Flowering Plants in the Landscape

EDITORIAL Reflections on aur Annual Meeting he American Horticultural Soci together in order to learn from a distin flower-A New Frontier," was the ety, as the national organization guished array of speakers and to share their inspirational highlight of the entire meet T dedicated to promoting horticul own experiences in different regions of the ing. Her gracious hospitality and willing ture throughout this great land of ours, country. Although I have personally wit ness to encourage this important horti makes a conscious effort to achieve a geo nessed the steadily growing demand for cultural movement won the hearts and graphical balance when selecting sites for native plants in southwestern landscape inspired the minds of all in attendance. its annual meetings. We do this for a num settings, I was both astounded and grati Mrs. Johnson was not only deserving of ber of reasons. First, we want to encourage fied by the extent and magnitude of the the Society's First National Achievement as many of our 40,000 members as pos response to the theme of this year's meet Award for exceptional contributions to the sible to attend an annual meeting at least ing-"Beautiful and Useful: Our Native field of horticulture; it is difficult to imag once every several years without undue Plant Heritage." More than 300 people ine anyone ever being so uniquely qualified financial burden to themselves. Second, we from coast to coast (and representing many, for such recognition again. In my view, it want to focus national attention on the many places in between) attended the is now important for all of us to join Mrs. unique or special horticultural resources meeting. This turnout demonstrated the Johnson in encouraging and supporting a in various parts of the country-plants and ever-burgeoning interest in the use of wild leadership role for the National Wild gardens and people. Third, we want to flowers and other native plants to conserve flower Research Center, which advocates, take advantage of, and highlight, major basic resources, preserve our natural her researches and teaches the practical and new developments in American horticul itage, and enhance our landscape from both aesthetic uses for native plants in general ture whenever possible. an aesthetic and a functional standpoint. and wildflowers in particular. To me, the meeting served notice that as As is (and probably always will be) the Texas, the site of our 1984 Annual gardeners, we are coming of age, or, if that case with the peoples of so many other Meeting, satisfied all three of these con assessment is a bit premature, that we are technologically emerging nations, we have siderations admirably. The Society had at least witnessing the beginning of a new literally taken our natural heritage for never met in the Lone Star State, and the age in American landscape gardening. I granted. It is somewhat satisfying to reflect establishment of the National Wildflower believe the importance of this new age is on the fact that we have benefited from Research Center in 1982 provided the per equivalent to, if not greater than, the sig the foresight of a few enlightened conser fect catalyst for bringing the meeting to nificance of the era during the last century vationists throughout most of our history. San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country. when the naturalistic landscape style swept However, it is even more heartening to The presence of this new organization also through Britain. know that all of us as individuals, as fam encouraged us to focus on an important The educational sessions at the Society's ilies, and as a nation are beginning to ap issue affecting the lives and welfare of more meeting highlighted the use of native plants preciate the rapidly diminishing natural and more Americans every year: the need in cultivated landscape settings and other world about us. Let us work together in to conserve or improve our increasingly such settings influenced by man. However, the knowledge that even though vast por depleted, or polluted, natural resources they could only touch lightly on some of tions of our landscape are forever altered (particularly water), while still enriching the motivations, opportunities and chal or gone, we may still surround ourselves our lives through ·gardening. lenges connected with promoting a more with the remnants, understand the richness The meeting accomplished its primary dominant role for native plants in Amer and diversity of the plants left to us, and purpose: it provided the opportunity for ican horticulture. Mrs. Lady Bird John reconstruct some of nature's beauty in har many different native plant groups to come son's presentation, "The American Wild- mony with man's other needs. ft -Charles Huckins, Executive Director 2 Aprii1985 .. ( ~MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS IN ALL THE WORLD \~' ' ~ GUARANTEED TO BLOOM IN YOUR GARDEN £ c ( • • • FREE COLOR CAl'ALOG3 1. •• ~ -================ .' . STRANGE RELA TlVES The Barberry Family he diverse sorts of plants found in ual, bear four to six sepals as well as four pound, and the stems are thornless. the barberry family provide an in to six petals. Sepals and petals are often There is a strong resemblance among the T teresting study in contrasts; in fact, similar, and there are as many stamens as 400 species in the genus Berberis, but the they have confounded some botanists and petals, or twice as many. The fruit is a plants vary in size from as low as one foot taxonomists trying to arrive at a reason berry. in height to 20 feet tall. Over 50 species able classification. Here in the barberry Members of this family occur mostly in are cultivated in America. All are more or family, Berberidaceae, are the ubiquitous the temperate regions of the Northern less spiny. Barberries have yellow wood thorny shrubs and hedges of that name, Hemisphere, but they also appear, to a and inner bark; all are spring-blooming not to mention Oregon grape, the delicate limited extent, in the Southern Hemi and bear yellow flowers in longish clusters. American twinleaf, a "bamboo" that is not sphere. Many species iFl this family are Each flower has six petals and stamens. a bamboo, a versatile ground cover plant, prized ornamental plants; however, in The stamens explosively discharge their and a root that is a source of a compound general, they do not have great economic pollen when touched. The globose or ob used in research on some types of tumor importance. long berries, with one to several seeds, may therapy. All are grouped together botan Horticulturally, the most important be red, black or blue-black. ically as Berberidaceae because they share genera of the barberry family are Berberis Mamy Berberis species lose their leaves certain characteristics of floral parts and and Mahonia .. Because of their similarities, in the autumn; others are evergreen. All fruit. these two genera were once combined in of the deciduous kinds display fine autumn Members of the barberry family are a single genus. Their foliage is the distin coloring. The spines with which they are shrubs or perennial herbs with simple or guishing characteristic: Berberis species armed are often formidable in size and compound leaves. Some of the shrubs are have simple, spiny leaves and thorny stems; strength. Some spines are simple, while evergreen. The flowers, which are bisex- leaves of Mahonia are pinnately com- others are three-parted and often curved. 4 Aprii1985 B. canadensis, Alleghany barberry, is an attractive ornamental that is native from Virginia to Georgia. Like European bar berry, it is susceptible to rust and therefore not a desirable pl ant to grow. B. thunbergii, Japanese barberry, is probably the most widely known exotic shrub in the United States. It was discov ered in the mountains of Japan and sent to St. Petersburg Botanic Gardens by the Russian botanist Carl Maximowicz in 1864. In about 1875, seeds from St. Petersburg were received at the Arnold Arboretum, and from there, plants were distributed in this country. The species name honors the Swedish professor of botany, Carl P. FAR LEFT: Mahonia aquifolium, commonly Thunberg (1743-1828). called Oregon grape or holly mahonia. LEFT: Hardiness, ease of culture and general Nandina domestica, heavenly bamboo. ABOVE: Berberis julianae, wintergreen attractiveness have made Japanese bar barberry. Dick Keen berry one of the most popular shrubs grown in this country. In the spring, a barberry's rust-resistant stock; state agencies are re arching branches are strung with hanging sponsible for inspection of the nurseries. yellow blossoms; in the autumn, the flow Immune or resistant barberries have few ers are replaced by shining scarlet berries. other insect or disease pests, and make The autumn leaves turn varying shades of good additions to the garden where low orange and red to crimson, and fruits of maintenance is important. glowing red persist through the winter. B. According to botanical sources, Berberis thunbergii is an indispensable barrier hedge vulgaris, European barberry, was present plant, for it is very thorny. in America as far back as 1737. It was There are numerous excellent varieties Pamela Harper undoubtedly brought to the American col OF cultivars of Japanese barberry, each one onies by the first settlers. Since that time, of which has special merit. 'Erecta', a pat E. H. "Chinese" Wilson, renowned plant it has become naturalized; it is hardy to ented form known as truehedge column explorer of the Arnold Arboretum, gath USDA Zone 2. This barberry was once berry, is erect and very compact. 'Minor', ered barberries in the region of the Chino cultivated for its fruits, which were thought commonly called box barberry, is a dwarf Tibetan border, on mountain peaks in For to have antiseptic properties.

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