaugurated last THf- GARDENS Of EUenBiddle year, as part of the Society'S celebration of its 75th anniver ELLEN BIDDLE SHIPMAN Shipmmt by Judith ------sary. Three books published in 1996 carried off the first aru1U ILD II H g J\:-;K'RI> Tankard, Sagapress. al awards. In 1997 the book committee also selected "75 AHS member price Great American Garden Books"-published since AHS's $36 SAG006 founding in 1922-that they considered exemplary. In spite of our COlU1- Award books are chosen by a six-member committee co u-y's rich garden tra chaired by Steve Lorton, Northwest correspondent for Sunset dition, there are few magazine, and Valerie Easton, librarian at the University of highly readable Washington'S Elisabeth C. Miller Library. Other members are books recording that Suzanne Bales, contributing editor of Family Circle magazine; history. This one is Sarah Boasberg, a Washington, D .C., landscape designer and especially engrossing former chairman of the AHS Board of Directors; Thomas in that it describes Cooper, editor of Horticulture magazine; and Pamela Lord, a how a woman rose founder of the Garden Book Club. to tl1e top in the "There were a huge number of high-quality books pub male-dominated lished last year," observes Lorton. "The committee doesn't profession ofland try to choose the very best book, or the best three, but to se scape architecture. lect books of merit that we think any American gardener HoUies: The Genus Ilex by Fred Galle, Timber Press. AHS would be happy to add to his or her library." member price $51 TIM 116 "In another 75 years, some of the books we've selected The autl10r, already widely admired for his massive 1987 for this year's award might not make a similar list," says Bales. work on azaleas-and profiled in the November/ December "We should consider these books trailblazers-a new kind of American Gardener-has penned a sinlliarly definitive work book, or books in categories lacking in good books,or the on this group of popular trees and shrubs. best book to date on a given subject." Moss Gardening by George Schenk, Timber Press. AHS A prime objective of the award program, says Easton, is to member plice $31.50 TIM 100 encourage publishers to issue books that are as technically per This was not a topic that might have been deemed promising by fect as possible, yet also innovative in both content and ap most publishers. But the lising popularity of gardening "vitl1 pearance. Books considered must be products of American moss, combined with tl1e reader-friendly style ofSchenk-who publishers and authors. Committee members review books made tl1e "75 Great American Garden Books" list with his book throughout the year and nominate the ones they believe on shade gardening-produced a clear wilmer. should be considered among the finalists. The group then Taylors Dictionary for Gardeners by Frances Tenen meets in New York each January to make award selections. baum, Houghton Mifflin Company. AHS member price The committee attempts to weed out books containing factu $22.50 HOU 015 al errors or misleading publicity (one book the committee liked Compiled by a veteran garden-book editor, this dictionary had been published earlier in a similar form, a fact not acknowl offers concise definitions of garden terms useful for begin edged by the publisher). Books are judged not just on writing but ning gardeners yet packed with enough information on on graphics, design, and quality ofproduction. For this reason, people, botanical lore, and scientific terms to enrich the the awards are given to the publishers rather than the authors. knowledge of the most experienced. The 1998 winners: A Year ofRoses by Stephen Scanniello, Henry Holt and Breaking Ground: Portraits ofTen Garden Designers by Company. AHS member price $22.50 HOl007 Page Dickey, Artisan. AHS member plice $40.50 WOR 003 Does tl1e world need another book on roses? This one is special Committee members thought the title especially appropriate because of its approachability. Scam1iello, rosarian at the Brook for this book, which offers personal profiles of 10 landscape lyn Botanic Garden, is one of the counu-y's rising rosarians designers who are on the cutting edge of that field. Putting it thoroughly grow1ded, yet new enough to the game to calm the over the top was its final chapter, in which the autl10r brought fears of beginners who fret about prw1ing and black spot. the disparate points of view home to the reader by relating A Tree Is Growing by Artl1Ur Dorros, Scholastic Press. AHS how her visits with these landscaping stars changed her per member price $3.25 SCH 001 spective on her own garden. An10ng several impressive books published for clllidren last A Gardener's Encyclqpedia ofWtldflowers by C. Colston year, tl1is one stood out for exquisite illustration and depth of Burrell, Rodale Press. AHS member price $27 ROD 017 information. Designed with numerous sidebars, it is written Ironically, given the rapidly growing interest in native plants, clearly enough for grade schoolers, yet provides information there didn't seem to be a book on the market with the prima- so substantial tl1at adults will also find it enlightening. 8 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/J~tne 1998 monly grown d1IOughout Nord1 America. ofd1e strategic plan will require a comn1it you who were not Citing examples from me plants in me ex ment from all of us. But vvid1 d1e volunteer able to attend the hibit, Camey explained d1at using codes for leadersl1ip of some of America's most de Society's Annual bod1 heat tolerance and cold hardiness will voted gardening experts, in concert with Meeting in Nash help gardeners select plants that will flour d1C efforts of our skilled and declicated staff, ville early tl1is ish in d1eir region. we can increase the Society'S visibility and month still have The AHS display attracted consider viability and establish an even greater lead the OPPOrtUI1ity to able attention from local news media, in ership role in gardening and horticulture." hear the keynote cluding an interview with Larkin that A strategic plan is a living document that speeches given by appeared on the morning news show of will continue to be reviewed and updated AHS award win d1e Fox television net\'Vork's Washington, annually by d1e Society'S Board of Direc Sara Stein ners Sara Stein and D.C., affiliate. During the course of me tors. AHS members are encouraged to par Darrel Morrison. exhibit, Larkin also gave three lectures on ticipate in the process. Send suggestions or An audiotape containing both speeches is container gardening and discussed plants comments to Linda Hallman, 7931 East available for $35 by calling (800) 777- d1at are most likely to mrive in the D.C. Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308- 7931, ext. 10, or by mailing a check area's hot summer monms. 1300, or e-mail d1em to [email protected]. payable to AHS-to TAPE, American Horticultural Society, 7931 East Boulevard CHARTING THE SOCIETY'S FUTURE IMMORTAL WORDS FROM NASHVILLE Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. The In January, d1e Society'S Board of Directors Through d1e magic of aucliotape, those of price includes sl1ipping and handling. and senior headquarters staff participated in a visionary strategic plamung retreat to clarify the Society'S mission and identifY Specialty Journal for Plan.taholics etitical goals for d1e future. Subsequendy, at me end of March, a special task group of f you like to be the first to know about new forms and cul the Board met at River Farm to identifY tivars of ornamental plants and how to get them, consider strategies supporting the long-range goals Isubscribing to Plants, a quarterly British journal that offers and to develop outcome statements that the latest information on plants developed by breeders and measure implementation. From d1is plan nursery owners. Ald10ugh we don't ordinaJily recommend l1ing process, the Board of Directors ap British gardening publications, d1is one caught our eye be proved a new official n1ission statement: cause it covers plants and innovative breeding programs The American H01,ticultural Society wherever it finds them, including North America. One issue (AHS) educates and inspires people ofall ages we reviewed included aJ1 article about PlaJ1t Delights Nurs to become successful and environmentally re ery in North Carolina. sponsible gardene1's by advancing the art and The journal was started by gardel1ing enmusiast Dirk van science ofhorticulture. der Werffin 1995 and now goes out to plant nuts in at least 16 Our stated goals focus on what AHS countries. Each Reade1's Dwest-sized issue is 36 to 44 pages wim four to eight pages of needs to be doing over and above what color photos. A year's subscription costs $35 ($50 for Canadians). Send checks (no we are doing today. In the next three to credit card orders) to Plants, Aquilegia Publishing, 2 Grange Close, Hardepool TS26 five years: ODU, United Kingdom. Check out d1e Plants Web site at www.aquil.demon.co.uk. . AHS will be its members' prin1ary inspi ration and resource for gardening through education and knowledge exchange . Childrens' Book Benefits Community Gardens • AHS will be recognized as the public's source for innovative programs and services rofits from the sales of Down to promoting d1e value of gardel1ing and me Earth, a cl1ildren's book published appreciation of gardens. Pin MaJ"ch by Harcourt Brace & . AHS' George Washington'S River Farm Company, will benefit commm1ity gar will be America's showcase for the art and dening programs funded by Share Our science of horticulture. Strength (SOS), an orgaJ1ization dedi The strategies now under development cated to preventing and alleviating are critical to the Society'S ability to orga hlU1ger aJ1d poverty in d1e Ul1ited States l1ize and focus its resources to achieve these and throughout the world. important goals. Tillity-eight well-known authors and According to AHS President and CEO illustrators combined d1eir talents to cre Linda Hallman, "Implementing the goals ate the book, which is composed of beau tifully illustrated vignettes of meir childhood gardel1ing memories and vi E-mail Us sions. The book, edited by Michael J. Rosen, also includes aJ1 activity section WE'VE CHANGED our e-mail ad wim 33 projects designed to inspire children to cliscover d1e joys of gardening. Recom dress! Editorial submissions should mended for kids aged five to 12, the hardcover book is available through the AHS Hor now be sent to [email protected]. ticultural Book Service. AHS member plice: $16.20 HBC 002. May /J~tne 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 9 focus may/june highway sideshows by Kathleen Fisher the Federal Highway Administration) says while federal tax dollars can help pay to build new BACK IN THE 19505, WE ALL WANTED our highways) maintaining them is up to each state. Does front yards to look like Ward and June Cleaver\ your state scalp every mile of roadside) or let invasive and that ideal carried over to our roadsides. We exotics like Ailanthus altissirna and Japanese honey planted them and managed them) says Bonnie suckle take over? Is it planting colorful non-native Harper-Lore) as though they were ((the nation)s front annuals that look great but need high maintenance? yards.)) In the )70s) the ene1'lfy crunch taught us that Or is it preserving rare ecosystems in spite of the fact this wasn)t practical) and in the )90s) environmental that they might not seem picturesque viewed at 55 consciousness taught us that it also wasn)t wise. miles an hour? Here)s a look at the federal picture) as Harper-Lore) roadside vegetation coordinator for well as what a few states are doing and why. tion coordinator for the Federal Highway It's a slow process. "There is always a lot when Administration. There's often nothing left of resistance to doing things differently," in the budget after potholes are patched. If says Harper-Lore. "But as I travel the coun so, brush removal "vins over beautification. try I try to stress that working with nature mow is less Other states are learning that natural actually ties in well with the common-sense roadsides can both save money and appeal approach many highway managers are lthough the federal government has to the public. They can leave rare ecosys looking for." encouraged natural vegetation tems untouched. They can enlist garden One goal is to educate the DOTs A along highways for three decades, clubs and native plant societies to help about invasive non-native weeds, which many state departments of transportation maintain plantings. They can devote a not only damage rural areas ecologically (DOTs) lack written landscape policies. couple of seasons to re-establishing native but strain public relations when the plants Their top priority-reasonably-is safety, grasses, which then seldom require mow escape to neighboring lands. "Some states says Bonnie Harper-Lore, roadside vegeta- ing or spot-spraying in the future. are still trying to get crown vetch grow- 10 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Ma)'/J~tne 1998 ing," says Harper-Lore. Another state hand-collected purple loosestrife (Ly thrum salicaria) seeds in the 1980s, spread them up and down the roadsides, and is now paying to eradicate the plant. "It makes us all look bad," she observes. This doesn't mean a natives-only poli cy. In urban areas, in particular, a stand of prairie plants may look wildly out of place, so to speak. In addition, topsoil is usually compacted or missing. The answer may be more parklike plantings of trees, shrubs, and bulbs that are not native, but reflect the urban landscape. The jury is still out on plants like cos mos, a non-native garden annual. "It's not invasive," says Harper-Lore, "and the public loves it. It creates a wonderful splash of color." But in many states, it's Black-eyed Susan, with Queen-Anne's lace, brightens up a North Carolina roadside. not reliable. "Ohio started off that way and got terrific media coverage, but then new highway construction but from new li.od," says Stark, "so the grasses didn't do the next year d1e winter was too harsh for utilities. "They like to bury their lines, as well as I would have liked, but we did the seeds they had." wluch means tearing up everytlung. But have a contractor watering trees and It's often difficult, however, for states to they have to contact tl1e DOT disui.ct of shrubs." Salt-tolerant species were of par obtain native seeds. "The Northeast and fice for permission. We will try eitl1er to ticular interest here, where roadsides take a Northwest have a hard tin1e because there avoid destroying native plantings or to re beating from de-icing efforts. are few seed producers," says Harper-Lore. store tl1e area." In 1991 d1e state embarked on an am While some states have established d1eir In 1987, when 42 n1iles of U.S. High bitious plan to survey 12,000 miles of own nurseries, she doesn't advocate that way 42 were widened from two to four roadside vegetation. What was the ratio of solution. "I think we should use existing lanes, state transportation officials used it natives to exotics? How attractive might commercial sources, who have generations as an opportunity for research. Working individual sites be to travelers? How many ofexperience in seed production." Note to willi a university design, the DOT planted of tl1ese sites were sizeable enough to war potential producers: Seeds of prairie phlox 1,400 pounds of seeds on 135 acres. rant main tenance efforts? After four years, (Phloxpilosa) sold for $750 per pound dur "There was a drought during tl1e initial pe- however, grant money ran out with only ing the 1997 season. Here's a look at how some states are managing their roadsides. A Highway History • 1930s-Jesse M. Bennett publishes Roadsides, the Front Yard ofthe Nation. In it, he extols "attractive and useful roadsides which can be obtained by preserving or wisconsin creating a natural---or approach to natural---condition in keeping with the adjacent or surrounding country." Natural roadsides would also be economically sound, he hile landscape architect J ens notes. But, ironically, it was the tide of the book that sot national policy. Jensen worked primarily in Illi 1950s-Newly developed herbicides join mowing to control roadside vegetation. W nois, his love of the prairie left an This mow-spray method further helps to achieve the front-yard look, which high indelible imprint on this state through the way agencies believe the public wants. University of Wisconsin's landscape archi 1965-The National Beautification Act, championed by then first lady Lady tecture program, of which Harper-Lore is Bird J o11nson, encourages removal of billboards, screening of junkyards, and a graduate. Lief Hubbard and Dick Stark, landscaping of roadsides. landscape architects with the state's de 1969-The National Environmental Policy Act establishes the notion of minimal partment of transportation, like to quote a disturbance of natural areas. public speech Jensen made in 1940: "You 19705-The energy crunch forces vegetation managers to mow less and limit use of have a beautiful state gifted with all the herbicides. Natural vegetation returns and wildlife habitat increases. charm and loveliness ofnature. You are the 1987-The Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act re keepers and not the desu·oyers." quires federally funded highway projects to plant native wildflowers with one Wisconsin stopped mowing many high quarter of one percent oflandscape dollars. ways in the 1950s. Now it mows only every 1991-The federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act provides two to three years, which keeps down funding for highway enhancements. One category is landscaping. woody plants such as box elder, buckthorn, 1994-President Clinton signs an Executive Memorandum recommending that and mulberry, yet preserves nesting sites for federal properties and federally funded projects landscape with regional birds. Given tlus long-standing commit native plants, use less chemicals and irrigation, and create demonstration projects to ment to preservation, says Stark, potential increase environmental awareness. -ICF for destruction arises not so much from May/June 1998 THE AME·RICAN GARDENER 11 America's Treeways . In the rapidly growing Fair- less than a day. Teen-agers speed, or proximity of traf- rodents and snow, and seem fax County, VIrginia, sub- were given a crash course in fie." In one recent case, to speed growth. urbs ofWashington, D .C., horticulture and served as where there was no safe off- "We've found some sites traffic-clogged backroads are team leaders. road parking, volunteers par- where we have 88 percent sur- giving way to speedy new The Virginia progr~m is a ticipated by growing the trees vival after three years," he says. parkways. But it's a misnomer, coordinated effort of the out for a year, rhen gave "It can be somewhat Dar- since these once arboreal lanes state DOT and the Virginia them to a wntractor to plant. winian-the survival of the now look like they've been Department of Forestry. In But in nearly all other fittest-but it's cheaper to given boot camp crew cuts. the Washlrtgton suburbs a cases, volunteers do the replace trees than it is to Enter America's Tree- key player has been Fairfax hands-on installation. Since water them." ways, a program of the Na- Releaf, an all-volunteer flon- 1992, Muse estimates the To be cost-effective, Muse tional Tree Trust. profit, although the local state has saved. $175,000 that says, dJ.e ideal site has to be at Founded in 1990 as a re- Audubon Society, commu- they would have paid to have least a half acre, or big sult of the America the Beauti- city associations, scoms, and trees pFOfessi'em.aJJ.y planted. enough for 100 to 200 trees. ful Act, America's Treeways is 4-H members have helped Because roadside soil is often Because the areas can't be one offour programs within with reforestation. compacted, ~y may pay to mowed, the DOT erects signs the tree trust intended to pro- J dhn Muse, roadside de- have planting noles augered, indicating them as America's mote public awareness of and velopment manager for the usually 10 feef~part, before Treeways sites. "Mowing has support tree planting. Each Virginia DOT, says the state volunteers arrive with happened inadvertently," says year, it makes more than a mil- was one of the first to parti- seedlings. Thirteen growers Muse, "and I always try to lion trees available for volun- cipate in America's Treeways, nationwide provide the trees, point out to volunteers that teers to plant on public lands. and last year was honored for which range in size from 18 hardwoods will come back "We have programs in its efforts by the Federal inches to three feet. Muse from their roots." more than 30 states now, Highway Administration . He tries to select state-indige- For more information on and everyone is a little dif" finds youth groups "a perfect nous species such as dog- America's Treeways or the ferent," says Tree Trust fit" for the tree-planting pro- wood, redbud, ash, oak, and National Tree Trust, call program director Jacqueline gram, although for safety red maple. Mulch from (8 00) 846-8n3, or write Belltiz. One of the biggest reasons chilillen have to be county recycling is added if the NTT at 1120 G Street plantings last year was in 12 years or older. possible, and sometimes the NW, Suite 770, Washington, Tacoma, Washington, "Safety is paramount," he ground is inoculated with DC 20005. where some 200 volunteers says. "We el'lCourage groups mycorhizzal fungi to improve The funding process takes planted 20,000 trees and to identifY sites, but some- survival rates. Tree tubes are several months; proposals for other plants on 1: 0 acres on times we're just not cornfort- being used more often, since 1999 were being considered both sides of an interstate in able because of the volume, they protect seedlings from this spring. - KF. 3,000 miles studied. A single researcher was rehired to finish the work. california hree years ago, armed with a federal grant and aided by the California Na Ttive Plant Society, the California De partment of Transportation (Cal trans) identified 11 roadway sites to serve as ex amples ofWest Coast native plant commu nities. "These sites are natural treasures, and it made sense to preserve them for a lot b of reasons- aesthetic, scientific, and cul- ~ tural," says Caltrans landscape architect g George Hartwell. In addition, none of 0 them had to be planted or irrigated. ~ The sites vary from one-and-a-halfto ~ five miles along both sides of the roadway. 8 Wood's rose in full bloom and distant ski runs divert drivers on this lonely stretch The first to be preserved typified Califor- ~ of highway in Utah. nia's vanishing vernal pools. Others include il: 12 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 sierra forests and chaparral woodlands. Bureau of Land Management, tl1e DOT The department has sometimes con "There were 25 sites nominated, but has widened the scope of attack. tracted out for hand-mixed, site-specifi-c some of them could become attractive mll Bickford says the department plants na seed assortments. "This can get pricey," he sances-not places where it would be safe tives whenever possible-sometimes col notes. "The shortcoming of not buying a for the public to slow down or stop," lecting seeds from rights-of-way before custom mix is that you get non-natives, Hartwell says. Eventually, Cal trans will construction-because once established, such as California poppies, and that opens build kiosks where visitors can learn about natives will flourish. Yet compromise is in a can of worms" in Utah. the economic and environmental value of evitable. Taxpayers want colorful wildflow Some of our most invasive non-natives each particular ecosystem. ers, but when the agency plants wildflowers were originally planted for erosion control, Hartwell and others emphasize the dif they also get weeds. When they spray and there aren't always benign native sub ferent needs of urban and rural areas. Cal weeds, tl1ey kill the wildflowers. "The so stitutes. Sometimes it's essential to stabilize trans maintains some 23,000 city acres lution has been to plant native and adapt a roadside and stop runoff, in which case the that are formally landscaped and often ed grasses, continue weed control, and Utah DOT may plant crested wheatgrass planted with non-natives. Summer irriga then plant or encourage wildflowers to (Agropyron cristatum), a Eurasian species tion in such areas is essential to reduce the come in on their own," says Bickford. tlut has naturalized throughout the inter- risk offire. "It's important to be compat ible with the surroundings," he observes. Rural areas face the twin dangers of fire and erosion. In this case, however, studies show natives to be superior. "Non-native grasses have been planted here primarily to feed cattle," says Hartwell. "While they might provide more nutrition tl1an native grasses, they tend to have more biomass above the ground, which makes tl1em more of a fire hazard, and less under ground, which makes them less effective for erosion control." California has not ruled out fire as a means of controlling unwanted vegetation, he says. Reducing vegetation with either wholesale applications of herbicides or low mowing can pave the way for non-native species. "If you manage natives properly, they will outcompete non-natives. But we will probably never have the ability to cre nyone who ate self-sustaining landscapes." Ahas started plants from seed knows how critical regular watering is to the process. One day without water can wipe out a whole tray. This seed starter not only solves this germination. utah problem by providing water on demand A water-level indicator in through a capillary mat, but also creates a the comer of the reservoir riving through Utah, you can travel mini-environment for the seedlings. To use, tells you at a glance if any Turn the Growing Stand you fill the seed tray with potting soil and topping up is needed. over to eject seedlings. from arid desert to alpine terrain tamp it in place with the multi-legged stand. When the seeds germinate, remove the dome Dwithin a few minutes. Here are just The stand is then placed in the reservoir, the and when the transplants are ready for setting a couple of the problems confronting road capillary mat out, tum the stand over, push the tray down side vegetation manager Ira Bickford. draped over over top of the pegs and out pop the trans- it (with the plants. Nothing could be easier, and there is no Rainfall is about inches a year in 16 ends in the transplant shock. The stand, reservoir and seed places such as Salt Lake City, where rest reservoir), the tray are made from a high-density polystyrene, areas are highly visible. How do you ensure mat is wetted not the usual Styrofoam®, and the capillary mat that seeds will germinate? as the reservoir is non-rotting. Measures lS"x9"x7" high when Wetlands are sparse. Noxious weeds like is filled with assembled. Tray has twenty-four 2" square water and the cells. An excellent and reusable seed starter. purple loosestrife and tamarisk (Tamarix seed tray is plaGed on the mat. The dear AG070 Lee Valley Seed Starter $10.95 spp.) outcompete other wetland species dome minimizes evaporation and speeds (N.r. residents, add sales tax.) and discourage wildlife. Tamarisk will dry out the ground in which it takes root. ~en ~ To order aur self-watering seed starter "We're shooting to do more with less," ~~o...l. and/or receive a free catalog, call: says Bickford, and this m~ans cooperating with other government agencies. Along its ~lMbyN\~ 1·800·871·8158 Ii 5,800 miles of roadway, the state has lLeeValley or fax: 1·800-513·7885 • 300,000 acres of right-of-way. It doesn't Overseas, call: 1-613·596·0350 or fax: 1-613-596-6030. make sense to wage war on weeds just along Lee Valley Taols Ltd., 12 East River Street, Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669 roadsides, so by working with the federal May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 13 mountain West. It germinates quickly and I reseeds in shallow soils, where natives fail. The department is trying to educate the LSICK SO I L? • public about such outstanding natives as .... -- Palmer penstemon (Penstemon palmeri) and Rocky Mountain bee plant (Cleo me C~II Dr. Good E~rt~! serrulata), which blooms large and purple Identify your soil's problems and in the north, smaller and yellow in the learn how to remedy them. Order south. As beautiful as the latter is he notes Dr. GoodEarth's soil sample collection it won't create sweeps of color.' "It's no~ kit today! Follow the instructions and mail your soil samples back to our lab. something you see naturally in groups." Gardeningjust got better. .. We'll send you the test results in 10 days. Our catalog tells you how to grow plants, Select the type of soil test you want: not just how to buy them. Along with o Basic Test: pH, organic matter, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, texas complete plant descriptions and cultural magnesium $19.95 information, we give you helpful tips to o Advanced Test: Basic Test + make plant selection easier. Features over iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, nyone who has ever marveled at the 1000 carefully selected varieties of sulfur $29.95 Lone Star State's spring show of Complete Test: Advanced Test + Soil bluebonnets won't be surprised to perennials, ornamental grasses, prairie o A Classification (analysis for percent hear that it has a long history of highway plants and decorative vines. sand, silt and clay) $39.95 plantings. Texas didn't begin by landscaping o Dr. GoodEarth's Soil Tips Book: Send $1.00 for our (includes postage and handling) $4.00 so much as by not interfering with nature. Spring catalog sent in Dr. GoodEarth's recommendations are "In the 1930s, our administration rec January. in "plain English " for the home gardener. ognized when it was building highways You'll also receive our Please have your Visa or MasterCard ready: that our wildflowers would come back," Fall catalog when it is says Melody Hughes, a floriculturist with ready in early summer. 1-800-44-GREEN (444-7336) the state DOT. "They issued directives not Or send check to: to mow until the flowers went to seed." J4(~iNS Dr. GoodEarth The department obtained permission to 4838 Douglas Avenue, Dept. AG 98 P.O. Box 411272 St. Louis, MO 63141 mow pastures along rights-of-way, so the Racine,~ 53402-2498 1-800-669-9956 "wildflower hay" could be used to reseed bare areas elsewhere--one of the least ex pensive means of speading prairie plants. A Garden Paradise is closer than you think. Of course, in 60 years the program has evolved. "We're trying to plant more na r" tive types, because they need less mainte nance," says Hughes. Mowing has been cut back even further, to encourage not only Texas's famous spring wildflower spec tacle, but also surnmer- and fall-blooming plants. Since 1983, this reduced mowing has pared annual roadside maintenance costs by 23 percent. The state has also raised mowing height to seven inches, which studies showed to be the optimum height for wildflowers. In the 1970s, Lady Bird Johnson estab lished beautification awards to encourage local jurisdictions throughout the state, and those have been continued since she retired from the program in 1990, Hughes says. In spite of Texas's long history of nat The Monet Garden blj Private Tour at FELICITA ural roadsides, the competing ideal of "the • Garden Tours after Sundalj BrunCh front lawn look" makes continual public Italian & Alpine Gardens • New for '98-The education a necessity. "In the spring, we get Championship Golf Club complaints about crews mowing wildflow • Garden Room Restaurant Gourmet, Casual or Alfresco Dining at FELICITA. A private club ers," Hughes says. "Closer to July and Au gust, we get the other type of complaint. • European Stljle Spa for over 30 years, now open facials , massage, mineral baths People wonder where their tax dollars are for individual play. going if they don't see us mow. We have • Charming Countrlj Inn FELICITA over a million acres of roadsides, and as the 2201 Fishing Creek Va lley Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112-9248 .1-888-32 1-3713 years go by we contract more work out. That means we have even less control." 14 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 Volunteers Can Make a Difference! lorida laW1ched its road Federated Garden Clubs of okay to pick an occa side preservation efforts America provided seeds or sional bouquet, dig Fin 1963, according to seedlings, and state DOTs ging wildflowers with Gary Henry of the state supplied labor and equip tlle intent to sell is a DOT's environmental man ment. Today many citizen class-A misdemeanor agement office. He credits efforts are more varied and that could result in a Florida garden clubs and the informal. $1,000 fine or a year "increasing recognition from Wisconsin has one of the in jail. "Each plant is the public" for its vitality. In oldest native plant traditions a separate offense," 1996, garden clubs and busi in tlle cowltry. In 1919, a she adds. nesses donated some 15 tons group called Friends oftlle And state DOTs of seeds-natives or hybrids Native Landscape fowlded a often can't control of natives-for roadside chapter there. Today the local jurisdictions. plantings. state is home base for the Henry says that if a The agency welcomes Wild Ones (see page 52), Florida citizen com calls alerting them to threat whose members keep DOT plains that a particu ened natural sites. "Our personnel apprised of natural Volunteers sow wildflower seeds lar strip of roadside worst nightmare is the acci areas tl1at should be W1der along a New Hampshire thoroughfare. needs mowing dental mo'.\ring of beautiful "bulldozer alert." often believing erro stands because of complacent In Maryland, scouts and demonstration plantings. The neously that tall vegetation attitudes about tlle pro students-who get commu former state worked with a attracts rats or snakes-main granl," says Henry. DOT nity service credit-help local garden club and the lat tenance crews follow the personnel participate in an plant 20 to 30 projects a year. ter with the U.S. Forest Ser- path ofleast resistance. interagency effort-the State The New Hampshire vice and a local citizen group. "They mow." Committee for ENviron DOT has a Roadside Devel In Utah and other states, If you feel your state's mental Education (SCENE), opment Section that guides tllere are so many volW1teers highways could use less which teaches children about groups in creating wild for the Adopt-a -Highway mowing and more nature, native plants. "It's true that flower plantings. Officials program that they have to be don't just saunter out and some people find them too reason that businesses do split into teams: one to pick start seeding. Liability issues subtle. This generation nating seeds get good pub up litter and one to do the are paramount for volW1- hasn't had a chance to appre licity, civic groups gain plantings. teers along roadways, espe ciate them because they greater environmental Yet all is not rosy. In Mis cially children. Track down never walk through them." awareness, and children get souri, digging of wildflower your state department of Florida is hardly alone is a valuable outdoor learning plantings is a "tremendous transportation through the seeking public support of experience. problem," says Stacy Arm blue pages of your tele roadside plantings. In 1973, Connecticut and Arkansas strong of the Highway and phone directory. More likely the federal government have both received grants Transportation Department. than not, they are eager to launched Operation Wild from the Federal Highway She's trying to spread the hear from you. flower, through which the Administration to create word that while it might be -KF with a lot ofdebate," Adams acknowledges. Swartz, a horticulturist in the W1iversity's De maryland "We're starting to eliminate the ox-eye daisy partment of Natural Resource Sciences and because it tends to outlast everything else." Landscape Architecture, is a fan of native ince 1990, Maryland has returned Dame's-rocket (Hesperis matronalis) is grasses such as big and little bluestem, Indi nearly 4,000 acres to nature through another non-native that can jump its an grass, and switchgrass. In some cases these Sits Grow Don't Mow program, and bOW1ds, but its long-lasting magenta petals grasses make dramatic new stands with just b planted more than 200 acres in a cus are eye-catching. "The problem with a lot an annual mowing after they're dormant, he ~ tomized wildflower mix of one-third an- ofnatives is that they're not showy, and they says. In other cases, their seed can be collect a: ~ nuals and two-thirds perennials that bloom don't grow in masses," says Adams. Some ed from intact ecosystems such as military ~ from early spring through late fall . exceptions are purple coneflower, lanceleaf bases, river scours, dW1es, and savannas. May/ June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 15 fshoots THE YARD younger children. The trucker dumped two cubic yards ofsand in the driveway and I hauled it almost 100 feet to a spot under the by Leo Vanderpot shade of a cherry tree. A basketball hoop and backboard took me the better part of one Saturday to put up on the front ofthe garage. «Once in this life a man ought to concentrate upon the remembered Most of that is gone now. The peonies somehow are still there. earth, I believe. He ought togive himse/fup to a particular land That cedar next to the garage is gone, along with its companion scape in his experience, to look at it from as many angles as he can, underplantings that, in addition to the Wy-of-the-valley, included to wonder about it, to dwell upon it. He ought to imagine that he an ancient bleeding heart. Also gone is a white birch that I dug touches it with his hands at every season and listens to the sounds that from an abandoned nursery in Tarrytown one day in 1975. And are made upon it. He ought to imagine the creatures there and all a contractor hired by the current owners--or the owners before the faintest motions of the wind. He ought to recollect the glare at them-replaced the sewage pipe and took out a good part of an noon and all the colors ofthe dawn and dusk. )) eye-pleasing retaining wall. -N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain, 1969 I didn't take much with me when I left that garden. I still have an anvil pruner with yellow handles that goes back that far. It gets · here is talk now (I hear it secondhand) about the current pretty silly, I suppose, being sentimental about a tool that is more . owners trying to sell off the back:lot of a house I once' than 20 years old. The important thing is that it still works. Some T, owned. My heart aches at' the thought ofit . To me, they go times when I'm puzzkd about what to do with a plant that I'm together perfectly-the house with its yard, the yard with its trying to fit into the garden I now own, my mind takes me back house. If pressed, ifit were my decision, I'd probably rather make to the perfect spot in this ga,rden that is no longer mine. I think do in the garage in the backyard and sell the house. But other I know where the sun is, but that is not the case-I know where changes in my life took me away from that spot, and since I no the sun used to be. I know the drainage is perfect, with no wet longer live there, it's not up to me. spots like I have now. And then of course, time spins ahead and The size of this backyard and its garden overwhelmed me at I am back to the reality of today, with puddles that seem to take first, before I learned to love its other qualities. Before I moved forever to disappear. there, a dozen roses meant 12 stems from a florist. In this yard, My copy of Wyman's Encyclopedia of Garden ing goes back it meant the rosebushes, each a demanding tyrant sometimes but that far. It was a birthday present in the early 1970s. Stuck in it glorious, too, at other times. is a plastic plant tag for red-twigged dogwood that has served as There were at least 10 kinds of iris, from giant bearded to a bookmark ever since I planted those shrubs in that special gar miniature Japanese, which were walled in a low circle offieldstone . den. This year, I finally decided to grow Cornus stoloniftra again, Two lilacs come to mind, and in my current garden. some asparagus that never did We are better, in the long run, well. Ground covers naturally at feelings than particulars. A found the ground they wanted. man with a wife and six children English ivy mixed with pachy could go into that yard at about sandra without quarrel around 7:30 on a summer evening, say the house's foundation. Vinca on a Thursday, and he could put minor lolled luxuriantly with its ter around with the hose and deep emerald green leaves along pull a few weeds and watch the a gray slate path next to an sun go down on the other side of eight-foot privet boundary. I the Hudson River, and if he added some fall crocus and was wasn't happy, at least he didn't pleased to see that I had made a have to take a tranquilizer to get good guess about what privet to sleep that night, to face Friday needs as companions. Beneath a morning in his office. Since we handsome cedar, lily-of-the can't buy that peace of mind, it valley spread confidently toward follows that we most certainly the driveway. should never try to sell it. I have fond memories of a sand pile made at great effort in Leo Vanderpot is a free-lance side a circle of logs for my writer in Millbrook, Nerv York. 16 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May / Jun e 1998 ~ gardeners information service My neighbor hlU a beautiful magnolia gruwing in August followed by characteristic button-shaped fruits. Common her yard. Pd like to gruw one ofmy uwn front seed. Huw would elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) forms thickets of arching stems 19o about doing this? -A.Z.) Atlanta) Georgia bearing compow1d leaves. The foliage is crowned in early SUl11iller The best way to grow magnolias from seeds is to replicate what by flat-topped white inflorescences, followed in fall by edible red would happen to the seeds in nature. It is easiest to collect good dish purple berries. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is an upright shrub seeds just before they fall from the tree. If you pick them before tl1at grows six to 12 feet high and bears greenish yellow flowers in they are fully ripe, simply keep them in a warm, dry spot for a few April before the leaves. The leaves turn yellow to gold in the fall, days. Then remove the outer coat of the seeds, soak them in water and brilliant scarlet berries add fall and winter interest. Various de for up to three days, and either rub them across a rough surface ciduous hollies, including the many cultivars of winterberry (Ilex or squeeze them firmly without crushing them. Wash the seeds in verticillata), are also tolerant of wet soils. soapy water to remove the oily film that coats them, then rinse Deciduous native trees to choose from include sweetbay mag them several times. Now that you've removed both the outer coats nolia (Magnoliavirginiana), also called swamp magnolia. This el and the oily layer, the seeds need to be kept moist at egant tree has dark green, glossy leaves witl1 silvery undersides and all times. You can plant them outdoors in fall or grows from 10 to 20 feet tall. Fragrant, creamy white flowers o store them over the winter and germinate bloom from Mayor JW1e to September. Black gum (Nyssa sylvat 8 them in spring. Either way, magnolias ica) can reach 30 to 50 feet tall wim a spread of20 to 30 feet. Its • 0 require a two- to four-month cold pe- leaves turn yellow, orange, scarlet, and purple in fall. For larger gar o riod at 33 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit in dens, anomer good choice is bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) , \'-8 order to break dormancy. a deciduous conifer that grows 70 to 80 feet tall and spreads to 20 If you want to plant your seeds in spring, feet in diameter. 8 rinse them in a solution of one part chlo Native evergreens to consider include inkberry or swamp holly rine bleach to nine parts water, pack them in (Ilexglabra), eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), and black moist sphagnum moss, and store in a tight spruce (Picea mariana) . The last is not heat-tolerant and is not ly sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Check recommended south of Virginia. the bag frequently to make sure the sphag num moss is still evenly moist but not water- I live in coasttU North Carolina,just above Wilm 8 logged. In late winter, sow the seeds about a ington. Are there a1lJ' agaves that are hardy this far north? half-inch deep in sterile, soilless potting mix and When 1 checked with my local nursery, the ones they found cover with plastic or glass to retain humidity. If you didn't like temperatures beluw 50 degrees Fahrenheit. start to see evidence of mold or fungus, loosen the cover to let ex -A.L.) Leland) North Carolina cess moisture out, then recover. Germination usually takes place Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina, offers sev in a few weeks but can take as long as several months. eral agaves mey rate hardy to USDA Zone 7, as well as a cou (The above information was adapted from The World ofMag ple-Agave havardiana and A . neomexicana-described as nolias by Dorothy J. Callaway, which is available for $45 to AHS hardy to Zones 5 and 6, respectively. Nursery owner Tony members through the AHS Book Service; book code TIM 142.) Avent says mat in his experience agaves don't mind low tem peratures as much as tl1ey mind cold combined wim wet weath A large part ofmy northern New Jersey property er and poor drainage. For best results, Avent recommends is sonwwhat wet. 1 have established lawn on these areas, but 1 planting agaves early in me growing season in an area mat gets would like to plant SlmW native trees and shrubs that love wet full sun, has well-aerated soil, and is protected from winter ground. Could yougive me SlmW suggestions? winds. The drainage of the planting site can be improved by -A.S.) Nelvton) New Jersey building a raised bed and amending soil with gravel or sharp ~ One way to get some ideas for woody plants that tolerate "wet feet" sand. For a catalog, send 10 first-class stamps or a box of choco ~ is to visit wetlands in your area and note what is growing there nat lates-no kidding-to Plant Delights Nursery, 9241 Sauls :i urally. There is a wide variety of deciduous native shrubs to con Road, Raleigh, NC 27603. The catalog is also available online is sider, including buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), a at www.plantdel.com. ~ rounded, three- to six-foot-tall shrub that bears white flowers in -Sara Epp) Information Assistant CD z o a:~ For answers to your gardening questions, call Gardeners Information Service at (800) 771-7931 ext. 31 i/; between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, or e-mail us anytime at [email protected]. ~ May/ June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 17 orer ROSLYN NURSERY: thriving dental practice-he jokes that he ran nhe dental practice in RHODODENDRON RHAPSODY his "spare time"-until he retired from the latter last year. Harriet handles the business side of the nursery and accompanies Phil on by DavidJ Ellis his quests for new plants. The Dix Hills nursery is also a retail cen ter, open year-round, where hordes gather in the spring to view the nown in its early years principally for rhododendrons, azaleas and-more often than not-tal 18 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 According to Richard Jaynes, a well-known kalmia breeder and to be somedUng so unusual or rare that To receive a catalog, owner of Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, Connecticut, Wald d1ere is nothing else like it." send $3 to Roslyn man often visits his nursery to scout out prospective new moun Phil Normandy, plant coll ections tain laurel introductions. "He'll sometimes spot things that we've manager at Brookside Gardens in Nursery, 211 Burrs barely paid any attention to and say, 'H ey, what's that?'" says Wheaton, Maryland, says that when he Lane, Dix Hills, NY Jaynes. "He's an incredible person in terms of his energy and his first received a catalog about 10 years 11746. The catalog can capacity to absorb new information." ago, what surprised him about Roslyn also be viewed on the Although the nursery now requires a staff of 20 to 25 people was d1e range of plants available. "I'm al- Internet at www.cris. during the spring and summer, d1e Waldmans still do most of d1e ways skeptical about mail-order places, so com/-Roslyn!. The Dix initial propagation d1emselves, traveling arOlU1d d1e cow1try and when I started looking at this catalog I the world to botanical gardens, nurseries, and private gardens to d1 0ught, 'This is a pretty broad range of Hills section of the take cuttings from new and unusual plants. "A lot of the plants we stuff- is it for real?'" nursery is open for sell are not available in the trade, so d1e only way we can offer d1em Since then Normandy has gone on to retail sales Monday is to propagate them ourselves," says Waldman. "We probably take purchase a number of plants fro m Roslyn through Saturday from 80,000 to 100,000 cuttings a year." for use at Brookside. He notes d1at d1e 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Nicklas Nickou, a retired phys ician who has amassed a plants are "typical of mail-order-small renowned collection of plants in his Branford, COlmecticut, gar and relatively expensive-but many are Sundays in April and den, says he first encountered Waldman when he was starting the hard to find, and for a home gardener May. Call (516) 643- nursery. "He called me up and said he had heard d1at I had a lot that's fine because they usually don't 9347 for additional of rhododendrons and asked ifhe could take some cuttings," re need an instant landscape." information. calls Nickou. "He took a tremendous nun1ber of cuttings and I Skin1ming through Waldman's latest watched him and he did it very skillfuJJy. After he took 50 to 100 offerings, Normandy picks out several plants d1at are nearly un cuttings off one of my best rhododendrons you could hardly tell possible to find at the retail level. "He's got a new Euonymus ala it had been touched." tus 'Rudy Haag'-a dwarf selection," says Normandy. «Corylopsis Waldman has also become an accomplished hybridizer who has sinensis 'Winterthur'-you can't get that anywhere. Viburnum introduced close to 100 plants, mosdy rhododendron and azalea dilatatum 'Asian Beauty' is a wholesale offering from Don Shad cultivars. Among his favorites are 'Janice Lynn', 'Florence Wald ow. And Thuja 'Green Giant' is one of the hot plants right now man', and 'David Waldman'-evergreen azalea cultivars named, he's one ofd1ree nurseries that offer it to the homeowner." respectively, for his daughter, mother, and fad1er. He has yet to name a plant for H arriet, who has jokingly warned him that it "has DavidJ. Ellis is editor of The American Gardener. VISIT THE AMERICAN NORTICLJLTLJRALSOCIETY WEB SITE! www.ahs.org MEMBERS-ONLY PAGES SOMETHING fOR EVERYONE fRU AOMISSION TO itJi.... ~ ...... ·_ AHS EnNTS ANO TRA VI:LS GAROI:NS ANO fLOWI:R SHOWS Join fellow gardeners in the NA TlONWIDI: world's most beautiful gardens. Plan your travel around them! RIVI:R fARM GAROI:NI:RS INfORMATION Fun and learning through SI:RVICI: RI:SOURCI: BULLfflNS events, history, and volunteer Available online to members! opportunities at River Farm. DISCOUNUO GAROI:N BOOKS 1998 (HILDRI:N'S At members-only prices. GAROI:NING HI:A T-ION I: MAP SYMPOSIUM And searchable zip code See what we database. have in store! May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 19 9 a ener WINDY CITY MAKEOVER When I peeled away the weedy lawn, I discovered fairly fertile if somewhat sandy soil that had been left long ago by the reced by Alice Joyce ing of Lake Michigan. Yet despite that amenable circumstance and years ofartistic endeavors that allowed me to envision a garden he working-class neighborhood of my Chicago childhood setting-my knowledge of plants and horticultural practices was was dominated by concrete and asphalt. The effect of that nil. Considerations ofsoil conditions and light requirements were Timpoverished landscape has been a lifelong quest for order disregarded out of ignorance, and unbridled enthusiasm prevailed. and beauty-first as a studio potter, then, for more than a decade, When a plant caught my eye, I bought it. as a sculptor, experimenting with forms ofwelded steel, cast resins, I watched roses succumb to black spot and invasive monsters and raw earthy pigments. such as purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) threaten to consume When I moved into my first home 20 years ago, the same yearn the more demure species. Slowly I caught on to Gardening Rule ings compelled me to start a garden. The early 20th-century "two # 1: Beware of gifts from acquaintances who are "dividing" vigor flat" is in Lakeview, a city ward long populated by German ous plants from their own yards, and Rule #2: Check first to learn immigrants. At the time I bought it, graffiti attested to the neigh if a plant might be hardy in my USDA Zone S garden. borhood's prevailing but brief state offlux. When the 1980s real es Some major life changes-out-of-state studies and then mar tate boom arrived, Lakeview's sturdy homes, tidy streets, and riage-had to occur before I finally hunkered down, summoned proximity to the lakefront made it ideal for gentrification. the determination to rework all my confused efforts, and erased Yet even today, the view from my front porch has changed lit any discernible legacy of the building's previous owners. tle. Looking west at the handsome graystones-our red brick is an Ten years ago, a friend helped me remove the remaining turf anomaly-I see Norway maples dominating the parkway, and al between the front of my building and the street. I amended the though well-heeled professionals occupy almost every building, 17- by-IS -foot area with peat moss, compost, and manure, and re the majority of wooden porches still adhere to an unwritten rule configured its perfectly flat plane into an undulating surface. dictating a lackluster color combination of battleship gray floors Rounded rocks of varying sizes, partially buried in the reconsti and stairs with white railings. tuted soil, outlined the new mounds of earth and defined key The prevailing flora is equally uninspired. Where former residents planting areas. The asymmetry of the beds provided a counter might at least have tended a scattering of tulips or an occasional point to the plot's overall regularity. Flagstones set on edge into dahlia, the new owners the ground at slight angles dote on postage-stamp ex further traced and inter panses of sod, installed at connected elements of the considerable expense only design. to fade and die shortly Tenacious hostas, peri thereafter. Occasionally I winkle (Vinca minor), see an isolated foundation and bugleweed (AJuga planting from another era, reptans) quickly formed a such as a Wac that begs to pleasing carpet and an be pruned. chored taller, mounded This humdrum vista forms. The informal bor convinced me to pursue a ders were progressively more exalted plan. My filled with perennials, goal was to create a dis bulbs, and herbs that tinctive and diverse alter would thrive despite the w native that would offer lack ofafternoon sun. The ~ o a visual respite to those divided blue-green foliage ;;:; u passing on their way to or of rue (Rutagraveolens), ~ from the elevated train delicate mother-of-thyme 0 station a block away-in (Thymus serpyllum), and ~ cluding the hordes of downy silver Artemisia ~ fans who infiltrate the ludoviciana 'Valerie Fin- 8 neighborhood to attend A creative tapestry of perennials and annuals was the perfect solution nis' added texture as well ~ Cubs games. for the author's small front yard. as fragrance. iE 20 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 In spite of my initial blunders, I made a few appropriate selec tions early on. A flowering quince (Chaenomelesjaponica) that I planted as soon as I moved in has thrived and heralds each spring with radiant orange-red blooms on arching stems. On the other hand, an interplanting of seemingly formidable Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote' and robust Russian sage (Perovskia at1'iplicifolia) succumbed to the first savage cold sea Bent out of shape. son. Towering Cleome and night-scented Nicotiana eased the pain ofloss, immediately providing color and form and later self sowing vigorously. So you don't have to be. Mingling with these are drought-tolerant natives. Sweet Indi an plantain (Cacalia suaveolens) displays its bold, arrowhead shaped leaves, and purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia) contributes imposing spikes. More recent additions include Cana dian burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis) , vvith late-season creamy flowers that set off the orange of butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). A prominent feature is a pathway of flagstones set in contrast ing pea gravel and bordered with brick. It leads from the base of the front stairs to a sidewalk that marks the lot's eastern bow1d ary. Toddlers who escape £i·om momentarily distracted parents love to totter along its inviting, iflinuted, expanse. Small children also seem captivated by the rustic arbor that spans part of the path. Two-foot-tall sections oflattice enclose the lower part of its sides and eight-foot stakes buried a foot in the ground form the corners, but its personality results from grape vines that arch over the top and randomly connect and soften the more angular components. Our front picture window is the per fect spot to view the birds that seek shelter in this niche. Each year before the trees fully leaf out, the periwinkle's cheerful blossoms echo the bugleweed's deep blue spires. Crim son Dianthus deltoides 'Brilliant' then aru10w1ces sUfl1l11er's onset by spilling out over a narrow su·ip adjacent to the path. The tow ering native columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) planted in the rear fraternizes with hybrid specimens and surprises me with both the shape and extensive spread of its progeny. After taking ErgoConcept long handled tools from their sweet time to establish, two Baptisia aust1'alis now flower Ames® If lawn and garden tasks are profusely to create a perfect indigo complement to the taking a toll on yo ur back and body, columbine's soft pastels. ErgoConcept tools are made for you. Recently we expanded the front garden out to the parkway. Parched soil, tree roots, and regular trampling by chivers exiting From rakes and shovels to hoes their cars limit this area to mere aspirations of respectability. Still, and cultivators; the se tools black-eyed Susans, Heliopsiscultival"S, and daylilies prosper, thanks hav e be en des ign ed by largely to generous applications of compost. In SUfl1l11er, we com post in a four-sided wire mesh bin that sits in the shadow of the garage. In winter, a heavy-duty plastic trash can drilled full of holes and minimi ze hand holds three months ofvegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and spent and shoulder fat igue . cut flowers and forced bulbs. In spring, this mix is added to oak For more information leaves gathered from the park in fall and used to mulch our beds. on Er goC once pt tool s visit our While the finished compost makes a wonderful soil amendment and top dressing, I find its most fetching quality is as a gold mine websit e at http://www.ames.com of seedling feverfew, lady's-mantle, and free-flowering Malva or call 1-800-725-9500 to find a sylvestris 'Zebrina'. retailer nearest you . The compost has done much to help me meet my longtime goal of a serene streetside landscape for passersby to enjoy. I've been rewarded with many hours of pleasant conversation. New Lawn & Garden Tools-Since 1774 neighbors routinely pause, taking time to ask the name ofa plant, voice admiration, or comment on the garden's design. After a chat at tl1e front sidewalk, I revel in leading curious newcomers through We Take The Hard Work Out Of Yard Work. to my other, hidden garden behind the building, for private tours and further horticultural discourse. 0 1997 Ame s lawn & Gard en Tools Free-lance writer Alice Joyce won a first prize in ChicagoJs land scape awards program before moving recently to San Francisco. May / June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 21 American Horticultural Society IRAV[l SIUDY p R o G R A M In 1985. AilS and leonard lIaerHer Travel Company crealed lhe Travel Sludy Program lo offer lours of excepHonal gardens in lhe United Slales and abroad. One of lhe grealesl aHracHons of lhe program is GARDENS AND MONUMENTS OF the opportunity lo lour a number of superb privale ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA and public gardens. These hips are hosled by an June 11-19 AIlS represenlative and guided by a horticultural COLORADO ROCKIES AND experl familiar wilh lhe speci-lic region. GRAND TETONS July 27- Augu.il5 The American I10rHcuhural Sociely (AIlS) SPRING GARDENS OF NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA Octoher 6-28 GARDENS OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY on board the MIV Yorlctown CLipper Novemher 1-6 JLMt read dome of the commenLJ from PaJt participanLJ ... Tour director. guides. and coach driver were all great. know ledgeable. friendly, and fun. Food and gardens were wonderful. ~ The trip was extremely well-coordinated; small and large details were taken care of, all with great warmth, intelligence, efficiency, and grace. Susie [Orso] was a superior guide ~ well-informed and with extensive contacts. She made everyone feel com fortable and the entire trip was well-organized and carefully orchestrated. _ TheJand tours were very interesting. as we saw many types of homes along the way and fantastic native vegetation. Nicola Howard [our guide] put together an interesting variety of gardens and was flexible enough to include the unscheduled. _ We loved all your tours - particularly Islands of the Mediterranean. I ~plants and your health HERBS FOR HEADACHES of the head; as also for the Vertigo, that is a sunning or swim ming of the head." Story and photographs by Steven Foster Yet the use of dried feverfew flowers and leaves for headaches is more than just a passing historical footnote. Both uch like the common cold, headaches come and go as in Europe and North America, feverfew has become a rising they please-no one can escape their wrath. An occa star in the modern treatment of headaches. Msional headache is one thing, but if you are one of the estimated 50 million Americans who experience headaches on FEVERFEW AND MIGRAINES a regular basis, you are well aware that they can be far more than As many as one in eight people suffer from migraines-severe an annoyance-they can be debilitating. Tension, migraine, recurrent headaches that are sometimes accompanied by nau and cluster headaches are the most common of the dozen sea. Several articles published in the past decade in British major types of headaches from which people suffer. These medical journals have catapulted feverfew into recognition as headaches are primarily caused by muscle contraction (tension) a potential preventive for these debilitating headaches. or by constriction of blood vessels (migraine and cluster). Adopting a unique ap Headaches are often re proach, researchers by garded as a by-product of Willow, left, passed animal studies and the stresses of modern life, peppermint, below, instead sought volunteers but they are certainly noth and feverfew, bottom, who were already using ing new to the human ex are among the best feverfew for self-treatment perience. If you thumb researched of of migraine. In a 1985 through old herbals, you the many plants study conducted at the will occasionally come upon that herbalists have City of London Migraine suggested treatments traditionally used in Clinic, 17 patients who often couched in the archa the treatment had been self-treating ic language of the day-for of headaches. with feverfew were in what we would now de volved in the double scribe as a headache. For blind study, which example, feverfew (Tana examined the effects of cetum parthenium) former withdrawal of feverfew on ly called Chrysanthemum users who considered it parthenium), a common beneficial. The nine pa garden perennial, has a his tients who received a tory ofuse for the treatment placebo reported an in of headaches dating at least crease in the frequency to the time of Dioscorides, and severity of migraines a Greek physician who lived and associated nausea and in the first century. vomiting. This provided The famous English the first clinical evidence herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, of the efficacy of feverfew whose 17th century Eng in migraine prevention. lish Physician-the most Another clinical trial in widely printed English 1988 investigated the use language herbal of all of feverfew to prevent the time-also described the symptoms of migraine. use of feverfew for head Fifty-nine patients were as aches. "It is very effectu sessed at the end of the ran al for all pains in the head domized' double-blind, coming of a cold cause, placebo-controlled trial. the herb being bruised The researchers observed and applied to the crown significant improvement in 24 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May / Jun e 1998 the reduction of the mean number, severity, and vomiting associ In the case ofwillow bark, however, achieving an effective dose ated with migraine attacks. is complicated by factors such as delivery form, dosage, and the Researchers have concluded that a compound in feverfew called amount of active components in the bark. And if you make a tea parthenolide is primarily responsible for its effectiveness in pre ofwillow bark, you have to get beyond its horribly unpleasant bit venting migraines, although the exact mechanism by which it ter taste even to ingest it. In his book H erbs of Choice: The Ther works is still uncertain. Canadian regulatory authorities have pro apeutic Use of Phytomedicinals, Varro E. Tyler provides an posed that for use in treatment of migraines, feverfew leaf prod interesting comparison. Anyone using willow bark with a very low ucts should contain a minimum of 0.2 percent parthenolide. percentage of active constituents would have to drink close to five Consumers should look for information on parthenolide content quarts of willow-bark tea to get the therapeutic equivalent of two on the product label. Feverfew should not be taken during preg aspirin. If it's good quality material, about three cups will do. nancy or in combination with blood-thinning drugs. Don't look for willow bark to replace aspirin anytime soon. WILLOW BARK OTHER HERBS One of the classic mild painkillers or analgesics in herbal medicine Various members of the mint family, including lavender (Lavandu is the dried bark of several willow species, which is often described laangustifolia) and peppermint (Menthaxpiperita) have tradition as an aspirin substitute. White willow (Salix alba) is most com ally been used for the treatment of headaches. Various components monly listed and is often recommended to relieve pain associated of their volatile oils have spasmolytic activity, which means that they with mild headaches. have the ability to reduce muscle spasms. Some types of headaches, It is a common misconception that the active compounds including tension headaches, may be caused by a simple constriction in aspirin-salicylates-were originally derived from willow of blood vessels in the muscle tissue surrounding the skull. Several bark; they were actually first isolated from meadowsweet studies have shown that a dab of peppermint oil applied to the tem (Spiraea spp.) in the mid-19th century. Salicin-related com ples can help relieve a tension headache. pounds known as phenolic glycosides are found in willow bark Since headaches are one of the most common afflictions of hu in amounts ranging from one to 11 percent. mans, the search for reliefwill continue. For now, the best-researched When willow bark is ingested, these compounds go through a herb against symptoms of a specific type of headache-migraines series ofchemical changes in the intestines, liver, and bloodstream is feverfew. Additional remedies for this common human malady may and are eventually converted to salicylic acid, which has similar yet be found in the annals of traditional herbal usage. properties to the acetylsalicylic acid contained in aspirin. The for mer produces fewer side effects, however, and does not have the Steven Foster has written numerous books and articles on herbs blood-thinning qualities of aspirin. and their medicinal uses. He lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas. SPEAKERS: WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Mary S. Rivkin, Ph.D. • Teachers and administrators University of Maryland • Youth program coordinators Lisa Glick Life Lab Science Program • Youth and community leaders Alan R. Berkowitz, Ph.D. • Landscape designers Institute of Ecosystem Studies and arch itects Dr. Norm Lownds Michigan State University, TRACKS: 4-H Children's Garden Jane Taylor • The Schoolyard Habitat past director MSU • Garden Basics 4-H Children's Garden • Integrating Curriculum Felder Rushing Hinds County Extension and the Garden Service • Gardens of the Future AND OTHERS May / June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 25 natural • connections BETTER LIVING THROUGH PLANT CHEMISTRY by Murray S. Blum eare always telling our children not to eat plant parts because they may be poisonous, but eating certain W plants can also be a hazardous pastime for insects. Plants manufacture a large variety of chemical compounds that range from merely distasteful to highly toxic. But some insects have de veloped efficient strategies for neutralizing, or even taking advan tage of, the life-threatening effects of toxic compounds as diverse as nicotine, cocaine, and su·ychnine. Some plants have evolved chemical defenses to deter insects and other animals-from eating them. Perhaps the best known example are the milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), many of which con tain cardiac glycosides. These compounds-related to digitalis, which is used in heart medications--can be toxic even at low doses, although vomiting usually purges the compound from the body before a fatal dose is ingested. But even the most toxic plants are consumed by at least a few insect species that have developed the ability to accumulate and concentrate the toxins-in essence becoming a poisonous exten sion of the plant. As a deterrent to predators, these insects gener ally advertise their toxicity with bright colors. Insects that use this type of defensive strategy are described as aposematic. As ento mologist May Berenbaum notes in her book Bugs in the System, "Curiously, the colors assumed by most aposematic insects are the very san1e colors used by humans to warn of potential dangers- tles (Tetraopes tetrophtalmus)-both of which have red carapaces The ability of the larvae to highlighted by black markings-also specialize on milkweeds. The brightly colored larvae of many tiger moths feed on a variety of tolerate toxins in their bodies unrelated poisonous plants, including foxgloves (Digitalis spp.), provides them with highly groundsels or ragworts (Senecio spp.), and even milkweeds. These amazingly adapted moths actually distill the toxins found in their effective repellents. leafY diets into even more deadly concentrates. From foxgloves and milkweeds, tiger moth larvae obtain car red (like stop signs), yellow or orange, and black (like highway diac glycosides or cardenolides. From ragworts they get various warning signs)." Sometimes, however, predators ignore the warn poisonous alkaloids-nitrogen-containing compounds that in ing signs and eat these insects. Those that survive the toxins usu clude nicotine, cocaine, and morphine. The ability of the larvae to ally don't make the same mistake again, thus making survival more tolerate such toxins in their bodies provides them with highly ef likely for other members of that particular insect species. fective repellents for invertebrates and powerful poisons for ver tebrates. Tiger motl1larvae are such versatile storers ofplant toxins RAIDING THE PLANT PHARMACY tlut tlley can feed on a plant that contains cholesterol derivatives, Insects use toxic plant chemicals in a variety of ways. As noted then switch to an alkaloid-producing plant and store both kinds above, just eating the plant may render the insect toxic or at least of toxins in their bodies. A predator gets a double-barreled toxic unpalatable. Monarch butterflies warn away potential predators insult ifit tries to feed on these larvae! \vith their orange-and-black coloration, but as a last line ofdefense Some insects convert the defensive chemicals of their plant rely on stored toxins they acquired as larvae fi·om milkweed plants. hosts into compounds that are more suitable for their defensive The small milkweed bug (Lygaeus kalmii) and red mill 26 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 compound found in willows, and wU1sform it in to an even more powerful repellent. In addition to making this defensive com pound, leaf beetle larvae use salicin for a more benign function to produce glucose for nourishment. Researchers have discovered tllat insects also use plant chemicals to protect mem from microorganisms. For example, larvae of tlle corn earworm (Helicoverpazea) are much less susceptible to attack by a patllogenic fungus (Nomul'aea rileyi) iftl1eY have fortified tllemselves witll a chemical compound fowld in tomatoes. Similar ly, by consun1ing pinene-a chemical fmmd in a variety ofconifers tlle larvae oftlle Douglas fir tussock motll (Orygia pseudotsuga) reduce meir likeliliood of being infected by certain bactelia. IF YOU LOVE TO GARDEN ... DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE You'll love being part of the American In omer cases, ingested Horticultural Society. You'll enjoy: compounds may be rapid ~a- The American Gardener magazine ly externalized and used as ~a- Free admission to flower and garden sh ows predator deterrents. For ~a- Free seed exchange example, me brownish ~ Free admission to gardens nationwide "tobacco juice" some grasshoppers ex'Ude when ~a- DiscOWltS on gardening books, and more! tl1reatened is mostly con swned plant material forti To join, call (800) 777-7931, ext. 10. fied witll plant toxins. T he flightless lubber grasshop per (Romalea guttata) found in me soumeastern American Horticultural Society United States discharges a 7931 East Boulevard Drive substance that smells Alexandria, VA 22308-1300 somewhat like creosote. Sin1ilarly, me larvae of gre garious sawflies-related As a deterrent to predators, the to wasps-store pine or REMEMBER THE red milkweed beetle, opposite eucalyptus oils in pouches top, and the small milkweed opening tl1rough tlle AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY bug, above, ingest milkweed mouth. When disturbed, IN YOUR WILLOR TRUST toxins. The lubber grasshopper, me larvae simultaneously opposite bottom, exudes disgorge mese oils, me tur AHS provides reliable, up-to-date information on issues of foul-smelling plant juices. pentinelike constituents of immediate concern to gardeners and the greater community. which effectively repel The Society's mission is to nurture the active development of the United States as a nation of successful predators. Ingested plant and environmentally responsible gardeners. toxins can also be externalized by being discharged wough me anus. When tl1reatened, milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus) defecate You can help support us in our mission by making gifts feces enriched witll milkweed toxins. to AHS during your lifetime or under the terms of your will through what is known as planned giving. DEFENDING THE NEST To learn more about how you can support AHS, contact our Ifit is of great importance to pass one's genes on to tlle next gen Endowment Office at 7931 East Boulevard Drive, eration, men it is obviously crucial to promote tlle survival of one's Alexandria, VA 22308-1300, offspring. Many female insects help achieve tlUs objective by for (703) 768-5700 ext. 33. tifying their eggs witll plant toxins m ey obtained and stored when tlley were brightly colored larvae. Tiger motlls use alkaloids ob tained from groundsels or ragworts; milkweed bugs use choles terol derivatives from milkweeds; and large white butterflies such as Pieris brassicae use bitter mustard oils from cabbages and other plants in me mustard family. Scientists are continually discovering "curiouser and curi ouser" relationships between insects and toxic plants. Who knows what amazing story awaits us down the next entomolog We urge you to consult with your legal and fin ancial advisors to assist you in arranging the best method of ical rabbit hole? contributing. The American Horti cultural Society is tax-exe mpt und er Section 501(c)3 of th e Internal Revenue Service Code. Contributions to AHS are tax-deductible to the full est extent allowed by law. AHS is also a registered charitabte organization under Section 57·49 ofthe Virginia Solici tation of Contributions Murray S. Blum is emeritus professor ofentomology at the Law ; a finan cial statement is available upon written request from th e State Di vision of Consum er Affairs. University of Georgia. May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 27 of the plants grow less than six inches high lady's-slipper (c. guttatum). A species and look like molten gold on the landscape. shared with Newfoundland, the small In eastern and southwestern Newfound rOlU1d-Ieaved orchid is often accompanied land, open sphagnum bogs harbor some of by a far-northern species, the rather plain the world's largest colonies of the brilliant yet imriguilJ.g green-flowered northern pink dragon's-mouth (Arethusa bulbosa), twayblade (Listera borealis). Try Denali grass pink (Calopogon tuberosus), and rose National Park in late June to mid-July. Less pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides). than a mile inside its entrance and not far North of Channel Port-aux-Basques from public buildings you can be surprised are several expansive bogs where all three by stands of spotted lady's-slipper, north species flower in mid -July. A sharp eye ern twayblade, and eastern fairy slipper. might spot white-flowered forms, espe cially of the dragon's-mouth, or even its West Coast rare blue form (Arethusa bulbosa forma BegilU1ing in early March, even the most subcaerulea). Returning on the same casual visitor to Mt. Tamalpais State Park route in late July and early August, road near San Francisco can spot hundreds of side ditches and open moist fields host western fairy slippers (Calypso bulbosa var. both small a!iJ.d large purple fringed or occidentalis) raising their pale pink and chids, Platanthera psycodesand Pgrandi lavender slippers above the redwood duff. flora. The common names refer to flower They even grow-at their peril-in more size. Both can be more than three feet tall than one unpaved parking area. Scattered with as many as a hundred purple and among them is the leafless western spotted lavender fringed flowers . They're espe coralroot (Corallorhiza maeulata var. occi The dwarf fo~m of the large cially abundant in the Codroy Valley, dentalis) and here and there a few pale or yellow lady's-slipper, above, is where it's not uncommon to find white ange Vreeland's striped coralroots (c. distinguished by its nearly flat flowered forms of both along with the striata var. vl'eeiandii). petals. Opposite, clockwise green fringed orchid (P lacera). If you visit Olympic National Park in from upper left: Sierra rein Washington State during early July, you can orchids thrive along stream Alaska see more than a dozen orchid species, all on banks on the West Coast; spot On the other side of the continent, Alaska roadsides or nearby trails. Hurricane Ridge ted lady's-slippers share habitat shares some species with Newfoundland Road is only eight miles long, but you'll with bunch berry; even before but also has its own specialties, such as the need several days to see all it has to offer. its flowers open, the phantom curious spotted lady's-slipper (Cypripedi Watch carefully for the tall, white, cinna orchid creates an almost umguttatum). mon-scented spikes of bog candle (Platan unearthly spectacle OR the In late June, Kodiak Island's cloud thera dilatata) in the wet seeps and then forest floor; ar:ld eastern fairy shrouded meadows and hillsides are often explore the surrounding woodlands for slippers raise their jewel-like so thick with wildflowers that it's difficult otiler orchids: western spotted coralroot, flowers on delicate stems. to walle without stepping on them, but for Alaska piperia (Piperia unalascensis), white tunately there are trails that give excellent piperia (P candida), tall green northern access. When the clouds do part, the land bog orchid (Platanthe1'a hyperborea), an oc small rol.illd -leaved orchid (Amerorehis ro scape glows with living jewels. The deep casional fairy slipper, and heart-leaved tway tundifolia). Above a single oval leaf, dain purple-flowered Fischer's orchid (Dacty blade. In the park's dry coniferous woods ty four-inch spikes of three to 10 delicate lorhiza aristata) often grows in company you can find small stands of the phantom white flowers spotted with pink rise on a with the cranberry and pale yellow pouch orchid (Cephalanthera aust-iniae), with its slender stallc They appear in moist, mossy es of the yellow spotted lady's-slipper snowy white stems and flowers . Laleeshores woodlands and the open, windswept bar (Cypripedi~tm yatabeanum) and less spec are home to the colorful chatterbox or rens of the northern peninswJa. tacular orchids that are nevertlleless worth stream orchid (Epipactisgigantea), which The bogs and swamps of weSt central close inspection. If you look carefully gets the former name from the way its Newfoundland, especially in Gros Morne among the meadow flowers you can find green, orange, and yellow flowers nod in National Park, have extensive stands of our the green spikes of rein orchids (Platan the wind, as though they are conversing. largest northern slipper orchid, the showy thera spp.) and the rare two-leaved adder's In California, tile chatterbox orchid can or queen lady's-slipper (Cypripedium regi mouth (Malaxis diphyllos). often be seen growing \vith tile sierra rein or nae). It's an apt name for a three-foot plant On Alaska's mainland, a few hours from chid (Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys) with as many as four big, pink-lipped white Anchorage, you can easily find the delicate, along stream banks. The latter begins bloom flowers. You can often spot clumps in wet single pink and yellow flowers of the east ing in May in California and, at higher eleva roadside ditches on the park's south side. ern fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa var. amer tions, flowers can last into September. Farther north in open limestone barrens, icana); the tiny white sparrow's-egg you can see great swaths of large ye.llow lady's-slipper (Cypripedium passerinum), The Southwest lady's-slippers (c. parviflorum var. pubes with a pouch finely speclded with purple; Some Mexican species-including rein or eens) without getting out ofyour car. Many and the white-and-cranberry spotted chids, crested coralroots (Hexalectris spp.), 30 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/J~tne 1998 Willi Orchids and several adder's-mouths-are creeping Plains ladies' -tresses (Spiranthes magni over the borders of Texas and the south camporum), raise creamy spikes among au western states. The adder's-mouth's are tumn wildflowers. At an inch in diameter, usually green-flowered, with the exception the individual flowers are some of the of the cranberry or red adder's-mouth largest anl0ng ladies' -tresses. (Malaxis porphyrea). Four Malaxis species The vast, mixed forests of the upper are found in the "sky-islands" of southeast Great Lakes, often lll1derlaid by extensive Arizona-mountainous areas distinguished limestone deposits, make suitable homes by more moderate temperatures and in for nearly all of the eastern species and a creased rainfall. You're sure to find several good representation of western species as of them while exploring Miller's Canyon or well . Corall'Oots abOLl11d, and tlle spectac Carr Canyon near Fort Huachuca. ular red-and-white-striped coralroot In mid-August, when the desert near (Coral101'hiza striata) makes a memorable Tucson is sweltering but nearby mountains show in spring and early summer. are cool and comfortable, the adventurous Ontario's Bruce Peninsula, which juts can drive and then climb to Rustler's Peak in out into Lake Huron's Georgian Bay, offers Coronado National Forest to see three extensive wltouched habitats for nearly 50 species of adder's-mouths side by side: slen orchid species. Late J lll1e and early July bring der (M. tenuis), rat-tailed (M. ehrenbel'lJii), forth wide roadside swatlls of b lilli ant large and purple (M. p01"phyrea). While in Tucson, yellow lady's-slippers. In hidden enclaves is be sure to drive to tlle top of Mowlt Lem tlle cwious white-and-red ranl's-head lady's mon and search tlle trails at the end of tlle slipper (Cypl'ipedium al'ietinum), with its road for Thurber's bog orchid (Platanthera pronow1Ced pouch and intricate veining. limosa). Its small green flowers make it one Broad wetlands produce tlle showy lady's The creamy white flowers of of the least showy green rein orchids, but it slipper; on Flower Pot Island, at the penin grass-leaved ladies'-tresses, is one of tlle rarest in the United States and sula's tip, you can find the elusive fairy opposite, spiral around the this is the most accessible place to hunt for it. slipper. These are soon followed by clwnps stems of this inhabitant of dry ofstriped coralroot and tlle dazzling yellow meadows and roadsides. The Rockies form of the western spotted coralroot. Spreading pogonia, above, has The broad spine of the Rocky MOWltainS whirlybirdlike sepals surmount from Canada to northern Mexico is an or The Deep South ng its terminal pink flower. chid-hunter's dream, offering an abun Visiting the lower Mississippi River Basin dance of eastern fairy slippers in me far and adjacent SOUtll central states, you'll find north, a variety of rein orchids wiiliin the a good selection ofladies'-tresses, grass tlley all showy. Many of our soumern ter range's main body, southern specialties such pinks, and fringed orchids, but the region's restrials are every bit as beautiful. as Malaxis and Platanthe1"a, plus every most spectacular offering has to be ivory As you continue soum you'll still find species of coralroot. lipped or Kentucky lady's-slipper (Cypri fringed orchids and grass pinks, plus sever Pick a park! Glacier in me northern pedium kentuckiense). The flowers on tllese al Spiranthes relatives such as Sacoila lance Rockies, Yellowstone and Grand Teton in lush, majestic plants are the largest of our olata, the scarlet ladies' -tresses or beakless Wyoming, or Rocky Mountain in the cen lady's-slippers, ranging in a color from deep orchid. Damp woodlands and swamps of tral Rockies of Colorado are all home to yellow to ivory-white. They are usually the South offer tlle curious shadow-witch myriad orchids. Early in spring-which fOLU1d in wet, deciduous woodlatlds, often (Ponthieva racemosa) and several species of vaties from park to park and elevation to el those subject to periodic flooding. Both the false rein orchids in the genus Habenaria. evation--one of the first orchids to flower is large yellow lady's-slipper and tlle soutllern Some of the prime orchid-viewing spots the eastern fairy slipper. Its exquisite pink, small yellow lady's-slipper (C. pal'viflorum in FIOlida are arOLU1d tlle visitor's centers in yellow, and white single slippers haunt se var. parviflorum) may grow nearby. Everglades National Pat'k. Watch the open cluded patches along trails, especially Calyp In midsummer, moist grasslands and rocky grassland and tl-le local hammocks so Trail in Rocky Mountain National Parle roadsides are aflame with swatlls of orange areas of hardwoods usually set slightly above --or yellow-fringed orchid (Platanthera the surrounding grasslands or pille forests. Central Prairies ciliaris). Less frequently you can see the or The famed Fakahatchee Swamp in Col The prairies of the central states and ange--or yellow--crested orchid (P cl'ista lier County is home to many of the rarest provinces support fewer species than either ta) and, most rarely, me yellow fringeless species in Florida, but it is not a place for the coast, but tlley have painted some of my fa orchid (P integra). novice to explore. Park naturalists often lead vorite scenes. In spring, the small white winter walks, however, as do independent lady's-slipper (Cypripedium candidum) Florida and the Gulf Coast organizations. Here you might see such blooms, followed in early July by the tall There are a couple of misconceptions Florida epiphytes as the night-blooming eastern and western prairie fringed orchids about this country's epiphytic-tree epidendrum (Epidendrum nocturnum) (Platanthera leucophaea and P praeclara) dwelling-orchids. Most people believe which, contrary to its name, can also be seen waving their lat-ge, fragrant, white-fringed that they're confined to southern Florida; bloomillg in the daytin1e-several of the cu flowers. Still later, hundreds ofwhite Great in fact, their range is much greater. Nor are rious leafless orchids, and the Florida May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 33 Yilt. r 1 i(l~ tresses; summer, for the Florida adder's in New Jersey you'll see more species begin mouth (Malaxis spicata), various fringed to appear. Near Cape May, several sites pro orchids, and the Florida butterfly orchid tect the crane-fly orchid (Tipularia discol (Encyclia tampense). In fall, you can find all or), snowy orchid (Platanthera nivea), and four species of Habenaria: water spider (H. lace-lipped ladies' -tresses (Spiranthes lacini repens), our only aquatic orchid, with its ata)-the latter two at their northern limit. spiderlike green flowers; false water spider Farther south along the Atlantic (H. distans), known from only two sites in seaboard, ladies'-tresses assert their hold. the United States; the common toothed Spiranthes can be easily identified by the habenaria (H . odontopetala), which con numerous small white flowers usually spi tinues producing spikes of green flowers raling around the upper part of the slender throughout winter; and, along roadsides, stem, but individual species are exceeding the long-horn habenaria (H. quinqueseta). ly hard to tell apart. Bloomtime, leaves, and The last is becoming harder to find as road habitat are all helpful clues with which you sides are more closely mowed or treated can tease out an identification with the help with herbicides. of a good wildflower guide. Winter is the orchid hunter's favorite One of the best places to see orchids of season here. The massive stands ofshadow the southern coastal plain is the Green witch are starting to unfold their white Swamp in southeastern North Carolina. Its and-green butterflylike flowers above savannas, pocosins, and swampy wood rosettes of dark green leaves, and the leaf lands are fab led for diverse species that in less stems of the early or Wister's coralroot clude upland spreading pogonia, rosebud (Corallorhiza wisteriana) are flowering orchid, yellow fringeless orchid, snowy or Bog candle, above, can be found near the Cypress Swamp Trail. In February chid, orange fringed orchid, orange crest in wet seeps at Washington and March several specialties of the park are ed orchid, many ladies' -tresses, and several State's Olympic National Park. in bloom. This is one of the few sites in the others more typical of the Deep South. Opposite, clockwise fmm upper country-all in Florida- for speckled left: the spidery large whorled ladies' -tresses (Cyclopogon cranichoides). The Northeast pogonia blends in with sur Spurred neottia (Elt1roplect1ris calcarata), I'm fortunate to make my home in New rounding vegetation; not so the with flowers like miniature egrets on foot England, which, along with New York, is flaming orange plumes of the high stems, are scattered throughout the home to more than 60 orchid species, most orange fringed orchid; the dense hammock, and the open grasslands of them easily seen and well preserved de mixed forest of the Great Lakes near the park entrance are dotted with spite rampant development. There is hard region is the most common spikes 'of ladies' -tresses. ly a state or local park in southern New habitat for the striped coralroot; England that does not have such familiar Native Americans called the pink The Mid-Atlantic and Southeast spring sights as woodlands full of pink lady's-slipper "moccasin flower" In spite of rapid development in our mid lady's-slippers (Cypripedium acaule) and in because of its inflated pink lip. Atlantic and Soutl1east, you can still find the late summer and fall, endless roadsides large stands of orange fringed orchid, or of nodding and yellow ladies' -tresses (Spi ange crested orchid, southern white ranthescernua and S. ochroleuca). clamshell orchid (Encyclia cochleata var. fringed orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis One of our rarest orchids, the small triandra). It is an experience not to be var. conspicua) and spreading pogonias or whorled pogonia (Isot1'ia medeoloides), is missed, as long as you don't end up among rosebud orchids (Cleistes divaricata and C. centered in western Maine and eastern the missing! bifaria) in accessible sites. New Hampshire. Its cousin, the curiously If you explore north and cenU'al Flori The pine barrens of New Jersey are per beautiful large whorled pogonia (1. verti da, you will be seeing primarily terrestrials, haps one of the best orchid strongholds in ciliata), is a frequent resident of southern for which all of the state and county parks this area, with thousands ofacres preserved New England oak-pine woods, often in are prime habitat. Perhaps the finest is as the Pinelands. Near the entrance to the colonies of more than a thousand. Both Highland Hammock State Park in Sebring, restored Village at Batsto, meadows are species have one or two flowers set neatly Florida. It is the oldest state park in Flori turned solid pink in June by grass pinks and on a whorl of five leaves atop a slender da and offers a large, virtually undeveloped rose pogonias. Many of the bogs and river stem. The former is only three or four inch area with good trail and road systems. savannas are still home to various fringed es high in flower, basically green with a Nearly 20 species of orchids have been orchids and a few sites still support the white lip, and the petals and sepals are of recorded in the park, which is home to one northernmost population of the yellow equal length. The latter is nearly a foot tall, of the largest populations of shadow-witch fringeless orchid and rosebud orchid. purple, green, and white, with curling sepa (Ponthieva racemosa) in the country. In late July, even the most lackadaisical ls much longer than the petals. Stopping anywhere along the loop road nature lover will be able to spot the white Orchids fairly common farther south or and following one of the trails should yield fringed orchid-with foot-tall stems bear west reach their northern limits here: views of several species at any time of year. ing several dozen big fiingy flowers-along crane-fly orchid (Tipularia discolor), in Spring is the time for grass pi.nks and ladies- any number of roadsides. Traveling south southeastern Massachusetts aIild Long Is- 34 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 land; orange fringed orchid (Platanthera unnatural death soon after transplanting. Propagators all have excellent hand ciliaris) in coastal Connecticut and Rhode That's because terrestrial orchids grow in outs with detailed cultural information . A Island; and orange crested orchid (P crista the wild with a vatiety of associated mycor good general guideline is common sense. ta) on Long Island. rhizal fungi that, at different stages, facili You will have great difficulty growing Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, tate seed germination, plant growth, and, Alaskan species in south Florida, fo r ex take a ride through the Green Mountains eventually, fl owering and the setting of ample, but with care and perhaps some of Vermont, the White Mountains of New seed. Most species also have very specific protection you probably can grow Min Hampshire, or the wild backwoods of habitat requirements. nesota species in New Jersey or vice versa. northern Maine, watching carefully for Species of many mature orchids offered Consider whether your garden, with spikes of white, purple, pink, and green. by nurseries originated as collected plants, minor alterations, can match the orchid's Many species of fringed and rein orchids but are labeled "nursery grown" because native habitat . This means doing your line the roadside ditches and open fields; they have passed through several growers' homework and asking questions. purple fringed orchids are abundant in late hands by the time of sale. Yellow-flowered lady's-slippers at°e by July and August. Late June in central and Fortunately, several orchids have shown far the easiest orchids to grow in a variety northern Vermont reveals cattail swamps the ability to adapt to suitable garden set of garden situations, atld propagated plants full of showy lady's-slippers. At the same tings, and each year more species are being are becoming readily available. (Note: time in northern Maine, near Caribou, it's propagated by reputable growers in the These varieties of Cypripedium parviflo easy to SpOt large yellow lady's-slippers. United States. These plants have been rum are sometimes listed as C. calceolus.) grown in laboratories, then "weaned" to Also widely available are several showy, N ative Orchids in the Garden improve their chances ofs ucceeding in a gar bog-growing species such as rose pogonia It would be unfair to both would-be grow den. By purchasing only propagated orchids, (Pogonia ophioglossoides), grass pink (Calo ers and native orchids not to say a few you will decrease the demand for collected pogon spp.), and wetland species ofladies' words about trying to grow these wildings plants and discourage collecting. tresses (Spiranthes spp. ). They require you in a home garden. Ifyou doubt that plants are from prop to build an artificial wetland, but you'll find Many of our wild populations, such as agated sources, ask. Most retail distribu the extra effort well worth it. yellow lady's-slippers, have been reduced tors purchase propagated orchids directly or wiped out by collecting, which in many from the originating growers. So if a sell Paul Martin Brown is founder ofthe North sites is not only unethical but illegal. Most er can't or won't name the plants' source, American Native Orchid A lliance and ed of these collected plants are doomed to an don't buy them. itor ofits quarterly Journal. Resources NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE Alliance, write to Nancy ORCHIDS OF THE NORTH plants through mail-order. ORCHID ALLIANCE. In A. Webb, NANOA, 84 EAST: A FIELD GUIDE by BLUESTEM FARM NATIVE addition to publishing Etna Street, Brighton, MA William K. Chapman, PLANTS, S5920 Lehman the quarterly North 02135-2830, or visit the Syracuse University Press, Road, Baraboo, WI 53913; Americ:an Native Orchid Alliance's web site at 1997. (608) 356-0179. Species Journal, the alliance www.naorchid.org. WILD ORCHIDS OF THE list free with SASE. makes a variety of THE WILD ORCHIDS OF CALI NORTHEASTERN UNITED CYP.HAVEN, 2291 280th reprints and hard-t o-find FORNIA by Ronald A. Cole STATES: A FIELD GUIDE by Street, Adel, IA 50003; publications ava ilable to man, Cornell University Paul Martin Brown. (515) 993-4841. www. its members, and it Press/Comstock Publishing Drawings by Stan Folsom, orchidmall.com/cyp.haven. sponsors an annual North ASsociat es, 1995. Cornell University RAISING RARITIES, P.O. Box American Native Orchid ORCHIDS OF INDIANA by ['Iress/Comstock Publishing 405, Jacksonville, VT Conference. This year the Michael A. Homoya, Uni Associates, 1997. 05342; (802) 368-7273. conference will be held versity of Indiana Press, Brochure $1 with SASE. July 8-11 at Lake Itasca 1993. Sources SPANGLE CREEK LABS, State Park in northern ORCHIDS OF MINNESO"FA 2295 County Road #445, Minnesota. For more by Welby R. Smith, The following companies Bovey, MN 55709. Species information about the University of Minnesota sell propagated North list free with business conference or joining the Press, 1993. American native orchid sized SASE. If you enjoyed Paul Martin Brown's tour of the wild orchids written accounts-250 words or less-of their own of North America, look for WILD ORCHIDS ACROSS NORTH experience viewing native orchids in the wild. Submissions AMERICA: A BOTANICAL TRAVELOGUE by Philip Keenan, due should be addressed to The American Gardener, 7931 East out from Timber Press this fall. Free copies of the book will Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308. We'll print the be awarded to three members who send us the best three responses in an upcoming edition of the magazine. 36 THE AMERICAN GARDENE R May/ Jun e 1 998 Eurasian Honeysucldes FromBoon Pretty to look at but aggressive in nature, these toBane shrubs won't stay confined to the garden. b y Charles E . w I I a m s Winter in the farm-dominated landscape of and management afnon-native bush honeysuckles in eastern southwest Ohio reveals a checkerboard of open fields separated at American forests. Gardeners often quiz me about using these intervals by woods. In 1990, I was visiting the area as a postdoctor shrubs in their home landscapes: What harm can there be in al forest ecologist, eager to hit on a fruitful topic ofinvestigation. In growing them when they're so beautiful and popular with trigued by this fragmented forest, I meandered through several areas birds? Are all of the non-native bush honeysuckles potential dominated by American beech, sugar maple, and vacrious hard pests? Are there native shrubs with the same virtues tl1at they woods. But it wasn't the forest canopy that caught my attention could plant instead? it was the shrub layer, often thick enough to impede my movement. On close inspeotion I realized that the woodland floor was domi Black Sheep and Gray Areas nated by a single shrub species, one unfamiliar to me. What was it, Most gardeners in the eastern half of the country know well the in I wondered, and what role did it play in the forest ecology? vasive tendencies of Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica), a twining o The first question was easy to answer with a little botanical vine that invades roadside ditches and forest edges, gobbling up ~ sleutl1ing. The ubiquitous shrub was the Amur honeysuckle, herbaceous ground covers and strangling saplings. Yet there are cul z ~ Lonicera maacku, a highly invasive native ofeastern Asia. The sec- tivated cousins that appear to @e per- ~ ond question proved much more complicated. fectly docile, and nurseries continue to Tatarian honeysuckle is ~ Since tl1at initial meeting with Amur honeysuckle, I have introduce new Lonicera-ground cov- beautiful in flower but Cl been involved with several projects focusing on the ecology ers, hedges, vines, even an edible variety. invades natural areas. May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 37 There is almost never any assurance offered Beginning in tl1e 1930s, species witl1 that these new varieties will stay confined to vigorous vegetative growth and prolific the border or trellis. fruit production-particulat-ly varieties of The genus Lonicera consists of some Tatarian and Alnur honeysuckles-were 180 species that are widely distributed widely planted as windbreaks, for erosion across tile Northern Hemisphere. About control, and as wildlife food and habitat. one-third ofthese are in cultivation; one From tl1e 1960s tlu-ough tl1e 1980s, selec third of those are vines and the rest shrubs. tive breeding of these two species by tl1e The bush honeysuckles are upright, multi federal Soil Conservation Service-now stemmed, and generally deciduous, rang called the Natural Resource Conservation ing fl.-om six to 15 feet tall. Virtually all of Service-and otl1ers created veritable "su the ones being cultivated in North Ameri pershrubs" witl1 even more fruit and fo ca today hail fl.-om Europe or, more com liage. They were planted witl1 the best of monly, eastern Asia-China, southern intentions: to quickly revegetate and stabi Russia, Korea, and Japan. They're attrac li ze degraded lands, and to provide fruit tive enough in SPling, with abw1dant and and cover for birds and small mammals. slightly fragrant yellow-white to rose But these "improved" cultivars set the stage colored tubular flowers. But they're even for the large-scale biological invasion of more eye-catching in fall, when the flowers North America by bush honeysuckles. are followed by copious displays of red to Reports of escape and naturalization orange berries that stay on the branches began to multiply in the 1950s and well into "vinter. The few bush honeysuck By eating and excreting berries of Eur '60s, but alarms had been sounded les native to Nortl1 America, such as the fly asian bush honeysuckles, birds such as much earlier. As early as 1903, the dis honeysuckle (L. canadensis), are dowdy in this American robin have unwittingly tinguished botanist Alfred Rehder comparison, with inconspicuous flowers aided their spread. noted that Tatarian and European fly and few fruits. (L. xylosteum) honeysuckles had escaped Eurasian bush honeysuckles virtually from cultivation in eastern North Amer flowed into the United States in the mid ica. A note in tl1e archives oftl1e Morton to late 1800s, a peak period of plant ex grant honeysuckle (L. fragrantissima) , Arboretum near Chicago describes ploration in Asia by Europeans and Alner Standish's honeysuckle (L. standishii), Alnur honeysuckle as a "weed in arbore icans. Among the immigrants brought and pretty honeysuckle (L. x bella) , a hy tum since 1924, when first brought in." here as ornamentals and still common brid of Tatarian (L. tatarica) and Mor In her 1920 book Our Northern Shrubs, today are Morrow's honeysuckle (Loni row's honeysuckles. Tatat-ian honeysuckle Harriet Keeler noted that Tatarian hon cera m01'rowii), Amur honeysuckle, fra- arrived about a century eat-li er, in 1752. eysuckle "has escaped quite extensively." U nderappreciated Natives f the nine shrubby honeysuckle species native to North America-listed below with growth habit, flower color, and native range-few are widely O cultivated despite commercial availability. The Al1dersen Horticultural Library'S Source List ofPlants and Seeds indicates SL"X of these are available through retail mail-order. Species that are native to your region are the best garden prospects (those witl1 an asterisk are included in the Andersen Library list). Coral honeysuckle Botanical Name Common Name Growth Habit Flower Color Native Range Lonicel'a atbi{101'a * Western white honeysuckle Shrubby vine White or yellow white Western Arkansas to Atizona L. anzonica Arizona honeysuckle Shrubby vine Reddish, orange inside Texas to Arizona L. canadensis* Fly honeysuckle Shrub Yellow-white, red tinge Eastern North America L. conjugatis* Double honeysuckle Shrub Purple Western North America L. intel'l'upta* Chaparral honeysuckle Shrub Yellow Atizona to California L. in'Votucl'ata* Twinberry Shrub Yellow or red Midwestern and vVestern North America L. obtongifotia Swamp fl y honeysuckle Shrub Yellow Midwestern and Southeastern North America L. sempel'virens* Coral honeysuckle Shrubby vine Red Eastern North America L. utahensis Utal1 honeysuckle Shrub Yellow-white tinged red Western North America 38 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/ June 1998 H( )11CYSU( kles Perhaps the most graphic ex thousands of fi'Lllts a large, estab ample of the rapid spread of a lished shrub can produce and you Eurasian bush honeysuckle is il have a formidable seed source. lustrated by Amur honeysuckle. One study in southwestern O hio In 1961,forest ecologist E. Lucy estimated that an Amur honey BraLU1 fOlU1d the species in a sin suckl e could produce up to 1.2 gle Ohio county during her sur million berries per shrub, with ap vey of the woody plants of the proximately 400 million berries state. By 1994, Amur honeys ud< produced per hectare (two-and Ie was recorded in 34 Ohio COill1- a-quarter acres) . ties as well as 24 eastern states and Low in nutrients, bush honey Ontario. This explosive natural suckle benies are not birds' mU11- ization was not confined to Amur ber one food choice- which is a honeys uckle, however; Tatarian reason the fr uits remain so long and Morrow's honeysuckles are on the shrubs, coloring gardens equally \ov idespread in eastern into spring-but they do offe r North America. Three other bi rds sustenance once fr uits of species-Standish 's, fragrant, other species are gone. More than and European fly honeysuckles 20 avian species in eastern North plus the hybrid pretty honey America, including favOlites such suckle are also naturalized in a as eastern bluebird , cedar wax- wide swath of North America Woodland edges, roadsides, and abandoned wing, and American robin, feed from California to Maine and Ontario, fields provide the open areas most Eurasian on fruits of bush honeysucldes. south to North Carolina and Tennessee. bush honeysuckles, including these The birds then excrete or regurgitate Morrows honeysuckles, tend to colonize. the seeds in a variety of habitats. Generally, Fruitful-and M ultipo/ing Eurasian bush honeysuckles are shade H ow was this epic spread of these non intolerant and need moderate light to ger native shrubs made possible? Obviously, minate and grow. They are most abLU1d ant hurnans must take the blame for introduc same charactelistic that charmed the eye of and productive in open habitats such as for ing Eurasian bush honeysuckles to urban, gardeners and won the hearts of natmalists: est openings and edges, fields, and road suburban, and rural habitats. But we plant the fruit it bears in such abLU1dance. sides. But some species, such as Amur many non-native shrubs that never wreak The fruit ofEur asian bush honeysuckles honeysuckle, can persist in a suppressed such havoc. The key to the bush honey is a fleshy berry containing an average ofsix state in the low light of closed-canopy suckles' escape and naturalization was the or seven seeds. Multiply this by the many forests. H ere they grow slowly and wait fo r Buyer Beware ince there are some 180 honeysuclde species, it stands to Does the species fruit prolifically or sprout aggressively? reason that at least a few may be noninvasive when intro These are key traits that speed escape and naturalization, and they Sduced 1;0 new environments. But how can you avoid should raise red flags for gard~ners . On the low end of the fruiting choosing one that could become a pest beyond the garden? Ask spectrum for non-native Lonicera is the box honeysuckle (L. niPi several questions about a variety before you purchase it. da), native to central and western China. This small-leaved ever Is it a hybrid or an unfamilar cultivar? A good nile of green species, often used as hedging, Iarely fruits in cultivation thumb is to avoid buyrng hybrid honeysucldes or cuiltivars of un and so lacks the capacity to escape and naturalize widely. known origi,n. A hybrid such as pretty honeysuclde (Lonicera Catalogs frequently fail to offer irlformation on parentage. An xbella), for instance, is the product of two non-native invasive par interesting example is the goldflame honeysuckle, L. xheckrottii. It ents, one drought: tolerant and the other amenable 1'0 wet soils, so is tl1e product of L. sempervirens (a native with a name iliat sounds it has inherited a double dose of peskiness. like it could be invasive) and L. XMnericcvna (a southern European How well adapted is the species to your specific region? import with a name thar mal Ma)I/J une 1 998 TH E AM E R ICAN GARDENER 3 9 disturbance-such as tree fall or insect out Some Attractive Substitutes break-to open the canopy to more light. For gardeners, what are some alternatives These species have an additional edge: to bush honeysuckles? The most viable op They are dispersed willie nondormant, which tion is native shrubs, many of which are means they can conceivably germinate year both attractive and useful. In the north round if they have adequate soil moisture, eastern United States, natives such as spice sufficient light, and moderate temperatures. bush (Lindera benzoin) inkberry (Ilex Virtually all Eurasian bush honeysuck glabra) gray dogwood (Cornusracemosa) les are upland species and grow best in well northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) to moderately drained soils. Morrow's and red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and pretty honeysuckle, however, also tolerate arrow wood (Viburnum dentatum) are wet soils and can invade fens, bogs, and well adapted to home landscaping and lakeshores as well as drier upland habitats. wildlife plantings and are often available If the honeysuckle fruit isn't eaten by from commercial nurseries. birds, that doesn't mean the seeds are lost. All of these are sinlliar to Eurasian bush Seeds can build up in the soil beneath the honeysuckles in hardiness, growth form, shrubs, paving the way for seedlings to and flower and fruit production, yet are emerge as much as a year later. Seed banks noninvasive. A good strategy is to learn can be quite dense: Up to 1,100 seeds per from a regional field guide what shrubs nat square meter of soil have been recorded urally occur in your area and assemble a list under established Amur honeysuckle of candidate species. Then check with a shrubs in northern Kentucky. Before the A good alternative to bush honeysuckle local native plant society, arboretum, uni seeds will germinate, it's usually necessary is arrow wood (Viburnum den tatum), a versity, or state conservation agency for in for the soil to be disturbed, by animals dig shrub that produces white flowers in formation on obtaining and growing the ging or humans cultivating-ironically, summer followed by blue-black berries. ones that interest you. often by conservationists pulling bush hon If your property is already home to eysuckles during control campaigns. Seeds Eurasian bush honeysuckles, these organiza also can be washed downslope during rains tions can also advise you on ways to remove and thus invade new habitats. species are dormant and abundant rains can or at least control them. One approach is to Eurasian bush honeysuckles have yet an leach nutrients from the forest soil. These cut them to the ground and paint the stumps other trait that may explain their success in herbs may function as "vernal dams," cap with a triclopyr product-ane brand name is invading new habitats-extended leaf turing available nutrients from soil water, Brush-b-Gone. We usually add some dye to longevity. They are among the first woody incorporating them in aboveground plant the herbicide so we know which stumps plants to develop leaves in the spring and parts, and re-releasing them after their non we've treated. Sometimes we cut open the among the last to shed them in fall. This perenniating tissue (i.e., leaves and stems) stems and paint them again. gives them a greater photosynthetic window decomposes in summer. Ifvernal herbs are Since there are so many species of in which to produce and store the carbohy shaded out by bush honeysuckles, essential Lonicera) you might wonder ifit isn't likely drates they need to grow and produce fruit. nutrien.t cycles could be disrupted. that some are noninvasive. In general, it's In low-light habitats, such as the understory When it comes to our native animals, difficult to predict how a plant will behave of a mature forest, this may help them eke the effects of Eurasian bush honeysuckles in a new environment since an area's char out a living until a canopy-opening distur are less clear-cut; the copious food and acteristics can help determine if the variety bance gives them light for optimal growth. cover they provide may actually benefit will be invasive or not. Some plants that some populations. A recent study in Illinois grow rampantly in one area of the United A Gloo1nJ' Scenario showed that some bird species-including States are almost meek in others. So far, there has been no documented case wood thrush, American robin, northern As you shop for additions to your garden, ofa Eurasian bush honeysuckle causing ex cardinal, and rose-breasted grosbeak-se keep in mind tl1at the very traits that make a tinction of a native species. Nevertheless, lected non-native bush honeysuckles over plant tempting-plentiful fruit, rapid the plants have great potential to damage native shrubs as nesting sites. growth, and the ability to persist in a variety natural ecological systems. A mature stand But the study didn't prove conclu ofenvironments-may indicate invasive po of bush honeysuckle creates heavy shade sively that the birds found the honey tential. Given the explosive spread ofAmur, and intense root competition. Soon native suckles a more desirable home. The Tatarian, and Morrow's honeysuckles in ground cover plants are fewer and less var woods had been so heavily browsed by North America, it is likely that other ied, and tree seedlings are overcome. white-tailed deer and cattle that native Eurasian species could follow suit. My advice Of great concern is the loss of potential shrub species were uncommon. Non-na is to consider any new Lonicera varieties with keystone species vital in maintaining eco tive bush honeysuckle, unpalatable to a great deal of skepticism, and if you do de logical balances. For example, woodland deer, had simply filled the void. The ben cide to grow tl1em, do so with a vigilant eye. vernal herbs, such as trout illy (Erythroni efit to the site's bird population may have z ~ um americanum) and spring beauty (Clay come at a cost to native plants and other Charles E. Williams is associate proftssor ofbi- ~ tonia virginica) are physiologically active organisms in that habitat, and to the vital ology at Clarion University ofPennsylvania) ~ during early spring when other plant ecological functions they provide. where he teaches ecology and plant biology. ~ 40 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/Jttne 1998 ockOranges An old favorite still makes scents in today's gardens. by Terry Schwartz FOR is on the radio. His promis es of better days ahead are interspersed with the friendly "pop" from the exhaust of a gasoline-powered Maytag. But there seems to be less time to wash clothes now that it's early summer, with dew dripping from the columbine and the smell of fresh bread mingling with the perfume of rugosa roses. When little sister runs in excitedly, slamming the screen door behind her, mother first scolds her for not shutting it quietly, then sees that her small hands are cupped around a dozen white mock or ange blossoms. Togetl1er, they float the flowers in a bowl of water and set it on the oilcloth-covered table. Mock oranges (Philadelphus spp.) are thought to have been among the first plants that settlers brought to American shores. But while they have been grown in gardens for well over 400 years, the 1930s and '40s seem to have marked their heyday. Their major drawbacks and pri mary virtue are similar to those oflilacs: When the blooming season is over, most varieties appear ungainly and need quick camouflage. Powdery mildew and other scourges can deface their leaves. But dur ing a brief span in early summer tl1ey can perfume an entire neighborhood and etch memories to last a lifetime. Even though the genus has ebbed in popularity, breeders have continued to in troduce new shapes and sizes, so that ifyou don't have room for the old-fashioned 10- foot Philadelphus xvi1lfinalis-which will « get almost as wide-you can choose a ~ modest mound or a demUi"e dwarf. And al ~ though the plants can succumb to frost ~ damage and become somewhat ragged in Philadelphus inodorus, a native mock orange, bears large creamy flowers. May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 41 northern gardens, many of our best culti doesn't flower as heavily as the species, and Native Mock Oranges vars were developed in the northern states in Zone 3 it's borderline hardy, so it needs and Canada. Those in our Minnesota yard protection from cold as well as direct sun. n addition to Philadelphus lewisii, a when I was a youngster never died back But with a maximum height of six feet, it few other North American native and flowered faithfully every year. Even if lends itself to a lot of landscaping uses. P Imock oranges are available in the the canes do die back, they reflush readily coronarius 'Variegatus', which has leaves trade and worthy of consideration for in the spring. with broad white margins, is not as widely both formal and informal gardens. None of them are fussy about soil con available and is not hardy in the upper Mid A native of California-as you might ditions, as long as drainage is good. They west. The flowers, while fragrant, are like suspect from its name-P californicus do best in full sun, although farther south wise less profuse than the species. It will get is an erect shrub that grows to nearly they can take some shade. Some-but not taller than 'Aureus'-up to eight feet. 10 feet high. Its oval to elliptic leaves those that are most winter hardy-are tout One of the most readily available but still have fine hairs on new growth but be ed for yellow fall foliage or exfoliating bark. underused mock oranges for western gar come smooth as the foliage matures. deners is Lewis mock orange (P lewisii). The large creamy white flowers-usual Tried and True Native from British Columbia south to Cal ly grouped three to five in upright pani Among the 50-odd Philadelphus species ifornia, it's hardy to Zone 4 and grows to cles-are distinguished by prominent native to North America, Europe, and 10 feet high and wide with arching branch golden stamens and a heady fragrance. Asia, the most commonly found in North es. The species is generous in producing its Another western species is the ever American gardens is probably P coronar one-inch-diameter flowers, but unfortu green Mexican mock orange (P mexi ius or sweet mock orange, which hails nately they're almost entirely lacking in the canus), which is hardy to USDA Zone from the Caucasus. Most reference books signature mock orange scent. It is praised 8. It has long, supple stems that can be limit its hardiness to USDA Zone 5, but I instead for showy, shredding bark. trained somewhat like a vine-it can can vouch for it into Zone 4. Sweet mock The double white flowers of the old reach 15 or 20 feet tall, given sup orange is one of the bigger species, reach standby virginal mock orange (P xvir port=-or will arch to cover banks or ing nine to 12 feet tall with a similar ginalis) look almost like roses, and when slopes. It has oval leaves with unevenly spread. Racemes of cup-shaped flowers they open in June, the fragrance is intense. serrated margins, and its single, cup that smell intensely of citrus adorn the In the northern states, as with many other shaped flowers have a roselike scent. plant from May to early June. mock oranges, it can become ragged from Yucca Do Nursery in Texas has in re Two cultivars offer a change of foliage cent years offered unnamed selections color. Before the rise in popularity of Spi Its mounded form makes 'Gala had', below, of Mexican mock orange, one of which raea japonica 'Goldflame', golden mock one of the author's favorite mock oranges. may be hardy to Zone 6 or 7. orange (P coronarius'Aureus') was one of Virginal mock orange, opposite right, pro P microphytlus, a southwestern n.a the most common golden-leaved plants in duces flowers that are both spectacular tive, is a compact, upright shrub featur the home landscape. Its leaves, which and fragrant, while golden mock orange's ing small glossy green leaves, peeling emerge golden yellow and mature to a yel brilliant foliage, opposite left, make it a bark, and yellow-centered fragrant low-green, can burn in intense sunlight. It striking accent plant. white flowers up to an inch in diameter. Hardy in Zones 6 through 9, this species tends to be less elegant than some other mock oranges and may fit best in informal landscapes. We could not find a source for plants of this species, but seed is available from both Southwestern Nacivct Seeds and Far North Gardens (see "Sources"). For gardeners in the East and Mid west, a good mock orange to consider is P inodorus, native from Pennsylvania west to Telmessee and as far south as Florida and Louisiana. Although the flowers are not fragrant-the species name means "unscented"- they are spectacular, featuring four large, creamy white petals highlighted by prominctnt golden stamens. This erect, arching shrub, hardy in Zones 5 through 9, can reach six to nine feet high and has smooth, oval to elliptic leaves. -DavidJ Ellis, Editor 42 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May / Jun e 1998 Mock. Oranges dieback. You can either plant it toward the nial border or foundation planting. back of your shrub border and forget it Also hardy to Zone 4 is a Canadian se Sources until the next June, or prune it after flow lection, P 'Buckley'S Quill'. Each one-inch ering, in which case it will produce partic wide flower on this spectacular plant is a FAR NORTH GARDENS, P.O. Box 126, ularly soft green fo liage the following pompom of 30 quill-like petals-its fra New Hudson, MI48165-0126. Phone summer. This eight-foot-tall hybrid has grance is as wonderful as any of the older and fax: (810) 486-4203. Catalog $2, been the source for several selections of cultivars. 'Buckley'S Quill' grows about six deductible. similar stature. feet tall and four feet wide. FORESTFARM, 990 Tetherow Road, If you choose P xvi1lJinalis 'Natchez', Another Canadian introduction, avail Williams, OR 97544-9599. (541) 846- stand back! When this one blooms you'll able only recently in American garden cen 7269. Catalog $4. need a pair of sunglasses to protect your ters, is P. 'Snowgoose', which tests have LAS PILITAS NURSERV, Star Route eyes from the intense whiteout. Although shown to be hardy to -25 degrees. This se Box 23X, Santa Margarita, CA 93453. it's not highly fragrant, it makes up for this lection produces its fragrant double flow (805) 438-5992. Price list $1. shortcoming with an abundance of one ers so heavily that they virtually cascade SOUTHWESTERN NATIVE SEEDS, and-a-half-inch-diameter flowers . toward the ground on arching branches. P.O. Box 50503, Tucson, AZ 85703. Although the double-flowered mock Catalog $2. Hardier Choices oranges are extravagantly showy, the WOOD LANDERS, INC., 1128 ~olleton While the last two are reliable to Zone 5, if single-flowered types have their own Avenue, Aiken, SC 29801. Phone and you live farther north, consider P xvir charm. One of my favorites is P 'Galahad'. fax: (803) 648-7522. Catalog $2. ginalis'Minnesota Snowflake'. Introduced Soft yellow centers-invisible on the dou YUCCA DO NURSERY, P.O. Box 450, and patented in 1935, this fragrant selec bles-make this plant worthy of any gar Waller, TX 77484-0655. (409) 826- tion has beautiful double white flowers and den, and its mounded form makes it stand 6363. [email protected]. was first grown commercially by my em out from the crowd. Catalog $3. ployer, Bailey Nurseries in Saint Paul. In Like Proust's narrator biting into his the late 1930s and '40s, Bailey was pro madeleine, I'm taken back in time by the ducing 50,000 of them a year. scent of a mock orange. I imagine sitting enter the perimeter of that fragrance. With that many plants in annual pro under an elm that my grandmotl1er plant As both gardener and nurseryman, I duction, a sport-or genetic variation ed at the turn of the century, listening to can't think of another genus as fragrant as was bound to arise. In the '50s, a Bailey the banter of aunts, uncles, and cousins ar Philadelphus. It's true that they're in bloom employee walking through a field of 'Min riving at our family reunion. Tables cov for only a short time in early SUll1mer. But as nesota Snowflake' noticed a plant smaller ered with checkered linen tablecloths are with many things in life, fleeting moments than the rest with fine-textured foliage. laden with platters of roast beef, mashed are often those we remember the longest. With a maximum height of three feet and potatoes, pies of every sort, and pitchers of prolific double flowers, P xvirginalis mille A concentrated citrus smell wafts Terry Schwartz, inventory manager at Bai 'Miniature Snowflake' is a virtual ball of from the mock oranges my mother plant ley Nurseries, has worked in the nursery in snow at bloom time-perfect for a peren- ed, and I can see relatives relax as they dustry for 25 years. May/June 1 998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 43 b y Sus a n o a vis Prj c e Until only a decade ago, a distinctive landscape pattern characterized rural roadsides in the Ameri can South. Homesteads were bright with flowers growing in used tires, tomatoes in pots, and herbs in old washtubs. The ground around the house was free of grass and swept clean, with a stone-edged path leading to the door. Light was caught and colored in "bottle trees" hung with invert ed glass containers of assorted hues. "Found objects," such as an tique sewing machines or auto parts, were arranged about the front yard. Out back, a lush vegetable plot and areas for hog slaughtering were evidence of traditional farm activities. "The disappearance of these gardens has happened rather sud denly'" says Richard Westrnacott, a University of Georgia profes sor of environmental design who studies Mrican American gardening traditions. "This generation has had to commute into the city because the rural jobs are no longer there for them, and they often don't have time to maintain gardens." Yet elements of these African American landscapes have been recorded for generations. In her 1937 novel Death Is a Little Man, Minnie Hite Moody described similar yard treatments in the city: Even on Judith Street the women try to make the dooryards pret ty ... Eenie Weaver has the fanciest dooryard, with a fine blue hydrangea in a tub ... and love-entangled trailing from old cooking-pots suspended from the ceiling. Her yard is swept clean and bare; the walking-path is set offfrom the yard itself by a double row ofbright broken tiles salvaged from the dump .... Even as slaves, African Americans were often allowed and some times encouraged to have gardens of their own. Though tending a plot often meant sowing and weeding by moonlight, slaves read ily undertook the task to supplement their allotted food and achieve a measure of self-expression and independence. After emancipation, gardening for subsistence was even more of a ne cessity for most. Conclusive evidence about the Mrican origins of American blacks' landscape traditions is hard to come by. Still, it's safe to as sume that the millions of Africans brought forcibly to the South contributed ideas about gardening styles along with the okra, sesame seeds, and black-eyed peas that they introduced. The neatly swept yard so common during much of this centu ry was certainly a practical solution to the heavy foot traffic of an imals and family members. The practice probably arrived with slaves from West Africa. There, villagers had swept the hard-packed dirt morning and evening to keep insects and snakes away from the houses and to provide a clean surface where people could con gregate. Later, in American slave quarters, women swept the space between the cabins every day. THE AMERICAN GARDEN ER 45 Another traclition, trimming garden mat has long permeated the lifestyle of beds with stones and found objects, may that coast. To some observers the coastal well have roots in Europe as well as Africa. terrain, with its towering forests and dra The Victorians were fond ofsetting off cir matic water views, is not unlike the land cular beds with brick or tile edging; they scape of Japan. Mount Rainier has often saw any bed as unfinished without some been compared with Mount Fuji. kind of border. More important, the West has long The style was already familiar to freed had rich cultural and trade ties with the slaves, however, because stones were Far East. Beginning in the late 19th cen widely used in Africa to set off circular tury, many West Coast businessmen did a spaces for ceremonial and household brisk trade with the Orient, bringing back functions. Even today in parts of Africa, design ideas as well as material goods. villagers mark off their dooryards with in One was George Turner Marsh, who lived verted bottles. In adapting the custom, for some years in Japan then returned to African Americans probably "made do" mis country to import Asian artwork. witl1 materials at hand-bricks from a col Marsh had such a strong interest in Japan lapsed house, stones from the field, or ese landscapes that he sponsored me first empty medicine bottles rammed neck public Japanese garden in California at down into the earth. Golden Gate Park in 1894. The garden Turn-of-the-century photographs in was expanded during me Panama-Cali tl1e Library of Congress show an affinity fornia Exposition ofl915. for container gardening that was observ The Pacific Coast, moreover, was me able in African American yards tlll"ough · ..AfricanAJ1tericatu proh destination of many immigrants from out most of the 1900s. The style's ahly unuUJe dOn with materi Japan and China. Not only did the large popularity may well stem from the tran Japanese population mere provide direct sience most blacks had endured as slaves, aU at hanJ -hriclufrom links wim that country's art and garden tenant farmers, or urban renters. Gar ing styles, but many of the first arrivals be deners need a sense of permanence to a collapdeU hOUde, dWnu fron-t came gardeners and nurserymen. plant trees, hedges, and lawns. Container the field, or empty meiJicine The Domato bromers, sons of a Japan gardens satisfY quickly and travel well. ese landowner, came here in 1884 believing Whether these post-Reconstruction hottled ranwteU neck-down iliat ilieir relative wealili would pave me way landscape patterns originated as African to urban professions. Like oilier Asian im traditions, adaptations to enslavement, or into the earth. migrants, iliey found ilieir aspirations limit- reactions to the uncertainties of emanci- ed by racism and took a road more open to pation, many of them accompanied African Americans as they left iliem. They built a reputation on high-quality floral stock and ilie in the South for other parts of the United States and Europe. The ver troduction from ilieir homeland ofsuch plants as ginkgo, wisteria, aza nacular African American garden may be characterized by such fea leas, and persin1mons. tures as swept yards and bottle trees, but its style has been described Other Japanese, such as Fujitaro Kubota, who immigrated to as improvisational, offering up discarded items in a new guise. Hub Seattle in me 1920s, came to tlUs country specifically to establish caps become fence posts, broken plates form walls . While the ma a landscape business. Kubota's main interest was in landscape de terials may vary according to what's available locally, the spirit sign, almough he grew nursery plants as well. Entering me re remains consistent from the Deep South to the West Coast. A 1988 gion's flower and nursery industry in its infancy, first-generation exhibit at the California Afro-American Museum, "Home and Japanese such as mese men helped familiarize coastal gardeners Yard: Black Folk Life Experience in Los Angeles," featured pho wim Asian plants and landscaping styles. tographs of yards with ferns in toilet bowls, aloes in recycled tires, West Coast designers were quick to recognize me beauty and and fountains made of broken clocks and cast-off dinner plates. functionality of Japanese-style homes and gardens and to incorpo rate mese attributes into meir own work. Among omer borrow Echoes ofAsia ings were ilie use oflocal materials to establish regional identity and Today, gardeners across America are enriching their vegetable gar adoption of a monochromatic palette of greens and grays . dens with crops from Asia, such as bok choy, snow peas, and Though flowering plants such as iris and azaleas have meir place daikon. Our enormous debt to mat continent for ornamental in Japanese gardens, mese landscapes are not organized around plants has a much longer history and includes tl1e now quintes bright spots of color. More important is ilie underlying structure sentially American Wac, peony, and chrysanthemum. of carefully placed stones and berms, clipped evergreens, graceful In landscape design, Asia's contributions have found their most deciduous trees, and actual or implied water, intended to provide receptive audience along the West Coast. Japanese gardens have year-round pleasure. The result of mese concise, asymmetrical been admired and reproduced in many parts of the country, of arrangements of simple materials is a tranquility that contrasts course, but in the West, their influence extends well beyond trans with the busyness of American gardens. planted "tea gardens." Also appealing to non-Asians were ilie ways in which me Japan Part of the explanation can be found in Californians' love of ese used small spaces. They made tiny urban lots seem larger wough tl1e exotic at the turn of the century and the openness to fresh ideas subdued color schemes and miniaturized landscape elements-trees 46 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/ Jun e 1998 that were kept small and low abw1dant vines offered respite berms that suggested hills. from the sun as well as the Winding steppingstone paths makings for jelly and wine. led to hidden destinations, in1- Early Italian immigrants so plying that more lay ahead. completely re-created their This evocation of mystery homeland that visitors often has been widely adapted to said their enclaves seemed like non-Japanese garden styles, as villages transported from the has the technique of "bor old country. Fig trees--often rowed scenery" or shakkei. heirloom varieties brought When working for wealthy £i'om Italy-were a central fea clients, Japanese designers ture of many in1migrant gar often arranged elements so a dens, especially in urban areas spectacular mountain view or where few other fruits could dense forest would act as a be grown. backdrop for house and gar Just as Italy'S farmers and den, making the property ap working class exerted a strong pear even grander. influence on our cuisine, its Also appealing to Ameri upper class exerted a strong in can designers was the Japanese fluence on landscaping ideas. reverence for nature. Garden Many of our garden orna elements-rocks, plants, wa ments and structures, such as ter features-were painstakingly chosen, J apall£4e gardend have pergolas, urns, and fountains, came from then arranged as distillations of craggy been tUJmired all;} repro Italy. mountains or peaceful shores. Much of this influence arrived here Even Westerners unattuned to the duced in nUUIY parLi of the about the same time as the first wave of complex symbolism of Japanese land Italian immigrants, as Victorian Ameri scapes seek to capture their sense oftran country.. . but in the Wul? cans traveled abroad and brought ideas quility, and adopt bits and pieces of the their influence extendJ weU home. The novelist Henry James wrote style with circular steppingstones, asym often and appreciatively ofItalian gar metrical arrangements, and artfully beyond the traluplanted dens. In 1894 American painter Charles placed boulders. U ":l n A. Platt published the first English-lan tea garuend. guage book on the Italian villa garden. Italys Little and Grand Newly wealthy American entrepreneurs, To calculate the value of other nations' gifts to American gardens is eager to establish a glorious past, began to construct estates in the Ital a difficult task, but in any reasonable reckoning, we owe Italy a great ian manner. They built their formal, terraced gardens with balustrades deal-agricultural products as well as garden structures and designs. and elegant pools. Classical statuary and urns added a sense ofage. The great Italian migration to America began in 1880 and con Soon, middle-class Americans were incorporating features of the tinued until interrupted in 1914 by the start of World War I. In those estate landscapes into their own yards, aided by a building-product final 14 years, more than three million Italians came here, most of industry that turned out inexpensive versions ofvilla features. Vine them farmers escaping a meager existence on exhausted soil. draped pergolas and loggias, clipped hedges, and terra-cotta pots Often the new arrivals took jobs growing and processing the turned up in the neighborhoods of St. Paul and Cleveland. fresh fruits, grapes, and vegetables they had raised in the old With the rise of fascism before World War II, echoes of Italy country. More than half of the 60,000 Italians in California in became anathema, and that country's influence on American gar 1900 were engaged in agriculture; many helped to develop the dens began to wane. Formal pools and classical urns were replaced state's market-gardening and grape industries. with patios and plastic planters. In the past decade, however, for Even when Italians held jobs in factories and commerce, they malism has regained favor; antique vases and statuary are making tended large vegetable gardens at home. Making efficient use of sense once again, as are arbors, reflecting pools, and pergolas. small spaces, they staked up tomatoes and beans and trained squash By choice and necessity, American taste has become eclectic. vines over trellises. Their fondness for eggplant, broccoli, and zuc As long as Americans lived in ethnic enclaves, it was easy to pre chini spread slowly to those around them, eventually making those serve old traditions. When they moved out and mingled cultural vegetables commonplace in American diets. traditions, their habits changed. No longer can we find "little Long before they came here, Italians were the first Europeans to Italys" or mission gardens that feed the monastery and surround include the American tomato in their cuisine. Just 30 years after the ing community. Now we live in subdivisions where Japanese Spanish conquered Mexico in 1521, Italian herbalist Pier Mattioli lanterns and pebble steppingstones border English flower beds; wrote that his countrymen ate the vegetable fresh with a little salt, pep we grow bok choy along with tomatoes. And "found objects," per, and oil-as we do today. Four hundred years later the tomato still from garage-sale statuary to bits of broken mirror, are appearing held pride ofplace in Italian in1migrant gardens, where there was great in national magazines as exemplifYing a new trend in gardening. interfamily competition to grow exemplary crops. Most fanlliies also tended fruit trees and lush grape arbors. The Susan Davis Price is a free-lance writel' in St. Paul) Minnesota. May/June 1998 THE AMERI CAN GARDENER 47 The truth about Naturalistic landscapes are still falling victim to these outdated laws. b Y B ret Rappaport and And y Wasowsk Picture this: Your mailman arrives and drops off the usual batch of bills , supermarket flyers, and mail-order catalogs. But what's this? Some thing from the city! It looks important-even ominous. When you read the official epistle you're so stunned you have to sit down. It informs you: Your neighbors have lodged a complaint against your home. It has been determined that your home is painted in a color that does not conform to neighborhood standards. You have 10 days from receipt ofthis notice to repaint your home with one ofthe three shades ofwhite deemed acceptable by your neighbors. If this is not done) the city will paint itfor you) at your expense. If this sounds like something out of Orwell or Kafka, consider this: Every year, all over the country, hundreds of homeowners receive similar notices from their city governments. The difference is that these complaints are not about the color these people selected for their homes but rather the plants they selected for their landscapes. Accused of growing "weeds," these homeowners are often prosecuted by their municipalities and persecuted by their neighbors. As columnist Dave Barry would say, we're not making this up. It happened to Evelyn Connors in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It happened to Stephen Keillley in New York state. It happened to Sandra Bell in Toronto, Canada. It happened to Marie Wojciechowski in Chicago. And should you deviate from the traditional manicured lawn and box hedge landscape and opt for a more natural landscape, it could happen to you. 48 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Ma y/J une 1998 A rolling expanse of green lawn has been part of the ideal American home landscape since the late 19th century. Maintaining this highly artificial ideal, however, requires enormous amounts of labor-as well as excessive use of water, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers. The Origin of Weeds region's native vegetation, and requiring Lawnmower sales soared from 362,000 Before humans were "civilized," there less irrigation and pesticides than those in 1947 to 4 million by 1961. were no weed laws because there were no with a conventional manicured look. Today Americans spend around $27 bil weeds-plants were pretty much stable lion on lawn care-l0 times more than we components of a bioregion. Weeds tend The Lawn Ethic spend on school textbooks. And weed laws to be products of various kinds of human Virginia Scott Jenkins' comprehensive are being used against gardeners who devi disturbance, such as cultivation or con book, The Lawn, notes that landscape ate from the norm. struction. The first weed laws were enact conformity began in the late 19th centu ed in the early part of this century for the ry. In 1870, Frank Scott wrote what many The Land Ethic benefit of farmers. These laws were in considered the landscaping "bible" for The preceding viewpoint-we think of it tended to regulate specific plants-so America's homeowners-The Art of as the Lawn Ethic-is in contrast to that called noxious weeds-that were harmful BeautifYing Suburban Home Grounds-in of naturalist/philosopher Aldo Leopold, to agriculture. Nearly all of these weeds which he stated: "A smooth closely shaven who believed "a thing is right when it were non-natives, such as crabgrass, chick surface of grass is by far the most essential tends to preserve the stability and integri- weed, johnsongrass, and bindweed. These element of beauty on the grounds of a ty ofa biotic community; it is wrong when agrarian weed laws were usually enacted at suburban home." it tends otherwise." The Land Ethic he es the state level. In his 1875 book, Gardeningfor Plea poused offered a springboard for what has In the 1940s, however, counties, mu sure, Peter Henderson made quite clear become the science of restoration ecolo nicipalities, and eventually even subdivi what he thought of homeowners who did gy and the practice of natural landscaping . .:- sions began passing their own weed laws not conform: "It is gratifying to know that Leopold held that the Land Ethic ~ and covenants. More often than not, they such neighbors are not numerous, for the would never succeed unless it was prac- i2 were strictures not against any particular example of the majority will soon shame ticed by private citizens. But it wasn't until § species, but against herbaceous vegetation them into decency." the 1970s that the natural landscaping 8 I that surpassed a maximum height. Used At the end of World War II, returning movement really got going. Rachel Car- ~ properly, community weed laws protect GIs marched to suburbia, where lawns son's Silent Spring and subsequent envi- ~ our property values from neighbors who were the only acceptable home landscape. ronmental alarms had raised our awareness d leave rusting cars in their yards for poison Wartime technologies that produced of disappearing rain forests, polluted ~ ivy and briars to climb on. But in many gunpowder and poison gas to fight the oceans, depletion of the ozone layer, and ~ cases the laws are used against homeown Axis were rapidly converted in peacetime the greenhouse effect-all big and highly ~ ers who've opted for landscapes more like to make herbicides, pesticides, and chem technical issues that leave the average con - ~ ly to attract wildlife, more reflective of their ical fertilizers. cerned citizen feeling overwhelmed and ~ 50 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May / June 1998 Toronto resident Sandra Bell, here with her son Colin, successfully went to court over a city ordinance that prohibited her natural approach to landscaping. Unlike a conventional lawn, Bell's front yard supports a great diversity of plant species. impotent. For most people, landscaping lawn. Bell's aim was to create an "environ his yard. He eventually moved elsewhere and gardening represent their most direct mentally sound" natural landscape con in the state. interaction with nature. taining more than 40 different species. "I The case of the Chicago 5 is perhaps the have a child," she told the court, "and I feel most ironic because three of the defendants Weeding Out Bad Laws it's important that I show him that we can practiced their natural gardening in coop One sunny June afternoon in 1995, Eve exist within nature's way, not just our way." eration with a branch of government: Mike lyn Connors-an 82-year-old widow in Harry Merren, a York University geog Regenfuss was cultivating a natural land Tulsa- received a notice from her city gov raphy professor, testified at her trial that tra scape as part ofa Cook County and Nature ernment ordering her to mow down her ditionallandscapes "express an urge to Conservan cy restoration project; Debra "weeds," which were in fact a mass of our dominate or control nature," while natur Petro was growing native Illinois prairie native purple coneflowers. But an anony al gardens are "a commitment to living in and savanna plants as part of a city prairie mous neighbor didn't like them and filed a greater harmony with nature." The Cana reconstruction project; and Rich Hyerczyk complaint. Tulsa soon learned that it had dian appeals court found that the practice was growing native plants as regional ecol picked on the wrong 82-year-old widow. of natural landscaping was a matter of con ogist for a county restoration project. Connors, an avid gardener, contacted science that could not be prohibited with These three and two other natural land the Tulsa World, and the next day she was out a compelling reason. Bell joined a scapers grew tired of being threatened with front page news-not just in Tulsa, but all growing roster of natural landscapers who prosecution and filed suit in 1991 to have over the country. Soon she was receiving had beaten city hall. the Chicago Weed Ordinance declared un letters of support from irate homeowners For other natural landscapers, the path constitutional. When they noted that the and children from California to the Caroli to victory is sometimes more difficult. One very government that was attempting to nas. There has even been talk of making a of the few to lose a case was New York prosecute them was rapidly expanding its TV movie about her. Before long the State resident Stephen Kenney, whose de own natural plantings, the city assured the mayor came to her home, apologized, and velopment brought action against him for court that legitimate natural landscapers rescinded the citation. planting a meadow of black-eyed Susans, had nothing to fear. In the four years since, The issue isn't limited to the United coneflowers, and long-naturalized exotics it appears that no attempts have been made States. When Sandra Bell was prosecuted such as ox-eye daisies and bachelor's to prosecute other Chicagoans under that for "excessive weeds" under a Toronto or buttons. He was fined $50 a day, running weed law, but the law remains intact. dinance, she testified that when she moved up a total of$30,000. Although an appeals into her Toronto home in 1990, the front court reduced that amount to $500, The Tolerance Trend yard contained only three species: Virginia neighbors continued to threaten him, van Chicago'S weed law is an example of the creeper, sedum, and a Kentucky bluegrass dalizing the meadow and shooting birds in most onerous kind on the books-those May / June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 51 Weed La\vs The perfect lawn is often only attained by waging chemical warfare, a concept hailed in a post-World War II ad, above right. While attitudes towards the use of chemicals have become less sanguine in the decades since, some homeowners still go to great lengths to have a lawn--even if it's artif icial turf, above. Facing page: A naturally landscaped yard in California. enacted beginning in the 1940s and still ceed a certain height, such as 10 or 12 The fourth generation of laws is not a most common today. It flatly outlaws "any inches. (The best of these laws are flexible weed law at all, but an official sanction of weeds in excess of an average height ofl 0 so that small lots would not be required natural landscapes. Long Grove, Illinois, inches." There is no attempt to define to have a 20-foot setback.) The Nebraska requires developers to include scenic ease what a weed is, although it is commonly legislature is considering a similar ments of native plants and employs a natu understood to be any plant that is not fa statewide law. ralist to advise builders and homeowers. miliar nursery stock and exceeds the arbi Fort Collins, Colorado, has a 10-acre na trary height. ture preserve in the heart of its downtown A second, more tolerant type of weed Resources and employs a full-time wildlife biologist to law allows natural landscaping but only if certifY backyard habitats. the homeowner obtains municipal per WILD ONES NATURAL LANDSCAPERS, mission first. Madison, Wisconsin, was the LTD., P.o . Box 23576, Milwaukee, WI Myths and Misconceptions first major city to recognize the legitima 5322]-0576. Yearly membership $20. Natural gardening is still a relatively new cy of natural landscapes by enacting an or This nonprofit organization shares idea that many people fi nd unsettling. dinance that requires the homeowner to information on biodiversity and Nevertheless, fiat laws are gradually being file an application and then get a majority environmentally sound practices in overturned by private citizens, regional of the neighbors to approve. While better home gardens, school projects, and and national nonprofits, and government than the fiat laws, this ordinance still community landscapes. The Lorrie agencies. The Wild Ones (see "Re places unnecessary restrictions on proper Otto Seeds for Education Program, sources"), started by Lorrie Otto in Bay ty owners' right to landscape in the man named after. t he group's founder, side, Wisconsin, in the early '60s, was in ner they choose. awards funds and/or seeds to schools, the vanguard of this movement. In 1972 The ordinances enacted in White Bear churches, or other groups building the National Wildlife Federation began its Lake, Minnesota, and Lawrence, Kansas, outdoor classrooms. Backyard Wildlife Program to certifY back to name just two, represent the third gen SOURCE BOOK ON NATURAL yard habitats, and as a result has become ~ eration of weed laws. Natural landscaping LANDSCAPING FOR LOCAL OFFICIALS. involved in defending natural landscapes. ~ is permitted without neighbor approval or For a free copy, write t o: Northern Native plant societies now exist in virtual- ~ city permission, with two provisos: True Illinois Planning Commission, 222 ly every state. The National Wildflower ~ weeds and other rank vegetation are pro South Riverside Plaza, Chicago IL Research Center, founded in Austin, ~ > hibited, and tl1ere must be a setback along 60606. Or visit EPA's web site at Texas, in 1983 by former first lady Lady ~ the front and/ or perimeters of the lot www.epa.gov/greenacres. Bird Johnson, has done a great deal to fur- ~ where herbaceous vegetation may not ex- ther research and education. il: 52 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Ma y/J u n e 1998 liixcept for the lamp post, this naturally landscaped residence in Milwaukee could be a cabin in the woods. In fact, the plants here are a harmonious blend of native and non-native peren nials including ferns, Virginia creeper, and a creamy-flowered Aconitum. And in 1994, President Clinton legit erected by the law which could be known of the ticks. Ken Pinkston of Oklahoma imized the natural landscaping movement to the defendant in advance, but one State University's Entomology Depart by issuing an Executive Memorandum that erected by a judge or jury after the trial ment states that he is "unaware of any not only recommended naturallandscap has been completed." studies that show an increase in tick-borne ing at all federal facilities and federally fund Weed Laws as Irrational Under diseases in areas with natural landscapes. " ed projects, but presented guidelines for Common Law. Another fairly remarkable Exposure to ticks can be minimized by in doing so. Chicago case involved Marie Woj corporating low mowed areas and gravel There are constitutional arguments for ciechowski, who gathered seed to grow in or wood chip paths, and by staying out of natural landscaping: her own yard from a prairie established at higher vegetation. Landscaping as Free Expression. Al a city-run animal control center. She even Natural landscapes are fire hazards. though there are no published decisions ac got a letter from a city landscape architect The fire hazard in any landscape-natural cepting this position, natural gardening can inviting her to call if she needed more or conventional-comes from deadwood be seen as an artistic or political expression, help-then was prosecuted for growing and other dry vegetation. Well-tended nat or both. A Chicago artist, Chapman Kelly, the city's own plants. Two University of ural landscapes are composed mostly of did succeed in saving a project called Wild Illinois professors noted that the law was green, leafY materials that just don't burn. Flower Works II by arguing his First based on a number of misconceptions While prairie grasses are flammable, they Amendment rights. about natural plantings. Here are the sustain heat for only 20 seconds, according Landscaping as Religion. Native most common: to U.S. Forest Service expert David Sea American and Eastern religions-Islam, Natural landscapes harbor vermin. berg. He has testified that a grass fire would Hinduism, Sikhism, and Bahai-teach the Vermin, such as Norway rats, live in have to burn within four feet of a house for need for a harmonic relationship between garbage. Natural landscapes have nothing seven-and-a-half minutes to ignite the humankind and nature, and the Judeo in them to sustain rats or other rodents that wood in it. Chlistian theology encourages stewardship carry diseases. Our native field mice are Natural landscapes harbor mosqui of the earth. grain eaters that don't spread disease. toes. Mosquito larvae are bred in standing Q Weed Laws as Unconstitutionally Exposure to the Ixodes ticks, which water, which must be present for 10 days ~ Vague. A number of weed laws have been spread Lyme disease, is a serious consid for them to complete their life cycle. Nat- ~ struck down because they fail to define eration in many parts of the country. But ural landscapes attract birds and predator 6 the term "weed." The judge in a New this can occur in both natural and con insects that feast on adult mosquitoes. :'i >- Jersey case called a law "repugnant" to ventionallandscapes since white-tailed Natural landscapes produce allergy- ~ punish a person for an act "the criminal deer, white-footed mice, birds, racoons, causing pollen. A major cause of watery 5 ity of which depends not on any standard and even dogs and cats can be transporters eyes and sniffles is air-borne pollen from iE 54 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 Weed l.1cl\VS ragweed, which is found in disturbed areas owners think pink fl amingoes, plastic sun the sun is out, we'll be the ones wim the such as vacant lots and not in healthy nat fl owers, concrete deer, and As troturfed clouds of butterflies. ural landscapes. Another common cause front stoops are attractive, and they also is non-native grasses such as bluegrass . have a right to free expression. Current president of Wild Ones Natural Showy fl owers also have pollen, but this is One thing is certain: The lawn ethic Landscapers, Ltd., Chicago attorney Bret carried about by insects and humming will not go the way of the Model T any R appaport has successfully defended nu birds; it never gets into the air to become time soon . For now dle onus is on natur me1'OUS natural landscapers. Andy Wa an irritant. allandscapers to educate our neighbors sOlvski, with his wife, Sally, has written We haven't mentioned aesthetics in re and our governments-to explain that we several books on native landscaping. They lation to misconceptions about natural like our grasses and flowers high because an currently working on Landscaping landscapes because, in the final analysis, we like our chemicals and our water bills widl Prairie, due out in spring 1999 from that argument is illogical. Some home- low, and because we know that whenever the University ofMinnesota Press. Acting Unnatural If you're planning a natural landscape, you may fend offhos ground covers, or a low stone wall. This creates a tended tility from neighbors with the following tactics: and intended-look. Think about me mess you'd have if you ~ Add human touches-a bench, a stone pathway, a bird threw paint on your wall , but put a picture frame arow1d me bath. This makes your landscape appear more "planned" and splotch and suddenly it can be accepted, if not actually ap designed. preciated, as art. ~ Put up a small sign designating your property as a wildlife ~ ., Work wim community officials to rewrite oppressive sanctuary or natural zone. In Texas, natural landscapers can weed laws. Don't start by demanding mat me current law be earn a "Texas Wildscapes" sign by meeting the requirements of abolished. Suggest amending it to list noxious weeds mat the state's Parks and Wildlife Department. ought to be outlawed. ~ Frame your landscape wim a mowed area of grass or t-a.. Invite me neighbors over and introduce tl1em to your gar den. Explain why it's me way it is. Ultimately, community acceptance will come about only wim education and exposure to natural landscapes. As African conservationist Baba Dioum wrote, "We will con serve only what we love, we will love only what we under stand, and we will understand only what we are taught." -B.R . and A. W Adding a handpainted sign, above, or a conventional feature such as a garden bench, left, will help reassure neighbors that your landscape is planned. Ma y/J une 1998 TH E AM E RI CAN G A RD ENE R 55 Marinelli notes that the rate of extinc the canopy to underground. This tichness tion through human development is "hun is biodiversity itself, a complex interweav dreds, if not thousands, of times higher ing of species that is far removed from the than the natural background rate." More traditional turf plot with its specimen trees important, these losses are not limited to and foundation plantings. tropical rain forests. Extinction is here Marinelli supplies these and other in today in North America, thanks-in part sights as she quietly challenges us to rethink to our propensity to "subdivide" ecosys our relationship with our gardens. Using a tems with roads and planned communities, combination of well-reasoned plant selec drain wetlands, pave watersheds, and gen tions, playful experimentation, education, erally disrupt the web oflife through poor and imagination, we can help our gardens ly conceived agricultural and horticultural to evolve naturally. In turn, our efforts will practices. help to create a new But the book is gardening aesthetic not filled with doom and-hopefully-a and gloom; more tradition of ecological than half is a hopeful restoration at the look at how we can heart of most Ameri adapt the many types can gardens. of gardens that are Under this sce e-a., amaranth important to us to nario, Marinelli posits, meet the needs of a the future could be e-a., Henry Mitchell changing world. brilliant. Each natural "We stand at the garden could form a e-a., Merry Hall threshold of a new vital link with its iteration of ecologi neighbors, developing e-a., Armitage CD-ROM cal garden design corridors and connec whose concerns and tions between larger STALKING THE WILD goals are deeper, ecological reserves AMARANTH: GARDENING IN THE more coherent, and such as national parks AGE OF EXTINCTION more complex than and wilderness areas Janet Marinelli. Henry Holt and Compa simply swearing off and allowing species ny) Inc.) New York) 1998.256 pages. 61/8 X chemicals and swear to migrate and expand 91/4" . Publishers) price: hardcover, $25. ing by wildflowers," Marinelli observes. their range. Slowly, species-rich gardens will AHS member price: $22.50. HOl016 Another good chunk of the book is de replace the mono cultured lawn; the frac voted to a lively history of gardening tradi tured web of life will be mended; and the his book begins with a simple botanical tions. Marinelli searnlessly blends personal complexity of our gardens will yield beauty trek along the shore of Long Island in experience-her evolution as a subur and biodiversity resilient enough to with Tpursuit ofthe imperiled seabeach ama ban/ urban gardener mirrors that of many stand looming environmental pressures. ranth (Amaranthus pumilus). After winding of us-and a vigorous, well-considered -Joseph M. Keyser through millions of years of evolution and summation of the literature from the clas Education specialist for the Montgomery thousands ofyears of human-nature interac sical writers of Greece and Rome to Capa County) Maryland) Department of Envi tion, it ends-amid the perceived wreckage bility Brown, Colonial Americans, the ronmental Protection) Joseph M . Keyser ofshattered ecosystems and declining biodi Victorians, Gertrude Jekyll, and modern tends an ecological rooftop garden in Ar versity-with the powerful message that we garden "theorists." This sets the stage for lington) Vi'flfinia. can help restore this fragmented web from understanding the role of landscapes and our own backyards. gardening in our culture and in our own lo Marinelli, director of publishing at calized ecosystems. HENRY MITCHELL ON GARDENING Brooklyn Botanic Garden, has penned a Deftly knitred into the overall fabric of Henry Mitchell. Houghton Mifflin Com sweeping and thoughtful study of garden the book are ruminations on basic garden pany) Boston) 1998. 243 pages. 57/8 X ing traditions and philosophies set against philosophy, the sciences ofecosystem analy 91/ 4" . Publisher)s price: hardcover, $24. the dramatic canvas of evolution and ex sis and ecological restoration, and the emer AHS member price: $21.60. HOU 026 tinction, "islands" of biodiversity, and gar gence ofthe current native-plant movement. dening's role in ecological restoration. Marinelli presents a well-balanced summary eare running out of superlatives Extinction has been an integral part of of the "natives-versus-exotics" debate and for Henry Mitchell's writing. He evolution and ecological development comes away unconvinced by the arguments W was, as Allen Lacy observes in since the beginning of life on earth. Vari of native-plant purists. the introduction to this book, America's ous cataclysmic events can be linked to the Among the more profound and prag best. Those ofyou who own well -thumbed extinction of approximately 95 percent of matic sections of the book is the discussion copies of his earlier books, The Essential all species. Yet the ascendancy of humans of how a garden must act like nature. We Earthman and One Man)s Garden) only during the past several thousand years has are introduced to a new type of natural need be told that a third collection of his had a far more insidious impact on the loss landscape geometry, one rich with species garden columns is now available. of species. crammed into every available niche from But ifyou are in the enviable position of 56 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May / June 1 998 approaching dlese collections for the first statement n1ight lead you to expect. To his time, you may want some background. eternal credit, Mitchell loved dogs as much Henry Mitchell wrote a weekly gardening as he loved plants, and dogs crept into Ius column, "The Essential Earthman," for ilie columns often. I could find no quotation ind out what Washington Post for more dlan 20 years, more typical, nor more lovely, to illustrate 25t OOO gardeners until his deadl in 1993. [A profile of his writing ilian dUs: Mitchell appeared in ilie September/Octo "There is no need to think ofSept ember in 55 countries ber 1997 issue of The American Gardener.] as the trash bin ofilie year, wiili just scraps of already know! Henry Mitchell on Gardening is the leftover tlUngs in ilie garden, because many durd and-according to dle publisher dUngs are onl)' coming to perfection at ilie Brooklyn Botantic Garden final collection of "Eariliman" columns. end ofSlUnmer-a soft and gleaming season produces the most usable, topical, Susan Davis's delightful illustrations ac dlat reminds me ofa long-eared hound wiili beautiful and knowledgeable companied ilie columns in the Post, and are his yearly batll, sweet like a hay field." gardening publications anywhere! used as chapter headings here. The draw -Nancy McDonald ing iliat introduces dle February chapter is Nancy McDonald is co-editor of The Amer itselfworili ilie price ofilie book. ican Cottage Gardener. Henry Mitchell wrote clearly and sim ply for a newspaper audience iliat consist ed of gardeners at all levels of experience MERRY HALL plus a great many people who did not gar Beverley Nichols. Timber Press) Portland, 1 3 publications den at all. Not one of his colw11l1s is too ad Oregon) 1998. 320 pages. 5 / 4 X 7 /4". awards! vanced or too simple for such an audience Publisher )s price: hardcover, $24.95. AHS to enjoy. You won't agree widl his every member price: $22.50. TIM 124 opinion-he is right, for instance, about Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm', iliough everley Nichols (1898-1983) is not n1istaken about the scent of paperwhite exacdy a household name in America, narcissus-but you will take pleasure in Beven among iliose of us who are keen reading iliem noneilieless. His columns are on British gardening literature. In his time, often general and philosophical, but when however, he was a prolific, versatile, and he gives instructions iliey are precise and wildly popular audlor and journalist-not helpful, wiiliout pedantry and wiiliout talk to mention a talented playwright and com ing down to us. poser-boili in Britain and in Norili Amer Henry Mitchell understood, better than ica. Despite auilioring 50-odd works on any oilier garden writer I've read, dle dif- subjects dlat ranged from gardening and political commentary to religion and mur der mysteries, he had all but disappeared from dle public eye, especially on dUs side of ilie Adantic, and most of his books have been out of print for some time. I am happy to report iliat it appears America is on ilie verge of rediscovering dUs captivating auilior, ilianks to Timber Press, which is returning Nichols's acclaimed Merry Hall trilogy to print. These charm ing classics will be released on a staggered schedule beginning dUs spring wiili Merry Hall ( 1951), followed in ilie fall by Laugh ter on the Stairs (1953), and in ilie spring of Whether you're a gardening professional or 1999 by Sunli:ghton the Lawn (1956). an inspired enthusiast, there's no better offer Nichols inspires by writing knowledge available. Order your $35 subscription today. and get all these: ably, articulately, and passionately about ~ 4 fuI1.eolor 21s ... Century Gardening Series gardening. In Merry Hall) he recounts his handbooks rescue of a country estate and its derelict :It 4 issues of BBG's award.-winning Plants garden in post-war England. As he weaves &: Gardens News his entertaining tale-filled wiili pleasant ~ Mention American Gardener and receive anecdotal diversions-he scatters insightful free admission to botanica.l gardens nationwide! ference between focus and narrow-mind tidbits such as ilie following: Visa and MasterCard accepted. edness, reveling in his passions and " .. .it seem( s) to express an important Call 718_6224433, ext. 265. 9:004:00 EST opinions but allowing us our own truth about ilie gardener's life as opposed Or visit the BBG web site at www.bbg.org. although he could be a curmudgeon at to ilie lives of oilier people-ilie fact iliat BBG PuBLICATIONS times and complain wiili ilie best ofus. On each new year is, ipso facto) more starding every page we see his love of plants and of and more rich in beauty ilian ilie one iliat life, though wiiliout the soupiness that preceded it." May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 57 It is impossible to avoid being enchant sued last year to widespread acclaim. Hot ed by his captivating cast ofcharacters. These on its heels comes this mouth-watering Thanks to you, all sorts include his faithful and efficientJactotum, portrait gallery of herbaceous perennials Gaskin, who has skill and aplomb reminis and annuals, chosen from the photo cent ofP.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves; his ancient graphic archives of Armitage, Dirr's hor of everyday products are gardener, Oldfield, a wise and wizened hor- ticultural cohort at the University of Georgia. This is an outstanding reference being made from the paper, for garden~rs, horticulturists, landscape architects, students, and anyone else who plastic, metal and glass that grows or works with herbaceous orna mental plants. More than 2,600 different plants are you've been recycling. featured in this collection of more than 7,000 images of herbaceous ornamentals, But to keep recycling which includes traditional flowering perennials as well as bulbs, ferns, grasses, working to help protect the and annuals. Plants grown commercially for cut flowers or greenhouse crops are also pictured. environment, you need to The images reflect not only species, but also hundreds of the best and newest culti buy those products. vars of plants from Acanthus to Zephyran thes. The photographs illustrate the habit and flower of each plant and-where ap BUY RECYCLED,w propriate-foliage, fruit, or seasonal interest. As with the woody plant CD-ROMs, this collection can be searched both by family and by scientific or common name. Full screen images can be viewed or-using the ticulturist to the bone; and "Our Rose," the preview function-two or six images can be meddlesome and eccentric local florist. displayed at one time. Using the pick func- Nichols' particular gift is to entertain, enlighten, and enrich his readers. At the , heart of his writing is the passion of a sen , sitive, intelligent man who has found a cre AND SAVE: --, ative and emotional outlet in his love of II plants and the act of making a garden: So look for products made iI "Some fall in love with women, some fall in love with art, some fall in love with , death. I fall in love with gardens, which is from recycled materials, and I much the same as falling in love with all I three at once. For a garden is a mistress, buy tMm. It _Id m'= th, I and gardening is a blend of all the arts, and if it is not the death of me, sooner or later, world to all of us. I shall be much surprised." I An introduction to Nichols will lead you to search for more of his litelrary treasures. tion, customized "wish" lists of plants can Fmc a [," broohun. writ. II -Stephanie Feeney be created for later viewing. You can, of A resident oj Bellingham, Washington, course, print the images ofany of the plants Buy Recycled, Environmental I Stephanie Feeney is author oj The North in the library. west Gardeners' Resource Directory. Each CD-ROM set comes with operat Defense Fund, 257 Park Ave. ing instructions, a three-ring binder for holding printed images of plants, and a ALLAN M . ARMITAGE'S PHOTO carrying case for the disks. Minimum sys South, New York, NY 10010, LIBRARY OF HERBACEOUS PLANTS tem requirements for using the CD-ROMs Allan M . Armitage. PlantAme rica, 1998. are: IBM-compatible 386DXj2, 66 MHz, or call1-800-CAll-EDF Publisher's price:four-CD set, $149.95. AHS with at least 8MB RAM; Microsoft Win member price: $134.95. PAM 002 dows 3.1; VGA graphics with 1MB video ENVIRONMENTAL EBF DEFENSE FUND RAM; 256 colors; and 640x480 resolution. Double-spin CD-ROM drive. ; !I1..-=- oEM he horticultural world is still -DClVid J. Ellis I buzzing over Michael A. Dirr's David J. Ellis is editor oJThe American 'i!\.lIWB.... ~.T •• TPhoto-Library oj Woody Plants, is- Gardener. 58 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/ June 1998 guide. More than 100 color photographs and 30 line drawings illustrate the au gardeners' thor's tips and techniques and show how a well-tended garden should look. books KEEPING THE GARDEN IN BLOOM: WATERING, DEAD-HEADING AND Books are chosen for the AHS Horticultural OTHER SUMMER TASKS Book Service based on perceived reade?' in Steven Bradley. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, terest, unusual subject matte?", or substantive New York, 1998. 112 pages. Publisher}s content. The following descriptions are not price: hardcover, $22.50. AHS member intended to be critical reviews, but are writ price: $20. STC 007 ten togive an overview ofthe books' contents. This volume, part of the Essential Garden For further information about these or other Library series, is a workbook for the sununer gardening books-or to order books--please garden. It includes sections on the care of all call (800) 777-7931 ext. 36. kinds ofplants, from trees to annuals, as well as special sections on summer lawn and pond care. It also e>''Plains propagation tech GARDEN CARE niques-such as taking cuttings, layering, and collecting seeds-that can be done dur ing these warm months. Includes more than 100 color photos and 250 illustrations. GARDENING WITH GRASSES Michael King and Piet Oudolf Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1998. 152 pages. GREAT GARDEN PLANTS Publisher}s price: hardcover, $34.95. AHS member price: $31.50. TIM 128 HERBS IN THE GARDEN: More and more people are using grasses in THE ART OF INTERMINGLING their gardens, but until now there has been Rob Proctol' and David Macke. Interweave a lack of comprehensive resources on the Press, Loveland, Colorado, 1997. 160 pages. subject. In this timely book, Oudolf, a Publisher}s price: hardcover, $29.95. AHS Dutch nurseryman and renowned garden member price: $27. INT 005 designer, and King, formerly with the Royal Proctor and Macke's book combines Botanic Gardens at Kew, discuss how to use beautiful photography with practical ad grasses with complementary plants-a style vice on how to integrate herbs into all that is gaining popularity both in Europe kinds of garden designs. The photos fea and North America. The authors describe ture both the authors' own acclaimed gar more than 150 species and cultivars, rec den in Colorado and other admirable ones ommend the best for a variety ofgarden sit from around the world. Both herb lovers uations, and suggest associations with other and adventurous ornamental gardeners plants and garden features . Includes 161 will find ideas and inspiration in this book. color photographs. Includes more than 100 color photo graphs and illustrations. THE GARDENER'S GUIDE THE WELL-TENDED PERENNIAL TO GROWING CLEMATIS GARDEN: PlANTING AND RaymondJ Evison. Timber Press, Portland, PRUNING TECHNIQUES Oregon, 1998. 160 pages. Publisher}s price: Tracy DiSabato-Aust. Timber Press, Port HERBSIN hardcover, $29.95. AHS member price: $27. land, Oregon, 1998.269 pages. Publisher's TIM 122 price: hardcover, $29.95. AHS member THE GARDEN price: $27. TIM 142 THE GARDENER'S GUIDE After site planning and plant selection, the TO GROWING PENSTEMONS difference between a good garden and a David Way and Peter James. Timber Press, great one can be the care of the perenni R.OII BROCTOR Portland, Oregon, 1998. 160 pages. Pub als we plant. DiSabato-Aust, a landscape f-D,H'/DM.o.CKE lisher}s price: hardcover, $29.95. AHS mem professional and popular lecturer and ber price: $27. TIM 123 writer, aims to teach us how and when to These two volumes are the most recent prune and shape our perennials to pro numbers nine and 10-in the popular Gar duce more flowers, discourage pests and dener's Guide series. These books give disease, and stagger bloom times. The end THE beginning and intermediate gardeners a result should be a showplace requiring ART complete guide to each plant, including 0f An minimal maintenance. extensive ency INTERMINCLING cultivation instructions, pests and disease clopedia of plants is included, along with problems, and an encyclopedic listing of a monthly planting and maintenance species and cultivars. These guides are thor- May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 59 horticulture. Illustrated with line draw ough, but not excessively technical, and ings throughout. each includes 70 color photographs. THE INVITING GARDEN: LILIES: A GUIDE FOR GROWERS GARDENING FOR THE SENSES, AND COLLECTORS MIND AND SPIRIT EdwardAustinMcRae. Timber Press, Port Allen Lacy. Photographs by Cynthia Wood land, Oregon, 1998. 392 pages. Publisher's yard. Henry Holt and Company, Ne1v York, price: hardcover, $34.95. AHS member 1998. 240 pages. Publisher's price: hardcov price: $31.50. TIM 133 er, $37.50. AHS member price: $33.50. Written by one of the world's leading ex HOL017 perts on lilies, this book contains every Only non-gardeners look at gardening as a thing you could conceivably want to know mere hobby, states Lacy, one of Amelica's about them. Using terms that both pro foremost garden writers. To committed fessional and amateur gardeners will un gardeners, it is stimulation for all the sens derstand, McRae details the history, es, an intellectual pursuit with long roots, a cultivation, classification, propagation, hy source of fiiendships, and a bond with the bridization, and commercial production. earth. This is a thoughtful look at the rich Illustrated with 108 spectacular color history ofplants and people that inspires our photographs and eight botanical prints. gardening today. Includes 80 color and 10 black-and-white photographs. HISTORY AND IMAGINATION GARDENING FOR THE SOUL DEAR MR. JEFFERSON: LETTERS Inviting GARDEN CULTIVATING SACRED SPACE: FROM A NANTUCKET GARDENER 901' riot" ill r /£, 0"" ' I:J !JJ(Lf! d, ant! "" /,./1 GARDENING FOR THE SOUL Laura Simon. Crown Publishers, New York, Elizabeth Murray. Pomegranate, Rohnert 1998. 224 pages. Publisher's price: hardcov Park, California, 1997. 160pages. Publish er, $23. AHS member p1t ice: $20.50. er's p1t ice: hardcover, $35. AHS membe1t CRN 012 price: $31.50. POM 002 "Wouldn't Thomas Jefferson have en This beautiful book, by the author of joyed these?" Simon, a Nantucket gar Monet's Passion, captures the spuitual nature dener and writer found herself asking this of 12 exceptional gardens fi-om around the question with increasing frequency as she world. Murray focuses on gardens U1 which reflected on new plant varieties, the effi she has fOlmd solace and strength. She en ciency of her soaker hose in summer, and COlU'ages us to weave our gardens U1tO the other modern additions to gardening. important moments of our liyes and de This led to her research on-and the idea scribes how gardens can be used to reflect of correspondence with-one of Ameri spuitual or philosophical beliefS. Includes 83 ca's most passionate gardeners. This un color photographs. usual book is an adventure in history and AHS HORTICULTURAL BOOK SERVICE ORDER FORM SHIP TO: Name ______CHOOSE PAYMENT METHOD: Address o Check enclosed. Amount: $ ____ City State Zip o Charge to: 0 VISA 0 MasterCard Daytime phone ( Accollnt # ______ Book Code Qty. Book Title Price Each Total Exp. date Signature POSTAGE & HANDLING Order Amount UPS $1.00 - $20 $5.25 Subtotal $20.01 - $40 $6.00 Virginia residents: Add 4.5% sales tax $40.01 - $60 $7.00 Postage & Handling (see chart) $60.01 - $80 $7.75 $80.ol - $100 $8.75 Total $100.01+ add $.75 for each additional $20.00 Mail completed form to: AHS Horticultural Book Service, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. Or call toll-free (8 00) 777-7931 ext. 36. Prices in effect until June 3D, 1998. After expiration date, orders will be filled pending availability. Plea se allow four to six weeks for delivery. Pri ces subject to change without notice. 60 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 Forest. Conference. Lied Conference MAY 9 • Turn on the Dark: Center, Nebraska City, Nebraska. Dazzling Bloomers for Shade. (402) 474-5655. Slide presentation. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, New York. (718) 622- MAY 19 . Creative Container Garden 4433 ext. 276. ing. Workshop. Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin. (608) 246-4550. MAY 9-10 . Wildflower, Native Plant, and Seed Sale. Brandywine River MAY 30 • Gardening to Attract Museum, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Butterflies. Class. Holden Arboretum, (610) 388-2700. Kirtland, Ohio. (440) 946-4400. MAY 14-16 . Dig and Design: HiII MAY 30 & 31 • Rhododendron Show Stead's May Market. Farmington, and Sale. Chicago Botanic Garden, Connecticut. (860) 677-4737 Glencoe, Illinois. (847) 835-5440. MAY 16 & 17 . Rare Plant Sale. JUNE 13-21 • Boerner in Bloom. Landis Arboretum, Esperance, New Boerner Botanical Gardens, Hales York. (518) 875-6935. Corners, Wisc"onsin. (414) 529-1870. MAY 25 • Opening of the Polly a look at wha~s JUNE 19-21 • Garden Clubs of Hill Arboretum. North Tisbury, America Show of Summer. Chicago Massachusetts. (508) 693-3776. happening around Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois. (847) 835-5440. JUNE 6 • Spring Gardens in Bloom. the nation Tour. Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, JUNE 20 . Garden Walk '98. Tour. Seven Massachusetts. (508) 347-:3362. MID-ATLANTIC l;lnique residential gardens in Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. (309) 794-0991. JUNE 11-13 . Native Plants in the MAY 9 • Spring Plant Sale. William Landscape Conference. Millersville Paca Garden, Annapolis, Maryland. NORTHEAST University, Millersville, Pennsylvania. (410) 267-6656. (717) 872-3030. THROUGH MAY 22 • Acres of Spring MAY 16 . Garden Day Plant Sale. Display. Longwood Gardens, Kennett JUNE 13 • Garden in the Woods Green Spring Gardens Park, Alexandria, Square, Pennsylvania. (610) 388-1000. Wildflower Sale. Framingham, Virginia. (703) 642-5173. Massachusetts. (508) 877-7630. MAY 7 • Herb Sale. Historic Yellow MAY 16 & 17 . 50th Annual Virginia Springs, Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. JUNE 13 & 14 . Webster Arboretum Peninsula Rose Society Rose Show. (610) 566-6261. Horticulture Fair. Webster Arboretum, Coliseum Mall, Hampton, Virginia. (757) 229-3285. Opening of a Horticultural Wonderland JUNE 14-26 • Historic Landscape Institute: Preservir:tg the Landscapes ach year, more than half a and Gardens of Thomas Jeffersen. million visitors stroll Monticello, Charlottesville, Virginia. Ethrough the 250 acres of (804) 984-9684. the New York Botanical Gar den in the Bronx. On May 2, NORTH CENTRAL this premier horticultural insti tution,foundedin 1891, opens MAY 12 . Lectures by Scott Kunst, its latest garden for a crop of Landscape Historian. Pump House, new visitors-kids. Billed as the LaCrosse, Wisconsin. (608) 783-7467. only facility of its kind in the United States, the eight-acre MAY 13 • Twilight Tour. Botanical Everett Children's Adventure Education Center, Klehm Arboretum and Garden is designed to provide Artist's rendering of caterpillar topiaries at Evefett Botanic Garden, Rockford, Illinois. (815) a fun and educational nature Children's Adventure Garden. w 965-8146. I experience for children under J= 12. Giant topiaries of caterpillars, butterflies, and other creatures decorate the gar- a MAY 15 & 16 . Hyde Park-Kenwood den's grounds. Kids can wander hedge and boulder mazes, learn to use a microscope ~ Garden Fair. Hyde Park Shopping Center, and identifY plant parts at the science center, and use plant parts to build a giant bird's ~ Hyde Park, Illinois. (773) 493-8882. nest or weave a floor mat in several interactive outdoor exhibits. 8 o For more information, call (718) 817-8700. 5 I MAY 18-20 . Storms Over the Urban c.. 62 THE AMERI CAN GARD ENER May/June 1998 Webster, New York. (716) 787-0303. Preserving Our Native Heritage JUNE 16-21 • Redefining the Garden. American Association of n December, Native Seeds/SEARCH , a nonprofit organization based in Tuc Botanical Gardens and Arboreta 1998 son, Arizona, acquired 60 acres of Arizona fa rmland in conjunction with the Annual Conference. Wyndham Franklin INature Conservancy. The land will enable the group to establis h a Conserva Plaza Hotel. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. tion Farm dedicated to maintaining a seed bank of more than 1,800 southwest (610) 925-2500. ern crops that have historically sustained many Native Americans. Among the crops are desert-adapted amaranth, beans, chiles, cotton, corn, gourds, squash, JUNE 19 & 20 . Second Annual and sunfl owers. Horticulture Weekend. Woodstock Inn In addition to increasing the capacity to preserve native crops and farming practices, & Resort, Woodstock, Vermont. (802) the new land will allow the organization to expand its educational programs and conduct 457-1100. more research. According to Native Seeds/SEARCH executive director JUNE 20 & 21 • Marblehead Historical Angelo J. Joaquin Jr., "The farm will Society's House and Garden Tour. :r: allow us to--<>n a much greater basis u Marblehead, Massachusetts. (781) 631-1 069. ~ honor the efforts of those who have ~ gone before. We will be able to ensure JUNE 2S • Gardens of Good Taste: @ d1at the lmique varieties they developed ~ w E"en Shipman's Colonial Revival > will not disappear in our lifetimes.)) Garden Style. Lecture. Bowen House, z~ For more information about Woodstock, Connecticut. (617) 227-3956. o Native Seeds/SEARCH or to order ~ a seed catalog, call (520) 622-55 61. ~ JUNE 28 . Garden Walk. Wave Hill, ::> Or write the organization at 2509 Bronx, New York. (718) 884-8952. 8 North Campbell Avenue, #325, 5 A collection of Hopi beans, corn, and squash. Tucson, AZ 85719. :r: JUNE 28 • The Greater Rochester MAY 16 & 17 . Cascade Rhododen MAY 16 & 17 . Earth Day Celebration. MAY 22-24 • Cactus and Succulent dron Show. Bellevue Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Show and Sale. Fairchild Tropical Bellevue, Washington. (425) 452-2750. Missouri. (314) 577-9400. Garden, Miami, Florida. (305) 667-1651. MAY 17 . Boise Spring Gardens Tour. MAY 23-25 • Wetlands Weekend. JUNE 13 . Daylily Show. Riverbanks Idaho Botanical Gardens, Boise, Idaho. Nature Station, Land Between the La kes Zoo and Gardens, Columbia, South (208) 343-8649. National Recreation Area, Golden Pond, Carolina. (803) 779-8717. Kentucky. (800) 525-7077. MAY 17 . Wildflower Festival and JUNE 20 • Hemerocallis Show. Atlanta Plant Sale. Mount Pisgah Arboretum, JUNE 6 • Perennial Plant Symposium. Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia. (404) Eugene, Oregon. (541) 747-3817. Memphis Botanic Garden, Memphis, 876-5859. Tennessee. (901) 685-1566 ext . 106. MAY 28-JUNE 21 • Portland Rose SOUTHWEST Festival. Portland, Oregon. (503) 227- SOUTHEAST 2681 . http://www.rosefestival.org. MAY 9 • Annual Herb Fair. Tucson MAY 8-10 • Spring Orchid Show. Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona. (520) MAY 29 & 30 • Wildflower Show. Volusia County Fairground, Deland, 326-9686. Yakima Area Arboretum, Yakima, Florida. (904) 734-3647. Washington. (509) 248-7337. MAY 16 • 19th Annual Plant Sale. MAY 9 • The Endangered Plants of Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, Salt JUNE 6 & 7 • Annual Spring Plant North Carolina. Lecture. Tryon Palace, Lake Cit y, Utah. (801) 581-4747. Sale. Lakewold Gardens. Lakewood, New Bern, North Carolina. (919) 514-4900. Washington. (888) 858-4106. MAY 16-19 . House and Garden Tour. MAY 12 • A Morning of Herbs and Friends of the Rio Grande Botanical Gar JUNE 13 . Bonsai Pruning Basics. Spices. The State Botanical Garden of den, Albuquerque, New Mexico. (505) Lecture. Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection, Georgia, Athens, Georgia. (706) 542-1244. 268-9132. May/J une 1 998 T H E A MER I CAN G ARDENER 63 MAY 30 • Plant Sale. Betty Ford Alpine Huntington Plant Sale Gardens, Vail, Colorado. (970) 476-0103. loria Butler had been standing in line since 12:30. In past years, her daughter JUNE-AUG. SATURDAYS . Tours of had accompanied her to the HlU1tington's spring plant sale, but this year, she the Xeriscape and Western Cottage Gcarried a cell phone and a wish list of plants from her daughter, who was sched Gardens. Santa Fe Greenhouses, Santa uled to enter tl1e hospital that evening to deliver her first baby. Shortly before the gates Fe, New Mexico. (505) 473-2700. opened at 4:30, tl1e phone rang. Her daughter was in labor, but instructed her moth er to buy the plants first and only then com.e to the hospital. JUNE 20-21 • 13th Annual Plant For avid gardeners in Southern California, the plant sale that the HlU1tington Botan Sale and Horticultural Fair. The ical Gardens holds the tlllid Sunday of each May is one of the obligatory rites of spring. Arboretum at Flagstaff, Flagstaff, Since its inception more than two decades ago, it has evolved into the largest plant sale in Arizona. (520) 774-1441. the West, and possibly in the entire United States. It is a major fund-raiser for the botan ical arm of the Huntington, which also includes a library and art galleries. WEST COAST The first sales offered plants derived from the Huntington's collections of cacti and succulents, perennials, camellias, herbs, and roses, as a way ofeducal'ing the public about MAY 16 & 17 • Geranium Plant tl1e plants and encouraging their use in home gardens. Today the mission is the same, Show and Sale. Casa del Prado, but me offerings have expanded to in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. clude cycads, vines, bamboos, azaleas, (616) 469-8936. ferns, bulbs, palms, and tropicals. Shop pers will also find unusual varieties offa MAY 17 . Plant Sale. Huntington miliar plaIiltS such as tomatoes and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, geraniums. "A plant has to have some California. (626) 405-2141. kind of merit or we won't have it at me sale;" says Shirley Kerins, plant sale n1an MAY 30 & 31 • Chrysanthemum ager. "They also have to be appropriate Sale. Descanso Gardens, La Canada for Southern California gardens." Flintridge, California. (818) 952-4401. About half of me inventory is grown at me Huntington by staff and volun MAY 30 & 31 • Orchid Festival. teers. The rest of the plants are pur Huntington Botanical Gardens, San chased from specialty growers Marino, California. (626) 405-2141. throughout me nation. "We try to be on me cutting edge," says Kerins. "For JUNE 16-JULY 5 . Del Mar Fair example, several years ago we featured Flower and Garden Show. Del Mar 20 types of sunflowers before mey be Fairgrounds, Del Mar, California. came so popular. I also look for plants (619) 792-4273. wim lillusual foliage color or texture." Experienced plant shoppers bring their The unusual plants offered-many JUNE 20 • Huntington Culinary own transporting containers. unavailable at local nurseries-attract Series: Fraises des bois and Other mousands. Many join the Friends of me Berries. Huntington Botanical Gardens, Huntington support group to gain entry to me Saturday presale, open only to mem San Marino, California. (626) 405-2272. bers. Last yea,r, me wee-hour presale garnered $59,000. Gates for me Sunday sale open at 10 a.m., but passionate plant collectors are in line CANADA by 8. The activity in me first halfhour resembles a swarm oflocusts in a feeding frenzy. Shoppers can seek advice from experts and helpful volunteers at each section JUNE 5-7 • VanDusen Flower Show. (plants are displayed by categories, such as "small perennials" or "shade plants"), as Vancouver, British Columbia. AHS well as a central information table well-stocked wim reference books. There is also a members: call (800) 777-7931 for tickets. "plant doctor" to offer a diagnosis for sick plants at home if a diseased sample is pro vided in a plastic bag. JUNE 12-14 . Victoria Flower and There's a particularly user-friendly section where color-coded pennants alert shop Garden Festival. Juan de Fuca pers to each planlt's bloom color. Plants are labeled wim color photos and botanical Recreation Center, Victoria, British names; they also include information tags listing growth. characteristics, sun and mois Columbia. (250) 920-5925. ture requirements, and subtle warnings such as "for those who like a challenge" or "this is a perennial if you can keep it alive." ~ Plants are reasonably priced-averaging $5 to $6 for one-gallon sizes, but some are ~ as low as $1.50-so it's easy to get carried away. Anyone who expects to make major ~ Reminder purchases is advised to bring someiliing wim wheels. Savvy shoppers pull wagons, push ~ wheelbarrows, and drag carts. Vohmteers help load purchases into cars. 0 To list an event, please send informa The Huntington is at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino, California. This year's pub- ~ tion at least four months in advance lic plant sale is May 17. For tl10se who want to tour the gardens afterward, there is an ~ to Regional Happenings, The Amer $8.50 admission charge. For more information, call (818) 405-2282. 8 ican Gardener, 7931 East Boulevard o -Karen L. Da1t dick, special from Los Angeles b Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308. I Co. 64 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May/June 1998 IRRIGATION Learn How To DRIP IRlUGATION-large selection of hi gh Design, Plant & Maintain Your est quali ty components for landscapes, ga rd ens, and fa rms, Complete systems or parts. Des ign ~ Perennial Gardens assistance ava il able, Po nd liners, too, FREE ca t· with our Perennial Handbook alog, DRIPWORI(S, 1-8 00·616-8321. and Landscape Design Kit and \0 Perennial Plant Catalogue. PEONIES ' "'fi Filled with detailed instructions on site a look at current offerings AFFORDABLE CHINESE TREE PEONIES hu ge selection, Choice English H erbaceous Pe· selection. amending the soil, planting, from the marketplace onies, H eirloom lil acs , Catalog: $3 (refi.mdable), plant lists and lots of color photos. JADE DRAGON, 11130 Mail1 Street, Suite 100, This is a "must have" for only $5.00. Fail-fa.'(, VA 22030_ Andre Viette Farm and Nursery CLASSIFIED AD RATES: AU classified adve1' BEAUTIFUL JAPANESE/CHINESE TREE P. O. Box 1109. Dept .AG tising must be p1·epaid. $2 pe1' lP01"dj minin%mt , J1 PEONIES-3 years old and older. Wide variety of • Fishersville, Va. 22939 ~ $50 per inse1'tion. Copy and p1'epwyment must exotic tree peoni es avai lable , Catalog $3_ \t~~~!Y 1-800-575-5538 ;;ft #- be 1'eceilled on the 20th ofthe m onth three months SMIRNOW'S SON'S PEONIES, 168 Maple H ill P Road, Huntington, NY 11 743, (5 16) 421-0836_ pri01' to p ~.btication date. Send 01'ders to: AHS CHARt TON PLANT PRESS Adlle1'tising Office, 4350 DiPaolo Center, Suite " " " , " " 100% Recycled Hardwood • • Save your garden memorle.1I B, Gtenllie1JJ, IL 60025, 01' call (847) 699-1 707. rJ7) SEVALD NURSERY • • Press size: 18" x 12" ~:;rEO N I ES " " Send '49_95 plus '4_95 snipping to: BOOKS 4937 3RD AVE _S O, • " " " " ". Charlton Press 1 7 Charlton Road • DISCOVER THE NEWEST PLANTS FOR MPLS" MN 55409 Harrisburg, PA 17112·3320 Includes frome, strops, venfflafors 8: blotters YOUR GARDEN in New Varieties to Know and COLOR CATALOG $1_00 GrolV, 1998 Edition. Photograph-intensive book (REFUN D WITH ORDER) reveals newest introductions in plant material, TOURS/TRAVEL complete with detailed cultural requirements and NEW ZEALAND , AUSTRALIA AND FIJI GARDENER'S TOUR-November 1998_ Gar advice from experts, Includes ann uals, perenni ROSES als, trees, shrubs, vegetables, and specialty plants, den writer-escorted_ Exclusively conducted tours OAKLEAF PUBLICATIONS, P,O, Box 58649, MANY NEW ROSE SELECTIONS fo r the com of private and public gardens and nurserie s_ Pliced Cincllmati, OH 45258. 1-888-256-0AKLEAF, ll1g seaso n_ Over 700 varieties: new show roses and in Canadian dollars, U,S, clients save approxi ground covers; English and old gard en roses; 6 mately 36 percent_ Ca ll DISCOVER TRAVEL, thornless HT va rieties; antique and classic roses by (800) 540·2892_ E-mail: jhaU@golden_net. Hortica: Color Cyclopedia of Garden Flora Beales; milliarures by Relmi e; Ben Williams roses; with Hardiness Zones and Indoor Plants, hardy Ottawa explorers; Manitoba Parkl and vari 8,100 color photos by Dr. A, B, Graf, $238, eties; and om fub ulous Pavement roses d1at are dis NEW ZEALAND - AUSTRALIA T1'opica 4: 7,000 color photos of plants and ease-free, low·mallltenance types suitable for harsh GARDEN TOURS trees for warm environments, $165, prairie winters_ A superb collection_Our fields are j#~ Exotic House Plants: 1,200 photos, 150 in known to be vll-us·free. Orders shipped with our color, with keys to care, $8,95, temperarure-controlled truck to UPS depots III d1 e Join one of our Spring or Summer Garden Shippi11ff additional, Cinulcllrs gladly sent, USA for local distribution _Catalog $3 _Plea se sub Tours or a specialized Plant Society group. mit retail orders by fax at (905 ) 689-6566, or cali ~ For infonnation call: ROEHRS CO., Box 125, East Rutherford, NJ in on (905) 689-9323_ HORTICO INC., 723 07073, (201) 939-0090, FAX (201) 939-0091. Robson Road, Waterdown, Ontario LOR 2Hl. ~~ (650) 595-2090 Tel : (905 ) 689-6984 or 689-3002_ New Zealand - Australia Garden Tour Specialists No one knows the South Pacific Gardens better. from The New York ~y ~ PERENNIALS We provide your garden with only the best!! TROPICAL PLANTS Botanical Garden Many new and hard to find. on the Web at www,nybg,org [DescriptiJle catalog listing over 700 varieties $2.00 I SEEDS OF SUBTROPICAL AND TROPICAL ORNAMENTALS_ Fruits, herbs, and palms_ Many Fieldstone Gardens, Inc. MANuAL OF VASOJLAR PLANTS 620AG Quaker Lane clifficult-to-find species_Catalog $1, refimdable with OF NOR1HEASTERN UNITED Vassalboco, Maine 04989-9713 first order. PACIFIC COAST TROPICAL GAR S11ATES AND ADJACENT CANADA, ~TM PIlonelFax, (207) 923-3836 DENS, 1259 El Camino Real , #297, Menlo Park, 2ND ED. By HA Gleason & A Oonquisr CA 94025_ http://\-vww,pGtgardens_com_ E-mail: $69'co steve@pctgardens,com, ILLUS1RATED CDMPANION TO TOMATO c:'~ PLANT GLEASON AND CRONQUIST'S ....\\,:... ~ FEED 0: WATER Support & Feeding System MANuAL Edited by NH I-b~ren er al \' THROUGH Also IOf any other plants th~t need support $125,00 5P::rJTAKE " PWITS A focal point for your ROOTZONE ~~ - '"' Garden, Patio or Doorstep Scientjfjc Puldimti0r5 D artm?nt Bronx, New YOlk 10458.i?fJ126 USA MAINE Mll..LSTONES ttl 718.817.8721. fax 718.817.8842 ::~IJ/~kT_- 4,,~1A J~'I Southport, Me. 04576 , tJ fa. SUN (UV}RfSI5!A#! . ' ,. RECY(/E0PLA.51J( - ~ \ 207-633-6091 SfRO,V(;.f){JIWM.dffi" W!S rfAllS /!~. 1Bi1 LANDSCAPEDEsIGNm - - , HOSTA SPECIALISTS-Field grown, large I Home study. Design lawns, courtyards, walk· I choice selection including species, classics, new ways, gardens, shrubbery. Free Ilter.tu,.. $12.95 ea +$3.95 5 & H SEND OR CAU: 800·223-454 and exclusive varieties, Descriptive catalog, in Four-$39.95 +S&H I I cudes color, $2.50 . SAVORY'S GARDENS, To order, call 1-888-880-2559 I ::M------I INC., 5300 Whiting Ave nue, Edina, MN Visit our web site: www _spira-stake.com I :1Ste18 Phone'-----_'------::-___ I 55439-1249, School of Land~pe D."8n, &.;.;------I 6065 Roswell Road, peQI, Atlanta, THE AMERICAN GARDENER 65 C. yatabeanum Malaxis diphyllos C. yuh-tah-be-AN-urn mal-AK-siss dy-FIL-oss Dactylorhiza aristata M. ehrenbergii dak-til-o-RHY-zuh M . eh-ren-BERG-ee-eye Eltroplectris calcarata Philadelphus coronarius el-tro-PLEK-triss kal-kuh-RAY-tuh fil-uh-DEL-fus kor-o-NAIR-ee-us Encyclia cochleata var. triandra Piperia unalascensis en-SIGH-klee-uh kok-lee-AY-tuh pih-PAIR-ee-uh oon-uh-las var. tree-AN-druh CHEN-siss E. tampensis P. yadonii E. tam-PEN-siss P. yuh-DOH-nee-eye Epidendrum conopseum Platanthera blephariglottis var. eh-pih-DEN-drum ko-NOP conspicua see-urn pluh-TAN-thur-uh ble-far-ih Epipactis gigantea GLOT-iss var. kon-SPIK-yew-uh eh-pih-PAK-tis jy-GAN-tee-uh P. leucophaea Erythronium americanum P.loo-ko-FEE-uh air-ih-THROW-nee-um P. praeclara uh-mair-ih-KAN-um P. pree-KIAIR-uh a simple speaking guide to Gaura lindheimeri Pogonia ophioglossoides GAW-ruh lind-HY-mur-eye po-GO-nee-uh o-fee-o-gloss-ee plants found in this issue Habenaria odontopetala OY-deez hab-eh-NAIR-ree-uh Ponthieva racemosa Agastache scrophulariifolia o-don-toh -peh -TAL-uh pon-THEE-eh-vuh ras-eh-MO-suh ah-guh-STAH -she skrof-yew-lar H. quinqueseta Sanguisorba canadensis ee-eye-FO-lee-uh H. kwin-kweh-SAY-tuh san-gwi-SOR-buh kan-uh Alchemilla mollis Isotria medeoloides DEN-siss al-kem-ILL-uh MOLL-iss eye-SOT-ree-uh mee-dee-o Spiranthes cernua Amerorchis rotundifolia LOY-deez spy-RAN-theez SAIR-new-uh am-ur-OR-kiss ro-tun-cIih-FO-lee-uh Lavandula angustifolia S. magnicamporum Arethusa bulbosa forma subcaerulea lah-VAN-dyew-luh ang-gus-tih S. mag-nih-kam-POR-urn ahr-eh-THOO-suh bul-BO-suh forma FO-lee-uh S. ochroleuca sub-see-ROO-lee-uh Lindera benzoin S. ok-ro-LOO-kuh Aronia arbutifolia lin-DAIR-uh BEN-zoh-in Stenorrhynchos lanceolatus uh-RO-nee-uh ar-byew-tih-FO-lee-uh Listera borealis steh-no-RIN-kos lan-see-o-IAY-tus Asclepias tuberosa LIS-tur-uh bor-ee-AL-iss Tanacetum parthenium as-KLEE-pee-us too-bur-O-suh Lonicera xheckrottii tan-uh-SEE-tum par-THEE Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis lah-NISS-er-uh hek-ROT-tee-eye nee-urn kah-LIP-so bul-BO-suh var. L. involucrata Taxodium distichum ahl<-sih-den-TAL-iss L. in-vol-yew-I 66 THE AMERICAN GARDENER May / J u ne 1998 L. arizonica 6-10,10-6 P. xvirginalis 'Miniature Snowflake' L. x bella * 5-7,7-4 3-7,7-3 hardiness and L. canadensis 4-7,7-3 P. xvirginalis 'Minnesota Snowflake' L. conjugalis 6-8, 8-3 3-7,7-3 L. etrusca * 7-9, 9-4 P. xvirginalis 'Natchez' 4-7,7-2 heat zones L.fragrantissima 5-8,8-4 Picea mariana 3-6,6-1 L. xheckrottii 6-9, 9-3 Phlox pilosa 4-9, 9-3 L. hispidula 6-8,8-4 Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' 3-9, a guide to USDA and L. interrupta 6-8,8-3 10-1 AHS zones for plants L. involucrata 6-8,8-5 Rohdea japonica 7-9, 9-6 L. maackii * 5-9, 9-4 Ruta graveolens 5-9, 9-4 found in this issue L. morrowii * 4-9, 9-4 L. nitida 6-9, 9-5 L.oblongifolia 2-7,7-1 For your convenience, the cultivated plants L. sempervirens 4-9, 9-3 Salix alba 4-9, 9-3 featured in each edition ofthe magazine are L. standishii* 5-8,8-4 Sambucus canadensis 4-9, 9-3 listed here with their USDA Plant Hardi L. tatarica * 3-9, 9-3 Sanguisorba canadensis 3-8, 8-2 ness Zones and AHS Heat Zones. !f0 is list L. utahensis 6-8,8-3 Spiranthes cernua 4-8,8-4 ed in place of USDA hardiness zones, it Menthaxpiperita 3-7,7-1 Tanacetum parthenium 4-9, 9-3 means that plant is a true annual--it com Magnolia virginiana 6-9, 9-4 Taxodium distichum 5-11,12-7 pletes its life cycle and dies in a year or less. Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina' 3-8, 8-3 Thuja occidentalis 2-7, 7-1 Tropical plants that require minimum tem Myrica pensylvanica 3-6,6-1 Thymus serpyllum 4-9, 9-3 peratures warmer than 40 degrees Fahren Nyssa sylvatica 5-9, 9-4 Viburnum dentatum 3-8,8-2 heit-the minimum average temperature Vinca minor 4-9, 9-3 in USDA Zone ll-will be listed by mini mum average temperature rather than by zone numbers. Penstemon palmeri 3-11, 12-1 *Species marked with an asterisk are po Perovskia atriplicifolia 6-9, 9-4 tentially invasive European bush honey Philadelphus 'Buckley'S Quill' suckles that are not recommended for 4-8,8-3 cultivation. For further information on Agastache scrophulariifolia USDA 4-9, P. 'Galahad' 5-8, 8-3 these honeysuckles, refer to the article on AHS 9-1 P. 'Snowgoose' 5-8,8-3 pages 37 through 40. Agave harvardiana 9-11, 12-9 P. californicus 5-8,8-4 A. neomexicana 9-11, 12-9 P. coronarius 4-9, 9-4 The codes above are based on a number of Ajuga reptans 3-9,8-2 P. coronarius 'Aureus' 4-9,9-4 commonly available references and are like Alchemilla mollis 'Auslese' 3-8,7-1 P. coronarius (Variegatus' 5-8, ly to be conservative. Factors such as micro Aquilegia canadensis 3-8,9-3 8-3 climates, plant provenance, and use of Aronia arbutifolia 5-9, 9-4 P. inodorus 5-9, 9-5 mulch may affect individualgardeners' ex Asclepias tuberosa 4-9,10-2 P. lewisii 4-8, 8-3 periences. We welcome input in regard to the Calopogon tuberosus 3-11,12-1 P. mexicanus 9-11, 12-9 codes' accuracy. To purchase a durable two Cephalanthus occidentalis 5-11, 12-7 P. microphyllus 6-9, 9-6 by-three-Joot poster of the AHS Heat-Zone Chaenomeles japonica 5-9, 9-3 P. xvirginalis 3-7,7-3 Map, call (800) 777-7931 ext. 45. Claytonia virginica 5-9, 6-1 Cleome serrulata 0, 12-1 Cornus racemosa 4-8,8-3 C. stolonifera 2-8,8-1 Cypripedium reginae 2-7,7-1 Dianthus deltoides 3-11, 9-1 Erythronium americanum 3-9, 9-2 Gaura lindheimeri 6-9, 9-5 Hosta sieboldiana (Elegans' 3-8,8-2 Ilexglabra 5-9,9-3 I. verticillata 5-8,8-2 Lavandula angustifolia 5-8, 12-7 Lindera benzoin 5-9, 9-4 Lonicera albiflora 6-8,8-3 L. xamericana 6-9, 9-3 May/June 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 67