Heather Quarterly Volume 34 Number 1 Issue #133 Winter 2011 North American Heather Society

Reflections on David Small Karla Lortz ...... 2

Long-distance collaboration with David Small David Wilson ...... 3

David Small – A Personal Appreciation David Plumridge...... 4

David Small as educator Bryan Taylor...... 6

David Small, no Pooh-Bah Judy Wiksten ...... 7

A special man Susan Ewalt ...... 9

David Small: reflections on a giant Donald A. M. Mackay...... 10

The irreplaceable David Small Ella May T. Wulff...... 12

NAHS Board meeting minutes...... 24

Calendar...... 28

North American Heather Society Membership Chair Ella May Wulff, Knolls Drive 2299 Wooded Philomath, OR 97370-5908 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED issn 1041-6838 Heather News, all rights reserved, is published quarterly by the North American Heather Society, a tax exempt organization. The purpose of The Society is the: The Information Page (1) advancement and study of the botanical genera Andromeda, Calluna, Cassiope, Daboecia, , and Phyllodoce, commonly called heather, and related genera; (2) How to get the latest heather information dissemination of information on heather; and (3) promotion of fellowship among BROWSE NAHS website – www.northamericanheathersoc.org those interested in heather. READ Heather Quarterly by NAHS CHS NEWS by CHS Heather Clippings by HERE NAHS Board of Directors (2010-2011) Heather Drift by VIHS Heather News by MCHS Heather Notes by NEHS Heather & Yon by OHS PRESIDENT ATTEND Society and Chapter meetings (See The Calendar on page 28) Karla Lortz, Shelton, 502 E Haskell Hill Rd., Shelton, WA 98584-8429, USA 360-427-5318, [email protected] How to get published in Heather Quarterly FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT CONTACT Stefani McRae-Dickey, Editor of Heather Quarterly Don Jewett, 2655 Virginia Ct., Fortuna, CA 95540, USA [email protected] 541-929-7988. 754 Wyatt Lane, 707-725-1394, [email protected] SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT Philomath,OR 97370-9022OK for ideas and last-minute news. Pat Hoffman, PO Box 305, Swedesboro, NJ 08085-0305, USA DEADLINES 21st March, June, September, and December 856-467-4711, [email protected] How to pay membership dues SECRETARY Susan Ewalt, 2850 Sykes Creek Road, Rogue River, OR 97537 MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS include an electronic subscription to the Quarterly, participation 541-582-3338, [email protected] in Society meetings and elections; borrowing privileges for book library and slide TREASURER programs; discounts from Storefront, some nurseries. John Calhoun, 31100 Country Rd, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 DUES NAHS: $15/year, $28/2 years, $40/3 years with electronic newsletter. 707-964-0804, [email protected] To receive mailed copies of the newsletter add: PAST PRESIDENT $11/year in US, $15/year in Canada, $22/year outside of US and Canada Mario Abreu, P.O. Box 673, Albion, CA 95410-0673, USA Chapter dues can be paid when paying NAHS dues, by adding: 707-937-3155, Fax 707-964-3114, [email protected] CHS $5/year; HERE(1 person), MCHS, OHS, VIHS $10/year; HERE(family), DIRECTORS NEHS $15/year Mario Abreu, P.O. Box 673, Albion, CA 95410-0673, USA REMIT TO John Calhoun, NAHS Treasurer 707-937-3155, Fax 707-964-3114, [email protected] 31100 Country Rd, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 Mendocino Coast Heather Society (MCHS) (707) 964-0804, Ramona Bloomingdale, P.O. Box 1136, Gold Beach, OR 97444-1136, USA 541-247-6017, [email protected] DETAILS Ella May Wulff, Membership Chair Oregon Heather Society (OHS) [email protected], 541-929-6272, NAHS website Don Jewett, 2655 Virginia Ct., Fortuna, CA 95540, USA 2299 Wooded Knolls Dr., Philomath, OR 97370-5908, USA 707-725-1394, [email protected] Heather Enthusiasts of the Redwood Empire (HERE) How to buy from The Storefront Karla Lortz, Shelton, 502 E Haskell Hill Rd., Shelton, WA 98584-8429, USA BROWSE NAHS Website, www.northamericanheathersoc.org CONTACT Ella May T. Wulff, Storefront Manager, (Address: see above.) 360-427-5318, [email protected] Cascade Heather Society (CHS) Joyce Prothero, 281 Cudmore Hts, Saltspring Island, BC V8K 2J7, Canada How to borrow books from the NAHS library Phone/Fax 250-537-9215, [email protected] WRITE Sharon Hardy, 50 Del Point Drive, Klamath, CA 95548-9331, USA. Vancouver Island Heather Society (VIHS) [email protected], 707-482-6755, NAHS website Mary Matwey, 7 Heights Court, Binghamton, NY 13905, USA 607-723-1418, [email protected] How to borrow slide programs Northeast Heather Society (NEHS) WRITE Janice Leinwebber (Slide Librarian for members in USA) 8268 S. Gribble Road, Canby, OR 97013, USA Board Appointments (For details, see inside back cover) [email protected], 503-263-2428, or NAHS website

Sharon Hardy - Book Librarian Elaine Scott (Slide Librarian for members in Canada) Janice Leinwebber - Slide Librarian for United States 2836 Oceanside Lane, Mill Bay, BC V0R 2P2, CAN. Stefani McRae-Dickey - Editor, Heather Quarterly [email protected], 250-743-0965, NAHS website Elaine Scott - Slide Librarian for Canada Ella May Wulff - Membership Chair, Storefront Manager How to contribute to the NAHS website COVER: Design, Joyce Descloux BROWSE NAHS Website, www.northamericanheathersoc.org IMAGE: Erica carnea ‘Bell’s Extra Special’ CONTACT Karla Lortz, Shelton, 502 E Haskell Hill Rd., Shelton, WA 98584-8429, USA 360-427-5318, [email protected] HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 are: President Karla Lortz, First Vice-President Don Jewett, Secretary President’s Forum: Karla Lortz Susan Ewalt, and Treasurer John Calhoun. It is an honor to serve the North American Heather Society. I have Second Vice-President Pat Hoffman was elected by mail/email ballot in served in various capacities in the Cascade Heather Society and late fall, 2010. (Details of election and by-laws change will be published NAHS for the past two decades. Thank you for the opportunity to in the spring quarterly.) continue to serve heather enthusiasts.

     One of my major concerns as your incoming president is the declining membership numbers of NAHS and its supporting Calendar chapters. Some of our chapters are on the brink of collapse. We need to brainstorm to figure out how to bring in more folks. We need to look to the future and consider restructuring how we March 5 OHS Pruning party and sack lunch, Cottage Grove operate. Community Hospital, Cottage Grove. Info: Ella May Wulff, (541) 929-6272, [email protected]. Many of our members are not computer savvy, and we cannot forget them. At the same time, the up and coming generation March 19 CHS is meeting at 1 PM at Heaths & Heathers’ (from which our future leaders will come) is on-line exclusively, Display Garden at 631 E Pickering Rd, Shelton, WA. and that leads me to the subject of Facebook. A web site is not Info: Alice Knight (360) 482-3258, enough any longer with the younger crowd. Facebook is where [email protected]. they hang out, and we need to be where they are.

April 9 NEHS Heather Trimming at 10 am, Fort Tryon, I am the owner of Heaths & Heathers Nursery in Shelton, WA. Manhattan, NY. Rain date on April 16. Board I made a Facebook page for the nursery last month, with a lot meeting after trimming. Bring a lunch. of landscape photos from my display garden. My 33 year-old Info: Mary Matwey (607) 723-1418, hairdresser looked at my page on Facebook after I mentioned it [email protected]. to her. Now she and her husband want to come see my display garden. They were inspired by the photos. She never once looked April 24 NEHS Heather Trimming at 10 am, The Heritage at my web site over the past three years but did go to my Facebook Museum and Gardens, 67 Grove Street, Sandwich, page immediately.

MA. Bring a lunch. Info: Mary Matwey. Facebook could be a great place for members to post in their garden shots. I would love to go to an NAHS page and see Aug. 20 OHS Full day in Gold Beach area. Meeting, garden other members’ gardens in other parts of the country, with their and nursery visits, including presentation by Susan comments. We could create an on-line heather community. Ewalt on “Growing Heather”. Info: Ramona Bloomingdale, (541) 247-6017, The future may include gathering more on-line than in person. [email protected] Fewer and fewer folks actually go to meetings but still want to belong to a society. I’ll try to help guide NAHS through this Aug. 26–28 NEHS Annual meeting and heather conference, transition. Please let me know your own thoughts on this vital Binghamton, NY. Info: Mary Matwey. subject. 28 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 1 Reflections on David Small Mario expressed concern about the ability of chapters to continue to host an Annual Meeting of the NAHS membership on a rotating basis; Karla Lortz the Board concurred with his suggestion that NAHS membership 502 E. Haskell Hill Rd., Shelton, WA 98584-8429 conferences be held every other year. Accordingly, the following Motion, [email protected] proposed by Ella May, seconded by Karla, was passed unanimously:

We had the pleasure of hosting David Small twice. The first time, MOTION #2: That a bylaw change be made to Article V, Section 1 so we had a few days and took him on a camping trip. He wanted that “Annual Meeting” is replaced by “Biennial Meeting.” to see the Olympic Peninsula rather than private gardens. Our family took him from the top of Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic The schedule approved for the next five biennial meetings of the NAHS Mountains (hunting for Cassiope and Phyllodoce) to camping on membership is as follows: 2012 Cascade Heather Society (CHS), 2014 the beach at the Pacific Ocean. Northeast Heather Society (NEHS), 2016 Heather Enthusiasts of the Redwood Empire (HERE), 2018 Vancouver Island Heather Society On the second trip, Anne and David were here for only a very (VIHS), 2020 Oregon Heather Society (OHS) short visit. We took them out in our boat on Pickering Passage, which is one of the best ways to appreciate the beauty of our area It is anticipated that in some cases, adjoining chapters might cooperate on a summer day. From out on the water, you can see on the in the planning of a biennial meeting. horizon the very mountains he had been hiking on his earlier trip 2. NAHS Annual Board Meeting. with us. David was fun as a travelling companion. Along with his The Board will continue to conduct its meetings on an annual basis. In knowledge of heather, he had some entertaining stories to tell. those years when a meeting of the membership is not scheduled, the Board will conduct its business electronically. I was sticking cuttings this afternoon, and I realized how David’s coming here to the US for one conference changed the way I stick 3. NAHS Website/Web Master: Karla volunteered to set up and/or update them. He said that studies had shown that you don’t have to strip the NAHS website. She will contact Stefani for the information from the foliage off of the lower part of the cutting. The foliage doesn’t Bryan Taylor concerning the current website setup. affect rooting time much at all. [It just can make it a little more difficult to tell if the cuttings have rooted or not if you gently tug 4. Editor, Heather Quarterly: Made by Karla, seconded by Ella May, on one to check it: the foliage may make the cutting resist being and passed unanimously: MOTION #3: That Stefani McRae-Dickey be pulled out, mimicking the effect of roots.] This has saved me a appointed the Editor of Heather Quarterly for 2011. ton of time of stripping and mess of the removed foliage. I often think of him when that occurs to me. When you personally stick 5. 2011 Budget. Made by Ella May, seconded by Ramona, and passed unanimously: MOTION #4: That a discussion to establish the NAHS thousands of cuttings, this becomes very useful information! budget for 2011 be conducted electronically.

Much of what David did for the heather world was useful to me, ADJOURNMENT. The meeting adjourned at 1l:15 am. from that advice to his published works. He generously let me use information from The Heather Society’s Handy Guide to Heathers in Joyce Prothero, my catalogues and web site. He was generous to the end. My last Secretary. email from him was his blessing to use the Handy Guide as a basis for creating a new, illustrated “Handy Guide” here. Officers duly elected at the annual membership meeting in Fort Bragg

2 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 27 signed “consent to serve” forms from those accepting nominations. Long-distance collaboration with David Small NOTE: The elected 2011-12 NAHS Board Treasurer will complete the remaining 2010 Treasurer’s term of office (vacant since July 1st, 2010). David Wilson 6605 Hopedale Rd., Chilliwack, British Columbia V2R 4L4, Canada TREASURER’S REPORT (prepared/submitted electronically by Paul [email protected] Dickey) The Treasurer’s report was accepted as prepared. On behalf of the Board, During the mid-1990s, David Small and I exchanged letters a Mario expressed thanks to Paul for five years of excellent service as number of times, comparing notes on the available to Treasurer. us here in North America and what material of different varieties might be on hand from his sources in the United Kingdom. OLD BUSINESS David wanted to add to the heather landscape on this side of the The October 19, 2009 Board minutes were approved as circulated. Atlantic; and he did, sending us more than 50 new cultivars and NEW BUSINESS some that we had not grown before. 1. NAHS and Chapter membership enrollment: The Membership Chair previously reported declining NAHS membership. Board I met David in person for the first time at the NAHS conference in members generally reported declining Chapter memberships. The Tacoma, Washington in 1998, and he returned to British Columbia VIHS membership, which is holding steady, even slightly increasing, with me for a two-day visit. David enjoyed visiting the nursery and is a notable exception; Joyce attributed the vitality of VIHS to the spending time with our staff, giving them gentle instructions on collaborative planning of its monthly meetings, which vary between propagation. His eyes were not always on the nursery but study sessions (winter months) and field trips and the enthusiastic were often turned to views of the Cascade Mountains to our east. leadership of the Board. On the second day of his visit, David and I drove to Manning Park in the Cascades and visited the alpine meadows. David collected Karla noted the need for a brochure as a handout at the flower show an interesting mutation growing on Phyllodoce empetriformis and booth. Joyce suggested developing a rack card (cheaper than a brochure) delighted in seeing Cassiope, the first he had seen in the wild, which could be made available to Chapters as well as at the flower show growing on the north-facing, moist, rocky slopes. I think his booth. Karla said she also could include it in the heather orders which she will start shipping in September. A perusal of the 2010 budget showed greatest thrill that day was to find a chipmunk that had joined us up to $80 would be unspent in Line 27 “Membership & Administration” in the car and was determined to share David’s seat. at the end of 2010. The following Motion, proposed by Don, seconded by Karla, was passed unanimously: Without David Small, the world of heathers will be missing a vital link. David Small was so impressed MOTION #1: That the use of funds remaining in Line 27 (Membership with Wilson’s cross of Erica and Administration) for 2010 include the printing of membership tetralix ‘Melbury White’ with E. cards. manipuliflora ‘Korčula’ that he took home cuttings from eight promising Joyce offered to prepare a rack card using a format similar to the BCIS seedlings and rooted them at rack card (circulated); Ramona offered to select and provide heather Denbeigh. David Wilson later photos for use on the rack card; and Karla offered to print the cards at introduced one of those seedlings cost. as E. x garforthensis ‘Tracy Wilson’, shown here in October bearing both fresh and spent flowers.

26 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 3 David Small – A Personal Appreciation McRae-Dickey, first vice president Absent: Michael Krieger (VIHS) David Plumridge Attendee: Sharon Hardy, NAHS librarian Rose Cottage, Castleside, Consett, County Durham DH8 9AP, England Resigned: Paul Dickey, treasurer (as of June 30, 2010) [email protected] CALL TO ORDER Rita and I have known David for well over 20 years. We quickly The meeting was called to order at 9:12 am. Mario noted that, although realised that despite his quiet, almost diffident approach, we were the size of our meeting was unusually small, a quorum was present. The in the company of not only a genuine heather lover but, moreover, agenda was reviewed and approved. a real expert. This has been confirmed over the years, mainly at PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS the annual heather society events but also in his response to our Mario noted that currently NAHS has no treasurer and that he has heather questions. His help in identifying “lost label” plants received no report of nominations for officers. was particularly valuable, as was his and Anne Small’s Handy Guide to Heathers. Although we had a common background in Ella May reported that she had received correspondence from Kurt electronics, our main topic of conversation was, of course, heather Kramer (of the German heather society Die Gesellschaft der Heidefreunde) gardening. concerning the Fourth International Heather Conference in 2012, asking her to ascertain whether there was enough interest if it were to be in the area near the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Ella May also reported that Jürgen Schröder (president, Die gesellschaft der Heidefreunde) had died in June 2010.

Mario reported receiving a discouraging email from Mary Matwey Kurt Kramer led David Small, Ron (president, NEHS) concerning the attendance at NEHS membership Cleevely, Judy meetings. Mary has asked Mario to be the NEHS proxy. Wiksten and other visitors COMMITTEE REPORTS on a tour of his 1. Membership (Ella May Wulff): NAHS paid membership continues to garden after the decline and now is approximately 200. Life member Pauline Croxton First International died recently. Heather Conference, 2000. 2. Storefront (Ella May Wulff): Very little activity. A short inconclusive Photo by Ella May discussion ensued. Wulff. 3. Nominations (Don Jewett): Don reported no nominations other than himself for First Vice-president. In the ensuing discussion, Ella May asked if Pat Hoffman had been contacted re Second Vice-president (Answer: No) and volunteered to contact her plus several others; Karla agreed to be President; various names, including John Calhoun (MCHS) were suggested as possibilities for Treasurer. Mario noted that we’ll need

4 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 25 In 1984, David Wilson “began We always enjoyed David’s company, but for some reason we pollinating E. tetralix cultivars particularly enjoyed being with him in Holland and Germany with two of the best Erica vagans in 2000 for the First International Heather Conference, when we cultivars, ‘Mrs D. F. Maxwell’ and ‘’.” Most of the noted how well he interacted with the European growers. He seedlings that germinated from had built up a great network of contacts in the heather world. these crossings were inferior, but Because of this, we often received visits to our garden on his “part of a stock bed was planted recommendation, from heather gardeners not only from this with a few promising seedlings. country, but also from abroad. . . .Cuttings were sent to David Small . . .with the request that the best one be named Ken David’s dedication and contributions to The Heather Society Wilson” to commemorate his were amazing. Full details will be given in Heathers 8, the 2011 father’s efforts “to help organize yearbook of The Heather Society. what became the NAHS. . . . Erica x williamsii ‘Ken Wilson’ [David Small’s selection from among those cuttings, shown here flowering in May in the heather garden at Cottage Grove Community Hospital, Oregon] was introduced in 1992.”

Excerpted from Wilson, D. 1999. Williams’ Heath. Heather News 22 (2): 16–17. Erica manipuliflora ‘Ian Cooper’ is a Photo by Barry Wulff very fragrant and floriferous late blooming discovered by David      Small’s father in Croatia. NAHS Board Meeting Minutes Photo by Barry Wulff. Fort Bragg, California August 6, 2010

Present: NAHS Board Officers: Mario Abreu, president; Joyce Prothero, secretary; Ella May Wulff, past-president NAHS Directors: Mario Abreu (MCHS), Karla Lortz (CHS); Ramona Bloomingdale (OHS), Don Jewett (HERE)

Proxy: Mario Abreu for Mary Matwey (NEHS), Ella May Wulff for Stefani 24 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 5 David Small as educator Nelson, E. C. and D. J. Small. 2000. International Register of Heather Names. Creeting St. Mary: The Heather Society. Bryan Taylor 4795 Elliot Place, Victoria, British Columbia V8Y 3E4, Canada Small, D. J. 2004. Suggestions for some beds of heather: [email protected] for those who cannot sketch. Heathers 1: 4 (Yearbook of The Heather Society 2004). What an incredible contributor to our horticultural knowledge was David Small, and specifically to our knowledge and love of Small, D. and A. Small. 2001. The Heather Society’s Handy Guide heathers. When he was the featured speaker at the 2002 NAHS to Heathers 3rd Ed. Creeting St. Mary: The Heather Society. conference in Nanaimo, BC, David was the first person to make me aware of how effective Power Point can be as a communication Small, D. and E. M. T. Wulff. 2008. Gardening with Hardy tool. Heathers. Portland/London: Timber Press.

As part of his conference visit, David toured the gardens of Wulff, E. M. T. 2004. Yachats heathers revisited. Heather News the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, now known as Glendale Quarterly 27 (3): 154–16. Gardens, with Head Gardener Lee Stemski and expressed a lot Authors, photographers and illustrators submitting work for publication in of interest in things Heather News implicitly agree that such work may also be published on the NAHS website or in other NAHS eductional materials, and reprinted by NAHS other than heathers. chapters for educational purposes. The attached photo is Any other use will require separate permission from the author, photographer a good shot of David or illustrator. doing what he liked best, and we got much useful advice from him on that visit. Editor’s Acknowledgments and Credits Manuscripts: Susan Ewalt, Karla Lortz, Donald A. M. David Small examines a fuchsia at the Horticulture Mackay, David Plumridge, Bryan Taylor, Judy Wiksten, Centre of the Pacific. Photo by Bryan Taylor. David Wilson, Ella May Wulff Before the 2002 NAHS conference in Nanaimo, Other written contributions: Joyce Prothero BC, VIHS members showed visitors the heather garden Cover photo: Barry Wulff at the Horticulture Centre of Other photos: credits noted in captions the Pacific. From left to right: Bryan and Joan Taylor, Ella May Proofreading: Ella May Wulff Wulff, Ellen Norris, Anne and David Small, Joyce Prothero. Printing and distribution: Paul Dickey, Stefani McRae- Photo by Lee Stemski using Dickey, OSU Printing & Mailing Services Bryan Taylor’s camera. 6 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 23 80,000 words, not the 50,000 words specified in our contract, David Small, no Pooh-Bah ever-generous David suggested to the editor that I replace him as senior author. This unselfish offer I declined, but not for unselfish Judy Wiksten reasons. 135 East Turgot Ave., Edgewater, FL 32132-2302 [email protected] It was, after all, David’s book. He contributed the meat of the book, the important cultivation guidelines without which the A light went out in England on November 11th, 2010, and the rest book would be useless. I would never have come to write it without of us live in a little duller world since David Small is no longer in him. Also, somehow “Small and Wulff” sounded better to me it. That’s my opinion anyway, from one who considers herself a than “Wulff and Small”. My last reason for turning down the offer fan of the late chairman and president of The Heather Society. was completely selfish. I hoped that if David were senior author, when people had heather questions, they would ask David, not I wrote to Anne, his widow, that although others will list his me. auspicious accomplishments – and there are many, I will remember him most fondly for something she already knows well: he was He was the expert, with decades of experience as a nurseryman simply a nice man. He was a person with whom one could enjoy and student of heathers. In addition to the numerous articles that an easy conversation, with no frills, no snobbishness, no talking David wrote between 1969 and 2008 for THS publications, he down to people like me who didn’t know a fraction as much as wrote 79 articles (if I counted correctly in the biography of David’s he did. writing compiled by Richard Canovan for THS yearbook 2011 [in press]) between 1987 and 1995 for the British weekly magazine Lucky was the passenger on The Heather Society coach who got to Amateur Gardening! By comparison, I am a Johnny-come-lately, sit beside David for at least part of our journeys around England, forced to become an “expert” to some degree when I accepted Scotland, Wales, and even Eire during annual conferences. I was an office in the North American Heather Society and to a much that happy person at least once. To be honest, I don’t recall the greater degree when I took on the book. conference or the details of conversation, but that’s my point: sitting and talking with one of the most knowledgeable heather experts Sadly, David never made the full recovery for which so many had in the world, a published author and an important researcher in hoped. I am no longer just the junior author of Gardening with his own right, was really no big deal. It was fun, casual, a nice Hardy Heathers. I am the surviving author. I hope I can live up to segment of free time spent with a nice person. That’s just the the trust that David placed in me. David never made people feel way he was, a brilliant yet unassuming man, not a trace of Grand “small” (no pun intended), however minimal their knowledge of Pooh-Bah about him. heathers. I hope that I can emulate him, though his shoes are impossible to fill. He was truly irreplaceable. But I do have a somewhat related story I’ll tell you about David. On The Heather Society’s great expedition to South Africa in 2003, Alexander, Glenda. 2005. Heather garden design with a web- we shared a bit of time together forever memorable to me. I even based program. Heather News Quarterly 28 (1): 13–15. have a picture of it, but the camera is pointed at the view rather than the poor, hapless, exhausted climbers sitting on a rock ledge McClintock, David. 1983. Inter Hispanicum Ericaceum. after we decided to drop out of that afternoon’s manic pursuit Yearbook of The Heather Society 3 (1): 33–40. of some rare South African Erica growing up at the top of some

22 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 7 mountain. I didn’t exactly share the enthusiasm of seeing the and his London editor sent me what he’d turned in so far, about damn thing in situ, and David was just tired of climbing. So we 20,000 words toward the contracted-for 50,000-word book, along chose a nice slab of rock, relatively snake-free we figured, and told with a copy of the letter that she’d sent to him explaining that she the others to pick us up on their way back down. But meanwhile, really needed to hold him to that 50,000-word agreement. I could bye-bye, we quit! see how a sick person receiving that letter would have thrown up his hands and said, “I can’t do it.” The attached manuscript Sometimes giving up is a huge relief, and this was. Gradually, we appeared to cover what I considered the “difficult” parts of the stopped gasping for air and sweating. I lit a cigarette, and David book as far as I was concerned: cultural information, pests and returned to a natural color other than bright pink. We started diseases, propagation techniques. That left the “fun” bits for me: enjoying the world-class view. We chatted about nothing, looking companion plants, garden design, etc., though David had begun out over thousands of acres of South African landscape rolling to work a little on the design section. Our editor also wanted to the horizon, and feeling happy to be alive. It was a view few more cultivar descriptions. mortals get to see, an outlook point fit for a king. Little did I know what I was getting into. In truth, David was not And then we spotted it, what the king had left behind: a perfect, always able to be there for me. His health simply would not permit thankfully dried-out, piece of – ah, how shall I put it? – baboon that. As work on the book progressed, the formerly prompt David, excrement. This sounds much sillier said in a British accent, by who over our years of correspondence invariably had replied the way, as David said it. “That looks like buh-BOON poo.” Yup, almost immediately to my queries, sometimes didn’t answer for that’s what it was, and the absurdly funny moment was recorded weeks. I finally learned to address urgent emails to both David on film. and Anne. Then Anne would get the answer for me if David had not been up to checking his emails. I also leaned heavily upon Charles Nelson, who took time from his own pressing duties to look over what I’d written, suggest changes, and point me in the proper direction.

Periodically, David would be feeling well again and back to his old self. Thus when I decided to enlarge the section about pests to include mammals and wrote the bit about deer predation, David then wrote about rabbits and mice, etc. Whenever I added to and revised what he had written, I sent the new pages for David’s approval or corrections.

Although I ended up taking the book in directions that David said he’d never considered, such as adding the chapters on hybridizing and on heathers for special uses, there was no part of the book David Small and Judy Wiksten discovered with some trepidation that they were that David did not read, approve, and contribute to before not the first to view this magnificent South African landscape. it was submitted to our editor. When it became apparent that Photo by Judy Wiksten. I had written much more of the book than he had – it became

8 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 21 I don’t remember the name of any Erica found that day, though I Well, yes, then we did start discussing what might happen if the suppose I have slides of them somewhere. What I do remember baboon came back and found us sitting on his favorite rock, or are those hours when I had David Small all to myself. Those are lavatory, or whatever it was we had blundered onto. Baboons, we memories to cherish. had been told, are nothing to mess with. This was a thought that made us a bit nervous, sharing no more lethal weaponry between David helped to plan the second international heather conference, us than slightly pointy walking sticks. Our hastily devised plan of held in Scotland in 2004. It was at that conference that the defense involved retreat rather than combat. Fortunately, the group NAHS presented David and Anne with honorary life membership returned pretty soon, and we headed back down the mountain, in NAHS. The last time I was with David was at the Scottish safe within our own herd again. conference, although we continued corresponding by email until his death. And that’s the poo story, from someone who remembers with mirth and affection David Small, the august leader of The Heather It was also in 2004 that Timber Press asked David to write a book Society; no Pooh-Bah, he! for them about gardening with heathers. I didn’t learn that until I received an email from David in 2006 asking if I would complete      the book, because his health problems had become overwhelming. A special man I don’t know how many other people he asked before he got to me. I didn’t have the courage to ask David, and if others did turn Susan Ewalt him down, they have kindly refrained from telling me. The logical 2850 Sykes Creek Rd., Rogue River, OR 97536 person to finish the Timber Press book would have been Charles [email protected] Nelson, who had already collaborated with David Small on many projects, though he is more botanist than gardener. But Charles Our hearts are heavy with the loss of David Small. His knowledge, was already involved with his own magnum opus, finishing the expertise and love of heather made him special to all in the heather Kew monograph on European heathers begun many years earlier societies who knew him. I had the privilege of spending about by David McClintock, a past president of THS. ten days traveling with David and Anne Small during and after the Second International Heather Conference in Scotland in 2004. We In any case, I really couldn’t turn down the request. I had actually had interesting conversations and lots of fun adventuring. David been considering writing a heather book of my own, though it made the trip great by trusting the tour guide to find interesting was more along the lines of “The Creation of a Heather Garden”, places to stay, to eat, and to enlarging upon the “Starting from scratch” articles I’d written for explore, always with heather Heather News. This was a more ambitious undertaking. A new in mind. He was a special book was desperately needed, because all relatively comprehensive person. English-language books on gardening with heathers were out of print and badly out of date. Having an author on each side of the David Small chats with John Griffiths Atlantic would make the new book much more valuable, as each during the Second International Heather Conference in Aviemore, author would bring different gardening perspectives to the work. Scotland, 2004. Photo by David Plumridge. David promised that he would “be there” for me if I took it on,

20 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 9 David Small: reflections on a giant found in their native habitats. David’s remark was based upon his observations of other naturalized heather populations. Not Donald A. M. Mackay long afterward, we discovered just such a nearby planting of old 135 Deerfield Lane, Pleasantville, NY 10570-1401 cultivated heathers that could have been contributing seed to the [email protected] 804 population (Wulff 2004).

Although I think that quite a few of us knew that David Small was During the second trip that David arranged to the Western sick, and perhaps some knew that he was seriously ill, I doubt if Cape Province of South Africa, in 2003, both David and I were any of us were prepared for the awful suddenness of the news that experiencing physical problems that made steep mountain hikes he had died. Giants don’t die, and he was certainly among the difficult for us. When we arrived at the starting point forone giants of the heather world. particularly challenging hike in search of a gorgeous rare Erica species known to live in higher elevations in that area, David and I first met David at one of the annual conferences of The Heather I elected to remain at the base of the mountain while the others Society in Great Britain, when I was too diffident to ask questions made the climb. from the floor in the presence of such luminaries as Turpin, McClintock, Julian, Hall, et al; but I found it easy to talk one- It was a lovely warm and sunny spring day, and we were quite on-one with David Small, the Heather Society chairman himself. happy poking around the vegetation at the base of the mountain, He was so approachable, so generous with his time, so skilled in especially after we each separately found plants of a very attractive hiding his surprise at questions that surely revealed a profound Erica that neither of us had seen before. We decided that we hadn’t ignorance of the topic, that it was easy to confuse his roles of master missed so much after all by not going up the mountain. We had gardener, Heather Society officer, successful nursery operator, and a “find” all our own. We also found several other Erica species, indeed, scientist. though none as impressive as the unfamiliar species. We were content to sit on a rock in the sunshine, eat our sack lunches, David’s knowledge of botany certainly exceeded mine, with and chat while we waited for the return of the intrepid explorers. many inputs from the world’s botanic literature, such as that on I felt particularly privileged to have these few hours alone with moorland ecology, initiation of meristem growth, or the cooling David. It was not until I read Judy Wiksten’s tribute (page 7) that benefits of misting as distinct from simply keeping the humidity I learned that she also treasured a tete���� á tet���������������������e����������������� with David Small high around heather cuttings. He was extremely knowledgeable during the same African trip. Sometimes health problems bring and had the background and training to make a success of any unexpected blessings. science. But he wore his knowledge very lightly. Shortly after we finished eating, the rest of the group came down He always seemed a step ahead of the rest of us, such as in off the mountain triumphantly bearing sprigs of the sought-after publishing (with his son, Ian) the use of DNA patterns for sorting heather species (for our educational benefit, because the export out heather species relationships. I was thinking about it; he was of South African native plants, even a few cuttings, was now very doing it. tightly controlled). To our chagrin, they also carried sprigs of “our” species, whose finding had somewhat consoled us for not being I will leave to others an appreciation of David Small’s efforts in able to see the rare species in situ. Our low elevation discovery guiding The Heather Society through many years of growth, but wasn’t unique to us, after all.

10 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 19 those of us in North America have surely had much the gain from The Heather Society’s Handy Guide to Heathers, which all of us have found invaluable, if only in tracking down a forgotten in a corner of the garden, or an unreadable label. David himself had no need of references, books, manuals or even enchiridions in identifying a plant. His knowledge was astounding, even for someone whose business was in growing many different heathers.

But there was more to it than just knowing: it was the imparting of the knowing. He was kind, he was forbearing, he was forgiving; but above all, he was patient. No gardener too new, no novice so non-plussed, no question too dumb that his reservoir of patience and consideration was ever depleted.

David Small was a true gentleman, whose loss to us of the heather world, great though it is, has to be put in perspective to that of his family’s loss. Our condolences go out to them. He will be surely and sorely missed.

At least I have my own condolences in the memories of his visits here, of the brand new heathers he brought to these shores, with names I had never heard of, and the number of treasures that his visitors would be sure to leave with. And I will treasure his books, the guides he wrote with his wife, Anne, and the excellent book David Small examines one of the naturalized heathers in Yachats, Oregon, 2002. Photo by Barry Wulff recently co-authored with Ella May Wulff. Although I don’t know who wrote which word, I am prepared to give him credit for all had a good time picking out interesting Calluna plants that might the parts that bring his consideration, his kindness, his gentleness be worth propagating. and his humanity back to life. Although at the time we had no idea how long the heathers had been there or where they had come from, David commented that because there were so many different flower colors (photo p. “Most gardeners are overwhelmed when presented for the 14), including the dark-colored plant now registered as ‘Oregon Glow’, the little colony was probably being constantly replenished first time with the infinite variation of the many garden by seed blown into the area from a nearby planting of named selections of heather.” David Small cultivars. He said that usually when heathers naturalize, eventually Gardening with Hardy Heathers, 2008 the colony reverts to having flowers mostly in the tints of mauve

18 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 11 The irreplaceable David Small “Heathers on the Internet” for The Yearbook of The Heather Society 2000 (pp. 22–24) that could well be subtitled “Internet Use for Ella May T. Wulff Dummies”. 2299 Wooded Knolls Drive, Philomath, OR 97370 [email protected] David put the Handy Guide on the website, updated periodically Two themes became apparent as the tributes to David Small from and illustrated with many more photos than could be included in NAHS members in both North America and the UK poured in: the 3rd edition, though it lists only cultivars from those nurseries David’s generosity and absolutely dedication to heathers and The that subscribe to the website. Ian created a do-it-yourself heather Heather Society (THS), and the role of Anne Small as David’s garden design program for the website, described by David in quiet partner and enabler. Although David was the spokesman Heathers 1 (2004) and more extensively by Glenda Alexander in and earned the greater name recognition, anyone spending time Heather News Quarterly (2005). with both of them would have noted how well David and Anne worked together. I first noticed this at the propagation workshop There’s probably not a heather enthusiast in the world who would they offered during THS conference in Penrith, Cumbria, in 1997. not have welcomed a visit by David and Anne Small. Not only Although David did the initial explanation of proper technique were they good company and easy to please, but we all relished the for taking and sticking heather cuttings, Anne was right there with opportunity to pick David’s brain and get his advice. David was the cuttings flats (cell trays), ready to help guide you through the lead speaker at the 2002 NAHS conference, in Nanaimo, BC. the process if you weren’t quite sure how to go about it. She David and Anne took advantage of being in the Pacific Northwest also made sure that all the cuttings were thoroughly watered in to visit a number of other heather growers after the conference, afterward. And there is no question that at home in Denbeigh, and they spent a few days with my husband, Barry, and me in they shared the work needed to keep their heathers healthy and Philomath. Naturally, I was pleased to show him my then-very- growing well. young heather garden, and when he asked the cultivar name of a deep pink Erica cinerea, I told him the name on the plants’ label, Susie Kay noted in her tribute [HQ Fall 2010, p.22] that Anne ‘Splendens’. “Well,” he replied. “I don’t know what it is, but it carefully recorded every photo David took during the two tours he isn’t ‘Splendens’.” Had I bothered to look up the description of organized to South Africa to view the Cape heaths. I would add ‘Splendens’ in the Handy Guide instead of relying upon the photo that during the first tour, when David was gathering cuttings for on the label, I would have realized that. propagation, Anne diligently recorded species name and pertinent observations to accompany each carefully bagged lot of cuttings. If David Small couldn’t recognize the cultivar, it’s a good bet that (Anne also toted the small plastic bags for this.) By the end of nobody else can, either. It’s close to ‘Knap Hill Pink’ in color the trip, David was lugging a huge plastic bag of cuttings that was and habit – but not quite. (‘Knap Hill Pink’ was blooming in the nearly as big as he was. garden when David and Anne visited, and David had no problem with that one.) David corrected many labelling errors during Their sometimes-unsung joint contributions to the heather world his visits to North American gardens. His ability to distinguish are tremendous, but The Heather Society’s Handy Guide to Heathers, among similar heather cultivars was phenomenal. jointly compiled by Anne and David, made the name Small synonymous with heather. The three editions of this invaluable Barry and I took David and Anne to the Oregon Coast to look at listing, with descriptions of all commercially available European the naturalized heathers along the old 804 Trail in Yachats. They

12 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 17 This network of contacts enabled David to put together a wonderful heather cultivars (and a few Cape heaths in the 2001 edition) and post-conference tour of Dutch and German nurseries for the first nurseries where they could be purchased, in Britain and elsewhere, international heather conference (2000). To say that he provided made the Handy Guide, as it is generally known, the “bible” of service was an understatement. I flew to Schiphol Airport, heather enthusiasts. I still keep the 3rd edition of the Handy Guide Amsterdam. David picked several of us North American members (2001) sitting next to my computer, along with the International up at the airport (in a van already loaded with THS members from Register of Heather Names, Volume 1 that David compiled with E. Britain), delivered us to the conference hotel north of Hamburg, Charles Nelson (2000). I refer to both frequently and would be drove us on the nursery tour after the conference, and dropped us lost without them. off back at Schiphol for our flights home. I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do all this without David’s carefully made Richard Canovan provided me with insight into the origins of arrangements. I know that I certainly wouldn’t have gotten to all the Handy Guide. “You may like to know that from 1 January those great nurseries without him. 1983, David made available a ‘Free Cultivar Enquiry Service’. THS members were invited to write to him, giving the cultivar name E. Charles Nelson has provided me with still further insight into and their hardiness zone, enclosing a self-addressed stamped the contributions made by David and Anne to the heather world. envelope. David would send them a list of nurserymen in their “Throughout the nineties and into the middle of the ‘noughties’, zone who sold that cultivar. Nurserymen members were invited to David and Anne worked tirelessly for The Heather Society. From make similar trade enquiries. This was announced in the Autumn his retirement [from British Telecom] until quite recently, David 1982 Bulletin of The Heather Society 3:7. spent almost all of his time on heathers and the society and its activities. As a team, the Smalls produced its major publications, “That is just one example of how he helped heather society maintained the membership list and website, and also propagated members – both ordinary and nurserymen. I think it should be young plants for the cultivar distribution scheme. I can remember mentioned, as it is not in a Yearbook of The Heather Society so may be going to Denbeigh to work on the international register with forgotten. It was not a non-event: it quickly revealed that people David; and while we were editing on the computer, Anne was had difficulty getting cultivars he had thought were widespread, at the kitchen table inserting hundreds of cuttings, meanwhile so he asked nurserymen for a list of their cultivars. You can see preparing and serving lunch. The Heather Society was a ‘cottage here the embryo of the Handy Guide and the franchise [whereby industry’ based at Denbeigh, with Anne and David as its ‘invisible’ members could purchase through THS cultivars not available from dynamo.” British nurseries, a service now discontinued].”

If one reads the preamble to Volume 1 of the International Register The above-mentioned franchise was one of the most important of Heather Names, which summarizes the history of the register, services of The Heather Society, one that members in the United one comes across the following sentence. “This checklist is States could not utilize, regrettably, because of agricultural derived directly from a computerised database that was devised import restrictions. David had built up a series of relationships and is managed by D. J. Small.” As Jean Julian mentioned [HQ with heather growers on the Continent, and he travelled to their Fall 2010, p.2], David’s computer skills were substantial, and in nurseries to retrieve plants of requested cultivars. He and Anne addition to devising the computerized database, David, with also propagated heathers for the cultivar distribution scheme (see his son, Ian, created the award-winning website for The Heather Charles Nelson’s comments below). Society (heathersociety.org.uk/) and wrote an excellent article titled Continued page 16 16 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 13 Phyllodoce caerulea (blue The vibrant color mountain heath) native assortment of to the Pacific Northwest. naturalized heathers Photo by Art P. Dome along the 804 trail in Yachats, Oregon led David Small to suggest that this area was receiving a constant infusion of new seed from nearby cultivated heathers. Phyllodoce empetriformis from Mt. Joseph, Oregon. Photo by Art P. Dome

Photos by Barry Wulff

Even David Small couldn’t identify this E. cinerea cultivar in the Wulff garden that was purchased as ‘Splendens’ but obviously isn’t.

C. selaginoides x C. lycopodioides ‘Stormbird’ is one of the easiest cassiopes to grow in the garden and is a prolific bloomer. It does have some blossoms in the fall some years. Photo by Karla Lortz.

14 HNQ # 133 Winter 2011 15