Iris Man of Baton Rouge by Cheryl M
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RICHARD DYSART Gardener, Actor "Filming can take a lot out of you. Gardening puts it back. Its rewards are many. Its bountiful beauty nourishes my body and my soul. My dad loved his garden. He introduced me to Miracle-Gro many years ago. I've been using it ever since." MIRACLE-GRO eric an Horticulturist Volume 72, Number 4 April 1993 ARTICLES The Iris Man of Baton Rouge by Cheryl M. Lawrence .. .... .. .. .. ... .. .... ...... 16 As the habitat of Louisiana irises dwindles, Joseph M ertzweiller is encouraging more gardeners to grow them. Irises for Autumn by Lucy Fuchs .. .. .... ... .. .... .. .. .... ... .. 23 Described as early as 400 years ago, reblooming irises are finally earning respect. Customized Chromosomes by Chris Bright . ..... .. ..... .... ........ .. ...... ... 28 Pesticidal parsley, blue roses .. the possibilities are endless. Is your garden ready for the genetic engineers? APRIL'S COVER Zen and the Art of Pnming Photographed by Mike Lowe by Judy Glattstein . .. ... ....... .. .. .. .. ........... 34 'Autumn Bhlgler', a reblooming Most Americans ar€ either mad whackers or shear shunners. tall bearded iris, was introduced iro. The Japanes€ take nature firmly-but respectfully-in hand. 1986 by Frank P. Jones, a resident of Crown City, New Jersey, who A Small Flowering Cherry for the Future has since moved to Ohio. Jones by John L. Creech .. .. ........ ..... .. ..... ... 39 bred his irises primarily for cold-hardiness. As a result, A new cherry is a rarity in America. Here's a little beauty 'Autumn Bugler' will rebloom that should fit in anywhere. reliably thFoughout much of the commy, although it lacks the wide falls (bottom petals) considered ideal by many irisarians. In her , DEPARTMENTS article beginning on page 23, Lucy Fuchs relates the history of Commentary ..... .. ..... ........... ................ 4 so-called remontant irises and introduces the breeders of the best. Letters . ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ... ... .... 5 Offshoots . ......... ...... .. .... .. .... .. ..... 6 Book Reviews ... .... .. .. ........ ....... .. ... 10 Classifieds . ... ..... .. .. .... .. ... ..... ...... .. 44 Pronunciations .... .. ...... ... .. .. .... .... 46 American Horticultural Society The American Horticultural Society seeks to promote and recognize COMMENTARY excellence in horticulture across America. n February I wrote about the role of OFFICERS 1992-1993 horticulture in developing our aesthetic Mr. George C. Ball Jr. sensibilities. From the time we are chil President I West Chicago, Illinois dren, we perceive in gardens statements Mrs. Sarah S. Boasberg about plants and ideas about our relation First Vice President ship with them. I urged American designers Washington,D.C. to build public gardens that enable us to Dr. William E. Barrick Second Vice President experience gardening as a contemporary art Pine Mountain, Georgia form, rather than a philosophy of nature. Mr. David M. Lilly Now we turn to horticulture as a science, Secretary as it applies to the American Horticultural St. Paul, Minnesota Mr. Gerald T. Halpin Society's commitment to education. Treasurer Through horticulture we can transform the Alexandria, Virginia garden into a living classroom. The obvi ous strength of a horticultural education is an emphasis on "hands on" learning. Only through sowing, growing, and otherwise experimenting BOARD OF DIRECTORS with plants will the student truly learn about plants. Mrs. Suzanne Bales For this reason, the Society is seeking funds for a project that will connect Bronxville, New York students in horticulture and related curricula through a database network Dr. Sherran Blair Columbus, Ohio to both private and public institutions offering horticultural apprentice Mrs. Mary Katherine Blount ships. For example, second-year university students in a plant biology Montgomery, Alabama program will receive a brochure listing a wide range of possible appren Mr. William F. Brinton Mount Vernon, Maine ticeships, from a two-month summer program assisting potato breeders, Mrs. Beverley White Dunn to a four-month stint as a micropropagation lab assistant, to a nine-month Birmingham, Alabama internship in a botanic garden. We hope the students choose an appren Dr. John Alex Floyd Jr. to Birmingham, Alabama ticeship, but simply learning about these options will lead them contem Mrs. Julia Hobart plate the wealth of career opportunities within horticulture. The field needs Troy, Ohio talented, well-rounded young people. But recent cutbacks at federally Dr. Richard L. Lowef funded universities have forced many horticultural education programs to Madison, Wisconsin Mr. Elvin McDonald scale down at the very time when students are expressing great interest in Houston, Texas plants and their place in the environment. Mr. William G. Pannill Few sciences offer the rich mixture of elements that horticulture does. Martinsville, Virginia Horticultural knowledge can be as complex as plant genetics and as simple Mr. Lawrence V. Power New York, New York as the beauty of a single flower. But knowledge must be intrinsically Dr. Julia Rappaport compelling for a person to wield it with passion and purpose. When Santa Ana, California students first learn the scientific names of plants, the language of taxonomy Mrs. Flavia Redelmeier Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada organizes and orders their minds and lays a foundation of knowledge on Mrs. Jane N. Scarff which they will build a set of skills. Similarly, when a student learns the New Carlisle, Ohio laws of inheritance, a previously hidden universe reveals itself. Yet the Mrs. Josephine Shanks Houston, Texas student soon discovers that meaningful knowledge is applied knowledge: Mrs. Billie Trump every day, gardeners must test general principles against practical problems Alexandria, Vir,ginia in their own back yards. Mr. Andre Viette If you wish to find out more about the work the AHS is doing in Fishersville, Virginia Ms. Katy Moss Warner education for students, please call Maureen Heffernan at (800) 777-7931. Lake Buena Vista, Florida Please tell your local educators about our prospective apprenticeship network and our national children's symposium, August 12 to 14, in EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Washingt'ciIi., D.C. If you've already done so, thank you. We hope to see Mrs. Helen Fulcher Walutes you at this exciting educational summit. Finally, I'm pleased to announce that Helen Walutes has accepted the position of Executive Director. Her dedication both to the members and to River Farm will benefit AHS. -George C. Ball Jr., AHS President 4 APRIL 1993 American Horticulturist Editor Kathleen Fisher LETTERS Managing Editor Mary Beth Wiesner Assistant Editor Chris Bright Editorial Assistant Steve Davolt Et Too, BREW-tay? actually say it. But Virgil would have said Design Director It is an excellent idea to have a pronunciation something closer to ROH-zeh-ah. Joseph Yacinski guide in American Horticulturist. Nothing is Designers more awkward for a beginner than to call Tree Histories and John Quincy Bob McCracken Reg Perry Stokesia, STOKE-see-uh, when the local ex Could you let me know the issues and the Membership Director pert calls it stoke-EE-syuh. Even I, aged and subject matter of Susan Sand's other arti Darlene Oliver experienced as I am, was embarrassed to find cles about trees? I thoroughly enjoyed her a Cornell botanist calling Prunus serotina, brief history of the dawn redwood (Octo Editorial Advisory Board Dr. Gerald S. Barad serr-O-tin-uh, when I had been calling it ber). I've located a source for seedlings and Flemington, New Jersey serr-oh-TEEN-uh. I plan to order some soon. John Bryan In this part of the world there is even a The story about John Quincy Adams, "So Sausalito, California John Creech division between those who call Camellia lace for a President," struck several respon Hendersonville, North Carolina ca-MEEL-yuh and those who pronounce it sive chords with me. As a youngster growing Keith Crotz ca-MALE-yuh. My Latin teacher would have up in Salem, the Adams house was the first Cbillicothe, Illinois Panayoti Kelaidis approved of the latter on the grounds that president's house I ever visited. I will take to Denver, Colorado "e" is pronounced "ay," as in "Ettu, Brute? " heart his words, "This is encouragement for Peter Leewer For this reason, she would agree with you me to persevere in my experiments, which I Asheville, North Carolina that rosea is pronounced roh-ZAY-uh. But would leave as at once a charge and an inher Janet M. Poor Winnetka, Illinois you give an inconsistent pronunciation for itance to my children." Robert]. Griffin Dr. James E. Swasey brasiliense as brah-zil-ee-EN-suh, when it Ten Mile, Tennessee Newark, Delaware should surely be brah-zil-ee-EN-say. If people are asked to pronounce the Susan Sand's other tree histories are on the Advertising same vowel differently depending on Osage orange (October 1991), American AHS Advertising Department 7931 East Boulevard Drive where it occurs, Latin becomes as unpre beech (December 1991), American yellow Alexandria, VA 22308 dictable as English and there is little chance wood (April 1992), and the empress tree (703) 768-5700 that a beginner will ever summon courage (june 1992). Copies of back issues are Color Separations to pronounce an unfamiliar botanical available from the Society for $5 each. Chroma-Graphics, Inc. name. Whereas in practice, if you pro Printer nounce vowels consistently, most Latin Delighted to Be Invited William Byrd Press, Inc. names can be pronounced correctly-or at I am a g@ographer with a passion for plants Replacement issues of AMERICAN HORTICUL1'UR- least comprehensibly. Karen Arms wherever I find myself. We have forty-three 1ST are available at a cost of $2 .95 per copy. The Savannah, Georgia acres and our relief from work is gardening. opinions expressed in the arr.icles that appear in AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST are those of the We read some thirty to forty garden/plant authors and ace nor necessarily those of the Society. We admire your struggle to prc;nounce bo books per year and subscribe to most of the Botanical nomenclature in AMERlCAN HORTICUL TURIST is based on HORTUS THIRD. Manuscripts, tanical Latin correctly, but quibble with conservation magazines.