Orticulturist News Edition-May 1983
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RICAN ORTICULTURIST NEWS EDITION-MAY 1983 Join Us in Philadelphia Society members from across the country will be gathering in Phila delphia for our 38th Annual Meet ing this September 14-18. Philadel phia was not only the cradle of liberty in the 18th century, it was also the cradle of American horticul ture, nurtured by the Bartrams and a host of botanists, plant collectors, seedsmen, naturalists and horticul turists living in and around the Del aware Valley from the colony's very founding in 1683. With its rich gar den history and tradition, this city is regarded as the gateway to the gar dens of America. Today it boasts more gardens and arboreta accessi ble to the public than any city in the nation. This is a city proudly aware of its garden heritage, as evidenced by the collaborative projects of its many garden institutions, and by its popular and prestigious Philadelphia Flower Show in the spring. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which sponsors that mighty show, is graciously helping us plan an exciting program for you, our members, this fall. Among the activ ities planned will be a cocktail re ception at the P.H.S. headquarters; morning lecture and panel discus The Morris Arboretum is one of the gardens the Society will visit during its September sions; and afternoon bus tours to Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. the Main Line, Longwood, the Wil mington area and the Brandywine include the outstanding Duke Gar will visit the Planting Fields Arbore Valley, where we will visit both dens in New Jersey, the Princeton tum and Old Westbury Gardens. public and very special private gar Nurseries and Rutgers University Stops in the Hudson Valley will in- dens. There also will be a full-day Arboretum. In New York State we Continued on page 16 tour of gardens in Chestnut Hill and north,w~h~n~MilieMrurisA~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ boretum. Saturday night will feature the presentation of AHS awards for Inside This Issue horticultural excellence at our An nual President's Banquet. New "Plants Wanted" Column Started ............................ ................. 2 At the close of the Annual Meet More New Plants for Your Garden ..................... .. ........ .................... 3 ing there will be a Post Conference Gesneriads Can Harbor TMV.. ... .. .... .... ....... ... ... ....... .... .. ...... ...... .... .. 3 Tour of fine public and private gar Let Your Greenhouse Do the Talking .. ........ ...................................... 8 dens on the Eastern Seaboard. Visits First Yellow Geranium Introduced ................................................ ..... 12 the most important teaching tools it River Fann Notes has ever had- a greenhouse specifi Our appeal for help to bring a cally designed to meet our educa greenhouse to River Farm brought tional goals. tremendous response from Society Our greenhouse will be approxi members . At this writing, in early mately 40 feet by 20 feet and will March, we have received a total of feature an energy-efficient uneven $37,562.68 from our members. span design. It will look something Your enthusiasm is contagious: like a huge lean-to with its long we're all very excited and very slope oriented to the south for im thankful. proved sun collection. Its northern Industry has also responded to wall will be insulated for reduced our appeal. A well-known green heat loss. Every aspect of the design house designer has been kind of this greenhouse will be of educa enough to donate his services to de tional value. sign our greenhouse. His expertise in through the door of our finished As you might expect, we will use solar design will help us to achieve greenhouse. our greenhouse largely to produce the energy-efficient structure we The designer's generosity is not plants for our numerous displays need. By the time this news edition the only helping hand we will re here at River Farm, but beyond this, of American Horticulturist reaches ceive from outside our general mem we want to use this structure as an you, the designer will have com bership. I've learned recently that a actual classroom for students of all pleted his preliminary drawings and corporation has generously offered ages and levels of ability. We plan will be well into the final stages of to supply the glazing material we'll to conduct classes in propagation, his construction drawings. If all goes need. We are hoping other compa greenhouse growing, greenhouse de according to plan, construction will nies will donate more of the essen sign and greenhouse management. begin this summer. It won't be long tials: automatic timers, automatic Our greenhouse will serve as a place after that when we first walk watering systems, environmental for AHS student interns to gain monitoring systems, pots, imple practical experience and will also ments, soil ingredients, plant carts function as a plant research site. and additional supplies of pesticides Our plans abound, and we cannot )\\1ERICAN and fertilizers. We want to construct wait to begin their implementation. the most exemplary greenhouse In months to come, I will be tell - R°ImCULTlIRIST modern technology can provide. I ing you much more about our will keep you informed of our prog greenhouse and plans for its use. Be VOLUME 62 NUMBER 5 ress in future articles. cause of your generosity, the Soci PUBLICA nONS DIRECTOR Once completed, this greenhouse ety's new greenhouse will be very, Judy Powell will provide the Society with one of very special. - Steve Davis EDITOR Barbara W. Ellis ART DIRECTOR Rebecca K. McClimans EDITORIAL ASSISTANT New "Plants Wanted" Column Started Jane Steffey Many of you are familiar with the will publish them on a space avail Address all editorial correspondence to: The Editor, American Horticulturist Society's plant locator service, one able basis after checking for retail American Horticultural Society of our most often used membership sources through our catalogue file . Box 0105 benefits. With this issue of the news The Society's Acting Director, Dr. Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121 letter we are expanding that pro Gilbert S. Daniels, has agreed to AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST is pub· gram in hopes of helping members start the " Plants Wanted" column lished monthly by the American Horticul looking for rare and unusual species with two species he has been trying tural Society, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22308. 703-768- 5700. that are unavailable in commerce. In to locate for several years. If you are our new " Plants Wanted" column growing or know of a source for Dues for membership in the Society start at $20 per year, $12 of which is for we will publish a list of plants and either of these plants, please write to AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST. the names and addresses of members Dr. Gilbert Daniels, c/o AHS, PO The American Horticultural Society is a who are looking for them. Individu Box 0105, Mount Vernon, VA non-profit organization. Contributions are als who are growing, or who have 22121. deductible for income tax purposes. access to any of the species listed, Lysichiton americanum, an orna ISSN 0096-4417. Second-class postage can write their fellow member to mental skunk cabbage commonly paid at Alexandria, Virginia and at addi help them obtain these plants. tional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please Please send your " Plants Wanted" called yellow or western skunk send Form 3579 to AMERICAN HORTI cabbage. CULTURIST, Mount Vernon, Virginia lists, including genus, species, com 22121. mon name and a brief description, Lysichiton camtschatcense, a spe Member of Society of National Associa to the Editor, American Horticultur cies of skunk cabbage from northern tion Publications ist news, in care of the Society. We Japan. 2 • MAY 1983 NEW! PUT THfSE "SEEK AND Gesneriads Can Harbor TMV DfSTROY" INSECT KILLERS TO WORK IN YOUR LAWN OR GARDEN. SEEIrJII Scientists at the University of Florida fected plants. It is probably a good ELiMINATfS THE MOST DAMAGING have found that tobacco mosaic vi idea to discard any plants that re SOIL COMPLEX INSECTS A rus (TMV), a disease most com main unhealthy for long, because if HOMEOWN[R CAN fACE . .. WITHOUT monly associated with tomatoes and virus is responsible the plant will CHEMICALS ... WITHOUT tobacco, occurs in several genera in never recover. TMV can persist in HARMING PLANTS. These specia l insect'eliminating the gesneriad family. Six gesneriad smoking tobacco and can be trans nematodes actually seek out-and then collections were surveyed, and all ferred from a smoker's hands to a destroy-sod webworms (lawn moth larvae), had virus in a percentage of the plant. The precautions orchid enthu armyworms, white grubs, cutworms, onion maggots, wireworms, root weevils, cabbage root plants. The incidence ranged from siasts take to prevent the spread of maggots, earwigs, and other dreaded soil 11 to 81 per cent, and TMV was virus in a collection will help keep complex insects . WITffOUTCHEMICALS, found in 14 of the 20 genera tested, virus from spreading in a gesneriad WITffOUTDAMAGE TO PLANTS, AND WITffOUT HARMING THE ENVIRONMENT. including Columnea, Codonanthe, collection as well. Wash your hands Episcia, Gloxinia, Kohleria, Nemat(; thoroughly after handling each plant an thus, Sinningia, Smithiantha and or group of cultivars, and always Streptocarpus. TMV has not yet use clean propagating tools. Orchid o a~ Co been found in African violets, Saint growers flame or dip-sterilize their IIWISIBLf BuC.~f! 1S'"'\ fo\AONlflEO IN SECT DESTKOYING NEMATODES J paulia sp. tools; gesneriad growers should use {NCOdp lf'c /tl nd (,UPOCilp ..."ul Foliage symptoms of TMV in clean razor blades after grooming or Each nematod e larva measures only 0.6 millimeters in length. members of the Gesneriaceae are propagating each plant. invisible to th e naked eye. Easy to apply- use any garden sprayerl often inconspicuous, making it diffi - The Gloxinian, ONt: fASY·TO·USt: SPRAY APPLICATION cult to recognize and dispose of in- March, April, 1983 Of St:t:KTM IS ALL IT TAKt:S! Each container of SEEKfM Concentrate gives you more than 500,000 of these Insect-destroying nematodes (Neoaplectana carpocapsaeJ.