SAVING NATIVES: An Arizonan)s Gift to a Hawaiian Garden ERIC
A Publication of the American Horticultural Society July/August 1997 $3 .95
1\ I"- 0 YOUR HISTORIC GARDEN It Doesn't Have to Be Old -0
~ DISCOVER DALEAS Rugged Plants for the Plains and Southwest '"I"- -s -0 FLAGSTAFF'S ARBORETUM A Peak Performer
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00 RECYCLE! Ga rden Products With a Second Lease on Life '"-s I"-
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co n t e n t s
Volume 76, Number 4 July/August 1997
DEPARTMENTS Commentary 4 Botanizing the Canadian Rockies 18 by Ruby Weinberg Members' Forum 6 A favorite plant) continued. Instead of bringing plants home) visit them on their own turf Offshoots 7 Seeking sun) reluctantly. Dalea Wake-Up Call 28 by James H. Locklear Planting the Future 8 and Larry G. Vickerman A wild place on Martha)s Vineyard. Both striking and tough) Gardeners' Information Service 9 members of this versatile Cashews) columbines) importing plants. genus from our Plains Conservationist's Notebook 10 and Southwest are virtual Coco .fiber-a renewable amendment. strangers to gardens. Natural Connections 12 The Arboretum at Flagstaff 34 The riches of serpentine barrens. by Rose Houk Frances McAllister began this high-elevation research Mail-Order Explorer 14 center out of love for native plants. This year a special Siskiyou: plants from high places. gift from her will help preserve natives of Hawaii. Urban Gardener 16 A Place in History 41 Growing roses six flights up. by Nancy McDonald Book Reviews 52 Time) like fragrance) will add a new dimension to Heirloom veggies) mosses) rock gardens) bulbs. your garden) says a Michigan landscape historian. Pronunciations 63
On the cover: The oldest surviving gladiolus hybrids available in the United States date to the 1930s and )40s) What Goes Around ... 46 although the .first hybrids were created in 1837. Gladiolus Recyclables for the garden. 'Atom) from 1946) is one still available. Scott Kunst talks Regional Happenings 59 about his love for historic gardens and bulbs beginning on Gardens threatened and a garden saved. page 41. Photo courtesy of Scott Kunst. American Horticultural Society 7931 East Boulevard Drive Alexandria, VA 22308-1300 (703) 768-5700 commentary
~ The American Horticultural Society sec 4 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/ August 199 7 THE AMERICAN GARDENER EDITOR the Society's gift to American gardeners in celebration ofow- anniversary. In a way, I have KATHLEEN FISHER been involved in this project since 1983, when I began working on the updated USDA MANAGING EDITOR Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published in 1990. We have used the same framework and TERRI J. HUCK data sow-ces in creating the AHS Plant Heat-Zone Map. ASSISTANT EDITOR The article below annOW1Ces a transition for the American Horticultural Society, but DAVID 1. ELLIS I will continue to be involved, in the law1Ch of the map as well as other special projects EDITORIAL ASSISTANT and events. Please continue to keep me informed of your ideas and concerns! SARA Epp DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION JOSEPH YACINSKI DESIGN MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR DARLENE OLIVER H . Marc Cathey, AHS P,'esident Emeritus ~ EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD NINA L. BASSUK Ithaca, New York JOHN E. BRYAN Sa1lsalito, California JOHN L. CREECH AHS Welcomes New President Hmders01>villc, North Cm'olitla inda D . HalJman assumed the position of KEITH CROTZ president and chief executive officer of the Chillicothe, IIIin ois American Horticultw-al Society on May 19. PANAYOTI KEL"JDIS L Detlv"" Colorado Her most recent position was chief operations RICHARD W. LIGHTY officer at the American College of Health Care Greet/ville, Delaware Administrators in Alexandria, Virginia. PETER LOEWBR H. Marc Cathey, who has served as AHS Asheville, North Carolina president and CEO for the past three and a half bLVIN McDONALD West Des Moims, Iowa years, will continue to serve the Society as presi dent emeritus. He will work closely with Hall ~ man as a consultant on horticultw-al affairs and ADVERTISING AHS ADVERTISING OFFICE continue to represent the Society at national 4350 DiPaolo Center, Suite B horticultw-al events and on its tow-so Glenview, IL 60025 HalJman comes to AHS with an extensive (847) 699-1707· FAX: (847) 699-1703 background in nonprofit association manage COLOR SEPARATIONS ment. Her emphasis has been on leadership de fiLM GRAPIDCS velopment, membership services and programs, fund raising, and general PRINTER administration. She holds a master of arts degree in organizational management BANTA PUBLlCATIONS GROUP from George Washington University and a bachelor of music education degree The American Gm'dene>' (ISSN 1087 -9978) is pub from Indiana University. li shed bimonthl y (January/F~b rua ,)', March/April, Hallman says her greatest strength is in forging alliances among individuals, May/June, July/August, September/October, No vember/D ecember) by the American Horticultural corporations, and other nonprofits. "I'm eager to develop a deeper connection Society, 7931 East Boulevard Drive,Alexandria, VA and stronger relationship between AHS and each individual member and con 22308-1300, (703) 768-5700. Membership in the Society includes a su bscription to TI9c A-mcrictUl Gar· tributor. Membership and fund raising go hand-in-hand-success is based on in den.,: Annual dues are $45; two years, $80. Interna dividuals understanding AHS's mission, purpose, and importance, and then tional dues are $60. $10 of annual dues goes toward magazine subscription. Periodicals wastage paid at developing a genuine concern for it. I am committed to leading AHS not only to blexandria , Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. continue the successes of the past, but to create new and innovative programs Postmaster: Please send EOfjTI 3579 to The Ame,.i and services." "." Gardener, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, N exan deia, VA22308-1300. Our new president is particularly pleased to be joining the Society during its Botanical nomenclature is o3sed on A s..ynol1YJl·lized 75th anniversary year. "We have an opportunity to reflect on the contributions and Checklist ofthe Vaswlar Flora ofthe United States, Cana importance of the Society in the past, our reasons for being members today, and a da a"d Gre",IMld and on tbe Royal Hortimltltrnl So ciet')' I"dcx ofGardm Plants. Opipions expressed in d,e vision for the futw-e." articles are those of d,e authors and are not necessarily As part of that future, she envisions AHS solidly ranked at the top of public those of the Society. Manuscripts, artwork, and photo graphs sent for possible publication will be remrned if and industry perception, with an expanded membership serving a wider range of accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We interests, and more partnerships between professional and amateur gardening cannot guarantee the safe rentrn of unsolicited materi al. Back issues are available at $5 per copy. groups. "Group efforts achieve far greater results than individuals working Copyright © 1997 by the American H orticultural Soci alone," Hallman observes. ety. Printed in the U.S.A. J ul)I/August 199 7 TH E AM E RI CAN GARD ENER 5 AHS PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ALEXANDRIA COUNCIL OF GARDEN CLUBS MRS. ALBERTA WOOD ALLEN l MR. A..'iD MRS. RICHARD ANGINO MRS. RUSSELLARuNDEL members MRS. SUZANNE PRUTIG BALES MRS. JAMES L. BARTLETT JR. MRS. WILLIANI BECKETT MRS. KATHERlNE MCKAY BELK JEAN Ai'iD DANIEL BELL DR. SHEMAN BLAIR rum MRS. MARY KATHERINE BLOUNT MR. KURT BLUEMEL BORDINE NURSERY, LTD. MRS. NANCY H. CALLAWAY MS. SUSAN M. CARGILL DR. AND MRS. H . MARC CATHEY, MR. AND MRS. GLEN CHARLES We enjoyed so much hearing from members MRS. LAMMOT DUP(i)l\'T COPELAND about their favorite plants for the May/June MR. At'!D MRS. JAMES L. CORFIELD MARGERY HALE CRANE issue-and seeing photographs ofthem - that Ms. MAUREEN DE ST. CROIX we decided to continue the feature. DISTRlCT II, THE NCA FEDERATION All of those who write and send a photo OF GARDEN CLUBS, iNC. MRS. BEVERLEY WHJ'J1E DI'JNN graph of themselves will have their choice MR. PAui.ECKEJR. among three books receiving the first AHS DR. JOHN ALEX FLOYD TR. MRS. ETHEL W. FOLEY Annual Book Award. Those books will be an GOLDSMITH SEEDS, INC. nounced in the September/October issue. MRS. MARION E. GREENE MR. GERALD T HALPIN Write to us about your favorite plant! MRS. RICHARD W. HAMMING MR. AND MRS. MAX IfiARTL MR. AND MRS. JOSEPB B. HARTMEYER MRS. ENID A. 'HAUPT CLETHRA ALNIFOLIA MRS. ELSIE HILLIARD HILLMAN 'FERN VALLEY PINK' MR. CLAUDE HOPE MRs. RICHARD J. HoPI' The autumn landscape of piedmont North MK. PH,LIp HUH Carolina is dominated by red, orange, rust, Ms. PATRICIA JODSAAS MRS. JANE KAMM'ERER maroon, and burgundy, as represented by MRS. HELENkoVACH maples, sourwood, sassafras, sugar maple, MR. AND MRS. ROBERT E. KUl.p fRo MK. AND MRS. GERSON LEIBER persimmon, dogwood, and sweetgum. Yet MR. AND MRS. MILTON D. LEIGHTON I find myself captivated by the somehow MRS. CAROLYN MARsH LINDSAY LOSfu,!GELESFLOWER~T more vibrant yellows. The majestic pignut nal-are borne in July, August, and Sep OF THE AMERlCAN FLORISTS' EXCHANGE and shagbark hickories have long been my tember, when little else is in flower. Eight MRS. THOMAS MARsHALL favorites, illuminating the landscape with to 12 inches long, they are unli ke the DR. ALFRED S. MARTIN MRS. FRANCES E. McALLlS1'ER reflected light just plior to sunset, or cast species in having a horizontal habit, so that MRs. BETTY MCDONALD ing a subtle glow against overcast Novem they spiral or curve downward like cascad MR. JOHN MCDOUGALL MRS. MARTYN L. MILLER ber morning skies. ing water. I've been able to detect their MR. AND MRS. lOGON MOLIlAI< Closer to eye level, the most beautiliil sweet vanilla perfume from as far as 15 to MONROVIA NURSERY COMPANy MRS. W.ALTERM. MORGAN JR. yellow fall foliage in my garden belongs to 20 feet. Closer up, the smell is curiously Ms. CAROL C. MORRISON Clethra alnifolia 'Fern Valley Pink', a little spicy, drawing me like a magnet to press MR. WILLIAM G. PANNILL PATRICIA L. PIERCE At'ID OLIVER C. SMITH known, pink-flowering cultivar of the na nose to flower. This sometimes becomes a MRS. FRAt'!CESJONES POETKER tive sweet pepperbush. Its autumn leaf challenge as I compete with big lumbering MR. AND MRS. WJ.LUAlv! A. PUSEY DR. JULIA W. RAPPAPORT color is a clear lemon suffused with brilliant bumblebees, butterflies, and tiny mild MRS. ALFRED RINDLER grass green. It is this random green mot mannered native bees. BARRY A. roSSETTO, EsQ. MRS. DIANA CARTER SAMPLES tling on a yelJow background, especially Slowly spreading by underground MRs. LOUISA STUDE SAROF1M along the leaf veins, that delights the eye. stolons to form noninvasive multi MRS. JOSEPHINE M. SHANKS The color slowly develops from tl1e base of stemmed clumps, this Cleth1'a is not ad Mit. AND MRS. JAMES A. SHELLENBERGER MR. EMANUELSHEMIN the shrub to the terminal bud and is re versely affected by full sun or shade, sticky MK. CHARLES HENRY SMITH JR. tained for nearly a month, remaining long Carolina clay or seaside sand, wet or dry SOUTHERN PROGRESS CORPORATJON MRS. PETER$PAlJDlNG J1\:. after the leaves of hickories have carpeted feet, insect pests or disease. 'Fern Valley MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM M. SPENCER III tl1e woodland floor. Pink' sweet pepperbush should be a first MR. AND MRS. JOHN THOMAS NANCY S. THOMAS Clethra alnifolia 'Fern Valley Pink' was choice for a native woodland garden, for MRS. RICHARD L. TURNER. discovered by Tom C. Clark, owner of Fern massing in the mLxed border, or as a door MRS. HAR.RyVAt'i DE KAMp MR. JAMES A. VAN SWEDEN Valley Farms in Yadkinville, North Caroli yard shrub for a cottage garden. MR. At'!D MRS. ROBERT D. VOLK na, in a cluster ofwhite-flowering clethra in Kevin McCorkle MS. KATY MOSS WARNER MRS. HARVEY C. WHITE a pine-reforested area of Bladen County. Charlotte, North Carolina MR. JOHN W. WHITE It is not just another pink-flowered form MR. SAMUEL A. WIGLEY MRS. MARlLLYN B. WILSON of this species, of which there are several. For a Fern Valley Farms plant list, send a YACHT HAVEN GARDEN CLUB The summer leaves are a lustrous deep self-addressed envelope with 55 cents in MR. At'lD MRS. H. EMERSON YOUNG green and larger than those of the species. stamps to 1624 Fern Valley Road, Yad The racemes-as many as six per termi- kinville, NC 27055. 6 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 1997 fshoots SUMMER ON A DIME "I'd be too expensive for that kind of work. There are lots of kids looking fo r summer jobs who could clear brush. Give the W1i by Lucille Bellucci versity employment offi ce a call ." We pushed on, weavin g through branches and creepers. We ur back yard is nearly an acre, but all the silllshine we get ducked wlder the roses, whose canes soared toward the sky and can be focused on a dime, between 3:00 and 3:02 on the rested their chins in the crooks ofM onterey pines, looking for Silll. Oafternoon of the summer solsti ce . T hat is, las t summer's Well, aren't we aU? solstice. This year even that will be gone. The neighbors tell me He asked tentatively, "What about this holly?" No' I weave that the first owners of this old house loved to plant things. The Christmas garlands from this tree. The arborist glanced at me second owners and third owners planted some more things. When and sighed. "I suppose you'd wa nt to keep the cotoneaster. It's we came along, I took in our magnificent new yard ("Woodsy, pan a bit ... unruly." Bay vw, M UST see") and put in a dozen camelli as, all kinds, Why was he leaving it up to me? The cotoneaster was big and squeezed bet\veen and under the pines, spruces, and cedars. LU1 tidy, but a wonderful food source fo r wildlife. I had resuscitat That was 22 years ago, and now I can't see by daylight to peel ed generati ons of drunken robins. Red Lighming, my husband potatoes. We enjoy our "pan Bay vw" only in memory, or when called dle berri es . "Just prune a branch or t\vo so dle Silll can get my husband and I drop by our neighbors'. They were disciplined dlrough," I said. "And dlat crabapple can go. Be sure to treat dle about their back yard. stump so it doesn't grow back." I cO Llld be rudlless, in case he We decided to do something drastic. We needed balance and ever doubted it. harmony, a bit oflandscaping, and some color tlu-oughout the sea "No, really?" he said. H e sounded fain dy sarcastic. sons. An expert would know what to cut down and what to keep. "O f course. It's all over my roses. That's why they look like At $65 an hour, the arbOlist was far from helpful. H e walked giraffes." aroillld on our deck, craning his neck until I thought it would "What about dus plum u-ee? T he little fellow over there is an snap, then proceeded to destroy my estate. H e went straight to oak, he'll be arOLU1d long after the odlers are gone .... " the big coni fer that shaded picnics on our deck. An oak' I had a real oak! "This spruce has gone crazy. You can do without it," he said. "Get li d of dle ivy," I said fir mly. "Look at how aU dle trees are "It's full of birds," I protested. "Look, YO ll can see a couple of covered widl it. T he blackberri es have to come out, too." nests at the top." It was, besides, the healthiest spruce in the yard. "I told you," he said pati ently. "Yo u'd be throwing your Its foli age was blue like some I'd seen in upstate New York on a money away at my rates . Anybody can clear ground stuff. So, drive to Boston. We westerners have trees, oh yes we do, acres and what about this plum that's too bi g? And I counted at least a acres, but blue spruces are romantic. dozen camelli as. Who in his ri ght mind would plant that many As I feared, the next tree he marked for the a.,,( was a cedar, camellias? A few less would open up dle yard a bit and give tlle spindly and without hope. "That's why we called you in," I said. maple some room. You may even get some of your view back." "When you thin out the crowd "We've lived here 22 years," I aroillld it, the cedar will pick up." said. Tlus seemed to puzzle him. "It isn' t even an aromatic I meant there had been lots of cedar. You'd want to nourish an space when I planted my dozen aromatic. This should be kin camellias. "When can you start?" dling. " Kill my cedar just because H e looked up at the sky, as if it wasn't the aromatic variety? I the words he needed might be sought to disu-act the arborist. written there. Finally he said, "The brush could go," I "My son has a school breal< com said. "That's surely choking off i..ng up . I'll cau you." H e left . Slln and air at the roots. But not H e was gone before I could this bush here; some of the tell him o ne more thing . I loveli es t pink blossoms pop didn't want Ius son to go tram out in the spring. The bees go pling my lily-of-dle-vaUey. They crazy! That's a snowball bush thrive in the shade. over there, though it badly needs pruning. Couldn't you just Lucille Bell'bbcci gardens in thin out between them?" Oaleland, California. J ul)'/Aug~tst 1 9 9 7 TH E A ME RI C A N GA R D ENER 7 futu re AN ISLAND SANCTUARY Neck in 1969. Since then, he says, the sanctuary has become busier and more populated, "but it's still peaceful and beautiful." by Sara Epp Ben David describes Felix Neck as a "peninsula out into a tidal pond ... a very unique and diverse landscape, a beautiful piece of elix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on Martha's Vineyard, an island land, rich with wildlife." Over the years he has helped create a off the coast of Massachusetts, is 350 acres where children can number of wetlands and ponds to add to lie tidal marshes that Fstill see red -tailed hawks or rest by a pond after a stressful day. were already there. He and his staff maintain habitat for two pairs Here, troubled high school students learn the workings of the out of nesting ospreys, deer, songbirds, and many other animals. doors. Kindergartners hug sassafras trees, third-graders head to FelL'{ Neck offers visitors natural history programs, led by full the pond with nets, and fifth-grade students learn what happens time staff naturalist Alice Mohrman. They can also take wild to plants in winter. "It's a sanctuary, and I think it encompasses flower and insect walks, hike an interpretive trail, go star-gazing, everything that word means," says Anne Lenanager, a high school or simply enjoy the area. For elementary-age children, Ben David teacher who has been a volunteer at Felix Neck for 25 years. and Mohrman provide more hands-on experience, often bring "My great pleasure is to try to make things better for young ing animals into the classrooms. These include Ben David's great people," says Gus Ben David, director of the sanctuary, which is horned owl, Hoot, barn owls, golden eagles, and countless rep owned and operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. "I tiles. Mohrman also brings in turtles and, from dead birds, beaks live by a couple of sayings: 'The greatest thing you can do in life is and feet that show different natural adaptations. In the summer, to make people feel good about themselves.' The other is from Felix Neck hosts a natural history day camp for youngsters in Celeste Holm, the actress: 'We live by encouragement, and die kindergarten through eighth grade. without it, slowly, sadly, and anglily.'" The two believe that for children to fully appreciate the in Ben David incorporates these beliefs into his education of chil terrelationships ofland and wildlife, it's crucial to combine class dren. "You encourage children and they become productive. You room lessons witl1 the sensory experience of visiting Felix Neck. try to teach them kindness, to enjoy the beauty of nature. These Says Mohrman, "My first goal is to have them enjoy the outdoor are all things that help them become good human beings." experience. That way they'll want to keep exploring other places Last year, Ben David won the Garden Club of America's Eliz and, you would hope, be more aware of the reasons for protect abeth Abernathy Hull Award. The award goes to an individual ing nature." who "through working with children under 16 years ofage in hor Students living on Martha's Vineyard are challenged to weigh ticulture and the environment has inspired their appreciation of environmental issues, such as the question of preserving habitat the beauty and fragility of our planet." Those who nominated him for the endangered piping plover. Second-graders discuss the speak of his dedication, his charisma and enthusiasm, and his last need for plovers to find undisturbed places for their nests, and ing impact on the island. then are asked, "Where will Unlike many children today, people put their beach blan Ben David grew up with nature. kets?" Afterwards, they better "My real, intense yearning to understand the conflicts in learn about all forms of wildlife volved in resolving environ was innate," he recalls. " I can't mental questions. remember when I wasn't inter Ben David's teachings also ested. I've been around animals help adults see the big picture. both domestic and wild literally When asked what she had all my life ." learned from him, volunteer Today Ben David has a home Lenanager answered: "To do collection called "The World of things with a passion, and to Reptiles," to which he charges appreciate that the chickadee admission, and he trains hawks, coming to the bird feeder is eagles, and owls. But he also equal to the harlequin duck uses the animals as an educa to appreciate the beauty in the tional tool for the next genera everyday miracles." ~ I tion. His reputation as someone ------:-----2V> in tune with nature led to his ap Sara Epp is editorial assistant ~ pointment as director at Felix Gus Ben David introduces a feathered friend to Devin Colier. for The American Gardener. ~ 8 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 1997 4/, 9 a rd e n e rs I • I nformation service Are cashews true nuts.? Although they're commonly re have dle next pri ze-wu·uung plallt, or yo u may have a plallt mat ferred to that wfry,from a botanical point ofview I don't think flops over and is susceptible to all sorts of insect pests. they are. - S.M., via e-mail Some plants, ulcluding many roses and fruit trees, for example, You're correct. In The Book o/Edible N~t ts, audlor Fredelic Rosen aI-e grafted onto LlI1derstock, wluch tends to be a less showy but garten Jr. points out that "few botanical terms are used more hal·clier or more compact plallt. Seeds from grafted plants will ex loosely dlall dle word 'nut.'" According to dle strict botallical de lubi t the characteristics of dle part of dle plant mat produced me finition, dle cashew is a seed contained widlin a drupe-a stone fl ower, most commonly the overstock. fruit whose seed is protected by a hard casing wi dun a fl eshy layer. By comparison, the botalucal defilution of a nut is: "A type of I would like my brother to bring back some fruit dlat consists of one, often eclible, hard seed covered widl a French tarragon for me when he goes to France. What dry, woody shell mat does not split open at maturity." True nu ts are the rules for importing plants into the United States.? include chestnuts, filberts, and acorns. - FH., Ge1'mantown, Maryland The cashew fruit consists of two parts. T he cylindrical upper Importing plants into the U nited section, which is fi·om two to four inches long, is a fleshy, swollen States from another country is gov portion of stem known as the cashew apple. The juice from dlis erned by dle Animal alld Plant Healili "fruit" is used to make candies, sy rups, jams, vinegars, alld even Inspection Service (APHIS) of the wines. The kidney-shaped "nut" is contained \ovidlUl a semi-hard, U .S. Department of Agriculture. Ac grayish brown sbell, usually less dun half as long as dle apple, at cording to Carolyn Fitzgerald of tached beneath the cashew apple. The one-eighth-inch-thick APHIS's plant protection and quaran nutshell contains a toxic, resinous sap that is processed for use in tine import permit unit, live plants of a variety of commercial applications. The sap must be removed, most common culinary herbs, includ traclitionally by roasting, before the nuts can be harvested. ing French tarragon (Artemisia dra Much fascinating information about the cashew and many cunc~dus), can be imported UltO dle United States as long as mey other edible nuts can be found in Rosengarten's book, pub are packed in a sterile, soilless mix. li shed in 1984. To prevent soil organisms from arriving along with your plant, al l plallts brought into the United States must be free of Could you explain when collected seed is true sand, soil, earm, leaf mold, and ally oilier decayed vegetable mat to the parent plant? I collected seed from Aquilegia ter. To pack the plant for transport, you may use ground peat, For answers to your gardening questions, call Gardeners' Information Service at (800) 777-7931 ext. 31 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern Time, or e-mail [email protected]. July / AugttSt 199 7 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 9 00 k GOING COCONUTS ing the hard interior shell by the time it washes ashore. At that point the root Sources by Lon]. Rombough rapidly emerges to anchor the nut be fore it is carried back out to sea. The CRYSTAL COMPANY, hen concerns about the potential ecological damage husk resists satmation and helps protect 572 Leffingwell, caused by mining of peat bogs sUlfaced several years ago the germinating seed from excess salt. St. Louis, MO 63122, W [see "Is Peat P.c.?" in the December 1993 issue of In short, coconut husks stay Uluformly C~14) 966-5999. American HOl,ticulturistJ, it left gardeners in a bit of a quandary. moist, retain pockets of air, and decay FARM WHOLESALE, It was all very well for conservationists to suggest reducing the use slowly. SOUl1ds good already. And tests INC., 2396 Perkins of sphagnum peat moss, but what were we to use instead? have revealed other useful traits. Street, N.E., Salem, OR Among the possibilities suggested were a fiberglass material First, coir dust is highly compress 9730], (800) 825-1925. produced as blast furnace slag, lice hulls, and even wool. None of ible-experiments have shown it can GALUKU PTY, LTD., P.O. these, however, gave home gardeners a satisfactory substitute for hold up to 11 times its weight in water. Box 25~, Grosvenor the peat moss they rely on in potting soil and as a garden soil By comparison, peat moss absorbs fom Place, Sydney, NSW amendment. Compost can be used in the same way, but is richer to eight times its weight in water. This ;WOO Australia, phone: than peat and decomposes rapidly. quality allows coir dust to be shipped in e1-2-9337-2198, e-mail: In the last few years a more promising alternative has compressed "bricks" that expand dra [email protected]. emerged--coconut fiber dust, usually called coir dust or coco dust. matically when wetted. PEACEFUL VALLEY Some producers were calling it coco peat, but legal challenges from Coir dust and peat are quite sin1ilar FARM SUPPLY, P.O. Box the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association put a stop to that chemically, except coir dust usually con 2209, Grass Valley, CA practice in North America. tains higher levels ofpotassiUl11, sodiUl11, 95945, (916) 272-4769. A mixtme of powder and short fibers, coir dust is a by-product and chlorine. Researchers are unsure ofthe coconut fiber industry. In India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, whether elevated levels of potassiUl11 and sodium salts in coir dust Indonesia, and parts of Central America, coconut husks are are a result of coconut trees growing near seawater; the soaking of ground up and the long fibers separated out coconut husks in seawater before grinding; for malcing items such as rope and floor mats. fertilizing of coconut u'ees with potassiUl11- In these areas, coir dust often accumulates in and sodium-based fertilizers; or some com vast mounds near fiber-processing factories. bination of these factors. One other differ When the British colonized Ceylon ence is that the pH of coconut fiber is about now Sri Lanka-in the 19th century, the 6--closer to neutral than peat and ideal for ropes for their sailing ships were made ofcoiro many seedlings. The dusty residue from the rope-making process was shipped back to England and COIR PRACTICE used in horticultme. As sailing ships increas To gall more insight into coir dust, I test ingly were replaced by steamships in the early ed some myself. A block the size of a ma part of the 20th century, use of coir dust sonry brick expanded to fill a large waned accordingly. In the 1980s interest in dishpan-about nine quarts-with the coir dust revived in Emope, where Ul1drained fluffy material. A one-cubic-foot block peat bogs are increasingly scarce. Since then yielded about 15 gallons. both British and Dutch growers have been The first thing I noticed was the lack of using coir dust, groUl1d-up fibers, and even dust. Breaking up sphagnum always means shredded pieces of husk as a replacement for lots of som-smelling dust that takes hours peat in various horticultmal applications. to get out of my nose. Coir dust bricks were If you think about the way the coconut is too hard to break up while dry, but once designed, the value of the husk material is not wetted it took only about 10 to 15 minutes 0 surprising. Consider that coconuts are actu for them to swell and loosen enough to ~ . z ally large seeds dispersed by ocean cmrents, crumble. Once they are thoroughly mI xed ~ often floating for months. The nut some Buoyed by their husks, coconuts can with water you get a fluffy mass with a 3 times germinates while the coconut is still travel long distances by sea and color and odor similar to peat, but with a ~ adrift, with the root and incipient shoot fill- germinate before they reach land. more "grainy" texture, and no dust' ;3 10 THE AMERICAN GARDENER J uly/Augttst 199 7 Another thing I noticed is that coir dust doesn't shrink the way peat does. Peat-based soil mL'{es tend to shrink away from the Other Uses for Corr Media edges of pots when they dry, so water runs down the inside of the pot instead of re-wetting the soil. Soil mix made with coir dust oir dust is also proving to be an excellent base fOf stayed moist longer, didn't shrink, and immediately took up water turf~specially in golf greens. An Australian company again when wetted. Ccalled Galuku produces a baled coir product called An article in the trade magazine GrowerTalks says rose grow "Turf Organics" specifically for that market. Galliku is consid ers are using coir dust to root roses with better results than with ering offering its coir products in North America. peat. I tried some in place of peat in a mix I use to root grape cut The long fibers from coconut husks are showing promise tings. There were too many variables to be conclusive, but results as a hydroponic growing medium. With its resistance to were at least equal to what I get with a soil mix containing peat. degradation and ability to al!low good water circulation, coir Another trait I wasn't aware of until I saw it mentioned in ad provides a substitute for rock wool in many uses. Unlike rock vertisements for coir dust is that it seems to inhibit fungus gnats . wool, which is usually discarded after use, coir fiber can be Sure enough, I experienced no problems with fungus gnats in the composted or burned. pots that contained the coir soil mix. Where fungus gnats are a se Chwlks of coconut husk are being added (10 bark mixes rious problem, the slightly higher cost of coir dust might be off used to grow plants for cut flo wers, such as orchids and set by reduced labor and spray costs. anthuriums. -L.R. Not all my results were positive. Squash and melon seedlings in coir dust mixes became chlorotic and sickly. My son planted net is produced in Canada. As commercial use of coir dust increases tles--ordinarily a tenacious weed-in coir dust mix for a butter and production methods improve, the cost of coir dust should fly-raising project, and they grew poorly. Perhaps there was enough come down. And for tl1e home grower, coir dust seems to have remaining salt and the seedlings were sensitive to it. enough advantages to offset the slightly higher cost. Ifyo u add fertilizer to plants in a coir-dust soil mix, choose one It seems unlikely that coir dust will completely replace peat with low potassium because this is already present in coiroMiner moss in all uses, but as more gardeners learn to appreciate its als such as iron and boron can be fixed in coir dust, so watch for virtues, it will go a long way to reduce mining of peat moss from signs of deficiencies of these micronutrients and add them if nec fragile wetlands. And for the moment at least, we can take it for essary. Flushing coir dust with water before planting and watering granted that coconut fiber dust is a truly renewable resource. to runoff will help prevent buildup of excess salts. Because it is processed overseas and must be shipped to North Lon J Rombough is a free-lance writer and garden consultant in America, coir dust still costs a bit more than peat, most of which Aurora) Oregon. 5TH ANNUAL AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY CHILDREN'S GARDENING SYMPOSIUM JULY 31-AUGUST 2 AT THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN JOIN US AND LEARN HOW TO CREATE CHILDREN'S GARDENS DURI NG A WEEKEND PACKED WITH: CASE STUDIES NEW IDEAS WORKSHOPS fl ELD TRI PS RESOURCES fUN NEW fRIENDS INSPIRATION ~ Way to Growl* FOR DETAILS, CALL LYNNE HUBERT AT THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, (847) 835-8280. July/August 1997 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 11 natural • connections SERPENTINE BARRENS by DavidJ Ellis s they fanned out across North America, early settlers pe riodically came across largely treeless grassland areas hav A ing thin, poor soils and outcroppings ofsoft greenish rock. They quickly learned that trying to farm these areas was an exer cise in futility. It is believed that settlers coined the phrase "barrens" to de scribe these grasslands, which naturalists later identified as being underlaid by rocks containing the mineral serpentine. "The farm ers knew exacdy where the serpentine boundaries were," says Robert Smith, a geologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in Harrisburg. "In Lancast er [County, Pennsylvania] the boundaries of fields often come within a few feet of the edge of serpentine outcrops." Although farmers avoided these areas, naturalists found them to be havens for rare plants. In The Natural Geography ofPlants, Henry A. Gleason and Arthur Cronquist wrote, "One of the best places in the United States to look for previously unknown species of flowering plants ... is on serpentine. Every individual outcrop that has not already been carefully studied holds the potentiality of bearing a 'new' species." Serpentine barrens are fascinating subjects for study because they are low in the major nutrients plants need-nitrogen, phos phorus, potassium-and high in heavy metals that are toxic to most plants. Thus plants that survive in serpentine soils have made incredible adaptations to this inhospitable habitat. "Plants that can thrive with the unusual chemistry of soils weathered from serpentinite are stress tolerators," says Roger Latham, a biology professor at Swarthmore College in Swarth more, Pennsylvania. "Stress tolerance has metabolic costs. One of the manifestations of these costs is inherently slow growth and pro ductivity rates." Gary Kauffman, a botanist studying Buck Creek seFpentine bar where, millions of years ago, tectonic plates met and pushed up ren in the Nahantahala National Forest of North Carolina, says the earth's crust. According to Smith, "The present eastern that on serpentine it is common to see dwarf forms of common zone of serpentine is essentially the slippery surface upon which species, as well as plants that are at the extreme edges of their nor oceanic floor rocks were thrust up on top of the original conti mal range. "You see a lot of disjuncts here, a lot of prairie species nent." North America's serpentine barrens lie almost exclusively and grasses," he adds. in disjointed belts linked to mountain chains along the East and West coasts. On the East Coast, serpentine barrens lie along the GEOLOGY Piedmont from Georgia to New York and along the Appalachians Serpentine is actually a group of related minerals formed by the from New England to Newfoundland. In the West, barrens are alteration of magnesium-rich rocks. Pure serpentine is hydrat found from the coastal ranges of northern California into the ed magnesium silicate, but other elements are typically includ Siskiyou and Klamath mountains of southern Oregon. ed in serpentine rock, known as serpentinite. Serpentinite is usually olive green, but can range from black to yellow or red, A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT and is often speckled or motded with lighter colors. There are many theories for why serpentine barrens have such a Geologists believe serpentine outcrops are evidence of zones distinct ecology. According to Latham, the consensus is that 12 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 1997 most plants won't grow on serpentine soil because high levels of scribes as similar to "a miniature aloe without serrations on its magnesium block plants' abili ty to take in nutrients, especially leaves. It forms a litde rosette on serpentine and grows three to calcium. "Calcium and magnesium ions have the same electron four inches tall with beautiful bright pink flowers that open in structure, so the calcium uptake sites in plants may get filled wid1 me afternoon." magnesium," he says. Other explanations for serpentine soil toxicity are high con A VANISHING ECOSYSTEM centrations of heavy metals such as nickel, chromium, and cobalt, Serpentine barrens once covered much larger areas d1an d1ey do or extremely low concentrations of molybdenum, traces of which today. "Fire appears to be pretty much indispensable to me flora are needed by many plants for nitrogen fixation. It has also been on d1e serpentine barrens," says Lamam. "Wid10ut periodic fires, postulated d1at high concentrations of heavy metals in serpen organic matter builds up and insulates plants from d1e mineral tine soils kill off many common fungus species, including conditions of me bedrock." Since European settiement, a combi beneficial mycorrhizae mat certain plants need to survive. nation of fire control, quarrying, and development has taken its toll, however, and in many areas me growm of woody plants such as jw1ipers, pines, and deciduous hardwoods d1reatens to shade Moss phlox, out serpentine plants. opposite top, In normern Maryland and adjacent Pennsylvania, vast areas and fameflower, of grassland d1a.t once included me largest area of serpentine bar opposite bottom, rens in temperate eastern Norm America are now reduced to are commonly less man 3,000 acres of core habitat. An archipelago of eight found on eastern sites-known collectively as me State Line Serpentine Barrens serpentine barrens. is owned and managed by a medley of state and local govern Prescribed burns, ment, community, and private organizations in both states, left, are used to including me Nature Conservancy. help maintain The single largest barrens in d1e East is at Soldiers' Delight serpentine sites. Natural Environmental Area northwest of Baltimore, where barrens vegetation covers nearly 1,500 acres. Only a fraction of me site is pristine serpentine grassland; it is estimated that this is only five percent of me area covered by grassland before Eu ropean settlement. Prescribed burns have proven Resources usefiu in maintaining existing ser pentine barrens, but so far have The following references not been effective in restoring de will be helpful to those graded serpentine grasslands. interested in more in-depth "You just can't expect to con reading about serpentine duct a controlled burn in a fo r outcrops and the vegetation est that has t aken over a they support. serpentine grassland," Latl1am SERPENTINE AND ITS points out. "At this point it ap VEGETATION by Robert R. pears it wOlud take a very intense Brooks, Diosc:orides Press, fire like you would see after a se Portland, Oregon, 1987. vere drought." Instead, he says, TRACES ON THE Eastern serpen tine barrens are rich in prairie grasses, includ barrens' managers are exploring APPALACHIANS: A NATURAL ing little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indian grass combinations of tactics such as HISTORY OF SERPENTINE IN (Sorghastrum nutans), and purple three-awn (Aristida pur clear-cutting, light burns, and NORTHEASTERN AMERICA. purea), and wildflowers such as blazing stars, asters, and gold even grazing by goats. Kevin T. Dann, Rutgers enrods. One of the most familiar plants of norm eastern barrens There is still much work to be University Press, Rutgers, is moss phlox (Phlox subulata), me pink flowers of which can done, but mese memods have al New Jersey, 1988. be seen carpeting large areas of serpentine barrens in the spring. ready yielded glimpses of how For further information The association is so distinctive mat some serpentine outcrops these eastern prairies might have about serpentine barrens in are locally named "Pink Hill." looked before European setde Maryland and Pennsylvania, A more unusual plant, often seen in association with moss ment. One experiment produced contact either the phlox, is serpentine chickweed (Cerastium arvense var. villo a satisfying bloom of native MARYLAND HERITAGE AND sum, also known as C. velutinum). This serpentine endemic has warm -season annual grasses BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION gray-green foliage covered wim a thick layer of fine hairs. The where a monotonous tangle of PROGRAM, Tawes State velvety coat is an adaptation that helps the plant reflect sunli ght green briers had stood a year ear Office Building, E-1, and preserve moisture. lier. "For me first time, we were Annapolis, MD 21401, or the Serpentine aster (Aster depauperatus), a candidate for fed able to see and record the se PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER OF erallisting as an endangered or threatened species, is believed quence of serpentine grassland THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, to have evolved on serpentine and is restricted to serpentine succession," says Latham. Lee Park, 1100 East Hector throughout its range. Street, Suite 470, One plant that commonly displays dwarfism at serpentine David J. Ellis is assistant editor Conshohocken, PA 19428. sites is fameflower (Talinum teretifolium), which Latham de- of The American Gardener. July/August 1997 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 13 orer SISKIYOU: RARITIES FOR THE ing from California Polytechnic State ROCK GARDEN University at San Luis Obispo with a bachelor's degree in architecture. An t's always a good sign when a mail-order nursery manages to avid reader of gardening magazines and meet the needs of both novice and experienced gardeners. This books, he concluded that there was a Iis particularly true when the nursery specializes in alpine and rock dearth of good perennials in the trade, garden plants, some of which can be a little, well ... demanding, so in 1976 he launched a small whole- even for veteran gardeners. sale business in Califorrua. "I got seeds Tbe nursery is open Now in its 34th year of business, Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery from the Royal Horticultural Society far visitors from 9 a.m. in Medford, Oregon, caters to gardeners with not only a wide and other sources and started growing te 2 p.m. on the first range ofexperience, but also a wide variety of growing conditions. perennials people had never seen be- and last Saturday of Satisfied customers range from Norman Singer and Geoffrey fore," he says. Demand for his plants Charlesworth in Sandisfield, Massachusetts, well known for their caused the business to quickly outgrow eaGh month from long involvement with tl1e North American Rock Gardening So its initial location, so Mineo traveled to March through ciety, to Richard Harris of Reno, Nevada, who has been rock gar Oregon to scout out a new site. In 1978, November. Call (541) dening for less than tl1fee years. he and a partner bought Siskiyou from 772-6846 to make an "I think they certainly must have the most extensive offerings the original owners, Lawrence Crocker appointment to visit at of alpines and rock garden plants in North America," says Singer, and Boyd Kline, and moved it to four who was ordering from Siskiyou even before current owner Bal acres in the Rogue Valley of southwest- other times. dassare Mineo bought the nursery in 1978. "There's much more ern Oregon, at the edge of the small city available now-they have really expanded the stock." of Medford. Mineo bought out his partner in 1990 and has been Harris, on the other hand, sole proprietor ev~r since. "The first ordered from Siskiyou in Striking alpine founders started the nursery 1994, after he was inspired by a and rock garden here because their mentor, Mar visit to the Betty Ford Alpine plants such as cel LePiniec, told them the lin1- Gardens in Vail, Colorado. "1 Armeria maritima ited amount of rainfall and the thought alpines would be suit 'Rubrifolia', left, availability of rare native plants able for our garden here in Reno can be found in in the surrounding mountains because we at"e at about 5,000 Siskiyou's display made it an excellent valley for feet with a fair amount of snow garden, below. growing alpines," recalls Mineo. fall," he says. For his first order, When Mineo took over Harris sent in what he calls "a Siskiyou, he continued to offer substantial check" and asked tl1e northwestern natives but nursery to select the plants for began to add alpines from the him. "1 would say tl1e first order Himalayas and the Middle came through its first year with East. "As n ew areas h ave fewer than 10 percmt losses, but opened up for seed collect the second round I selected my ing-in China, South Africa, self and I've had less success with and South America, for in- 0 those, probably because I'm stance- we have continued to ~ new to rock gardening." Harris broaden our offerings." ~ has nothing but praise for Siski Most of the plants Siskiyou '"~ you's staff. "They're delight sells are grown on site from ;3 ful-they always write personal seeds and cuttings. "We have ~ notes with the orders. If! have a introduced over 20 different (; > question they will readily give forms that have come our way ~ me an answer. It has been a total or we've discovered in the!§ pleasure dealing with tl1em." wild- we are always finding ~ Mineo got his start in the re things that nature is making for 5 tail nursery trade after graduat- us o n onr grounds ." A new iE 14 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/Augus t 199 7 plant Siskiyou is working with is an as yet unnamed sport of Oenothera berlandieri 'Siskiyou', which Mineo says has "star tlingly yellow mottled leaves-it could be a very exciting plant EDUCATING THE HORTICULTURISTS in t11e future." Cecilia Canning, a resident of Arlington, Texas, says she has Of THE 21 ST CENTURY been ordering from Siskiyou for several years because t11ey offer plants she can't get locally. "This year I ordered a verbena called 'Texas Form'." This hybrid verbena is a low, spreading plant wim large pink and white flower clusters from summer t11fough f:'lil. She has also had success witl1 daphnes and some miniature nandinas, including Nandinadomestica var. capillus 'Tamu Shishi', a sL"X -by six-inch dwarf she planted in her shade garden. Canning says Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pi.nk', a recent Siskiyou introduction, "has also done well-it's really drought tolerant." Scott Reeves, production manager at Tree Search Farms, a wholesale nursery in Houston, experiments witl1 Siskiyou plants for possible use at his nursery. "The challenge for us is heat and hu midity. We have a very difficult time wim heavy clay soil, too," he explains. Among me plants mat have shown promise are G. lind heimeri, California fuchsias (Epilobium spp., formerly Zauschner ia), and various cultivars of crimson flag (Schizostylis coccinea), a Soum African member of me iris fanlliy. "I dunk mere is a good enough product mix in t11e catalog for anyone in me country to find something, as long as mey do a little homework," says Reeves. 66. think there is a good enough product mix in the catalog for anyone in the country to find something." Whether they're students just leaving home or older adults changing careers, gen erations of budding horticulturists have benefited from American Horticultural One customer who did just mat is John Shelley, who owns a Society internships. At our public garden, they gain experience in: garden center and nursery in Felton, Pennsylvania. "I was look • Researching questions for our Gardeners' Information Service. ing for a supplier of miniature perennials and dwarf conifers to grow in troughs mat we make ourselves," he says, "and Siskiyou • leading activities for children through our living lab program. was one of me companies we heard a lot about." Shelley now of • Sharing advice with visitors to our National Home Composting Park. fers nearly 200 Siskiyou perennials, including "some saxifrages, • Guiding visitors around our historic grounds. trilliums, pussytoes, and Androsace--a real hodgepodge of things • Managing our annual Seed Exchange Program for members. to give different colors and bloom times." Anomer long-time Siskiyou customer is Betty Blake of Onsted, Our location in the Washington, O.c., metropolitan area allows interns to visit gar Michigan, who has been ordering from me nursery for more man dens at the U.S. National Arboretum, Brookside Gardens, longwood Gardens, 25 years. "I tI1ink it's a wonderful place. When Baldassare and his Winterthur, and Monticello. They attend meetings such as the American Horticultural Society's National Youth Gardening Symposium, the native plant con partner first bought me nursery we had planned a trip out West, so ference at Millersville, Pennsylvania, the perennial plant conference at Scott we called ahead to see ifitwas all right to visit. It turned out we were Arboretum, and the historic Williamsburg Garden Symposium co-sponsored by meir first visitors," recalls Blake. Siskiyou plants in Blake's rock gar AHS. You can help us expand these opportunities even more with donations ear den include a miniature heuchera (Heuchera cylindrica var. glabel marked for our intern program. They are fully tax-deductible. la 'Siskiyou'), a baby's-bream (Gypsophila aretioides), and a shooting star (Dodecatheon hendersonii). "One thing I got from mem mat has been truly wonderful is a phlox hybrid called 'McDaniel's Cush ion', which is bright pink witl1 a large flower," she adds. In West Vancouver, British Columbia, retired teacher Bob Woodward integrates Siskiyou plants into his mountainside rock garden. "They have had some very special daphnes in me last two to Wee years, rare high-alpine daphnes-tricky plants-mat are just unavailable elsewhere in me United States," he observes. Despite what Woodward describes as "bureaucratic problems" wim importing plants from the United States into Canada, he continues to order regularly from Siskiyou. "They have a real de votion to what mey are doing and carry a number of specialty FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR INTERN PROGRAM AND HOW YOU CAN plants that you can't get anywhere else. The plants are very well BE ASUPPORTER, CALL HELEN WALUTES AT (800) 777-7931 EXT. 12. grown and excellently packaged and shipped." -D.E. July/August 1997 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 15 9 a ener HIGH ON ROSES Story and photographs by Barbara Dege y rose garden is one of the great joys of my life. I love step ping out my back door to admire their forms and sniff the Mfreshly opening blooms. It's easy to forget that I'm stand ing on an apartment balcony, six flights up. My total gardening space measures just five by 15 feet, but I've managed to squeeze in up to a half-dozen rose varieties in a sea son. Hybrid teas, floribundas, and miniatures all perform spkn didly for me in containers. Apartment balconies do present challenges as garden spaces, of course, and each individual terrace has to be considered a unique microclimate. Before buying any plants, take stock of your local conditions. Does your patio face directly into the broiling sun, or is shade a problem? Do you overlook a sheltered courtyard, or are your plants battered by high winds? And, to be really practical, just how far is it from the kitchen water tap to your plants? bundas and hybrid teas. Floribundas make a showy splash on the While a little extra dedication can overcome most of these prob terrace with their stocky habit and clusters of medium-sized flow lems, roses won't prosper in deep shade from neighboring build ers. The vigorous 'Europeana' has old-fashioned-Iooking dark red ings or overhanging terraces. You'll avoid disappointment-and flowers and is wonderfully hard to kill, and 'Angel Face', while save money-ifyou choose other plants for these shadowy nooks. more prone to blackspot, is irresistible for its soft lavender petals. My own balcony faces north, but gets sun until 2 p.m. in mid My personal favorites, however, are the hybrid teas. Give me summer. It's also completely exposed to the prevailing winds, and one huge, handsome bloom instead of a cluster of tiny ones any especially in spring, cold westerly gusts rake across the concrete day! I try to select short, sturdy varieties that won't become too surface. In spite of the less than ideal conditions, my container lanky by season's end. Very tall canes are vulnerable 1'0 wind roses are among my most successful balcony plants. damage; I look for plants that can be easily kept to three feet or less. The red-and-white 'Double Delight' has a naturally bushy PICK YOUR PLEASURE shape, but surprisingly delicate canes. 'Fragrant Cloud' is more Except for the huge climbing and shrub roses, any variety can be upright and grows a little taller, but both are worth a bit offuss grown in a container. The only real limiting factor is the size of the for their fragrance. tub you are willing to provide. As a class, though, hybrid teas are tougher than their glamorous The marvelous miniatures make a good choice for your first flowers might lead you to guess. I delight in picking big bunches growing season. "Miniature" in this case refers to the size of the blossom, not the plant. Some minis are really small shrubs, two feet high and two feet wide, loaded with clusters of one-inch Despite the less than ideal blooms. Micro-mini-roses, on the other hand, are tiny enough conditions, my container roses to live happily in six-inch pots, and you can combine several in a larger container for a spectacular show. A favorite mini of mine are among my most successful is 'Starina', which gets barely more than a foot high and wide, balcony plants. blooms nonstop in a vibrant orange-red, and rarely has any prob lems with disease. Others I find rewarding are the deep red 'Cen terpiece' and 'Old Glory', also red but with a touch of yellow at of ,Peace' roses from a huge bush that somehow manages to thrive the base of the petal. in a 16-inch pot. So don't hesitate to give your favorites a chance. Ifyou 're looking for an indestructible rose for your first exper If your terrace is sheltered from high winds, you should try iment, try 'The Fairy'. This polyantha shrub rose will reward you a tree rose or two. The lushly flowering heads perched on two with nearly nonstop clusters ofsmall pink flowers, will remain com or three-foot stalks will add drama and a dimension of height pact all season, and is remarkably winter hardy. to your rose garden. Since tree roses are top-heavy by nature, For larger blossoms to pick for arrangements, consider the flori- careful staking is essential. Some hybrids are chosen to train in 16 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 1997 dlis manner because of their vigor-translating to a lot oftime roses are leafing out and getting established, and petunias can com with the pruners or a top that will catch too much wind on a plement dle rose blossoms when things heat up. Last season, I balcony. A consulting rosarian for the American Rose Society planted a single 'Purple Wave' petunia in each rose mb, so mat me (ARS) said I should try 'Bill Warriner' if! wanted one that was flowers cascaded over meir rims and right over me edge of me bal more restrained. cony. All dle neighbors were impressed by my "hanging garden"! THOUGHTS ON POTS SUMMER SURVIVAL Once you've decided what to plant, it's time to consider con Once your roses have leafed out, it's time to start your summer tainers and growing media. The sad truth of apartment gar maintenance plan. dening is that every pot, plant, and speck of soil must be lugged Unfortunately, any container plant requires more water dlan inside, upstairs, and dlrough the house. For someone like me dle same plant would in a garden. I water whenever me soil sur who lacks upper body strength, weight is a real problem. For face looks dry. In midsummer, when dle heat shimmers off me concrete balcony floor, a medium-sized pot can suok up a gallon of water a day. (This will be reduced somewhat if you have shade Far left: 'Double or if yo u use mulch, or you might want to experiment widl mois Delight', 'Sweet ture-retaining crystals.) I also add a liquid rose fertilizer every Innocence', and week. Widl containers, dle leaching of chemicals into surround 'Peace' form a lush ing soil and groundwater becomes a non-issue, although salt rose garden six build-up can be a problem. Rose growers who want to avoid flights up. Left: The chemical fertilizers use alfalfa meal or greensand, and add bone author enjoys the meal or rock phosphate a couple of times a year. A foli ar spray of heady fragrance of liquid seaweed can also give roses a boost. her balcony roses. Hot sun and drying winds don't discourage me bugs and fun gus spores from malcing meir appointed rounds. Aphids are only a minor annoyance for me, but blackspot is a serious problem, and having the bushes right outside your living room window makes it hard to ignore a severe case of blacks pot or mildew. I spray mem widl a combination fimgicide-insecticide available at my local gar- The sad truth of apartment gardening is that every pot, plant, and speck of soil must be lugged upstairs and through the house. this reason, I always use plastic pots (with good drainage) and den center, just enough to get mem wet. Some growers use sul a lightweight soilless growing mix . fur sprays or homemade solutions containing baking soda to A full-size mini-rose needs a 12-inch pot. Anything larger needs prevent fungal diseases; me first leave a slight residue and me lat at least 16 inches, and an 18-inch tub will give me roots more ter seem to meet widl mixed success. A new neem-based product room to roam and cut down on dle need to water. Just remem called Rose Defense [see "Fungicide Follies," Marchi April ber, as pot diameter increases, me quantity of soil needed to fill it "Focus" section] is said to control bom fungi and insects. burgeons dramatically. Evenmally, as me days shorten and me weamer cools, my roses If you're a beginner widl roses, you might want to buy potted stop producing, but I have no cool, frost-free place to store mem plants from a local nursery. Just tip me bush out of its container for me winter. Now what? (watch fordl0rns! ), set it in your mb, and fill in wim potting medi Winter protection of balcony plants here in USDA Zone 6 is a um. Add water and presto' An instant rose garden. challenge. On my windswept balcony, I can expect to take some If you drool over catalogs like I do or if you have old favOlites losses. During me winter ofl995-96 (known here in me Norm dlat you can get only wough mail-order, dlere's no reason why east as "the winter from hell"), only half my bushes pulled you can't succeed ,vidl those plants, which are shipped bare root d1fough. TheARS rosarian recommended mat me following win in late winter. Just remember to soale your new roses overnight in ter I experiment wim a wrap of pine branches and burlap; I tried a bucket of water, and make sure your growing medium is moist a variation, wrapping me whole works in a garden fabric d1at I at before you start to plant. If you're using a soilless mix dut does tached to my balcony. The protection from winter sun and wind n't contain a wetting agent, hot water helps penetrate me dry peat may have helped, since I had a high survival rate. moss. Then you can pot me rose pretty much as you would plant I've fOLU1d my balcony roses to be even more rewarding man it in ilie ground, makin.g a mound of soil and spreading dle bare me ones I used to grow in ilie ground. Up here, I have no heavy roots over it. Then fill dle container wim medium and water gen soil to loosen, no tree roots to battle, and no weeds to pull. Best erously. If me weadler is still cold and windy, pile up extra soil to of all, I enjoy beautiful blossoms almost literally under my nose. I keep me canes from drying out wIllie me roots are getting a grip. don't even have to cut mem to enjoy meir color or fragrance. I A light mulch will keep dle roots cooler in hot weamer and re just sink into my patio lawn chair and take a deep breadl. duce me need for watering. Instead of mulch, I like to add color to my rose mbs widl annuals. Pansies perk up dle tubs while dle Barbara D ege is a free-lance writer in H ackensack, New j e1'sey. J ~tl)'/August 199 7 THE AMERI CAN GARD ENE R 17 Weinberg As we drove south from·Calgary, the Canadian Rockies loomed to the west as stark monoliths. Yet we knew that those seemingly barren summits-with their green belts of conifers and the valleys encircling their ridges- ~alla(iial1 Roclcies harbor a great deal oflife. What an exciting with an article in National Geographic and place to hike and search for mountain wild a brochure about a trip to the area spon flowers! Finally, after months of reading sored by the American Horticultural Soci and laying the groundwork for this trip, my ety. We prefer to set our own pace however, husband and I were about to make our first lingering or moving on when we choose. I attempt at alpine botanizing. started to collect books about the area, and Some gardeners think the word I wrote to the Calgary Chapter of the North "botanize" applies only to professional American Rock Garden Society. Two plant explorers who comb the world for members wrote back: Sheila Paulson, the uncataloged treasures. But president, and Pam Eveleigh, editor of their any gardener who can put newsletter, who went so far as to photo plants in the ground right copy trail maps with lists of plants to search side up has acquired at least for along each. I also wrote to the Alberta a rudimentary knowledge tourist office for their travelers' guide. of botany and can become I bought three floras specific to Alberta. a "botanizer" by simply Two contained plant photographs and the seeking out and identifYing other, illustrations, most arranged by color wildflowers in their native of blooms. All had glossaries of botanical habitats. The pursuit has terms that would prove helpful in pinpoint been made possible for ing details. I wasn't bothered by the fact more people than ever with that in some cases I was only able to identi the publication of hikers' fY the plant's family and genus, but hikers floras-handbooks of an determined to identifY plants at the species area's vegetation written for level will need a flora with taxonomic hobby naturalists rather "keys"- 20 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/ August 1997 Calladia11 Roclcies and humidity is almost non-existent. The towns of Calgary, Jasper, and Edmonton have average summer highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid-50s-colder on elevat ed trails. Banff can drop into the 40s at night, and snow can fall in any month. We were glad we'd packed both sweaters and windbreakers. At the highest elevations, we needed to pull on gloves. On the other hand, the phenomenon called the chi nooks-warm westerly winds that rise up Thoughts on Collection hen you're botanizing, you have to abandon a garden W er's mind set and resist the temptation to bring any of the flora home with you. In most state and na tional parks it is illegal-not to men tion unethical-Iro collect plants. You might collect a few seeds from alpines that are abundant, if you are an ardent rock gardener who can germinate and grow them. Consider that the heat and humidity in your home garden is likely to mean failure. Our New Jersey garden is cooled by its location in a valley, but the damp air would prove fatal to many alpines, especially those of the western Rockies. Of course, since the objective of the trip is 1'0 identifY and learn more about the plants you see, you may want to bring back some pressed specimens. Again, if the plants are plentiful, you may feel comfortable collecting and pressi.m.g the flower and stem of an un known along with a bit ofleaf and any seed vessels that are present. I press each specimen separately between the pages of a telephone book, later adding weight to the closed book. If you need mementos ofless plentiful plants, brush up on. your photography or sketching skills. Concentrating on the flowers in this way will also help you with identification. Once you're on an isolated moun tainside, your conscience will have to be your guide. The most guilt-free course to take is to get permission to collect a few seeds and specimens by talking to the park superintendent. He or she can also warn you about any rare species you should treat with spe- cial respect. -R. W 22 THE AMERICAN GARDENER (,alladiall Rockies and over the mountains from the Pacific south of Kananaskis Village at Highwood can raise temperatures as much as 30 de Pass is Ptarmigan Cirque (a cirque is a steep grees in a few hours, so dressing in layers hollow gouged by glaciers at the upper end proved to be a good idea. of a mountain valley). Members of the Cal gary Chapter of the North American Rock The Adventure Begins Garden Society had highly recommended We began our Canadian Rockies adventure the cirque for plant exploring. Here a for by flying to Calgary and then driving south est of spruce and fir quickly changes to 150 miles to Waterton Lakes National Park, boulder fields where cushions of drabas, which with Glacier Nation saxifrages, and anemones are colorful in al Park across the border in June and July. the United States forms Wa Near Kananaskis Village are such easy terton -Glacier International trails as Aspen, Hay Meadow, and Skogan Peace Park. Waterton is a Pass. On these we spotted bunchberry splendid place for novice (Corn us canadensis), a deep purple del botanizers because the rela phinium, and many species ofpotentillas, va tively small area of203 miles lerians, and penstemons. We switched trails is a meeting place for prairie mid-stream when signs warned of bears. and mountain flora . Mid June is usually best here for A Breathtaking Drive observing prairie plants; From Kananaskis we headed north again mid-July for alpines. on Route 93, part of which is the Bow Val Approaching the village ley and Icefields parkways. The drive has ofWaterton, we passed its been called the most beautiful in the world. landmark, the Prince of On both sides of the road are great, hulk Previous page: Members Wales Hotel, high on a hill overlooking ing mountains that glisten red and gold of the Nortb American upper Water ton Lake. Built in 1927, the when touched by sunlight. Here and there Rock Garden Society hotel has been a savior to residents below ever-moving cloud shadows appear like rib explore mountain when severe flooding forces them to flee to bons of dark velvet. A cursory study of the tundra. Above: Pulsatilla this higher ground. Some of the trails had area's geology taught me that the Canadi occidentalis. Opposite: in fact been flooded out the spring before an Rockies were formed tens of millions of Cut-leaf anemone, our visit, but in August, the hills and fields years ago when a shallow sea gradually filled Anemone multifida. sported many accessible treasures. up to become a marshland. Tectonic plate Some of the easier trails start near the movement caused it to rise up as elongat hotel. Others can be found within half an ed folds with tilted layers of sedimentary hour's drive at Cameron Lakeshore, rock. Today, the tongues of glacial ice that Akima Lake, Red Rock Canyon, Rowe cut through the rock are remnants of the Lake, and Blakiston Falls. A standout in last of several ice ages occurring 10,000 the meadows of this area were profuse years ago. drifts of the scarlet paintbrush, Castilleja About four miles south 00asper is the miniata. Elsewhere we saw yellow- and Whistlers Mountain Tramway, which rises pink-flowering species of this genus. In a abruptly to 7,500 feet. Mid-August wasn't dry, open field was a yellow form of the ideal season to hike at this elevation; Anemone multijida. Three species of rose light drizzle and fierce winds ran us off after were also here, but the plants don't look an hour. Yet that was long enough to see anything like garden shrubs because that many beautiful plants grow in this they're browsed by grizzly bears. harsh environment: Dryas (creeping ever Other plants to look for in high mead greens that are also called mountain avens ), ows at Waterton are gentians, erigerons, cassiopes, potentillas, and the arctic louse crepis, and lupines, and on sunny screes, wort, to name a few. The latter, Pedicularis Sedum lanceolatum. Species of Trollius and arctica, has fernlike foliage and racemes of Erythronium grow along streams and in flowers with arching "beaks." The small other wet places. In heavy woodlands, we white flowers of a Dryas that we decided marveled at Chimaphila umbellata, the was probably D. octopetala subsp. hookeri pipsissewa, with delicate pink flowers. If ana were fully open, while D. octopetala far you climb into the tundra in June, you'll below already sported feathery seed pods. probably see Silene acaulis and Arabis lyal Throughout Jasper are many trails suit Iii, both miniature beauties. ed to a range of walking abilities. Recom After a few days we drove north to mended to me were the Mount Edith Kananaskis Provincial Park. About 50 miles Cavell Meadows, Sentinel Pass from 24 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July / August 1997 Moraine Lake and Larch Valley, and trails As our trip neared its end, it was time for to both Helen Lake and Dolomite Pass our anticipated half-day walk with a com from the Icefields. We found a trip to Pyra mercial guide organization called White mid and Patricia lakes most interesting, and Mountain Adventures. They took us on a it was here that I found yarrows (Achillea bus to the 7,200-foot summit of Sunshine millefolium) with flowers of a deeper, rich Mountain outside Banff. To our amaze er red than I had ever seen in a perennial ment, several inches of snow covered the border. Descending south again, at the ground on August 17, but scraping away northern end of Banff National Park we ar bits here and there, we found nicely bloom rived at the Parker Ridge ing erigerons, the grass ofParnassus (Par Trail, another place to see nassia fimbriata) with delicate fringes on Silene acaulis. A good spec the petals, and a dwarf willow, Salix bar imen carries multitudes of rattiana) with creamy white catkins. small pink florets on a cush Seeing these plants in their mountain ion as broad as three feet. homes emphasizes more clearly than any Unfortunately, it's notori book how precise their growing conditions ously difficult to grow well need to be. When growing any plant, you in lowland rock gardens. should study the conditions under which it Another area we ex is found in nature-dry or damp, solitary plored was a trail near Peyto or growing amid other meadow flowers, in Lake wit h its gorgeous gravelly scree or humus-covered woodland. turquoise waters. Along this Alpines are more exacting than most. The road, fruiting Pulsatilla oc closer you can simulate their natural habi cidentalis or "towhead ba tat, the greater will be your success. bies" tossed their feathery For us there was a special joy in merely Above: Parnassia seed pods, and in a boggy ditch was a small observing them and in sharpening our fimbriata, t l.l e fri nged clump of the northern green orchid, botanizing skills, which can be exercised as grass of Parnassus, has Habenaria hyperborea. Along a stream else easily in the nearest state park or aban delicate fringe at the base where we came upon what probably was doned farm field as on a l O-day hike. As my of each petal. Opposite, the white rein orchid, H. dilatata. The husband and I drove east to the Calgary clockwise from top left: word "rein" refers to the narrow lip on Airport I thumbed through several floras , A willow herb (Epilobium) each flower. reliving all we'd seen. I was eager to fly blooms alongside a For those who prefer a guide to lead the home, process our film, and identifY the stream; Silene acaulis, or way, many parks have well qualified natu trickier species. Photographs help cement moss campion; Dryas ralists. Some are employees ofprivate, com the details, but as all flower lovers know, the octopetala, or mountain mercial organizations, and others are under memory of a beautiful specimen in bloom avens; and Habenaria the aegis of the government. Because they cannot be easily erased from the mind. hyperborea, the northern are accustomed to working with the broad green orchid. er public, however, they will tend to use Ruby Weinber;g is a free-lance writer living common names in identifYing plants. in Califon) New Jersey. Sources and Resources The author used these f ield guides on her Alberta trip: NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS, WESTERN REGION, by Richard Spellenberg. Alfred A. Knopf, New York City. $19 suggested retail. PLAN'I'S OF WATERlON-GLACIER NATIONAL PARKS by Richard 1. Shaw and Danny Orr. Mountain Press, P.O. Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806. $12 plus $3 postage. ROCKY MOUNTAIN WIl.DFLOWERS by A. E. Porsild. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa K1AOM8, Canada. $11 .95 U.S. For traveler'S information, contact: ALBERTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM, Box 2500, Edmonton, Alberta 15:1 2Z4, Canada, (800) 661 -8888. CHINOOK COUNTRY l OURIST ASSOCIATION (southwest Alberta), 2805 Scenic Drive TGB, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 5B7, Canada, (800) 661 -1222. Information on alpine plant sources and seed exchanges is available through: NORTH AMERICAN ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY, P.O. Box 67, Millwood, NY 10546, (914) 762-2948. 26 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/ August 199 7 '" ~ ~ ,.., i'1' w .'/1 ~1 ill ,~ ~ " I:! ~ i!i were formerly; included in l)alcas genus Petalostemon-now abandoned by than blooming all at once, the flowers on a As the name implies, the flowers of D. taxonomists-and some dale as are still list given spike open sequentially, starting as a purpurea are purplish blue. Individually ed under that name in nursery catalogs. The ring around the bottom of the spike. As the quite small, they are densely packed into a current genus name commemorates Samuel spike matures the lower flowers fade and narrow, conelike spike that is usually about Dale (1659-1739), an English botanist. Re the adjacent ones open, making it appear an inch tall. Each spike sparkles with deli membering Dale's name when pronounc that the ring of flowers is moving up the cate, bright orange anthers that protrude ing Dalea (DAY-Iee-uh) helps prevent spike. Dalea leaves are divided into slender from each flower. confusion with those late season tender leaflets. In many species they are covered The flowering season of purple prairie bulbs in the genus Dahlia (DAL-yuh). with tiny glands containing aromatic oils clover is mid-June through July, making it Most of the more than 160 Dalea that give off a faint fragrance when crushed. a valuable addition to landscapes that are species that have been described are na subject to midsummer doldrums. As an tive to northern Mexico and the south Early Acclaim added bonus, the flowers are fragrant and western United States, but their range in Like many American natives now gaining attract butterflies and bees. the wild extends through the Great more attention in their homeland, daleas Purple prairie clover has a rather bushy Plains north to central Canada and east were first cultivated in Europe in the early habit, reaching between one and three feet to Illinois and parts of the Southeast. 1800s. The 1813 catalog of "Messrs. Fras- tall, but generally staying closer to two feet. Like Gattinger's prairie clover (previous page), leafy prairie clover (far left) is restricted mainly to southeastern cedar glades and barrens. Round headed prairie clover (left) blooms mid-July into September from Texas to Nebraska. Silky prairie clover (opposite) is a Great Plains native with graceful, rose colored flower spikes. Like most members of the pea or er's Nursery for Curious American Plants" It is usually densely branched and produces legume family (Fabaceae), daleas have small of London offered four daleas, including numerous flower spikes on the tips of the pea-type flowers that occur in heads or Dalea purpurea, the purple prairie clover. stems. The small, dark green leaves are die spikes. These inflorescences may be dense Today this is probably the best known and vided into three to seven leaflets, so that the and rounded or elongate and conelike. most widely available member of the foliage looks fine-textured. One appealing aspect of prairie clovers is genus, and well illustrates the ornamental Native to prairies and woodland open the pattern in which they flower. Rather attributes of the prairie clovers. ings across a large portion of the Midwest and Great Plains, purple prairie clover is well adapted to hot, dry, sunny locations. Sources Its restrained growth habit makes it an at tractive addition to perennial beds or bor FLOWERY BRANCH SEED COMPANY, P.O. Box 1:BO, Flowery Branch, GA 30542, ders, and other than being best suited to a (770) 536-8380. Catalog $4. Dalea aurea. sunny spot and well-aerated soil, purple ION EXCHANGE, 1872 Old Mission Drive, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146-7533, (319) prairie clover has no special requirements. 535-7231. www.ion~(hange.com. Catalog free. D. candida, D. gattingeri. Removing spent flower spikes will result in PLANTS OF THE SOUTHWEST, Agua Fria, Route 6, Box 11A, Santa Fe, NM 87501, reblooming later in the summer. Persistent (505) 471-2212. www.plantsofthesouthwest.com. Catalog $3.50. D. aurea, seed clusters add interest to the plant in fall D. frutescens, D. purpurea, Psorothamnus scoparius. and early winter. PRAIRIE MOON NURSERY, Route 3, Box 163, Winona, MN 55987, (507) 452-1362. The ornamental attributes of D. pur Catalog $2. Dalea candida, D. purpurea, D. vil/osa. purea are mirrored in several other mem PRAIRIE NURSERY, P.O. Box 306, Westfield, WI 53964, (608) 296-2741. Catalog $3. bers of the genus, each exhibiting slight D. candida, D. purpurea. variations on the basic prairie clover theme. YUCCA DO NURSERY, P.O. Box 450, Waller, TX 77484-0655, (409) 826-6363. Among other purple-flowered species [email protected]. Catalog $3. D. greggii. are three that typically inhabit drier sites than D. purpurea. Slimleaf prairie clover 30 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 1997 Except for its white flowers, white prairie clover (above) is almost identical in appearance and range to purple prairie clover. Several shrubby daleas, including trailing indigo bush (opposite left), shrub dalea (opposite center), and black dalea (opposite right), are beginning to attract the attention of nursery owners and landscape designers in southwestern cities such as Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Austin. (D. tenuifolia) occurs on rocky upland sites in the sandhills prairie region of north cen more floriferous. Its blooming season ex in shortgrass prairie country from Kansas tral Nebraska and the sand sage prairies of tends from mid-July into September. and Colorado south into New Mexico and Kansas. This affinity for sand may limit the Native from Texas north into Nebraska, Texas. Gattinger's prairie clover (D. gat adaptability of this plant for heavier soils, round-headed prairie clover typically occurs tingeri) and leafY prairie clover (D. foliosa) but its beauty makes it worth the effort of in dry, rocky prairie habitat. Combining are native to cedar glades and barrens in providing good drainage. hardiness with abundant flowering, a re central Tennessee and adjacent Alabama, fined growth habit (one to two feet high), with Gattinger's also occurring in Georgia Alternatives to Purple and foliage that produces a spicy fragrance and Missouri. Leafy prairie clover is also Alth.ough the purples and pinks offer eye when crushed, this plant would make an known from a few hilltop prairies in north catching color, two white-flowered daleas excellent addition to any sunny garden or eastern Illinois; it was thought to be extinct also have fine ornamental attributes. perennial border. there for a number of years until rediscov White prairie clover (D. candida) oc Writing about the round-headed prairie ered in the 1970s. curs throughout much of the range of pur clover in his 1961 book, Kansas Wild Flow With its dusty rose-colored flowers and ple prairie clover and is essentially identical ers, William Chase Stephens puzzled, silvery foliage, silky prairie clover (D. vil except for its bright white flowers. It makes "When we see the bush at the height of its losa) is somewhat reminiscent of the pop a fine garden plant, although it can some bloom in July, crowned with a multitude of ular Veronica cultivar 'Minuet'. Silky prairie times look dingy when the flowers are fad fragrant flower heads, we wonder that we clover is similar in height to Dalea pur ing. It is probably the second most widely hav not made more use of it in our gardens purea, but its stems are less rigid and cre grown member of the genus. and1 rlhat the Cyclopedia ofHorticulture does ate a more graceful, arching effect. Its Round-headed prairie clover (D. mul not mention it, while Hortus gives it but flowers occur in tapering spikes up to four tiflora) is another white-flowered species. two barren lines." More than 30 years later, inches long. Its flower heads are smaller and more nu we can still ask the same question about its Silky prairie clover is native to a large merous than those of D . candida, and absence from nursery catalogs. portion of the Great Plains, but is restrict rounded rather than conelike. The plant is Purples, pinks, and white do not ex ed to sandy soils. It is particularly abundant also more densely branched and thus looks haust the color range of the daleas. The 32 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/ August 1997 flowers of the golden dalea (D. auna) are In his journal he recorded the discovery of mont's dalea (Psorothamnus fremontii), a pleasant bright yellow, occurring in spikes "a beautiful dalea"-one on which the Thompson's dalea (P thompsoniae), and one-half to three inches tall. Barr described species name formosa, meaning handsome, broom dalea (P scoparius) warrant mention it as "a plant of distinction and charm." It would later be bestowed. as closely related species witll superior or is also known as silktop dalea, in allusion to namental value. Thompson's dalea has been the long, plumelike bracts and calyx teeth Shrubby Daleas described as "bizarrely beautiful" in a nurs that persist after flowering, giving the seed Known by the common name of feather ery catalog and as "lavishly floriferous" even clusters an attractive, silky appearance. dalea, D. f01'mosa is one of a number of in a more understated botanical manual. Unlike the bushy species we've already slu"ubby daleas tlut are at home in tlle arid Broom dalea is a mounding, three- to four described, golden dalea produces only a grasslands and deserts oftlle soutllwestern foot shrub. Its nearly leafless gray stems few unbranched stems that may reach up United States and nortllern Mexico. These bear fragrant purple flowers in summer. to 30 inches high. Wandlike, they sway in are typically stiffly branched shrubs, t\vo to These shrubby daleas are beautiful response to the gentlest breeze. Golden four feet tall, with tiny, evergreen leaves and plants, but at present they are only being dalea is a short-lived perennial, lasting colorful, fragrant flowers. grown by a small number of specialty na only two years in cultivation at tlle Dyck Feather dalea produces fewer flowers tive plant nurseries. Trailing indigo bush Arboretun1 oftlle Plains in Kansas. It will per spike than is typical of the prairie (D.greggii), however, is a woody species flower the first year from seed, however, clovers, but the individual flowers are larg mat has seen much wider use as a landscape then bloom profusely tlle second. er. Combining rose-purple banner petals plant. This desert plant grows as a low The size ofJames' dalea (D. jamesii), and bright yellow keel petals, tlle flowers mounding shrub usually less than 10 inch another yellow-flowered species, is at tlle bloom from May into September on the es high and spreading to four feet in diam opposite end of the spectrum from golden plains, a little earlier to the south. The com eter. It has proven an effective ground dalea. This diminutive spring-blooming mon name of this dalea refers to tlle long, cover in the Southwest, where it has be plant grows only about six inches tall and featllery calyx teeth associated with each come firmly established in me nursery in has beautiful silvery foliage coated with flower. These persist after flowering and dustry. It produces numerous small purple downy hairs. Native from southwest Kansas add to tlle ornamental value of the plant. flowers, but is primarily grown for the ef into northern Mexico and west to Arizona, Feather dalea is the most cold tolerant of fect of its dense, silvery blue foliage, which it is adapted to the harsh, dry conditions of the shrubby daleas. softens the sharper outlines of plants such rocky ledges and barrens. Despite its dry Other shrubby daleas with horticultur as yuccas and agaves. land origins, James' dalea has been suc al merit include silver dalea (D. bicolor), Despite the wide geographic reaches of cessfully cultivated as a rock garden plant black dalea (D. frutescens), and shrub the genus Dalea, only the purple prairie on Long Island, New York. It was named dalea, sometimes called indigo bush (D. clover of the Midwest and me trailing indi for Edwin James, botanist for the Long Ex pulchra). In cities such as Phoenix, Austin, go bush of the SOUtllWest are readily avail pedition during its exploration of the and Albuquerque, tlleir rugged beauty and able to the gardening public. Between "Great American Desert" in 1820. drought tolerance have earned them a them occur a number of other species wim James probably encountered his name place in publi<; landscapes. exciting potential for American horticul sake plant near present-day Pueblo, Col ture. It's time to discover the daleas! orado, in mid-July ofl820. Several days Cousins~ Once Removed later, somewhere along a tributary of the A number of desert shrubs that were once James H. Locklear is direct01' ofthe Nebras Purgatoire River in southeastern Colorado, considered part of the genus Dalea have ka Statewide Arboretum in Lincoln. Larry he came across a quite different member of been moved to the genus Psorothamnus. G. Vickerman is director of the Dyck Ar this genus that clearly won his admiration. Regardless of their taxonomic status, Fre- boretum ofthe Plains in Hesston, Kansas. July/ August 1997 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 33 The 0,'. ; atFa At 7,100 feet, well-adapted plants are the key to success here. b y R 0 s e H 0 u k When asked for his conjectures about the next week's weather, a garden er at the Arboretum at Flagstaff offered this out-on-a-limb answer: "It may rain or snow or might even be dry. I think the temperature will be hotter or cooler than normal. The wind will blow except on the days it doesn't." An experienced horticultwist, he was keenly aware of the folly of trying to predict con- . ditions at 7,100 feet elevation in northern Arizona, where the arboretum-the highest elevation research garden in the country-is located. This beautiful but challenging environment tests even the most faithful gardeners. But it didn't deter Frances McAllister, who discovered the secret to gardening here and then decided to share it with others. McAllister founded the arboretum to conserve and in terpret plants and plant communities of the Colorado Plateau, a huge physiographic re gion that encompasses the heart ofthe Four Corners states of Arizona, Utal1, Colorado, and New Mexico. As she puts it, "I wanted to encourage people to respect and enjoy what grows locally," especially low-water-use plants. Arboretum founder Frances McAllister first came to northern Arizona in 1935 at the age of25 with her husband McAllister, above, outside to-be, John McAllister, and his sister, to the "wonderful woods and mountains" she'd the Reichardt House, her heard about from John's family. As they traveled from California by train, John pointed home-turned-visitor out to Frances a place where they might retreat to continue their work editing a literary center. Demonstration magazine. She lileed the idea, and the followi.ng year they built a log summer house in the areas include an organic ponderosa pine forest. The local flora so piqued her interest that ultimately, as McAllis vegetable garden, opposite. ter recalls, "I got the idea of malcing a garden entirely of wild plants from the property." In exploring the area, the couple discovered 160 acres nearby that they began to fanta size about as "our home place." This is the land that, now expanded to 200 acres, would become the arboretum. At that time, though, the property was not accessible by road, so the McAllisters con tinued to spend summers and holidays in the log house. Despite John's death in 1953 the dream ofa year-round house at their chosen home site remained alive, and in the mid- 34 THE AM E RIC A N GAR DEN E R July / A~tgust 1997 July/ August 199 7 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 35 flagstaf f Arl1()retulll 1960s, Frances invited a friend, California biological research in the forest. She cred architect Walter Reichardt, to design a its the late Charles Minor, dean of the uni house for her. The Reichardt House, as it's versity'S school of forestry, as a person called, is set in a peaceful, protected clear instrumental in her deciding that her home ing amid tall swaying pines. The exterior is and land should be a focus ofplant research oflocal malpais (basalt) boulders, while a and conservation for future generations. magnificent fireplace ofvolcanic tufa graces In 1981 McAllister founded the Tran the living room and generous windows look sition Zone Horticultural Institute. "Tran across an open meadow to the San Francis sition zone" is the name biologist C. Hart co Peaks, the highest mountains in the state. Merriam gave to the ponderosa pine forest From that spot, this gracious Quaker in 1889, when he formulated his pioneer woman pursued her passion for native ing life-zone concept of ecosystems. The plants and gardening. "I loved collecting concept took shape from his surveys in the plants, and each year I brought in more and San Francisco Peaks and Grand Canyon more," says McAllister. Her eyes light up as areas, during which he exhaustively chart she names them: two species of pussytoes ed changes in plant life with changes in el evation. That year McAllister not only gave the 200 acres that would become the Ar boretum at Flagstaff but included the Reichardt House as well as an endowment. She remains active on the arboretum's board of directors to this day. Chris Sacchi came to Flagstaff a year ago to assume the position ofexecutive director, after eight years as curator of the Universi ty ofVirginia's Orland E. White Arboretum in Boyce. He was essentially returning home, since he earned his doctorate in bio logical sciences at Northern Arizona Uni versity. Sacchi explains that in keeping with McAllister's philosophy of "ecological hor ticulture," the arboretum, rather than try ing to create something different, exhibits native plants already adapted to the envi ronment. Although that may mean making more limited choices than possible in areas with more "benign" climates, "what we do During the long winter the horticultural staff keeps busy with have are like little jewels," he says. With a indoor research and propagation, above left. Volunteers are a public smile, Sacchi is quick to observe that as a rel garden's lifeblood, and Flagstaff is no exception. Above right, atively young garden, "we're still learning. " an Elderhostel participant pitches into a planting project. Use ofappropriate technology is anoth er facet of ecological horticulture. To deal (Antennaria spp.), all kinds of penste with waste water, the arboretum aims to mons, phlox, delphiniums, columbines, demonstrate the natural water-cleansing iris, and "eight or nine different potentil powers of a wetland. In its first experimen las," her favorite genus. tal year, a constructed wetland on the McAllister traces her fascination with grounds has been producing water of botany to her childhood in Southern Cali "swimmable" quality using such native fornia. She would ride with her family on plants as Arizona willows (Salix arizonica), the streetcar to the end of the line in sedges, yarrows, and St. John's-wort. The Pasadena, and from there they hired a don horticultural center is heated by a passive key to haul their camping gear up into the solar system, and drip irrigation is used mountains. She vividly remembers her fa throughout the gardens. ther once bringing home a maidenhair A major task of the arboretum, says Sac fern, which lived for years under the shade chi, is preserving the rare plants of the Col of a back-yard tree. orado Plateau. In 1985 the arboretum Through the years that she resided on joined the nationwide network of tl1e Cen her Arizona property, McAllister welcomed ter for Plant Conservation and now holds professors and students from Northern Ari 30 rare species, watched over by botanist zona University to come out and conduct Joyce Maschinski, curator of plants. 36 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 199 7 ~ ~ ~ ~ !:( :::; :::J t:u a: o en a:« w ....I o ~ l;: o:::J V ",,' V ~ :::J '"o z o :::; o« u: ~ ~ !:( :::; :::J t:u a: o CD «a: w I o0= July/ August 1997 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 37 Maschinski spends her time conducting arboretum, there were only 11 individual would still be enough to allow her to col research on various species and collecting plants known to exist, in a wet meadow lect thousands ofseeds, so that some can be in the field . Some plants are so rare it's dif along Utah's Sevier River. Normally refrigerated and saved at the arboretum, ficult to find enough seeds to collect. Take Maschinski tries to gather no more than 10 others used for germination experiments, the euphoniously named autumn butter percent of the seed in a wild population, to and another portion sent to the National cup (Ramtnculus aestivalis). In 1989, the protect the species' ability to continue re Seed Storage Laboratory in Colorado. The year before Maschinski started work at the producing there on its own. Ideally, this autumn buttercup's wild population was so Limahuli Garden s a 75th anniversary gift to the American A Horticultural Society, long-time member Frances McAllister gave $7,500 to be awarded to a botanical garden whose scientific research, edu cational programs, and overall design best reflect and support sound environmental practices, including the conservation of water, soil, and native plants. Many outstanding gardens were nominated, but the above description fit the winner of the AHS Natural Botanical Garden Award-Limahuli Garden on the Hawaiian island ofKauai-like a glove. In fact the name (pronounced "leem Visitors can study some of the Wichman is a seventh-gen species. "The garden and pre a-HOO-lee") is Hawaiian for other important plants intro eration Hawaiian descended serve encompass two impor "turning hands," although the duced to the islands, such as from missionaries. His grand tant ecosystems-the mixed legend behind the name has sugarcane, banana, and bread mother, Juliet Rice Wichman, mesophytic forest and the low been lost. The eight-acre pub fruit. They can also see endan laid out most of the cultivated land rain forest-that don't lic garden serves as a virtual gered Hawaiian native plants garden in the late 1960s and in occur at any ofNTBG's other textbook on the role of plants such as the Pisonia wagneri 1976 gave it to the National sites," says Wichman. in Hawaiian culture. It con ana, or papala kepau. This Tropical Botanical Garden. The While exploring the pre tains one of the islands' few re member of the four-o'clock NTBG operates five gardens serve in April 1991, Wichman maining pristine streams, family, found only on Kauai, comprising 1,400 acres in and botanists Ken Wood and which is carefully monitored by has a sticky gum on its seeds Hawaii and Florida, and is ded Steve Perlman discovered a aquatic biologists for informa that was used by early Hawai icated to conserving and study new species, Cyanea kuhihewa, tion to be used in restoring ians to catch birds. Today the ing tropical plants, then sharing a member of the bellflower other Hawaiian waterways. plant is losing ground to such what it discovers "so that public family. They returned by heli Electric power for its visitor invasive exotics as the schef attitudes and behavior can be copter that August to collect center comes from an energy flera. "The schefflera is cur enlisted to help protect and en ripe fruit and search the area efficient photovoltaic system. rently the single worst invasive rich the environment." for more of this unique species. Limal1llli is on the north tree in the garden environ Wichman inherited 985 ad "In spite of our best efforts we shore of Kauai, where some of ment," says garden director jacent acres from his grand couldn't find any more, which the first Polynesians settled, Charles (Chipper) Wichman, motl1er and in 1994 gave this meant that the fate of the and the area is rich in archeo "and since this plant is familiar land to NTBG as a nature pre species rested in fewer than 12 logical features. Within to most visitors as a house serve. Closed to the public, it is individual plants," Wichman Limahuli, these include a series plant, it provides an excellent home to an estimated 100 na says. Then in September 1992, of terraces or 10 'I kalo built example of what can happen tive plants representing 70 per Hurricane In.ik.i ripped 700 to 1,000 years ago to hold when aggressive introduced cent ofKauai's and more than through the rain forest, water diverted for raising taro. species escape cultivation." half of the state's endangered putting additional stress on the 38 THE AMERICAN GARDENER J ~dy / August 1997 111 limited she could collect onl y a few hun reintroduce it in its native habitat. The sen been trampling by thousands of feet as vis dred seeds. After a "real vvinter," the plants try mi lk ve tch (Astragalus cnmnophylax itors flock to the rim to glimpse dle canyon. set seed-the first time, to Maschinski 's var. cl'emnophylax) illustra tes the often The milk vetch population was fenced off, knowledge, that has happened in a garden. uicky nature of this goal . This low-growing, and seed gadlered and propagated in dle ar The ultimate goal of any rare-plant pro purple- flowered plant grows in rocky lime boretum greenllouse. To attempt reintro gram is not only to keep a species going in stone at a viewpoint on the South Rim of duction, more than 200 seeds were planted the confines of a greenhouse, but also to the Grand Canyon. Its major threat has at the canyo n site, but only one plant has Limahuli is home to ancient petitive edge to Clidemia hi1'ta, can be used to wash hai r. terraces, opposite, that a member ofthe meadow While these are aU intro held water for growing bea uty family. Birds eat and duced plants, seven plants on taro. Top left: A rare native spread its small benies, helping the federal endangered list can gardenia is planted in the it to fo rm a thick, dense layer be found here, too. These in Limahuli Preserve. Bottom that inhibits germination and clude MUn7'oidendron racemo left: Staff must rappel growth of native seeds and sum, a small tree in the ginseng down cliffs to hand plants. "In areas of the preserve fa mily widl smoodl gray bark; pollinate Brighamia insignis. where Clidemia has taken hold, koki 'o ke'oke'o, H ibiscus we're 'gardening'-hand 1JJaimeae subsp. hanne1'ae, a weeding and replanting native whi te hibiscus dl0ught to be canopy species-since Clidemia extinct lU1til found in 1976 on is noncompetitive in the wlder what would become dle story," explains vVichman. Limalluli Preserve; and alula, T he Limalluli Garden and Brighamia insignis. This plant, Preserve site extends from an which dle Limalmli guidebook eleva ti on of3,300 feet down to describes as looking like a cab just 100 feet above sea level, bage on a base ball bat, has be and Limalmli SU-eam plummets come fa mous for the lengdls to nearl y 800 feet as it falls into which dle NTBG staff have the lower valley. Wichman says gone in keeping it alive. For that this setting is an illusu-a t\.vo decades dley have rap tion of the ancient H awaiian pelled down cliffs to monitor principle of allupua 'a, whi ch and pollinate dle plants. plants. Since then, none of serve and the cultivated garden today we would call "commu As happy as NT BG and them have flowered or fruited was one of the tasks given to nity- based resource manage Limahuli supporters are about and several have died, although the designer, Geoffrey Rausch ment." An allupua 'a was often dle AHS award, it has its bitter Greg Koob, a scientist at Lyon of Environmental Planning and an entire valley or watershed, sweet side. The garden was Arboretum on Oahu, has suc Design in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl and it was controll ed by the nominated in a December let ceeded in cloning the plant vania, who down plays his role . people who would benefit or ter fro m William Klein Jr., who from a basal sucker. "We basically took Chipper'S suffer depending on how wisely died of a heart attack in Febru To survive, the Cyanea re vision and put it on paper," he they managed its resources. ary, before dle selection was an quires the wet conditions fOlU1d says . Rausch helped solve the "It provided all of the re nounced. Klein had come to deep in the preserve, but when problem of parking for visitors sources needed to sustain a NTBG as director in 1994 possible, the Limahuli staff to the once private garden-it community, fi-o m the birds and fro m dle Fairchild Tropical grows other rare natives in the was open "by appointment medicinal plants found in the Garden in Florida-where he garden, where the public can onJy" until March 1995-and upper rain forest to the marine led restoration efforts following see and learn about them. "One shaped the path to open vistas resources fo und on the reefs Hurricane Andrew. H e had advantage of having the garden to sites enshrined in legend. and in the sea," the garden di also been director of dle Morris adjacent to the preserve is that These include Malcana Moun rector elaborates . Arboretum ofdle University of visitors can see rare plants that tain, the Bali Hai made more Resources found growing Pennsylvania and an assistant we've propagated from those famous by the musical "South here today include the wa uke director at dle Missouri Botani growing in the back of the val Pacific." or paper mulberry, Bro-vtssone cal Garden. "Dr. Klein would ley," says Wichman. "H aving A small grant from the U .S. tia papJ1'ije1'a, used to make a be proud," says acting director endangered plants accessible in Fish and Wildlife Service is cloth called kapa; the kukui or Diane Ragone, "to know dlat the garden makes research on being used to reduce alien candlenut tree, Aleul'ites his nomination bore fruit. " their reproductive biology a lot plants and otherwise restore the moluccana, with oily nuts used -Kathleen Fishel) EditOl' easier and more practical, too." hunicane-damaged area. By al for candles; and the 'awapuhi Creating a smooth transi lowing slU1shine to reach the or shampoo gin ger, Zingiber F01' infol'mation on visiting tion between the virginal pre- forest fl oor, lniki gave a com- zerumbet, with fl ower sap that Limahuli, call (808) 826-1053. J u ly / A -vtgust 1 997 T H E AM E RI C A N GARD ENE R 39 r tUll1 survived. At first, Maschinski was dismayed Visitors can stroll through other spe by the poor results, but other botanists in cialty gardens: a traditional herb garden, an dicate that such odds are the best they can organic vegetable garden, a butterfly gar hope for in many reintroductions. den, and a garden devoted to members of The arboretum's research on rare plants the composite family. A mixed conifer gar also has direct applications for land man den re-creates higher elevation, wetter agement decisions. The U.S. Forest Ser habitat. Along with limber pine and Dou vice, for instance, was concerned about the glas fir, this garden features an aspen grove potential impact of timber cutting and and a small island ofBebb and Arizona wil grazing on the Arizona leatherflower lows. A meadow of Rocky Mountain iris (Clematis hirsutissima var. arizonica) of (Iris missouriensis), shrubby cinquefoil the ponderosa pine forest. By clipping the (Potentilla fruticosa), and lupine, and a plants to simulate grazing by both wild and pond and stream bank planted with nar domestic animals, Maschinski found flower rowleaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia) production was not affected if the clipping and coyote willow (Salix exigua) she w was done ill the fall rather than earlier in the some of this hablflli's rich diversity. year. Thus land managers could For horticulturist Jan Busco, an exciting release cattle onto the range at a part of the job is planning new gardens. time least damaging to the Among them is one devoted to ethno leatherflower. Maschinski is also botany, especially the high-elevation plants "manipulating the canopy" to used by Native Americans for food, fiber, see how much shade the plant and dyes. Also in the works is a display of needs. So far, it looks like the plants with different water needs, from leatherflower fares best in dap wettest to driest, and a wildlife demonstra pled sunlight rather than deep tion showing interactions between plants shade, so that thinning the for and animals. On winter days, she keeps esr's dense "doghair" thickets, busy with such tasks as spooning out pot which have grown up in the ab ting soil in preparation for the arboretum's sence of fire, may benefit the big annual sale the following spring. The sunset crater penstemon (Penstemon clute;) rare plant. "It was 18 below the other night," can be seen growing in the arboretum's collection A new greenhouse will house Busco relates in late February. "We're real as part of its efforts to conserve rare plants of the a five -year study with the Ari ly at the extreme of climate." Even more Colorado Plateau. zona cliffrose (Purshia subinte- than for other gardeners, the elements fre gra), a shrub that grows in only quently deal out harsh lessons about what four locations in central Arizona. Maschin will, or won't, survive. The grovving season The Flagstaff Arboretum is ski and her colleagues are looking at factors can be as short as 60 or as long as 110 days, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily that limit its distribution and hope to iden but generally she assumes 90 days-still from May to October, and tity the necessary conditions for seedlings briefby most starrdards. T-here have been weekdays from November 1 to become established. Because Arizona years when frosts taV<':- occurred 11 our of cliffrose grows only in a particular soil type, 12 months on the arboretum grounds. through December 23 and part of the study will examine the possible Rainfall variability is a major factor for March 17 to April 30. There close association between the shrub and Busco to cope with. A severe drought in is a small admission charge. mycorrhizae-soil fungi that develop a 1996 doomed many of the garden's plants For more information, write symbiotic relationship with plants. and reinforced the need to incorporate to the Membership Office, While much of the arboretum's basic re more xeric species. search goes on behind the scenes, some of None of this seems to trouble Busco's P.O. Box 670, Flagstaff; AZ the rare species are on display in the gar optimism. On a bright March morning, she 86002, call (520) 774-1441, dens, Maschinski adds, so people have a stands outside the horticultural center and or visit www.flagguide,c;olTl chance to learn about plants they might looks out over a snow-covered meadow, ea /arboretl:Jm. never glimpse in the wild. gerly anticipating a colorful spangling of na Growing numbers of visitors come to tive dryland wildflowers come summer. the Arboretum at Flagstaff to experience It's clear that for her and the rest of the the 10 acres of naturally landscaped gar arboretum staff, the landscape that captured dens and explore the possibilities of the Frances McAllister's heart and mind more Colorado Plateau's native flora . Their first tl1an 60 years ago is still weaving its magic. stop is the Reichardt House, which now serves as the arboretum's visitor center Rose Houk is the author of Wild Cactus, and gift shop. Beyond its glass doors is the which was excerpted in the September/Oc courtyard garden, where some of McAl tober 1996 American Gardener. She lives lister's original plantings still grow. in Flagstaff 40 THE AM E RIC A N GAR DEN E R July/ August 1997 A historic landscape, says Scott Kunst, isn't something in books or slide lec tures or what you see at museum sites. "It's what's out there in your yard right now," whether your house dates from 1850 or 1950. "You just need to look for it and see it. Then you can start reviving it and weav ing back in the pieces that were lost, perhaps, and adding your own elements to it, to let your passions and your life shape it also." A former public school teacher who now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Kunst _ traces his fascination with old buildings and the plantings around them to the early 1960s, when he was growing up in Niles, Michigan. "What I like about old houses and old gardens is deeper than aes thetics. It's not just the look I like, it's the real history that's been lived out there, and all those hands that have caressed $.at house or garden before me. That's where the roo tedness is. If you live in an old house, you can feel your place in the on going cycles of time." Kunst attended college in New York City but, finding the metropolis too gray An old photograph revealed that a weedy patch in Kunst's front yard was once a bed of cannas, and explained the origin of metal fencing now barring an attic window. J u l y/Augus t 199 7 TH E AM E RI CAN GARD ENE R 41 for his tastes, returned to get a teaching certificate from the Uni read a book telling me what 11istoric landscapes are like, and then versity of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He began teaching English to I would create one in my yard. I thought it was sometl1ing you middle schoolers and bought a li ttle old house-big enough for had to do or bring to tlle site after learning about it somewhere a bachelor-in nearby Ypsilanti. Then at age 30 he married Jane else. But it's already mere; you just need to learn to see it. A house Raymond, a sixtll-grade teacher he met while playing softball, or garden speaks to you if you learn the language." and togetller tlley bought an 1880s house on Ann Arbor's his SurviVlllg 11istoric plants are often well hidden. Go llltO the ne toric west side. glected areas, KW1St counsels. Look along the borders, behind the After five or SLX years of teaching, he realized he enjoyed pok garage, along the alley fence, behind the neighbor's garage, in ing around old gardens more than he did being in a classroom and those wild edges tlut never quite get mown or weed -whacked. "At began working on a master's in historic preservation. In 1983 he first you may tl1ink tllere's noming there. I thought tllat was true hung out his landscape historian shingle, altllough he continued of tl1is place. There were just a few scraps here and tllere. Most to teach full-time until 1990. He taught half-time lmtil last year, sites are Like that, and the relic plants or relic features are invisi when he "retired." Now he devotes all his time to Old House Gar ble-or invisible because we don't look hard enough." dens, a historic-bulb catalog that he and Jane started in 1993, and Rather than looking for an overgrown specimen shrub, try to helping other homeowners discover that both they and their gar looking closer at your weeds, Kunst suggests. A patch of weeds in dens are vital aspects of history. tlle lawn can llldicate an area that was disturbed in tlle past-the former site ofa tree or shrub or a small outbuilding. A photograph Attitude Adjustment from a previous owner of Kunst's home showed that a weedy spot The first step in discovering historic landscapes, Kunst says, is slln in the Lawn was the site of a bed of cannas in the early 1900s. ply to start seeing them. In old houses, it's easy to identify fine "Ratller tllan tlllilking that they're weeds and you need to get rid woodwork, brass fixtures, and other wonderful details tlut have oftllem, ask yourself 'Why are tlley tllere?'" A weed can be an in managed to survive. Garden relics may be harder to recognize. dicator of a pattern that's been broken, or it n1ight be a plant like Whenever you move to a different house, it's a good idea to learn bow1Clllg Bet (Sapona1'ia officinalis) that we don't use much in the lay of the land for a year before you beglll major garden reno gardens aJlymore. vation, and tl1is is even more true if you want to weave tlle 11isto "A plant's an artifact in itself," Kunst teaches, "but it can also be ry of the garden into your landscape. a shard or marker of what was there in the past. Imagine a painting It's partly a matter of sl1ifting your attitude. "When I bought on a piece of glass tllat was dropped and broken. Through the years, my first old house, I was llltrigued by the reml1ants of the past I tl1is piece aJld that got lost. Now you just have these little scraps, found there," Kunst says. "But I went into it tl1inking that I would and tlley just look like garbage sometimes, or notl1ing, because you've lost the sense of the picture. But the more of those pieces you can find in your own yard, the more tlley can suggest what the picture did look like at some time. Of course a garden is more complicated than that, because it's not just one picture for one time, but a picture that's moving tllrough time aJld changiIlg all the time." It's always a good idea for garden ers to map their property, however roughly. This wi ll provide a base to plaJ1 fi'om, and maybe a new perspec tive on patterns. It's also a way to pre serve tlle landscape even as you begin to change it. It can be a gift to gar deners of tlle fi.lture, who will wonder what your yard-their yard-looked like way back III the 1990s. Take some photos before you make any perma nent chaJlges, Kunst advises. "We've been in our house 10 years," he says. "I looked at pictures from when we'd just bought the place, and already I'd forgotten what it was like then." PlaJlts are only one part of tlle his toric landscape. There may be relics of Traces of old landscapes can be blatant or subtle. Clockwise from top left: Dry grass is design as well, like where the old drive the ghost of a si dewalk; the zigzags up the middle of the lawn of Drayton Hall in was, or bits of trellis or furniture . Cha rleston, South Carolina, reveal former planting patterns; a sidewalk honors the Check the attic, the cellar, the memory of a deceased tree; creeping bellflower calls attention to a former flower bed. garage-areas of benign l"eglect. 42 THE AM E RIC A N GAR DEN E R J ul'y/August 199 7 I 1 1.[ CS This photograph, found in a museum in Mount Carroll, Illinois, shows that this home had no foundation pl antings-instead, plants were displayed on trell ises, plant stands, and in hang ing baskets. Kunst found a piece ofdecorative metal fence barring the window the more to be valued when they're rediscovered. "Every age has of his garage attic; he later saw an old photograph showing that a way of making sense of the world," says Kunst. "We need to look same fence along the sidewalk ofhis property. at ranch houses or tract houses and ask ourselves what's different Sometimes features can be hidden in plain sight. When the and likable about them. Evergreen foundation plantings of yews Kunsts bought the house in 1985, an overgrown, rusty, tumble and junipers are looked down on now. But at the time these hous down iron-pipe grape arbor stood right outside Kunst's new home es were built, the ideal look was one of clean lines and simplicity, office window, blocking the view. "At least that's the way I expe and tllose plantings were absolutely perfect." rienced it at first. I thought it was really poorly sited, and rusty iron To some homeowners, the worst sin a plant can commit is to pipes aren't very elegant. If!' d been anything but a landscape his be "overgrown" and "out of scale." There's nothing inherently torian, I'd probably have torn it down. But I held myself back and wrong with age; in fact, the gnarled look of an old woody plant gave myself time to appreciate it and learn about it." can be dramatic, and a "mature landscape" is a goal of most seri ous gardeners. With some careful pruning, a tree or shrub that has Practicing Patience become ragged can often be renewed- not to make it look like a Exercising patience is hard for most new homeowners, and the five-year-old plant again, but to reflect the passage of time. reason much garden history is lost. It takes time to learn to ap Pruning deadwood is a way to keep your hands busy during preciate an existing garden, and when you've just moved into a that first year oflearning about your garden's history. Go ahead house that's new to you, you're anxious to make your own mark. and remove identifiable weeds such as poison ivy and burdock, and Try to wait at least a year before making any large or irreversible cut beds out of the lawn (you can always put sod back in if you changes. Things that don't make sense to you at one season may change your mind later). If you need color, garden in containers. become clear later. You won't know where the bulbs are until This is the research stage. Check your local historical society spring; you won't reap the benefits of a shade tree until July. Get archives for old photos, letters, and diaries. Use your local library. ting to appreciate someone else's vision of the landscape is a bit And history isn't always hidden in dry, dusty papers. Talk with your like getting to know new people. You may not be favorably im neighbors, especially people who have lived in the neighborhood pressed at first, but later come to appreciate their unique qualities. a long time, and the previous owners of the property. Possibly the most difficult old landscapes for us to appreciate Even if you can't find photos or diaries relating to your own are those of a slightly more recent vintage, such as the 1950s. property, you can learn about gardens of the same period. "The "Every generation finds it easy to scorn things our parents appre more you wlderstand about what gardens looked like in tlle past," ciated," says Kunst, "although we might like what our grandpar Kunst explains, "tlle more you're going to lmderstand the relics ents or great-grandparents had." During the generation that tllese you find at yo ur site. Just as if you went to an archeological djg tl1ings are being snubbed and discredited, they're being lost-all and dug up two little shards of a Greek vase-if you had no jdea July/Augu st 199 7 THE AM E RIC A N GAR DEN E R 43 what Greek vases used to look like, there's no way you'd ever re it for future generations, even though you're not using it now. construct the thing. But if you have that context when you look Sometimes, as we all know, a tree or shrub described as over at those two little scraps, or twelve, or twenty, you think, 'Oh, I grown or out ofscale is really in the wrong place. Gardeners in the can see what this was like.' It's the same with a garden." past didn't necessarily have any more sense than we do now and Look locally, of course, since what gardeners did in New Eng may have planted evergreens, for example, far too close to the land in 1850 may not relate much to your situation in Utah or house. But several decades later, you've lost the use of three win Mississippi. And look at historic records of houses and neighbor dows and a door. What do you do? hoods of more or less the same economic level as your own. "Old trees can be the glory of an old landscape," says Kunst, Kunst's grape arbor is a case in point. "I did some investigat "but sometimes I see some that I think should be removed." If ing and found it wasn't really hard to get some more pipe and the problem can't be solved by pruning and the plant is too big to patch it together. We pnmed the grapes and opened up the view, move, he says, "document it, identify it, photograph it for your and discovered that at one time it had run all the way across the records-and then get rid ofit. But preserve the knowledge that it yard. When I looked back in 19th-century garden books, I saw was there. I encourage people to do that, to pass that on, leave a that this is illustrated rairly often, to divide the work space in the copy for all the gardeners that come after at your house. Because back yard from the ornamental space in the side and front. you know how you'd love to have something like that from your "You can tell from the structure itself that it used to have wires property in the past: the garden diary of the woman who gardened running through the iron pipes, so that the grapes were trained all there in the 1880s. What a resource!" up and down the sides and it made a completely enclosed room. You can also use simple means to mark the site of any changes An older woman who used to live next door stopped by one day you make. At historic sites, buildings that have been destroyed are and told me how they used to play under it when she was a girl. sometimes indicated with an outline of brick in the lawn. Kunst So when I gave it some time, the significance of the arbor began has done the same thing in his yard with small flowering bulbs. A to reveal itself. What I learned about it enriched it for us. It's still ring of glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa) marks the former site of not elegant, but it's the heart of our old yard. We sit out there and a flower bed he removed. It's a way ofphysically documenting the have breakfast or lunch in summer, and when people come to visit, change in addition to the documentation you do on paper. they love the arbor. They say they wish they had one too!" Kunst believes that developing an appreciation of past land scapes-even if we elect not to re-create them or preserve them Building on the Past intact-helps us see ourselves as part of the whole stream of his You've inventoried and mapped. You've given yourself time to tory, and not just as the end point. "If you're at the end point," learn about your garden relics. Now it's time to make your own he says, "you can do whatever you want, but ifyou see yourself as landscape history. Think about yourself and your family, and what part of the whole flow, and that there are people who come after you want out of that landscape. For any historic feature, there is you who will be affected by the decisions you make in your land a range of approaches you can take. Say you have a small orna scape, then maybe you'll think about things differently and ap mental concrete pond that came with the house, but you have proach them with a different perspective." small children and feel it would be dangerous to have a pond they Working with his grape arbor helped Kunst feel connected to could fall into. You could rip it out, but then that relic would be the people who built it, even though it is not in its original form. lost forever. Or you could document its history and fill it in for "We could have put the wires back down the sides and we could another use, such as a bog or rock garden, or even make careful have rebuilt it across the whole yard. I decided not to do that; I like i;; note ofits location and cover it completely. You've still preserved it open and I want the view. In its original form, it wouldn't work Z ::J as well for us today. We've kept that "" relic because we thought it was price ~ less. It conveys that sense of age more V"I than anything else in our back yard. o ~ UJ "I'm really passionate about ordi t;e ::J nary home landscapes like ours. If the 8 only historic resources we conserve in this country are in museums, we're re I~ a. ally going to be impoverished as a cul W > ture. A historic garden is something Vi o a. that you share with the people who a. o came before you and the people who Cl z come after you, and to me that en « t;: riches it. You're part of a community ~ z that doesn't just exist in space at the UJ V"I W present moment, but through time, z a: through all of time. I like that sense I Cl that you're sharing, that you're a chap «a: I ter in the history of your land." u ~ Kunst, left, prunes a grapevine on an old iron arbor, right, that his family inherited from G:: ~ previous owners. His first reaction was to see it as falling down and poorly sited, but a Nancy McDonald is co-editor of The a: little research and repair have made it "the heart of our old yard." American Cottage Gardener. ~ 44 THE AMERICAN GARDENER J u ly/ August 1997 Resurrecting just be gone." KLillst real- logs, hoping that they may ported to return and multi- ized that while there were have antique bulbs in ply. "It has very thick, fuzzy Antique Bulbs people specializing in an- quantities too small to list. insulation between the tique perennials and vegeta- "I have a British grower tunic and the bulb itself, al- scott Kunst knew he bles, no one was selling old who inherited what he calls though you would think wanted to make a liv- bulbs. "And if I didn't do 'trials'-plants they that would be an adaptation ing from his passion it, someone else would, and bought to experiment to cold rather than heat." for landscape history. But I was going to kick myself." with-as part of his family Kunst was thrilled a year writing and lecturing about He produced his first legacy. These things have ago when the American it wasn't paying the bills, modest catalog in 1993. By fallen out of the main- Daffodil Society encour- and consulting took him 1996, sales were 20 times stream, and I'm hoping to aged all its sanctioned away from his family. greater, and he retired from get them back in." shows to add a special sec- Then in 1988 he wrote his 19-year teaching career. Kunst has discovered tion for pre-1940 cultivars. an article for Old House How does he find and other plants through He thinks this will both Journal, describing Victori- identifY plants that have sources ranging from old focus attention on the heir- an tulips still available in been orphaned for library books to the Inter- loom varieties and help sort mainstream catalogs. He decades? "You have to live net. But he says it's hard to out the real oldies from the was growing a lot of those with a lot of uncertainty," beat personal contact with imposters. "Sometin1es if tulips, including 'Prince of he admits. his customers and other we think an LUudentified Austria', wluch was intro- Kunst started with bulbs growers as a means of both plant is worthy of being in duced in 1860 and re- still available in commerce. verifYing the identity of the catalog, we'll offer it mained extremely popular Most of the time, he notes, plants currently in the cata- under a study name. I've until about 1930. By 1988 they aren't sold as antiques, log and discovering new learned to accept tl1at." there were only two so he had to research their ones. "Once someone Kunst hopes other plant sources. Then, what has date of origin and descrip- came up after a lecture I sellers will follow his lead been described as one of tion from international was giving and told me, and list dates ofintroduc- the most fragrant of all checklists and old catalogs. 'You said double hyacinths tion. "It's like holding up a tulips, a tulip that comes "Distressingly often, the were rare, but I have a lantern, and once you start back tenaciously in Kunst's descriptions didn't match. whole yard full of them.' I shining dates on things, Ann Arbor garden, disap- You'd look up one name thought she had to be mis- tl1en people say, 'Oh, this is peared from the trade. and read tl1at it had been taken. In Ann Arbor hy- an antique variety. I think "It occurred to me that introduced in 1923. Then acinths usually just dwindle I'll grow it!' We need to get in my garden I had maybe another one with the same away. But it was true. We more people doing that, to the last two dozen that ex- name was introduced in need to get these back into make sure these things don't isted in tl1e world," he re- 1947-and maybe 1980." gardens and get people slip tl1fough our fingers ." calls. "Then other tulips I While a written description breeding them." -Kathleen Fisher, Editor loved started dropping out is a start, he finds old illus- From a correspondent of the commercial catalogs trations even better. in central Texas, where For a copy ofK unst's catalog, I was getting. I felt that if I Kunst says he frequent- tulips are hard to grow be- send $2 to Old House Gar- didn't do something, these Iy asks bulb dealers about cause of the nllld winters, dens, 536AG Third Street, wonderful flowers would any not listed in their cata- he discovered a red tulip re- Ann Arbor, MI 481 03. July/August 199 7 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 45 focus july/august what goes around • • • coffee shop crop by Rob Lubke wenty years ago, the land at the cor ner of Holmes and Cooley streets in TMissoula, Montana, produced plen ty of rocks, but no meals. Today, summer finds it loaded with sunflowers and rasp berry bushes weighed down with fruit. Zucchini vines meander through patches ofleaflettuce and plump, ruby red toma toes. Rows of onions, carrots, and beets stand in neat rows, their green tops of fering stark contrast to the rich, black earth. This season alone thousands of pounds offruit and vegetables will be har vested from this half-acre spot, now known as the Northside Community GARDENING AND RECYCLING GO HAND IN HAND. We add Garden. This success will be due in large our grass clippings and heat-prostrate annuals to the compost pile part to many years of composting, the last three of which have involved massive in summery then amend our perennial bed with the resulting com quantities of coffee grounds. post the following spring. We collect seeds from our heirloom toma Two of those who can take some credit toes so we have a crop for next year. We divide our daffodils and for the metamorphosis are Steve Carroll, a staff member at the Missoula Urban daylilies and share them with friends and family. We use old poly Demonstration Project (MUD), which has styrene coffee cups to germinate seeds) and we protect our tender managed the community garden since seedlings with cut-up plastic milk containers. Old panty hose become 1990, and Mark Waltermire, a former MUD staffer. plant ties; old clothes garb the scarecrow. Like a lot of Missoulians, Carroll and There are countless examples of recycling in the garden) but Waltermire got caught up in the coffee there are also some things that are difficult to recycle. For instance) craze three years ago. It migrated east from Seattle and brought to Missoula, a what can you do with all those plastic pots that build up over time? city of70,OOO in the Rocky Mountains of What recourse is there ifyou have more yard trimmings than you western Montana, a host of corner cap puccino stands and neighborhood coffee can compost and ifyour municipality doesn)t have a yard-trim houses. It also brought an idea. With the mings collection program? In the following pages we describe some easy accessibility and relatively high nitro successful small- and large-scale recycling programs and practices gen content of coffee grounds, they thought, why not try recycling the and offer ideas for recycled products you can use in your garden. grounds tl1ese new businesses would pro- Steve Carroll dumps a bucket of restaurant kitchen scraps into one of MUD's smaller compost bins. 46 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July / August 199 7 va ted even on tl1e sort of winter days Mis Cruisin' on Crisco soul a experienced last season. Like the local letter carriers, they made their ap he gardenet·s at MUD are about to embark on another recycling venture. pointed rounds each week, often in biting This time it's got nothing to do with what will go into the garden. But if all cold , and got plenty of exercise trudging Tgoes according to plan, when MUD \-vorkers drive out to pick Lip their coffee through waist-deep snow to reach the grounds late this summer they'll be doing it in a diesel vehicle powered in part by barrels. Once they got to the compost used cooking oil. piles, tl1ey frequently had to hurl sledge Cooking oil is not something that ordinarily comes to mind when we think hammers against tl1 e sides of tl1e barrels to about recycling. The idea came to the MUD staff after they learned about a similar free the grounds, whose moisture fro ze project at the University ofIdaho, where researchers succeeded in powering a vehi them to tl1e bottoms. It's not the average cle with rapeseed oil. Although used cooking oil is a Little different because of the person's idea oHun, but tl1e project's suc many impurities it contains, the MUD crew hopes to attain similar success. cess has now led to collecting kitchen The HobNob Cafe has agreed to donate tl1e cooking oil. Students in Steve scraps as well , although on a much small Nelson's chemistry class at Missoula's Loyola Sacred Heart High School are ex er scale. Crunchy white eggshells, carrot perimenting with the oil to determine the level of fatty acids present and how pulp, and orange peels make tasty treats much methanol will have to be mixed with the cooking oil to turn it into an ener for worm-box denizens, as well as adding gy source. Once the students feel tl1ey have attained the correct mixture, the fuel essential va riety to the more traditional will be tested in engines at the College of Technology at the University ofMon compost piles. tana. From tl1ere, MUD plans to conduct a number of tests and get answers to "Feedin g tl1e soil is similar to feeding some important questions: What kind of mileage will the fuel get? Can it be ourselves," says Carroll. "We need a vari mixed in the MUD kitchen? Is it practical? What will tl1e emissions be? Informa ety of tl1ings to have a balanced diet." T he tion they have read indicates that tl1e fuel may be lower in carbon monoxide emis table scraps and coffee grounds are mixed sions than gas or diesel, but higher i.n nitrous oxide, which could be damaging to with ll ama manure, and leaves and grass the ozone layer. clippings fro m nearby St. Mary'S Ceme Positive test results will send MUD looking for an organization or individual tery, to form berms 20 feet long, three willing to donate a vehicle to me cause. -RL feet 11igh, and four feet wide. It's always a work in progress that involves experi menting to determine what ratio of in duce to help furnish compost for the Earl y each Friday morning, Carroll gredients works best. Northside Community Garden? and one or two others from a rotating Getting the coffeehouses to donate The idea seemed to fit we ll with corps of six volunteers pile into an '81 their leftovers was probably the easiest MUD's philosophy. MUD projects in Ford pickup shared with Garden City part ofthe whole affair, according to Car clude demonstrations of native plant land Harvest, a collaborative community orga roll. There wasn't a single objection when scaping and use of alternative energy nization working to improve tl1e nutrition MUD asked the coffeehouses to use only sources, and last year it initiated a summer oflow-income Missoulians. They u'avel to nonchlorine-bleached coffee filters to re camp where children could learn urban eight locations tl1roughout the city where duce tl1e risk of dioxins working their way ecology, garden science, and cooking. The coffeehouses and restaurants store thei.r into the soil. The coffee shop owners saw overall mission is to promote self-reliant weekly supply of spent coffee grounds in tl1e recycling project as tl1e perfect way to living tl1fough community gardening, ed barrels that have been sanitized and do demonstrate their concern for the envi ucation, and experimentation, and this nated by Borden Chemical Company. In ronment. "I instigated recycling and com project would involve a little of all three. parking lots and alleys, the barrels share posting because it's in my nature," says "We try to demonstrate a low-cost alter space witl1 dumpsters and other recycling Esther Ball, owner of Bernice's Bakery, native to help people grow their own bins labeled for aluminum, glass, and one of the participating establi shments. food," says Carroll. "We also t ry to cardboard. Passersby rarely notice any of "Most of us here are very earth friendly." demonstrate that 'this doesn't need to these, but react witl1 surprise to MUD's Since the project has taken off, MUD end up in landfills.»' containers: "Coffee?" has had to turn away-at least for tl1e time So while countless cups of coffee were being--other restaurants tl1at would like to being ordered in Missoula's coffee shops, MUSH! MUSH! participate. They're getting as much com Carroll and Waltermire were placing or The approximately 900 gallons of coffee post as tl1ey can use right now, but as Mis ders too-to go. We're not talking about grounds tl1at MUD recycles each month soula's community garden network your typical 12-ounce paper cup here, but have helped improve soil that provides expands, chances are good tlut tl1ere will 55-gallon baby blue barrels heaping with food for 30 families, the Missoula Food be a use for more coffee grounds. With espresso remains and concoctions of thick Bank, and the Poverello Center, a local each cup of java they pour, coffee drinkers black sludge. The stuff sloshes about witl1 homeless shelter. "One of tl1e things tlut all over town can ultimately help put food each movement of the drum and some people really like to see when tl1ey come to on many a table. times resembles the contents of the La tl1e food bank is fresh produce," says Bon To anyone who'd like to try emulating Brea tar pits. MUD is proving that there's nie Buckingham, its acting director. "As far their project, Ball observes: "It's easy. still quite a bit of life left in tl1ese other as tl1e heal tl1iness of people's diet, it's real MiI1imum effort-and it's tl1e ri ght tl1ing wise languid restaurant leftovers, which ly going to make an impact." to do." witl10ut them would end up buried along Because so many people benefit from side mountains of disposable diapers and the project, it's not hard for Carroll and Rob Lubke is a g1'aduate student in jou1' product packaging. the other MUD volunteers to get moti- nalism at the University ofMontana . July / August 199 7 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 47 turned and watered weekly for a year, after municipal composters which they are screened to be ready for use by residents. "The demand for the com post is very high, and we never have log successes enough," says Laurie Brown, solid waste program coordinator. As a result, the dis trict also encourages home composting. he average person creates approxi ging them. Grass clippings help improve mately four pOW1ds of garbage a day. soil structure; add nitrogen, phosphorus, TThe population of the United States and potassium to the soil; shade grass roots; as ofJuly 1996 was 266,476,278. That's and reduce water loss. plastic over 1 billion pOW1ds of garbage a day. So Residents, from elementary school why aren't we drowning in garbage? children to older "Master Composter" vol Perhaps because many cities and COW1- unteers, have learned about composting pileups ties are reducing the amount of garbage and grasscycling through a recycling hot going into landfills by encouraging resi line, presentations at the county fair, a bi e all have one somewhere. It dents to recycle yard thmmings. weekly environmental gardening newspaper might be in the basement, in the Montgomery County, Maryland, just column, T-shirt slogans, public service an W garage, or in the tool shed. outside Washington, D .C., with a popula nOW1cements, bumper stickers, workshops, Somewhere there is a stack, or stacks, of tion of approximately 810,000, began its lectures, and community television pro plastic pots in vari&s sizes, shapes, and-col recycling program in 1994. The COW1ty'S grams. "This is a great example ofsocial en ors. There may also be plastic flats and' plas Ten-Year Integrated Solid Waste Plan re gineering versus civil engineering," says tic cell packs, along with a few clay or quired that solid waste be reduced or recy Keyser. "We made an investment in public porcelain pots. The plants that arrived in the cled by 50 percent by the year 2000. education to change residents' behavior, in pots, flats, and cell packs have since been By the end ofl995, the county had cut stead of investing in additional facilities." planted-we try to forget about the ones the amount of yard trimmings entering that languished and died before we got landfills from 110,000 tons to 57,000 tons. GOOD NEIGHBOR aroW1d to planting them. The containers re Much of this reduction was accomplished On the other side of the country, Pierce main because hope springs eternal that a use through a widespread media outreach and County, Washington, began its waste re will be found for them-and because we education campaign. One goal was to bring duction efforts in 1990 with a pilot pro just hate to send them to the landfill. about a shift in attitude-for example, the gram that included a reduced fee for And pots are just the tip of the ... er, use of the term "yard trimmings" rather residents who separate yard trimmings plasticberg? In addition there are the plas than "yard waste." Joseph Keyser, envi from their garbage. In 1995 the program tic bags in which we bought mulch, peat ronmental specialist with the Montgomery became cOW1tywide, and the COW1ty went moss, and topsoil; plastic containers that County Department of Environmental from an average of 3.9 pounds of solid hold pesticides and fertilizers; and the plas Protection, says the latter term perpetuates waste per person per day to 2.9 pounds per tic film used to cover greenhouses, as row the idea that leaves and grass clippings are day. They attribute their success to easily ac covers, and as mulch. None of these prod garbage, rather than something that can cessible recycling sites and aggressive pub ucts are currently accepted in curbside re become a valuable product. lic education efforts, including information cycling programs, in part because they are In addition to composting, the county on back-yard composting. made ofso many different combinations of has encouraged "grasscycling"-leaving "We proved that a properly designed plastics. Pots for indoor plants are made of grass clippings on the lawn rather than bag- and operated composting facility can be a polypropylene, but most outdoor pots and good neighbor and not impact the sur pesticide COntain~FS are-made of polyethyl roW1ding area with odors," says Sally Shar ene, which can tolerate freezing. Cell packs Some Pointers rard, senior planner with the COW1ty. and flats are made of high-impact poly Another successful program is that of styrene, for which there is currently little ieFce County, Washington's Sally the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District market for recycling. Sharrard offers some suggestions in Minnesota. While the district encom Pfor other municipalities looking to passes 500 square miles, the composting AN INDUSTRY-WIDE PROBLEM start composting programs: site is used mainly by residents of Duluth. The plastic problem is not restricted to ~ Design the system locally so that it They began composting in 1993, after the homeowners; many nurseries would like to will fit local needs. State of Minnesota banned yard trimmings be able to recycle the plastic waste they ~ Use bins instead ofnoncompostable from landfills, and Duluth officials decided generate. Some are forced to pay extra plastic bags. that they no longer wanted to be responsi landfill fees to dispose of items such as -.., Coordinate with nearby cities and ble for a municipal compost site. In 1996 greenhouse film and pesticide containers. use the same system for everyone. the district accepted 4,000 cubic yards of "One of the big challenges to our in ~ Start with a pilot drop-off program herbaceous trimmings and 2,000 cubic dustry is we generate a lot of plastic and and add curbside service where YOla can, yards of brush from a population of ap the items are not standard," says Lois Berg with incentives that encourage partici proximately 85,000. Stack, an Extension specialist in orna pation elsewhere. "You need a system The site accepts herbaceous trimmings mental horticulture at the University of that provides some opportunities for for free and charges $7 per cubic yard of Maine in Orono. "rfthere were a standard everyone," she says. brush to defray the cost of grinding it. The it would be a lot easier. It doesn't seem trimmings go into long rows that are like it would take a lot for manufacturers 48 THE AMERICAN GARDENER J uly/August 199 7 to put numbers on their plastic products." ipating nurseries were asked to bring dleir At CPRA's plant, horticultural poly In Maine, Stac k has coordinated the excess plastic containers to me field day so styrene-cell packs, pl'llg trays, and flats efforts of homeowners, nurseri es, and a they could be coUected by New England is ground up, cleaned, dried, melted, and recycling company in developing an in Processing, a recycling company in Hal extruded as pellets. End uses for the recy novative program for recycling plas tic lowell, Mai ne, that agreed to handle the cled polystyrene include a wide range of pots, flats, cell packs, and plant labels. The mixed plastic products. dura ble goods, fro m new cell packs and Maine Green Industry Plastic Recycling All in all, more than 70 cubic ya rds fl ats to compact disc trays, building insula Project is funded by a grant from New enough to fill a large truck-of plastic pots, tion board, and audio and video cassettes. England Grows, a trade organization du t cell packs, fl ats, and labels were recycled in supports worthy Extension programs in the firs t year of me program. ACT LOCALLY New England states. The success of last year's program has Organized recycling programs such as the Stack provides nurseries-more than inspired Stack to add an extra item- the ones in Maine and Ontario are rare, but 200 participated last year-widl generi c plastic contai ners fl orists use for arrange many individual nurseries around the COW1- news releases and handouts dley can use ments-to the planned recycLin g list dus try are reusing, and even recycling, plastic to advertise mat they recycle plastic con year. To reduce the burden on the recycling containers returned by customers. Behnke tainers. The nurseries, in turn, send the company and give more businesses an op Nursery, which has oudets in Beltsville and press releases to local newspapers and give portunity to drop offmeir recyclables, she Largo, Maryland, takes plas tic pots and recycling handouts to meir customers at is also planning to hold W ee or four field fl ats, but does not accept cell packs. The chec kout counters. When customers days this year rather man just one. nursery reuses some pots and recycles the bring their containers in, the nurseries sort Two years ago, the Canadian Poly rest. "We do get a large number we can't out those that can be reused and stockpile styrene Recycling Association (CPRA), a reuse, so we have a recycler fro m West Vir me rest for recycling. trade organization of polystyrene product ginia who comes in a couple of times a year The biggest challenge last year was get manufacturers, started collecting horticul and picks up pots," says Behnke's vice pres ting all the recyclables in one place . "I real tural polystyrene to supplement dle food ident, Alfred Millard. ly needed those people to come to a central service-grade polystyrene it was recycling Dick Bonnett, who owns Plastic Recy location and drop off their plastic," says at its 80,000-square-foot facili ty in Missis cling Services in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Stack. To solve that problem, Stack came sauga, Ontario. "The horticulture indus· picks up Behnke's extra pots, along willi up with the idea of hosting a field day that try provides us widl a big chunk of our dlose discarded by hundreds ofo rner grow would feature programs ofint erest to nurs stock," says Brad Melmer, CPRA's suppli ers east of the Mississippi. An intermediate eries and garden centers. Last year she er development coordinator. Initially the processor of plastic greenhouse containers, brought in Adrian Bloom, chai rman of associati on picked up material only in Bonnett cleans and grinds the pots before Blooms ofBressingham in Norfolk, Eng southern Ontario, but has since expanded shipping them to producers. H e expects to land, as guest speaker for the event. Partic- into the nordlern United States. handle four million tons of plastic contain- Resources home, office, and garden. Burlington, VT 05401, composters, worm bins, Sustainable Landscapes (800) 863-1700. Plastic soaker hoses, soil blockers. California Materials Ex and Gardens: The Re lumber, raised bed kits, Real Goods, 555 Leslie change (CALMAX), (916) source Guide, Third Edi composters, tool Street, Ukiah, CA 95482, 255-2369. Sponsored by tion. Wesley A. Groesbeck bucket/ garden seats. (800) 762-7325. Plastic the California Integrate;d and Jan Striefel. 1996. Envi Langenbach, MSC 90, 638 composters, newspaper pot Waste Management Board, ronmental Resources, Inc., Lindero Canyon Road, Oak makers, rubber door mats, this Sacramento organiza 2041 East Hollywood Ave Park, CA 91301, (800) 362- rubber soaker hoses. tion acts as a clearinghouse nue, Salt Lake City, UT 1991. Plastic composters, Recycled Plastics Market for information abotlt non 84108-3148, (801) 485- rubber soaker hoses. ing, Inc., 2829 152nd Ave hazardous waste, scrap, and 0280. $35. This comprehen Mobil Chemical Company, nue NE, Redmond, WA other r@usable items. CAL sive guide lists thousands of Composite Products Divi 98052, (800) 867-3201. MAX publishes a bimonthly companies that offer a wide sion, 800 Connecticut Ave Plastic lumber, raised bed catalog listing available ma range of innovative products nue, Norwalk, CT 06856, kits, garden carts, bird feed terials and requests for ma for sustainable landscapes. It (800) 289-8739. Compos ers, fence kits, composters, terials. Listings are free and is published to help land ite lumber. worm bins. merchandise exchanges are scape architects, garden de New World Furniture, P.O. Smith & Hawken, Two left to the discretion of in signers, landscapers, home Box 20957, San Jose, CA Arbor Lane, Box 6900, Flo terested parties. builders, and homeowners 95160, (408) 268-1670. rence, KY 41022, (800) The Harris Directory, 522 connect with sources of envi Redwood outdoor furniture. 776-3336. Glass cloches, Acequia Madre, Santa Fe, ronmentally friendly building Oriana Pavers, 750 8th redwood cold frames. NM 87501, (505) 995- and landscaping materials. Street South, Kirkland, WA Worm's Way, 7850 North 0337, [email protected]. 98033, (206) 803-9518. Highway 37, Bloomington, $45 plus shipping and han Sources Glass/ concrete pavers. IN 47404, (800) 274-9676. dling. This database lists re Peaceful Valley farm Sup Plastic composters, row cycled and pollution Gardener's Supply Com ply, P.O. Box 2209, Grass markers, worm boxes, raised preventing materials for pany, 128 Intervale Road, Valley, CA 95945. Plastic bed kits; cedar composters. J u l y/ August 1 997 TH E A ME RI CA N G A RD ENE R 49 ers this year, but says that is still less than five percent of what is available. "Some grow ers are taking back significant quantities of pots from places like Kmart and Wal-Mart, but it's not a formal process." Collecting pots for reuse is labor-inten sive and expensive for nurseries, many of which do it mainly as a service to their cus tomers. Some nurseries will take back only their own pots; others only accept pots that have been cleaned. Before loading up your car with old pots, call ahead and find out if your local nursery accepts plastic containers and what restrictions there are on what they take. Other potential markets for used plastic pots include elementary schools, commu nity groups, and horticulture programs at community colleges and vocational high schools. Such groups are often glad to save money through donations ofreusable plant containers and they may not be as picky as Long-lasting recycled plastic lumber is a perfect replacement for wood when nurseries about accepting nonstandard creating raised-bed gardens. sizes, shapes, and colors. bulk of the garden fare, but the resourceful ing situations, however. ALTERNATIVES TO PLASTIC consumer can also find products made of To prevent degradation by sunlight, It's hard to avoid getting plastic pots when recycled wood, glass, and rubber. most plastic lumber contains an ultraviolet you are buying plants from nurseries, but protectant. ReBound plastic lumber, pro there are many ways to avoid purchasing PLASTIC FANTASTIC duced by Recycled Plastics Marketing, Inc. plastic pots for your own use. Ifyou really Plastic lumber may not appeal to everyone, (RPM), of Redmond, Washington, is pro want to use plastic pots, canvass your but it has, nevertheless, become one of the tected by a thin "skin" ofwhite virgin plas friends and neighbors to see if they have most common recycled plastic products tic over the recycled material. According to any old ones. They would undoubtedly be used in the garden. "Plastic lumber is one John Bissell, RPM's vice president, Re delighted to share their excess stacks with of the best ways gardeners can use recycled Bound lumber is made from mixed-color you. Make sure you clean and sterilize pots products. One of the benefits of that appli bottles---such as those that hold shampoo before reuse to avoid the spread of disease. cation is that while wood starts to rot over and other toiletries-rather than from milk Consider using biodegradable peat pots time, the plastic doesn't," says Susanne containers. "This is really the only way to or peat pellets in place of plastic pots. Peat Brunhart, manager of Montgomery Coun use mixed-color bottles," says Bissell. The pots reduce transplant shock because you ty, Maryland's master recycler/composter company offers a 25-year limited warranty can plant them directly into the ground program. on the lumber, but tests at universities have without disturbing the roots. Many gar Plastic lumber is being used for every indicated that consumers can expect most dening catalogs and stores now offer kits thing from raised beds to fencing, from recycled plastic lumber to last between 35 with which you can make your own boardwalks to retaining walls. It is also used and 50 years. biodegradable pots out of old newspaper. to make products such as garden benches, A composite lumber called Trex You can also buy soil blockers, which cre Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, flower made of 50 percent reclaimed plastic and ate containerless, free-standing blocks of boxes, trellises, mailbox stands, and even 50 percent waste wood-is manufactured soil that can be used for starting seeds. bird feeders. Plastic lumber is available by by Mobil Chemical Company. Trex is ad the piece from some companies; others vertised as suitable for decks, boardwalks, offer kits for making raised beds, fences, retaining walls, and other load-bearing recycled and outdoor plant containers. structures. Most recycled plastic lumber is made from milk containers, which are ground up, COMPOSTERS z'" ~ garden melted, and extruded into standard lumber After plastic lumber, compost bins are the ~ sizes. Because most plastic lumber is hol most commonly used recycled plastic prod- ~ low-centered, it is much lighter than wood, uct in gardens. Finding a recycled plastic eJ !;; products yet since it has no grain it can be nailed and compost bin is no longer a problem, but :3 sawed without splitting or splintering. choosing one can be difficult because there § t's nigh on impossible to be a gardener There is no risk of leaching of toxic are dozens of different designs available. u and not be concerned about the environ residues, so plastic lumber is particularly "Most of the ones on the market are pret- ~ Iment. So, not surprisingly, manufacturers popular as a replacement for pressure ty good," says Bissell. "They just represent 0 of garden-related products are offering treated lumber in raised-bed vegetable different theories on how best to create ~ more and more items made ofrecycled ma gardens. Hollow-center plastic wood is compost." In deciding which to buy, com- ~ terials. Recycled plastic it~ms make up the not recommended for use in load-bear- pare the recycled content-most black 8 50 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/ August 1997 compost bins are 100 percent recycled plas tic, but some of the green ones contain only 50 to 80 percent recycled material. You )ve heard about it "You need a critica l mass to get the Now don)t miss the best! heating going for good compost. The big ger it is, the better," says Mel Buss, re Subscribe to THE AVANT GARDENER, " the search and development manager for unique horticultural news service." Every month it Gardener's Supply Company. "My goal brings you the newest, most useful gardening infor has been to try to develop larger com mation-new plants, products, techniques, wid1 posters. One we're now developing will sources, feature articles, special issues. 29th year. Curious? Sample hold about 12 cubic feet." copy $2. Serious? $ 14 a fu ll year to new subscribers (regularly $20). Another thing to look for in a com poster is dliclmess of plastic. "In some of THE AVANT GARDENER d1e composters now being mass marketed, P.O. Box 489M • New York, NY 10028 to keep costs down d1ey have gone to a dUn plastic wall. These can break easily during loading and LUuoacling," warns Buss. WOOD Snow Creek Some companies are offering garden prod ucts made of reclaimed red cedar. Through d1eir catalog, Worm's Way in Blooming Dayli lYGardens ton, Incliana, offers d1e Compost Corral, a composter made of reclaimed cedar ri' Please send your latest full-color Catalog. $2 enclosed. • PLEASE PRIl'fT .. planks. The Smid1 & H awken catalog in NAME ______cludes a cold frame made of recycled red Exquisite, proven varieties, deve/oped by wood. A wholesale company, New World AD DR~S ______leading hybridizers, and pictured in luscious Funliture in San Jose, Califonlia, clistrib color from the people at B&D Lilies. Send utes recycled redwood funliture such as $2 for you r copy today. OTY______STATE __ ZlP___ _ patio tables and chairs, arbors, potting I'VISA IIAiIiiiIiJ Photocopy, or clip & and mail with payment to: carts, wheelbarrovvs, and tool chests. ~ _ ~ Snow Creek Nursery· 330 P Street· Dept H • Port Townsend, WA 98368 ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RUBBER By using recycled rubber soaker hoses you are helping d1e environment in two ways. First, soaker hoses conserve water by re ducing d1e loss to evaporation and water ing only where you need it. Second, soaker hoses are made from recycled tires d1at would otherwise be burned or sent to me landfill. Recycled rubber soaker hoses come in various lengilis- from 50 to 200 feet and won't crack or freeze like some plastic hoses. Just like meir nonrecycled counter parts, recycled soaker hoses can be used ei mer underground or on me soil surface. GLASS .. . Recycled products can be bod1 practical and beautiful. Take, for example, me recy cled glass cloches available through the AND SPRAY ON PROTECTION! Smid1 & Hawken catalog. These bell against water stress and winter kill on broad-leaf evergreens. Also great shaped covers, made from recycled, hand for keeping Christmas trees and wreaths green and healthy looking. blown glass, help protect tender seecllings from late fi.·osts and hlmgry pests. THE PROVEN ANTI-TRANSPIRANT FOR OVER 50 YEARS. Recycled glass is also being used in pavers and tiles suitable for patios or walk Write for free Iiteratu re ways. Oriana Pavers in Kirkland, Washing ton, makes 16-inch-diameter hexagonal WIL T-PRUF® PRODUCTS J INC. pavers wim 65 percent post-consumer glass blended in concrete. The interl ocking P.O. Box 469· Essex, CT 06426-0469 pavers come in a standard gray or can be http://www.wiltpruf.com e-mail: [email protected] custom colored. J }dy/August 1 997 THE AMERI CAN GARDEN E R 51 tl10roughly, tllis small book is densely organized guide for growing and harvest packed with information on 50 more veg ing each species he covers. etable crops-more than 500 varieties in Watson's book is not intended to pro all-as well as a wealth of stunning pho vide complete coverage of the entire tographs ofsome 200 individual vegetables. breadth of heirloom vegetables available This book's organization makes for easy today. Rather, it is a serviceable guide to and enjoyable browsing, much like a very heirloom vegetables, designed to help gar tllick and informative nmsery catalog. All deners identify what their seed-saving of the photographs of plant varieties are neighbors might be growing or to select grouped together, providing easy compar plants for historical gardens of their own. ison. Concise plant descriptions focus on In contrast, H eirloom Vegetable Gar characteristics such as flavor, shape, and dening is a study of heirloom vegetables color, and Watson has provided a similarly at much greater length and in much concise and well- greater detail than any resource I have seen. Weaver's book goes far beyond a pme reference guide to present a study in the delights and history of the American kitchen garden. Weaver's treatment ofvegetables as a part and product of history sets tl1is book apart ~ heirloom vegetables from other works on the subject. Enjoyable introductory essays on the history of the ~ moss gardening American kitchen garden and the develop ment of me heirloom vegetable movement ~ rock gardens set the stage for the detailed information about nearly 700 varieties. Weaver's veg ~ naturalizing bulbs etable descriptions begin with a guide to each crop, including the history and sociol TAYLOR'S GUIDE TO HEIRLOOM ogy of its development, historically impor VEGETABLES tant varieties, and digressions into the Benjamin Watson. Houghton Mifflin Com mythologies and politics that have sur pany, Boston, 1996. 343 pages. 4 1/4 x 8 1/ 2". rounded many of om crops. Color photographs. Publisher's price: hard For serious seed savers, perhaps the cover, $19.95. AHS member price: $17.95. most valuable aspect of Weaver's book is STO 023 the detailed physical description of each va riety. Use ofnontechnical language ensmes HEIRLOOM VEGETABLE that these descriptions are accessible to ex GARDENING perienced and novice gardeners alike. Par William Woys Weaver. H enry Holt and ticular attention to lookalike varieties and Company, Inc., New York, 1997. 592 pages. synonyms make tl1is guide even more valu 7 3/ 4 X 9 1/2 ". Color photographs and line able in navigating the occasionally confus~ drawings. Publisher's price: hardcover, $45. ing array ofinformation available from seed AHS membel' price: $40. HOL 008 exchanges and heirloom seed companies. Because it includes so many unusual eirloom vegetables have had the at crops-root chervil and red shiso, for in tention ofa certain subset ofgarden stance-the information on the uses and Hers for many years, but they have only culture of various crops is particularly recently emerged into mainsu'eam garden valuable. Weaver often includes recipes ing conversation. Many seed catalogs have and cultural information that shed new begun to featme these antique food crops, light on the history of food production touting their superior flavor and old-fash and utilization. ioned hardiness, as well as their frequently In addition to the basic growing in· unique shapes and colors. The result has structions, Weaver gives detailed seed-sav been a broader appreciation for the poten ing instructions for every crop, providing tial of these historical varieties to again play the next step for the serious vegetable gar a part in om everyday food supply and pre dener. The end result is a scholarly and serve genetic U'easmes for the furme. practical book tl1at is certain to enlighten Taylor)s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables is and inspire the beginner and the experi· a solid reference for gardeners seeking to enced seed saver alike. expand their heirloom selections beyond -Chris Blanchard the tomato, pepper, and bean varieties An experienced heirloom gardener, Chris most commonly fearmed in seed catalogs. Blancha1'd isgarden manager ofHarmony In addition to covering these crops quite Valley Farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin. 52 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 199 7 MOSS GARDENING: INCLUDING early American settlers, such as tllat most LICHENS, LIVERWORTS, AND romantic of moss names, the triangular OTHER MINIATURES wood-reveler (Hylocomium triquetrum), RUBBER Geor,ge Schenk. Timber Press, Inc., Portland, or the apple moss (Bartramia pomiformis), Oregon, 1997. 264 pages. 6 1/4 x 9 1/4". so named because the spore cases look like CoI01' photographs. Publisher's price: hard miniature apples. POND cover, $34.95. AHS member price: $31.45. More disturbing is that the annotated TIM 100 bibliography completely ignores tlle great LINERS American book on mosses, Mosses with friend asked the other day, "Are Hand-Lens and Microscope, published in there any books out there on moss 1903 by AI Grout (reprinted in 1965 by gardening? I'm Eric Lundberg, Ashton, Mary BUTYL A + EPDM tired of fighting moss land). Also miss creeping into parts of my ing are a number 20-YEAR lawn, and I think it's of other useful WARRANTY about time I give in." books, including Our premium rubber pond liners are safe "You won't believe that marve l of for all aquatic life, conform well to curves, it," I said, "but only American lichen remain flexible in the coldest weather, yesterday I got a review books by G.C. and withstand long-term sun exposure. book by George Nearing, ca ll ed- We fabricate sheets of almost any size Schenk, a gentleman appropriately and shape from fish-grade Butyl rubber, preferred by water-gardening experts who left the far west enough-The worldwide. We also offer durable fish and went to New Lichen Book grade EPDM rubber at very affordable Zealand to start life (1947) , How to prices. Other products include heavy anew. Now he's back Know the Lichens duty underliner fabric, low-maintenance and the mosses have by Mason E . Hale filter systems, and energy-saving pumps. him." (1979), and Mosses RESOURCE CONSERVATION It's a delightful and Lichens by Nina TECHNOLOGY, INC. book dealing with a L. Marshall (1914). 2633 N. Calvert St. Baltimore, MD 21218 delightful subject. "I am a gardener," (410) 366-1146 or (800) 477-7724 Mosses tell an an writes Schenk, "little cient success story of grounded in botany longevity, appearing and much more of a DISCOVER THE HUMANE ALTERNATIVE in the fossil record more than 400 mil groundling. In that T O TRAPS, GASES, AND POISONS. lion years ago, yet growing, little changed, distinguished capacity, however, I wear no on a tree trunk in the back yard. fewer than ten badges of merit: an almost 1~3 SONIC The book covers mosses, all ofwhich re constant decoration of humus under my produce by spores instead of seeds, as well fingernails. Good dirt it is, and I've prob MOLECHASER as lichens, liverworts, lycopodiums, and se ably worn a pound or two of it just in my laginellas. There are clear instructions ap moss gardening these many years." plicable to gardens ofpractically any climate Now he's got an eleventh badge-this on propagating, cultivating, and trans charming and enlightened book on planting these tiny plants. Recommenda mosses. - Peter Loewer tions are offered for the use of these plants Author and illustrator Peter Loewer grows in alpine and rock gardens; integrated with mosses quite stylishly in his own garden in flowering plants in borders; as a lawn sup Asheville, North Carolina. plement; and, best of all, in elegant minia ture container gardens. The enchanting photographs in the sec THE SERIOUS GARDENER: tion on containers include a charmer where ROCK GARDENS moss is set within the gaping maw ofa giant Anne Halpin with Robert Bartolomei, seashell. Another shows a lava rock fes Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, 1997. tooned with different mosses. The Victori 192 pages. 6 x 9". Color photographs. Pub Rid your Lawn and ans have not been forgotten-on page 143 lisher's price: softcover, $23. AHS member Garden of Destructive there is a hanging garden of beardlike price: $20.70. eRN 009 Rodents. I Forever!!! I Usnea lichens growing on a pillar of lava New Son ic Molechase r t arget s the very se nsitive hea ring chunks, set off at the base by a gray succu he publication of Rock Gardens sig of des tructive under-ground rodents such as moles, lent and a fernlike perennial. It all makes nals the lalllch of a new series of gar gopher s, ground squirrels, pocket mice, etc. Co nstructed from a single billet of aluminum for lon g life and weather you want to grab a trowel and head for the Tdening handbooks written with the resistance. Cove rs over 1,000 sq yds. Ru ns 4-6 mon lhs on woods-or the back yard. help of experts from the New York Botan 4 D batteries ( not inc luded). 16" long. A small complaint is that the author ical Garden (NYBG). Ifthis book is an in Call 1-800-590-4272 doesn't discuss some of the wonderful dication of what is to follow, the series will common names conferred on mosses by be a wilmer. Not only is Rock Gardens well 755 Humble Drive, Cool July/August 1997 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 53 organized and easy to use, but it is written in a style that will be attractive to both ex perienced rock gardeners and beginners looking for advice and direction. Lincoln Foster's Rock Gardening, pub lished in 1968, became the bible for a gen eration of rock gardeners, t"l~mfted g"d= lighting to accent your garden pond or landscape. Solid copper construction in both standard and low voltage. Many available for shipping upon your request. myself among them. Anne Halpin, a respected garden writer, and Robert Bartolomei, curator of NYBG's T.H. Everett Rock Garden, have Rose Pillar produced a book that is firmly in that tra CreClte em exquisite outdoor centerp iece with dition. It has two additional attractions: our sOClring 8-foot rose pillClf\ Climbing roses, The photography is stunning, and the bougClinvilleCl, clemCltis Clnd other vines will CClscClde book recognizes that in recent years inter Toadstool with mill finish over the ~ Cl f'ed top of thi s commClnd ing 22-inch est in rock gardening has spread across the diClmeter structure. United States. Thus, the book has the po tential to open the door to what surely will Single columns mClke become a lifelong passion for many gar sh'iking Clccen t points, deners across the country. Of' combine severClI to The organization and content of the aeCl te saeeni ng Of' Cl book are excellent and concise. Following drClmCltic Clilee. the introduction, which describes Bar PIClnting suggestions tolomei's eight-year reconstruction of included. NYBG's rock garden, the remainder of OUf' exclusive the book deals purely with principles and design, the pillClr is practices. Separate chapters discuss the qUCllity consh'ucted of history of rock gardening, define and 1/2/1rClW steel to identifY its distinctive features, and address weClther beClutifL!lly Clnd development and planting. The final is heClvy enough to chapter is a mouth-watering selection of prOVide Cl stu rdy 75 plants that Bartolomei recommends as SLlpport. $119 (p lus core plants for starting a rock garden. Write or fax us for information on Despite a fine selection, these plants are our entire lin~ of fixtures. s&h). A C\Clrden of 6rthly Delights, only the tip of the iceberg. The number of Dept. ACi2, CClIl plants available for rock gardens is now stag Escort Lighting toll free, 888-259- gering, and on a nationwide basis the plants 201 Sweitzer Road Sinking Spring, PA 19608 4165. VJSAIMC used will vary from region to region. It is FAX: 610-670-5170 Clccepted. easy to conceive of a Santa Fe rock garden, planted almost exclusively with plants ofthe 54 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 199 7 Southwest, melding seamlessly into a larg er, water-vvise landscape. This reality makes the chapters on the principles of develop ment and construction even more valuable. For it is the creation of micro-environments at the construction stage that allows for the growing of a wide range of rock garden plants. And there is no style of gardening in which one can have as many interesting plants in a small space as in rock gardening. The only shortcoming I found in the book was the absence ofa section on prop agation. The authors acknowledge-and every rock gardener knows-that many choice rock garden plants are short-lived, either by nature or by circumstances of their created environment. Consequently, out of necessity and desire, most rock gar deners become skilled propagators and seed collectors. This is nonetheless an important book for all rock gardeners, particularly for any one contemplating starting their first rock garden. -Don Humphrey An avid rock gardener, Don Humphrey 1'e cently retired as manager of Green Spring Ga1'dens Pa1,k in Alexand1'ia, Virginia. NATURALIZING BULBS Rob Proctor. Henry Holt and Company, Inc., New York, 1997. 254 pages. 7 3/ 8 X 9 3/4". Color photographs. Publisher's p"ice: hardcover, $35. AHS member p1'ice: $31. HOL009 ou see, Laura's discovered the and enriches your existing plants. y secret to weed-free gardening. It's n this ambitious book, designed to help not that she doesn't enjoy weeding, And they couldn't be easier to use gardeners in all areas of the United States, it's just that - well, okay, she just with the refillable canister with built-in IDenver-based garden writer Rob Proctor doesn't enjoy weeding. applicator, you just sprinkle the shares his enthusiasm for growing a diverse granu les directly into the soil or array of bulbs in all seasons. His interpreta Which is why this year, Laura's using mulch , then gently water-in. One tion of what is "bulbous" includes surpris- Preen®, America's best-selling flower application lasts up to three months. and garden weed preventer. Preen actually prevents weeds from growing So if, like Laura, hours of weeding around over 180 bulbs , flowers, isn't part of your dream summer, look roses, shrubs, trees for the bright yellow and vegetables - containers with the red guaranteed, or your caps in your local garden money back. And store. And let Preen Preen In Green®not and Preen In Green only prevents weeds, it introduce you to the contains a balanced 9-17-9 world of weed-free fel1ilizer that nourishes gardening. Anotber Work-Saver Product From Greenvfew® © Copyright 1997. Greenview, Lebanon, PA. July / Augu st 199 7 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 55 es such as blazing stars, spiderworts, milk Conway School ·1997 Summer Workshop Series· Ecology and Design weeds, and toad lilies, in addition to the more familiar bulbs, corms, and tubers. In the introductory chapters he chal lenges many garden tenets and gives sensi 4-:'iiWORKSHOPS ble advice, such as not cLltting back the Thursdays through Saturdays in the scenic foothills of western Massachusetts leaves of iris in spring. Cultural recom mendations are derived mainly from his Managing Invasive Exotics July 10 through July 12 own experience and that of ga rdening Non-native plant species: identification, management, and impact on the friends around the country, rather than environment. Laurie Sanders, Tom Ward, and Pam Weatherbee from other books. Among the usefi.tl sec tions is one on suggested companion plant Schoolyard Habitats July 17 through July 19 ings of bulbs with other perelmials to hide Using the schoolyard as an outdoor classroom for inquiry-based science education. Ruth Parnall and Marilyn Wyzga dying foliage and to enhance beauty when in flower. Wetland Restoration and Construction July 31 through August 2 Proctor conveys a remarkable sense of Function and benefit of wetlands; study of wetland restoration and the problems and pleasures of gardening in construction. Edgar Garbisch of Environmental Concern, Inc. different areas and offers intelligent advice on ways to plant the land as it ties, without Basic Graphic Communication August 7 through August 9 manipulation of topography or soil. He How to communicate the essence of a landscape or design using-these recommends selections appropriate for a tools and techniques. Stuart Sachs, Landscape Architect wide range of gardens and habitats-from Participant fee: $250 for each workshop, including lunches and reference materials. small city gardens to woodland gardens Write or call for further information, or send email to [email protected]. and from wet sites to dry. He also offers amusing yet practical tips for controlling pests such as deer, slugs, and CONWAY rodents. Although he discusses integrated School of Landscape Design pest management and organic methods of DelabarreAvenue, Conway, Massachusetts "01341-0179 pest control, I would have felt more com (413) 369-4044 fortable '.'vith an even more conservative ap proach to pesticide use. Since certain bulbs-hardy cyclamen and snowdrops, for instance-are still en dangered in the wild, it is good to see Proc tor recommending that sLlch bulbs be purchased only fi-om companies known to sell nursery-propagated plants. To fi.U"ther protect bulbs in native habitats, he also en courages gardeners to try growing bulbs from seed. In writing this book, Proctor accepted the extraordinary chal~enge of recom mending bulbs for every section of the COLU1trY. Although for the most part he suc cessfully accomplishes this task, I felt he gave short slum to many bulbs that grow successfi.l lly in the mid-Atlantic region. The chart at tl1e end of the book is a usefi.d guide to where bulbs for naturaliz ing can be expected to grow. Occasionally, however, it differs from recommendations made in the text. I noted this especially The Monet Water Garden at FELICITA when looking up one of my personal fa Stroll at your own pace through A Garden Resort that makes vorites, hardy cyclamen. the gardens of FELICITA Ljour soul sing . EnjoLj our Naturalizing Bvdbs is not an encyclo pedia of bulbous plants, but a fine intro Italian Garden Spa duction to them. Keep a pencil handy as Alpine Garden Restaurant you read because you will end up with a list Japan ese Gard en Inn of plants and ideas for your garden. Monet Garden Tavern -Nancy Goodwin FELl CITA Nancy Goodwingal'dens, writes, and leads to~trS of Montrose, hel' Hillsborough, North 220 1 Fishing Creek Val/eLj Rd. Harrisburg, PA 1711 2-9248.(7 17) 599-530 1 Cal'oiina,ga1'den. 56 THE AMERICAN GARDENER J~tly/Aug~tst 199 7 gardeners' EDIBLE GARDENING KALMIA BROTHER CADFAEL'S HERB GARDEN Rob Talbot and Robin Whiteman. 1997. books 200 pages. Publisher}s pl'ice: hardcover) $29.95. AHS member price: $26.95. Booles are chosen for the AHS HOI,ticultur LIT 008 al Book Service based on peneived reader The enthusiastic medieval gardener and intel'est) unusual subject mattel') 01' sub herbalist Brother Cadfael, a fictional char stantive content. The following deSC1'iptions acter created by mystery writer Ellis Peters, are IZ0t intended to be cl'itical reviews) but is the spirit behind this beautifully written an written to give an ovel'view ofthe books) and illustrated book on the herbals and contents. FOI' further information about herb gardens of the period. An encylopedic these 01' other gardening books- or to ordel' section lists all the herbs and plants men books--please call Barbal'a Cathe1'wood at tioned in Peters' popular book series. In (800) 777-7931 ext. 36. cludes nearly 150 color photographs. NEW PLANT BOOKS KALMIA: MOUNTAIN LAUREL AND RELATED SPECIES Richard A. Jaynes. 1997. 360 pages. Pub lishe1'}s price: hardcover, $34.95. AHS mem be1' p1'ice: $3l.25. TIM 103 Jaynes, a plant breeder and nurseryman, is the acknowleged expert on these beau tiful eastern native shrubs. This third edi tion describes a host of new cultivars and significant advances in propagation. Sep arate chapters address cultivation and landscape uses of mountain laurels along with descriptions of the author's search for unusual plants in the wild. In addition to 140 color photographs, there are black and-white photographs, line drawings, GARDENING WITH FOLIAGE charts, and maps. PLANTS: LEAF, BARK, AND BERRY Ethne Clarke. 1997. 160 pages. Publisher)s THE SMALLER PERENNIALS PEPPERS OF THE WORLD: price: hardcovelj $29.95. AHS member Jaclz Elliott. 1997. 176 pages. Publisher)s AN IDENTIFICATION GUIDE price: $26. 95. ABV 013 p1'ice: hardcove1') $29.95. AHS member Dave De Witt and Paul W Bosland. 1997. Encouraging us to use foliage plants as the pl'ice: $26.95. TIM 104 224 pages. Publisher}s p1'ice: softcove1j $19.95. focal point of our garden design, this beau This dictionary of perennials is ideal for AHS member price: $17. 95. TSP 003 tifully illustrated book provides superb ex gardeners wishing to grow a large number Illustrated with terrific color photographs amples of colored stems, beautiful bark, of plants in a limited space while maintain of each of the 300 peppers presented, this striking leaf shapes, and vibrant foliage. In ing an elegant garden scale. Includes a ref book by tvvo renowned chile pepper ex cludes 325 color photographs. erence list of 400 genera illustrated by 160 perts includes chapters on identification of color photographs. old and new varieties, wild species, tabas TRILLIUMS cos, rocotos, and much more. For the real Frederick W Case Jr. and Roberta B. Case. TAYLOR'S GUIDE TO ly adventurous, there are even instructions 1997. 220 pages. Publisher)s price: hardcov ORNAMENTAL GRASSES for breeding your own chile peppers. The er, $29.95. AHS member price: $26.95. Roger Holmes) editor. 1997. 309pages. Pub companion volume on growing peppers, TIM 101 lisher)s price: softcoVelj $19.95. AHS mem DeWitt and Bosland's Pepper Garden) is In this blend of field guide and gardener's ber price: $17.50. HOU 010 available for $14.50 (book code TSP 002). handbook, these woodland wildflower This joins the short list of useful books on gems finally have a book of their own. In grasses for the garden. Along with a thor TANTALIZING TOMATOES: cludes chapters on history, hybridization, ough encyclopedic section, there is a ter SMART TIPS AND TASTY PICKS conservation, and propagation of trilliums. rific design chapter called "Grasses in the FOR GARDENERS EVERYWHERE Illustrated with color photographs, line Landscape." Includes more than 250 Karan Davis Cut/el') editol'. 1997. 111 drawings, and maps. color photographs. pages. Publisher)s p1'ice: softcover) $9.95. July / August 1997 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 57 AHS member price: $8.95. STO 045 more than 100 plants found in Nortl1 projects outlined are "Flowers That Plant A guide to growing tomatoes throughout America. Drawing on her eA'Perience as a li Themselves," "Rooting for Roses," and "A the United States, the Brooklyn Botanic brarian, Vitale has integrated information 20-Minute Wetland." An enjoyable read Garden's newest handbook covers propa about history, folklore, and medicinal and bolstered by down-to-earth, time-saving gating, planting, pruning, and culinary tips culinary properties to weave vivid botani hints. Illustrated with line drawings. for these garden favorites. Heirloom vari cal portraits of each plant. eties, new hybrids, and favorites for each re ROOF GARDENS, gion are highlighted. A useful book for BALCONIES, AND TERRACES both beginning gardeners and experts David Stevens. 1997. 160 pages. Publishel')s looking for new ideas. Includes more than price: hardcover, $35. AHS member price: 50 color photographs, mail-order sources, $31.50. RIZ 001 and references for further reading. Stevens, winner of 11 gold medals at Great Britain's Chelsea Flower Show, reveals many new ways to design and enjoy con GARDEN POTPOURRI tained outdoor spaces that range fi'om city rooftops to suburban decks. Topics cov HEIRLOOM GARDENS ered include great fence and flooring ideas, Mimi Luebbermann. 1997. 107pages. Pub water garden designs, and more. Includes lisher)s price: softcover, $14.95. AHS mem more tl1an 250 color photographs. ber price: $13.50. CHR 003 Subtitled "Simple Secrets for Old-Fash ioned Flowers and Vegetables," this book covers some of the most popular heirloom plants, from 'Brandywine' tomatoes to 'MJle Cecile Brunner' roses. It provides ideas and instructions for potted heirlooms inside and out, as well as for outdoor culti vation and culinary uses. Contains more than 50 color photographs and a list of AND mail-order sources. MARTY ASHER LEAVES IN MYTH, MAGIC , • •• ,.," 'I I II I II IIII I III I III II IIUI I I.I I I I IJIII II I II I II U1111 111 1111 11 11 AND MEDICINE THE 20-MINUTE GARDENER Alice Thoms Vitale. 1997. 352 pages. Pub Tom Christopher and Marty Asher. 1997. 223 lisher)s pric~ : hardcover, $29.95. AHS mem pages. Publisher)s price: hardcover, $19.95. ber price: $26. 95. STC 004 AHS member price: $17. 95. RAN 021 Illustrated with autoprints-exguisitely de With a blend of humor and practical advice, tailed reproductions of leaves created by Christopher and Asher, a horticultural ver tl1e author-this beautiful book contains sion of the " Odd Couple," take on the fascinating descriptions of the leaves of world ofgardening. Among tl1e 20-minute 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 U .S. Mail Order Amount UPS Book Rate $1.00 - $20 $4.25 $2.00 Subtotal $20.01 - $40 $5.00 $3 .00 Virginia residents: Add 4.5% sales tax $40.01 - $60 $5.75 $4.00 Postage & Handling (see chart) $60.01 - $80 $6.50 $5.00 $80.01 - $100 $7.25 $6.00 Total $100.01+ add $.75 for each additional $20.00 Mail completed form to: AHS Horticultural Book Service, 7931 East Bouleva rd Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. Or call toll-free (800) 777-7931 ext. 36. Prices in effect until August 31, 1997. After expiration date, orders wil l be filled pending avai lability. Please al low four to six weeks for delivery. Prices subject to change without notice. 58 THE AMERICAN GARDENER J uty / A ug~tst 199 7 JULY 12 . Preschool Nature Study Program. The Children's Garden, Ridg Events marked. with th.is w ay Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, .J syl11 bol are official St . Louis, Missouri. (314) 577-9506. "Diamond A.l1luversary JULY 12-16 . Ohio International Gardening Events" chosen as regional Floral Short Course. Cincinnati sites where AHS members can help us Convention Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. celebrate our 75th atUliversary during (614)478-1117. 1997. Look for others in your at·ea . JULY 15-AUG. 15 . Asiatic throughout the year. r? I Lilies Display. Peace Garden, tIL~ Dunseith, North Dakota. (701) 263-4390. AUG. 17 . Sundae in the JULY 18 & 19 . Olbrich Home Garden. Information, food, Garden Tour. Fitchburg, Wisconsin. tIL~ entertainment, children's activi (608) 246-4716. ties. Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, regional JULY 19 & 20 . Flower Show and Wisconsin . (608) 246-4586. Sale. Cook Energy Information Center, AUG. 28-SEPT. 1 • South happenings Bridgman, Michigan. (800) 548-2555. r? I Dakota State Fair. Exhibits, JULY 24-26 . How to Teach Youth tIL~ activities, music, and food . About Trees and Environmental Heron, South Dakota. (605) 35 3-7340. a look at wha~s Stewardship. Workshop. Lied AUG. 30-SEPT. 1 • Annual Conference Center, Nebraska City, r? I Japanese Festival. Missouri happening around Nebraska. (402) 474-5655. tIL~ Botanical Garden, St. Louis, JULY 27-AUG. 2 • Forest Ecology Missouri. (314) 577-9400. the nation Summer Camp. Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Finland, NORTHEAST MID-ATLANTIC Minnesota. (800) 444-4238. JULY 31-AUG. 2 • AHS Children'S JULY 2 . Gardens of Gael Hammer JULY 19 . Woody Plant Propagation. Gardening Symposium. Chicago and the Robinsons. Garden Tour, Workshop. Monticello Garden Shop, Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois. Washington, Connecticut. (203) Charlottesville, Virginia. (804) 984-9822. (847) 835-8280. 322-6971. AUG. 15 & 16 . Historic Plants AUG. 1 & 2 • National Meeting of JULY 10-12 • Managing Invasive Symposium. Monticello, Charlottesville, the American Conifer Society. Best Exotics. Workshop. Conway School of Virginia. (804) 984-9822. Western Midw ay, Elk Grove Village, Landscape Design, Conway, AUG. 23 • Native Plant Seminar and Illinois. (908) 879-4788. Massachusetts. (413) 369-4044. Sale. Irvine Natural Science Center, THROUGH AUG. 3 • Cincinnati JULY 10-13 . Herbs '97 Conference. Stevenson, Maryland. (410) 484-2413. Parks' Butterfly Show. Krohn Tara Ferncroft Hotel, Danvers, Conservatory in Eden Park, Cincinnati, Massachusetts. (847) 949-4372. NORTH CENTRAL Ohio. (513) 352-4080. JULY 11-13 . North American AUG. 14 & 15 . Herb Lily Society's 50th Anniversary JULY 12 • Hosta Show and Sale. r? I Symposium. Minnesota Land Show. Boston Marriott Burlington Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois. t!~ scape Arboretum, Chanhassen, Hotel, Burlington, Massachusetts. (847) 540-8051 . Minnesota. (612) 443-2460 ext . 180. (508) 368-7710. JULY 12 . Delaware Valley Daylily Society Show. Paoli Presbyterian Lewis Ginter Ground Breaking Church, Paoli, Pennsylvania. (610) 642-3941 . he Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia, held a ground JULY 12 • Hidden Treasures of breaking ceremony in March for construction of three new structures. The the Berkshires Garden and House TAnne H olt Massey Greenhouses are scheduled fo r completion in November, Tour. . Stockbridge, Massachusetts. while the E. Claiborne Robins Visitors Center is to be the garden's "Christmas gift (413) 298-3089. to the commLUuty" in December 1998. The timeliJle for constructiofl of the JULY 12 & 13 • Garden Fair. Genesee Charles F. Gil ette Education Complex- which will include classrooms for lectures Country Village and Museum, Mumford, and workshops, a library, and a herbaril1m of25,000 specimens from V.irgin.ia Com New York. (716) 538-6822. monwealth University- is three to five years. JULY 12 & 13 • Newport Flower Speakers at the ground- breaking included Susan Allen, first lady ofVirgi!l1.ia. Show. Marble House, Newport, Rhode Cluldren and grandchildren of the individuals fo r whorn the buildings are nan1ed Island. (401) 847-1000. and students fro m two Richmond-area elementary schools- representing future JULY 13 . Gardens of visitors, horticulturists, and students-turned over ea,rth on the site. r? Ithe Watershed and Upper The garden has ra.ised $19 million toward a goal of$35 rillllion. The next phase t!~ Watershed of the St. of its construction plans includes a display conservatory, c1llidren's garden, and ex George River. Tours. Georges River pansion of its horticultural collections. Land Trust, Rockland, Maine. (207) 594-5166. T HE AMER I C AN GAR D E NER 59 Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden, Gardening Goes to the Dogs Pittsburgh, Pennsylvan ia. (412) 621-6566. ardeners who own dogs have a NORTHWEST problem: H ow do you inte Ggrate a doghouse into a land JULY 12 • Deadheading Day Party. scape setting? O ne solution may be the Lakewold Gardens, Lakewood, architect-designed doghouses that will Washington. (206) 584-4106. be auctioned on July 19 at St. Paul, JULY 12 . A World of Medicinal Minnesota's Dog Day Afternoon Plants. Symposium. Center for Urban fund-raiser. Benefiting DIFFA (Design Horticulture, Seattle, Washington. Industries Fowldation Fighting (206) 685-8033. AIDS) and local hwnane societies, this JULY 27 • Annual Garden tongu e-in-cheek festival of things ca P'll Tour. Self-guided tour of nine is a wonderfully offbeat way to !!.::CJ private gardens. Anchorage enjoy an afternoon outdoors. Garden Club. Anchorage, Alaska. T he doghouses at D og D ay After (907) 278-2814. noon '96 were truly one-of-a-kind pieces of functional outdoor art. Versatile AUG. 2 & 3 • Herb too-the larger ones could serve as tool storage sheds or children 's playhouses. P? I Symposium and Flower One house even had wheels on one end, like a wheelbarrow, so it could be !!~ Show. Alaska Botanic Garden, moved for lawn mowing. Anchorage, Alaska. (907) 278-2814. Not only can dogh.ouses provide strong geometric lines as elements for landscape AUG. 3 • Gatiss Garden design, but taller ones can introduce shade into an otherwise relentlessly swmy set P? I Festival. Gatiss Memorial ting. That's sure to be appreciated by bOtll dogs and certain plants. And thinking !!~ Gardens, Kalispell, Montana. ahead to next winter, one of these doghouses would provide welcome color and (406) 755-2418. structural interest to a snow-covered garden. AUG. 7 • Propagation Workshop. After you and your dog (yes, pooch can attend) have picked out his new house, Center for Urban Horticulture, Seattle, you can enjoy the nearby Minnesota Landscape Arborenun, Bakken Physic Garden , Washington. (206) 685-8033. and 1876 Squire H ouse Gardens. For more information, call Pamela Diamond at AUG. 22-24 • Farwest Flower Show. (612) 377-5586. -Janet Cass, specialfrom North Oaks, Minnesota Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon. (503) 653-8733. AUG. 27-30 • Bridging Natural and JULY 13 . Summer Garden way, Massachusetts. (413) 369-4044. Social Landscapes. Conference spon Maintenance. Class. Brooklyn Botanic AUG. 2 . Summer Garden Day. Talks, sored by the Natural Areas Association. Garden, Brooklyn, New York . (718) tours, and demonstrations. Old Red Lion-Lloyd Center Hotel and 622-4433. Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Conference Center, Portland, Oregon. JULY 17-19 . Schoolyard Habitats. Massachusetts. (508) 347-3362 ext. 270. (503) 579-2920. Workshop. Conway School of Landscape AUG. 3 • Grass Identification. Design, Conway, Massachusetts. (413) Workshop. Frost Drew Nature Center, SOUTH CENTRAL 369-4044. Ninigret Park, Smithfield, Rhode Island. JULY 17-AUG. 3 • Rockefeller Center (401) 949-0195. AUG. 1 • Organic Herb Gardening. Flower and Garden Show. Rockefeller AUG. 8-10 . Summer Conference Workshop. Ozark Folk Center, Mountain Center, New York City. (212) 632-3975. and Celebration of Rural Life. View, Arkansas. (501) 269-3851 . JULY 18 . Woody Plants for the Northeast Organic Farming Association. THROUGH SEPT. 21 • Margaret Mee: Landscape and Garden Center Hampshire College, Amherst, Return to the Amazon. Exhibit. Industries. Conference. Lang Massachusetts. (508) 355-2853. Houston Museum of Natural Science, Performing Arts Center, Swarthmore Ir'J AUG. 9 • Trial Beds Open Houston, Texas. (713) 639-4600. College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. House. Tours and lectures. THROUGH NOV. 30 • Big Bugs. (215) 988-8800. Johnny's Selected Seeds, Outdoor sculpture exhibit. National JULY 19 . Yellow Barn Albion, Maine. (207) 437-4357. Wildflower Research Center, Austin, P? I Garden Tour. Yellow Barn AUG. 9-13 . American Texas. (512) 292-4200. !!~ Music School and Festival, Phytopathological Society Annual Putney, Vermont. (802) 387-6637. Meeting. Riverside Convention Center, SOUTHEAST ~ JULY 26 • Rutgers Gardens Rochester, New York. (612) 454-7250. Open House. Rutgers Display AUG. 16 . Family Garden Festival. JULY 19 . Gardening With Gardens, New Brunswick, New The Garden Institute at Merry Gardens, Mushrooms. Workshop. Daniel Stowe Jersey. (908) 932-8010. Camden, Maine. (207) 236-9064. Botanical Garden, Belmont, North ~ JULY 26 & 27 • Garden Trail AUG. 23 • Plant Sale and Auction. Carolina. (704) 825-4490. Tour. Madison, New Delaware Valley Daylily Society. Church JULY 23-26 . Landscaping Hampshire. (603) 447-5988. of the Good Samaritan, Paoli, With Native Plants. JULY 31-AUG. 2 • Ecological Wet Pennsylvania. (610) 458-0177 . !!~ Conference. Western Carol ina land Restoration. Workshop. Conway THROUGH SEPT. 15 • Paper Plants University, Cullowhee, North Carolina. School of Landscape Design, Con- and Paper Making. Exhibit. Rodef (704) 227-7397. 60 T H E AM E R I CAN G A R D E N ER J uly/A$tgust 1 997 AUG. 5-7 • Perennial Plant Association Meeting. Sheraton New York Community Gardens Threatened Imperial Hotel, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. (614) 771-8431. p to 750 community gardens in New York City could be destroyed as the ci'ty AUG. 14 . The Art of Drying sells off 11 ,000 "vacant" lots to make way for development. Five community Flowers. Workshop. The State Botanical Ugardens have already been bulldozed. The gardeners affected say they recog Garden of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. nize the need for more housing, but question why the city is not rehabilitating aban (706) 542-1244. doned structures, rather than razing community gardens to build new ones. They AUG. 21 . Piedmont Meadow are also concerned that the new developments will be mainly market-rate, or high Workshop. The State Botanical cost housing, rather than much needed lower-income housing. Garden of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. These community gardens grew up on vacant lots throughout the city in re (706) 542-1244. sponse to a need for green space, and as a way to stop vacant lots from being dump ing grounds or homes to prostitutes, drug dealers, and gang wars. The gardens have SOUTHWEST also become sources of additional food; safe places for neighbors to congregate; ways to preserve cultural heritage; sites for weddings, birthday parties, graduation JULY 19 & 20 . American Indian parties, and church festivals; and places for schools to introduce children to garden Sunflower Festival. Denver ing. In these gardens, Haitian immigrants work next to Middle-Eastern immigrants, Botanic Garden, Denver, Colorado. who garden next to native New Yorkers-a sort of green United Nations. The gar (303) 370-8187. dens have mellifluous names like Parque de Tranquilidad (Park of Tranquility) , JULY 19 & 20 . Region 20 Iris Society Brisas del Caribe (Caribbean Breezes), Green Oasis, All People's Garden, Miracle Plant Sale. Denver Botanic Garden, Garden, and Winners Circle. Denver, Colorado. (303) 370-8187. Some of these gardens are leased under the auspices of GreenThumb, a city com AUG. 8-10 . Southwestern munity gardening program flm by New York City'S parks and recreation depart Low Desert Gardening and ment. (See the July/August 1996 American Gardener.) GreenThumb leases each Landscaping. Conference. Wigwam space to gardeners for $1 a year, but because these leases are controlled by the city, Resort, Litchfield Park, Arizona. (602) the agreement can be withdrawn at any time. 470-8086 ext . 824. The New York City Coalition for the Preservation of Gardens, formed in No AUG. 10-13 . International Water vember in response to the threatened demolition, includes gardeners, community Lily Society Symposium. Marriott members, local schools, religious institutions, and community centers. To bring Denver Tech Center, Denver, Colorado. attention to the issue, the coalition has held a protession, sent representatives to (410) 730-8396. speak before the housing authority committee and community boards, and held public meetings. WEST COAST Those interested in helping preserve New York City'S community gardens can reach the New York City Coalition for the Preservation of Gardens by phone at JULY 5 & 6. National Cactus and (212) 777-7969 or by fax at (212) 505-7303. More information can also be found Succulent Show. Huntington Botanical at their Web site at http://www.interport.net-earthcelj. Garden, San Marino, California. (818) 405-2141. Paris Will Still Be Beautiful in the Springtime ... JULY 12 • Plant Sale. Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco, California. nd the rest of the year as well. Bernard McLaughlin's three-and-a-half-acre (415) 661-1316. garden in Paris, Maine, has been rescued to be enjoyed by the public, as it JULY 13 . Mare Dabbling With A was before its owner died in December 1995. (See the September/October Water Gardens. Workshop. Descanso 1996 American Gardener.) Gardens, La Canada Flintridge, On April 23, the McLaughlin Foundation, a nonprofit corporation founded to California. (818) 952-4401. preserve the garden and establish a horticultural center, purchased the property. The JULY 14-25 • Permaculture Design foundation intends to follow McLaughlin's tradition of keeping the garden free and Course. International Institute for open to the public, and will meet its armual expenses by holding tours, peak season Ecological Agriculture. Private ranch festivals, horticultural lectures, workshops, and cultural events; renting the site for near Half-Moon Bay, California. (415) weddings and private parties; and soliciting donations and grants. 365-2993. McLaughlin's will left no money to endow th~ property, which includes 96 vari JULY 15-19 . Master Gardener eties of lilacs among its 500 plant species. The home, barn, and six-acre property International Conference and Trade were to be sold and the money divided among local charities. Show. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Sacramento, The foundation has been endorsed by the Garden Conservancy, a nonprofit or California. (408) 241-9973. ganization dedicated to preserving historic garden areas. Also voicing support were AUG. 2 • Growing Ornamental the Maine Statti: Historic Preservation Commission, Western Foothills Land Trust, Oreganos and Using Them for Crafts. the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Maine Olmsted Alliance. Indi Workshop. University of California viduals can join the foundation for $20 per year, with lower levels for students and Botanical Garden, Berkeley, California. higher levels for those who wish to make a larger donation. All members receive a (510) 642-3352. newsletter called Trillium. AUG. 16-24 . Southern California To join or make a donation, contact the McLaughlin Foundation at P.O. Box Home and Garden Show. Anaheim 16, South Paris, ME 04281, (207) 743-8820, or e-mail them at mclgarden@ Convention Center, Anaheim, California. megalink.com. The foundation has a Web site at http://www.dma.net/garden/ (714) 978-8888. July/Augu st 199 7 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 61 HOUSE PLANTS ROSES ORCHIDS, GESNERIADS, BEGONIAS, CAC MANY NEW ROSE SELECTIONS for the TI AND SUCCULENTS. Visitors welcome. coming season. Over 700 va rieties: new show 1996-1997 catalog, $2. LAURAY OF SALIS roses and ground covers; English and old garden BURY, 432 Undermountain Rd. , Salisbury, CT roses; 6 tl10rnless HT varieties; antique and clas 06068, (860) 435-2263. sic roses by Beales; miniatures by Rennie; hardy Ottawa explor~rs; Manitoba Parkland varieties; PEONIES and our fabulous Pavement roses that are disease a look at current offerings BEAUTIFUL VARIETIES-Japanese and free, low-maintenance types that are also suitable other tree peonies. Catalog $2. SMIRNOW'S for harsh prairie winters. BEN WILLIAMS from the marketplace SON'S PEONIES, 168 Maple Hill Road, BRED ROSES. A superb collection. Our fields Huntington, NY 11743. are known to be virus-free. Orders shipp~d with our temperature-controlled truck to UPS depots in the USA for 10Gal distribution. Catalog $3. PERENNIALS CLASSIFIED AD RATES: All classified adver Books by Austin and Beales. Encyclopedic video tising must be prepaid. $2 per word; minimum BEAUTIFUL PERENNIALS at pleasimg prices. on roses by English rose expert Peter Beales, $35 Send for FREE catalog-our biggest ever! $50 per insertion. Copy and prepayment must delivered. Kindly fax or mail in retail orders or call BLUESTONE PERENNIALS, 7201 Middle them in on our answer line: (905) 689-9323. be received on the 20th ofthe month three months Ridge, Madison, OH 44057. HORTICO INC., 723 Robson Rd., Waterdown, prior to publication date. Send orders to: AHS Ontario LOR2H1. Tel: (905) 689-6984 or 689- Advertising Office, 4350 DiPaolo Center, Suite PLANTS (UNUSUAL) 3002. Fax: (905) 689-6566. B, Glenview, IL 60025, or call (847) 699-1707. REMEMBER GRANNY'S GARDEN? We sti ll grow her favorites, plus unusual natives and im ports. Catalog $1. PINE RlDGE FARM, 949 BEEKEEPING I FLORIS I NY , I Highway 34, Montgom ~ry, LA 71454. r:------,.,Learn Flower Arranging quickly and easily at home! QUALITY BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENT AND I Design profeSSional arrangements, corsages and spe- I I ciaJty displays. Start your own profil;!ble business or . I SUPPLIES. Explore the miracle. Free catalog. NEW, UNUSUAL, AND RARE-trees, hobby. Diploma awanfed. FREE BROCHURE de- . BRUSHY MOUNTAIN BEE FARM, 1-800- shrubs, and perennials. Informative catalog, $3 I scribes opportunities. No salesmen. I BEESWAX (233-7929). (refundable). FANTASTIC PLANTS, 5865 I WrIte or call todayl 1-800-326-9221 20111 SteepleCHase Drive, Bartlett, TN 38134. Cred Lifetime Career Schools, Dept p X 0 2 7 7 ""'""""" _ ""'""'" 1J0~a=n~,~h=,~1I=3 _ _ ",,=""'~T-="~'" BEAT THE POLLINATION CRlSIS! Use soli it card orders, call 1-800-967-1912. tary bees, the world's best orchard pollinators. Color instructional booklet $5. ORCHARD NATIVE PLANTS-nursery-propagated and BEES, 4391 County Road 35, Auburn, IN grown in containers! Also hostas, water-l oving r------..,u,rn LANDSCAPING plants, and unusual perennials. Catalog $l. I TRAIN AT HOME for an exciting hobby or profitable career. Start your I 46706-9794. Information with fax-back (219 ) I own spare or full time contracting business, work in the garderVnursery I 925-5076. PINE RlDGE GARDENS, 832AG Sycamore field or landscape your own property - we show you how. Diploma Road, London, AR 72847-8767. I awarded. FREE BROCHURE descnbes opportunities. No salesmen. ,.. ,. BONSAI I Write or call todayl 1-800-32.9221. I Lifelime Career Schools, Depl. P X 0 1 77 ' I OVER 250 VARlETIES-bonsai and plants for AWARD-WINNING I 101 Harrison SI., Archbald, PA 18403 gardens. 30 types ofJapanese maples, Satsuki aza L~_~' :.~eo;.tbl~T=~--= . _~ leas, dwarf conifers, bamboos, tropicals, subtrop PERENNIAL CATALOG! icals, and more. NEW ENGLAND BONSAI, Over 1,300 cold-hardy and native perennials for your America's most complete bonsai nursery. FREE gardening pleasure. Discount coupons, 200 original catalog. (508) 883-2842. drawings, planting and design tips, and more! Trees Make a World of Difference. Trees Send $2.00 for 3·year subscription, deductible, quiet traffic noises and lower utility bills. BOOKS or call1·8()()·S44·3192 to put on VI or Me Trees are a lasting tribute to those you love, Hortica: Color Cyclopedia of Garden Flora BUSSE GARDENS and a gift for future generations. 5873 Oliver Ave. S.W, Cokato, MN 55321 with Hardiness Zones and Indoor Plants, This year, plant Trees for America. For 8,100 color photos by Dr. A. B. Graf, $238. your free brochure, write: Trees for America, Tropica 4: 7,000 color photos of plants and trees for warm environments, $165. The National Arbor Day Foundation, Nebras Exotic House Plants: 1,200 photos, 150 in ka City, NE 68410. color, with keys to care, $8.95. Shipping additional. Circularsgladly sent. ROEHRS CO., Box 125, East Rutherford, NJ 07073. (201) 939-0090. FAX (201) 939-0091. ~The National ~ Arbor Day Fowuiation- GARDEN TOOLS 8r ACCESSORIES www.arborday.org GARDENERS, HOMEOWNERS, LAND SCAPERS-Call or send for free colorful cata log. Tools, accessories, decorative iron hangers, NEW ZEALAND - AUSTRALIA trellises, etc. Many unique items. QUI COR, When contacting advertisers". Route 6, Box 289, Thief River Falls, MN GARDEN TOURS Mention you saw their message in 56701. 1-800-625-7028. Jti~ HOSTAS Join one of our Spring or Summer Garden Tours or a specialized Plant Society group. THE AMERICAN HOSTA SPECIALISTS-Field grown, large choice selection including species, classics, new ...... For information call: and exclusive varieties. Descriptive catalog, in ~~ (415) 595-2090 GARDENER cludes color, $2. SAVORY'S GARDENS, New Zealand - Australia Garden Tour Specialists It helps your Society help you. INC., 5300 Whiting Avenue, Edina, MN No one knows the South Pacific Gardens better. 55439-1249. 62 THE AMERICAN GARDENER July/August 1997 Broussonetia papyrifera Gypsophila aretioides broo-saw-NAY-tee-uh jip-SOF-il1-luh uh-ret-ee-OY-deez pap-ih-RIF-ur-uh Habenaria dilatata Castilleja miniata hab-eh-NAlR-ree-uh kas-tih-LAY-yuh dil1 -1uh-TAY-tuh min-ee-AY- tuh H. hyperborea Cerastium arvense var. villosum H. high-pur-BOR-ee-uh seh-RASS-tee-um ar-VEN-see Heuchera cylindrica var. glabella var. vil-LO -sum HYEW-ker-uh Sil1-LIN-ciril1-kuh C. velutin'Ptm var. gluh-BEL-luh C. vel-oo-TEEN-u1l1 Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae Chimaphila 'Ptmbellata high-BISS-kus why-ee-MEE-ay ky-MAF-il1-lul1 um-bel-LAY- tul1 subsp. han-NUR-ee Chionodoxa Iris missouriensis I<)'-o n-o-DOK-suh EYE-ris mih-zur-ee-EN-sis Clematis hirs'Pttissima var. arizonica Munroidendron racemosum KLEM-ul1-tiss her-soo-TISS-ih-1l1uh mun-roy-DEN-dron ras-eh-MO-sum var. air-il1-Z0WN-il1-kul1 N andina domestica Clidemia hirta nan-DEE-nuh doh-MES-tib-kuh a simple speaking guide to kly- DEE-mee-uh HUR-tuh Oenothera berlandieri Cornus canadensis ee-no-THEE-ruh bair-Ion-DEER-eye plants found in this issue KOR-nus kan-uh-DEN-siss Parnassia fimbriata Cyanea Izuhihewa par-NASS-ee-ul1 fim-bree-AY-tuh Achillea millefolium sigh-AN-ee-uh Pedicularis arctica ah-kih-LEE-uh mih-lih-FO-lee-wl1 koo-hee-HAY-wal, ped-ik-yew-LAlR-iss ARK-til1-kuh Aleurites moluccana Dalea frutescens Pisonia wagneriana al-yew-RY-teez maw-Iuh-KAN-uh DAY-Iee-uh froo-TES-enz pih-SO-nee-uh wag-nur-ee-AN-uh Anemone multifida D. gattingeri Populus angustifolia llh-NEM -o-nee mul-TIF-ih-duh D. gat-in-JUR-eye POP-yew-Ius ang-gus-til1-FO-Iee-uh Arabis lyallii D.pulchra Potentilla fruticosa AlR-ul1 -biss lie-AL-ee-eye D. PUL-krul1 po-ten-TIL-Iuh fi'-00-til1-KO-suh Aristida purpurea D. tenuifolia Psorothamnus scoparius ah-riss-TEE-duh per-PER-ee-uh D . ten-yew-il1-FO-Iee-uh saw-ro-THAM-nus sko-PAR-ee-us Aster depauperatus Dodecatheon hendersonii P thompsoniae ASS-tur dee-paw-pur-AY-tus doh-deh-KATH -ee-on P. tomp-SO-nee-ee Astragalus cremnophylax hen -der-SOWN -ee-eye Purshia subintegra var. cremnophylax Dryas octopetala subsp. hoolzeriana PUR-sha sub-in-TEG-rul1 uh-STRAG-ul1-lus krem-no-FY-Iaks DRY-as ok-toh-PET-uh-Iuh Ranunculus aestivalis var. krem-no-FY-Iaks subsp. hook-ur-ee-AN-uh ral1 -NUNG-kyew-Ius es-tib-VAL-iss Brighamia insignis Gaura lindheimeri Salix arizonica brig-HAY-mee-uh in-SIG-nis GAW-rul1lind-BY-mur-eye SAY-ill,s air-ih-ZOWN-ih-kul1 S. barrattiana S. bar-rat-tee-AN-uh What's in a Name: Chimaphila umbellata S. exigua S. eks-IG-yoo-uh nce considered part of the heath family (Ericaceae), the genus Chimaphila is Saponaria officinalis now assigned to the wintergreen or shinleaffamily (Pyrolaceae), which con sap-on-AlR-ee-uh o-fiss-ih-NAL-iss Otains four genera of herbaceous to shrubby plants found mainly on acid soils Schizachyriumscoparium in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere. In reference to its leathery, ever SkitS-al1-KEER-ee-um sko-PAR-ee-um green leaves, the plant's generic name is formed from the Greek words cheima) Schizostylis coccinea which means winter, and phileo) which means love. skits-o-STY-lis kok-SIN-ee-uh There are six species in this genus of rhizomatous woodland plants, known by Sedum lanceolatum the common names pipsissewa or prince's-pine. The name pipsissewa comes from a SEE-dum lan-see-o-LAY-tum Native American (Cree) word pipisisihreu) which translates roughly to "it breaks Silene acaulis into pieces." This name apparently stems from the use of the plant to treat kidney SY-lean uh-KAW-lis stones and gallstones. It was also used by Native Americans-and later by settlers Sorghastrum nutans to induce sweating and relieve rheumatis1l1. sorg-ASS-trum NOO-tanz Native to parts of Europe, Japan, and North America, C. umbellata has several Talinum teretifolium subspecies, including three in North America. The species name describes the struc tul1- LY-num tair-et-il1-FO-lee-wl1 ture of the pipsissewa inflorescence, composed of three to 10 flowers tl1at nod gen Zauschneria tly from a common stem extended above the leaves. The leaves of C. umbellata zowsh-NAlR-ee-uh were once used as an ingredient in root beer. Zingiber zerumbet ZIN-jil1-bur zeh-RUM-bet jul)I/A'Ptgust 1997 THE AMERI CAN GARDENER 63 • WHY DO LEADERS CALL IT "GREATEST or BEST STUFF or PRODUCT in the WORLD?" ~:::J,:~ Ab so Iu Ie Iy Olh erw ise BILLIONS.PROVEN EXTRA.L1FE.MAKE' IMPOSSIBLES sl/P1Rii,~i~;1 . MADE EASY 17 of typical worldwide by World #1 Plant Supply massive "impossibilities" 1800 SALVAGED OLD TREES: "NONE SICK OR DEAD" SUPERthrive™ unique extra life:-TRANSPLANTING, MAINTENANCE, SALVAGING. "IMPOSSIBLES" MADE EASY. 1,800 60 to 75 year-old trees dug from grounds of 20th Century Fox Studios, stock-piled in weather for 2 years, replanted along streets of Century City. Landscape architect and contractor reported "not one sick or dead tree at any time." Only SUPERthrive™ could have done this- or even approached it. ~ 400 HUGE SPECIMEN TREES ~ 17 DRUMS PRE-PLANTED A DUG IN HOT, DRY SOUTHERN WHOLE DESERT CITY, ZERO CALIFORNIA SUMMER. ZERO LOSS, SPRING AND SUMMER, LOSS. Disneyland.® (Enabled open AFTER FAILURE IN WINTER. ing a year earlier). 'Disneyland and Disney Havasu City, Arizona. World are registered trade marks of The Walt Disney Co. • ZERO LOSS IN 3000-ACRE PROJECT FOR USDA, VERSUS 3% SURVIVAL: NEXT BEST. - California Polytechnic State University. • PLANTED 10,000 TREES, Seattle World's Fair, WITH ZERO LOSS. • SAVED ALL OF HUGE SHIPMENT OF PALMS FROM FLORIDA TO 48 Taiwan GOLF COURSES. LOSE OVER HALF WITHOUT. • PUSHES BACK DESERTS, LANDSCAPES SHEIKS' PALACES, Saudi Arabia. • PLANTED OVER 600,000 BARE-ROOT ROSES, 16 YEARS, LOSS FEWER THAN 1 IN 1,000, Albuquerque, New Mexico. • SAVED ALL TREES TRANSPLANTED by U.S. Corps Of Engineers, FOR CAMOUFLAGE, WORLD WAR II. • TWO WEEKS DIFFERENCE IN HYDROMULCHED GRASS STAND, ALONG FREEWAY BANK FOR EROSION CONTROL. - Maryland. • SAVED ALL CELERY TRANSPLANTED IN 17 LARGE HOUSES, before and after one without, IN WHICH ALL LOST. - California . • 1200 TREES WTIH 4" CALIPER TRUNKS BARE-ROOTED IN DESERT JUNE. NO LOSS. - Tucson, Arizona, City Parks Department. • BIGGEST TRANSPORTATION OF LANDSCAPE MATERIALS, CALIFORNIA TO FLORIDA, TO PLANT Disney World .® NO LOSS. • KEPT ALL PALM SPRINGS DESERT GOLF COURSE'S GREENS PERFECT, SUMMER WHEN ALL OTHER GOURSES WITH BENT GRASS GREENS IN AREA LOST 6 TO 14 GREENS. • HIGHLY COST-EFFECTIVE EARLIER, INCREASED YIELD - ABOVE THE BEST - FROM SEED, TRANSPLANTING, DRIP IRRIGATION, SPRAYING YOUNG CROP PLANTS : Recent EXAMPLE: ONE GALLON ON DRIP RAISED 25 ACRES OF GRAPE TONNAGE 26%, SWEETER, LARGER - WHILE EACH NEARBY GROWER LOST HALF OF CROP TO SHATIERING STORMS. - California ..... SAVED GIANT CACTUS ,: n ., ' 'f'J ..... 38 EXTRA INCHES ..... TREE-SAVING GROWTH ABOVE RECORD OF 112 CEN· TREES authorized moved FERTILIZERS,ALONE. TURY. California Poly· to desert botanic garden, Reported planted all , -. SEVEN MONTHLY USES. technic State University, .~ L- . ~ . Tucson, Arizona, Cal. Capitol, Cal Tec!;), U. famous and "world's big· City Parks. of Cal., Cal. State U. gest" Nevada hote/s._ Pushes back Africa desert. ~ •Point with pride to ALL your jobs. • Build demand for you. I • Protect and save essentially 100% of all plant material. ~lP LANVSC~A~RS I • Predict healthy, active, uniform and beautiful "super·normal" plants. VITAMIN INSTITUTE 5409·15 Satsuma Ave., NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA 91603 (800) 441·8482, FAX (818) 766·8482 I