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Volume 77, Number 6 November/December 1998

. ' .' Commentary 4 Conoph~ums n Members' Forum 5 by Steven A. Hammer Toyon) ipomopsis) and centaureas. See why these curious succulents from South Africa have some gardeners hooked on growing them. News from AHS 7 Youth garden symposium) Asian long-horned Stonescaping 28 beetles) franklinia) Fred Galle. by Richard L. Dub€ Used appropriately) stone can be an integral part Focus 10 of a dynamic) four-season landscape. Climate) weather, and the gardener. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens 34 Offshoots 15 by Molly Dean An ode to wheelbarrows. Home to a world-class collection of tropical and Mail-Order Explorer 16 subtropical plants) this popular botanical garden Plants for holiday gift-giving. in Sarasota) Florida) is also on the forefront offorest Gardeners Information Service 17 canopy research. Spaghetti squash) overwintering peonies in pots) Frances Tenenbaum 41 composting in winter. by Kathleen Fisher Conservationist's Notebook 18 An in-depth look at the editor who has guided some of Saving the Arizona cliffrose. toda/s most respected gardening writers into print. Natural Connections 20 Provenance 46 The secret lives of cicada-killer wasps. by Andy Wasowski Book Reviews 53 Before selecting a native plant for your garden) make Tropicals) North American trees) California ~ure it is genetically adapted to the climate and soil wildflowers) gardening ideas. zn your area. Regional Happenings 58 Academy Awards of Native Plants) titan arum. Hardiness and Heat Zones 64 On the cover: Branches ofpossumhaw (liex decidua) laden Pronunciations 65 with red winter berries. Only the f emale plants of this native 1998 Index 66 holly produce this brilliant display) which can last from October until March. Photograph by Roger Foley. American Horticultural Society 7931 East Boulevard D1"ive Alexandria, VA 22308-1300 (703) 768-5700 commentary lFlVlV. ahs. org

~ The American Horticultural Society (AHS) educates and inspins people nmost areas of the country, the garden is drifting of all ages to become successful into dormancy at this time of year. Some garden­ and environmentally responsible ers are barred from the soil by frost or snow; oth­ gardeners by advancing the art I and science of horticulture. ers have already completed their fall tasks and can rest on their laurels wltil spring. For many of us, ~ the garden is also upstaged by preparations for PRESIDENT/CEO spending time with friends and family at various LINDA D. HALLMAN holiday celebrations. But for those who just can't stay away from gar­ BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers 1998-1999 dening, even in winter, there are countless con­ KAn'i)10SSWARNER,CHAIRMAN tainer plants that can occupy the dreary winter Lat" Bllena Vista, Florida days. In this issue we'll tell you about conophy­ NAt'lCY S. THOMAS,FlRST VICE CHAIRMAN turns, a little-known genus of miniscule succulents HOllston, Texas from southern Mrica. These stonelike plants are PAUL ECKE, JR.,SECOND VICE CHAIRMAN Encinitas, California easy to care for and reward their growers witll an WILLIAM A. PUSEY, SEORETARY astonishing display of daisylike flowers in late sum- Washi'!iJton, D.C. mer and fall. But beware of these little gems: Author Steven Hammer warns that CHARLES HENRY SMiTH jiR., TREASURER Middlcbu';g, Vi'lJi,,;a, "conos," as tlley are known to tlleir fans, can be habit-forming! Escaping the cold weatller for warm exotic destinations is a favorite pursuit of almost SHERMAN ADLER West Pa!;" Buuh, Florida everyone. For gardeners, what could be better tllaJl a trip to a subtropical botanical gar­ LM, BAKBRJR. den? We've provided you with a vicaJ'ious trip to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Flori­ Winston· Salem, North Caro/i1l" da, renowned for its lush tropical plaJltings as well as for its commitment to a variety of WILLIAM E. B.ARlUCK, PH,D, IMMEDIATE PAST CHAl:RlvIAN conservation aJld education programs, Pine MOttll,tain, Geo'flJia Another popular winter pastime for gardeners is poring through catalogs in search of SHIRLEY BARTLETT plants for the Spling garden. But after reacling Andy Wasowski's article on the importance Sa1lta Ba,'bara, Califo,."ia of selecting plants based on provenance-the geographic and climatic region in which KATHERINE MCKAY BELK Charlotte, North Ca.·olina tlley originated-you may want to rethink your choices to make sure you aJ'e picking JAMES L CO.R:FIELD plaJltS that are adapted to local growing conditions, Geneva, Illinois Many people also use winter as a time to see the "bones" oftlleir garden. One of the AlVlBELLA S, DANE Boston, Massachusetts most important aJld versatile structural elements in a gaJ'den is stone, which serves as a JOHN ALEX FLOYD JR, focal point, a framing element, aJld as a surface against which to display plants, In this Bi1'1}J,i1Whftln, Ala bama issue, laJldscape designer Richard Dube offers practical tips on how to integrate stone ef­ DOROTaY T. IRELAND Birminghaltn, Alabama fectively into your garden. WILLIAM R. .MARKEN Catching up on the latest and best gardening books is still a time-honored winter Los Altos, California pursuit, so be sure to read Kathleen Fisher's lively pom'ait of Frances Tenenbaum, one THEODORE R. MARSTON Kirkland, Washington of the dynamos oftlle garden book publishing world. Tenenbaum is editor of Boston­ GENE M, MILLER based Houghton Mifflin Company's acclaimed line of garden books and author of sev­ Silver Spr;,'i!, Mm'yla1ld eral books of her own. EGONMOLIlAK As you spend time witll your faJnily and friends this holiday season, I hope you will Seattle, Wllshi'!iJton DUDLEY MORGAN shaJ'e our magazine with them aJld encourage them to join the extended family ofmem­ NnshJlille, Tcu:nessee bers that make np tlle American Horticultural Society, We look forward to growing with GEOFFREY L RAUSCH all of yon in the New Year aJld beyond. Pittsbmlfh, Pennsyll JlJ.nin. VALERIE L THOMAS

Alexa.1ldriaJ Virginia ROBERT D, VOLK San Marillo, California

~ PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. H. MARC CATHEY - Linda D. Hallman, AHS President/CEO

4 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/December 1998 THE AMERICAN members' GARDENER EDITOR DAVID J. ELLIS MANAGING EDITOR rum MARYYEE ASSISTANT EDITOR CHRISTINA M. SCOTI

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT MARK C. MOLLAN

DESIGN AND ART DIRECJ'ION JOSEPH YACINSKJ DESIGN

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR DARLENE OLIVER

~ EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD JOHN ALEX FLOYD JR., CHAlR Birmingham, Alabama NINA L. BASSUK Ithaca, New York RlCHARD E. BIR Brevard, North Carolina JOHN E. BRYAN Sausalito, California JOHN L. CREECH Hendersonville, North Carolina KEITH CROTZ Chillicothe, Illinois PAl.'lAYOTI KELAlDIS HETEROMELES ARBUTIFOLIA Once established, it can survive the dry Denver, Colorado It's tough, evergreen, drought tolerant, summers witl1little or no additional water. RICHARD W. LIGHTY flowers in springtime, produces abw1dant If grown, however, witl1 plants that need Greenville, Delaware red berries in auuunn, and is adaptable to watering in the summer, or if-as is the case ELVIN MCDONALD steep slopes. How could a dry-climate with one of my shrubs-it is placed too West Des Moines, Iowa Southern California gardener living at the near a sprinkler head, it still blooms, fruits, ~ bottom of a steep, south-facing slope not and grows-unlike some other native ADVERTISING AHS ADVERTISING OFFICE love this plant? Yet Heteromeles arbutifolia shrubs that can't tolerate water in summer. 4350 DiPaolo Center, Suite B offers even more-berries that make color­ A particularly grand specimen guards Glenview, IL 60025 ful cut sprigs for the holidays and provide tl1e bottom of my hillside, about 25 feet (847) 699-1707 • FAX: (847) 699-1703 food for wildlife. from my kitchen table. I admire me view COLOR SEPAMTIONS Commonly known as toyon or Califor­ through the glass windows and doors and FILM GRAPHICS nia holly, this shrub or small tree is a Cali­ watch the visiting birds pick its berries. I am PRINJ'ER fornia native that is naturally distributed in thankful that my plantings can feed the BANTA PUBLICATIONS GROUP chaparral, oak woodland, and mixed ever­ birds. I have never eaten tl1e berries, since The AmcnClw Gardener(ISSN 1087-9978) is published green forests. Extremely well adapted for I always want to leave tl1em on tl1e bush as bimonthly (January/Fcbmary, Marchi April, May/June, ) u1yI August, SeptemberI Onobe., November/Decem ­ ornamental use, my toyons proved to me long as possible, but I've heard they can be ber) by the American Horticultural Society, 7931 East their mettle within a few years after they quite tasty when lightly roasted. Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308-1300, (703) 768-5700. Membership in the Society includes a sub­ were planted on my hillside. Heteromelestranslates from the Greek as scription to T7JC Amcrica1l GardeJ'Lcr. Annual dues are In August, about the time when the "different apple tree"; the species H. ar­ $45; two year:;, $80. Inter-national clues are $60. $10 of aruma! dues gees toward magazine subscription. Period­ salvias have dropped meir leaves for the butifol1a is me only one in tl1e genus, al­ icals J?0Stage paia atAlexanolria, Virginia, and at adclitiona! summer and tl1e matilija poppies have fin­ though some cultivars apparently do exist, mailing offices. Postmasttl1, Please send Form 3579 to TI;e American Gnrdener, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, ished blooming, the toyons, with their dark including one with yellow berries, which I Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. green, leatl1ery, toothed leaves, remain as have never seen. One story has it that the Botanical nomenclature is bas~d on A Synonymized Check/istofthe Vaswlar F/ora ofthe UlIitedStateJ, Cn"a­ oases of green dotting the hillside. By Sep­ California holly inspired the name of that daalld Greenland and on the Royal HortiCltlturalSoei­ tember, just when they are most needed in legendary town, Hollywood. ery Il1dex ofGa"den Pla"ts. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and are not necessarily my landscape, the colorful, eye-catching I rarely prw1e my toyons. When I hike those of the Society. Manuscripts, artwork, and photo­ red berries appear and remain to the end of in the local mountains and see specimens graphs sent for possible publication will be returned ifac ­ companied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We tl1e year, when winter rains turn tl1e slope that stand up to 25 feet tall , I smile, happy cannot guarantee the safe renu:n ofunsolicited material . green agam. for the future of the shrubs on my hill. Back issues are available at $5 per copy. Copyright © 1998 by the American Horticultural So­ Heteromeles arbutifolia is particularly Elizabeth Schwartz ciety. Printed in the U .S.A. suitable for landscape use in Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California

Nov ember/ December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 5 MORE PRAISE FOR IPOMOPSIS oflpomopsis can be obtained from South­ AHS PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL I just received the July/August issue of The western Native Seeds) Po. Box 50503, Tuc­ ALEXfu'iDRlA COUNCIL OF GARDEN CLUllS American Gardener, and I have to write son, AZ 85703. Send $2 for a catalog. In MRS. ALBERTA WOOD ALLEN concerning your reader Fritz Fuhs' appre­ addition to the source listed above) Richters MR. AND MRS. RICHARD ANGINO MRS. RUSSELL ARUNDEL ciation in "Members' Forum" of one of my nursery and The Fragrant Path also offer MRS. SUZA.NNE FRUTIG BALES pet plants: Ipomopsis) or Gilia) depending standing cypress seed. DR. WILLIAM E. BA.RRlCK MRS. JAt\>lES L. BARTLETI JR. upon your source for the plant! MRS. WILLlA.t\>l BECKETI About 35 years ago, I was also living in KEEP YOUR EYE OUT FOR ... MRS. KATHERlNE MCKAy BELK JEAN AND DANIEL BELL Iowa-Iowa City in this case-and I, too, The florist I work for has a membership to DR. SHERRA.t'i BLAIR chanced upon the tall plant with bright red AHS, so all the employees get to see your MRS. MARy KATHERlNE BLOUNT MR. KURT BLUEMEL flowers. This plant, which my source called great magazine. I especially enjoyed the ar­ BORDINE NURSERY, LTD. "standing cypress," was at the time avail­ ticle on centaureas (July/August), which MRS. NANCY H. CALLAWAY MS. SUSAN M . CARGILL able from a few catalogs under the name have long been one of my favorite groups DR. AND MRS. H. MARC CATHEy Gilia rubra. Both Ipomopsis and Gilia are of plants. I would suggest your members MR. AND MRS. GLEN CHARLES MRS. LAMMOT DUPONT COPELAND in the phlox family, but I believe that Ipo­ also try the white form of the mountain MR. AND MRS. JAMES L. CORFIELD mopsisis currently the recognized name for bluet, Centaurea montana 'Alba'. I first MARGERY HALE CRANE ARABELLAS. DANE this species. It was one of the most de­ saw the loose white stars of this selection Ms. MAUREEN DE ST. CROIX pendable plants for me and did reseed it­ sparkling two years ago in the semi-shade DISTRlCT II, THE NCA FEDERA1"ION OF GARDEN CLUBS, INC. se1f-it is usually listed as a biennial-each at Marjory Fish's garden in England. MRS. BEVERLEY WHITE DUNN year. The leaves were "chameleon green," I was able to find 'Alba' this spring MR. PAULECKE JR. DR. JOHN ALEX FLOYD JR. as we discovered when our son's pet Flori­ through Forestfarm nursery in Williams, MRS. ETHEL W. FOLEY da anole escaped onto it! The red flowers Oregon. They sent me two hunlcy gallon­ GOLDSMITH SEEDS, INC. MRS. MARlON E. GREENE were a bright, true red at that time, al­ sized plants covered with buds. These were MRS. JOSEPH E. HALL though nowadays I'm finding yellows and in full bloom in May, twinkling and adding MR. GERALD T. HALPIN MRS. RICHARD W. HAMMING oranges in my mixture. much life in a semi-shaded corner, where MR. At'iD MRS. MAx HARTL I have since moved to Maryland and they were underplanted with Stachys MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH B. HARTMEYER MRS. ENID A. HAUPT then to Florida. A few years ago I began byzantina 'Silver Carpet'. More flowers MRS. ELSIE HILLIARD HILLMAN MR. CLAUDE HOPE to look for seeds again, but it was only list­ were produced sporadically all summer. MRS. RICHARD J. HOPP ed in one of the numerous catalogs I re­ This plant should be more widely available, MR. PHILIP HUBY DOROTH¥T. iRELAND ceive. That company returned my money and I'm hoping mine will seed itself Ms. PATRlCIA JODSAAS with a note saying it was not available at around a bit as tlle blue form does. MRS. JAt'iE KAMMERER MRS. HELEN KOVACH the moment. About two years ago I Thanks for an enjoyable and informative MR. AND MRS. ROBERT E. KULP JR. placed a request on the Internet, and a article. MR. AND MRS. GERSON LEIBER MR. AND MRS. MILTON D. LEIGHTON kind lady from Texas sent me some seeds. Linda Beutler MRS. CAROLYN MARSH LINDSAY This year I see it listed in various places: Portland) Oregon Los ANGELES FLOWER MARKET OF TIffi AMERlCAN FLORlSTS' EXCHANGE J.L. Hudson lists it as Gilia rubra and MRS. THOMAS MARSHALL Wildseed Farms and Thompson & Mor­ DR. ALFRED S. MARTIN MRS. FRANCES B. MCALLISTER gan as Ipomopsis rubra. Correction MRS. BETTY MCDONALD In honesty, I have to say that in the two MR. JOHN MCDOUGALL MRS. MARTYN 1.. MILLER years I have grown it here, it has behaved A quote by Doreen Howard in the MR. AND MRS. EGON MOLBAK like a short-lived armual, but when it thrives July/August "Focus" section was ren­ MONROVIA NURSERY COMPANY MRS. WALTERM. MORGAN JR. there is nothing like it. I would suggest buy­ dered incorrectly. In describing the Ms. CAROL C. MORRISON ing some seed before it disappears again. number of tomatoes she had harvested MR. WILLIAM G . PAN NILL PATRICIA L. PIERCE AND OLIVER C. SMITH Amy G. Skalle1'up fi-om plants treated with mycorrhizal MRS. FRANCES JONES POETKER Ormond Beach) Florida fungi, Howard said she had picked MR. AND MRS. WILL!AJVI A. PUSEY DR. JULIA W. RAPPAPORT 1,297 tomatoes and "was still count­ MRS. ALFRED RINDLER Ipomopsis is now the accepted name for ing." Howard, a garden writer and HARRy A. RISSETIO, ESQ. MRS. DIANA CARTER SAMPLES some two dozen taxa formerly listed asgilias. contributing editor at Woman )s Day) MRS. LOUISA STUDE SAROFlM According to Hortus Third, Ipomopsis was counting tomatoes as part of a MRS. JOSEPHINE M. SHANKS MR. JAMES A. SHELLENBERGER species are distinguished from gilias by hav­ study to see whether heirloom tomato MR. EMANUEL SHEMIN ing well-developed leaves on their stems) flow­ plants inoculated with mycorrhizal MR. CHARLES HENRY SM!ITH JR. SOUTHERN PROGRESS CORPORATION ers with individual bracts) and long) curved fungi would yield more fruit than un­ MRS. PETER SPALDING JR. seeds. Only four or five of these annual and treated plants. The conclusion of her MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM M. SPENCER III MR. AND MRS. JOHN THOMAS biennial native species are available in the study was that mycorrhizae appeared NANCY S. THOMAS trade: skyrocket or scarlet gilia to increase fruit yield, speed up fruit MRS. RICHARD L. TURNER (I. aggrega­ MRS. HARRY VAN DE KAMP ta), which has red) golden yellow) or pink maturation, arld aid plants in tolerat­ MR. JAMES A. VAN SWEDEN MR. AND MRS. ROBERT D . VOLK flowers; I. longiflora, which has white flow­ ing climate and disease stresses. How­ Ms. KATY Moss WARNER ers that can be blue-tinged; standing cypress ever, individual fruit on inoculated MRS. HARVEY C. WHITE MR. JOHNW. WHITE (I. rubra), which has flowers that an scarlet plants were smaller than normal for MR. SAMUEL A. WIGLEY outside and yellow ~JJith red dots inside; and each variety tested. To see the com­ MRS. MARlLLYN B. WILSON YACHT HAVEN GARDEN CLUB I. spicata, which has white or cream-colored plete results of Howard's study, e-mail MR. AND MRS. H. EMERSON YOUNG flowers. Subspecies ofI. aggregata and I. spi­ a request to [email protected]. cata are also recognized. The largest selection

6 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novemberl Decembel' 1998 news from ahs

YOUTH GARDEN SYMPOSIUM transforming America's schoolgro unds Nutrition" project, which teaches children The Society's sixth annual Youth Garden into more natural environments for play to grow meir own food in order to encour­ Symposium, held July 30 to August 1 in and learning. And Kal:)' Moss Warner, di­ age healduer diets. Arlington, Virginia, was a rousing success, rector of horticulture at Wa lt Disney The opening reception for the sym- dlanks to a stimulating group of speakers, World, offered an inspiring a variety of workshops, and dle enthusiasm vision ofd1e future for dlil­ Symposium of the 250 teachers, administrators, and dren's gardens and garden­ participants on a horticultwists in attendance. ing in AmeLica. field trip to the This year's keynote speakers celebrated Concurrent sessions fo­ National Arbore­ me diverse viewpoints that can be brought cused on a wide variety of tum mingle with to bear on youth gardening. Felder Rush­ YO Utll gardening dlemes. kids from the ing, a garden W1iter and host of radio and Jim Flint of the Nati onal arboretum's television garden shows, challenged parti­ Garden Association in Bur­ youth program, cipants to break the traditional rules asso­ lington, Vermont, gave a left. Below left, ciated with children's garden design by hands-on workshop on a young visitor incorporating unusual objects and play using growlights to garden enjoys the roses areas in the garden. Jane Taylor, past cura­ indoors wi til chil dren. blooming in the tor ofdle 4-H Children's Garden at Michi­ Molly Dannenmaier, former heart-shaped gan State University, described the children's editor of Garden Princess Diana important role family involvement has Design and author of A garden at AHS's played in the success of that garden and ChildJs Garden, presented River Farm suggested ways in which other public gar­ nine simple ideas for gardens headquarters. dens can achieve the same rapport wim dle designed to appeal to chil­ community. Robin Moore, professor of dren. And Vicky Urcuyo of landscape design at North Carolina State USDA's child nutrition divi­ University, outlined his philosophy for sion introduced dle "Team

Planning the Future

This year's Youth Garden Symposium launched a five-year cycle changes among all groups involved with children's gardening; ofsy mposia organized arOlmd four key educational tracks . These advocating the improvement of life for all youth through gar­ tracks-Garden Basics, Schoolyard H abitat, Integrating Curric­ dens and garderUng; and setting up fundraising, lobbying, and ula and dle Garden, and Gardens of the Future-will focus on educational systems to advance dlese goals. the newest and best programs and concepts that youm gardens AHS members are encouraged to offer suggestions or and gardening have to offer. Each year me symposia will address comments for consideration in the development of this na­ these tracks and, by building on past programs, keep attendees tional agenda. Write to Mary Ann Patterson, AHS, 7931 up to date with the latest developments in each subject area. The East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308-1300, or e-mail educational tracks were developed in consultation with the Na­ suggestions to [email protected]. tional Youth Garden Advisory Panel, a group of 29 leaders in children's gardens and gardening programs across the cOlmtry. The panel, co-chaired by Robin C. Moore, professor ofland­ The next three Youth Garden symposia will be held at: scape design at North Carolina State University, and Norm • Denver Botanic Gardens Lownds, curator of the 4-H Children's Garden at Michigan D enver, ColO1'ado Ouly 22- 24,1999) State Universil:)', is developing short- and long-term goals for me • Walt Disney World YOUdl Garden symposia. In addition, the panel is discussing is­ Orlando, Florida Oune 8-10, 2000) sues AHS should pursue as part of a national youth gardening • 4-H Children's Garden, Michigan State University agenda. Such issues may include: ensuring all children have ac­ East Lansing, Michigan Ouly 12-14,2001) cess to gardens and natural places; developing information ex-

November/D ecember 1 998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 7 posium was held at the Society's River Farm headquarters. Guests at the recep­ tion got a chance to see two new chil­ dren's gardens that were added to the grounds following a garden design con­ test among students at several local ele­ mentary and middle schools. The contest winners were the Jelly Bean Garden, de­ Earn a Master's Degree in signed by Deidre Swider, and Princess Diana's Garden, designed by Cristina environmentally based Luna. Both designers are fifth-graders at landscape design the Nativity School in Burke, Virginia. PLANT RESCUE Nestled in the hill country ofWestern Massachusetts is a small graduate school In late June, AHS interns and volunteers dedicated to the intensive study of ecologically sound landscape planning and helped "rescue" a variety of native plants design. The ten-month program, now in its 27th year, prepares its graduates for a threatened by road construction along a diverse range ofjobs in such fields as land and community planning, conservation, section ofInterstate Route 66 bordering site design, land stewardship and designing with native plants. Conway's unique the Thompson WtldlifeArea in Lindell, Vir­ program, structured around "real world" residential and community projects, ginia. Interns Cara Murray and Pier Hutton emphasizes an analytical design process, communication skills, and individualized collaborated with River Farm volunteers educational goals. Small class size, wide age range. Jordan Price, Katie Burney, and Andrew Lawrence in the plant salvage operation, which was performed with the blessings of INTRODUCTORY SESSIONS: the Virginia Native Plant Society. Saturday, December 5, 1998 Among the natives saved from the bull­ and Saturday, February 20, 1999 dozer were wild ginger (Asarum cana­ dense)) black cohosh (Cimicifugaracemosa)) P . O. BOX 179 CONWAY, MA 01341-0179 bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)) 413-369-4044 • EMAIL: [email protected] · · www.csld.edu Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum biflorum)) false spikenard (Smilacina racemosa)) and an as-yet unidentified trillium (Trillium sp.). "It was really satisfYing to see the truck full of these woodland treasures at the end of our hlllt," says Murray. The salvaged na­ tives are now growing happily in the shade of the enormous osage orange tree here at River Farm.

ASIAN BEETLE STRIKES AGAIN No sooner had we published the article on the sightings of Asian long-horned beetles in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York (see "Conservationist's Notebook" in the July/August issue), than we heard news out of Chicago that an infestation oftllese imported, tree-boring pests had been dis­ covered in the Ravenswood section of that city. Subsequently, smaller infestations were found in another Chicago neighborhood. The beetles in these Chicago areas were first discovered in firewood cut from local trees, but officials from tlle USDA's Ani­ mal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and local regulatory agencies be­ lieve tlle original source of the beetles is tlle same as that of the infestations in New York and of beetles intercepted at ports in Cali­ fornia, South Carolina, and Canada: wood­ en crates and other packing material used to bring in goods from China. The Ravenswood infestation--estimat­ ed to be at least two years old-appears to

8 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/ D e cemb e r 1998 be confined to just w1der 100 acres, but of­ straJ1gest fi:aJ1kliIua aJ1ecdote, etc. Final re­ ficial s plan to continue surveys in sur­ sults of tl1e census will be posted on tl1e His­ roW1ding areas before beginning removal toric Baru'an1's Garden web site in Mayas of beetle-damaged U-ees tlus fall. part ofBaru'an1 300 festivities. To receive a The beetle, wluch bores holes in living census form or more information about tl1e trees, has tl1e potential to damage or kill a plaJ1l1ed celebrations, call (215) 729-5281 wide range of ornamental and forest trees. or visit wwvv.libertynet.org/ - bartram. Large-scale infestations could uigg~r a pro­ liferation of quarantines on interstate slup­ FRED GALLE ments of ornamental trees and firewood . Fred Galle, an internationally known aza­ To lessen tl1e LikeW100d of fiutl1er infesta­ lea expert and fortner president of the tions, tl1e Washington, D.C.-based Arner­ ArnericaJ1 Horticultural Society, died Jlily ican Nursery and Landscape Association 26 in Springfield, Illinois. He was 79. Galle and omer nursery trade orgaJuzations are was primarily responsible for designing, You can't take one home, but you lobbying for suicter federal regulations on planting, and nurturing the renowned can get to know your new manatee wood packing matetials used witl1 imports plaJ1t displays at Callaway Gardens in Pine friend through the photo, Mountain, Georgia. H e worked at Call­ fi'om Asia. biography and membership away for 30 years-26 as director ofhorti­ culture-before retiring in 1983. In 1985, handbook Save the Manatee®Club Galle's 486-page opus, Azaleas, was pub­ sends to you. You can also read lished by Timber Press. Now in its tl1ird updates on your manatee in the printing, it is still considered tl1e pre-erni ­ Club newsletter. Your contribution nent reference on tl1e subject and was rec­ funds programs that are working ogluzed last yeaJ' as one of AHS's 75 Great to protect endangered manatees Arnerican Garden Books. Gall e wrote a and their habitat. Contact: similarly aumoritative book, Hollies: The Genus !lex, published in 1997. ..Save the Manatee®Club A1t110ugh Galle is best known for Ius work ~ 500 N, Maitland Ave. vvitl1 native azaleas, Ius interests were wide­ Maitland. FL 32751 raJ1ging. His plant introductions include www,objectlinks,co Clethl'aalnifolia 'Humnungbird', Nandina 1-800-432-JOIN (5646) Franklinia alatamaha at River Farm. 'Harbor Dwarf, H exastylis shuttleworthii 'Callaway', aJ1d rNO native azalea hybrids, 'Choice Cream' and 'GaUe'sChoice'. FRANKLINIA CENSUS "Fred's life was defined by all -around Next year is tl1e 300m anniversary of tl1e excellence. His horticultural legacy ranges HERBS G-rowing birm of fu11erican botatust and plant ex­ from his exploration and plant inu'oduc­ and Using plorer John Baru'am who, along witl1 his tions to research and publications," says the plants of son, WilliaJn, fortuitously saved one of our AHS President Emetitus H. Marc Camey. Romance most beautiful native trees, Franklinia "His books on azaleas and hollies are tl1e alatamaha, from extinction. As paJ't of cel­ standard references on these maJ'velous aJ1d • over 175 full· ebrations plartned for the aJmiversary year, essential plants for everyone's gaJ'den ." coLor photos HiStOlic BartraJn's Garden in Pllliadelplua Galle was AHS president from 1968 to • over 50 is conducting a nationwide census offraJ1k­ 1970. In addition, iLLustrations linias, all of which are originally derived he served as presi­ BiLL and from seeds the Bartrams collected from a dent of bom me SyLvia small grove of tl1e trees mey discovered in AmericaJ1 Associa­ Varney 1765 grovving along tl1e A.Itan1a1u River in tion of Botanical W rineo by herb-growing experts, Herbs: Gr()wing Georgia. Propagated aJ1d grown in me Bar­ Gardens and Ar­ &; Using the plants ()f Romance provides readers with inside advice trams' botaJUc garden near Pilliadelplua, me boreta and me on how to grow and use more than 150 varieties of heres. From the basics of planting, watering, and fertilizing to harvesting herbs, the tree was named to honor the elder Bar­ AmericaJ1 Rhodo­ book includes important information on how to: · Develop plans and ideas for more than ten special herb tram's good friend Benjamin Franklin. Mer dendron Society gardens-for any size landscape 1803 tl1e trees had vaJUshed from me wild. (ARS). He re­ · Use herbs for added !lavor when cooking · Make herb honeys, teas, vinegars, and seasonings The census will help detemUne tl1e u'ee's ceived numerous · Create natural herb soaps, lotions, perfumes, and potpourri range, cultural preferences, potential Iife­ awards during his Fred Galle $18.95 & $3.75 s&h Bill and Sylvia Varney are the owners and operators of a combined 12-acre SPaJ1, and potential dimensions in cultiva­ career, including Fredericksburg Herb Farm herb far m, bed and breakfast, and tion. Five frankli nias growing at AHS's AHS's highest honor, me Liberty Hyde Bai­ P.O. Drawer 927 restaurant which has been written up Fredericksburg, TX 78624- many times in national and regional River Farm headquarters have already been ley Award, in 1982; tl1e Gold Medal of tl1e 0927 publications, including Texas Highways, included in the census. 1,800,259- HERB Country Living, and Victoria magazine. ARS; and me Arthur Hoyt Scott Garden \l'Ww.fredrricksburgherbfarrn .(om They also create and distribute over Respondents to me census will be en­ Award from Swartl1more College. fu1 in­ email: herbfarm@klc.(om 1,500 herb products worldlvide. tered in a "Frarildinia Olympics," in which depm profile of Galle was published in tl1e prizes will be awarded in various cate­ November/ December 1997 issue of The gories-largest tree, most westerly tree, American Gardene1c

November/December 1998 THE AMERI CAN GARDENER 9 focus november/december weather-wise

el nino and la nina by Mark C. Mollan

I Nino left its mark on North America this year with some of the worst weath­ Eer ever recorded. Eastern Canada and New England were pounded by severe ice storms. Many parts of California, wracked by seemingly never-ending rains, received more than two-and-a-halftimes the normal precipitation. Florida set records for rainfall this winter and early spring, followed by the driest summer in the state's history. Devas­ tating tornadoes cut a 100-rnile-long swath across central Florida, followed quickly by MI Nursery in Brooksville, Florida, following a flood in February 1998. wildfires that spread from Lake Okee­ chobee north to Daytona. Texas and Okla­ homa experienced a severe drought, THE VAGARIES OF THIS PAST YEAR'S WEATHER-much including 30-plus days of temperatures in of which was attributed to the effects of El Nino-were particularly excess oflOO degrees. Gardeners suffered along with everyone tough on gardeners) farmers) and nursery owners. Hot on the heels else. "All the intense rain we received this of El Nino comes its sister current La Nina) which may bring more spring depleted the oxygen in the soil, so many plants were lost or damaged due to out-of-the-ordinary weather to North America. fungal diseases," says Los Angeles resident But El Nino and La Nina are cyclical phenomena that occur on Karen Dardick, a regular contributor to The average every two to seven years. Longer-term climate problems may lie American Gardener. "Also because of the unusually cool weather in California due to ahead. So far, six of the 10 hottest years on record occurred in the 1990s) the rains this spring, our growing season and average temperatures worldwide are expected to continue to climb was six weeks late. My tomatoes didn't for at least the near future. Gardeners need to adjust to changing cli­ come in until mid-August." Scott Aker, horticulturist at the U.S. Na­ matic conditions) which prevailing scientific opinion suggests are tied to tional Arboretum in Washington, D.G , says global warming. With the issuance of the American Horticultural "the constant rains in D .G triggered an in­ Societls Plant Heat-Zone Map last year, AHS has already taken a step crease in foliar diseases. This spring and sum­ mer's drought has favored stress-related toward helping gardeners choose plants that will thrive in their area. disorders, especially Botryosphaeria canker." In this section) we)ve summarized some of the problems-and bless­ On the other hand, he points out that the lillusually warm weather caused everything ings-that El Nino bestowed upon gardeners this year. * )ve included a to bloom two to three weeks earlier than sneak peek at what to expect from La Nina) as well as tips on how to normal in most of the Northeast. cope with or minimize the effects ofsevere weather. *)ve also put togeth­ Like Florida, eastern Missouri also ex­ perienced a wetter and warmer-than-usual er a short history ofsome time-honored practices and tools gardeners spring, followed by a somewhat drier, hot­ have used to predict the weather. ter summer. "With this weather, the vines

10 TH E AMERICAN GARDENER No vem b er/D e cem b er 1998 What's E1 Nino? ach year in late December, an ocean current off the coast of EPeru draws warm, nuuient­ deficient water southward, forcing fish to seek cooler waters. Local fishermen either draw in their nets and head home for a brief holiday respite or sail further afield in search of the teeming schools. Because of the Yuletide tim­ ing of this warm water spell, the fisher­ men call the ammal phenomenon El Nino, which means "the little boy," a reference to the Christ child. Every two to seven years, this rush of warm currents is unusually extend­ ed, reversing the flow of undercmrents and thus preventing the normal up­ welling of cold water further off the coast. As early as the 1500s, local farm­ ers understood the connection be­ t\veen the arlival of these warmer waters and the subsequent increased precipitation that brought bow1tiful harvests and gave birth to gardens in normally barren lands. In appreciation, Spanish colonial farmers called the phe­ nomenon "aiios de abundancia," or years of abundance. Sometimes, fol ­ lowing the warm spell, a cool pocket of water takes its place in the equatorial waters of the eastern Pacific. Today, meteorologists refer to the cycle of warm water as El Nino--Southern Os­ cillation (ENSO), or El Nifio for short. La Nifia-also known as El Viejo, or The Cloister Garden Series "the cold tongue"-is the catch phrase February 25 .. 28, 1999 for the cold cycle. The origin of the name is much ome glean from the Horticulture at Mount Vemon, easier to pinpoint than the cause ofEI C experts in the Mobil Fall Vege table Gardening- A Second Nino. According to Stephanie Ken­ Five-Star elegance of Chance , Plant Health Care Using itzer of the National Weather Service, Sea Island's world-class resort. [PM Strategies, The Radical "El Nino and La Nifia are complex in­ Nationally recognized garden Underground , Landscape Paving teractions between the ocean and the aunosphere. Changes in the ocean af­ authorities bring their rich Materials , Sounds in the Garden, fect the aunosphere and climate pat­ diversity of specialized and Comparing Apples to Apples . terns around the globe. In turn, knowledge to this exceptional Tours of a private St. Simons changes in the aunosphere affect the summit of gardening enthusiasts. Island residence and its beautifully ocean temperatures and currents." landscaped gardens are among -M.CM. The C loister's carefully nurtured grounds provide a highlights. Please join us. Call fertile setting for three 800-SEA-ISLAND to reserve . are growing incredibly well this year, but stimulating days of horticultural For in depth information ask sweet gum trees all over the St. Louis area presentations including Secrets of for ext. 5165. are cracking and breaking," says Cluistine Garden Photography Workshop, Fuerhoff, an AHS member who lives in Annuals for Landscape Color­ Saint Charles, Missouri. Chip Tynan of the Missouri Botanical Garden explains that Secrets of the Pros , Historic @m~1£:ER. this damage was caused by "a bun1per crop Co-sponsored by the American Hort icultural Society www.seaisland .com of fruits that weighed down the trees every time it rained."

N ovember/ D ecem b er 199 8 THE AMERI C AN GARD ENE R 11 The warmer winter in the Northeast PREPARING FOR LA NINA tailed information on selecting plants ap­ proved a boon for farmers and orchard man­ EI Nino may be behind us now, but what propriate to your area, see the article on agers. Chris Blanchard of Beech Hill Farm can gardeners expect from the weather provenance on pages 45 to 52.) in Mount Desert, Maine, a supplier of or­ patterns associated with the La Nina sea­ Understanding microclimates within ganic produce, said the farm prospered as a son? "Most of our weather models are your gat"den also helps in choosing appro­ result of the abnormally warm weather. "We showing that La Nina is expected to re­ priate sites for plants. Plants that are not were very lucky only losing one main branch main a factor in North American weather heat tolerant should be placed where tl1ey of a tree in om 150-year-old orchard in the until March," says Stephanie Kenitzer, get morning sun, but are shaded in the af­ ice storms. Aside from that, spring was beau­ public relations officer with the National ternoon when the sun is most intense. tiful. We were able to head into the season Weather Service. "The dryness the Amer­ Plants that are barely hardy in your area early \-vith a wide vatiety of produce." ican Southwest experienced throughout should be plat1ted near a soutl1-facing wall After suffering through the 1990s with the late spring and summer is forecast to and protected from winter winds. Avoid everything from cicadas to record snow­ continue into the fall and spread east to planting tender plants in low areas of tl1e falls, a deep freeze, tornado hits, and dev­ the Atlantic later in tl1e winter, perhaps as garden, where cold air tends to pool. A astating floods, Brent Wean"en, a 19-year far north as Virginia. The nortl1ern tier of good discussion of microclimates in tl1e tree nursery veteran and partner of Water­ the COlU1try from tl1e Pacific Nortl1west to garden can be found in Jane Taylor'S ford Valley Nursery and Wearren and Son the Great Lakes region should experience Weather in the Garden (see Resources, Nursery of Taylorsville, Kentucky, finally wetter-than-normal conditions. And At­ page 13). enjoyed a disaster-free year. "All we have lantic states will see much -enhanced The best way to combat problems creat­ been getting is a constant, steady rain, so chances of hurricane activity this late faU ed by short-term flooding is by steadily for us it has been a great growing year." and winter." amending soil with organic matter and Even California residents such as Dard­ avoiding activities that lead to soil com­ ick could see a bright side to EI Nifio. "All COPING WITH EXTREME WEATHER paction. "Plants need pockets of air in the the rain leached out the heavily salt-laden It is often impossible to prevent problems soil as a source of oxygen for their roots, so soil that stems from over-fertilization and caused by severe weather-flooding, high a.t11ending is very important," says Dardick. other gardening-related activities, which winds, drought, ice storms-but good gar­ "It cuts down on me fungal activity mat can can eventually be harmful to plants." In­ dening practices and plant selection can occm when soil is waterlogged for a period. " creased fungal activity even had a beneficial help minimize the damage. "If you use To lessen potential damage from ice side, as it took a toll on mites that have been plat1ts that at"e found growing naturally in storms, thunderstorms, and hurricanes, wreaking havoc on honey bee populations your area," says Aker, "tl1ey are adapted to trim weaker lim bs from your trees and in the West for the past few yeat"s . As a re­ the region's extremes of climate and will make sure there are air chatmels tl1rough sult ofEI Nifio, bee populations were ex­ survive better than exotics, even in abnor­ the canopy to reduce the likelihood of pected to increase 40 percent from 1997. mal weather conditions." (For more de- blowdowns.

For the Record

I Nifio certainly had a dramatic ef­ • Heavy spring rains in California California, attracted hundreds of scien­ fect on gardens, farmlands, and wiped out 80 percent of the national tists and up to 10,000 visitors a day. Enurseries in North America in romaine lettuce supply and left other • After a sharp decline in honey bee 1998" Here's a brieflook at some of vegetables in short supply. The rains populations in recent years due to the items that made news. also encouraged garlic rust disease, mites, me rains in California brought which reduced crop size by 35 percent. ideal conditions for an expected increase • In the Cat1adian Great Lakes region • Milder-than-normal winter temper­ of bees by 40 percent over last year. record Wat"m temperatures last winter atures in the Midwest led to a dramat­ • Milder weamer in me Midwest led devastated the winteI grape harvest. ic increase in skunks, rats, raccoons, to record U.S. soybean production of • In February, several tornadoes and opossums. 2.82 billion bushels, up 4 percent from blazed a 100-mile-Iong trail of destruc­ • L1 June, lightning storms in Florida last year's record hat"vest. The Iowa tion through Central Florida. Just days caused a string of fires from Lake Okee­ corn crop is also expected to be me eat"lier, a twister hit MI Nursery, in chobee to the FlOlida Panhandle, tl1reat­ tl1ird largest in me state's history, ac­ Brooksville, causing extensive plant up­ ening thousands of homes, da.t11aging cording to USDA estimates. rootings at1d da.t11aging buildings and $100 million in crops, and devouring • According to me National Oceanic the irrigation system. $10 million in commercial timber. at1d Atmospheric Administration, tl1e • Winter storms in late March blanket­ • Summer droughts in Texas caused first two montl1s ofl998 were me ed Nebraska in layers of ice and snow, $2.1 billion in agricultural losses, in­ warmest and wettest on record for me shortening the harvest season at the cluding $659 million in cotton and continental United States. Bessey Nursery of the Nebraska Na­ $140 milLion in horticultural crops. • The national average temperature in tional Forest and delaying the platmed • California at1d Arizona deserts January and February was 37.5 degrees shipment of 380,000 trees for refor­ teemed with life this summer as nor­ Fahrenheit, compared wim a normal estation projects in Shoshone National mally barren landscapes exploded with 32.1 degrees. The old record, set in Forest and Yellowstone and Big Horn wildflowers. Anza Borrego Desert 1990, was 37 degrees. national parks. Park, neat" La Cat1ada, Flintridge, in - M.GM.

12 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/Decembe1' 1998 If you have plants in your garden that just drag along from year to year or re ­ quire constant infusions of water, fertiliz­ ers, or pesticides to stay alive , you should consider replacing thern with something better adapted to the site. "If yon do lose plants to extreme weather conditions," Raloll, Pellsnr;o/n, counsels Aker, "don't think of it as a loss, Gnil/esvilleJ Tallahassee, Tampa, Bocn Or/a I/ do, Miami, jm;ksol'lv;Ue but as an opportunity to make your gar­ den stronger." Landscape Plants for Marlz C. Moltan is communications assis­ Subtropical Climates tantatAHs. Bijan Dehga n " No other reference wo rk that I know of Web Sites covers the fi eld as comprehensively as this." -Edward Gold en, horticutural co nsultant, For more about El Niiio and La Niiia, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens visit the following web sites: SAN DIEGO DAILY TRACKER: From Florida to Ca li fo rnia and on to Hawaii, W\vw.eJnino.com gard eners who want a current, thorough, and NATIONAL OCEANIC AND user-fri endly guide to the common indoor ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: foli age and outdoor landscape plants for U.S. www.noaa.gov Department of Ag riculture zo nes 8,9, 10, and 11 will welcome this full y illustrated book. NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER: 640 pp. 7 X 10. USDA cold hardin ess zone map. www.ncdc.noaa.gov 575 drawings. glossary, index. !:I ii",n Dehg.n THE CEN'FER FOR OCEAN ATMOS­ Cloth . $49.95 Paper, $24.95 PHERIC PREDICTION STUDIES: www.coaps.fsu.du/lib/elninolinks Florida Wildflowers Guide to the Vascular THE EARTH SPACE RESEARCH GROUP: ,vww.crseo.ucsb.edu/ geos/12.html in Their Natural Plants of Florida Communities Ri chard P. Wunderlin Maps and Climate Wa lter Kingsley Taylor "Wunderlin has accomplished "This is the first photo­ a major fea t. . .. An original Information graphic identifica tion guide and highl y significa nt co ntri­ bution."-Michael O. Moore, AHS PLANT HEAT.ZONE MAP. Send to have an extensive discus­ sion of plant communities University of Georgia a ch~ck for $14.95 to AHS Plant and to orga nize pl ants by Heat-Zone Map, 7931 East Boulevard pl ant community . .. of in­ Drive, AlexaIldria, VA 22308-1300, terest to anyo ne des iring to or call (800) 777-7931 to order by id enti fy Florida fl owering credit card. pl ants-individuals who en­ Florida Gardening l:ISDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONE joy the outdoors, amateur by the Sea MAP. The map can ~e ordered from naturalists, teachers, stu­ Mary Jane McSwa in dents, and professional bi­ the Americm. N'Ut'sery and Landscape "A wealth of practica l in­ ologists."-Walter Judd, Association; for $10.95 plus shipping. fo rmation on plants and Uni versity of Florida ga rdening techniques, Call (202) 789-2900 fOF more 400 pp. 500 color photos, 6 maps, iDfotmation. 12 draw in gs, in dex. Flex bin ding. supplemented by valuabl e Paper. $24.95 anecdotal references that METEOROLOGICAL EVALUAtION only someone with tremen­ dous personal experience With more than 4,000 kinds co uld share .. . . I am a grea t of plants, Florida has the fan of M rs. McSwa in .. third largest plant diversity of [a nd] this is a very special any state in the nation. This is book."-Tom Underwood, the first comprehensive iden­ manager of horticulture ser­ matiol'l, write to the company at 165 tification manual of the vices, Walt Disney Wo rld highly diverse fl ora of Florida, Broadway, Amit;yville, NY 11701. 336 pp. 35 colo r ph otos. 7 draw ings, and it will serve as the defini­ 3 tables, glossary, index. Cloth, $2 4.95 ti ve guide to Florida's vascular Books pl ants for yea rs to come. 912 pp. Map, glossary, index. Order through full-service WEATHER IN THE GARDEN by Jane Cloth, $35.00 booksellers, with VISA or Taylor, Sagapress, Inc, Portland, Ore­ M/C toll free: 1-800-226-3822, or through our website at gon., 1996. Available through th~ AHS http:// nersp.nerdc. uf!. ed u/-u pf Horticultural Book Service for $31.50. Book code: liM 154.

Nov em ber / D ecem b er 1998 THE AMERICAN GARD E NER 13 recording their history. Weather played an their ability to predict the weather and plant integral role in the daily lives of our ances­ crops accordingly-a large body of folklore folk tors as they made the transition from hunt­ developed over the centuries. Farmers and ing and gathering to farming. Back then, gardeners spend much of their time out­ predictions people didn't have access to television doors, so much of the folklore revolved weather forecasters equipped with space-age around cultivated and wild plants and the or­ meteorological monitoring equipment. ganisms that feed on them. Some folklore is by Christina M. Scott They relied on seasonal patterns and the ac­ strongly rooted in keen observation. The cumulated folk wisdom passed down from Ozark foUc saying that a tree showing the eather folklore has been associat­ generation to generation. Because a know­ bottom of its leaves is a sign of rain shows a ed with farming and gardening ledge of weather was so irnportant--espe­ recognition of the windiness that often pre­ W since weU before humans began cially to farmers, whose lives depended on cedes a storm front. Other lore is harder to link to scientific processes, including the old belief that if the first snow sticks to the trees there will be a bountiful harvest. As meteorological technology has im­ proved, much of this folklore has moved MAKE YOUR GARDEN A SHOWPLACE! into the realm of fun rather than as serious indicators of Mother Nature's intentions. According to the Oyford Dictionary ofPlant GreciaI) (olufI\I) Trellises Lore, compiled by Roy Vickery, one Eng­ lishman relates that during his boyhood in These unique, classic trellises blend handsomely with any setting. The the 1930s,pennywort (Umbilicusrupestris) freestanding Patio Planter is designed for your vines or plants in urns. was a relied-upon gauge of dry weather. The Garden Trellis is enchanting when draped in a blanket of climbing Talcing two large leaves, he and his friends vines or roses .. . perfect for a garden bed or large planter. would spit on them, press them together, and throw them into the air. If the leaves were still pressed together when they hit the (rafted ground, rain was on its way; if they separat­ ed before reaching the ground, dry weather witt) Distii/ctiOI/ could be expected. Asked if the practice re­ ally worked, he replied, "Being Devon, it • These trellises will enhance usually rained, but, on reflection, I incline to the beauty of any garden. the view that the liberality of spittle was the main determinant of the outcome. But this, • The frame is 1" strap iron of course, was the main fun involved!" with gracefully curving accents - sturdy support PHENOLOGY for your vines and roses. A more scientific offshoot offolklore is phe­ • The Patio Planter stands nology, the study of the response of living nearly 5' tall; the Garden organisms to seasonal and climatic changes. Trell is is about the same Cyclic events are monitored for specific height after prongs are set plants and animals from year to year so that in the ground. Each is 12" trends can be analyzed and used as the basis in diameter. for farming or gardening practices. For ex­ ample, the dates of first leaf, first flowers, • Easy assembly. All you ' ll and full flowering might be recorded for a need is a screwdriver. PATIO PLANTER specific plant. Phenology-derived from #444 ..... $134.95 Greek roots that translate literally to "sci­ FREE SHIPPING AND HANDLING URNS (SET OF 3) ence of appearances"-has been used by a #103.. ... $19.95 CALL WEEKDAYS 9-5: wide vatiety of cultures over the centuries. Planting times for crops were often based (800) 323-4189 upon characteristics of wild plants. Accord­ VISA, MasterCard, certified check, postal money order ing to the Horticulture GardenerJs Desk Illinois residents add 6% tax Reference, by Anne Halpin, Native Ameri­ cans in New England planted corn when DES I G N oak leaves were the size of the ears of mice. Horticulturists who study the phenol­ CONCEPIS ogy of plants in their local climate can often find patterns in the relationships be­ GARDEN TRELLIS A DIVISION OF BOX 414. GENEVA IL 60134 GLH MARKETING. INC. (630) 232-4463 tween plants, insects, and the weather. In #411 ...... $129.95 (Continued on page 61)

14 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novemb er / D e cembe r 1998 shoots

WHEELBARROWS UNLIMITED likes them because they are light as a feather and move like bal­ loons. One was left behind when a son took a job overseas; the by Fritz Hie1t other was a $10 steal at a yard sale-w1til we got home and dis­ covered that it had a severe chassis leak. But not to worry. It and e own five wheelbarrows. Friends know tl1at we are its twin serve yeoman garden duty carting out weeds and stones blessed: a solid fanlliy, kids and grandkids, a couple hlll­ and wheeling in seedling flats and manme. W dred acres of New Hampshire woods and hills, flora and None of these practical, gentle vehicles need much mainte­ faw1a, and peace and quiet in abllldance. But five wheelbarrows? nance. An occasional drop of oil, a touch of sandpaper on a splin­ For what purpose? To what end? tery or rusted handle. They are environmentally friendly and To begin with, only fom of tl1em are working wheelbarrows. al'Nays in style-no fancy fins or catalytic converters. Their One is near extinction, like an old rusted car without wheels. This mileage depends on how we feel at the time. one has a wheel all right, but not much in the way of handles. It The late Hal Borland, natmalist and New York Times editor­ rests--decoratively and discreetly-on a side lawn, earning its keep ial writer, said of the wheelbarrow: "It may lack tl1e grace of an as a potholder. Not tl1e kitchen kind; it holds flower pots. Gerani­ airplane, the speed of an automobile, the initial capacity of a wns at the moment. Looks nice, neighbors agree. freight car, but its humble wheel marked out the paths of what Two of the other critters have octogenarian written all over civilization we still have .... [Its story] deals witl1 rocks and roots them. One belonged to my father, and it was also a part of me back and hunks of sod and bags of lime. It includes dead leaves and in tl1e rnid-1930s, when, as a lively onions, old compost 14-year-old, I lugged and and new potatoes ... spades logged a fair share of chores and rakes, squash and pump­ with it. It's made of cast iron, kins and outsized heads of I think, and is a possible de­ cabbage .... Best of all, it is scendant of the Monitor or shaped to its purpose. When the Merrimac. It weighs a the sun is at its height, the ton, carries a ton. Anne, my garden bench is far away and wife, thinks it should be used human energy has dwindled as ballast for tl1e new bridge to the very neap, tl1e wheel­ across tl1e nearby Connecti­ barrow waits witl1 welcoming cut River. arms and recumbent seat .... " I nod and smile and point Ours have also served the out that it's useful for mixing welcoming arms and youthfiJl modest amounts of cement. backsides of happy grandchil­ Which means it gets a terrific lot of use-like once every 10 years or dren. There is nothing that equals tl1e squealing and laughter of so, when we need new cement to shore up the old milk can that holds four-year-olds as Grandpa maneuvers them over the local terrain, up one corner of the barn. a root-bump here, a swerve tl1ere. In this world ofplaying favorites, wheelbarrow nwnber three­ We need all these wonderful, active wheelbarrows lest our I call her Woody-shines forth as my number one. She's showing neighbor, Woodley, come over on a big project and borrow three her age, but so am 1. We share aches and squeaks. She's a father­ of tl1em. Ha, we Dagwood Hiers would then still be in business­ in-law hand-me-down, made of wood with a wide beam and re­ and retain Woodley as a good neighbor. moveable sides. Her wood-spoked wheel is circled willi an iron And how can you beat tl1e harmony, Anne at one end of the band and has a couple of metal tie-ins to give her stability, but these garden with her barrow full of her stuff and me at tl1e otl1er end days she tilts a bit to the left. Her paint is peeling, but I wouldn't with my barrow full of my stuff? On a given day we touch regu­ part with my fading redhead for anytl1ing in the world, even to a la.dy for shared growing and ecological pursuits, for bug spray, for dear old friend who covets her and says he would provide her with blowing a kiss-and for llllch. TLC to the end of his life. We also own five old iron tractor seats-but that's anotl1er story. "Sorry," I tell him. "No dice. She's spoken for." Woody gets out now and tl1en, but mostly she hangs out be­ Now retind, Fritz Hier gardens with his wheelbarrows in Comish l1ind tl1e shed, perhaps waiting for tl1e phone to ring. Flat, Nerv Hampshire. The last two vehicles are made of plastic or some such fabrica­ Hal B01'land)s essay on the wheelba1'row fi1'st appeared in the New tion and have inflatable rubber tires that are as light as air. Anne York Times on June 9,1943.

November/December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 15 orer

GROWING GIFTS gifts to suit their own tastes. Many nurselies carry collections tailored Sources by Christina M. Scott to such special interests. To ensure an appropriate selection, you GLASSHOUSE WORKS, P.O. ardeners can't resist sharing their love of plants with others. should desclibe how your recipient Box, 97, Chmch Street, They want their fiiends and relatives to get the same enjoy­ is likely to use the plants. Ken Fliel­ Stewart, OR 45778. (740) Gment from growing plants as they do-and the holiday sea­ ing, co-owner of Glasshouse Works, 662-2142. \vww.glasshouse­ son is a perfect time to send the gifr of a plant. says that he bases his choices of bon­ works.com. Catalog free. Besides the ubiquitous poinsettia, there are many other plants sai plants, for example, on whether lOGEE'S GREENHOUSES, that flower arOlU1d the holidays and have more to offer the rest of the plants will be grown on a win­ 141 North Street, Daniel­ the year. The well-known Christmas cacUiS (Schlumber,gera brid­ dowsill, under lights, in a green­ son, CT 06239. (860) 774- gesii) sports its magenta flowers during the holidays and offers house, or outside. "We also try to 8038. www.logees.com. graceful, drooping foliage the rest of the year. Passiflora 'Jeanette' get a feel for what level people are Catalog free. shows off its mauve-and-wine-colored petals not only in winter on. If someone has not grown a NORTHRIDGE GARDENS, but year round. Many species ofJasmine, Abutilon, Streptocarpus, lot of plants before, we'll throw 9821 White Oak Avenue, and Begonia bloom in winter as well. in some of the easier plants to Northridge, CA 91325. Ifyou're thinking about sending plants as a gift from a mail-order grow, such as portulaca, za­ (818) 349-9798. Catalog free nursery, call as early as possible, because some nurselies stop ship­ mioculcas, and Begonia cubensis." with two first-class stamps. ping plants in December. And for nurselies that do ship through December, such as Logee's Greenhouses in Danielson, COlmecti­ FOR BROWN THUMBS cut, remember that the holidays are a hectic time. Most nursery For friends or family members who seem to possess the kiss of death owners probably echo Logee's president Byron Martin when he when it comes to plants, Winn recommends the Hoya collection be­ pleads, "Don't place your order just before Chtistmas, please!" cause, he says with a chuckle,"nobod y can kill a hoya." Succulents Weather is another important consideration when ordering are well sluted for the hot, dry conditions typical of many homes in plants later in the year. "In November, it frosts at night but winter. "Kalanchoe is very popular for the holidays, and it's pretty warms up during the day. Those are very good conditions for tough," says Martin. Arnie Mitchnick ofNorthtidge Gardens in shipping," says Tom Winn, co-owner of Glasshouse Works in Nortluidge, California, agrees: "Succulents do best with a minimlUn Stewart, Ohio. By December, however, there can be problems of care." For seasonal color, Mitclmick suggests Euphorbia millii, with freezing in northern areas. If there's any danger of that which sports blight red flowers, or Synadeniumgrant-ii 'Rubn.un', happening, nurseries will usually send a gift card to let the re­ which has red foliage. Also good for the novice grower are philo­ cipient know your gift will arrive when the weather warms up. dendrons, sansevielias, begonias, ivies, and bromeliads. Most nurselies will be happy to help you pick the ideal gift plant. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE After all, the recipient may become a customer-but only if that Ifyou're not sure what your gifr recipient plant survives. "Ifsomeone has a bad first might like, a plant collection may be the experience with growing a plant, tl1ey solution. Winn says that Glasshouse probably won't try again. We try to avoid Works' winter-blooming collection is that bad experience and make it as easy very popular for the holidays. For as little and enjoyable as possible," says Ftieling. as $10 you can send five different Of course you can also purchase a gift plants."We generally choose whatever certificate and leave the choice of plants looks good on that day," says Winn. to the recipient. "You could receive a camellia, gardenia, So avoid tl1e holiday blitz at the local Gloxinia sylvatica, some jasmine, and so mall and shop ti1e plant catalogs from forth." If you have particular plants in the comfort of your home. And don't mind, you can request that they be in­ forget to treat yourself by picking out cluded in the collection. that special plant missing from your For creative friends and family mem­ own collection! bers, bonsai, topiary, and terrarium plants are excellent choices. These plants allow Christina M. Scott is assistant edit01' of the recipients to shape and mold their A kalanchoe for hanging baskets from Logee's. The Amelican Gardener.

16 THE AMERICAN GARDENER No ve mbe rlDecembe1' 1998 jI, gardeners information service

Where does spaghetti squash come.from and how do I pre­ ranean species, such as Paeonia cambessedesii, P clusii, P par­ pare it? -S.B., Seattle, Washi1~gton nassica, and P rhodia, may be susceptible to winter damage. As Spaghetti squash (Cuc,/;wbita pepo)-also called vegetable spaghet­ a general rule, though, a standard peony, such as P officinalisor ti-is a cream-colored to yellow or orange, watermelon-shaped P mascuta, should survive outdoors as long as you bury the con­ winter squash Witll a fibrous interior tllat, when cooked, separates tainers in the ground before the first frost. Kelly Dodson, owner into subtly-flavored spaghettilike strands. Its exact origins are un­ of Reflective Gardens in Poulsbo, Wash ington, says, "I've seen clear, but most autllorities agree tllat tlle squash, like all members peonies left outside through the brutal winters of Minnesota, oftlle gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), originated somevvhere in and they made it okay. In the fall, after the foliage has withered, Nortll or Central America. cut back the plant and bury the container in the ground up to Spaghetti squash stores well and is usually available year- rOLU1d, the rim. For added protection, you may want to mulch aroLmd but it is most flavorful when purchased freshly harvested from a local the plant with some evergreen branches. The plant will remain source in early fall to winter. Choose squash tllat are hard and dormant until the spring, when you can remove the container smootll Witll an even color; from the groLU1d." avoid tllose witll bruised or For more information, contact tlle American Peony Society, greerush skins. To cook 250 Interlachen Road, Hopkins, MN 55343; (612) 938-4706. spaghetti squash, first cut it in A good general reference for peonies is The Ga1'dener's Guide to sections and scoop out tlle G1'owing Peonies by Martin Page, Timber Press, Portland, Ore­ seeds. Then it can be steamed, gon, 1997. baked, or broiled. After cook­ ing, tlle strands can easily be How do I keep fflj' compost pile active during the winter, removed from the shell and when itgets to be below freezing outside? fluffed with a fork. It can be - C G., Minot, North Dakota eaten as a vegetable-seasoned In the northern part of the country, keeping a compost pile Witll butter, pepper, salt, or from freezing can be difficult. One of the keys to preventing a garlic--or used as a low-calo­ freeze, according to Robin Tech, compost advisor at Toronto rie, vitamin-tich substitute for Works in Ontario, Canada, is to get the compost going in the spaghetti. Spaghetti squash tastes surprisingly good in combination early fa ll and keep it hot and cooking during the winter by with a wide range ofsauces, including clam, pesto, tomato, alfredo, adding shredded leaves to the pi le each time you add food and garlic and herbs. scraps. "To keep a constant supply of leaves on hand, shred A good source of information about this and other out-of-the­ tllem Witll a lawn mower or weed wacker ill the fall and keep a ordinary plant edibles is Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables: A Com­ bag oftllem by the pile," says Tech. Even if your pile doesn't monsense Guide by Elizabeth Schneider. This book can be ordered get steaming hot, adding brown material such as shredded tllrough tlle American Horticultural Society Book Service. See leaves along with the food scraps will help the pile continue to pages 56 and 57 for details. decompose slowly through the winter. Cold-climate com­ posters may also want to add red wiggler worms to the pile to I live in eastern Washington State~ where the tempera­ help break down materials. The sides of the compost bin can ture can get down to 10 degrees below zero in winter, and I also be insulated with two-inch-thick pieces offoam padding. have nine pe~ plants in containers. I don!twant to take them For more information on composting, AHS offers its GIS Re­ ont ofthe containers because we are moving next summer and source Bulletin #112, "Compost-Black Gold." To order, send I want to take them with me. How do I winter them over? $4 witll your request to: GIS, AHS, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, -D. W, via e-mail Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. Anotller good reference is "Easy There are about 30 species of Paeonia found throughout Eu­ Compost: The Secret to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants," Hand­ rope, eastern Asia, and western North America, mainly herba­ book 153 of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 21st-Century Gar­ ceous perennials and deciduous shrubs tllat are generally hardy dening Series. For more information on BBG handbooks, call in USDA Zones 3 to 8. Not knowing which types of peonies you (718) 622-4433 ext. 274. have, it is difficult to determine their hardiness. Certain Mediter- -Melanie Bonacorsa, Information Specialist

For answers to your gardening questions. call Gardeners Information Service at (800) 777-7931 ext. 31 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time. or e-mail us anytime at [email protected].

Novembe1'/Decembn' 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 17 00 k

SAVING THE ARIZONA CLiFFROSE up thousands of years ago during the Pleistocene era. While sci­ entists do not know exactly how these plants evolved, John An­ by Christina M. Scott derson, state botanist for the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona, says the cliffrose most likely adapted to the relatively in­ n the late 1980s, when the Arizona Department ofTransporta­ fertile lake bed deposits to escape competition for soil moisture tion (ADOT) announced plans to widen Highway 89A, which from surrounding dominant vegetation, which was unable to Istretches from Sedona to Cottonwood, conservationists across make the same evolutionary adaptation. the state jumped into action. The road ran through one of the last Despite its name, the cliffrose is not confined to steep slopes; remaining stands of the endangered Arizona cliffrose (Purshia instead, it is most often found on gentle slopes and terraces at el­ subintegra) formerly Cowaniasubintegra) and widening it would evations between 2,000 and 3,600 feet. A member of the rose fam­ destroy another 15 acres of the cliffrose's shrinking habitat. But ily (Rosaceae), it is an evergreen shrub with pale gray, rugged bark. instead of a bitter legal battle between conservationists and the Its leaves, twigs, and white or pale yellow flowers are covered with transportation department, a compromise was eventually reached: dense, short white hairs, which help protect the plant from the ex­ In t11e 1996 agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­ treme heat of the desert climate. vice, the Federal Highway Administration, and ADOT, the high­ Often reaching eight feet tall, the cliffrose is an important part way will be widened as planned, and me Arboretum at Flagstaff ofits uncommon habitat. "It provides cover shade to a number of has been provided with a $500,000 budget over six years to study other rare plants," explains Barbara Phillips, zone botanist for the and help preserve t11e Arizona cliffrose. Coconino, Kaibab, and Prescott National Forests. "It gives struc­ The largest problem conservationists have faced is that, until ture to its whole environment, which is disjunct from the main recently, very little research had been conducted on the Arizona flora of the Sonoran desert. Because it's in such an isolated habi­ cliffrose. "Basically, we knew where t11e plants were, and that there tat, we don't yet know the full impact of losing it." had been some hybridization with t11e common cliffrose (P stans­ buriana) and that was about it," explains Joarme Baggs, research CONSERVATION EFFORTS botanist at the Arboretum. The Arboretum at Flagstaff is a member of the Center for Plant There are only four known populations of the Arizona Conservation, a national consortium of botanical institutions cliffrose-at Burro Creek, Cottonwood, Horseshoe Lake, and working together to build a collection of rare and endangered Bylas-all located in central Arizona in scattered patches ofan un­ plants. Arboretum researchers have been working wim me cliffrose common limestone soil deposited by freshwater lakes that dried since 1986, when they first included it in their living collection.

~ V' l: l: <1 ex u. Z 2 <1 ~

A group of Arizona cliffrose grows in a research plot in Verde Valley, above. Right. Joyce Maschinski of the Arboretum at Flagstaff monitors a mesh-enclosed seedling.

18 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/December 1998 Early attempts to propagate the plant had very li mited success. "Only about 3 percent of the cuttings actually rooted," says Baggs. But with the help of the Federal Highway Admini ­ Private Greenhouses stration/ ADOT funding, the Arboretum now has the resources may now be managed with a single electronic controller. to study the plan t more closely. "Ri ght now, we are trying to un­ derstand the life cycle-how long the plant lives and how often The Combitroll *2*6 is a single controller which it produces seedlings," Baggs explains. And the Arboretum's will manage the combined heating, cooling, misting success in rooting cuttings has grovvn exponentially, a wonder­ and irrigation equipment in your private ful first step in conserving the plant. "We've learned tllat tile tim­ greenhouse._.Great for orchids and other fine plants ing of taking the cuttings and the hardness of the cuttings is during your vacations, or your normal work days. critical to success in rooting," says Joyce Maschinski, curator of The Combitrol 1*2*6 controls 1 stage of heating, plants at the Arboretum. "Eighty to 90 percent of cuttings taken 2 stages of cooling/ventilation and 6 watering valves. during tile fall have rooted ." The watering valves may be grouped with some used HUMAN INTERFERENCE for Solar Misting (shown below), and others for irrigating potted plants inside or outside your O f course, botanical unknowns are not tile only tlun gs slowing greenhouse. Alarm Output will signal near-freezing me recovery of tile cliffrose. Various factors have worked against temperatures. Optional humidity sensor will dUs plant for years, causing it to be placed on tile federal endan ­ automatically heat/ventilate humid greenhouses. gered species list in 1984. Mining, urbaJu zation, aJld grazing have been-aJld still are- major threats to the cliffi-ose . Misting automatically adjusts In tile 1960s and '70s, milu ng explorati ons fo r copper, with changes in sunlight turquoise, uraJULID1, zeolite, sand, aJld gravel created surface dis- ...... rain or shine!! ! reduce disease, reduce labor, "Because it's in such an isolated reduce rooting time, misting best humidity for orchids. habitat, we don't yet know the full impact of losing it." Combitroll*2*6 . .. $583 (818)-993-0607 turbaJ1Ces in aJld near me H orseshoe Lake population . More re­ FAX: 0472 www.DavisEngineering.com cently, mining activi ties involving bentonite, a clay tlut is used in me production of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, has caused sig­ nificant habitat aJld plant loss wiiliin the Burro Creek population. As with many endaJlgered plants, urban sprawl has contributed REMEMBER THE to me demise of me cliffrose. Phillips notes tllat the town of Cot­ tonwood, which supports one of me cliffrose populations, has AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY been growing rapidly, creating a large risk to tile plant. And al­ IN YOUR WILL OR TRUST mough most of the plaJlts in the four populations reside on state land, conservationists still fear the worst. "The purpose of the laJld AHS provides reliable, up-to-date information on issues of is to make money for tl1e state," Phillips says. "There is always the immediate concern to gardeners and the greater community. fear mat me cliffrose could be lost to development." The Society's mission is to nurture the active development of the United States as a nation of successful Yet anomer problem is cattle grazing. "The cliffrose is very and environmentally responsible gardeners. palatable to cows," says Angie Brooks , a botaJust wim the Fish and Wildlife Service. Some stands of the cliffrose have been fenced off, You can help support us in our mission by making gifts aJ1d Brooks has also been working on steering me cows away from to AHS during your lifetime or under the terms of your will tl1e cliffrose using more natural memods. "With proper water and through what is known as planned giving. salt placement," she explains, "we can generally control where the To learn more about how you can support AHS, contact our cows will go_" Controlling the grazing problem has helped Endowment Office at 7931 East Boulevard Drive, tremendously. "We have noticed many more seedlings coming in Alexandria, VA 22308-1300, since grazing has been slowed," says PIUllips. (703) 768-5700 ext. 33. Conservationists hope m at continued studies of tl1e Arizona cliffrose, in conjunction with better land management, will eventu­ ally allow tl1e plaJ1t to be downlisted from endangered to threat­ ened. According to the Fish aJ1d Wildlife Servil':e's recovery plan, downlisting may be possible by 2008. As for Highway 89 A, ADOT is cmrently in me plaruling phase of me project and construction is tentatively scheduled to begin next year. And almough me cliffrose habitat along the construction site will be destroyed, Maschinski is satisfied with tl1e compromise. "This has been a great cooperative We urge you to consult with your legal and finan cial advisors 10 assist you in arran ging the best method effort between me Fish aJ1d Wildlife Service and the ADOT," em­ conlributing. The Ameri can Horticulturat Society is lax-exempt under Sec tion 501(C)3 of the Inlernal phasizes Maschinski. "Both sides will win in dUs situation." Revenue Service Code. Contributions to AHS are tax-d eductible to the lulles t extent allowed by law. AHS is also a registered charilable organization under Section 57-49 of the Virginia Solicitation 01 Contribulions Law ; a financial statement is available upon written reques t from Ihe Stale Division of Consumer Affairs. Christina M . Scott is assistant editor ofT he AmericaJ1 Gardener.

November / D ecember 1 998 TH E A ME RI CAN G A R D ENER 19 natural • connections

TAKING THE STING OUT OF WASPS by John Alcock

llis quiet now in most gardens, since winter has banished vegetables and nearly all the creatures that live in gardens Aand help make them lively in season. But while we may be sad about putting the garden to rest in the winter, most of us are not too disappointed to see the insects that accompany our gardens disappear. When it comes to these creatures during the gardening season, the average person is inclined to spray first and ask questions later. This attitude, although understandable when flea beetles are decimating the eggplants, is unfortunate when expanded to embrace everything with six legs . So let me intro­ duce you now, when the insect wars seem far away and the sprayer sits quietly in the cellar, to an intimidating but harmless insect well worth sharing a bit of garden with, even if its only benefit is sheer entertainment. I speak of the cicada-killer wasp, Sphecius speciosus, one of the biggest-at two to three inches long-of all North American members of the wasp family (Sphecidae) to live east of the Rocky Mountains. But this wasp, no matter how ominous it may look in its red, yellow, and black outfit, really has no interest in stirring up trouble. In fact, in order for a human to get stung by a cicada-killer, one would have to grab a female (only females have stingers) and hold her tightly in one's hand. Fortunately, it is not necessary to handle cicada-killer wasps in order to get to know them. These digger wasps often hang out in gardens because the relatively loose soil provides them with an ex­ A female cicada-killer wasp straddles her hapless victim, top, in cellent habitat in which to dig their nest burrows. It is in these bur­ order to inject it with a quick-acting toxin. The wasp will carry rows in your seemingly lifeless garden that a rather morbid scene her paralyzed burden to a burrow-the opening to one is shown is taking place right beneath your feet. above-to provide food for her offspring after hatching.

MATERNAL INSTINCTS inserted her stinger into a spot near the cicada's front leg. The Several months ago, while you were innocently deadheading flow­ wasp's toxin took effect almost immediately, paralyzing but not ers or harvesting ripe tomatoes, a female cicada-killer was creating killing the cicada. her own little shop of horrors. Somewhere in your garden-be­ By this point, you were probably resting on a garden bench ad­ hind the lettuce, perhaps-the female wasp was mining her way miring the results ofyour hard work. The cicada-killer's job, how­ downward at a moderate angle for a foot or so before extending ever, was far from over. For now she was faced with the task of her burrow another foot or two parallel to the surface, finally ex­ returning to her burrow with her prey, which may have weighed cavating a short terminal chamber about three inches long and an six times as much as she clid. Turning the inert cicada over on its inch or so high. Having built this room without a view, she then back, the wasp straddled her victim, grasping it behind the eyes set off on an incredible journey to rustle up some tenants for her with her midlegs before launching herself and companion into underground lodgings. space. Under the weight ofa big Tibicen, the burdened wasp prob­ The favored prey of the wasps are the locally available cicadas ably crash-landed far from her burrow, htmdreds ofyards from the in the genus Tibicen. (Cicada-killers do not go after the more fa­ point of capture. Undaunted, the wasp stoically hiked up a near­ mous periodical 13- and 17 -year cicadas, which emerge too infre­ by tree trunk or corn stalk, carting the cicada along, before leap­ quently to be a reliable food source.) Cruising up and around tree ing out for another flight that brought her closer to home. trurlk:s and along tree limbs, the cicada-killer looked for potential Back in your garden, the wasp dragged her victim inside tl1e victims. Upon finding one, she hurled herself upon the prey and nest, pulling it down the tunnel to the terminal brood cell. De-

20 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novembe1'IDecember 1998 pending on the size of the cicada, it may have taken just one or as many as four trips to stock a cell. Finally, the female laid an egg on one cicada and sealed off the brood chamber with dirt. Two or tlu·ee days later, just beneatl1 your feet, tl1e egg hatched into a grub that began feasting ravenously in darkness upon tl1e larder its motl1er provided, demolishing all tl1e living but helpless prey in its brood cells during 10 days of nonstop gorging. Meanwhile, tl1e female cicada-killer went on to dig a new dead-end brood cell in tl1e same nest, eventually having 10 or so chambers, each containing an egg and its own macabre complement of paralyzed cicadas being consumed or awaiting consumption. The offspring produced by one generation of adult females spend almost a year underground waiting for tl1e next summer. If you were able to dig up the nesting grounds of cicada -killers this winter, you would find the inert wasp pupae within tl1eir smootl1 tubular cocoons tl1at the larvae build from silk and sand grains after finishing their gargantuan meal. The pupae will re ­ main underground in this suspended animation until July or August when, in anticipation of the Tibicen hunting season, they become adults. Then tl1ese individuals will chew tl1eir way out of their underground cham bers and up to the surface to begin the cycle all over again.

TERRITORIAL MALES You may be wondering where male cicada-killers fit into this drama. Altl10ugh it's difficult to distinguish males from female by sight, their behavior is quite diffierent. If you pay close at­ tention mis summer, you will notice tl1at males tend to precede females above ground, the better to establish territories around perches ftom which they can look for passing females. The male cicada-killers in my parents' Virginia garden favor vantage points on 'Better Boy' tomato plants, fence posts, or rocks . They dash out to chase off intruding males, even grappling with mem in mid-air, and return to defend the same territories for hours each day for a week or so before they are ousted by a fresh newcomer. When not battling for territories, or feeding on flower nec­ tar, males rest quietly in the foliage of trees. During his week­ long tenure as territory holder, a male may be lucky enough to spot, pursue, and capture a virgin female in flight; when a pair falls into the weeds, mey may mate for as long as 45 minutes gardeners find the prospect of designing before separating. The male then immediately returns to his or even intimidating; however, post to scan for still more virgin females. The combative, sex­ creating a garden your landscape and lifestyle can crazed males and me hard-working, nesting females add zip to be satisfying and lim. Join us at the 1999 Colonial gardens made lethargic by me heat and humidity of midsum­ Williamsburg Garden Symposium as we learn the mer. So, come next summer, you can look forward to more than basics of garden design and define the skills needed me mere reappearance of flowers and vegetables. to bring cohesion and unity to our gardens. Featured If you should lack cicada-killers in your neck of the woods, speahrs and visiting gardeners will Co-sponsored by the do not despair. Gardens attract any number of other digger address the design of garden spaces, I! wasps, each with its own way of doing things. Some hunt both large and small. Explore the pos- ~ grasshoppers, others stinkbugs, while moth caterpillars are sibiuties of creating spaces and garden standard fare for still other species. Even casual observers can SP0ts which suit the gardener's need AMERICAN learn a great deal about the diversity of life just by keeping an to sculpt the outdoors in an informed, HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY eye out for the local digger wasps. You need only wait for win­ consi dere d,an d designe d manner. ter to concede to spring and summer, for frozen ground to be­ come productive once again. Once bitten by me bug of wasp­ Colonial Wauamsburg Foundation watching, you may find that insect phobias fade as you harvest waspish melodramas along with cucumbers and melons. p.o. Box 1776. Wauamsburg, VA 2318;-1776 800- 6°3-°94 8 • 757-220-7155 Authol' of In a Desert Garden: Love and Death Among the ·Facsimile 757-565-8630 Insects, John Alcock is a pl'ofessol' of biology at Arizona State E- maa dchapman@cwforg University in Tempe, where he tends a garden and watches wasps Discount mgistrarion for AHS members. (and many other insects) .

Novembel'/Decembe1' 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 21

all cases, however, the leaves are thick, suc­ about two-thirds of a year, whereupon it C'Even the term Cdwarf) culent, and at least partially fused together. withers into a dead skin tl1at protects the The results of this fi.lsion are delightfi.illy new leaf-pair hidden witl1in it. This shrink­ is unsatisfactory varied, including plants that are globe­ wrapping is usually in place by early sum­ shaped, dwnplinglike, conical, or cylindrical. mer and is shed in autumn. In many when applied to plants The leaf texture is also diverse, ranging from species, one leaf-pair "branches" into two, warted or pimpled to smooth or silken. aIild within a few years the subsequent geo­ that can be as small Some species grow mostly underground, metric progression produces dozens of with only their transparent lensli.ke tips ex­ leaves in a tidy clump or "cushion." as peppercorns or as posed to the air. The leaves of most species Prin1e flowering season for conophytums are green, though one must qualifY green begins as soon as the days shorten and nights large as lemons .... )) with a hundred adjectives: sea, b1uish, ivory, cool down in autumn. In contrast to tl1e gray, chalky, chartreuse. Several species have diminutive size and subtle coloring of tl1e rust-brown or challcy leaves that are ornate­ plants, conophytum flowers are richly col­ ly patterned and remarkably similar to the ored, shining, disproportionately large, and pebbles amongst which they hide. long lasting, so the alill1ual blosson1ing cre­ Conophytums also have a peculiar ates a dramatic show. In recent years anum­ mode of growth. Eaoh.leaf-pair persists for ber of "off-season" bloomers have been discovered, so that with the right variety of species there is hardly a week tlrroughout the year when some plants are not in flower. The various flowering times (morning, noon, and night), the strange and brilliant petal colors (ivory and gold to carmine and blackish purple), and the strong per­ fumes (including carnation, raspberry, and honey), give the plants great appeal to pollinators. These include butterflies, tiny bee-flies, beetles, and moths. The floral structure has a common fea­ ture mat unites the genus: The petals­ teclmically petaloid staminodes-are fused together into a tube, unlike those of most mesembs, which are unfettered to their bases. The small ovoid fruits form and ripen deep within the active leaf-pair and are only exposed when the old leaves burst open at tl1e beginning of the fall growing season. These woody capsules open when damp to release the seeds, which, in the conophy­ tyms' native environment, are distributed by wind, water, and possibly tortoises. Between a Rock and a lIard Place Conophytums are enden1ic to the western parts of SOUtl1 Mrica, with modest incur­ sions into the adjacent parts of southern Nan1ibia. The genus is essentially lin1ited to the zones in which winter rainfall predom­ inates, with the greatest concentration of species in the coastal region of Namaqua­ land. The plants survive on a mere tlrree to four inches of rain per year, supplemented by fog and dew that condense on and arourad the leaves. Plants may rot or rup­ ture from excess rainfall, especially if it is not evenly timed. Where summer rains fall, conophytum habitat ends. In tl1e wild, conophytums can be found clinging like barnacles to vertical cliff faces

24 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/December 1998 Sources LIVING STONES NURSERY, 2936 North Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85705. Fax: (520) 628-8773. Catalog $2 . MESA GARDEN, P.O . Box 72, Belen, NM 87002. Fax: (505) 864-3124. E-mail: [email protected]. Catalog free with self-addressed envelope and two f irst-class stamps. NORTHRIDGE GARDENS, 9821 Whit e Oa k Avenue, Northridge, CA 91325. (818) 349-9798. Cata log free. SPHAEROID INSTITUTE, 2077 Monte Vista Drive, Vista, CA 92084. E-mail: [email protected]. Catalog $1.

Resources light, or some combination of such factors . The buttonlike leaf-pairs of C. flavum, The Cactus and Succulent Journal lists Little is known of tlle origin of cono­ above left, are just bursting through the many commercial sources of phytums, but tlley probably evolved from spotted vestiges of last year's leaves. conophytums and other succulents shrubby plants such as Lamp1r anthus or ice C. x marnierianum, above right, distin­ and has published descript ions of plant (Delosperma spp.). guished by mottled, veinlike red mark­ many new taxa. For subscription ings and burnt-orange f lowers, is a informat ion, w rite to: 2391 E. Cactus Easy to Grow cross bet ween C. ectypum and C. Street, Pahrump, NV 89048. E-mail: Conophytums have great horticultural bi/obum. Opposite: Flowers in a range [email protected]. virtues: They do well in weak light, toler­ of pink hues emerge from the w ithered ate "vinter dampness, take up little space, old leaves of C. ectypum, top left. THE MESEMB STUDY GROUP, whose require rep otting only once a decade or Wispy yellow-gold flowers of C. quarterly bulletin has always so, and mey are extremely variable in pageae, top right. arise from the featured more articles on cono­ flower color. Because of their naturally pealike leaf-pairs. Bottom: This image phytums than on any other genus, modest crevice-dwelling habits, tlley make of C. chrisocrux um indicates the scale of issues an annual seed list, which is ideal pot plants. Their longevity is leg­ these tiny plants. well worth obtaining. To subscribe, endary; properly managed, tlley will out­ send $15 to Suzanne Mace, Bren­ live the most Methuselahn caretaker, f ield, Bolney Road, Ansty, West never needing replacement. And they can Sussex, RH 17 5AW, UK. E-ma il: be grown successfully by anyone. A large [email protected]. sunny window would suffice for a sub­ stantial collection. They also grow and Steven A. Hammer's f ull-color mono­ flower very well under lights. They can graph, Conophytum: A Conograph, even be grown outdoors in frost-free cli­ published in 1993, is ava ilable for $95 mates, altll0ugh it is sometimes tricky to from Rainbow Gardens Bookshop, find an appropriately cool niche in sum­ Dept. H, 1444 E. Taylor Street, Vista, mer. They tend to be lost in rock gardens CA 92084. E-ma il: [email protected]. unless they are planted en masse. Habitat and rainfall data give us the most important clues to tlle behavior of or squeezed into the crevices of massive conophytums: They grow during me boulders, thriving where other plants would short-day months and-unlike so many fail. In suitable crevices, water collects and succulents, including cacti, living stones, periodic shade is guaranteed, but root room and granite stones-are inactive in summer. is limited, accumulated soil or detritus is In late summer or early fa ll, the new sparse, and nutrients are meager. Thus leaves burst out of tlleir wrappings, often many conophytums are situationally stunt­ flowering at tlle same time. Hyperactive and ed, even if they are not inherently dwarf. brilliantly tinged wim sunscreening pig­ These are sensitive plants, and minute teni­ ments, the plants crave water; for a few bliss­ tOlial distinctions invisible to us can be vital ful weeks it is hardly possible to overwater for them. A given species may favor a cer­ them. Once tlle flowers have faded and the tain rock type, soil deptll, exposure to SlU1- leaves are tll0roughly pumped up, the

November/December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 25 Propagation and Breeding

he traditional method of propagating wnophytums is to prune the outer plants need just enough water to prevent branches from old richly clustered plants and to root them in sharp sand. In wrinkling, to nourish any developing fruits, Tthis manner, many very old clones have been enormously multiplied; the first and to initiate and sustain the new leaf-pairs Conophytum wettsteinii introduced from South Africa must now exist in a hundred forming deep within the mature ones. collections in the United Kingdom. To take a cutting, gently separate the branch­ In winter the plants grow gradually fat­ es and break or cut them at a point less than a quarter inch bdow the menstem, ter, and they also lose their most attractive which lies near the base of the leaf-pair. This is best accomplished soon after the colorations. This is the dull green season. plant has flowered. Water the cuttings sparingly whHe they root, which wi:l:l oceill' "Stacking"-the unsightly phenomenon in within a few weeks in a shaded flat. which one set of plump leaves bursts pre­ Certain indivisible species require pr®pagation by seed, whiCH is in any case tae maturely out of another-is a danger at this more interesting method, because you geE mlJcm. more variability iu the offspring. time, particularly if the plants are overfed Sow s(leds thickly in small: pots, tlsimg a stetilized and screen,(ld cOmIilleroiai sow­ and overheated. Day temperatures be­ ing mix cut 50/50 with an aeratllig material SliGh as pumice or perlite, afld C('Jvel:'­ tween 40 to 7 5 degrees Fahrenheit and ing them with omya clUn scattering of N:p.e g.tit. The pots shoUld be soaked umID night tempera>tures of35 to 55 degrees are the soil is safitFated, covered wirl1 plastic for no mQJ;e than four days, and l<~ft um.. ideal. By mid-winter plants may seem inert, covered tTIel'eafter. but, in fact, they are actively transfening re­ The most reliaIJle results aL'(l obtained by placmg the pots about six inches below sources from old leaves to new. If watering growlights, which should be set for a: 16-omlr day. The seeds will germi.tlate in seven is entirely withlreld the old leaves will "de­ to 10 days, and they snoulrl be rnis.ecl' datly.l a:lways a:dd a dil:ut!e ferci!lizer teo the mist­ flate" prematurely and the new ones will ing water, because the cotyledoftS, or seed' leaves, should be eacomraged to bJ;J;lk up suffer accordingly, so it is best to keep the as rapidly as possibk. Within 12 weeks, the cotyledons are gradua:l:ly'US1)IrJ!ed 19y tfie plants slightly moist. In late winter the old developing true leaves. 011(;(l tke leaves have emerged , ffle plantlers can be treated the leaves seem to glow for a brief period as way medieval Europeans their decaying pigments produce a half treated childrea: Like rainbow of russet colors and any markings miniatunt adults. They stand out in bold relief. should not be transplant­ By late spring the plants are torpid. The ed ttntil the tIue leaves are yellowish leaves fade to white and shrink fully formed and the into taut skins that protect the next set of cotYledons have vanished. leaves throughout the summer months. To The soil mixmre us~d some growers the annual summer retreat is shoul& be a lean version a liability, because there is precious little to of that used for marore admire but a sea of bleached skins for sev­ (01'lOS: 40 percent com­ eral months. But in another sense the retreat mercial potting mix, is an asset. Conophytums are undemanding screened to remove at a time when other plants are much more duunKS; 40 pe):'ce(lt pum" attractive and needy. In short, they are no COlilophytums suc;h as C. ob€of'del/um, above, form ice or pel'lite; and 20 pep more elusive than early narcissus. ~eAse colonies of plants that caA easily be sepa­ cent coarse grit or grit At this point, the question arises: How rated aAd fepotted as individwal plaAts. and v~rmiGu1ite. long and at what temperatures can one keep Cultivars are becom­ the leaves under wraps? Ifthe plants are not ing more peptilar amongst wnophiles. A l1ew Ol1e takes as little as two years te> show subject to excess heat- it is best to keep its promise, three to rnarure, and thrice that long EO becOJl1e stabk. It is possible to them under 100 degrees in moderate reirtfOfGe any desilled cnaraet(.')ristic: fuller petals, redder kayes, ronger epideJ,;mal hairs, shade-and if the leaves are cracking out on bolder patterns. Now that most species are iR cultivation, ef'foDts to tame and enrich their own vvithout external provocation, it is them-some would say to corr,upt them!-are inevitable. I have worked with culti­ wise to water them lightly, once or twice a vars for 20 yeaTS now, and a few of them do show greater horticu:lturallUel'it ilian week, lest they dehydrate. Most species are the "raw" material from which they \v:ere deri'Ved. able to expand their leaves during the sup­ Hybridizing conophyrums is quite easy to clo, alcl:loug:h: tfidlowers are narrow­ posedly unfavorable summer season rather rubed and, i,n many cases, rl'ie sti,gmas are hidden at the very base of the rube. In than waiting for autumn, but autumn is the some speei.es, howevol', a staFlike set @f four 0, five tiny branches Oll a long style is season to which the plants are best adapted. visible at the rube's apex. Such stigmas need merely to be brushed delicately with pollen gathered from. another plant. Use aiiiNe catmd's-nai:r brush 1'0 gather aNd apply Tips on Care pollen. Ordinary brushes aJ:"e too blunt and fat to reach hidden stigmas, which are Conophytums do best with bright light in adapted to pollination by tilly rnsect!S. For these you must resort to an extremely fine autumn and winter; it improves their color detailing brush or a tl1.i.m mylon fiber. and form. In sprillg and, especially, sum­ Pollination is m@st successful 011 me tthi:rd or tC>1:wrh day a£tier me flowers open. mer, they prefer at least half shade. In areas To date, the showiest reslllits have been obtained by crossing species similar in of high humidity it is probably safest to floral structure but dissimilar in thei:r leaves. Don't< bother trying to cross nigh1:­ keep the plants quite dry in summer, mere­ and day-flowering species-they are incompatible. -s.A.F!. ly misting them once a week. Where sum­ mers are arid and relatively cool, the plants

26 THE AM E RICAN GARDENER Nov em b er/D ecem b er 1998 '()ll()phytlllTIS

will accept light wateri ng once a week. Wherever they are grown, conophytums appreciate ample water in autumn. Water deeply once a week or shallowly on alter­ nate days. Overwatered plants will rot or bloat and burst. A well-drained, lean soil mix helps to guard against such obesity, as does plenty of fresh air. Perfection lies somewhere between the Scylla of damp rotting and the Charybdis of burning desiccation, and it is up to each grower to find the way. Fortunately, the wa­ tery path is quite wide for most species, and some of the most satisfactory and accessible of these are described below. Selected Species All but C. bU1'lferi and C. maughanii make substantial clusters and can readily be di­ vided (see sidebar on page 26). C. bilobum The leaf-pairs on this species are only part­ ly fused. Their pointed tips produce a rab­ bit-eared silhouette and exhibit one or t\vo red "keel-lines," which correspond to the principal veins of normal leaves. The dim­ nal-daylight opening-flowers are yellow, white, or-very rarely-pink. C. burgeri Known in South Africa as Burger'S onion and elsewhere as Fujiyama plant, this Her­ shey's-kiss-shaped species is always covered in white, flaking, onionlike skins. Its lacy magenta flowers, which open briefly just be­ fore dusk, smell like honey. The plants rarely divide and are usually propagated from the tiny seeds, the smallest in the genus. C.flavum This species consists offlat green "buttons" as big as quarters. It has chrome-yell ow flowers-{)ften with carmine stigmas-and ubiquitous and variable species are caramel­ The daisylike white flowers of C. pe/lu­ blooms from late morning into afternoon. or coffee-colored. Some have blood-red cidum, top left, appear to be growing C. maughanii tannin spots and are often marked with out of rock, but it's merely the remnants This species has a very soft jellylike body dark bat-winged patterns. Wonderful se­ of the previous year's leaves. The plum­ that turns ruby-red in spring before its an­ lections and cultivars have been made with­ and-green leaves of C. concavum, top nual meltdown. The plant collapses quite in this species, which has orange-centered right, are "cracking out" through the suddenly, and novice growers often think white diurnal fl owers. withered membranes of their predeces­ that it has rotted, until they discover its firm C. wettsteinii sors. Clusters of conophytums such as C. core, which bears a white or beige noctur­ Very similar to G.flavum) but its brilliant minutum, above, can be found growing nal flower in mid-autunm. magenta flowers open arollnd noon and on rock outcrops in their native habitat C. obcordellum last for at least a week, increasing in size in South Africa. One of the first conophytums discovered, every day. Although the two species have this was known in 18th-century England as different numbers of chromosomes, they the "great chequer'd dumplin"'! The leaf­ can be hybridized to produce plants with pairs are wholly fused into cones and apricot-colored flowers. marked at the apex with a maze of lines and spots. The white to rose-pink flowers open When he is not in South Africa) Steven A. at night and smell of cloves. H ammer lives in Vista) California. H e and C. pellucidum photographer Chris Barnhill a1'e currently The windowed and warted leaves of trus ,porking on a book on lithops.

Novembe1'/ December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 27

Clofkwise from upper left: Growing ground covers over and around stones can make them appear larger; an illusion of greater space can be created by placing stones at various depths in a landscape; in winter, stones provide a canvas for snow; at the edge of water features, stones control erosion and create a transition from one medium to another.

Enhancing Plantings stones are placed-and their size relative to Stones can work with plants in many ways. "Stone serves a the area they are being used in-they can One of the most effective ways you can use either create a feeling of greater openness them is to break up a monotonous single­ variety ofaesthetic and or of more intimate, confined space. textured mass planting such as juniper or an Stone can also be used as a backdrop to annual bedding plant. Stone can act as a practical functions highlight plants with interesting colors and focal point and lend meaning to the space. textures. Dark stone is ideal for setting off Stones of the same origin and oharacter can in the garden. It can brightly colored or lightly hued flowers be used to create a composition that appears and even variegated foliage. By having to be more extensive than the rocks that are be a focal point, a plants drape over the top of a stone, you actually showing. The juniper or other can also display colors and textures effec­ ground cover appears to be covering the framing element, and tively. A finely textured threadleafJapan­ unseen portions of the exposed geology. ese maple (Acerpalmatum var. dissectum) Stone can also be used to provide a a surface against shows to good effect when contrasted sense of depth to a plant grouping. This against a dark stone. helps to unify compositions that would which to display plants.') otherwise lack definition. Stones in the Winter Interest background, mid-ground, and foreground For those of us who don't live in Florida, become static formations that can create an the Gulf Coast, or Southern California, illusion of space. Depending on how the our beautiful beds offlowers disappear into

30 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novemb er/Decemb er 1998 dormancy in winter. In adctition to grass­ ing around these silent sentinels can pro­ es or plants that provide winter interest vide a beautiful focal point in the garden. with their berries or colorful bark, a well­ designed stone grouping provides wel­ Environmental Transition come visual relief at this time of year. And When you have a slope in the garden that in areas that commonly receive snow, stone leads down to a lawn, planting bed, or ~ arrangements can be designed to create water feature, transition is important. For- i .,_ ~ dramatic and beautiful interactions with mal landscapes are usually composed of :-.! ~ billowing snowdrifts. square or rectangular shapes whose bound- aries rarely overlap or form transitions into other garden features. This abrupt design, THE FOUR SPACES FOR STONE GROUPINGS where one space is clearly defined and sep- F L A T P LAN E arated from another, is very ctifferent from Stone groupings can be used in four basic the overlapping edges seen in nature. To types ofspace in the garden-a flat plane, a create a more natural effect in the garden, connective mass, a slope, and a transition parts of both spaces in a transition zone space between a slope and a flat plane. Each should overlap at the point where they join. of these spaces influences the form that the Stone acts as a wonderful transition ele­ grouping will take. ment at the point where a slope ctissolves into a flat surface. A Flat Plane In the garden, a flat plane can be a lawn or garden bed, or a body of water such as a CREATING STONE GROUPINGS pond. If you want to create a vertical con- CONNECTIVE MASS trast to the dominant horizontal nature of There are three basic rules of stone place- such space, choose stones that are upright. ment: By choosing recumbent forms that lead the The stone should appear to be stable. The eye along the ground plane, stone can also much repeated mantra of designers is that be used to reinforce the horizontal nature of one-third of the stone should be under­ the space. In nature, such a formation is ground. This is a good general rule, but at often seen in areas with limestone bedrock, times it may only be necessary to put three

./ where parallel ridges ofstone break the sur­ or four inches of a four-foot stone in the ./ face of the soil at intervals. ground. At otller times it may be necessary ./ to put more than two-thirds of a stone un­ A Connective Mass derground in order to show the best face Often found within a flat plane, a connec­ or feature of that stone. tive mass can be thought of as an island, You should use odd numbers ofstones-up such as a large, rounded bed in a lawn or an to nine stones. Whether you are tl1.ink.ing island in a pond. This type of stone group­ about placing plants or stones, using odd

·W SLOPE co ing is typically more tightly knit than those numbers is always more aesthetically ap­ ::> a used in a flat plane. Stone is often placed pealing because it is easier to create an in­ ..J a within the defined island but can also carry formal balance. But once you get beyond cr.« I into the lawn around the planting bed or nine stones, the eye seems to stop count­ u a: into the water surrouncti.ng the island. This ing. If you are using more stones than that >­ co "COIOling outside the lines" creates a look in a grouping, you need to be careful that '"l? Z tllat more closely resembles natural scenes. it doesn't become too "busy." ~ The stones should have a relationship to each o The Slope other and to the group as a whole. To see z el o Because the underlying geology often ctic­ good models for stone groupings, all you w ~ tates the form and nature of a slope, using have to do is look at the way nature does it. co stone on hillsides seems more natural then There is an entire science-geomorpholo­ '"l? Z on a flat plane. The angle of the slope helps gy-devoted to the study of geological for­ ~ determine what form the stone grouping mations. It looks at tlle ways that natural ~ ENVIRONMENTAL z will take. On a gentle slope, one effective geological forms are created and influenced o TRANSITION cr. use of stone is to create a stabilizing hori­ by forces such as tides, gravity, volcanoes, >­ co zontalline across the slope. This short ar­ and erosion. It is also helpful to have a basic '"Z o tificial "cliff" can be balanced with vertical understancti.ng of design principles related to forms such as trees or upright shrubs. good aesthetics. In stone placement, the ~ Strong vertical stone groupings in a slope most common principles used to establish ~ can also be dramatic. Massed plants flow- relationships within a composition are: ra-

November/December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 31 tios, contrast, framing, depth, internal con­ but can be made to rW1 contrary to them. text, relief, and lines offorce. Done effectively, this can result in a very bal­ anced and internally framed grouping.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING Implied Planes Implied planes are one of the most power­ One of the biggest mistakes made when ful tools for creating the illusion that sepa­ placing stones is to view them as separate rate stones are part of a single entity. objects rather than parts ofa greater whole. Implied means "suggested," and a plane is When stones are not unified in the land­ a flat surface-in other words, a flat smface scape, they appear random and unorga­ that is suggested between the existing sur­ ANGULAR LINES nized. Contrarily, a well-placed grouping faces of stones. By placing stones carefully, OF FORCE will stand on its own as a single object. A the impression is given that the space be­ good way to conceptualize a stone arrange­ tween separate stones has eroded and left ment is to look at it as a solid mass of stone portions of the original single stone mass that has been eroded away over a long pe­ still standing. riod of time. When seen th~s way, the arrangement is like a three-dimensional jig­ Dynamic Spacing saw puzzle in wkich each of the pieces has Creating a relationship between stone a relationship to eaoh other as well as the through the use ofdynamic spacing is more whole. Establishing those relationships of a challenge than the three previously means understanding concepts such as lines mentioned techniques. The type of rela­ of force, repetition of line and form, im­ tionship created here is based on a visual plied planes, and the dynamic spacing of rhythm. You can rhink of a dynamic stone different elements. grouping as a symphony for the eyes; the emotional impact of that composition is Lines ofForce transferred by way of its dynamic spacing Lines of force can be thought of as similar and the visual tension associated with each RADIAL LINES to the invisible lines of magnetic flux that stone's relationship to the whole. To carry cause a compass needle to point toward on the musical metaphor, for example, plac­ OF FORCE magnetic north. We don't see the lines of ing a series of stones of equal size, shape, force so much as we see their effect. Ifwe and spacing would be like a sequence of the pm a magnet under a sheet of paper and same notes played at the same tone, pitch, sprinkle iron filings on that paper, they will and tempo. This would tend to be very mo­ no longer be separate, tiny pieces of iron, notonous. A set of sLones, however, as­ but rather a part of a larger pattern. Those cending vertically with transition stones lines of force that cre~te and influence the leading the eye into the grouping would be entire pattern affect the filings . Ifyou apply equivalent to an uplifting musical piece with the same principle to a stone composition a crescendo. The rhythm of this spacing is and establish an imaginary line offorce, you far more dynamic and helps to cement the have a basis for creating an environment whole piece as a single composition. that gives a sense of connection to all of the Stone deserves a place in the garden and rocks. Usually the path of the lines of force should be placed with at least as much con­ is in one direction, but on occasion it can sideration as is given to the strategic place­ be seen in more than one plane. Relative to ment of plants. A successful stone grouping the ground plane, the line of force can be helps make a garden more alive throughout vertical, horizontal, angular, arcing, plume­ the year. It offers contrasts that are often REPETITION OF like or even fan-shaped. sorely needed to create focus and provide LINE AND FORM an internal structure to the entire garden. Repetition ofLine and Form Ultimately, stone provides a garden with Another way of creating a relationship be­ a truer reflection of the natural world. To tween the stones is to repeat lines and forms use stone in the landscape is to make that that emerge from the placement of the ini­ landscape more complete. tial or dominant stone in the group. The re­ lationship may be based on the angle of that Richard L. Dube is a writer and landscape stone or the general form that it takes. This designer who lives in Lexington, South Car­ repetition creates a dear relationship be­ olina. His next book, Natural Stonescapes: tween all the stones because they then share The Art and Craft of Stone Placement, co­ IMPLIED PLANES common features. The lines and forms gen­ authored by Frederick C. Campbell, will be erally will parallel the selected lines of force published in February 1999 by Storey.

32 THE AMERICAN GARDENER No ve mber/Dec e mber 1998 Working with Stone

inding stone suppliers can be as simple as looking thenl up mar the surfaces, especially if the type of stone you are using in the phone book under the heading of "stone." Ma­ is very fragile or brittle. Fsonry contractors can often recommend local stone sup­ Medium to large rocks-which typically weigh 250 tro pliers. For larger jobs, it is usually more economical to deal 1,500 ponnds-can usually be moved by hand using pry bars with wholesale stone suppliers who wiLl deliver tile stones to and tripods. Tripods L1sed to lift engine blocks out of cars are your site. To get the best stones, however, it is better to se­ also suitable for moving rocks. These have a winch or a "come­ lect them yomself. along" hanging from the center. The stone is suspend~d below the lifting tool. If nylon strapping is not available you can use Choosing and Btrying Stone a chain, but be sure to use burlap or some other Cllshioning If stone is going to be used as a focal point in a landscape, it material for the rock whelil lifting or lowering it. is helpful to look for stone that has "character" -an interesting Hand Tools surface texture, unllSUal shape, A pry bar is a versatile tool for intriguing smface features, or a moving and adjusting the place­ striking color. The most diffi­ ment of medium-sized stones-'­ cult thing is to find a stone of those weighing a few hundred this nature that is also of the pow1ds-in or on the ground. It right scale for your space. At can be used to temporarily prop times a beautiful stone with up a large stone or to turn or character may dictate the way angle a stone already in the the space is to be used or de­ ground. Its most important use fined, rather than the other way howevel', is as a device for mov­ around. Another difficulty that ing a heavy stone forward along often arises when you find a the ground. Two or more people stone with character is finding using pry bars can "walk" a stone enough related stone to make on its edge by moving forward in an entire composition. turn. Pry bars rotated in a row­ Stones fall into four basic ing motion can be used to move groups based on their shape: a stone easily in any direction. vertical, horizontal, chmllcy, and The pry bar can also be used as a arcing. Within these forms, the lever for rolling a stone over to surface features can be frac­ see its underside or for movin~ tured, included (embedded it forward. with smaller stones of a con­ Both a pointed and a flat­ trasting nature), or free of bottomed shovel are helpful for markings (featureless). The tex­ excavating the hole in which clle ture can be angular, smooth, or s1;one will be placed. Prior La rounded. The most challenging digging any hole, figure out type of stone to WOJ;k with is a how you want the stone to sit. Gombination of chunky, fea­ As with large plan.ts, it can IDe tureless, and fOutlded. more of a challenge to get a YON can buy stone either by stone out of a hole tlnaR it is no the ton or by the individual Top: Using a small stone as a flllicrum, a pry bar can be get it in. bOl.J1der or rode. It is iFlevitahle used to lift a rock up and chaRge its position slightly. Stone shims-loose pieces of that yon wiil need ffime than Above: Medium-size stones can be moved short dis­ rock that are b.dpful for prop­ yOlQ think, so you shoillid plan tanc;:es by "rolling" them end over end with a pry bar. ping and stabiLizing stones in a to buy at least one-anei-a-half hole- are invaluable for helping times ymi[ initial estimate. to create the correct aagle for the That way YOtl will. also have more choices when YOli start de- composicioJl or to hold thte stone in place. You should have a signing your groupings. good-sized pile on hand prim to di~ging the hdle. Power Tools Pltrying it Safe The tools you use will depend largely ON the size of the stone Safety is important whenever you work with stone. Stone is you are working with. Stones over two tons usually require a abrasive. It call have sharp edges, be unwieldy, and be ex­ crane and professional help. NylolJ. strapping is rewrIlf11cn.d­ tremely heavy. Heavy work gloves, steel-toed boots, long ed for lifting these stones so that you don't mark up their sur­ pants, knee pads, and-most il'nportrant~ healthy respect for faces. Stone in the ~me- to two-ton range can be handled willi the stone are highly recommended. a large bobcat or small backhoe. Again, it is important not to -R.L.D.

N0 7Jem b e7'/D ecem b er 199 8 THE AMERI C A N GARDE N ER 33 Mari

In addition to its stunning tropical plant displays, Selby Ciardens has a growing reputation for its conservation programs.

b y M 0 y D e a n

On my most recent visit to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, I spotted a small child stilled to sudden wonder by the sight of the majestically spreading boughs of a bo tree (Ficus religiosa)) the same type of tree under which Buddha is said to have first ob­ tained enlightenment. Next instant she had (limbed into a crook of the tree and was gazing rapturously up at the curious slender, long-tipped leaves, which were quaking mysteriously to the rhythms of an undetectable breeze. This sense of wonder is typical of many visitors, both young and old, who walk through this tropical paradise just south ofTampa and Saint Petersburg «i along Florida's Gulf Coast. w Cl It's easy to be inspired by the breathtalcing displays of subtropiGal and trop­ ?;; :;;o ical plants, as well as by the insects, birds, fish, and mammals that are drawn .:u != '"o to them. Temperate-zone gardeners often equate their ideal garden with the "'­ o"'- landscapes of artist Claude Monet, but the lush, surreal-even prirnitive­ vi ili o look ofthe gardens at Selby are more evocative ofthe works ofHenri Rousseau. a: « l!J Vignettes include a gold-and-red hibiscus blossom the size of a dinner plate ;;1. u shimmering against a vivid blue sky; vast curtains ofstarry-flowered Confeder­ gZ Marie Selby, above, loved the natural ate jasmine (Trachelospermum fasminoides) stirring in the ocean breeze and >-'" beauty of the Sarasota area and was '" wafting a sweet, sultry perfume into the air; bizarre carnivorous pitcher plants ~ inspired to preserve a portion of it tor a::w « future generations. Opposite: Tree fem rearing their tube-shaped leaves into the steamy atmosphere of the Tropical :;; fronds against a blue Florida sky. Display House; angel's trumpets (Brugmansia spp. ) dangling their great yel­ o ~ low flower cups above a clear, koi-filled pool; and an exotic zebra longwing :;;:w => o butterfly hovering languidly above a red pentas blossom. u

34 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novemb er/Dec em be r 1998

The mission to playa role in preserving our planet's £i'agile ecosystems--conserva­ tion of tropical rain forests in particular-is shared at every level of the gardens, and the dedication is contagious. Raul Rivero, di­ rector of education, speaks eloquently of Selby's commitment to making the eartl1 a better place by instructing and inspiring children, especially in tl1e areas of conser­ vation and environmental issues. "We're basically u'ying to disseminate as much en­ vironmental education as possible," says Rivero. "It's important for children to learn about their local environment first, then to develop a strong awareness of ilie critic

36 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novembe1'/December 1998 death in 1971 . In her will, she decreed the order to help lU1derstand canopy processes property be developed as a botanical garden better," he notes. In addition, Holst says for the enjoyment of the general pu blic; a that despite the gardens' traditional focus board of directors was appointed to oversee on tropical plants, "We've realized it is un­ the formation and development of the gar­ wise to ignore our own backyard and have dens. Following consultations with the New begun informal programs to survey the Bottom left: Confederate jas­ York Botanical Garden and the University of flora of Sarasota Coun ty and increase the mine (Trachelospermum jasmi­ Florida, the directors recommended that holdings of Florida native plants in our noides) shrouds tree trunks Sel by carve a herbarium." While the tropical display and branches with a starry niche for itself by h0l1se maintains its emphasis on epiphytes, white blanket. Bottom right: Sources specializing in epi­ "on the grounds there is an increasing ef­ The massive conelike fruits of phytic plants. fort to display native plants," he adds. screw pine (Pandanus utiJis). Marie Selby Botanical With that mission Holst himself embodies the best of what Below: Air plants such as ball Gardens, located on in mind, the gar­ Selby-at the turn of the millennium- has moss (Tillandsia recurvata) are South Palm Avenue at dens officially to offer. In the course of gathering plants in attached to trees throughout U.5. 41 in Sarasota, is opened in 1975. the cloud forests of Central and Soutl1 the gardens at Selby. open year round from In the intervening 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., years, purchases of except for Christmas adjoining proper­ Day. Admission is $8 ty have expanded for adults; $4 for the gardens to children ages six to 11. nearly 13 acres. Special rates are available for groups of Epiphytes 20 or more. For add it­ What is an epi­ ionallnformation, phyte? Most of write to Selby at 811 the school chil­ South Palm Avenue, dren who visit the Sarasota, R ]4236- gardens can tell 77'2.6; call (941) 366- you that it is a 5731; or visit its web magical sort of site at www.selby.org. plant with aerial roots that attaches itself to other plants for support and obtains its nourishment from rainwater, dust, and organic matter that collects around it. Epi­ phytes include certain orchids, bromeliads, aroids, and ferns. Today Selby is a living mu­ seum ofep iphytes. Wherever you are in the gardens, you're likely to see coils of ball moss (Titlandsia recurvata), like silvery bird's nests, perched overhead in a tangle of tropical blossoms, or the spiky red-stalked flower bracts of a cardinal airplant (Tilland­ sia Jasciculata) protruding from the branches of a cypress tree. "Epiphytes were, and. still are, the main research, education, and display priorities," says Bruce K. Holst, director of the Selby m.erbarium. "A small garden needs focus, and the combined efforts of all of our de­ partments toward this common goal have made a major impact on both scientific and public knowledge." But Holst emphasizes that Selby is con­ stantly expanding the scope ofits plant col­ lection and research activities. "We continue to study epiphyte diversity and taxonomy, but we have added a broader canopy biology program to the slate in

Novembe1'/December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 37 From the canopy research platform, located 35 feet in the air in a live oak, Selby's visitors can get a bird's-eye view of the gardens, above left. The almost blue blossom of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Blue Bayou', above right, is the prod­ uct of a former Selby researcher's plant breeding program.

America, he has braved a 30-foot fall, ag­ canopy. Field sites visited by Selby re­ Reflecting the gardens' overall focus, the gressive insects, and extremes ofclimate. He searchers include local Florida hammocks Selby herbarium specializes in tropical and has published floristic and taxonomic stud­ as well as sites in Africa, Australia, and Cen­ neotropical flora, especially epiphytes. The ies on bromeliads and neotropical members tral and South America. The main reason flora of Ecuador and epiphytic flora of the of the myrtle fan1ily (Myrtaceae) and is an forest canopies have not been heavily stud­ Andes are especially well represented. These expert on the flora of the Venezuelan ied is that they are difficult to reach . Al­ dried specimens are arranged carefully on Guayana. Holst also participates in Conser­ though rope walkways, cranes, and non-reactive paper so that both sides of vation International's Rapid Assessment specialized "rafts" dropped on the canopy leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and stems are Program, which provides baseline data on by hot-air balloons have allowed greater visible; in their two-dimensional form these the ecological diversity of critical tropical access to tree tops in the last two decades, sheets resemble intricate, sepia-toned works habitats that are imperiled by activities such scientists have still only managed to take a of art. Collections at the herbarium also in­ as deve.Jopment, logging, and slash-and­ look at "two or three percent of the clude about 1,700 type specimens-the burn agriculture. canopy," says Lowman. To char1ge that, a specimen to which the original botanical Selby even has its own research plat­ network of walkways is being set up name was associated-all housed in a spe­ form built 35 feet in the air among the around the world, including in temperate cially protected area. Just as libraries loan gnarled and twisted branches of a giant live rain forest sites in North America. books, the herbarium loans out these plant oak. Located near the center of the gar­ records to scientists, students, and specially dens, the platform serves as a prototype for Record Collections recognized institutions. visiting scientists interested in canopy re­ Selby's department of research and conser­ At the Orchid Identification Center, or­ search and will be a congregating point vation is charged with managing and chid specimens preserved in vials ofalcoho l during this month's canopy conference. As adding to its living collections of plants, have a curiolls luminescent beauty. These, you might expect, it is also a popular spot herbarium specimens, photographic col­ along with more than 20,000 taxonomic with children participating in Selby's edu­ lections, and library. Many of the 10,000 references and photographs, aid researchers cational programs. taxa in the gardens' living collection are in identifYing orchids sent to them by rare or endangered species that were gath­ botanists and collectors. The center works A New Frontier ered on field expeditions to tropical rain closely with the American Orchid Society The forest canopy is considered one of forests. Although some of these plants are and confirms the identity of prize-witming earth's last remaining undiscovered scien­ reserved for study by scientists, many have orchids. The day I visited the center, two tific frontiers, and Selby's canopy ecology been propagated and are on display out­ large boxes filled with specimens to be program is at the forefront of the field. The doors or in the Tropical Display House. identified had arrived from the Smithson­ program, headed by canopy ecologist Meg Another star in Selby's crown is a collection ian Institution. Lowman, focuses 011 epiphytes and their of historic orchids and bromeliads that The Mulford B. Foster Bromeliad Iden­ role in the natural order of the forest were introduced in the 19th century. tification Center was also established at

38 THE AMERI CAN GARDEN ER November/December 1998 Selby

These muscular roots, above left, support the massive trunks of a grove of banyans planted by Marie Selby's gar­ dener in 1939. The grove is sometimes used as an outdoor atrium for events such as theatrical performances and plant sales. Above ri ght, t he inflorescence of the aptly named bottlebrush tree (Callistemon spp.).

Selby in 1979 to provide a resource for sci­ the Rain Forest," a special activity for junior­ The outdoor portions of the gardens are entists trying to identifY the epiphytes daily high-age students. Graduate and upper­ dominated by wide paths, open vistas, and being encountered in tropical rain forests class undergaduate students majoring in glimpses of the blue bay alive with pleasure around the globe. botany can get a jump-start on further ed­ yachts, fishermen, and seabirds. You will be ucation or careers by enrolling in a three­ aware of the tangy smell and feel of the Community Involvement month internship at Selby. ocean even as you wander into the hushed, Selby's education department is eager to cathedral-like atmosphere of the Live Oak snare its wealth of botanical knowledge Feast for the Senses Grove, pass next to towering canes of Chi­ and resources with the community. In ad­ Of course you don't have to participate in nese giant timber bamboo (Bambusa old­ dition to offering adult classes, Selby works any of Selby'S educational or conservation hamii), or pause among the seemingly closely with the local school system to pro­ programs to enjoy the gardens. Selby is a endless variety ofpalms in the Palm Grove. vide a wide variety of educational pro­ place to broaden one's perspective, to take Leaving the Palm Grove, you can climb grams for children. a step beyond the temperate-zone plants onto a wooden boardwalk opening direct­ One of the community projects in which most of us are used to and discover such ly out onto the shoreline that surrounds Selby is involved is an interpretive nature wonders as the Australian ant plant (Hydno­ about two-thirds of the gardens. Here trail at a nearby school. Director ofEduca­ phytum papuanum), the bloated stems of Selby encourages native plant communi­ tion RaUl Rivero says the trail is designed so which serve as a home for thousands ofants. ties, including mangroves and sea grapes, that students "will learn to recognize the The ant plant grows in the 6,000- whose shiny bronze, red-veined new leaves most important native vegetation and un­ square-foot Tropical Display House, one of turn red with age. The leaves' flat, circular derstand the interrelationship of native an­ 15 distinct themed areas at Selby today. shapes once lent themselves to use as handy imals and plants." Enter this glassed-in mini rain forest and emergency notepads for early Spanish ex­ Another way Selby reaches out to chil­ you discover strange new shapes, colors, plorers to the area. dren is by encouraging teachers to use the and scents. Looking up, you see a multi­ A white gazebo at the southern exten­ gardens as an outdoor classroom. "For tude of orchids cascading from overhead sion of the peninsula makes a strategic rest­ every school teacher we train to use the gar­ beams and the billowing fronds of tree ing place. Here, one can contemplate the dens as a teaching resource, we multiply by ferns swaying soothingly; looking down, bo tree, or enjoy unexpected scenes such as 25 the children we reach," notes Rivero. A you see colorful gingers and heliconias a white egret striding purposefully among second grader, for in.stance, has the chance blooming amid a wealth of other tropicals. blurs of blue salvia. A walk along the main to participate in a learning activity called All around, exotic vines twist and tumble. path past a wildflower garden brings visi­ "Life as a Butterfly" in the inspirational set­ Along one side of the building, water spills tors to two of Selby's most unusual areas. ting of Selby's colorful Butterfly Garden. down a black volcanic rock wall-like the The Succulent Garden holds a strange fas­ The Tropical Display House, on the other face of a mountain- among bright moss, cination, both because of its stark beauty hand, sets the stage for "Checking LD.s in glistening ferns, and shiny orchids. and because its nonnative inhabitants-

November/December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 39 Shoreline Restoration Project t the north end of the gardens, behind the Selby museUfll, a 1,000-foot area among which are a Madagascar palm, ofshoreline draws the eye with its cool-looking green lagoon, golden brown prickly cacti, aloes, and euphorbias-have A swathes of waving marsh grasses, and a low white mound ofcrushed shells been successfully coaxed to thrive in the in­ silhouetted against the blue of the bay. Visitors are often smprisecl to learn that tense humidity of southern Florida. these unassuming features are integral parts of an elaborate project to prevefit ero­ A grove of banyans, planted in 1939 by sion of the shoreline and reduce water pollution. Marie Selby's gardener, presents the The two-foot-deep lagoon was designed to function as a stormwater rete1'ltion strangest appearance of all to those unfa­ area. "As we dug the lagoon we found evidence of an ancient marsh," says Arule­ miliar with these fig relatives. Selby's marie Post, Selby's director of horticulru:re. "There had been marsh vegetatiem banyans include Ficus microcarpa, F. al­ there at one time that probalJly had been washed away by s·torms." After digging tissima, and F. benghalensis. A person can the lagoon, Post and her staff planted more than 100 native species, indUldirtg maLl­ appear lost among the banyans' vast con­ groves, appropriate to the various habitats t1\irol

40 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Nov e mbe r /December 1998 The Little Giant Finding garden books with staying power is Frances Tenenbaum's forte.

by Kathleen F sher

Just what do editors do, anyway? From movies like "The Front Page" and from "Shoe" on the comic pag.. s, we have an image of news­ paper editors as rumpled and overworked journalists whose primary job is to yell about deadlines and shred reporters' death­ less prose. As for book editors- well, we know that Jackie Onassis got to eat lunch with a lot of other celebrities. But otherwise, don't d1ey just move commas around and mutter complaints about dangling participles? Those of us who are less-than-flawless writers can tell you: Finding a good editor is like finding a great hairdresser, therapist, and architect all rolled into one. They make you look good, and they make you feel good. They do that by combining an exquisite sen­ sitivity to both public taste and your own personal style. But most important, they make sure that if you are building a ranch house of a book, it has useful features­ Have you d10ught of a screened porch?­ without any gargoyles or flying buttresses that will make you a laughingstock. Everyone who has worked wid1 Frances Tenenbaum says she is that kind of editor. For the past 24 years, Tenenbaum has been an editor for Houghton Mifflin Com­ pany in Boston, and for the past three or four she has worked exclusively on garden books. She snagged the newspaper columns that became Henry Mitchell's latest book. She shepherded Noah's Garden, Sara Stein's award-winning ecological call-to­ arms, into print, and she shapes the long­ With a keen eye and a firm hand, Houghton Mifflin's Frances Tenenbaum turns raw running and extremely successful se Li es of manuscripts into classic garden books.

No ve mb er / December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 41 clature. "She has a flexibility tl1at I think comes wim age and experience." Stein put her finger on one oftl1e trends so discouraging to garden book autl10rs: Many publishers are letting veteran garden editors leave, and tl1eir replacements may know nothing about horticulture-and lit­ tle more about editing. The otl1er trend is me marketplace itself, where independent publishers and inde­ pendent bookstores are being replaced by giant publishing conglomerates and mega book chains. In this huge and impersonal new world, most garden books are thrown together witl1 an eye toward quick profits and an equally quick oblivion. Pam Lord, founder of me Garden Book Club and a member of the American Hor­ ticultural Society'S Book Award Commit­ tee, respects Tenenbaum for bucking the Taylor'S Guides to gardening basics. In trend. "She really cares, because she gar­ addition, last year she herself compiled dens herself," Lord says . "She can smell a TaylorJs Dictionary for Gardeners, a user­ phony a mile away, and she won't publish friendly guide to thousands of gardening anything she can't be proud of." and horticultural terms. Four years ago, she began working A Day in the Life closely with Connecticut author Tovah In spite of Tenenbaum's long tenure at Martin and Vermont photographer Houghton Mifflin, me receptionist frowns Richard Brown to create the gorgeous at the name as she runs her finger through Tasha TudorJs Garden, which has sold al­ a staff roster when we arrive for a visit. most 100,000 copies and spawned spinoffs Tenenbaum explains that she's not on staff, that include a crafts book and calendars. but w1der contract. That keeps her life flex­ In her Boston office, top, Tenenbaum "When you put in a proposal, she ible, and from Independence Day through checks out potential images for a book doesn't just lean on your instincts," says Labor Day, she can work from her summer project, while Lisa White, manuscript Martin, who has written books for sever­ home on Martl1a's Vineyard. editing supervisor, looks on. Above: A al other publishing houses. "She grows From her eighth-floor office at the cor­ sampling of the gardening books that the book with you, so it becomes more ner of Boylston and Berkeley, Tenenbaum Tenenbaum has edited, written, or than the original idea. has an impressive view of the Boston champiened include, left to right: Tasha "Part of being an editor is being a bull­ cityscape but misses the birds that fre­ Tudor's Garden, Taylor's Weekend dog," Martin recognizes, "but Frances gets quented a former Houghton Mifflin site. Gardening Guides: Window Boxes, authors to blossom, so that it's more like a "The office there was even smaller Henry Mitchell on Gardening, Taylor's club than a job. You don't feel the pressures though," she says. "If! had visitors, I had Guide to Ornamental Grasses, Taylor's that come into writing a book, which can to arrange me chairs in a line, like in a class­ Dictionary for Gardeners, and An be so strenuous and awful." room." Island Garden. Both Martin and Sara Stein recall little Tenenbaum quickly explains that her of­ notes and friendly phone calls that kept fice is not always this tidy. She likes to them on track and inspired, rather than spread her manuscripts and references all harried. over me floor. But her daughter, Jane, who When Stein auctioned tl1e manuscript is in town from Madison, Wisconsin, has for her ground-breaking NoahJs Garden, cleaned up for today's expected company. Tenenbaum wasn't the original winner. Tenenbaum says mat bom Jane, a graphic "Then we began to feellU1comfortable and designer, and her son, David, who also lives we broke the contract," Stein. says of her­ in Madison and writes text for a children's self and her agent. "Frances had a deeper science web site, inherited traits she lacks: understanding of the book, and she helped They're bom extremely organized and rel­ me know what to throwaway, what was atively tall. Tenenbaum ,"vill tall( about her too long, too technical, too difficult." On diminutive stature. "I'm definitely taller the omer hand, she says, Tenenbaum also man Tovah Martin. She's under five foot." knew when the flow of a phrase would run But not her age. "You can say that Jane is aground on the rocks of botanical nomen- 50. David is ...somewhat younger."

42 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novembe1'/December 1998 Tenenbaum's authors believe she's good at what she does because she is both a gardener and a writer herself. Quick to put illusions to rest, Tenenbaum denies that she was born to do either. "My mother was a great gardener. When I "vas about five, she made me a lit­ tle garden, as we will for our children. I told her, 'You like it, you take care of it. '" As did bOtll her children, she went to lU1dergraduate school in the upper Mid­ west, but, w1like them, she couldn't resist the pull of her native New York. She "ended up" at the Columbia School of Journalism and got her first job "vliting fea ­ tures for the New York He1'ald- Trib~me . When her children were small, she wrote a free-lance colurrm for a suburban newspa­ per, "mostly covering the school board, which was contentious as only a suburban school board can be." tlle soil, atld tllfough both economy and It wasn't until she got her first home, pride, scrounged her own amendments. in Great Neck, Long Island, that Tenen­ There were drives from Long Islatld with baum discovered gardening. Her de­ bags of homemade compost leaking from lighted mother, gratification long the roof of tlle car and one memorable delayed, donated some perennials. But Easter weekend spent digging matlUre by designing tlle garden wasn't what Tenen­ moonlight. "I realized tllat was notlling, baum enjoyed most. "I found that I was tllough, when one of our Gay Head neigh­ addicted to weeding! It makes such a dif­ bors flew matlure in "vitll his private plane." ference so quickly. And you can do it sit­ When she's not at Martlla's Vineyard, ting down. But I think I prefer weeding Tenenbaum lives in a Cambridge apart­ to planting for the same reason that I pre­ ment with little room for gardening. The fer editing to writing." balcony is the domain of Pumpkin, an 11- Tenenbaum'S tidy garden in Tenenbaum wrote her first gardening year-old miniature dachshund who uses the Gay Head section of book after she and her husband, Frank-an tlle space for her "catbox." Says Tenen­ Martha's Vineyard, above engineer who died in 1972-built their baum: "I keep a few houseplants-until I and top, abounds in airy, summer home in tlle Gay Head section of kill them." graceful plants, including Martha's Vineyard. Watching bulldozers She does continue to experiment in Gay cleomes, coneflowers, plow tllrough the natural landscape, she Head. "The best part of gardening on the daylilies, gaura, coral bells, decided that other people should be more island is scavenging, so I get eel grass and lavender, liatris, and Shasta aware of wildflowers. "I didn't do it as an salt-marsh hay from the edges of Men­ daisies. expert," she notes, "but as a journalist, emsha Pond, leaves from arowld my Cam­ tlu"ough interviews." Scribner published bridge apartment, compost from my Gardening with Wild Flowers in 1973; Bal­ brother's Connecticut gat"den, atld shingles lantine republished it as a paperback, and it from the town dump to help plant a steep was in plint for years. sandy slope." Even the celeblities who fre­ That was rewarding from an author's quent the Vineyard have made unwitting point of view, but it became irritatingly re­ contributions. The set for a Carly Simon strictive to tlle budding gardener. In the concert yielded a featherweight faux log book, says Tenenbaum, "I was insufferably that Tenenbaum used to support pat"t of a pure about not tinkering with tlle natural raised bed. landscape." As a result, the "garden" was She's given up perennials tllat fail to sat­ little more tllatl a sand dune sporting beach isfY, such as oriental poppies, which never plum, bayberry, atld brambles. flower when she's there, and bearded iris, When Gardening With Wild Flowers which are easily tattered by islatld winds. disappeared from book stores, she wew Siberian irises flourish, though, and her off her self-imposed shackles and began mother's garden lives on tllere in daylilies planting everything that struck her fatlCY, and epirnediums-"I have a lot of daylilies, no matter how inappropriate to tlle site. including some wonderhll tetraploids, in Eventually, tllough, she began to improve shades of rose atld pink. Lavender is beau-

Novembe7' I December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 43 Tenenbaum wasted no time accepting publishing corporations-Houghton Mif­ the offer. She received a carton bulging flin and Norton are now the only exceptions with yellowed uewspaper clippings and ex­ to this trend, according to Tenenbamn. uding the aroma of Mitchell's ever-present And remember that little bookstore on cigarettes. For weeks she read them in bed, the corner, where tl1e owner was always sorting the b~st from the merely great, and behind the counter and knew every book had them typed and sent back. Then one on the shelves? Stores like these now rep­ day on the phone Ginny Mitchell said to resent ouly 10 percent of the market. In her, "Henry wants to talk to you." the sprawling chain stores, a book that It had never crossed Tenenbaum's mind doesn't stand out doesn't move-except to change any of Mitchell's words. "Why to tl1e discount table. would you?" she asks. Nevertheless, she So much more now tl1an in the past, an was terrified. "I expected that curmud­ editor has to not only be a wordsmith, geouly voice that you hear in his colmnns. bulldog, and hand-holder, but also be Then he got on the phone with that won­ market-conscious. "It doesn't do any derful southern accent and he was totally good to write a book that lilO one knows delightful. He spent nearly all of tl1e time is out there," says Tovah Martin. "If you telling stories and hardly mentioned the write a book that's text heavy, you're pit­ book." The Mitchells stayed at Tenen­ ted against the packagers who are looking Tenenbaum delights in scrounging gar­ bamn's Cambridge apartment while Henry for something glitzy. Frances has the abil­ den supplies. This fake log was left over was being treated for the colon cancer to ity to sit up and listen in a world where from the set of a early Simon concert. which he eventually succumbed in 1993. people are getting a bit lazy." tiful, and I love gaura." Baptisia, coral bells The Personal Touch Books That Last (H euchera sa;nguinea), and Shasta daisies Tenenbaum loves e-mail, and her comput­ Tenenbamn's cardinal rule is: "I don't want are happy, and now that a small oak U"ee has er chirps frequently to signal the arrival of to do books mat will disappear in three become a big one, so are astilbe and lady's a new message. "The only problem is that months." mantle (Alchemilla mollis). A Vineyard when I get to the island and hear real birds, A book wim just such staying power is neighbor let her dig up a Wac and an Amer­ I think I have new e-mail," she says. The An Island Garden, written by New Eng­ ican pillar rose to transplant to her garden. phone buzzer is busy, too. She takes a call land poet Celia Thaxter and illustrated with "But I don't do what my writers tell from Mac Griswold, who's writing a book paintings by Childe Hassam, an important everybody else to do. I don't plan. I don't about gardening at George Washiugton's American Impressionist. Originally pub­ buy three of everything. What was it MOlU1t Vernon estate in Virginia. We had lished in 1894, the book went out of print Henry Mitchell said? You should garden just been looking at some of the gorgeous in 1902 after only 2,000 copies had been for fun, because you get enough of the photography by Roger Foley, who lives in published. After the book was discovered otl1er at the office." While she loves her nearby Arlington, Virgillia. in Houghton Mifflin's basement archives work, Tenenbaum figures life holds Does she ask Griswold how the book is by another editor with a passion for classics, enough duties without mowing and prun­ coming? No, she waits until the author Tenenbaum fell in love with it and cham­ ing and deadheading. brings up business. "Some ofus were won­ pioned its reprinting in 1988. Says Pam dering," Tenenbaum says. "Is 'Mac' an ab­ Lord: "She helped give Americans back Encountering the Curmudgeon brevi

44 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/December 1998 The Genetics of Getting the species Geography right isn't always a guarantee of success.

b Y And y \AI a S 0 VV S k

Gardeners can be divided into two groups. Little wonder then tl1at we gravitate toward native plants tlle The first belongs to the Evel Knievel school of gardening. They see way iron filings are drawn toward magnets. And ilie reason is sim­ gardening as an eternal challenge-an us-versus-Mother Nature sit­ ple: Native plants are genetically adapted to tlle growing condi­ uation where the environment must be overpowered and bent to tions of ilieir speoific regions. They are at home in tlle local soil, one's will. These are the people who insist on growing azaleas in al­ tlley Call survive on the local rainfall, a1ld tlley have worked out a kaline soil, banana trees in USDA Zone 8, and turf grass in areas with harmonious a1ld cooperative relationship witll tlle local wildlife. annual rainfall a mere eight to 12 inches. Into this group I also lLUl1p This didn't happen overnight, of course. It took many tll0USallds blU1gee jlU11pers, people who build Spanish galleons inside aspirin of years; many natives have been evolving tl1is way since the last bottles, and liberals rLlIll1ing for office in Orange County, California. ice age. Some have been at it for 30 million years or more. Hav­ The second category is the one I belong to. We consistently ing leal'ned tl1is bit of horticultural wisdom, you'd iliink tllat we opt for the patl1 ofleast resistance-tlle easiest way possible. Get­ would be well on our way to gal'dening success. All we have to do ting a plant to not only stay alive but actually tl1five is an achieve­ is find out wl1ich species are native where we live, stick 'em in tlle ment tl1at strikes us as being only slightly less intimidating tlla1l ground, a1ld tllen wait for gardening magazines to stal·t clamor­ pulling off an orbital docking maneuver. Forget having green ing to immortalize our efforts. tlmmbs; ours range from beige to black! Unfortw1ately, tl1is is not always tlle case.

No v emb e1' / Dec c mb c l' 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 45

Prove11ance

While getting the species right is a big C'A plant with a local pan of successful gardening, it won't do you much good if you don't get the prove­ nance right, as well . provenance will be Provenance? Isn't that a city in Rhode Island? No, it's the Anglicized version of a genetically better Latin word meaning, roughl y, "from whence it came." According to the dictio­ suited to your local nary, provenance means "place of origin." Botanically, it means where the plant growing conditions evolved. And where it evolved determines its genotype, or genetic composition. You see, a specific plant can be native to than one that is in­ a variety of places-not just within one state or vegetational zone, but often in very digenous to another diverse sections of North America. Long, long ago, the seeds were distributed ac­ part ofthe country cording to where the wind blew them or where birds or other a.nimals carried them. with very different They then slowly evolved to meet the con­ ditions of those locales. "Plants, like other living organisms, growing conditions.)) have varying amounts of adaptive flexi ­ bility built in," says Guy Sternberg, pres­ ident of the International Oak Society and author of Landscaping With Native Trees. "We see red maples that prefer Previous page: Snowberry is native to a swampy soils, while others like upland, broad swath of North America, from rocky soils. Some pin oaks seem much southern California to Virginia, so be more tolerant of lime soils than most oth­ sure you are buying one that originated ers of the same species. All of these factors near where you plan to grow it. relate to provenance, and the process in­ Opposite: Two netleaf hackberries (Celtis volves much, much more than simple reticulata) growing near Las Cruces, New hardiness zones." Mexico. Related to elms, netleaf hack­ So, when we talk about the provenance berry can attain heights of SO feet. but of a specific plant, we are not talking about because of the tough environment in the species as a whole, we're talking about which it usually grows, it often takes the the genotype of a specific plant within that form of a contorted shrub. species-the one you may be thinking of buying for your yard. A plant with a local provenance will be genetically better suit­ ed to your local growing conditions than one that is indigenous to another part of the country with very different growing conditions. Put another way, it's the provenance of a plant that truly determines whether or not it's native or indigenous to your region. Case in Point Let's use butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) as an example. Native in sandhills, flatwoods, post oak woods, meadows, and pinelands throughout the eastern two­ thirds of the United States, from eastern South Dakota down into Florida, this bril­ liant orange-flowered plant has a very long taproot, making it extremely drought­ tolerant and long-lived. Even so, butterfly weed from Minnesota will die in a

THE AMERICAN GARDENER 47

Louisiana summer, no matter how much to those areas." He adds, "I have observed water it is given. Likewise, butterfly weed far too many flowering dogwoods in the indigenous to Georgia or Alabama would Midwest with minimal flower production, find Minnesota vvinters intolerable. principally caused by lack offlower bud har­ Then there's the southern live oak diness; if possible, always ask the nursery­ (Quercus virginiana). This tree is native men where the trees are grown." fi:om the southern Atlantic coast to central If you live in Connecticut, you might Texas and Oklahoma. If you live within want to add native snowberry (Symphori­ that geographical range, you might figure ca1pos albus) to your landscape. This hand­ any old live oak will do well in your land­ some shady ground cover, with its clusters scape. But what ifyou live in Dallas, for ex­ of white berries in fall and winter, is native an1ple, and your nursery purchased its live in your locale, but it's also native in a giant oaks from some out-of-state grower. Well, horseshoe-shaped range that stretches if there's a repeat of the notorious winter of from Southern California- where it is 1983-'84---when nortl1 central Texas was locked in a deep­ freeze-your live oak could be in big trouble. Back then, half the live oaks-the ones purchased from growers in soutl1ern Louisiana­ popped their bark and died. Those that came tl1rough pretty much unscathed were the in­ digenous ones from local grow­ ers. These were genetically adapted to tolerate tl1e kind of extreme winters that periodical­ ly hit that part of the state. Botanists have long differentiat­ ed the inland live oaks as Q Vilr- giniana var. fusiformis or as Q fusiformis-the name seems to get officially changed back and forth every few years-but the two trees form hybrids and nurs­ ery owners tend to lump them together as though it doesn't matter. Clearly, it does matter. An interesting and widely known example of the impor­ tance ofprovenance on plant se­ lection is our common native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) . Flowering dogwoods propagated known as canyon snowberry-up to Alas­ Opposite: The flowerbuds of southern from cuttings or seeds of trees that origi­ ka, then across to Quebec and on down to selections of our native flowering nated in mild southern. climates tend to suf­ Virginia. Talk about a wide variety of dogwood are not reliably hardy in fer damage to flower buds when grown growing conditions! northern gardens. Above, left: Goatnut, much north of their original habitat. This If the snowberry you buy is fro m a mail­ or jojoba, grows in the southwestern is especially true of the pink-flowered vari­ order catalog out of, say, Oregon, or one United States and northern Mexico. ety (c. florida var. rubra), whose fl ower your local nursery bought trom a grower in Above: Butterfly weed is common buds are more sensitive to fi'ost than their Ca1ifornia, it most likely won't do well for in the eastern two-thirds of the white counterparts. you in Darien or New Canaan! United States. In the most recent edition of his Manu­ al of Woody Landscape Plants, University of Appearances are Deceptive Georgia horticulturist Mike Dirr writes that Now you might think tl1at plants of the although the flowering dogwood is known same species but very different provenances to be hardy to USDA Zone 5, "Plants would look different. That a live oak from which are sold in Zone 5 should be grown Georgia would be somehow visually set from seed collected from trees indigenous apart from one in Texas. No such luck;

N ovember/ D ecember 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 49 members of the same species sometimes west Texas, on hillsides in Wisconsin, and look pretty much the same, no matter in meadows in New York State. But if ((Before you purchase where they originated, or exhibit minor dif­ you think a big bluestem adapted to the ferences that are difficult to determine when high humidity around Baton Rouge, a native shrub or tree, you don't have examples from different Louisiana, is going to do well in the high provenances to compare. Of course aridity of eastern New Mexico, think again. don)t check just the botanists realize these plants are different, and they sometimes divide them into vari­ Wise Investment species; ask about the eties. For example, S. albusvar. albus, native With annuals, provenance isn't such a big from Quebec to Virginia, has leaves that are deal. But witl110nger-lived plants-espe­ provenance as well. )) finely hairy w1derneath, while S. albus var. cially trees-that are big enough to affect laevigatus, native to the Pacific slope, has large parts ofyour landscape, it's important leaves that are usually smooth-glabrous­ to choose a specim.en that will withstand all underneath. But it's a very rare nursery that ofthevag~iesthatyolrr will label their stock this definitively. climate might produce. You need to lmow, too, that provenance Ideally these should be affects more than winter hardiness: fi'om the same latitude, Drought and heat tolerance are also critical altitude, and distance considerations in selecting plants. Pos­ from the moderating sumhaw (Ilex decidua) is a gorge01ds orna­ influence of the ocean, mental tree native:; from Virginia and Illinois and the same distance on down to the Gulf States. Female plants from mountains that are ablaze with red berries from October might affect rainfall pat­ through March, when new leaves appear. terns. The soil should But if you live in Tulsa and your nurs­ also have tl1e Sal11e kind ery carries possumhaw that is native to the of porosity and the Carolinas, where the rainfal1 averages up Sal11e range of allzalinity to 30 inches more per year than it does in or acidity. Otherwise, a possumhaw's western range, those trees winter storm or aren't going to be happy in your yard this drought is likely to coming summer. They will be drought­ damage the plant. stressed and thus more vulnerable to in­ Bottom line: Before sects and diseases. you purchase a native Both the netleafhackberry (Celtisretic­ shrub or tree, don't ulata)-also known as palo blanco or check just the species; acibuche-and the popular evergreen shrub ask about the prove­ jojoba or goatnut (Simmondsia chinensis) n~1Ce as well. As a very are native from the Sonoran Desert ofMe x­ general rule, ifyou buy a ico to Southern California. But ify ou live in plant propagated from San Diego and your nursery purchased stock within 100 miles these two natives from a grower in Phoenix, of where you live, it Arizona, their provenance would not be the ought to do well. But coastal chaparral ofSan Diego County, but even with such a plant, the Sonoran Desert. And even though San beware ofsignificant dif­ Diego and PhoenL"X may be sit'Ililar in some ferences in any of the respects, they do not share identical grow­ characteristics listed ing conditions. The hackberry and jojoba above. And if the people at your nursery Top: Possumhaw (Jlex decidua) loaded from San Diego will be used coastal tem­ don't lmow and can't find out where the with fruits in early fall. Above: Live oak peratures and humidity and will not thrive plant was grown, you risk buying and plant­ (Quercus virginiana), an arboreal sym­ in a torrid Phoenix summer. ing something that may be beautiful and bol of the American South. Right: Big Provenance is not just a matter of lat­ even appropriate for local wildlife, but that bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardii) is itude; it is also important to be aware of may not be any more of a sure thing than a key component of the tallgrass prairie. tl1e east and west provenances. Take big an exotic plant from a dissimilar habitat. bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), more colorfully known as turkeyfoot. The Andy Wasowski and his wife, Sall)" have co­ most important grass in the tallgrass authored six books on native landscaping, prairies, it has a very wide native range, including Gardening with Native Plants from the Gulf of Mexico up into south­ of the South. He is also a commentator on ern Canada, and from Florida to New National Public Radio's environmental Mexico. It can grow in moist areas out in program, Living on Earth.

50 THE AMERICAN GARDENER NovembH/ D e cem be r 1998

I

Defining Our Terms

o question about it, native, or indigenous, plants are be­ (Lythrum salicaria), bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), coming more popular and, as a result, more available in privet (Ligustrum spp.), ]apaJ.lese honeysuckle, water hy­ Nnurseries throughout the country. That's good. The bad acinth (Eichhorn-ia crassipes), Chinese tallow (Sapium seb­ news is that too many people~including some professioJi1a!s­ i;jerum), Norway maple, and that classi€ example of a noxious are using these terms without a fUll understanding ofwhat they nOImative, kudzu, ate just a few of the litera:lly hundreds of actually mean. Once, while giving a talk: to a nativ.e plant soc~­ foreign invaders that are wreaking havoc on our natural areas ety in another state, one of the members-an enthusiastic and from coast to coast. To be fait, it is important to point out otherwise knowledgeable gardener==-describHtd a certain plant that rnese botanical invaders aret:lot a1l coming our way. LaR­ that was native to that state and left the impression that it wuld tana or cMico bUSH (Lantana camara) became very popular be used throughout the state. 'That plant was indeed narive, in Aust);alia, several years ago. Now it is overnmning that con­ but only to a specific region witliin that state and would havll: timent and is a major pest! been a poor choice almost everywhere dse. Misllse of these worQs (;an have far"reachirtg consequences. The term "native" is oftetl used loosely to mern atiJ.y plant A few years back I saw a television commeKial for a popular that grows in the wild in a parrrimlar country or continent. Bur, home improvement chain that invited people to wme in to see obviously plants don't recognize g(wpolitkal \;')otU).daries; tROSt its stock of "indigenous plants." I was pleasmtly surprised, to plants are mative omy within a say fhe least. If this national finite area determined by a chain was indeed carrying in­ combination offac1;ors SQch as digenous plants, tfus was a big genetic adaptability, climaFe, step forward for the native-plant soil eype, and habitat. Some movement. So I called thFee of native ranges eRGOmpass entire the nearest locatioms to find out coumries or continents, but which indigenolls plants they others may be as small as a few carried. acres. The sales people in the gar­ One of the most basic mis­ deniNg sections I did contact takes made with regard to na­ didn't have a clue what I was talk­ tives is to refer to them as ing about. For one t:hi.rig, they being native to specifi€ states. didn't know What indigeno1!ls In 1988 my wife, Sally, and I meant. I explaineGi that I was wwre a book caUed Native talking about plants that were na­ Texa'S Plants: Landscaping tive 1"0 that area. "Oh, yes," one Region by Region. In itwe de­ of them responded cheerily, "we soibed the 10 disrinct vegeta­ !antana camara, above, is an example of an AmericaA carry natives. We have crape myr­ noma! zones withi.:n mat state, native tlilat t.las become an iAvasive menace in Australia. tles!" Well, yes, mipe myrtles are and the specifIc piants that natives-to China! were indigenous £0 each of those zomes. Yet we still hear from I finally called the adverrising department of me chain's na­ people Who think that a planll indigenous to West 'Texas, for tional headquarters in Aclant:a and spoke to a nice yotmg lady example, Ca1il be lased. along me Gulf Coast. After all, it is a who informed me that what they'd meant by indigenous was, Texas native! We fiave to remember that a state is a political "plants that are grown locally." In other words, if they were and artif.icial entity and can en(;ompass many diffentl'lt vege­ growiRg tuJ!ips and marigolds at or near the store, they GOn­ tallionai zones. Our native plants were there long before sta,te siGlered these plants indigenous. lines; they grow where wndicions suit their Reeds. I explained what the word really meant~he seemed grate­ The trut'h is, alJl plmts--:-with tihe exception of (;ertain (;irl­ £til for clle informacion-and I haven't seen the commercial avars-are naa,ve some:where. Th.e question is, native to where? since. So perhaps I struck a small biow for trut'h in advertis­ Plants that are native to Australia or South Afriea or Asia also ing-and botany! have very specific needs, and while some of thll:ID may do well So, what then is a good. defilljtion of a native plant? Simply in. similar condii.:tions elsewliere, others do so well tihat, tack­ a plmt iliat has evolved in a specific locale md has become, over ing the narnrai Gonffols they had back home, they run amok time, genetically adapted to those local wnditions. The true in their new surt'ounclli;}gs and Greate emvirOIUneu,ral p.rob­ native has never been genetically tampered wim by us! lems. Crown Vetch (Coronilta varia), purple loosestrife -A.W.

INDIGENOUS-a plant that has ENDEMIC-a plant that is restricted NATURALIZED-a plant that has originated and is found growing in the wild to a finite, and usually established itself in an area distant naturally in a particular region or rather narrow, region or habitat. from its native habitat. Our common habitat. The term "indigenous" is For example, Georgia plume (Elliottia orange daylily (Hemerocallis fu/va), a often used synonymously with racemosa) is endemic to 50 sites native of China, has naturalized in "native." within Georgia. much of Eastern North America.

52 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Novembe1' / D ecember 1998 guidance. Plant hardiness is always clearly noted and Riffle is careful to point out tllose vigorous perennials such as Thalia dealbata and Stenochlaena tenuifolia tllat-altllough subject to die-back by sud­ iCAUfORNIA den cold temperatures-can generally be expected to put out fresh growth from roots or stems. Gardeners in temperate regions will be Gardening with encouraged to learn aboLLt plants tllat im ­ part tlle tropical look, yet have some degree a Wild Heart of hardiness, slIch as the needle palm Restoring California's (Rhapidoph:ylum hystl'ix), which will grow Native Landscapes at Home in USDA Zone 6b Witll some minor pro­ Judith Lamer Lowry tection. Riffle offers extensive advice on "An insightful, inspirational, and providing necessary protection for these timely account of the need to tender plants. There is also a wealtll of in­ understand and fo ster our ecological formation on growing tropicals as house­ heritage through the lens of one's plants or in greenhouses. own garden." -Bart O'Brien, Readers can COLU1t upon tlle A-to-Z list­ Director of Horticulture, ea.. tropicals ings for pertinent information on soil pref­ Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, erences, light and moisture requirements, $3500 cloth, $17.95 paper, e&- North American trees and propagation metllods. More tl1an 400 color &: b/w illustrations captivating photographs show details of e&- California wildflowers fruit, leaves, and flo wers, along with a tremendous variety of established woody, Plant life in the e&-gardening ideas succulent, and herbaceous plant forms. StLUming images highlight eccentric bark Worlds Mediterranean THE TROPICAL LOOK: AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DRAMATIC Climates LANDSCAPE PLANTS. California, Chile, South Robert Lee Riffle. Timber Pnss, Portland, Africa, Australia , and the Oregon, 1998. 524 pages. 8 1/2 X 11 ". Pub­ Mediterranean Basin lisher)sprice: hardcover, $49.95. AHS mem­ Peter R. Dallman ber price: $45. TIM 147 Preface by Robert Ornduff Dallman provides a wonderful n this timely, comprehensive, and beau­ overview of the landscapes, tifully produced encyclopedia, Riffle ad­ vegetation types, and plants of the Idresses the resurgence of interest in five regions of the world that have a plants that convey a lush, exotic look to the Mediterranean climate. This book garden. The author, who formerly man­ will serve as an excellent reference aged a nursery specializing in tropical for everyone interested in growing plants, describes nearly 2,000 tropical­ drought-resistant plants and as a looking plants and offers suggestions on naturalist's guide to these beautiful ways to integrate them in the garden. The and unusual bioregions. book's encyclopedic listings include plants Publi shed in collaboration with th e California Nativ e Plant Society ranging from truly tropical, heat-loving $50.00 cloth, $29.95 paper, species, to subtropical and even temperate color &: b/w plants that can be grown by gardeners not illustrations blessed with a tropical climate. Riffle defines the central theme of the textures, structural branch patterns, and tropical look as "flamboyant form and con­ wonderfully bizarre habits associated vvith trast," which includes "plants with rela­ many ofmese rare and LU1L1SUal species. At bookstores or order tively large or boldly shaped foliage and Gardeners and horticultural profession­ 1-800-822-6657 flowers, and all plants with colored or var­ als alike will find much to be excited about iegated leaves and large and spectacular in this expansive and significant resource. University flowers or flower clusters." Riffle's effort will contribute immensely to of California Gardeners who want to introduce such tlle development of many fantastic indoor exotic elements into a landscape plan will and outdoor displays around me counu-y. appreciate Riffle's thorough approach. -Alice Joyce Each entry in the section titled "Tropical Recently transplanted from the Windy City, Art is from Plant Life in the Worlds Mediterranean Looking Plants A tl1l'ough Z" delivers de­ Alice Joyce n01V writes and gardens in San Cli mates tailed growing information and helpful Rafael, California.

November/December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDE NER 53 TREES OF THE CENTRAL sylvatica are especially spectacular. Unfor­ California's geologic and climatologic HARDWOOD FORESTS OF NORTH tunately, me color photos are clumped in an diversity make its flora especially rich. The AMERICA: AN IDENTIFICATION arbitrary section wim no relevance to near­ state is home to more d1an 6,000 native AND CULTIVATION GUIDE. by text. plants, or nearly a quarter of all taxa found Donald J. Leopold, William C. McComb, In an attempt to be comprehensive, the in North America. The state's ecological re- and Robert N. Muller. Timber Press, Port­ aumors unfortunately have perpetuated a land, Oregon, 1998. 509 pages. 6x 9". Pub­ few false assertions found in old literature, lisher's price, hardcover: $49.95. AHS such as that Osage orange (Maclura member price: $45. TIM 152 pomifera) wood is orange; in fact, it is bright yellow. It also seems inconsistent ith Trees of the Central Hard­ that the authors discuss beech bark disease wood Forests of North America, and Dutch elm disease but fail to mention W Leopold has joined forces with dogwood anthracnose, butternut blight, McComb and Muller, fellow foresters with and some other serious diseases of our na­ impeccable credentials, to create a guide tive hardwoods. that will appeal to both the serious U"ee ex­ The nomenclature-a frustrating aspect pert and nonexpert alike. for any author-is not always current and The book's introduction, a region-by­ occasionally uses newly accepted names region ecological summary of the central wimout oross-referencing synonyms still in hardwood forest, might be worth the price more common usage. Th.e uicky distinction of the entire volume. It's too bad d1at so between trademarked names and cultivar names is not attempted, and one or two gen­ erally accepted species are treated as varieties or vice versa. But suoh is not the principal focus of this work, and these glitches no doubt will be corrected in the next printing. afthe While the authors have included some common naturalized species such as Pyrus CENTRAL communis and Albizia julibrissin-and HARDWOOD skipped a few relatively obscure native FORESTS ones-they nonetheless note that "the use gions run the gamut from coastal plain to af of native trees .. .would be one step toward. mountain, and from desert to temperate NORTH AMERICA maintaining complexity in me structure and rain forest. The localized plant communi­ function of Central Hardwood Forests." ties profiled in the book are described as ,4" Jd,nti{it!dtwlI alUl Cll iti/l((~io/l GIIMe That's what this book really is about, and I botanical "hot spots" where environmen­ like me ecological approach d1ey have taken. tal conditions favor a specific ensemble of -Guy Sternberg rare or endemic plants. The essays are writ­ Guy Sternbe'l'lJ is pnsident of the Interna­ ten by botanists and ecologists who are in­ tional Oak Society. He and his wife, Edie, timately fanllliar with these unique habitats. own Starhill Forest Arboretum near Peters­ The book contarns a wealm of inform a­ bu'l'lJ, IUinois. tion on conservation of native species and threats to various plant communities. Nu­ merous sidebars cover related topics of in­ CALIFORNIA'S WILD GARDENS: terest, such as the role offire in rejuvenating many readers skip introductions; in this A LIVING LEGACY. plant communities and bees whose special­ case, they will miss something special. Phyllis Faber, editor. California Native ty is pollinating plants found in vernal pools. The book is very user-fuendly, with good Plant Society, Sacramento, California, 1997. This is an inspiring book that celebrates range maps and an alphabetical arrange­ 236 pages. 9x11 5/8". Publisher'sprice, soft­ the diversity of our native flora and the nat­ ment to help readers find species quickly. cover: $29.95. To order, call California Na­ ural landscapes that support it. Each species is covered in a standard tive Plant Society (916) 444-2677. -AHS Staff order-from habit to bark to twigs, and so forth--enabling the reader to make quick f you en1°Y seeing plants in their natur­ JEFF COX'S 100 GREATEST GARDEN comparisons between species. Of course, al setting, and traveling to California is IDEAS: TIPS, TECHNIQUES, AND botanical descriptions and dichotomous Iin your plans, you may want to pick up PROJECTS FOR A BOUNTIFUL GAR­ keys are included and seem to be done well. this book and some good maps. This stun­ DEN AND A BEAUTIFUL BACKYARD. Nearly every species is represented by ningly photographed book features essays Jeff Cox. Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pennsyl­ 1 1 monochromatic photos that show the tree on more than 100 specialized plant com­ vania, 1998. 256 pages. 7 /2 x 9 /8 ". Publish­ as it appears out in the woods, at eye level, munities found within 10 larger ecologi­ er's price, softcover: $15.95. AHS member and in various sizes. These photos are strict­ cal regions of the state. Images include price: $14.25. ROD 020 ly documentary, but Leopold also includes both close ups of individual plants and some of his inspirational color shots as well. spectacular vistas that reveal the dynamic his latest book by the host of The photos of the exfoliating bark of Betu­ juxtaposition of plants within the different HGTV's "Grow It!" and contribut­ la alleghaniensis and me fall colors of Nyssa communities. Ting editor to Organic Gardening

54 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Nov e mb er/December 1998 magazine represents 30 years of coast-to­ coast gardening expelience. As the title in­ dicates, Cox provides 100 tips that he promises will "make gardening easier and harvests better and more abundant." While the serious gardener may find some of the tips a bit simplistic, the novice gardener will pick up some great ideas. The ideas are categorized by season, so it is easy to find a project for any time of year. Each entry is accompanied by clearly labeled il­ lustrations for further ease of use. Cox covers a wide range of topics, from vegetable and ornamental gardening to hardscape construction. One ofhis more in­ teresting tips involves making "bug juice" as a natural method of fighting pests. Fol­ lowing tl1e assumption that some pests in any given population will be diseased, Cox provides a recipe that involves throwing half The Fiskars PowerGear™Pruner sets a new standard for performance and comfort a cup of a troublesome pest into a blender with its unique internal gear mechanism and sleek Scandinavian design. with some water to make a wonderful con­ The geared rotating handle evenly distributes the outting force aoross coction that you can spray onto your plants the entire hand to reduce cutting effort and strain. to spread diseases specific to that particular For more information on the entire PowerGear™ line, call 1.800.500.4849 or visit www.fiskars.com FISKARS®

1996 Hypoid gear Industrial Design dramatically reduces Award Winn er Since 1649. cutting ejJon . •

pest. Another, less gruesome, tip involves soaking willow cuttings in water to create a solution of the natural rooting hormone contained in its branches. These tips are rep­ resentative of Cox's organic approach to growing healthy plants. A list of sources for the plants and prod­ ucts mentioned in the book is included, as Buy recycled. It would mean the world to them. well as recommended readings for those who want to learn more about compost­ Thanks to you, all sorts of everyday products are being made from materials ing, insect and disease identification, and you've recycled. But to keep recycling working, you need to buy those products. other topics. For a free brochure, write Buy Recycled, Environmental Defense Fund, 257 If you haven't been gardening long Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010, or call1-800-CALL-EDF. enough to have learned all these tricks of ENVIRONMENTAL the trade on YOlif own, this book makes the nn. A Public Service of B>F ~ ThIa Pubilcatlon DEFENSE ~ perfect "cheat sheet." &EPA FUND - AH S Staff

November/ December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 55 MARIA RODALE'S ORGANIC resources to help get you started om your GARDENING: YOUR SEASONAL own little shop of horrors. Beautiful and­ gardeners' COMPANION TO CREATING A occasionally-delightfully morbid color BEAUTIFUL AND DEUCIOUS GARDEN. photographs grace nearly every page. Maria Rodale. Rodale Press, Emmaus, books Pennsylvania, 1998. 352 pages. Publisher's price, hardcover: $35. AHS member price: Books are chosen for the AHS Horticultur­ $31.50. ROD 022 al Book Service based on perceived reader Organic gardening is presented in a new interest, unusual subject matter, or sub­ light by one of the leading names in the stantive content. The foltowing descriptions field. Maria Rodale is Vice-Chairman of are not intended to be critical reviews, but Rodale Press and the granddaughter of are llwitten to give an overview ofthe books' J.1. Rodale, originator of the organic gar­ contents. For further information about dening movement in the United States. these or other gardening books-or to order With the help of a season-by-season gar­ books-please call (800) 777-7931 ext. 36. dening calendar, interviews with experts on such topics as composting and prun­ ing, and 600 color photographs, Rodale EDIBLES addresses the planning, planting, and maintenance of the organic garden. In ad­ dition, Rodale includes many recipes to help readers enjoy the £ruits-and vegeta­ bles-of their labor.

PLANT GUIDES THE GARDENER'S IRIS BOOK. William Shear. Taunton Press, Newtown, Connecticut, 1998. 169 pages. Publisher's price, hardcover: $25. AHS member price: $22.50. TAU 009 A practical reference for one of the most popular flowers in cultivation. Shear cov­ ers the most popular of the Iris genus­ bearded, Siberian, and Louisiana-and then moves on to other sorts grouped by their major gardening characteristics. The book focuses on identification, culture, planting tips, division, hybridization, pest control, and choosing the right iris for the right spot. More than 150 color photo­ UNCOMMON FRUITS & VEGETABLES: graphs by Roger Foley illustrate irises in A COMMONSENSE GUIDE. their natural habitats and in garden set­ Elizabeth Schneider. William Morrow, New tings. An up-to-date list of iris sources is York, 1998. 546 pages. Publisher)s price, also included. hardcover: $28. AHS member price: $25. MOR005 THE GARDENER'S GUIDE TO First published in 1986, Uncommon Fruits GROWING PENSTEMONS. & Vegetables invites you to add some vari­ David Way and Peter James. Timber Press, ety and excitement to your daily meals by Portland, Oregon, 1998. 160 pages. Pub­ describing the exotic produce that is ap­ hsher)s price, hardcover: $29.95. AHS mem­ pearing more and more in local grocery THE SAVAGE GARDEN: CULTIVAT­ ber price: $26. TIM 123 stores around the country. Among the ING CARNIVOROUS PLANTS. The first monograph of this increasingly nearly 100 fruits and vegetables Schneider Peter D)Amato. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, popular genus of North American natives, covers are uncommon ones such as morels, California, 1998. 314 pages. Publisher)s this new book describes the botany and his­ salsifY, carambolas, pummelos, and fiddle­ price, softcover: $19.95. AHS member price: tory ofpenstemons, as well as their cultiva­ head ferns, as well as more familiar ones $17.95. TSP 008 tion and propagation, handling pests and such as arugula, jicamas, plantains, and shi­ The history and origins of hundreds of car­ diseases, and selecting companion plants itake mushrooms. Information on nomen­ nivorous plants are explored in this fasci­ for them in the garden. An exhaustive sur­ clature, selection, storage, preparation, and nating book by one of the leading vey ofspecies and an encyclopedic listing of nutrition is provided in each illustrated cultivators of these plant oddities. D'Ama­ all garden forms of penstemons currently entry, as well as easy-to-follow recipes. A to includes species desoriptions, informa­ in cultivation make this book an indispens­ great book for fruit and vegetable garden­ tion on how and where to grow your own able resource. Color photographs are in­ ers and adventurous cooks. carnivorous plants, and a complete list of cluded throughout.

56 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/December 1998 GARDENING WITH CHILDREN. GARDEN ORNAMENT: FIVE FOR AND ABOUT CHILDREN Beth Richardson. Taunton Press, NeJ17t0117n, HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY Connecticut, 1998. 160 pages. Publisher's AND PRACTICE. p1rice, softcover $19.95. AHS member p1rice: George Plumptre. Photographs by Hugh $1 7. 95. TAU 008 Palmer. Thames and Hudson, New York, T his new fu ll -color book aims to get 1998. 256 pages. Publisher's p1'ice, softcover: children involved in gardening without $29.95. AHS member price: $26.95. overwhelming them with too much re­ THP005 sponsibility. It will help you create an As well as a being a beautiful coffee table adult-centered garden that includes and book, Garden Ornament is a serious study celebrates ch il dren's efforts. The book of tl1e lustoric use of ornaments in Western covers topics such as making gardening lar1dscaping. The author shows how over fi.U1 for children, theme gardens, and gar­ the last 500 years designers have used den-related projects. N inety-nine color stone, wood, and metal to enhance and photographs and 17 drawings help illus­ modifY tl1e natural features of gardens. A trate the joys of gardening with children. catalog of garden ornaments available to today's collector is included along with 506 illustrations, 150 in color. MISCELLANEOUS

THE GARDENER'S COMPUTER

AJllpuJ/r')lIt ,iY !' flglI/a! II"\'(/ ~r FR ANCES HOD GSO N BURNETT COMPANION: HUNDREDS OF EASY ~~ Iliu strationJ ry MA RY CO LLI ER .,6 WAYS TO USE YOUR COMPUTER FOR GARDENING. THE SECRET GARDEN. Bob Boufford. No Starch Press, San F1'ancis­ Adapted from the original novel by Frances co, California, 1998. 302 pages. Publisher's Hodgson Burnett. Ha1rperColtins, Scranton, p1rice, softcover: $39.95. AHS member p1'ice: Pennsylvania, 1998. 32 pages. Publisher's $36.95. NSP 001 price, han/cover: $12.95. AHS m ember Plamung gardens with design software, re­ price: $ll.50. HAR 016 searching plants using on-line resources, Young readers can now unlock the mys­ and calculating fertilizer and water re­ tery of The Secret Ga1rden with a new pic­ quirements are just a few of the many top­ ture book, adapted from the 1912 ics covered in tlus timely reference book. children's dassic. This abridged version, The book includes a CD-ROM contall1.ing illustrated with colorful paintings by Mary reference databases ofplants and chen1.icals, Collier, tells the story of an orphaned girl garden calculators and cataloging pro­ in Edwardian England who learns the grams, and garden organizers and plarmers. magic and wonder of bringing a garden to The Gardener's Compute1' Companion will life. A wonderful gift for the young child help any gardener use a computer to its full in your life. gardening potential.

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Novembe1'/December 199 8 TH E AMERICAN GARDENER 57 DEC. 6 • Discovery Day. Holiday festi­ chusetts. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, val. American Horticultural Society. Boylston, Massachusetts. (508) 869-6111 . George Washington's River Farm, Alexan­ dria, Virginia. (703) 768-5700 ext. 10. NOV. 10 . Greenhouses Tour. West­ chester Fairfield Horticultural Society. DEC. 11 & 12 . Colonial Garden Education Center, Greenwich, Williamsburg Centerpiece. One-day Connecticut. (203) 869-8786. floral workshop. Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, Maryland. (301) 949-8230. NOV. 18 & 25 • Beginning Orchid Growing. Two-session elementary work­ NORTH CENTRAL shop. Lyman Estate Greenhouse, Walt­ ham, Massachusetts. (781) 891 -4882 NOV. 3, 5, 10, 13 & 17 • Tulip Plant­ ext. 244. ing Days. Volunteer activity. Botanica: The Wichita Gardens, Wichita, Kansas. NOV. 19-JAN. 3 • Festival of Lights. (316) 264-0448. Sonnenberg Gardens, Canandaigua, New York. (716) 394-4922. NOV. 7 • Madison Herb Society Ann­ uall'lerb Fair. Olbrich Botanical Gardens, NOV. 21 & 22 . Crosby Mansion Madison, W isconsin. (608) 246-4551 . Decked for the Holidays. Nauset a look at wha~s Garden Club. Crosby Mansion, Brewster, NOV. 19 . The People Behind the Massachusetts. (508) 255-7921 . happening around Plants. Lecture by Tony Avent. Metro­ politan Community College, Fort Omaha NOV. 27-JAN. 10 . Victorian Holiday the nation Campus, Omaha, Nebraska. and Holiday Train Show. Holiday dis­ (402 ) 472-2971 . plays. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, MID-ATLANTIC New York. (718) 817-8700. NOV. 25-DEC. 27 • Holiday Flower NOV. 1-8 • Bonsai Fall Foliage Show. Show. Ridgway Center, Missouri NOV. 28 & 29 • Garden to Garland­ U.S . National Arboretum, Washington, Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri. Wreaths and Swags. Decoration work­ D.C. (202) 254-2726. (314) 577-9400. shop. Wave Hill Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. (718) 549-3200. NOV. 1-23 • Peter Rabbit and Friends NOV. 26-JAN. 3 • Holiday Show. in the Garden. Topiaries from literary Holiday decor and flora. Lincoln Park DEC. 4-JAN. 3 • Holly Days at Tower works of Beatrix Potter, gardening tips, Conservatory, Chicago, Illinois. Hill. Holiday decorations. Tower Hill and cooking demonstrations. Longwood (312) 742-7737. Botanic Garden, Boylston, Massa­ Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. chusetts. (508) 869-6111. (800) 737-5500. DEC. 5 • Science Saturday: Rain­ forest Ecology. Workshop for adults NORTHWEST NOV. 12 . Lunar Gardening. Lecture and children. Olbrich Botanical Gardens, by Michael Spencer. Brookside Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin. (608) 246-4551 . NOV. 27-29 • Holiday Open House. Wheaton, Maryland. (301) 949-8230. Garland Nursery, Corvallis, Oregon. DEC. 13 . Great Gardens of England. (541) 753-6601 . NOV. 26-JAN. 3 • Christmas at Lecture by Adam Lifton-Schwerner. Longwood Gardens. Brilliant flower Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, DEC. 4 & 5 • Holiday Decoration show in the Conservatory's crystal palace. Illinois. (773) 638-1766. Bazaar. Leach Botanical Garden, LongwQod Gardens, Kennett Square, Portland, Oregon. (503) 761-9503. Pennsylvan ia. (800) 737-5500. JAN. 8-10 . St. Louis Flower Show. Display gardens, photography exhibi­ DEC. 12 . Victorian Holiday. W. W. NOV. 27-JAN. 3 • A Brandywine tions, and silent auction. Junior League Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Tacoma, Christmas. Holiday displays and decor. of St. Louis. America's Center, St. Louis, Washington. (253) 591-5330. Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Missouri. (314) 569-3117 ext . 234. Pennsylvania. (610) 388-2700. SOUTH CENTRAL JAN. 13 & 14 . Wood Waste Utiliz­ NOV. 27-JAN. 10 . Some Enchanted ation National Conference. National NOV. 12 • 9th Annual Powhatan Season. Winter flower show. Ph ipps Arbor Day Foundation. Arbor Day Pansy Potpourri. Pansy sale and garden Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Farm/Lied Conference Center, Nebraska party. Powhatan House, Galveston, Texas. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (412) 622-6914. City, Nebraska. (402) 474-5655. (409) 763-0077.

DEC. 3-5 • Holiday Splendor. Holiday NORTHEAST NOV. 26-JAN. 1 • Garden of Lights. decorations, displays, and greens sale. Drive-through holiday tour. Muskogee The Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center, NOV. 7 & 8 • Holiday Sparkle. Flower Parks and Recreation, Muskogee, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (412) 441-4442. show. Garden Club Federation of Massa- Oklahoma. (918) 684-6302.

58 THE AME R ICAN GAR D ENER N0'l7ember/Decembe1' 1 998 The Envelope, Please ... night of "Plant Hollywood" glamour awaits the stars of its evergreen foliage. "By touting its attributes on local radio the native plant world when the spotlights shine at the and television shows last year we sold 200 cranberry plants, A Third AlU1Ual Academy Awards of Native Plants, spon­ and tlus year we'll sell 300 to 400," says Sanko. "Local nurs­ sored by the DeKalb College Botanical Garden (DCBG), in eries are noticing the demand and are starting to pick it up as a conjunction with the Georgia Perennial Plant Association. regular part of their inventory." Wirmers in cate­ Sanko hopes that the awards will spawn a similar success gories such as Best story for other little-lmown natives, including Virginia spi­ SW1 Perennial, Best raea (Spiraea virginiana), nominated for the second straight Shrub, and Best year in tl1e Best Rare Plant category. "It is a beautiful, hardy Plant of Promise little plant and we are the only ones I know of propagating will be armounced it," says Sanko. at the event, to be At tl1e conclusion of tl1e awards ceremony, which begins at held November 7:30 p.m., more than 30 uncommon native plants-including 19th at the Atlanta native azaleas and trilliums-will be given away as door prizes. History Center in For more information, contact me DeKalb College Botanical Atlanta, Georgia. Garden at (404) 244-500l. For the past five - Ma1,k C. Mollan, Communications Assistant years the DCBG American cranberry won the award for has been sponsor- best ground cover in 1996. ing events like the The nominees are ... Academy Awards to introduce promising natives and other plants not common­ BEST SUN PERENNIAL ly used by the Atlanta gardening commw1ity. "We are in a po­ 1. Sweet grass 3. Virginia spiraea sition to experin1ent with different plants because our purpose (Muhlenbergia capillvwis) (Spiraea virginiana) is not malting a profit, so we can afford to take the chances 2. Yellow wild indigo that local nurseries carmot," explains award co-host George (Baptisia sphaerocarpa) BEST SHRUB Sanko, who is co-director of the DCBG. Award nominees and 3. Wild red hibiscus 1. Nine bark winners are chosen by DCBG staff based on qualities such as (Hibiscus coccineus) (Physocarpus opulifolius) hardiness, duration of bloom, foliage texture and color, and 2. Leatherleaf fragrance. Nominees are introduced to the audience in a slide BEST SHADE PERENNIAL (Cassandra calyculata) show presentation given by the co-hosts. 1. Harper's wild ginger 3. False indigo Sanko, who dons black tie and a tux for the armual event, (Hexastylis speciosa) (Amorpha fruticosa) says the awards are "a fun way of fulfilling our mission ofintro­ 2. Tall meadow rue ducing natives to the gardening commw1ity. We hope people ( Thalictrum pubescens) BEST PLANT OF PROMISE will like the plants they see and incorporate them into their 3. Plantain sedge 1. Horsemint own gardens." (Carex plantaginea) (Monarda russeliana) One plant that has benefited from attention generated by 2. Red yucca the first awards ceremony in 1996 is the American cranberry BEST RARE PLANT (Hesperaloe parvifiora) (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Sanko points out that, contrary to 1. Royal catchfly 3. Zenobia popular belief, this useful ground cover does well in a reason­ (Silene regia) (Zenobia pulverulenta ably moist garden setting. Additionally, it blooms in fall, is easy 2. Sedum (Sedum nevii) 'Thelma's Red') to propagate, and produces beautiful red berries in contrast to

DEC. 1 • Beaumont Botanical NOV. 14 & 15 . Bonsai Show. Pine Mountain, Georgia. (800) 282-8181 . Gardens Plant Sale. Garden Center at Riverbanks, Columbia, South Carolina. Beaumont Botanical Gardens, Beaumont, (803) 779-8717. NOV. 21-23 • Fall Plant Fair. Tropical Texas. (409) 898-3515. and subtropical plants. Marie Selby NOV. 14-17 • PGMS Conference and Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, Florida. DEC. 1-31 • Hermann-Grima Historic Green Industry EXpo. Professional (941) 366-5731 ext. 10. House and Gardens Holiday Decor. Grounds Management Society. Grand Mid-19th-century Christmas garden in Ole Opry Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. DEC. 6 . Country Christmas. Holiday the French Quarter. New Orleans, (410) 584-9754. decorations, arts, crafts, and children's Louisiana. (504) 525-5661. activities. Atlanta Botanical Garden, NOV. 20 • Holiday Topiary Workshop. Atlanta, Georgia. (404) 876-5859. SOUTHEAST The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. (706) 542-1244. JAN. 1-3 • Holiday Celebration. NOV. 13-15 . Antiques and Garden Seasonal floral displays. Marie Selby Show. Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, NOV. 20-DEC. 27 • Fantasy in Lights. Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, Florida. Birmingham, Alabama. (205) 871-0840. Christmas scenes tour. Callaway Gardens, (941) 366-5731 ext. 10.

NovembC1' / December 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 59 JAN. 11-15 . 6th Annual ProGreen Arum -atic in Atlanta Expo. Educational seminars. Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado. hether it inspired the Broadway play and subsequent movie Little Shop of (303) 756-1079. H orrors is unknown, but the fabled titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) W surely could have landed the man-eating lead role. The blooming of the WEST COAST six-foot-three-inch-tall inflorescence with the scent of rotting meat tripled atten­ dance records at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG) for the first 10 days in July. It NOV. 28 & 29 & DEC. 4-6 • Christmas was the first titan arum to bloom in Georgia and only the seventh to flower in the Tree Sale. Kula Botanical Garden, Kula United States since the plant was intro­ Maui, Hawaii. (808) 878-1715. duced from Indonesia as a natural cu­ riosity in 1937. "It is a wonder what NOV. 28-DEC. 5 • Christmas at nature can 00. The plant's just a fasci­ Filoli. I'iloli, Woodside, California. nating darn thing!" exclaimed ABG visi­ (650) 364-8300. tor Carl Beck as he gazed at the plant amid children holding their noses. DEC. 5 & 6 • 13th Annual Victorian A rare native of the rain forests of Christmas Celebration. Banning Sumatra, an island in western Indonesia, Residence Museum, Wilmington, the titan arum grows from a tuber that California. (310) 548-7777. typically sprouts and sheds ome massive palmlike leaf each year until it reaches a DEC. 5-13 . Annual Christmas threshold weight of between 20 and 40 Festival. Descanso Gardens, La Canada, pounds. Once the ABG specimen Flintridge, California. (818) 952-4401. reached that threshold on June 12, a flower shoot emerged £rom the tuber DEC. 5 & 19 • Ruth Bancroft Winter and grew at a rate of about four inches a Garden Tour. The Ruth Bancroft Garden, day until it reached its fi.illy erect flower­ Walnut Creek, California. (510) 210-9663. ing position on Independence Day. The flower- which lasts only a few days­ DEC. 6 • Holidays in the Garden. The collapsed on July 8. Arboretum of Los Angeles, Arcadia, Although it is often described as the California. (626) 447-8207. largest flower in the world, A . titanum Titan arum in bloom at the Atlanta actually produces an inflorescence, or DEC. 9 • Distinctive Holiday Designs. Botanical Garden in July. Its more com­ compound flower. The blossom emits a Floral demonstrations by Ron Morgan. mon relatives include caladium, jack­ pungent odor similar to that of decaying Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, in-the-pulpit, and philodendron. flesh to attract the carrion-eating insects Walnut Creek, California. (925) 943-7469. that pollinate it in its native habitat. ABG staff attempted to artificially pollinate the arum using pollen obtained from a titan CANADA arum that bloomed in Jlme at Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami. According to Ron Gagliardo, curator of tropicals at ABG's Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, "If NOV. 5-14 • The Winter Garden the pollination is successful, it will be the first time in history a cultivated A mor­ Show at the Royal. The Coliseum/ phophallus titanum will have produced seed." In addition, pollen collected from the National Trade Center, Toronto, Ontario. ABG plant was put in cold storage in readiness to be shipped around the world for the (416) 393-6400. next inflorescence that blooms. More of these otherworldly blooms are expected at ABG in late spring or early NOV. 7-29 • 21st Annual Exhibition summer 1999 as other A. titanum tubers reach the threshold weight that begins the of Garden and Nature Photographs flowering cycle. For additional information, visit the ABG web site at www.atlanta and Illustrations. Memorial University botanicalgarden.org, or call the Atlanta Botanical Garden at (404) 876-5859. Botanical Garden, St. John's, - M.c. M. Newfoundland. (70§) 737-8590.

DEC. 11-JAN. 1 • Festival of Lights. JAN. 9 • Camellia Show. Tampa Bay paths lined with luminaria. Tucson VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, Area Camellia Society. Tampa Women's Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona. British Columbia. (604) 822-3928. Club, Tampa, Florida. (941) 688-0916. (520) 326-9686.

SOUTHWEST DEC. 5 • Holiday Plant Sale. Unusual Reminder plants, herbs, and gift items. The Arbore­ DEC. 4 & 5 • 11th Annual Holiday tum at Flagstaff, Flagstaff, Arizona. To list an event, please send informa­ Fair. Albuquerque Garden Center, Los (520) 774-1442. tion at least four months in advance Altos Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico. to Regional Happenings, The Amer­ (505) 296-6020. DEC. 5-JAN. 3 • Blossoms of Light. ican Gardener, 7931 East Boulevard Illuminated displays. Denver Botanic Gar­ Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308. DEC. 4-6 • Luminaria Lights. Garden dens, Denver, Colorado. (303) 331-4000.

60 T H E A MER I CAN GAR D ENER No vem b er/D ecemb er 1 998 (Continued from page 14) weather forecast. The al manac's cmrent au­ thors still base their predictions on a secret this way, phenology serves the same pur­ weather forecasting formula that Thomas A pose as integrated pest management: By developed by analyzing natural cycles, en­ Plant anticipating the arrival of pests, gardeners hanced now by modern calculations ofso lar Historic Tree. can conu-ol infestations before they get out activity. This ori ginal formula-which the Trees Bring History Alive! of hand, thus reducing or eliminating the almanac's publishers claim has maintained need to use pesticides. an accuracy rate of abo ut 80 percent for Scientists have been particularly inter­ more than 200 years-is safely tucked away ested in phenology in recent years because in a black tin box at the al manac offi ces in of the threat of global warming. U nder­ D ublin, New Hampshire. standing how and when plants and animals The almanac di vides the country in to respond to seasonal changes may provide 16 regions in o rder to provide a detail ed clues to their response to major climatic fo recast fo r each area, but it also gives a changes such as global warming. general nati onwide weather forecast . So In addition to folklore, other means of what sho uld we expect for 1999? The al­ predicting weather have had popular appeal manac forecasts colder-than-normal win ­ over the centuries. Planting according to ter temperatures for much of th e nati on as well as above-no rmal snowfall in the Northeast and North west. Spring is also ALL NEW! Facts, Features, and Fun for 1999 expected to be cooler than usual, except Yesterday... ln 1785 , George in the Pacifi c Northwest. T he summer Washington planted a tulip poplar at months, according to the almanac, should be closer to normal for most of the coun­ Moun t Ve rnon. Our first president try, altho ugh it warns of above-normal kep t meticulous journals about his hurricane acti vity, particularl y in the firs t estate and planted many trees. half of September. Fin al ly, fal l is expected Today... The George Washington to bring warmer condjti ons to the central Thlip Pop lar is now over 200 years U nited States but near normal tempera­ tures elsewhere. old and towers ove r the graceful Although we now have advanced tech­ estate on the Potomac Rive r. nical methods of fin ding out the weather, The seeds from the original George almanacs, fo lklore, lunar cycles, and phe­ Washin gto n Th lip Poplar have been nology are such an integral part of om hor­ hand-p icked and ticultural history that tiley will surely never lose their place in the gardener'S bag of grown in to small, weather-forecasting ui.cks. direct-offspring o trees. Each tree in < Christina M. Scott is assistant edito1' of The a complete American Gardener. planting kit is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, attesting to its histo ric event. lunar cycles has been practiced by the Chi­ beating Tomorrow.. .Yo u can own and nese since at least 200 B.C. and still has ad­ plant a historic tree and help herents worldwide. The theory behind planting by 1lll1ar cycles is that the moon af­ the heat AMER ICAN FORESTS - the oldest fects the circulation of plant fluids as much national nonp rofi t conservation as it influences the level of tides. by David]. Ellis organizati on, founded in 1875 - co ntinue our work to preserve trees ALMANACS f the global warnUng doomsayers are to and fo rests, far into the twenty-first In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, al­ be believed-and evidence is mounting centu ry. manacs of weather predictions and advice Ito support their case-gardeners in for fa rmers became popular. Among the North America and elsewhere are going to most enduring of these was The Fa1'mer)s have to learn to cope with hotter summers, ~~cm People Caring For Foresls And Trees Since 1875. A lmanac- "Old" wasn't officially added bitter winters, and drought. Even that bas­ Hundreds of historic trees to choose from . until 1848-first published by Robert B. tion of gardenmg traditions, England, was Call 1-SOO-320-S733 for your complimentary Thomas in 1792. Today, the almanac con­ lut with unseasonably warm weather and Famous & Historic Trees booklet or write to: tains info rmation on such things as food drought dUs year, and plants usually con­ ful lERI CAN FORESTS Famous & Historic Trees, 8701 Old Kin gs Road,Jacksonville, Fl orid a 322 19, and fashion trends, hot collectibles, and just sidered reliable there perished from the wlvw.amfor.org.ifl1t, [email protected] good old-fashioned trivia, but its biggest heat. In our own gardens, we've seen nor­ selling point is still its legendary annual mally tough annuals wither away and

Novembel' / D ecember 1 998 T H E AME R ICAN GAR D ENER 61 RESEARCH Aromi, have successfully taken on me chal­ Plant breeders lenge of producing heat-tolerant azaleas for have historically the Deep South. spent more time Even if you can't find heat-tolerant se­ trying to develop lections of d1e particular plant you want to plants with in­ grow, choosing plants appropriate to your creased cold hardi­ climate will be easier this corning spring, as ness than they more nurseries will be including heat· zone have working on codes on their plant labels. heat tolerance, al­ though continued CHOOSING PLANTS WISELY evidence for glob­ Re-evaluate the plant choices in your gar­ al warming is like­ den. Think back to last summer. Which ly to affect that plants suffered through the hot weather or dynamic. But required inordinate amounts ofwatering to Cathey points out survive? Look for more heat-tolerant plants A dogwood on the grounds of AHS headquarters at River Farm that gardeners to replace them with this spling. Plants na­ shows dramatic evidence of heat stress. need to be alert to tive to yom region or exotric plants from the availability of areas with sinlllar climates to yours are the drooping leaves on both native and exotic some heat-tolerant plants. These range best bets. Also look for new cultivars or se­ woody plants. from lilacs-known as the Descanso hy­ lections bred specifically for heat tolerance. According to the National Oceanic brids-with reduced chilling requirements and Atmospheric Adminstration, this past and heat tolerance, "0 lettuces bred to not DEVELOPING SOUND August was the eighth consecutive month set seed as quickly in hot weather, and heat­ CULTURAL PRACTICES to set a record for average high world­ tolerant tomatoes such as 'Sunmaster' that "Our watering and fertilizing practices wide temperature. Six of the 10 hottest will set fi·uit even at temperatures over 90 need to be improved. We have been cod­ years on record have come in this decade degrees. Several plant breeders, including dling our plants too much," says Cathey. and it appears likely 1998 will surpass Alabamans Tom Dodd Jr. and Eugelle Once established, plants shouldn't have 1995 as the warmest year since weather to be coddled. Encourage the development records have been kept. With most fore­ of deep and extensive root systems by wa­ casters predicting a continuatiolil of this Selected Piant:~ tering new plants deeply two or three times trend, gardeners need to be prepared to a week at first, then slowly reducing fre­ talce steps to minimize damage and loss of The following plants are proven quency as they start putting out new plants. performers in heat. growth. After one full growing season, most woody plants and herbaceous peren­ TAKING THE HEAT WOODY PLANiFS nials shouldn't require supplemental wa­ As he traveled the country this year lectur­ Chaste tree (Vitex agmfs-castus) tering except during an extended drought. ing about the AHS Plant Heat-Zone map, cllitivar 'Silver Spite' Mulch with shredded leaves or bark to keep AHS's President Emeritus H . Marc Cathey Crape myrde (Lagerstroemia indica) down weeds and reduce moisture loss. had a perfect opportunity to see which ~ultivars 'Amma' (white), 'Pecos' Don't addict your plants to excessive plants were trhriving in this summer's heat (pink), and 'Zhlll:i' (laveflder) rates of chemical fertilizers. Encourage and which ones weren't. "The annuals were Rose ofShar(Cm (Hibiscus syriacus) plants to spread their feeder roots deep and having a tenible time," he says . "Many of Gtrltivars 'Blue Bird' and 'Helene' wide into the soil in search of nutrients and them were infested with spider mites, which beneficial associations with mycorrhizal thrive under hot, dry conditions." PERENNIALS fungi. Feed them a couple of times druing Annuals and newly planted perennials Rhltterfly weed (Asclepias'tuberosa) the growing season wid1 a balanced com­ often suffer from heat, because they don't and oilier milkweeds bination of nutrients in organic fertilizers have well-established root sy:stems, but Condlowers (Rudbeckia spp. 9 such as blood meal, seaweed, md compost. Cathey says what was particularly remark­ Leadwort' Avoid plant-stressing activities during able about this summer was "plants that (Ce1:a'tostigma plumbaginoides) the hottest months of the year. Do your have been in the ground for more than 20 pruning, transplanting, dividing, and other years were dying." Among native plants ANNUALS such tasks in spring or fall to prevent addi­ that were particularly hard hit were dog­ Blanket flQwer (Gf!1illa'l'dia spp. ) tional stresses on your plants. woods and redbuds, which in gardens are Flowerimg 1l0baGco (Nicotiana spp.) This winter and spring, keep your eyes often planted in full sun rather than in d1e Globe amaraJrlm. (Gomph'l'ena spp.) out for plants labeled with d1e new AHS full or part shade that characterizes their L;intana {Lantana spp. j Plant Heat-Zone codes and select plants native habitat. Madagascar periwifikle appropriate for both your hardiness and On the other hand, Cathey observed (Cathwranthus r:oseus) heat zones. that many tropical, subtropical, and Medi­ OsttWspermlID'l (Oste05permum spp.) zw terranean plants seemed to thrive this past Pentas (Pentas lanceotC/lta) Dwvid J. Etlis is editor of The American ;i, J: summer. "In Shreveport, Louisiana, Portiiilaca (Portulaca spp.) Gardener. 0. «o bougainvillea, crape myrdes, and crotons Spider flower (Cleome hassleriana) (To order a copy of the AHS Heat-Zone z o were doing very well," he notes. Map, see page 64.) I-

62 THE AMERICAN GARDENER Nove m b e r / Decembe r 1998 peonies available. Catalog $3. All plants 3 years old and older. SMlRNOW'S SON'S PEONIES, Dept. AG, 168 Maple Hill Road, Huntington, NY Rare Tm5, 9mandPermnials". 11743. Phone: 516-421-0936.

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November/December 1998 TH E AMERICAN GARDENER 63 Purshia stansburiana 6-9, 9-5 Dalbergia ecastaphyllum 9-11,12-9 Pyrus communis 5-9, 9-2 hardiness and Euphorbia millii 9-11, 12-1 Ficusaltissima 10-11,12-10 F. benghalensis 9-11,12-7 Quercusfusiformis 7-10, 10-8 heat zones F. microcarpa 10-11,12-7 Q virginiana 8-10,12-8 F. religiosa 10-11,12-7 Rhapidophyllum hystrix 5-10,10-4 a guide to USDA and Franklinia alatamaha 6-9, 9-3 Sanguinaria canadensis 3-9, 9-1 Gloxinia sylvatica 11, 12-10 Sapium sebiferum 8-10,10-8 AHS zones for plants Hesperaloe parviflora 7-11,12-6 Schlumbergera bridgesii 10-11, 12-1 Heteromeles arbutifolia 8-10,11-7 Sedum nevii 7-10, 10-8 found in this issue Heuchera sanguinea 3-8,8-2 Silene regia 5-8, 8-5 Hexastylis shuttleworthii 6-9, 9-1 Simmondsia chinensis 10-11, 12-10 H. speciosa 6-9, 9-1 Smilacina racemosa 3-8, 8-2 For your convenience, the cultivated plants fea­ Hibiscus coccineus 6-11, 12-6 Spartina bakeri 4-7,7-1 tured in each edition of the magazine are listed H. syriacus 'Blue Bird' 5-9, 9-1 S. patens 4-7,7-1 here with their USDA Plant Hardiness Zones H. syriacus 'Helene' 5-9, 9-1 Spiraea virginiana 6-8,9-6 and AHS H eat Zones. If 0 is listed in place of Ilex decidua 5-9, 9-1 Stenochlaena tenuifolia 10-11,12-10 USDA hardtiness zones, it means that plant is a Ipomopsis aggregata 6-9, 9-3 Symphoricarpos albus 4-7, 7-1 true annual-it completes its life cycle and dies 1. longiflora 6-9, 9-3 Synadenium grantii 'Rubrum' in a year or less. Tropical plants that requil'e 1. rubra 6-9, 9-3 10-11,12-10 minimum temperatures warmer than 40 de­ 1. spicata 7-9, 9-3 gl'ees Fahrenheit- the minimum average tem­ perature in USDA Zone ii-will be listed by Thalia dealbata 7-11,12- 7 minimum average tempn'atun rather than by funcus roemerianus 6-9, 10-1 Thalictrum pubescens 5-8,8-5 zone numbers. Lagerstroemia indica {Acoma' Tillandsia fasciculata 10-11, 12-3 7-9,9-7 T. recurvata 9-11,12-3 L. indica 'Pecos' 7-9,9-7 Trachelospermum jasminoides Acer palmatum var. dissectum L. indica 'Zuni' 7-9,9-7 8-10, 10-9 USDA 6-8, AHS 8-2 Lantana camara 9-10,12-1 Umbilicus rupestris 8-11, 12-9 Acrostichum danaeifolium Lotus corniculatus 5-8,8-3 Vaccinium macrocarpon 2-7,7-1 10-11,12-10 Maclura pomifera 5-9, 9-4 Vitex agnus-castus 'Silver Spire' Albizia julibrissin 6-9, 9-6 Monarda russeliana 4-9,9-2 6-9, 9-6 Alchemilla mollis 4-/, 7-1 Muhlenbergia capillaris 8-11, 12-5 Zenobia pulverulenta 5-9, 9-3 Amorpha fruticosa 3-8, 8-1 Nandina domestica 'Harbour Dwarf' Andropogongerardii 2-7, 12-9 6-9, 10-3 The codes above are based on a number of com­ Annona glabra 10-11, 12-10 Nyssa sylvatica 5-9, 9-5 monly available references and are likely to be con­ Asarum canadense 3-8, 12-10 Passiflora 'Jeanette' 11,12-7 serpative. Factors such as microclimates, plant Asclepias tuberosa 4-9, 10-2 Pentas lanceolata 10-11,12-1 provenance, and use of mulch may affect indi­ Bambusa oldhamii 8-11,12-8 Physocarpus opulifolius 2-7, 8-1 vidual gardeners' experiences. To purchase a Baptisia sphaerocarpa 5-9, 9-3 Polygonatum biflorum 3-9, 9-1 durable two-by-three-Joot poster of the AHS Begonia cubensis 11,12-10 Psychotria nervosa 10-11, 12-10 H eat-Zone Map, call (800) 777-7931 ext. 45. Betula alleghaniensis 4-7,7-1 Bursera simaruba 11, 12-9 Carex plantaginea 5-9, 12-1 Cassandra calyculata 3-9, 9-1 Catharanthus roseus 11 , 12-1 Celtis reticulata 3-9, 9-1 Ceratostigma plumbaginoides 6-9,9-1 Chrysobalanus icaco 10-11, 12-10 Cimicifuga racemosa 3-8,12-1 Cleo me hassleriana 0,12-1 Clethra alnifolia 4-9, 10-1 Conophytum bilobum 10-11, 11-9 C. burgeri 11 , 11-9 C.flavum 11,11-9 C. maughanii 11 , 11-9 C. obcordellum 11, 11-9 C. pellucidum 11, 11-9 C. wettsteinii 11, 11-9 Cornus florida 5-8, 8-3 C.floridavar. rubra 5-8, 8-3

64 THE AMERICAN GARDENER November/December 1998 Oxford Book ofFood Plants, Mar/Apr., 61. July/Aug., 22. Review: Trilliums, Jan./Feb., 54. "Roslyn Prendergast, Norma, Review: Breaking Nursery: Rhododendron Rhapsody," Ground: Portraits ofTen Garden Designe1'S, May/June, 18. "Russell Gral1anl: North­ Mar·./Apr. , 59. western Natives," July/Aug. , 16. "Soil's Price, Susan Davis, "The Melting Plot, Part Hidden Heroes," July/Aug., 9. 1," Mar/Apr. , 41. "The Melting Plot, Feeney, Stephanie, Review: Men'y Hall, Par"t2," May/JlU1e, 45. May/ June, 58. Rappaport, Bret and Andy Wasowski, AUTHOR Ferber, Deborah, "Natural Born Killers," "The Truth About Weed Laws," Aker, Scott, "IPM: An Inside Look," Mar/Apr., 12. May/ Jw1e, 48. Jan./Feb., 7. Fernandez, Donna S., "Heavenly Helico­ Riccio, Peggy, "The Mother of Balboa Park," Alcock, John, "Taking the Sting Out of nias," Jan./Feb., 38. Jan./Feb., 46. Wasps," Nov/Dec., 20. Fisher, Kathleen, "Class Act: Darrel Morri­ Santschi, Heidi, "MyWindfaJI Gar"den," Bagwill, Alice, Review: Cuttings from My son," Jan./Feb., 22. "Highway Sept/Oct., 20. Personal Garden Notebooks, Jan./Feb., 52. Sideshows," May/June, 10. "The Little Schwartz, Terry, "Mock Oranges," Bentz, Ester, "In the Pink," Mar./ Apr., 20. Giant: Frances Tenenbaum," Nov./ Dec., May/ June, 41. Bir, Richard E., "Out of the Woods," 41. Review: A Child)s Garden: Enchanting Scott, Christina M., "Autumn Pleasures," Mar/Apr. , 53. Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents, Sept/Oct., 10. "Folk Predictions," Bird, Ruth, "Cottage Gardening: Bronx July/Aug., 54. Nov/Dec., 14. "Growing Gifts," Style," July/Aug., 14. Foster, Steven, "Herbs For Headaches," Nov/Dec., 16. "Oikos Tree Crops: Edi­ Blum, Murray S., "Better Living Through May/June, 24. ble Landscaping," Sept./Oct., 18. Review: Plant Chemistry," May/June, 26. Fuerhoff, Christine Kurtz, Review: Fresh Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Bouchier, Diane, "Botanical Illustration in Cuts: Arrangements with Flowers, Leaves, Sept/Oct., 54. "Saving the Arizona Today's Framework," Jan./Feb., 28. Buds, and Branches, Mar/Apr. , 60. Cliffrose," Nov/Dec., 18. Brown, Paul Martin, "Wild Orchids Across Goodwin, Nancy, "Little Bulbs," Stenger, Pam, Review: The Winter Garden: North America," May/June, 28. Sept/ Oct., 24. Planning and Planting for the Southeast, Burrell, C. Colston, "The Irresistible Hammer, Steven A., "Conophytums," Jar1./Feb., 54. Epimediums," Mar./Apr., 32. "Mad Nov/Dec., 22. Sternberg, Guy, Review: Trees of the Central About Milkweeds," July/Aug., 24. Hier, Fritz, "Wheelbarrows Unlimited," Ha1'dwood Forests of North America: An Calsin Jr., John B., "Budding Exhibitors," Nov./Dec., 15. Identification and Cultivation Guide, Mar./Apr., 28. Howe, Carol, "Saving the Past for the Nov./Dec., 54. Carlock, Marty, "Love On The Rocks," Future," July/Aug. , 18. Stewart, Amy, Review: The Inviting Garden: Jan./Feb., 33. Huck, Terri J., "Above-Average Medians," Gardening for the Senses, Mind, and Spirit, Cole, Julie Shaw, "On The Genetics of Lazy Jan./Feb., 18. July/Aug. , 55 . Gardening," Jan./Feb., 14. "Terminator Jacobsen, Pamela D., "Ahoy, Inland Gar­ Tangerini, Alice, Review: Mark Catesby's Toads," Sept/Oct., 16. deners," July/Aug. , 46. Natural H istory ofAme~·ica, Mar/Apr., Conley, Pamela, "Garden in the Redwoods," Joyce, Alice, Review: The Tropical Look: An 60. July/Aug., 31. Encyclopedia ofDram atic Landscape Thornton, Linda, "Lone Star Super Star," Cook, Mary, "L.A. Story," Mar/Apr., 30. Plants, Nov/Dec., 53. "Windy City Mar/Apr. ,47. Creech, John, "Loropetalum Gains Luster," Makeover," May/June, 20. Vanderpot, Leo, "The Yard," May/ June, 16. Sept./Oct., 39. Keyser, Joseph M., Review: The Complete Wasowski, Andy, "The Genetics ofGeogra­ Cutler, Karan Davis, "A Nose for Seeds: The Vegetable and H erb Ga1'dene1': A Guide to phy," Nov/Dec., 46. "The Truth About Fragrant Path," Jan/ Feb., 16. Review: Growing Your Garden Organicall)I, Weed Laws," May/June, 48. My Kind of Garden: Photographs & In­ July/ Aug., 54. Review: Stalking the Wild Williams, Charles E., "Eurasian Honey­ sights on Cultivating a Personal Garden, Amaranth: Gardening in The Age ofEx­ suckles: From Boon to Bane," May/June, Jan ./Feb. , 52 . tinction, May/June, 56. 37. Dardick, Karen L., "Babylon Revisited?: The Lee, Rand B., "Scintillating Centaureas," Yeager, Alice Brantley, "Indian Pipe," Getty Gardens Are Creating a Buzz in July/ Aug., 37. Sept/Oct., 22. Both Art and Gardening Circles," Malitz, Jerome and Seth, "Reflecting Na­ Zajic, Michael, Reviews : Caring For Perenni­ Sept./Oct.,44. ture: Seeking Garden Details in Wild als: W'hat To Do and W'hen To Do It and Dean, Molly, "Marie Selby's Legacy," Landscapes," Sept./Oct., 32. The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Plant­ Nov./Dec., 34. McDonald, Nancy, Review: Henry Mitchell ing and Pruning Techniques, Sept/Oct., DeHertogh, August, Review: Lilies: A Guide on Gardening, May/June, 56. 54. For Growers and Collectors, Sept./Oct., 54. Means, D. Bruce, "Vanishing Natural Her­ Dube, Richard L., "Stonescaping," itage," Jan./Feb., 20. SUBJECT Nov./ Dec., 28. Mollan, Mark c., "Arum-atic in Atlanta," Algae: "Algae: It Grows On You," Ellis, David J., "Asian Beetles Bore Trees To Nov./Dec., 60. "EI Nino and La Nina," Mar/Apr., 26. Death," July/Aug., 20. "Beating the Nov/Dec., 10. Arizona Cliffrose: "Saving the Arizona Heat," Nov/Dec., 61. "High Desert De­ Norris, Richard E., "Algae: It Grows On Cliffrose," Nov/Dec., 18 . lights: Plants of the Southwest," You," Mar./ Apr., 26. Autumn Gardening: "Autumn Pleasures," Mar./Apr., 24. Review: AllanM. Ar­ Nourse, Hugh and Carol, "Peach of a Part­ Sept/Oct., 10. mitage)s Photo-Library ofH erbaceous nership," July/Aug., 41. Awards: "Great Plants for the Great Plains," Plants, May/June, 58. Review: The New Pickard, Walter M., "Garden Features," Jan/Feb. , 58.

66 THE AMERICAN GARDENER NovembH/December 1 998 Azaleas: "Out ofthe Woods," Mar./ Apr., 53. Wetland Trees, May/June, 17. Peony, Mycorrhizal Fungi: "Soil's Hidden Heroes," Book Reviews: BI'ealzing Grotmd: Portraits Nov./Dec., 17. Rosemary,Sept./Oct., 17. July/Aug., 9. ofTen Gal'den Designers, Mar.jApr., 59. Spaghetti Squash, Nov.jDec., 17. Sweet­ Orchids: "Wild Orchids Across Norm Ameri­ Califol'nia)s Wild Gardens: A Living Lega­ fern, Mar./ Apr. , 22. Summer-Flowering ca," May/June, 28. cy, Nov.jDec., 54. Cal'ing For Pennnials: Bulbs, Jan.jFeb. , 15. Plant Gifts: "Growing Gifts," Nov.jDec., What To Do and When To Do It and The Franklinia Census: "Franklinia Census," 16. Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting Nov./Dec., 9. Profiles: Morrison, Darrel: "Class Act: Darrel and PI'uning Techniqtus, Sept./Oct., 54. Fungi: "Soil's Hidden Heroes," July/Aug., Morrison," Jan.jFeb., 22. Selby, Marie: Cuttings From My Garden Notebooks, 9. "Tilling May Harm Soil Glue," "Marie Selby'S Legacy," Nov./Dec., 34. Jan .jFeb., 52. Fresh Cuts: Ar1'angemerm Mar./ Apr., 10. Sessions, Kate: "The Momer of Balboa with Flowers, Lea1lBs, Buds, and BI'anches, Galle, Fred, "Fred Galle," Nov./Dec., 9. Park," Jan .jFeb., 46. Simpson, Benny: Mar.jApr., 60. H enry Mitchell on Garden­ Garden Design: "Class Act: DaITel Morri­ "Lone Star Super Star," Mar./ Apr., 47. ing, May/June, 56. JeffCox)s 100 Greatest son," Jan .jFeb. , 22. "Garden FeatlUes," Tenenbaum, FraIlCes : "The Little Giant," Gal'den Ideas: Tips, Techniques, and PI'O­ July/Aug., 22. "Love on tlle Rocks," Nov.jDec., 41. jects f01' a Botmtiful Gal'den and a Beauti­ Jan.jFeb. , 33 . "Reflecting NatlUe: Seek­ Provenance: "The Genetics of Geography," ji,f,l BaclzJ al'd, Lilies: A in g GaI'den Details in Wild Landscapes," Nov./Dec., 46. ' Nov./ Dec., 54. Gi,tide F01' Growers and Collectol's, Sept./Oct., 32. "Stonescaping," Roadside Plantings: "Above-Average Medi­ Sept./ Oct., 54. Manual of Woody Land­ Nov.jDec., 28. ans," Jan .jFeb., 18. "Highway scape Plants, Sept.jOct., 54. Mal'lz Cates­ Garden History: "The Melting Plot, Part 1," Sideshows," May/June, 10. by)s Natural HistOI'y ofAmerica, Mar.jApr., 41. "The Melting Plot, Part Rock Gardening: "Love on me Rocks," Mar.jApr., 60. Mel'''y Hall, May/ June, 2," May/June, 45 . Jan .jFeb. , 33. 58. My K ind of Garden: Photogl'aphs & In ­ Getty Center Gardens: "Babylon Revisited?: Roses: "Shrub Rose Evaluation," July/Aug., 8. sights on Cttltivating a Personal Garden, The Getty Gardens Al'e Creating a Buzz in Sessions, Kate: "The Momer of Balboa Jan.jFeb., 52. Stallzing the Wild Ama­ BOtll Art and Gardening Circles," Park," Jan.jFeb., 46. ranth: Gal'denirliJ in T71e Age of Extinction, Sept./Oct., 44. Selby, Marie: "Marie Selby's Legacy," May/Jwle, 56. nus of the Cel~tral H ard­ Health: "Herbs For Headaches," May/June, Nov./Dec., 34 wood F01'ests of NOI,th Amel'ica: An Identi­ 24. Shade Gardening: "Garden in tlle Red­ fication and Ct,tltivation Guide, Heat-Zone Map: "ARS Plant H eat-Zone woods," July/Aug., 31. Nov.jDec. 54. The Tropical Look: An En­ Map," July/Aug., 7. Shed Aquarium: "AquaIium LaIldscape a cyclopedia ofD ramatic Landscape Plants, Heliconias: "Heavenly H eliconias," WirLl1er," Mar./ Apr. , 66. Nov./ Dec., 53. The Wintel' Ga'rden: Plan ­ JaIl .jFeb. , 38. Simpson, Benny: "Lone Star Super Star," ning and Planting f01' the Southeast, Honeysuckles: "EmasiaIl H oneysuckles: Mar.jApr., 47. Jan.jFeb., 54. From Boon to Bane," May/June, 37. Southwestern Plants: "High Desert De­ Botanical Art: "Botanical Illustration in Indian Pipe: "Indian Pipe," Sept.jOct., 22. lights: Plants of me Southwest," Today's Franlework," Jan.jFeb. , 28. Insects: "Asian Beetles Bore Trees to Deam," Mar.jApr. , 24. "Saving tlle Arizona Bulbs: "Little Bulbs," Sept./Oct., 24. July/Aug., 20. "Asian Beetle Suikes Cliffrose," Nov.jDec., 18. Centaureas: "Scintillating Centaureas," Again," Nov./Dec., 8. "Better Living Stone: "Stonescaping," Nov.jDec., 28. July/Aug., 36 . Through PlaIlt Chemistry," May/June, Succulents: "Conophymms," Nov.jDec., 22. Coastal Plants: "Ahoy, Inland Gardeners," 26. "NatlUai Born Killers," Mar.jApr. , 12. Tenenbaum, Frances: "The Little Giant," July/ Aug., 46. "Taking tlle Sting Out of Wasps," Nov./Dec.,41. Conophytums: "Conophyntms," Nov./Dec., 20. Titan Arum: "Arum-atic in Atlanta," Nov./ Dec. , 22. Integrated Pest Management: "IPM: An Nov./ Dec. , 60. Conservation: "Gloomy Global Plant Inside Look," Jan.jFeb., 7. "NatlUai Born Toads: "Terminator Toads," Sept./Oct., 16. Sntdy," July/Aug., 7. "Lobelia Struggles Killers," Mar./Apr., 12. Trees: "Oikos Tree Crops: Edible Landscap­ Back on Kuai," Jan.jFeb., 60. "Massachu­ Kelaidis, Panayoti and Gwen: "Love on me ing," Sept.jOct., 18. setts Project Wins Award," Mar.jApr., 67. Rocks," Jan.jFeb., 33. Urban Gardening: "Above-Average Medi­ "Peach of a Parmership," July/Aug., 41. Loropetalum: "Loropetalum Gains Luster," ans," Jan.jFeb., 18. "Cottage Gardening: "Preserving Om Native Heritage," Sept.jOct., 39. Bronx Style," July/Aug., 14. "L.A. May/ June, 63. "Saving the Alizona Mail-Order Nurseries: "A Nose for Seeds: Story," Mar.jApr., 30. "My Windfall Gar­ Cliffrose," Nov./Dec., 18. "Vanishing The Fragrant Pam," Jan.jFeb., 16. den," Sept.jOct., 20. "Windy City Natural Heritage," Jan.jFeb., 20. "Oikos Tree Crops: Edible Landscaping," Makeover," May/June, 20. Epimediums: "The Irresistible Epimedi­ Sept./Oct. 18. "Roslyn Nmsery: Rhodo­ Weather: "Beating me Heat," Nov./Dec., ums," Mar.jApr., 32. dendron Rhapsody," May/June, 18. 61. "El Nino and La Nina," Nov./ Dec., Gardeners Information Service: Agaves, "Russell Grallam: Nortllwestern Natives," 10. "Folk Predictions," Nov./Dec., 14. May/June, 17. Chinese Red Bean, July/Aug., 16. Weed Laws: "The Trutll About Weed July/Aug., 19. Climbing Trees, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: "Marie Laws," May/ Jwle, 48. Sept./ Oct., 17. Composting, Nov./Dec., Selby'S Legacy," Nov./Dec., 34. Wetlands: "Vanishing Natural Heritage," 17. Dieffenbachia, July/Aug., 19. Garde­ Milkweeds: "Mad About Milkweeds," Jan.jFeb., 20. nia, Sept.jOct., 17. Ginger, July/Aug., July/Aug., 24. Youth: "Budding Exhibitors," Mar.jApr., 19. Grafting, JaIl.jFeb., 15. "Frazier," Mock Oranges: "Mock Oranges," 28. "Saving me Past For The Future," MaI'./ Apr. , 22. HaITYL 'lUder's walking May/June, 41. July/Aug., 18. "Youth Gardening GraIlts stick, Jan.jFeb., 15. Magnolia, May/ June, Morrison, Darrel: "Class Act: Darrel Morri­ Available," Sept./Aug., 8. "Youm Garden 17. Mulch, Mar./ Apr., 22. New Jersey son," Jan.jFeb., 22. Symposium," Nov./Dec., 7.

Novemher/Decemhe ·r 1998 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 67 Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Hydnophylum papuanum sur-at-o-STIG-muh plum-baj -ih­ hyd-no-FIL-um pah-pew-AN-um NOY-deez Ipomopsis aggregata Chrysobalanus icaco ip-o-MOP-sis ag-rull-GAY-nth kris-o-buh-LAN-us ih-KAY-ko Juncus roemerianus Cimici~garacemosa JUNG-kus rem-air-ee-AN-us sih -mih-SIF-yew-guh ras-eh-MO-suh Lotuscorniculatus Cleo me hassleriana LOW-nts kor-nik-yew-LAY-tus klee-O -mee has-ler-ee-AY-nuh Madura pomifera Conophytum burgeri muh-KLUR-ull pom-IF-ur-uh kon-o-FY-tum BUR-jur-eye Monarda russeliana C. maughanii moh-NAR-duh ruh-sel-ee-AN-uh C. maw-GAN-ee-eye Muhlenbergia capillaris C. obcordellum mew-len-BUR-jee-uh kap-ill­ C. ob-kor-DEL-um LAIR-iss C. wettsteinii Paeonia cambessedisii C. wet-STEIN-ee-eye pee-O -nee- ull kam-bess-uh-DIS­ Cucurbita pepo ee-eye kew-KER-bih-tuh PEH-po P. clusii a simple speaking guide to Dalbergia ecastaphyllum P. kloo-see-eye dal-BUR-jee-uh ek-kass-nth­ Physocarpus opulifolius plants found in this issue FIL-lum fie-so-l

November/December 199 8 THE AMERICAN GARDENER 65