JOURNAL of the AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, INC, A.Pril 1966 AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
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'I'IIE A.:M:ERICAN ~GAZINE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, INC, A.pril 1966 AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 1600 BLADENSBURG ROAD, NORTHEAST / WASHINGTON, D. c. 20002 For United Horticulture *** to accumu.late, inn-ease, and disseminate horticultuml information Editorial Committee Directors FRANCIS DE VOS, Chainnan Terms ExpiTing 1966 J. HAROLD CLARKE JOHN L . CREECH Washington f 'REDERIC P. LEE W. H . HODGE Maryland CARLTON P. LEES FREDERIC P. LEE Massachusetts RUSSELL J. SEIBERT CONRAD B. LINK Pennsylvania DONALD'VATSON FREDER ICK G. MEYER Hawaii "VII.BUR H. YOUNGMAN T erms Expi?'ing 1967 MRS. ROBERT L. EMERY, J R. Louisiana Officers A. C. HILDRETH Colorado PRESIDENT DAVID LEACH JOHN H . WALKER Pennsylvania A lexandria, Virginia CHARLES G. MEYER New Yo rk MRS. STANLEY ROWE F IRST VI CE- PRESIDENT Ohio FRED C. GALLE Terms ExjJiring 1968 Pine Mountain, Geo?-gia FRANCIS DE VOS Maryland SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT MRS. ELSA U. K NO LL TOM D. THROCKMORTON California Des Moines, Io wa VICTOR RIES Ohio STEWART D . VVI NN ACTING SECRETARY-TREASURER GRACE P. WILSON ROBERT WINTZ Bladensburg, Maryland Illinois The A merican Horticultural Magazine is the official publication of the American Horticultural Society and is issued four times a year during the quarters commencing with January, April, J!lly and October. It is devoted to the dissemination of knowledge in the science and art of growmg ornamental plants, fruits, vegetables, and related subjects. Original papers increasing the historical, varietal, and cultural knowledges of plant mate~ials of economic and aesthetic importance are welcomed and will be published as early as pOSSible. The Chairman of the Editorial Committee should be con.ulted for manuscript specifications. Reprints will be furnished in accordance with the following schedule of prices, plus post age,. and should be ordered at the time the galley proof is returned by the author: One hundred coples--2 pp $7.20; 4 pp $13.20; 8 pp $27 .60; 12 pp $39.60; Covers $13.20. Entered as second class matter in the post office at Baltimore, Maryland, in accordance with the Act of Au gust 24, 1912. Additional entry for Washington, D.C., was authorized July 15, 1955, in accordance with the pro· visions of Section 132.122, Postal Manual. The American Horticultural Magazine is included as a benefit of membership in the American Horticultural Society, Individual Membership dues being 16.00 a year. APRIL. 1966 FORMERLY THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE VOLUME 45 • NUMBER 2 Contents Crab apples at the National Arboretum ROLAND M. JEFFERSON ___________________________________________ ._._______________________________ _____ ______ 231 The Tucson Botanical Garden HARRISON G. YOCUM ________________________________________________ . __ . ________________________ __ ____________ 237 The Granite Gardens of Georgia MARIE B. MELLINGER ___ __ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 240 King Alfred and Form No. 1040 TOM D. THROCKMORTON, M.D. ____________ __ _______ . __________________________________________________ 245 Actinidia Chinensis-A Promising Fruit and Some Rela ted Species EDWIN A. MENNINGER ________________________________________________________________________________________ 252 Trees do Grow Fast E . SAM HENINIING _______________ __________ ______ . _______________________________________ _________________________ 257 Siberian Iris-A Modern Approach PEG EDWARDS _______________________________________________ . _________ .______________________________________________ 261 A Book or Two ___ ____ ________ ____ ______________________________________ . ______________ _. ____ _______ ..______________________ 266 The Gardeners' Pocketbook The Genus Symphyandra. ROBERT M . SENIOR ____ . __ __ __ ______ ______________________ __ ____ 270 Araucaria columnaris- An Amazing New Caledonian Tree. A LEX D . HAWKES _______ ______ ________ __________________________________________________________________ 272 The Hardiest Acacia? LYNN R. LOWERY _____________________________________________ ___ ________ 274 Lagerstroemia fauriei. B. M. BASHAM ___________________ .___________________ __ __ ___ ______________ 275 APRIL COVER ILLUSTRATION Podophyllum pel tatum- Photo by Peter Pettus NATIONAL A RBORETUM The buds of Malus 'Van Eseltine' are deep rose-red spheres that unfold into massive double pink flowers. Crabapples At The National Arboretum By ROLAND M. J EFFERSON Mention the National Arboretum tum, Lisle, lllinois, and at the Arnold and practically anyone who has heard of Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Massachu that institution automatically thinks of setts, have been the principal American azaleas. Such an assumption is perfectly sources of informa tion for best planting natural, for few horticultural attractions in our northern gardens. Since crab are as colorful as the 60,000 azaleas apples are progressively less satisfactory massed on the Arboretum's Mt. Hamil as one moves so uthward, recommenda ton Hillside. But this hillside, for all its tions for southern gardens are, if made beauty, is not the ultimate in cultivated on the basis of northern collections, elegan ce at the Arboretum. likely to be less dependable. The Na T he Gotelli collection of dwarf coni tional Arboretum's collection is begin fers, the assemblage of both native and ning to provide needed information on exotic specimens of dogwoods, the hun the best varieties for the middle and dreds of magnificent camellias along the upper south. Anacostia River, the fragrant mag Our observations over the past 15 nolias, and the hollies in great variety, years indicate that most crabapple varie all command their share of attention. ties are perfectly satisfactory for the In addition to these familiar attrac greater 'Vashington, D. C. area. "Winters tions, the maturing crabapple collection are cold enough to provide the approxi has come to receive considerable atten mately 1,200 accumulative hours of tem tion from the visi ting public. Consisting peratures belo'w 45 0 required to break of 600 plants it is largely the result of bud dormancy. 'tVhile the area's aver the collective contributions of members age annual rainfall of the past 10 years of the American Association of N ursery has been 5 to 15 inches below the long men in 1949, and the donation of scions period average of 4·0 inches, there is no of over 100 varieties from the late Arie evidence that crabapples have suffered den Boer of the Des Moines Water from drought. VlTorks. It now contains approximately The various cultivars in the Arbore 600 plants representing about 200 spe tum collection are constantly being eval cies and cultivars. uated for ornamental merit. Flowering Ornamental crabapples are consid and fruiting, plant habit, foliage and re ered the most dependable of all small sistance to insects and diseases are eval flowering trees for cold climates. The uated. The following are but a few of hardiest varieties will flower after expo the many cultivars that can be recom sure to temperatures as low as - 50 0 F; mended for this area and for others of the least hardy of the commonly culti somewhat similar climate in the upper vated varieties are satisfactory in areas and middle south: having winter lows of _10 0 F. There are Malus 'Golden Hornet'. varieties suitable for every region that experiences temperatures below zero in This crabapple with its large yellow the U.S.A. The extensive plantings at fruit of approximately three-fourths the Des Moines ' Vater VlTorks, Des inches across was added to the collection Moines, Iowa, at the Morton Arbore- in 1955. Our records indicate that it was received through the Glenn Dale • R olal7d j eUer on is a ta xol7omist at the U. S. National A rbO re lul1l. H e has had the 0/J1Jor Plant Introduction Station, from its tlll7i t)' to obse rve and study the arboretum's originator, John 'tVaterer Sons & Crisp extell sit'e craba/J/Jle co llec tiol7 . of Twyford, Berkshire, England. Dis- 231 232 THE MvlERICAN HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE played by its originator in the 1.949 and Malus 'Ellwangeriana' 1961 exhibits of the Royal HortIcultural As an alternate bearer, flowering and Society of England, M. ' Gol~e~ Hor fruiting heavily on alternate years, this net' received an Award of Ment 111 1949 crabapple would not be preferred by and a First Class Certificate in 1961. many gardeners. But having so man? Now about 9 feet tall, this plant has other cultivars, the Arboretum can walt upright branches covered each spring during the many months necessary for it with sino Ie white blossoms. The most at- ~ , to display its scarlet fruit. Often orange tractive time for NI. 'Golden Hornet, or yellow on their shaded side, and. a however, is in the fall, when the fruit, by little less than an inch across, the fnuts sheer weight and numbers, pulls the once of this cultivar are abundantly and at upright branches over into long pendu tractively spaced over this medium-size lous boughs of yellow. tree. The flowers, dark pink in bud Malus halliana 'Parkmanii' and white when fully open, closely re semble those of Malus fioribunda, to 'Nhen in flower the Parkman Crab is which it is sometimes considered to be one of the Arboretum's most beautiful related. When in fruit in the fall, how crabapples. Each year from mid to late ever, its beauty excels that of l\l1.. fiori April it is covered with hundr~ds of dou bunda, making it-despite mediocre ble pink blossoms that hang 111 clusters flowering quality-one of the Arbore from deep red