The American Horticultural Society Offers . Print A Print B Print C Print D the Botanical Illustrations of Pierre-Joseph Redoute Thanks to the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documenta­ ductions on a vertical 15" x 20" format with gold ·border tion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Society is able to offer and artist's signature. The prints were meticulously repro­ four exquisite prints from the original works of the 18th duced for a special limited edition album published Century French Botanical illustrator, Pierre -Joseph jointly by the Hunt Institute and the Swiss Rose Society. Redoute. The prints, executed in Switzerland, are per­ The reproductions obtained by AHS are additional haps the first modern reproductions taken directly from copies from this exclusive press run. the original watercolors. Their clarity and detail far ex­ As a member you may purchase these prints at a price ceed any Redoute prints previously available to the far below their market value or receive them as a gift by public. These new prints achieve a quality that could not extending or upgrading your membership in the SOciety. be matched by the earlier engravings or subsequent re.­ The American Horticultural Society is a non-profit tax productions made from them. exempt organization dependent upon financial support The stunning beauty and detail of Redoute's work ac­ from all who share its concerns and objectives. Its Officers complished in the days before photography have scarcely and Directors are making these prints available exclu­ been equalled before or since. His brilliant craftsmanship sively to the members of the Society. Membership dues brought wide acclaim and earned him a reputation as the to AHS in excess of $15.00 are income tax deductible as " Raphael of Flowers" . a charitable contribution. A high point in Redoute's career came when he under­ Types of AHS membership: took to record the plants of Empress Josephine's gardens Regular-$15.00 Affiliate-$25.00 at Malmaison. Years later he produced his monumental Supporting-$50.00 Contributing-$100.00 three volume Les Roses, the largest single reference work on the species. Life-$500.00 The SOCiety has selected four exquisite life-size repro- Please refer to the order form. (below) r-------------------------------------------------, I wish to take advantage of the Society's exclusive Redoute print offer. o Please extend my Regular membership for three years. o [ wish to become an Affiliate member for two years. Send Send me print: (select one) 0 B, 0 C, 0 D. [ enclose me all four Redoute reproductions. [enclose $50.00. $45.00. o [ wish to become a Supporting member. Send me all four o [ wish to become an Affiliate member. Send me print: (select Redoute reproductions. [enclose $50.00. one) 0 A, 0 B, 0 C, 0 D. [ enclose $25.00. o [ wish to become a Contributing member. Send me all four Redoute reproductions. [enclose $100.00. I understand that the Society will extend my membership based upon its current expiration date. Name ______________________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________________ City____________________________________ State__ ______________________--LZip ____________ Complete this order form and return to: The American Horticultural Society, Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121 .:s:::: wr Members not wishing to increase their regular dues may purchase the prints from the Society also at considerable savings. This offerisforAHS members only. o Please send me Print A ($20.00) o Please send me PrintC ($15.00) o Please send me Print B ($15.00) o Please send me Print 0 ($15.00) o Please send me all four prints ($60.00) Total money enclosed ______________________________ Name ______________________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________________ City______ ~ _____________________________ State.________________________ _'_Zip _________________ Clip thi' o,de, fonn ond '"tum toe ! ~~ I The American Horticultural Society ~~ Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121 1-_____------------------------------------------- an editorial . ... Where Do Flowers Come From? A lmost everyone of us has a world in hi s ga rden. Our And w ould you beli eve that some of th e pl ants brought to mari gold s, dahlias, cosmos, zinni as, and others come from those ea rly Ameri ca n ga rd ens were improved forms of native M exico and Central Ameri ca n countries . Th e mountains of Ameri ca n species? Thi s migration also still goes on. Exa mine China have sent us th e rega l lily, abeli a, and vari ous peonies, th e species in several ca talogues of first cl ass perennial gar­ and from japan w e grow bl eeding hea rt, the deli ghtful j apa­ dens. You wi II fi nd th at so meth i ng over fifty per cent of th e cu 1- nese iri s, j apanese wisteri a, flowering cherry, and japanese tivars trace th eir origins directl y back to thi s country. W e are aza leas. Th e jungles of South Ameri ca have yi elded morning getting blossoms that are bigger and better th an those of th eir glo ri es, nasturtiums, cypress vine, canna, and th e giant-leaved native parents. But in many cas es we are getting weaker pl ants. Victori a w aterlily. Au stralia has sent strawflowers, Swan River Th ere is a reason for thi s. Our Ameri ca n natives w ere taken to daisies, blue lace-flower and euca lyptus. Africa's contributions European botani c gard ens to be coddled and cossetted. They inc lude th e pelargoniums (mistakenly ca lled geraniums), gladi­ grew , ge nerati on after generation, under th e best of growing olu s, the fringed hibisc us, gerber a, gaza ni a, th e Afri ca n-violet conditions in relatively mild climates and free of their native which is not a violet and more. Th es e li sts are th e merest pests and di seases . Su ccess ive generations lost their toughness suggestions of ri ches brought to our ga rd ens from around th e and resistance . Th en, when the pl ants come home many gen­ world. In most cases, pl ant coll ec tors operating as individuals, erati ons later, having undergone considerabl e selection and sponsored by botanic gard ens, pl ant societi es, horticultural breeding, they have a hard strugg le with harsher North Amer­ orga nizations, or wea lthy individuals or governments have set ica n climates and all th e loca l pests and diseases. out deliberately to ex plore a " new" area and to bring bac k Native A meri ca n pl ants are getting sca rce as undisturbed seed s, cuttings, and plants for testing and research. Th e impa­ habitats diminish. When hurrica ne Donna swept across ti ens from New Guinea th at you have rea d about in recent is­ Fl orida a few yea rs ba ck it destroyed th e habitat of a small na­ sues of America n H orticulturist were brought to thi s country by ti ve peperomia and th e pl ant was thought extinct until nu­ pl ant ex pl orers sponsored by th e United States Department of merous pl ants were located in amateur collections, and from Agri culture and by th e Lon gw ood Foundation. Our ga rd ens are th ese a " w ild" populati on w as reestablished. When Table ri cher for thi s foray, and more fine ornamentals are to come as Rock Lake flooded iso lated va ll eys of th e White Riv er in pl ant breeders work with th is new germ pl as m to crea te ex­ southern Missouri at leas t tw o rare O zark plant species were citing new cu Itiva rs. totally destroyed. As w oodlands and mead ow s, mountai ns and Transport yourse lf mentall y to th e Europea n ga rd ening prairi es, are concreted over our nati ve fl ora grows sca rce. scene of th e mid-1700's. Linnea us w as writing vigorously, in­ Where ca n th ese wildlings survive? Dr. Ritchie Bell says that troducing a new system for cl ass ifying plants. His students, th e very best pl ace is ri ght where you find th em. If that pl ace is associates, and fri ends w ere bashing about distant continents about to be stripped bare th e next bes t pl ace is a botani c in wooden ships sending home seeds, potted pl ants, and ga rd en or wildflower preserve where ex perts understand the pressed spec imens. Europea n botani c ga rd ens were av id for requirements of th ese pl ants. Talented and knowledgea ble new , unknown plants from any source. What was one of th ose amateur gard eners often do a good job of growing at least sources? It w as that vast, newly colonized continent ac ro ss th e some of th e nati ve species. Unfortunately, many folks dig up Atl anti c known as North America . Pl ant collectors shipped nati ve pl ants with little understanding of what it takes to keep over kalmi a, named after Pehr Kalm, rudbeckia, commemo­ th e plants go ing, move th em to th eir gardens, and lose th em. rating Olof Rudbeck, collinso nia after Peter Co llinson, gerar­ In thi s iss ue of America n H orticulturist articles from ex­ dia, after th e grea t pl ageri st j ohn Gerard e, and so on and on. perts on preserving, growing, and landscape gardening w ith Not every new pl ant was named after a person-some took nati ve species, located in variou s parts of th e country, inform descripti ve names, so me geographic, and some were labeled us of some of th e techniques th at lea d to successful ga rden w ith modifica tions of native names.