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P .O. Box 10, Dept. 1526 P.O. Box 188, Dept. 1526 P.O. Box 1130, Dept. 1526 Buckeystown, Maryland 21717 B).?ook&h:ire, Texas 77423 Thermal, California 92274 1-800-723-7667 eric an Horticulturist Volume 73, Number 8 August 1994
ARTICLES
Avian Gardener by Richard Devine ...... 18 Whether you own a huge estate or a sma ll lot, yo u can do your part to help bring back America's birds.
A Great Notion in Grand Rapids by Margery Guest ...... 27 Two news articles launched a Michigan woman on a 12-year crusade for a conservatory for her city.
After July-Agastache by Jack Henning ...... 32 They're pretty, pungent, and can take the heat.
Mantis Metamorphosis AUGUST'S COVER by Maggie Perry ...... 36 Photographed by Rob Simpson A confirmed bug hater undergoes a change of heart. The red-shouldered hawk, one of Refreshing Gaultherias the commonest hawks in the Southeast, breeds in moist, by Daniel Hinkley ...... 39 lowland woods and bogs, often Their bright berries put pizzazz into the late fall landscape. close to cultivated fields. It hunts from a low perch, from,which it drops to catch snakes, frogs, and DEPARTMENTS rodents. Richard Devine, head gardener on a private north Florida estate, was inspired by the Commentary ...... 4 hawks and other birds that li ve in its acres of natural woods to Members' Forum ...... 5 landscape his own home as a haven for birds. His story begins Offshoots ...... 6 on page 18. Gardeners' Information Service ...... 8
Natives at Risk ...... 9
Natural Connections ...... 10
Planting the Future ...... 12
The Urban Gardener ...... 13
Book Reviews ...... 15
Pronunciations ...... 44
Classifieds ...... 45 American Horticultural Society
The American Horticultural Society seeks to promote and recognize excellence in horticulture COMMENTARY across America.
OFFICERS 1993-1994 Mrs. Sarah S. Boasberg Chairman y the sounds you hear in yowr gar Washington, D.C. den, or wafting into your home, you Dr. William E. Barrick know the summer of 1994 is in its First Vice Chairman B Pine Moumain, Georgia full glory: leaf, insect, bird, and even frog Mrs. W. R. J. Dunn noises resownd from this season's verdant Second Vice Chairman gFowth. Even the bitter scars of our 17-snow Birmingham, Ala@ama Mr. William A. Pusey winter here in the Washington, D.C., area Secretary seem to fade under the luxuriance of foliage, Washingt@n, D.C. flowers, and seed heads. Few plants have yet Mr. Gerald T. Halpin to reflect the changes that the environment is Treasurer Alexandria, Virginia already using to prepare them---even in the most tropical parts of our country-for the BOARD OF DIRECTORS coming winter. Dr. Thomas Amason These seasonal changes are often fac Birmingham, Alabama Mrs. Suzanne Frutig Bales tored owt of am awareness by careful but Bronxville, New York shortsighted plant selection and design in public and private gardens, Dr. Sherran Blair theme parks, and even in malls. Everything must look like a Ross Hunter Columbus, Ohio Mr. William F. Brinton production where Sandra Dee is 23 years old forever---everything must be Mount Vernon, Maine in place, perfect, and never changing. Seasonal changes provide a vehicle Mrs. Nancy H. Callaway Pine M@unta·in, Georgia to incorporate a much wider palette of species, and forms beyond the Mr. Paul Ecke Jr. typical three-tiered design-upright tree forms, shorter flaring masses of encinitas, California shrubs, tied together with ground cover and lawn. Dr. John Alex Floyd Jr. Birmingham, Alabama Designs based on nature allow for a much wider range of forms-not Mrs. Julia D. Hobart only upright but weeping and columnar, and foliage that is a mix of Troy, Ohio evergreen and deciduous or that changes color. Imagine reclothing a barren Dr. Richard L. Lower Madison, Wisconsin urban site with multiple layers of plants, in exposures ranging from full Mrs. MartYn L. Miller sun to deep shade. Ashton, Maryland Mrs. Walter M. Morgan Jr. When you add water for the enjoyment of songbirds, you have all the Nashville, Tennessee elements of what is coming to be recognized as the New American Garden. M~. William G. Pannill A prototype, the New American Friendship Garden, designed by Wolfgang Martinsville, Virginia Dr. Julia W. Rappaport Oehme and James van Sweden for the National Council of State Garden Santa Ana, California Clubs, is on display at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Mr. Geoffrey L. Rausch Native plants and selected species from around the world flourish with Pitt;sburgh, Pennsylvania Mrs. Jane N. Scarff birds and insects in an environmentally responsible garden. New CaFi isle, Ohio In this issue, read how the head gardener at a north Florida estate used Mrs. JoseplUne M. Shanks Houston, Texas the surrounding natural forest as a guide for replanting his own garden to Mr. Emanuel Shemin attract birds. Another gardener tells how a 1 O-year-old neighbor persuaded Greenwich, Connecticut her to take a close and appreciative look at that garden terminator, the ~. Andre Viette Fishersville, Virginia praying mantis. Most of us are familiar with wintergreen and anise hyssop; Ms. Kary Moss Warner two other articles will expand your awareness of their relatives. Lah Buena Vista, FloFida Through this magazine as well as our awards program (you'll hear about Mr. Monroe Whitton Alexandria, Virginia this year's winners in the next news edition), AHS always stresses that individual gardeners can make a significant difference in the lives of many others. Read also about Betsy Borre, the driving force behind a new public PRESIDENT garden in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who emphasized throughout her DF. H. Marc Cathey 12-year effort the importance of educatiol'l and accessibility for all. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Each of us can do our share in our own communities, creating gardens Mrs. Helen Fulcher Walutes to define and sustain the environment and havens that welcome all people and earth's otheF creatures as well. As you enjoy the sounds and sights of the summer of 1994, I encourage yow to respond to the call. Together we can make ours a nation of gardeners. H. Marc Cathey, AHS President
4 AUGUST 1994 American Horticulturist
Editor MEMBERS' FORUM Kathleen Fisher Managing Editor Mary Beth Wiesner Assistant Editor Chris Bright Editorial Assistant Midwest Bougainvillea with catmint, N. x faass enii. N. cataria Steve Davolt Regarding the letter from A. H. in Colum grows to three feet and has leaves up to two Design Director bus, O hio, in your February "Gardeners' inches long and white (sometimes pinkish) Joseph Yacinski Information Service," bouga invillea could flowers. N. x faass enii can reach 18 inches Designers be grown that far north-if one is willing with blue-violet fl owers and narrow leaves Pam Johnson Bob McCracken to make some concessions. one and a half inches long. This is a natural Membership Director We lived in Mexico, where I fell in love hybrid of N. mussinii and N. nepetella. N. Darlene Oliver with this glori ous vine. Later we lived mussinii is a low-growing, spreading plant many years in Bermuda. Now th at we are w ith blue flowers that self-seed s Editorial Advisory Board John Bryan back in the Midwest, we still have one of readily. Mary Ober Sausalito, California our favorite vines. No, we cannot have a Fairfax Station, Virginia John Creech IS-footer that sprawls over the eaves, but Hend ersonvi lle, North Carolina Keith Crotz we can enjoy it many other ways. You 're right. Our description of catnip did Chi llicothe, Illinois A south window is essential (p referably sound more lik e N. x faassenii than N. cata Panayoti Kelaidis a tall so uth window), as are some large ri a. Elisabeth Sheldon's article "The Catmint Denver, Colorado plant containers and sharp pruners. When Muddle" in our August 1993 issue makes it Richard Lighty one is certain that there will be no more easy to tell one Nepeta from another. Greenville, Delaware killing spring frost, the bougainvilleas go Peter Loewer Asheville, North Carolina outside in sun or half sun. They are watered Big Leaves and Large Flowers Elvin McDonald when they begin to show that they need it. It's frustrating as a horticultural photogra Houston, Texas They should not be kept wet, ever. I let ours pher to see your beautiful magazine blem be watered by our own rainfa ll unless as last ished occasionall y by misidentified photos. Advertising year, we have a constant deluge. They can The latest culprit is the so-called "southern AHS Advertising Department be allowed to dry out-up to a couple of magnolia " on page 19 of the April issue. 2300 South Ninth Street, Suite 501 Arlington, VA 22204-2320 months with no water-and will slowly Our native deciduous magnolias, like this (703) 892-0733 come back. In Mexico they will go for nine one, are beautiful plants in their own right, Color Separations months with no rain. We train them into but they look very different from the south Heartland Separations, Inc. small trees. They can be trained to a trellis ern magnolia described in Richard Bir's Printer in their pots, but such a strong vine tends to excellent article. Based on the portions of William Byrd Press, Inc. grow up and topple the trellis. They can also the plant visible in the photo, your tree is Replacement iss ues of AMERICAN HORTICULTUR· be pruned hard to form a globe, a column, probably Magnolia macrophylla. 1ST are available at a cost of $2.95 per copy. The or a sprawling bush. That glitch aside, I really like the theme opinions expressed in the articles that appear in AMERICAN HORTICUL TURlST are those of the In the winter, a light fertilizer in its you put together for the April issue. authors and are nor necessarily those of the Society, weekly watering is helpful. This plant Guy Sternberg Botanical nomenclature in fu'vIERICAN HORTlCUL· thrives on neglect and rough treatment, TURIST is based on HORTUS THIRD. Manuscripts, Petersburg, Illinois an work, and phorographs sem for possible publication however. Should it be left outside in the wi ll be returned if they are accompanied by a self-ad autumn and be caught by a hard frost, Just to make sure we get it right this time, dressed. stamped envelope. We cannot guarantee the safe return of unsolicited material. bring it into a cool room. It may look dead, we sought a positive identification from AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST, ISSN 0096-4417, but prune the roots and the top, ~------, Dorothy]. Callaway, whose 260- is the official publication of the American Hortic ultural Society, 793 1 East Boulevard Drive. Alexandria, VA root it in ordinary soil (a little page book, The World of Magno- 22308-1300, (703) 768-5700, and is issued 12 times a sandy), and within a month it will lias, was published recently by year. The American Horticultural Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated ro excellence in horticu lture. have revived. It is not too partic- Timber Press. Caliaway says the Membership in the Society includes a subsc ription to ular about indoor temperatures, photograph definitely shows M . AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST. National member ship dues are $45; rwo yea rs are $80. Foreign dues are but thrives at 6S degrees. macrophylla, the bigleaf magno- $60. $ 15 of dues are designated for AMERICAN A. H . should check into the lia. Its leaves are the largest in the HORTICULTURIST. Copyright © 1994 by the Amer many colors available. Betsy Mullins genus, sometimes reaching three feet in ican Horticultural Society. Second-class postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia. and at additional mailing of St. Louis, Missouri length. In spite of the southern magnolia's nces. Postmaster: Please send Form 3579 to AMERI botanical name of M. grandiflora, mean CAN HORTICULTURIST, 793 1 East Bo ul evard Drive. Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. Still Muddling ing large-flowered, the bigleaf has it beat Produced in U.S.A. In your June "Gardeners' Information Ser in that category as well, with flowers up to vice," you confused catnip, Nepeta cataria, 18 inches across.
AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 5 AHS Affiliates
American Hibiscus Society Coco Beach, Florida OFFSHOOTS
East Tennessee Horticulture and Landscape Association KrlOxville, Tennessee
Friends of Manito Park Spokane, Washington
Friends of the Davis Arboretum Dayis, California
Garden ReS0urces 0f Washington Washirngwn, D.C.
Hardy Fern F@undation Seattle, Washirngton
The HerD Society of America Mentor, Ohio
Huntsville Botanical Garden Fhl!iltsvitle, Alabama
Master Gardeners International Corporation Alexandria, Virginia Up North, In Search of a Whirligig whirligig?" the sales clerk asked. "No," I answered, hoping she wouldn't ask my Matthaei B0tanica.J Gardens By Margery Guest price range. "Well," she said, " I've seen Anrn Arbor, Michigan some a few times up north. Drive straight once thought whirligigs were in the through and you'll see them on the right same class as those wooden figurines of side of the road. Made by some old guy." National FFA I bent-over people with big butts. But I bought a pound of Michigan sweet Alexandria, Virginia then I saw several in a friend's garden, cherries from a' roadside stand, plunked twirling gracefully among the digitalis and them on my lap, and drove. And drove. Oklahoma Botanical Garden achillea. A whirligig would make the ideal By the time I hit Pellston, I knew some and Arboretum gift for my father's 80th birthday, I decided. th.ing was wrong. A few more miles and Stillwater, Oklahoma What else can you get a guy who's 80? I'd be aboard Shepler's Ferry headed for My friend said OI~lythat he'd gotten his "up Mackinac Island. Rare Fruit C@uncil Internati0nal north" somewhere from an old man who let Apparently, the nearer one gets to the Miami, Florida them go for 12 dollars apiece. I was leaving Mackinac Bridge, the more extreme the the next day to visit my daughter r------, need becomes for antiques. In and I would be traveling about fact, this need seems to surpass all Santa Barbara City C0llege m ' )2' .... Environmental Horticulture Program three hours north. Up north is a others-for gas, food, or lodging. Santa Barbara, CaMornia big place, but I was sure I could ~- ;1 ~ In Pellston, I pulled over to ask at find a whirligig. f& I'~ one more antique shop. Ornth.ewayIsawnowhirligigs, )".,,"',' " A woman with curly hair, Tennessee Native Plant Society q; only antique sh.ops. Okay, I'd find about 60, was waiting on a cus- Knoxville, Tennessee an old whirligig. I went into several shops, tamer while another woman rummaged but I found only one whirligig, a soldier through boxes. I waited. Finally, the cus Tustin Garden Club whose arms moved up and down. I didn't tamer left with two stacks of old Gourmet Santa Ana, California like him very much. I looked at the price tag: magazines. $7,500. Now I didn't like him at all. "I'm trying to find a man who sells "Do you especially need an antique whirligigs. "
6 AUGUST 1994 "A rea l old guy? About 90? Those are "Oh, no," she said , waving her hand. whirli gigs John makes , aren't they, Pat? " "They could be anywhere in there." " Yea h, sure. They twirl around in the "Please," I sa id , stifling the urge to stran BEAUTY FROM wind. John Angev ine. Is it Ange-VINE or gle her. "Couldn't we try ? I'll go with you. " Ange-LINE, M artha?" "Go on," Pat sa id. "Ange-VI NE, isn't it ?" M artha headed to a back room and re I broke in . " Do yo u kn ow where I ca n turned with a key ring that would do th e BULB~ find him ?" head jani tor of the city of Detroit proud. "You must have seen his stuff on the way "It's one of th ese," she said. up here. He displays it down by Ma rtin's Abo ut a bl ock down th e street, she Market." stopped dead. "This isn't the ri ght key "Where is that?" ring," she announced. We turned back and She looked at me as though I were stu fo und a new key ring as full as th e last one. pid. " Right bac k where you ca me from." I looked at my watch. It could easil y take I looked at my watch. I was supposed to an hour just to try the keys. pi ck up my daughter after her shift and the Martha tried a few, without success, a nd morning was ti cking away. ke pt looking back at me. Not sheepis hl y; " Do you have a phone number fo r this more like I told you so. man ?" I as ked. T hen suddenl y, the door o pened-to a "Sure. In the book." place so packed with chairs, clothes, farm " Did you see those buttons Mari an implements, ba by stuff, a nd lamps, it bro ught in the other day?" Pat asked Mar looked as though eve ry unsold item from th a. This distracted Martha a nd she set every rummage sa le ever held in M ichiga n down the phone book she'd picked up. was stored there. My hea rt sank. "May llook it up? " I asked. "By the way," she said, "I'm going to "Sure. John Ange-VINE or Ange-LI NE. want to make a little profit on these- " See, there it is," Martha sa id, pointing. She I could hear the hysteria in my laughter. was pointing to Richard Angev in e. "Sure," I sa id , " if we find them." "Wait-that's not it," she said . "Well, "Oh, we' ll find them," she said . Where now that's the stra ngest thing-Pat, didn't was this sudden confidence coming from? yo u think John 's last name was Angev ine? "I paid 14 do llars apiece," she went on. I broke in again-"Maybe I co uld call "I'll need something for my trouble." the market for his number?" And then a miracle happened. "Sure. Pat, what's the number of the " Here they are." market?" They argued about the correct She handed me two la rge boxes. 1 held number of the ma rket w hil e M artha them obediently while she locked the place searched the counter. "Where'd I put that back up. "I hope to get in here some day," phone?" she mused. "I've got one of those she said since rely, "and clea n up a bit." portables . I can never find it. " At this, she On the way back, money was the sole and Pat la ughed uproariously. topic of conversa ti on. I was worried. Never After a brief phone call, M artha turned had a customer bee n more vulnera ble. to me: "Nobody there knows. Strange. I Back at the shop, M artha fell into help kn ow John has a phone. H e li ves with his ing Pat with something and 1 was left to Serving America's frnest wife, you know, just the two of them . . . " unpack the whirligigs. They were in good (I was hardly listening. I was working on condition, well-made, adora ble. A woman gardens for over 80 years. coming to terms with the fa ct that I'd just washing clothes, a lumberjack chopping John Scheepers, Inc. offers the most gone on a two-hour wild goose chase and, wood, an old man sa wing timber. spectacular collection of flower bulbs although I had scored on some sweet cher I boldly o ffered M a rtha 20 doll a rs to enhance your garden's beauty. ries, I was not going home with a whirli apiece fo r four and she took it. Out of Send for FREE catalog gig.) " .. . so at the end of the season, I complete happiness, I turned to her before Send for your free color catalog bought out his inventory. They needed the leaving. "I want to thank you for going to featuring Holland's largest selection moneyand-" all-" but she and Pat were already hag and finest quality of flower bulbs. I did a double take. "What?" I as ked. gling over an oil lamp. "He had a bunch left and I knew he I took my whirligigs and left. Name: ______couldn't sell 'em, so I just bought 'em all. " The old man sawing timber was perfect Street: ______" You mean-" I said , "- you've got his for Dad. In his younger days, he'd briefly wh.irli gigs? Here?" worked in the lumber business-up north. City: ______"Well, no, not here," she said. "Down I've se t up an identical one in my garden. the street-at my other place-where I As I write this, I can see the propeller State: ______Zip code:______store stu ff. " turning and the old man sawing back and I couldn't speak. So Pat did: "Go get 'em forth tirelessly in the wind. John Scheepers, Inc. P.O. Box 700 for her, M artha. I' ll watch the store." There Bantam, Connecticut 06750 had been no more customers since the one Margery Guest is a fr ee-lance writer living (203) 567-0838 who'd bought the magazines. in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
AM ERI CAN HO RTICULT URIST 7 GARDENERS' INFORMATION SERVICE
Q: We bought a new house and the gar- into th~ yard at intervals. Cliff Finch's Zoo, 16923 North Friant den is overgrown and weedy. What should Use shrubs and small tre ~ s to break up Road, P.O. Box 54, Friant, CA 93626, (209) we do first? G. E., Elmira, New York the area, planting them not straight across 822-2315. Free catalog of topiary supplies. from each oth~r but along diagonal lines, Ivies of the World, P.O. Box 408, A: Get your soil tested so that you know so that the eye goe~ from left to right and Weirsdale, FL 32195, (904) 821-2201. its pH (acidity) and nutrient profile. While not up and clown. Catalog $1.50. you 're waiting for the results, start remov- You could construct two or more garden Topiaries Unlimited, RD 2, Box 40C, ing anything you know is a weed. (If you're "rooms" by partitioniflg one area for a Pownal, VT 05261, (802) 823-5536. Cat unsure, a fairly safe bet is that aflything patio garden and another for a children's alog free with legal-sized SASE. growing in several areas throughout the play garden or vegetable garden. The sec property should be removed.) Attack the tions could be separated by raised beds, Q: What should I add to soil to lower weeds again weekly. Use any seedless living hedges, or a vine-covered fence. its pH? D. T., Davis, California weeds to start a compost pile. As beds are cleared, add organic matter to the soil and Q: I would like to try some indoor A: You don't say what your current pH apply a mulch to open beds to keep weeds topiary projects. What are some of the best is or why you want to make your soil more from returning. plants that would also be easy for a begin- acidic, but we <;:an give you some gen~ral Prune back any overgrown trees and ner to use? L. 1., Washington, D.C. guidelines. To lower the pH of 100 square shrubs that are blocking walkways or ha ng- feet of soil from 7.0 to 6.0, incorporate ing over your house. Remove any dead or A: Patricia Riley Hammer, owner of two pounds of ground sulfur or fiv~ diseased-looking branches or dead plants. Samia Rose Topiary in San Diego, Califor- pounds of aluminum sulfate. Th~ best time By this time yow should have identified nia, and former senior gardener at Long- to do this is in the fall, but if this is not the plants on your property and can make wood Gardens, recommends such possible, work the amendments into the some decisions about removing undesir- evergreen vines as hoyas, creeping fig (Ficus soil in early spring, as far ahead of plant able smaller trees or shrubs. This will give pumila), and ivies. The latter come in a ing in the area as possible. Mixing peat you a feeling of op~nness, which is import- variety of foliage shapes, sizes, and colors, moss with the soil will also lower soil pH, ant if your outdoor space is smalL including variegated. Evergreen herbs like but more slowly and at greater expense. Note the orientatiofl of your yard and rosemary are also excellent for topiaries. -Maureen Heffernan how much sun each area gets each day. It's While most people think of low spread- Education Coordinator best to keep records on this for a full year, ing plants tor topiaries, upright growing so you know how much exposure your succulents, Cryptanthus, and fibrous yard receives through the changing sea- rooted begonias also work well. Whatever sons. With that information, and the re- you buy should be able to grow in tight USE ¥ 0 U R GIS suits of your soil test, you can begin to spaces and form masses of foliage. The se lect new plants and work on a master plants should also be well-rooted but very tIs·ing the Garcdeners' Information garden plan to be installed bit by bit 9ver young, says Hammer. Servi€e is just on~ of the many ben~ several years. The soil test will r------~ For special projects, she sug- tits of membership if! the Amercj<;:an also guide you in addressing any gests, you may want to sel~ct spe- Horticultural Soci~ty. GIS can help unusual nutrient deficiencies. cific plants that recall some qual- find an elusiv~ plant, suggest plants ity or character of your topiary for specjaJ needs, diagm)se a prob Q : How can we design a shape. For example, in making a lem aIjl,d Eind a Wf~, and ttack down long, narrow back yard so it lion topiary, she once used the otliJ.€r information sourc~s. doesn't seem like a bowling long, straplike leaves of Liriope alley? M. B., Chicago, Illinois to suggest its mane. AHS members can call G [S toll free, For more information or for supplies: (800) 777-7931. 'MOU1'S are 11 a.m. A : Stay away from straight paths or The New Topiary: Imaginative Tech- to 3 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday beds. Build curving, meandering pathways niques from Longwood Gardens by Patri through Friday, except holidays. down the center of the space, and break up cia Riley Hammer, Garden Art Press Ltd., the space with garden beds that cu rve out Northam, East Sussex, England, 1991.
8 AUGUST 1994 NATIVES AT RISK
Today there a re 24 populati ons of Vir ginia spirea growin g along 23 strea m sys te ms in Georgia, Ke ntuc k y, North Carolin a, Te nn essee, Virgini a, and West Virgini a. Six oth er reported sites, including the northernmost in Fayette County, Penn sy lva ni a, ca nnot now be located. Only three of th e known populatio ns of Virginia spirea are considered abundant, wi th at least 50 clumps. Thirreen locati ons have less than 10 clumps each. One of the reasons for Virginia spirea's threatened status is its habitat req uire ments-this is one very fussy pla nt. It grows in a constantl y changing environ ment a long th e scoured banks or edges of mea ndering streams. The spirea needs dis turbance to coloni ze and thrive, but too much scouring or fl ooding can eliminate populati ons altogether. The scouring must Virginia Spirea be strong enough to keep the ca nopy open but still leave some sma ll wood y species. pireas are o ld-fashi oned garden S. virginiana doesn't compete we ll with plants. Most of the 100 or so species other plants either. W hen it tangles with Sin the genus fa ll into one of two ve ry kudzu, poison ivy, Japanese knorweed, different groups. The spring bloomers are Ja pa nese ho neysuckle, nineba rk, silky fairly large shrubs with clusters of white dogwood, hazel alder, and multiflora rose, flowers; the summer bloomers have flat it is often the loser. pink or red flower clusters and may be low The Virginia spirea's own reproductive and compact or grow as tall as six feet. system is a lso playing a role in its demise. D Please send me a free catalog. The most popular garden spireas are The shrub produces a multitude of flowers D Please send me 100 Mammoth native to Asia. Few garden manuals or an d is vis ited by a variety of common Darwin Hybrid Tulips for $19.95. D Payment enclosed: ____ wildflower books mention the Virginia spi- insects, bur it rarely produces seeds. And rea, a little-known family member that has while most Spira ea seeds germinate readily, D Charge to: D Master Card D VISA Acct. No.: ______been li sted as threatened by the U.S. Fish hundreds of seeds from this species col- and Wildlife Service si nce 1990. lected from a Virginia site yielded o nl y five Exp. Date: ______Like its spring-blooming relatives, Spi- seedlings. Plants spread c1onally, but fi eld Name: raea virginiana can grow fairly large- observati ons haven't recorded any seed Mailing Address: ______reaching from two to 10 feet ,------, lings-most of the plant popula- tall-and it produces clouds of tions are very old with well-es- Shipping Address: ______fuzzy, creamy white flowers. But tablished root systems. Research- it breaks with trad ition by ers believe that each of the 24 blooming in June and July. Its Virginia spirea populations rep- City: ______inflorescence can be between resents a different genotype. State: _____ Zip: _____ four and eight inches wide. Federal, state, and private Phone Number: ______G. R. Vasey collected the first specimens agencies are protecting many of the Vir of this native spirea in the mountains of ginia spirea's habitats, and researchers con VaJ1 €J1SdCJ1 lJ1c. North Carolin a in 1878, bur the plant tinue to study this complex native in hopes Stillbrook Farm wasn't officially described until 1890 when that understanding its behavior will help 313 Maple Street, Litchfield, CT 06759 C. F. Millspaugh collected plants along the increase its numbers. -Mary Beth Wiesner (203) 567-8734 Monongahela River in West Virginia. Managing Editor A3
AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 9 Garden Break-Aways at (§jJ;tieila Come stay with us and enjoy a relaxing, informative experience. NATURAL CONNECTIONS
sO\:lth , they average about 13 years. Either way, Magicicada is by far the most long lived of American insects. (It's true that some spiders live longer, but spiders are arachnids, not insects.) Nearly all of that time is spent under ground: periodical cicadas emerge only for the last few weeks of their lives. Different populations, or "broods," emerge in differ ent years. In general, only one brood is present in any particular area, but neigh boring broods may overlap in range if they Felicita Garden 8reak-Aways emerge at least four years apart. Some 2040 Fishing Creek Valley Road Harrisburg, PA 17112-9245 broods cover vast areas of the country; P~one(717)599-5656 others occupy less than 100 square miles. Fourteen 17-year broods and five 13-year The Loudmouth of the Woods broods are known to exist today. If you ever witness the emergence of a UNIQUE By Branley Allan Branson brood, you'll probably never forget it. HOUSEPLANTS Enormous numbers of cicadas crawl out f you live on the eastern half of the of the ground and for the next few weeks continent, you may be right on top of a they dominate the landscape. Day and I creature you'll have only a few oppor- night, the males put up a buzzing din so tunities to meet: the 17-year locust. loud it can sound like an army of Despite its common name, this bug isn't chainsaws. The earth may be covered with really a locust-it's a cicada. Locusts, the shed skins-I was studying an emergence menace of biblical fame, are grasshoppers. several years ago along the Tennessee- Grasshoppers aren't closely related to cica- Georgia border and found shed skins in das, as you can see from their mouthparts. layers up to three inches thick. Later you Grasshoppers' mouths are designed for may notice damage from feeding and egg delivered to your chewing, while cicadas have long, jointed laying, in the form of broken branches and doorstep mouthparts for piercing plant tissues and twigs. Injured growth often succumbs to sticking the juice out of them. The wings secondary fungal infections. This damage Established in \ 1892, Logee's is are also different and so are the life cycles. can be a serious problem for orchardists one of the country's foremost It's the life cycle that makes the 17-year and it's something of a nuisance for home mailorder sources of rare tropicals. locust-or periodical cicada, as r:-~=---::-=-----' owners, but it's of little ecologi- Our color illustrated catalog lists scientists uS\:lally call it-such an cal sign.ificance. over 2,000 of the finest fragrant and unusual insect. Periodical cicadas Magicicada eggs hatch a few flowering plants. make up the genus Magicicada, days after they're laid in the bark which occurs only in North of branches and twigs. Then the Logee's America and is variously ana- tiny white larvae drop to the lyzed as containing from three to ground, where they burrow Greenhouses six species. The species have different along nree roots. They dig with a specially 141 North Street ranges and different habitat preferences: modified pair of back legs and with their Dept. AH some occur in lowland areas, while others beaklike mouthparts they suck sap from Danielsan, CT 06239 prefer upland sites. In the North, periodical the roots. As they grow, molting every few Catalog $3.00 refundable cicadas really do live up to their reputation: years, they enlarge their burrows, digging their life span is generally 17 years. Farther to depths of over two feet. After their
10 AUGUST 1994 fo urth mo lt, when they're 10 to 12 years fo rmed, sexua ll y mature adults ready to o ld , they become pupae. Unlike o ther in procreate the species. The mating ritual sect pupae, cicada pupae continue to feed. begins with a ra ucous serenade o ffered by Eventua ll y, sho rtly before their emergence, the ma les. In their a bdo mens, the males they work their way back up to the surface. have a sound organ mad e up o f a set of At the surface, the pupae rest just beneath ribbed ty mpa nums connected to powerful the litter. Sometimes they construct little muscl es that cause them to vibra te. The nipplelike "chimneys" as exits from their result is a weird buzzing cacophony that tunnels. Then, as if summoned by some sor can drown o ut virtuall y every other sound. cerer, hundreds o f thousands o f them emerge Attracted by the nuptia l racket, the fema les during the course o f a few nights in late M ay seek o ut their mates. o r earl y June. The scale of these emergences Soon a fter ma ting, the fe ma le begins to would do justi ce to a ho rror movie: it's esti lay her eggs. She w ill p roba bly choose a mated that there may be up to 10,000 cicadas dec iduo us ha rdwood fo r this purpose. in the soil beneath a single tree. Oaks seem to be a fa vo rite; coni fe rs a re Once o ut of the soil , they climb into the usua ll y avoided entirely. O nce she has trees. So me go no fa rther tha n a few inches picked a site, she ma kes a series o f incisio ns up a trunk; others climb three o r four in a sma ll bra nch o r tw ig w ith her st rong, ya rds. Then they cla mp their spiny fr o nt pointed oviposito r a nd deposits a clutch of legs o nto the ba rk a nd stop . After several eggs in each s lit. Then she moves to a no ther Now you can have ho urs, the backs o f the pupae split o pen twig a nd re peats the opera tion. Eventua ll y, a nd ever so s lowly, the a dult cicad as she w ill lay 600 to 800 eggs. To susta in rich, dark compost emerge. They seem a lmost re lucta nt to hersel f, she w ill pierce the tree w ith her leave their shells, w hich may remain at mo uthpa rts to s uck its sap. Unlike some injust 14 days! tached to the trees. other insects w ith extended la rval stages, With the amazing ComposTumbler, you'll have bushels of ready-to-use compost in just The new a dults a re soft a nd entire ly both ma le a nd fema le cicad as feed during 14 days! (The old-fashioned pile method w hite, except for their red eyes a nd a pa ir their adult stage. But even so, theirs is o nl y takes ten months or more.) of black patches just behind the head . They a brief flin g in the world. They li ve just a Compost-making with the ComposTum can't fl y ye t, since their w ings a re merely month to six weeks. bIer is neat, quick, and easy. Just toss leaves, kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, etc. into the tiny, crenulated pads. They're conspicuous Why should the periodical cicadas have roomy 18-bushel drum. and helpless, so they're vulnerable. Insect developed their extraordina ry lo ngevity? Then, once each day, give the Compos eating birds gorge themselves during a n After a ll , of the over 130 cicada species nati ve Tumbler's handle a few easy spins . (It's gear emergence, as do o ther pred ators. I' ve even to North America, no ne o utside of Mag driven, so turning is a cinch!) seen raccoons eating them. icicada is known to live lo nger than two The ComposTumbler's Magic Inside the ComposTumbler, aerators blend But the a dult bo d y ha rdens quickly, years; many live only one. Perhaps natural materials, pushing fresh mixture to the core while the wings unfo ld and spread over the se lectio n has bee n pushing them in thatdirec where the composting bacteria are most ac back. The result is a striking insect, up to ti on to reduce competition from other cica tive. After just 14 days, you'll find an abun an inch a nd a qua rter lo ng. Its bo dy is bl ack das. Certainly, it would be very difficult for dance of sweet-smelling "garden gold" ready to enrich your garden! or dark green with o range or red stripes any predato r to adjust to such an erratic NEW SMALLER SIZE! and blo tches. Its round head bears a pa ir menu. Whatever the reason, periodical cica Now you can choose! If you have a large garden of big ora nge o r red compound eyes w ith das rema in a natural paradox : so rarely seen with an abundance of material to compost, three simple eyes in between them. Its but overwhelming when they appear. choose the 18-bushel ComposTumbler. If you transpa rent wings are supported by a net have small amounts of material to compost, take a look at the NEW Compact ComposTumbler. w ork of o range a nd black veins. Branley Allan Branson is a biology profes Send for FREE information and see for your- By their first dawn, the cicadas are fully sor at Eastern Kentucky University. self. Try either size risk-free for 30 days! CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-880-2345 Shipping costs cut up to 50%!
ComposTumbler~ I o YES I Please rush FREE information about I the ComposTumbler, including special Bud get Plan and 3D-Day Home Trial. I Name ______I Address ______I City,______~ I State _____ zIP~-----i£ I I ~S!P : 30 Wright Ave ., Dept. 51084C, lititz, PA 17543 I CLear wings with orange and bLack veins help identify of the periodicaL cicada. L ------....1
AM ERI CAN H O RTICULTURIST 11 Waterscaping forthe Home Garden PLANTING
with Anthony THE FUTURE Archer-Wills Judy Glattstein Minnesota Celebrates Its Children James Lawrie By Julie Kruse William Niering estled into the back yard of Minne moderated by sota Governor Arne Carlson is an Patrick Chasse N enchanting garden with a special purpose-to attract and honor the state's children. The garden begins just outside the November 7 solarium of the GovemOF's Residence, a three-story brick mansion on St. Paul's his Virginia toric Summit Avenue. A flagstone path The National Wildlife circles a lily pond surrouNded by ferns and Federation. Vienna. VA wildflowers. The 300-foot path then leads guests along the edge of the grounds, November 8 through lush hosta and a rainbow of spring New York floweriflg bulbs, and past a lone redbud, four large American elms, two carved teak The New York benches, and a bronze sculpture of a young Botanical Garden boy riding a bicycle. The 40 varieties of Bronx. NY perennials and wildflowers in the garden Jessica Carlson, 10, admires lilies in are clearly labeled with scientific and com the children's garden. November 10 mon names, making the tour educational Massach usetts as well as recrea tiona!' ers-plants with amusing names, bright col ors, and odd shapes. They also cluster Pine Manor College Minnesota's First Lady Susan Carlson modeled the project aher the White House around the lily pond to watch the goldfish Chestnut Hill. MA Childnm's Garden, created by Lady Bird and koi. Often the high point of a visit is Johnson during her husband's last year in searching among the greenery for the topiary November 12 office. Susan Carlson envisioned a beauti monkey christened "Co Co" by the Georgia ful, serene place to reflect on the history of Carlsons' 10-year-old daughter Jessica. Atlanta Botanical Garden the grounds. The garden symbolizes the state's commit Atlanta, GA After two years of planning and fund ment to children and recognizes the children raising, enough private donations were who have lived at the Governor's Residence. received to finally begin work on the Built by Horace Hills Irvine in 1911, it was For more information. call garden. As horticulturist for the donated to the state in 1965 and has since Continuing Education at Governor's Residence, I worked r------, been home to six governors and 718-817-8747. dept. 152 closely with landscape architect first families. Along the flagstone or 1-800-322-6924. Kevin Norby on the design and path are large stones with dept. 153 installation ofthegarden. Susan, plaques bearing the names of the Kevin, and I selected the plants children and their families. specifically to interest the chil At its July 1~93 dedication dren who visit the gardefl. Susan Carlson said the garden The Governor's Residence Children's Gar "will remifld future governors of the com den was planted in the spring of 1993 and mitment the state has to improving the lives has been visited by more than a thousand of our childrefl." children. They are delighted to find pincush ion flowers, orange sneezeweed, butterfly Julie Kruse is the horticulturist for the Min weed, hen-and-chickens, and ballooFl £low- nesota Governor's Residence in St. Paul.
12 AUGUST 1994 THE URBAN GARDENER
spires visitors at a ll times of the yea r. The threading their rh izoids, or tiny roots, into o nl y ma intena nce needed is re movin g mi croscopic po res in the rock's surface, fa llen leaves so that the moss does not go they can re move elements for nutrition and do rmant fro m t he lack of light. eventua ll y create soil. Even airborne dust But it's not necessary fo r moss ga rdens is trapped by the leaves of the mosses and to be bi g; they ca n a lso be a world in eventua ll y combines with pieces of old and miniature. Sma ll rocks become mo un dehydrated pl ants to form dirt. tai ns, and the mosses change fro m tiny T he fo ll owin g a re mosses common to pla nts to thickets of im penetrable green. most te mperate woods and not in any dan The ye ll ow bl ossoms of a tiny star grass ge r of extinction: (Hypoxis hirsuta) assume the propo rtions Andrea petrophiLa, the stone-loving an of the Liberty Bell. drea , was named in honor of the German Fri ends in the mountains of North Car naturali st and apotheca ry, G. R. Andreae. olina created such a garden by coll ecting The species name is from petra, or rock. rocks from nearby walking tours and the This plant grows best on granite o r slate in mosses from a n a rea eventua ll y to be shady, damp places. It is among the first clea red fo r a pond and sma ll bota nica l colonizers to settle on these inhospitable ga rden. There a re a number of sma ll hostas surfaces. The Moss Garden and sma ll-fl owered plants such as pi nks Bartramia pomiformis, or apple moss, (Dianthus spp .) an d b lu ets (Hedyotis gets its species name, pomum (a pple) and By Peter Loewer purpurea), but by far most of the plants in forma (form ), from the plant'S tiny spore the garden are mosses. cases, which look like little apples. The ack in 1907, N ina L. M a rshall Most mosses need shade because they genus was named in honor of Jo hn Ba r wro te the fo ll owing tribute to have poorl y develo ped water di stribution tra m, the great botanist from Pennsylva B mosses in her deli ghtful book enti- systems and the hot sun ca n d ry them out nia. There a re 13 k nown spec ies o f tied Mosses and Lichens: "The blackened before water reaches thirsty cell s. H a ircap Bartramia in North America, most of embers of the picnic fire are hidden with moss (Polytrichum commune) will grow in w hi ch are found growing in rock clefts. golden cord-mosses and the roadsides in open fi elds, but in that environment the Dicranum Longifolium, the fo rk moss, the woods and the slo pes to the lake are grass provides some protecti on and helps gets its generi c name from the Greek word carpeted with sturdy hairy-caps. The crum- to collect and channel the morning dew to fo r fl esh-hook o r fork, referring to the bling roo fs of deserted cottages and the the mosses below. When mosses become unusual formati on of the teeth o n its spo re unused well -sweep and o ld oaken bucket dry, they fo ld up their leaves, w hich mark- case. The species name refers to the very are decorated with soft tufts of gree n. " edly changes their appearance. But o nce long leaves. This moss is among 65 species I hesitate to mention this particular ap- the pl ants have wa ter again , the ce ll s of Dicranum in N o rth America; at the turn proach to ga rdening because so ma ny quickl y swell and the mosses revert to their of the century, six were fo und within the Americans, w hen confronted with moss no rmal size. limits of N ew York City. Fork moss, how growing either in their garden or, heaven M osses reproduce by releasing spores ever, grows only in high-a ltitude rocky re forbid, in the lawn, immediately call the fr om little containers called peristomes. gions and is sometimes fo und at the bases county extension agent and attempt Looking a t differe nt p e ri- of trees. to kill it. They should not, but in- stornes- each genus has a des ign HyLocomium triquetrum, the triangular stead sit down and take it as an all its own-is like looking at a wood-reveller, makes an excell ent plant for excuse not to mow the lawn. Paul Kl ee etching o f Turkish min- a moss garden. The common name is the There is a beautiful moss gar- arets. These fanciful capsul es are English translation for the Greek generic den next door. It was created over '.' '. '. ,:.: ::. .. .,: edged with teeth that vary from name, and triquetrum refers to the shape ma ny years by the late Doan ...... , .. ' .:.. four to 64, always being in mul- of the stems. This particular moss will Ogden, a brilliant landscape architect who, tiples of four. When the weather is damp, grow with lu x uriant delight only on wood. with his wife Rosemary, bro ught moss the teeth are closed tightly together; when Hypnum crista-castrensis, the ostrich plugs from the nearby woods and slowly it is dry, they open up and the spores are plume fea ther moss, is so called because the turned a 30- by 50-foot area that consisted shaken to the winds like salt cast from a pl ants a re plumelike. The Gree k term of sparse grass a nd some large white oaks saltcellar. hypnum suggests that these mosses were into a ga rden of contemplatio n that in- Mosses can easil y exist on bare rock. By once believed to be helpful in promoting
AMERI CAN HO RTICULT UR IST 13 sleep; th e species name refers to th e shape of the branches. The spore capsul es are large, curved, and held horizonta ll y. This bright ye ll ow-green moss is common in mountainous regions and grows on sai l or rotten wood. H. splendens, the arched feather moss, is Drought a beautiful combinati on of gold and gree n Resistant lea ves on reddish stems. This splendid plant is common on rocks in the dee p Lilies woods and on nearby fallen stumps or rotten logs. Miss Marshall wrote of them: Grace your world with "Glittering with ye llow, red and green,! As THE PERMANENT the beauty of lilies .. . o'er the moss, with playful glide,! The sun METAL GARDEN LABEL bea ms dance from side to side." Oriental hybrids. As iati cs. A . Hairpin Style Markers 30 For $ 12.60 Trumpets/Aureli ans. Rare and B . PlanVShrub Labels 100 For $ 8.70 Leucobryum longifolium, the pincush endangered species. Plus C . Cap Style Markers 30 For $ 13.00 ion moss, looks so much like a pincushion new exclusives, developed by D . Swinging Style Markers 30 For $ 11.40 that little imagination was needed to come leading hybridizers, & avail able E • Rose Markers 30 For $ 11.90 only through our full-color catalog. F . Tall Display Markers 30 For $ 15.20 up with the name. The generic name is Choose from more than 200 exqu isite G . Tall Single Staff Markers 30 For $ 12.90 Greek for "white moss," which refers to varieties in all- the largest selecti on H . Flag Style Markers 30 For $ 10.95 J . Small Plant Labels 100 For $ 8.25 of Pacific Northwest garden lilies in the unusual pallid green color. Plants look K . Tie·On Labels 100 For $ 13.30 the world. All the finest quality on the M • Miniature Markers 30 For $ 11 .00 pale because the ce lls containing chloro market today. All guaranteed. Special Quantity Prices Available phyll are surrounded by larger transparent ~------~ Prices Include Prepaid Postage cells that carry water and protect them Please send me your fu ll -color catalog. featuring over 200 varieties of lop-quality garden lilies. I enclose $2 from heat. INTRODUCTORY OFFER: (refundable with order). 1·Each; A,B ,C, D,E,H.J and K Polytrichum commune, the haircap Name ______With Waterproof Crayon. Only $3.50 moss, gets its name from poly, "many," and Address; ______PAW PAW EVERLAST trichum, " hair." Pliny called th is plant City ______State __ Zip ___ LABEL COMPANY golden maiden-hair because of the golden B&D Lilies P.O. BOXAH gloss the leaves exhibit when dry. The 1330 "P" Street, Dept. A, Port Townsend, WA 98368 I Paw Paw, Michigan 49079-0093 fringed edge on the sporecaps is said to ------~ resemble a lady's tresses-hence the com mon name. H aircap moss has been used in lieu of expensive feathers to stuff pillows. It was the first plant to be recognized by Travel with 8arden pros earl y botanists as not having true flowers. Thuidium delicatulum, the tiny cedar like PeneIo~ moss, was named for its close resemblance to a miniature cedar tree. (Thuidium is an ancient name for a resinous-bearing ever Hobhoure end green. ) This moss was well known to Linnaeus, the great Swedish botanist who Claire Marlin to the devised the binomial system for naming plants. He called it delicatulum because of its dainty appearance. Tiny cedar moss worlds most enjoys damp shady places and runs over stones, earth, and rotten logs. beautifu18ardens Moss gardens are not for everyone. They require a delight in the small, in fact, a Italy • Sept. 26-0ct. 7 from $3,855* complete shunning of bravura-not to Australia • Oct. 1-12 from $3,656* mention a shady spot beneath some tall New Zealand • Oct. 18-31 from $2,788 trees. But for those gardeners inclined to create a world in miniature, the moss gar NZJRoseworld • Nov. 10-19 from $3,779* den is the answer. *including airfare from the U.S. Extensions Available Peter Loewer is an editorial advisor and frequent contributor to American Horti culturist. This article was adapted with permission from his most recent book, The New Sma ll Garden (Stackpole, 1994), available from the American Horticultural Society's Horticultural Book Service for $17.95, softcover, plus $2.50 for shipping and handling.
14 AUGUST 1994 BOOK REVIEWS
Creating a Garden for the Senses whispering a nd rustling in a passing Jeff Cox. Abbeville Press, New York, 1993. breeze. The so ngs of birds, the buzzing of 192 pages. 9%" x 91/4". Color photo in sects, and the trickling of water can con graphs. Publisher's price: hardcover, $35. tribute to the music of the ga rden as well. AHS member price: $31.50. For those willing to pursue the natu ral through the artificia l, a pool lin er and a Anyone who has ever stooped to drink in recirculating pump can be used to bring a the spicy-sweet scent of a clove pink or bent waterfall into the garden. over to stroke the silky leaves of lamb's Taste, of course, is the realm of the veg ears kn ows that there is far more to a etable gardener. Cox attempts to extend garden than mee ts the eye. Gardens appeal the possibilities of the vegetable patch by to all our senses if we let them, and this suggesting that some ornamentals ha ve a book aims to open us up to the richness of place in the plot, and by dwe lling on the the garden's sensory appea l. ornamental virtues of edible plants. He "A garden is a picture people ca n move also offers guidelines on designing with through, " declares author Jeff Cox. "How edi ble plants. much more enj oyable is the garden experi- importance of foliage color, and explain s Finally, we are urged to use our sixth ence when the visitor is always being sur- how to compose wi th other visual qua Ii sense-the intuition that can guide us prised by the way the garden anticipates ties, like form and line. through life if we let it. There is a place for and fulfills the subconscious desires of the The secti on on smell explores fragrance intuition, too, in choosing and caring for senses!" Cox's message is that a much in different parts of plants-flowers, fo- plants. richer experience awaits those who learn to li age, roots, and bark. Cox also describes The book suffers from a few editorial appreciate subtleties of color, form, scent, so me of the best plants for fragrance. I glitches . Some of Pavia 's photos are and texture, and who are open to exploring found myself wishing for a closer correla cropped in a way that removes plants men sound and flavor. ti on of text and photos here, and more ti oned in the captions, and the text and The evocative images that accompany detail. I wanted to see one of the jasmines photos are not always closely enough re the text are the work of Jerry Pavia, one of described so lovi ngly in the text; I wanted lated for my taste. Bur even so, Creating a our foremost garden photographers. His a list of fragrant rose vari eties. Still, I was Garden for the Senses can help us add new photos shimmer with light and feeling, and sufficiently inspired to go out into my own dimensions to our gardening: if we let our capture eloquently the sensual qualities of garden, put my nose to the ground, and se nses guide us, each of us can create our plants. search for subtle scents I hadn't noticed own version of Paradise. -Anne Halpin The book devotes a section to each before. sense, beginning with sight. Cox's analysis Touch is the sense we use least in the Anne Halpin, an editor and professional of color covers not only pigments but per- garden, says Cox. All pl ants have texture gardener, is the author of Great Gardens ceptions. We learn, for instance, why in a visual sense, whether they're feathery From Everyday Plants and several other flower colors seem to change with the and delicate, or sleek and sculptural. But books. weather and the time of day. We're intro- some leaves and flowers just beg to be duced to traditional color theory, which touched. They can be soft and silky, hairy The Lawn: A History sees design in terms of comple- ,------, or fuzzy, smooth and waxy, puck- of an American Obsession mentary or contrasting colors, ered and quilted, thick and leath- Virginia Scott Jenkins. Smithsonian Insti shades of a single color, or a ery, sharp and prickly. We are tution Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.246 mixed palette. We learn about reminded, too, ofthe textures un- pages . 6" x 9". Black -and-white photo other ways to work with color derfoot when we walk barefoot graphs and drawings. Publisher's price: too, like linking colors to musical through the garden. Visitors will softcover, $14.95. AHS member price: notes, or using color to express be encouraged to use their sense $13.85. particular moods. Not everyone will want of touch if they find an assortment of inter to choose a mood for the garden based on esting textures within reach of a path, dan Virginia Scott Jenkins's " History of an a favorite film, as Cox suggests, but we can gling overhead, or next to a patio. American Obsession" may prove as signif all profit from his advice to take note of Sound is a constant presence in the gar icant a work as Silent Spring, Rachel color combinations that appeal to us wher- den as well. Consider wind blowing Carson's seminal study of the environmen ever we find them. Cox also stresses the through pines, or ornamental grasses tal effects of pes tic ides. Carson cured
AMERICAN HORTICULTURJST 15 ment of their social inferiors: the lawn became "democratized" by being ab sorbed into middle-class va lues. Contemporary expositions and garden LET'S ing contests furthered the role of the lawn as a central element in the landscape. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) GROW began preaching the virtues of turf mono culture, setting a standard nearly impossi ble to attain-until the chemical revolution TOGETHER of more recent decades. Another promoter of the lawn ideology was the U.S. Golf Association (USGA). As early as 1917, the USGA had begun to col laborate with the USDA. By 1950, the USGA had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on its own grass research. The result was an intimate linkage of golfing and lawns, as American males sought to bring a bit of the fairway home. Golf courses and lawns grew in popularity together. About 1,000 golf courses were built in 1964 and 1965 alone, and during the early 1960s, half a million lawns were being developed annually. By Americans of a naive enthusiasm for pesti 1975, America boasted 11,000 golf courses cides; Jenkins is out to change our attitudes with 14 million golfers on them. toward the unnatural world of the lawn. A lawn care industry rapidly grew up Her long-overdue history is an exhaus around consumer demand. Hand mowers, SHARE THE JOY OF tive-and shocking- study of the intricate then power mowers were presented as the GARDENING WITH OTHERS. web of influences that created this cultural means of realizing the new ideal. Mowing GIVE A MEMBERSHIP. IN juggernaut. was soon supplemented with a more sinis THE AMERICAN The Lawn 'challenges us to understand ter method: chemical warfare. By the where we went wrong. What led us from 1920s, arsenate of lead and organic and HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. the pastoral ideals of our colonial gentry to inorganic mercuries were part of the lawn an obsession that now appears to tolerate care arsenal. In the post-war era, DDT was Shore the unique range of AHS member almost any degree of environmental degra touted as the "atomic bomb of the insect ship benefits with your family and dation and financial outl ay? world." Chlordane and 2,4-D joined the friends: American Horticulturist maga Today, over 45 million lawns cover 30 cadre later on. million acres of the American landscape. Through its ads in magazines, trade zine and News Edition, toll-free Lawn maintenance in 1988 cost 5.3 billion cards (a kind of 19th century flyer), direct Gardeners' Information Service, Annual dollars, excluding the costs of the 60,000 mail catalogs, and the electronic media, the Free Seed Exchange, Educational Pro lawn mower injuries treated annual1y in lawn care industry seduced Americans to grams, Horticultural Employment Ser emergency rooms. According to Environ the call of the not-so-wild. The message mental Protection Agency estimates, over was that a house was not a home without vice, Horticultural Book Program, 70 million pounds of chemicals are a velvety front lawn and that "good lawns Environmental and Conservation Pro dumped onto lawns every year, and prodi make for good neighbors." Lawn care was grams, Official AHS Membership Cord, gious quantities of water are diverted to also presented in martial terms: we were keep the grass green. Here in the Washing "battling pests" and declaring "war on special events at River Form, our Society's ton, D.C., area, for instance, about 10,000 weeds." (It's interesting to note that much headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and gallons of water are expended on every of the key research on turf management much more. Plus New Member Dues are 1,000 square feet of grass. O n a national was conducted in Arlington, Virginia, on a discounted to only $39! level, lawn irrigation is one of the reasons site now occupied by the Pentagon.) our aquifers and rivers are suffering. With The Lawn, Jenkins brings us to a It's so easy to give on AHS membership! How did it happen? The players in turning point in the history of our land America's unique lawn drama are many scape. Can the multi-bil1ion dollar lawn Simply call our Membership Deport and varied. First, we find Washington and care industry be reconciled wi th growing ment toll-free at (800) 777-7931 to Jefferson attempting to establi sh an Eng pressures for water conservati on, air pollu place your gift membership orders. lish bucolic vision on American soil-with tion control, and environmentall y sound Mount Vernon serving as a paradigm for pest management? What will the costs be the emerging nation. if we continue to pave our nation with turf? At the beginning of this century, the Already, many Americans are replacing "City Beautiful Movement" encouraged parts of their lawns with trees, mulch is wealthier homeowners to develop show lands, xeriscape designs, and sweeping pe case properties for the aesthetic en lighten- rennial borders. This may be the
16 AUGUST 1994 future-or just a passing trend. Perhaps the real battle for-or against-the American lawn has just begun. -Joseph Keyser SPECTACULAR BULBS Rare and unusual flowers from England's leading Former AHS program director Joseph Key bulb specialist - now available to American gardeners! ser wages war on grass as an environmen Arisaema Lilium Iris Tulips Crocus tal specialist for Montgomery County, Fritillaria Narcissi Cyclamen Scilla And Much More! Maryland. Make your garden a showpiece! This selection of the world's most \ Crazy About Gardening. unusual flowering bulbs includes hundreds of choices - from the . collection of prestigious Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner '~\ Des Kennedy. Alaska Northwest Books, Seattle, Washington, 1994. 282 pages. Jacques Amand. J A d \ I FREE CATALOGUE acques man ".. I 5lf4" x 8lf4" Publisher's price: softcover, 1-800-452-5414 P.~: Box 59001, Dept. AH08 4, IPb0tofimac, MD 20859 $14.95. AHS member price: $13 .85. T ne greatest variety 0f bU s rom Europe During summer's dog days, even those of us who don't log any literal beach time might well ask. Let's ta ke th e first chapter, always at hand. "Just one" herbaceous adopt a beach mentality. In reading matter, "Gardeners." Herein he takes on ga rden peony leads to an insatiable ligularia, and like o ur wardrobe and dinner menus, noth ing as an addiction, gardening with a then it's lust for a Gunnera chilensis, "con ing heavy will do. I would never before spouse, garden snobs, overl y generous suming water by the tanker load. With self have considered packing a gardening book neighbors, and garden tours. H e suggests discipline fl ed, self-respect soon foUows, and along to the shore, but that was before I that ga rdeners who specialize in a certain in no time at all, the water-wise garden is di scovered Des Kennedy. kind of plant come to resemble it, th e way undone." Now Fred McGourty and Peter Loewer pet owners are said to look like their pets. Now and then, the reader may be baffled are pretty funny guys, but they're always so "Alpine gardeners gradua ll y sh rinking into by an un-American spelling or turn of determined to teach me something, cram wizened little characters with brilliant phrase from this British Columbian, such ming their books fuU of information on the smil es and tin y, glittering eyes. Iri s fanciers as " hose pipe" for garden hose. But if you best hosta cultivars or how to properly care who, even while wearing the most se nsible don't begin to feel that Kennedy is someone for an angraecoid. An experienced gardener of outfits, seems to be walking in elegant you've known for years, you'll at least might safely reach the end of Crazy About procession down the central aisle of West suspect that he's been peering over the Gardening without picking up a shred of minster Abbey. Do all gladiolus growers fence during your most intimate moments useful information. What readers will find wear Hawai ia n shirts a nd drink too in the flower bed. -Kathleen Fisher instead are the sort of observations that make much?" This is not a convergence I have us shake our heads in recognition of other noticed but I'll be on the alert, in case this Kathleen Fisher is editor of American Hor gardeners and ourselves. Sometimes the season's fascination with vines may be ticulturist. shaking extends to the full body hee-haws making me less squat. that, if you read in bed like I do, verge on This is not to imply that Kennedy shies awakening a sleeping spouse. away from weighty topics. In "Time," he But what is Kennedy funny about? you analyzes the circular nature of gardening Book Order Form time, as opposed to the linear nature of the D Creating a Garden work week (like a sweep-hand watch versus for the Senses ...... $31.50 a digital model) and the way that mortality D The Lawn: A History stalks the garden. "And there it is in stark of an American Obsession $13.85 black and white: it is our own death that we D Crazy About Gardening . . $13.85 see in the leaf-strewn soil. This isn't H arle Postage and handling: $2.50, first book; $1.50 quin, it's Bergman. The grim reaper stands each additional book. Virginia situations destined for sit-com scenarios, Accr. #: such as compost toilets and a bicycle-pow Humorous eFed water pump. Not surprisingly, he's at Signature: tuned to environmental concerns and trots Reflections Ship to: on the out many weU-wom statistics on topics like Sweet landfills and water I!lse. But about the time Street: ~~~~~~~~~~~~_ his lectures are getting stale he opens a win Seductions City: of a dow. "One of tAe perks of becoming a water Garden wise gardener yourself is that it allows you to State / Zip: ~-=-=""=-~~~~~~~_ f10uIilce atound town with a tremendously inflated sense of moral superiority," Ae ob MAIL TO: AHS Books, 7931 East Boulevafd DES KENNEDY Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. AH8/94 FOREWORO 8Y ANN LOVEJOY serves. Bl!lt to the reformed, whether smoker or water-profligate gardener, temptation is AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 17 DOING THE BAT STROKE? ong the winged creatures attracted to Richard Devine's yard are bats, which skim along the surface of his swimming pool. The experience isn't K n unusual one, according to Heidi Hughes, education director of the Rockville, Maryland-based American Bat Conservation Society. "I got a frantic call from the Rockville Swim Club last year saying that an oral'lge bat was attackiNg everyone in the pool. They said, 'We're sure it's Fabid and we got everyone out.'" Hughes said that most bat species, including the red bat that had frightel'led the swimmers, get their drinking water "on the fly," and a lap-length pool is ideal. "It's really a wonder that more of them don't drown, and sometimes the baby bats, who are just learning to fly, do." They are not harmed by chlorine, which most of us consume in municipal drinking water, she noted. Baby bats in particular are unlikely to be frightened away by the presence of humans, Hughes went on, and in fact have reason to b€ drawn to a populated pool. "The carbon dioxid€ were exhaling draws mosquitos and gNats and the bats go after the bugs." So the bat disrupni)1lg Y0 ur pool partY could b<'l thirsty or hungry or both. Bl!lt one thing you can be absolutdy SUfr€ of is ~fu.ar it ism't rabid. "WheN bats are sick,'? emphasized Hughes,"'t:hey can't fly." ~Kathleen Fisher, Editor not only for birds but for other forms of are probably the most common terrestrial wildlife. Of critical importance to ecosystem in Florida, surrounding and neotropical songbirds is almost unbroken merging with all other ecosystems. It's flat, forest between their breeding grQunds in well-drained terrain, composed largely of North America and their wintering longleaf and slash pine over an understory grounds, primarily in Central America. layer of saw palmetto, gallberry (Ilex Two ways to provide such habitat are to glabra), dwarf huckleberry, and tarflower clear no more space than we must when (Befaria racemosa). developing, and to replace as much of the Hydric hammocks-a type of wet tem denuded landscape as possible with native perate forest-are for me the most interest trees, shrubs, and forbs. I've been involved ing. In our area, they contain a rich mix of in both. As head gardener of an estate in evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs north central Florida, I work with wooded over a ground cover of temperate and natural areas; at home, I've begun to re tropic ferns. Hammocks can be found in store vegetation lost to development. moist bottomlands between higher and The estate where I work is a 5,OOO-acre drier sandhill and scrub communities. thoroughbred horse farm nestled in what These latter two ecosystems have similar remains of the vast upland forests that cov soils. But sandhill areas are characterized ered the southeastern coastal plain. It's a by deciduous oaks, longleaf pines, and white flowers spiraling up a stem eight to transition zone of moisture-retentive sandy grasses in an open woodland, while scrub 12 inches long. On another trek, I found a loamy soils, where northern deciduous hard habitats are dominated by a dense mix of cl earing filled with lush swamp fern woods and subtropical evergreens compete evergreen oaks over mostl y bare sand. (B lechnum serrulatum) and Jack-in-the for dominance. Here canopy trees such as The forest on the farm is fragmented, but pulpit (Arisaema triphyl/um). pignut hickories, white ashes, and shumard's much remains intact around rolling pas My home, by contrast, is in a residential red oaks vie for headroom with southern tures grazed by cattle and race horses. Lit development not far from the Gulf of Mex magnolias, cabbage palms, and magnificent tle touched except for a few winding paths, ico, on land that once formed a sandhill 200-year-old live oaks. The understory is its old-growth character is evident in the habitat. It is flat, sandy, somewhat xeric filled with dogwoods, redbuds, horn beams, regular appearance of pileated woodpeck terrain, with a canopy of slash and longleaf and ironwoods, while coontie (Zamia spp.), ers, shy birds that prefer the cover of deep pines towering above an understory of bluestem palmetto, and partridge berry fill woods. During wet su mmers, storm run mixed evergreen and deciduous oaks. Nat ground-level spaces. From a horticultural off creates small streams that wind through ural sandhill ground cover consists mostly point of view, the area is unique, offering the the hammocks past American hollies, of wiregrass (Aristida stricta), but with the opportunity to grow temperate and subtrop sweet bay magnolias, and loblolly bays, suppression of fires, this has thinned and ical plants side by side. disappearing underground in places and oaks have taken over. Surrounding the farm is a crazy quilt of emerging again before spilling into isolated Our half-acre was entirely cleared by the habitats-freshwater ponds, hydric ham ponds formed from age-old sinkholes. builder, so little of the native vegetation mocks, pine flatwoods, scrub and sandhill While exploring one of these ponds, I remained when my wife and I moved in 15 communities, with abrupt changes from came across the endangered ladies' -tresses years ago. To make matters worse, my idea xeric to hydric conditions. Pine flatwoods orchid, Spiranthes praecox, with its tin y of landscapin g at th at time conformed to 20 AUGUST 1994 the traditional principles of neat clipped The grounds of the estate where the hedges, exotic plants, and lots of grass. author works, above, merge gradually Then I realized that not only was I dis from managed beds to natural woods. couraging birds and other animals from The red-winged blackbird, top right, returning-the opposite of my intent-but is a year-round Florida resident, I was creating a lot of unnecessary work while the cedar waxwing, bottom for myself. The gardens may have looked right, is a "snowbird" that winters attractive, but they were sterile. there and flies north in spring. When I was hired more than 17 years Understory plants in the north Florida ago to develop and maintain the grounds woods range from temperate trees like of the estate, I was allowed a great deal of dogwood and redbud to subtropicals freedom. The owners provided only broad like coontie, middle right. direction, seeking above all to preserve as much of the natural surroundings as possi ble. The details were left to me. They en couraged experimentation and were understanding and remarkably tolerant of the many mistakes I made along the way. Searching for a solution to my personal landscape dilemma, I began to note the examples before me every day-the natu- AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 21 FRIENDLY NATIVES 'chard Devine is luckier than most of us in having a 5,OOO-acre "garden." Most of the estate on which he works has been left naturaL Here is a short Rjist of the American native plants occurring on or introdu.ced to the property. Botanical Name Common Name Native Range Herbaceous Ornamentals Blechnum serrulatum Swamp fern Continent-wide Coreopsis gladiata Glades GOreopsis Deep South Crinum americanum Crinum lily Gu).f scates Liatris chapmanii Blazing-star Florid~ Muhlenbergia capillaris Muhly grass Southeast, South-Central Penstem0n. multiflorus Boord-tongue Georgia, Horida Phlox divaricata Woodland phlox East of the Mississippi Ruellia oaroliniensis Wild retunia Mid-Atlantic, Southeast Salvia coccinea 'fliopka;l sage Soatlaeast, l exas Solidago odora Gokie.nrQd Geor,gia" Fledda var. c:.hapmanii Spartina bakeri SaRd cordgrass SQI:IJ)h C'lFolina to Florida Spigelia marilandica Ind.ian pink SQutheast, Glllf -states StDkesia laelJis Stoke's asteli $e>utheast Woodwardia areolata Netted chaiR fern East Coast, Gulf states Yucca fi/'amentos.a "6ea,rgrass Southegst, Gulf states Druse, and Gardening With Native Wild Shrubs Flowers by Samuel B. Jones and Leonard Befar.ia raoemosa Tar£lower Gllorgia, Florida E. Foote. I joined the Nature Conservancy, CalDJcanthus florid-us Sweet shrub Southeast the American Forestry Association, and the Ceanothus americanus New IersllY tea East, Midwest National Wildflower Research Centllr. My Hibiscus coccineus Scarlet hibiscl:ls Georgia, F.loJ;ida library swelled as I bought reference man Uex vomit(')ria Yanpon holly Mid-Atlantic, Southeast uals on native plants of my region. 1te4 virginica V:ifginia willow Mid-Atlantie, Southeast Thus redirected and a bit more knowl Leucothoe axillar-is Doghobble Mid-Atlantic, SQutheast edgeable, I was ready to take the first step Myrica cerifera Wax mYFde Coastal-Maryland to Texas in attracting birds back to my yard-iden Rhododend1'em austrinum flame azalea Georgia to Mississippi tifying birds that appear naturally in the Vaccinium da,.,owi Blueberry Deep South area. Some, like cardinals, bluebirds, Viburnum obovatum Walter's viburnum Deep South nuthatches, and red-winged blackbirds, are Florida residents, moving very little in Trees the course of a year. Others, such as white Celtis laevigata Wad<\}erry Southeast throated sparrows and blue grosbeaks, are Cercis canadensis Redbud Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Texas migratory, just refueling here on their long Chiffmanthu5 l:lirginica F'Finge tree Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Texas journeys north and south. Goldfinches, Cyrilla racemi{lora rifei Southeast cedar waxwings, purple finches, and other Magnolia g1'andiflor.a Southern magnolia Southeast, Texas "snowbirds" winter here and return north Ser.enoa re'Pens SaW paLmetto Deep South, Gulf states in spring, while others that spend the win Styr-ax americanus Storax Southeast ter in Central and South America take up residence here in the summer. The next step-providing the right ral beauty and simplicity of the tarm's wild plants to accommodate the birds-was a areas-and those observations gradually bit more complex. I knew I had to begin transformed my view of the function of with an inventory of the existing vegeta landscaping. I realized it wasn't enough tion, but I was still unfamiliar with many just to fill a site with beal:ltiful plants a,r of the native plants. I was helped with that ranged in sOl11le artistic pattern. through membership in the Florida Native Literature searches uncovered sources Plant Society and their annual field trips. for further ideas. I found support in books One such trip last spring was to one of the like Bold Romantic Gardens by Wolfgang last remaining scrub habitats in south cen Oehme, James van Sweden, and Susan tral Florida. There I learned from research Rademacher Frey, The Natural Garden ers at the Archbold Biological Station in and The Natural Shade Garden by Ken Lake Placid about the scrub jay's depen- 22 AUGUST 1994 USEFUL IMMIGRANTS here is currently a great deal of handwringing over the notion that the enthusiasm for natives has gone too far. But all evidence indicates that the Tpurists among American gardeners are few in number. As Richard Devine says on page 24, he will frequently choose an exotic for an intensively managed bed if it meets aesthetic requirements and performs well under existing conditions. In Florida, that can include subtropicals-"house plants" for the rest of us. Here are a few of the exotics he incorporates with natives and their countries of origin. Botanical Name Common Name Origin Herbaceous Ornamentals Agapanthus afrieanus Lily-of-the-Nile South Africa Asparagus sprengeri Asparagus fern South Africa Begonia coccinea Angel-wing begonia Brazil Clivia miniata Kaffir lily South Africa Cortaderia selloana Pampas grass Argentina Crocosmia 'Lucifer' Montbretia South Af~ica Cuphea hyssopifolia Mexican heather Mexico Dietes bieolor, D. vegeta African iris South Africa Eucharis amazonica Amazon lily Colombia Hedera helix English ivy Eurasia Hosta plantaginea Hosta China, Japan Liriope muscari Monkey grass China, Japan The scrub jay, native to central Maranta leuconeura Prayer plant Brazil Florida, has been brought nearly to Mis can thus sinensis Zebra grass East Asia extinction by development. Ophiopogon japonicus Mondo grass Japan Pachysandra terminalis Japanese spurge Japan dence on fire. Fires started by lightning, it Pennisetum setaceum Fountain grass Africa appears, prevent vegetative succession, Phaius tankervilliae Nun's orchid Himalayas which allows the birds to move about and Plumbago capensis Plumbago South Africa rear their young but still find protection Salvia leucantha 'Emerald' Mexican bush salvia Mexico from predators. Spathiphyllum spp. Spathe flower South America As I developed a sense of the plant com munities that existed here for thousands of Trees and Shrubs years, I began to see what I needed to do to Abelia grandiflora Glossy abelia China preserve habitat on the farm. And the at Camellia sasanqua Japanese camellia Japan tention I paid to preserving and enhancing Hydrangea macrophylla French hydrangea Japan the farm grounds helped me start trans Magnolia soulangiana Saucer magnolia China form ing my home landscape. Pittosporum tobira Japanese pittosporum China, Japan About nine years ago, when I was still a Raphiolepis indica Indian hawthorne South China traditional landscaper, my wife and I planted some Leyland cypresses (x Cupressocyparis leylandii) along our back feel at home. Fortunately, my yard still had border for privacy. By now most are 12 to some native trees left. Scattered about were 15 feet high and six to eight feet wide. an American elm, a few dogwoods, a red Though not native, they have proven to be bud, a couple of slash pines (Pinus elliotii) , an asset, since birds, especiall y cardinals a Magnolia grandiflora, and a laurel oak and blue jays, love to hide among the (Quercus hemisphaerica). branches. The rest of the border was filled I had more freedom to use exotics a t the with exotic shrubs such as Formosa azal farm because they formed a relatively eas, pyracantha, ligustrum, and junipers. minor part of the overall plant palette. The I could have ripped out all the exotics landscaping grades from informal but and replaced them with native plants, but highly structured to completely natural. A that would have been costly and time-con lawn, which winds and flows for several suming. I wasn't trying to restore the orig hundred feet in connecting the main build inal conditions, which would have been ings, surrounds a number of planting beds impossible anyway. Since we still had a lot and is itself surrounded by semi-natural of lawn, I decided that most of it could be woodlands filled with more than a thou replaced with enough natives to make birds sand Formosa azaleas. Farther out, the AMERICAN HORTlCULTURlST 23 ATTRACTING HUMMERS wo years ago I different natural plant communities, many planted a bed of trop of the same plants, such as slash pines, can Tical sage (Salvia coc be grown in each. Upland trees such as cinea) ourside my office, and American elm (Ulmus americana), winged many mornings as I arrive elm (Ulmus alata), ironwood (Carpinus I'm greeted by one or more caroliniana) , and hackberry (Celtis hummingbirds searching laevigata)-which self sows with such de each £lower for nectar. termination at the farm we've even found While it's true that hum it growing in an asphalt driv€!way-do well mers prefer large solitary once established in sandhill areas. Ameri flowers with long floral can beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), tubes and are e.speeially which springs up all over the farm's wood drawn to highly visible reds A ruby-throated hummingbird sips {rom a lands, is a prime source of winter food for and oranges, they're also at fire pink (Silene virginica). mockingbirds, cardinals, wood thrushes, tracted to flowers that and robins. It's just as much at home on my break one OF borh of these. rwles. E"e~f once in a while 'We see them f1yiJ}g from xeric sandhill ground. So in many cases, flower to flower in the rQse gat:defl. They e'Ven get into the greenhouses aI%d fly up I'm able to enrich my home grounds with and down the aisles, seall'ching for gooEl nectar. sOtlrGe~ among the hanging baskets plants started from seeds and cuttings and of impatiens, begonias, and bougainvil,leas. unwelcome volunteers from the farm. Seeing how hummers were attracted to Salvia at the farm, last year I scattered My library research and my bird-watch both tropical and autumn sage (S. greggt'i) throtlghour my more- xeric sections, ing at the farm convinced me I could supply which are beginning to receive visits from ruby th.roats. food for birds at home almost year round Other good humm~ngbird plants for ~s have been buckeye tAesculus spp,,), with a variety of trees, shru bs, and flowers. columbine (Aquilegia,spp.), honeysuckle (Lonieera sj?p.), penstemon, and lobelia. Here is where natives really shine: our Lonicera sempervirens Gan ,De found gwwing wild along fem:e rows and birds have evolved with them and know roadsides. We planteG a: few to coveli a dying tree stump near the edge of our their cycles. I do set our some supplemental pFOperty and they &100m almost year round if the weathel' is warm.. feeders, but I don't want the birds to rely 'Penstemon multJPl,Q,rn'S is a(il abundant native with erect sterns and 15 to 25 white on them since I know I'll sometimes forget to light pink f.lower~ in late spring or early summer. 'they're easy to germinate, so to fill them, especially in bad weather. I've collected seed during field trips and propagated thousands, giving some to a When I look for food plants, I try to find teacher for his native plant nursery at school, others to a nearby state wildlife park, candidates that will be useful in more than and setting the rest out both at the farm and at home. They're great for dry areas. one season. Tulip trees (Liriodendron Lobelia cardinalis is the quintessential hummingbird plant, with 70 or 80 bright red tulipifera), though not a prime food source flowers on stems to three feet high. Be sure to buy plall,ts gJ;own locally. A few years for birds, do supply nectar to humming ago I bought seeds from out-of-state, and while they germinated, the plants never grew birds in the spring, and evening grosbeaks well or f1owe.red. I've. ~rn(:e purchased plants propagated from local sources and had eat the seeds that develop later in the fall. mu,ch better luck. -Richard Devine The red cedar not only attracts warblers and finches, but adds some green to our usually drab winter garden. woodland becomes completely natural. Another attractive evergreen, a ground The more intensively managed beds are cover, is wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa). filled with what functions best. I first look It can grow to four feet in a garden, but I for na tives to fill the slot, but if I can't find haven't seen it over two feet in the woods. the right one I use exotics that satisfy the It has shiny dark green leaves with im aesthetic requirements while performing pressed veins, a profusion of tiny white well under the same conditions. (See side flowers in spring and summer, and a myr bar, page 23.) Less intensively managed iad of bright red berries that begin coloring areas contain more native plants, and the in October; cardinals and blue jays love proportion increases until only natives are them. I've been rooting cuttings at home to allowed in the outlying areas. use under trees and shrubs. This gradual transition, along with the Pines and oaks are important food continuous canopy of live oaks and the sources for birds. Most of our longleaf irregular shape of the lawn, gives the whole pines, once dominant from southern New property a natural look. Birds are ever Jersey along the coast to east Texas, have present. In addition to the pileated wood been harvested for timber. But there are still peckers, red shouldered hawks and great extensive stands of slash pines almost to horned owls make regular appearances. In the southern tip of Florida. Abundant at less inhabited parts of the farm, we see the farm are live oak (Quercus virginiana), nesting bald eagles. water oak (Q. nigra), and laurel oak. At Although tme farm and my home have home the dominant oaks are turkey (Q. 24 AUGUST 1994 laevis), bluejack (Q. incana), and sand live tween shrubs, where they add seasonal oak (Q. geminata). color and increase the fall food supply. Wildflowers allowed to go to seed are Cardinals love sunflower .seeds, so we also good sources of fall and winter food leave the plants scattered in the perennial for ground feeders like doves, quail, bun garden when they've finished blooming. tings, finches, and juncos. In a problem Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella), an area at the farm once used as a vegetable Birds like the brown thrasher, top, other good seed source, can look a little garden and later as a lawn, we began some and the Carolina wren, left, like the ratty when it dies back in fall, so we mix it plantings of wildflowers a couple of years protection of dense undergrowth with perennials like goldenrod (Solidago ago. They've worked out so well we've where they can forage through leaf nemoralis and S. odora var. chapmanii), expanded the area into a roughly kidney litter. In the undisturbed woods of his silk grass (Pityopsis graminifolia), or spi shaped meadow garden of almost 700 employer's estate the author has derwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) that will square feet. The garden begins to look a found rare plants like the endangered hide it when it hits the unkempt stage. little unruly by November, when the last ladies'-tresses orchid, above. Wrens An appreciation of this messy look, like black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) has have built nests on the bookshelves in that for fine wine, is an acquired taste, and faded, but we try to leave the spent flower his office, right. my wife is less tolerant of it than I am. We heads on as long as possible so the birds compromise by limiting it to outlying areas can pick through them for seeds. Before we that I clean up in early winter. cut everything down, I collect any leftover Birds don't like prim and proper yards. seeds to propagate. At home I plant these The more plants, the better. When native wildflower seedlings mostly as fillers be- trees and shrubs are planted thickly to- AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 25 gether they draw insects, which in turn house is one of the latter, a former exercise bring birds that eat them-often cavity pond for race horses, some 500 feet across dwellers like woodpeckers, flickers, and and 10 to 12 feet deep. I plan to surround martins. Carolina wrens and brown it with fresh water plants to give more thrashers like dense undergrowth with lots cover to the ducks, geese, and swans that of leaf litter for foraging. now call it home. At the farm we've noticed that many You don't need anything this immense. birds prefer tOo hunt for food under the Blue jays appreciate a shallow basin I made large expanses of saw palmettos (Serenoa out of leftover concrete and placed near the repens). The palms offer year-round pro fallen tree in my yard. Just turning on tection from the elements and predators, sprinklers always draws birds. allowing th€ birds to search for food Though it wasn't our intent, our swim among the fallen pine needles that form a ming pool attracts another winged crea natural mulch. These dense plantings also ture: for the past six or seven summers, provide shelter and nesting spots. about five bats have been visiting the pool Plants should be mixed to create a rich around dusk, swooping down and skim variety of canopy, IJInderstory, and ground ming its surface, presumably picking up a cover. On the back of my property, I've much-needed drink or searching for insects been experimenting with some passion (see sidebar, page 20). vines (Passiflora incarna.ta.), allowing them Wingless creatures are also attracted to to grow as they please on the Leyland these enhanced habitats. A pocket gopher This pond, formerly used to exercise cypresses. As a larval food for Gulf fritil has disfigured sections of the farm's lawn race horses, is now home to swans, laries, they not only encourage those but with a myriad of little mounds. The piles ducks, and geese. terflies to take up residence, but attract are easily knocked down and spread out, insect-feeding birds as well. The beautiful however, so it's only a minor inconven four-inch blue flowers are a bonus. ience. There's been a slight increase in the Not all birds are particular about their number of snakes sighted, but most are nesting requirements. I've watched Caro harmless and help keep the rodent popula lina wrens build nests on the bookshelves tion in check. in my office or in hanging baskets on the Thus I've gone from installing tidy beds back porch. But cavity nesters, such as of Asian perennials to creating passion woodpeckers, nuthatches, screech owls, flower bowers and welcoming snakes. But and bluebirds, need fence posts or dead or can all of these native plants and dead trees dying trees. Bluebird populations in the really make a difference? Will they save a eastern United States have declined nearly threatened species, or merely encourage 90 percent over the past 50 years, in part more adaptable opportunists to drop by? because so much of our forests have been As individuals, we can do little to save the supplanted by "yards," whose owners dwindling population of songbirds as long as zealously clear them of dead trees. our woodlands continue to shrink in size. When a March 1993 storm blew down Many songbirds are inhabitants of the deep a turkey oak in our yard, we realized after forests, and need large unbroken expanses to much consternation about how to get rid protect them from predators that search of it that it would make a perfect addition wood margins. To ensure their survival, we to our wild garden. We cut it into a few need large preserves linked by greenways, large but picturesque sections, maneuvered shelter belts, and wildlife corridors. them to a spot near the edge of the prop But the back yards of individual home erty, and planted around them. Now we owners can give safe haven to migratory have an enriched habitat for chickadees birds and other wildlife and have the effect and red-headed woodpeckers. of widening such corridors. If each of us Water is also an important part of a bird practices responsible stewardship and re habitat. It offers a refreshing break for moves no more of the tree cover than is migrants and locals alike. Orioles like to absolutely necessary, or adds back some of nest near water, and running water is espe the native flora that have been lost, we can cially attractive to east€rn phoebes and collectively help slow the slide of songbirds great crested flycatchers . and other creatures into extinction. Our On the farm, in addition to the wet-sea reward will be enjoying their sight and son streams, are numerous hammocks and sounds far into the future. ponds. Some of the ponds are deep in the woods and filled with vegetation, while Richard Devine is a former orchid grower others are out in the open. Near the green- who lives in Crystal River, Florida. 26 AUGUST 1994 A Great Notion in Grand Rapids Her city would have a conservatory, Betsy Borre vowed. "That's all there is to it. " BY MARGERY GUEST a rl y next yea r, the Frederi k Meij er Gardens in Grand Rap ids, M ichigan, which features the state's largest conservatory, will open to the public . The Ecampaign to fund it, surpassing its goal of $13.6 million, has bee n ca lled the most successful ever in the region. It began 12 yea rs ago when one determined woman, a se lf-proclaimed garden club dro p- out, dropped back in and galvanized the dis couraged members of the West Michigan Horricultural Society. Betsy Borre (pronounced BOR-ee) is a former teacher of children with mental dis abilities, a lawyer's wife, and the mother of three grown childre n. In the 1970s, she worked unsuccessfully to elect a Demo cratic candidate to the u .S. Senate and then as a coordinator on the 1980 Carter Mondale electi on campaign. Working for Democrats in conservati ve Republica n Grand Rapids may have tempered her met tle, but most important, it gave her an up-close look at fund-raisi ng. She was fas cinated by the process, and paid close at Betsy Borre has planted the area around her private patio with Michigan natives. tention to the campaigns' paid consultants. Borre says while she's neve r had a spec yo unge r brothers to li ve in Fl orida for six that I would care for them." tacular garden, she's always had plants, months, while the six-year-old girl was left This funda mental belief in the impor even if only some containers on a shelf. "I with Mamie . When they re turned, they tance of caring for things was always at the never studied botany, nothing like that," continued to li ve with Mami e for nearly hea rt of Borre's vision fo r a Grand Rapids she says. She credits her grandmother for eight years. garden. From the beginning, she envi instilling in her a special fe eling for gar During that time, Bo rre helped her sioned a public garden in Grand Rapids as dens. Mamie, as a ll the grandchildren grandmother tend her garden, starting a place where all children and adults could called her, created a prize-winning ga rden with small res ponsibilities . "She always lea rn---especiall y those with disabilities. in her yard in downtown Grand Rapids, gave me pansies to plant. It's a smart choice "The garden would be for everybody. That complete with a pond and waterfall. Dur for a child beca use they 're ve ry easy a nd was always my agenda. Always. If th at part ing World War II, Borre's ph ys ician father yo u pi ck them and they come back. She hadn't worked out, I wouldn't have bee n and photojournalist mother took her two bought them, but the understanding was so in vo lved in this." AM ERICAN HORTICULTURIST 27 TREES, SEASONS INSPIRE DESIGN he focal point of the Bob Olson of Cox, Medendorp and Frederik Meijer Gardens Olson, the architect on the project, echoes T will be a 65-foot-high, that sentiment: "The philosophies estab 15,000 square-foot glass con lished early on in terms of educational and servatory whose structural sup handicapped issues were right on the table port is provided by GOncrete and Betsy believes in them very strongly." "trees." Both Bob Olson, the Olson refers to Borre's dogged insistence architect, and David Neder that tbe garden be barrier-free and afford veld, the landscape architect, able for people with low incomes. "Betsy had a strong desire to find an wants inclusiveness. She wants it open and arresting, yet natural means of accessible to everyone. And she wanted inviting the publiG from the The main strue'tures of the Meijer Gardens that before it became popular to want it." parking lot into the buildiag. CU1'Ve to fit the site. He notes that many supposedly public gar They first 'conceived of an dens around the country are not barrier arbOf, envisioniNg at the same time a high! oC'lili.ng and a fairly gramG space. free and have steep admission fees. Nederveld says somethimg "just snapped." Borre's involvement in the garden began An first there was some doubt whether 01' not the tree £ormscould be I1sed to with a newspaper. One evening in 1921 support; the building, \;mt the stmilctural engineer on tEte iJ>wject Eose t 28 AUGUST 1994 The focal point of the Grand 'You may want to give this idea up, but this can get done. I know it and I don't want to Rapids conservatory will be give it up. ", After the meeting, Borre of fered Esler her support. "Betsy, we're concrete "trees," shaped from gonna do this," Esler said. One of the men overheard them and offered to help. The steel rods covered with three agreed to meet again and form a task force. As they walked out together, they plywood. Eventually, 14 of argued about who should be president, a job none of them wanted. Borre lost. them will support the area "I'm not a president type, really," she maintains. "But this situation needed real leading from a vestibule to management-it needed goals and objec tives and allocation of resources to get a the glass conservatory. job done." Borre began to think about who might be interested in helping. She didn't seek out gardeners. From her past political ex perience, she knew she should talk to busi ness people, ePAs, activists, lawyers high-profile people with experience in making things happen. And her instincts told her this project should not be seen as a pretty place for garden club types to hang out, but rather as an important addition to pu blic life in the city. Among the people she talked to were Bob Olson, who had helped remodel the gray Victorian that serves as the Borre home and her husband Glen's law office, and David Nederveld, who had been their landscape architect. One year later, with Borre still president, the task force had those two and 24 other people on board. Most of them enjoyed gardening, but were not active in horticul ture in any organized way. The West Mich igan Horticultural Society membership had jumped to 50 members. They had a small amount of contributed money, a site selection commirtee, and a small grant for a slide show to introduce the project to an unknowing public. Members of the site selection committee visited the Fort Wayne garden and took public garden side-trips during family va cations or business travel. The task force chose a downtown location-John Ball Park, the 140-acre home of the Grand Rap ids zoo- as a possible conservatory site. The zoo director, who had just accepted a new position in Pittsburgh, loved the idea and they began to move forward. But his successor didn't feel the same way, and plans stopped dead. Finding a new site was a tall order con sidering the scope of the project. But Nederveld-Borre calls him "the mind and soul of this project" - continuall y reas sured her that if the group could obtain a AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 29 new and va lid free site, they'd have a legit im ate project that co uld succeed. Aft er looking at 21 potential sites, begin ning in 1983, everyone had the same favor ite- 120 ac res of vacant land owned by the United Auto Workers (UAW). Although there was some commercial deve lopment around it, this acreage was untouched and encompassed four distinct natural habi tats: prairie, woodl ands, marsh, and a perched pond-one a bove the water ta ble. But when the horticultural group ca ll ed, the UAW informed them the land had just been sold to Meij er, Inc., a locall y owned grocery and department store chain and one of Michigan's la rgest reta il ers. It was ea rl y 1989 when the county sud denl y o ffered 53 acres a bout eight miles from downtown. The tas k fo rce eagerl y accepted and dedi cated the land. Now bega n a concentrated push to pres ent the project to the people. Borre and the others o ffered to a ppear at any clu b meet Borre and landscape architect storing the sculptures in a pole barn on ing that needed a speaker-ga rden clubs, company property, hoping to someday find libraries, Ki wa ni s, Rota ry, the Chamber of David N ederveld talk details an appropriate site for them. Meijer envi Commerce. They stressed the benefits of a sioned a setting where children would be botanic ga rden to the community. Above at the site of a 120-seat cafe. encouraged to touch them, even climb on all, it would be a place of lea rning. They them. That was in sync with Borre's own tried to excite the public a bout the renais A terrace for outdoor philosophy, and she quickly realized the sance going on in conservatories-new sculptures could work well with the bota ones were going up in San Antonio, Mil dining is also planned. nic ga rden. But M eij er didn't like the waukee, Fort Wayne, and Des M oines. county land as a site for his sc ulptures. He Grand Rapids should have one too. would still make good on everything he'd The next move was to conduct a profes agreed to, but he wouldn't put his sc ulp sio na l feasibility study to dete rmine tures there. For Borre, this translated to: whether the Gra nd Rapids donor commu he'd give his money but his heart would be nity-individuals and companies with re elsewhere- still looking for a home for his sources to donate large sums of money and sc ulptures. She needed to have M eij er's a history of doing so- would actuall y con whole heart in the ga rden campaign, and tribute to such an enterp rise. The $8,500 she accepted his offer with the promise that study revealed that the donor community was decided that Borre should try to meet the sculptures would be incorporated and knew absolutely nothing about botanic with him and pitch the garden story. the group would find a new site. ga rdens, conse rva tori es, or the West M ich In Octo ber 1990 she ca ll ed M eij er, Inc.'s Borre isn't sure who fin ally rea li ze d that igan Horticultural Society. In spite of th e vice president for community relations and the origin all y favored site-the old UAW fa ct that the society now had over 300 was given the okay to make a presentatio n. la nd-was now owned by Meijer, their members, $45,000 in raised funds, and a They would mee t in M eij er's office. In spite lead donor. She pee rs over her glasses, and grant from M ichi ga n's Department of Nat of being "extremely nervous that day," as ks in a whisper, " Do you believe in fate?" ural Resources to begin architectural pl an Bo rre got up the courage to as k Meij er to M eij er had tried a few years earlier to ning for th e ga rden, it was clear that no be the lead donor. " I asked for a capital gift put one of his stores on the old UAW ca pital fund drive could be started until and an equal size gift to an endowment. property but neighbors, concerned about th ey had a " lead donor"- someone with Then I asked him to be honora ry chair to heavy traffic and noise, halted his plans. grea t resources and a hi gh profil e in th e the ca pital ca mpaign that would ensue. He Now he was considering selling the land, city- someone who would get behind the agreed to everything." but he made Borre an offer: he'd donate 70 projec t with money, credibility, and stat During the meeting, Meij er mentioned of the 120 acres to the ga rden. Everyone at ure. Who could it be? he'd been coll ecting la rge pieces of sc ulp the horticultural society was thrilled. A Frederik Meij er was on the short li st. ture, including some by Marshall Freder concerted public relations effort to make The retired chi ef executive o ffi ce r and son icks, a Michi gan-based , intern ati onally the neighbors part of the pl anning process of th e founder of M eij er, In c. (pronounced kn own sculptor, and Andre H arvey, a local brought them around as well. MY-e r), he was a frequent donor to public sc ulptor known for crea ting large sculp But now the county's already dedicated ca uses but had not bee n approached. It tures appea ling to children. Meij er was land had to be refused. "What happened 30 AUGUST 1994 moving o ut of the picture," says Olson. "We don't want her in the back row. She sho uld be given more credit-but she's not seeking credit; she's ve ry modest." " And it wo uldn't even be underway w ith o ut he r, th a t 's fo r s ure," adds Nederveld . "The garden is becoming a very glamo rous project, you know? There are new people ju st coming a board at the pres ent time who need to be educated as to what the o riginal vi sion was . Even profes sionals. We would tell them, 'This is bar rier-free' and they'd come back with a design th at wasn't at all barri er-fr ee and when we'd object, th ey'd be incredulo us. 'Yo u do n't mea n everywhere, do yo u? ' th ey'd ask, and we'd say, 'Yes, we mea n everywhere. '" Many of us have dreams. H ow was this one woman able to kee p hers ali ve for 12 lo ng years with a ll th e ha rd work and di scouragement a project like this encoun then was ve ry difficult fo r me," Borre says. The main building of the ters? Her two fri ends and fe ll ow visionari es "It just went against my nature . It was like offer th eir th o ughts. Says O lson: "Betsy is we were a couple at the altar and said, 'We Frederik Meijer Gardens, a very bri ght person. She's just ve ry, very do n't. ' We had to write to everyone of the smart. And she works at developing con county commissioners and tell them we as seen from wetlands to se nsus rather than directing people to sim couldn't accept the land-we were chang pl y fo ll ow w ha t she says. She's not ing our minds. H ere's this brand new, huge the north. Fate seemed to lend ego-drive n. She says, 'Let's approach this project that people are just beginning to as a group and the gro up will dec ide the understand and we appeared to be vacillat a hand in obtaining the site. best way to do things.'" in g. We tried to do it ni ce ly, but there was Nederve ld adds that Borre a lso has no nice way to do it, and the project took sound judgment. " She knows when to ta lk a dip it never quite recovered from. " By to someone, when not to ta lk to someone, ending its partnership with county govern when to push, when not to push. She won ment, the group effectively cut itself off Fred Meijer over in that meeting. And I from public funding. thin k she had the in sight to understand that But while county officials may have bee n for the garden to be successful , it would ch agrined, the Grand Rapids Township have to share the space with the sc ulptures, was thrilled to host a 13-million-doll ar and that it would work." public garden and in early 1992 quickly someday using that skill with prisoners. Bo rre seems un concerned a bout whether gave the plan the go-ahead. The task force "The reason I love the idea of horticul or not she is fo rgotten, but is looking for began an earnest person-to-person solicita tural therapy is that it makes so much ward with deli ght to the garden's opening tion of co mmunity members, offering se nse. In prisons, hardened criminals learn to the public. Is the soon-to-o pen real gar $1,000 fo unding memberships and $500 how to be care-takers and produce some den at all li ke th e one she first envisioned ? charter memberships. "Not to buy bricks thing beautiful. In hospitals, critica ll y ill "Exactl y, " she says, nodding her hea d. "In and mortar," says Borre, " but to get us to children learn to care for another li ving the se nse of it, the des ign of it, eve rything." the bricks and morta r. " They ra ised some thing instead of a lways being taken care of. It's been a demanding 12-year journey, $30,000 this way, and the money-raising It's just so hopeful. " sometimes terrific fun , sometimes ve ry dif pump was primed. She hesitates slightly. " It's the sa me kind ficult, but she doesn't regret a mo ment of N ow that the garden is under construc of thing that happened to me when I was it. " You know," she says, " looking back ti on, with the ma in building and th e con six and probably sa ved me-I was left it took a lot longer than I ever thought it se rva to r y a lmost co mpl et ed , Borre behind for a while and sepa rated for no would. And I pl ayed a much bigge r role considers her wo rk on the garden finished. apparent reason. I know how that fee ls. than I ever intended to." Then she breaks Sh e's alrea dy mentall y moved on. She and That's the reason this is ca lling me so into a broad smile. " But if there's one thing her husband plan an early October trip to much." Although Bo rre seems quite con I have confidence in, it's that this is gonna Australia , and when she returns, she'll tent to move on and watch the garden grow be o ne heck of a ga rden. It rea ll y is." begin wo rking on a new goa l: she wants to from a distance, Olson and Nederve ld in vestigate ea rning a master's degree in aren't quite so comfortable. Margery Guest is a free- lance writer fiuing ho rticultura l thera py, with the hope of "We're a little fru strated that Betsy is in Grand R A~ I FR I C A N HORTICULTURIST 11 or those who don't demand din ner-plate proportions in their flowers, an entire clan of suit After July able candidates awaits consider ation in the Agastache tribe. In writingF the New York Botanical Garden's Encyclopedia o(Horticulture, Thomas Ev erett saw agastaches as most suited for use " in a n informal semiwild state." But Agastache they're so easy to grow and they bloom for so long-throughout the summer and For the late summer blahs, often until frost-that they deserve a more important place in the garden hierarchy. try these fragrant mint relatives. Agastaches are robust perennials in the mint family (Labiatae or Lamiaceae), often aromatic, with triangular or oval leaves. Their branch tips taper into flowering spikes composed of tiered whorls of bracts bearing many small flowers. The Greek words "agan" and "stachys" translate as "many ears of wheat," a reference to the dense character of these floral clusters. They're unique among the mint family for flowering at their tips, since most of their relatives flower from axillary buds. Except for a sole Asian representative, the 22 species of Agastache are exclusive to North America. Taxonomists have split the genus into two divisions, based on whether their stamens are crossed or parallel. Of the eight species with parallel sta mens (s ubdivision Agastache), four grow stiffly upright. One of these is the Asian species; the other three are found east of B y J A ( K H E N N N G the Rocky Mountains. The remaining four have thinner stems that tend to flop over, but short basal internodes-the spaces be white-flowered variety, 'Alabaster' (some nel-like but unique, and so pervasive that tween their leaves-make the plants look times called 'Alba'), which has paler green it will flavor honey produced from bees bushy. These grow naturally from our foliage. feeding off the flowers. In fact, anise hys Northwest into British Columbia. The amenable anise hyssop needs little sop reached a zenith of popularity as a Of the 14 crossed-stamened agastaches more than a sunny, well-aerated site. In honey-flavoring plant just before the turn (s ubdivision Brittonastrum), 11 are pri USDA Zone 6, it will occasionally die out of the century. " It produces honey in the marily erect, and all members of the subdi during a cold winter, but will leave a pro greatest abundance," H.A. Terry wrote in vision are native to the Southwest. digious legacy of seedlings in its wake. It the Beekeeper's Journal of March 1872, Most of the agastaches are ornamental doesn't seem to perform well as far south "which possesses in a slight degree the enough to grace our gardens, but few are as Zone 9 because of its preference for same fragrance of the plant, which renders available in the nursery trade. The mo§t cooler evenings. Cool spring temperatures it exceedingly pleasant to the taste. " well-known is the sweetly scented anise give its new foliage a purple tint, an ephem Native Americans used anise hyssop to hyssop (A. (oeniculum), which originated eral trait that makes a good contrast with combat sundry ills. According to as a prairie plant before migrating yellow-flowered spring bulbs. Once the ethnobotanist Daniel E. Moerman, the eastward. A member of the parallel pale lavender flowers appear, they call out Cheyenne brewed a tea from the leaves to stamened subdivision, anise hyssop forms for silver and white companions in a pastel use as an analgesic, a cough and cold rem an erect candelabra up to three feet tall. garden scene. edy, and to fortify a weakened heart. Dried The undersides of its three-inch-Iong oval Anise hyssop has long been valued for its leaves were crushed into a powder for rub leaves are covered in a white felt of near aroma. In The Complete Book o( Herbs, bing on a fevered body or to induce per microscopic hairs, and the four-inch taper Spices, and Condiments, Carol Ann spiring in a sweat lodge. The Chippewa ing flower spike, composed of tightly Rinzler explains that the scent is a mingling dressed burns with a poultice of the leaves. packed whorls of pale violet calyces, pro of two chemicals-anisaldehyde imparts a Modern American herbalists don't have duces a succession of tiny blue flowers vanilla sweetness and pulegone gives it the much to say about anise hyssop, but throughout the summer. There is also a bite of camphor. The combination is fen- Eastern pharmacopoeias frequently men- 32 AUGUST 1994 The fennel-like flavor imparted to honey by anise hyssop made it a favorite of beekeepers at the turn of the century. AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 33 HARVESTING A GAS T A ( H E n additi on to their medicinal uses, agastaches can be used like mints in tea and and half an inch wide. The flower spike, as food fl avoring. The flowers are usually a lighter flavor of whatever the leaf whi ch ranges in color from pale rosy pink I scent ha ppens to be. All agastaches-not only anise hyssop-have a licorice to near crimson, is usually about four fl avor, mixed with that of mint, lemon, or another fruit. The most pungent tea is inches long but can reach one foot in a made from fresh leaves or flowers, since drying tends to reduce the intensity of the favorable site. The original range of A. fla vo ring. Leaves should be harvested early in the day during a sunny, rain-free m exicana is said to be central Mexico, but spell , since those conditions create the highest concentration of oils. Both leaves it's hard to pin down since the native Mex and flowers make interesting additions to the mixed greens of a mesclun salad or icans planted it throughout the country. ga rnishes for fruit desserts. -Jack Henning There's also reportedly a white form, trea sured for its rarity. According to Karen Ford's Las Yerbas de ti on its As ian relati ve, A. nlgosa. [t seems La Gente, a 1975 report for the University to have sim il ar remedia l attributes, since it of Michigan, A. mexicana leaves were is brewed in tO .a soothing tea for coughs, brewed for cold remedies, and another colds, and lung ailments. Qingcai Z hang southwest native, A. pallidiflora, was used and Hung-yen Hsu, in a supplement to fo r a cough medicine and a decongestant their 1990 book AIDS and Chinese Medi snuff. According to Moerman, the Navaho cine, report its use with oth er herbs to used the pulverized root of that species to make Zhi Xie 1, a treatment for diarrhea treat skin ailments and as a disinfectant. and fever ca used by AIDS. A. pallidiflora is handsome for its erect, The lea ves of A. rugosa a re slightly narrow ha bit, but isn't as exciting as its larger than those of anise hyssop, and it is large-flowered brethren. Its pink to purple proba bl y a bit more tender, but it also has fl ow er spike is similar to that o f A. pale purple fl owers with parall el stamens, urticifoLia except for having parallel sta carried on fo ur- to six-i nch spikes. The mens, and botanists have suggested that it's simil a rities suggest the classic pattern of an evolutionary link between the two sub close rese mblance between East Asian and divisions. But its leaves are quite differ eastern North America n pla nts. [n the ent-small, hairy, triangular, and held 1980s, however, chemi ca l analys is fo und a close to the stems. closer alliance between A. rugosa and a A. cana of New Mexico and western western North American plant, A. u rtici Texas is more will owy and more hardy, up fo lia. James Vogel mann of the Uni versity to Zone 7. [t has wiry, bra nched stems up of India na, who conducted the a nalys is, Agastache pallidiflora is a native of to fo ur feet ta ll , clothed in hoary leaves less theorize d th at this rarer alliance could have the Southwest, once used for a cough th an half th e size of the Mexican agastache. been the res ult of a common ances tral link medicine and snuff. Its brig ht magenta flowers a ppea r late in during a warm peri od in America 14 to 19 the season on a loose inflorescence up to a million yea rs ago. This plant migrated showies t members of the genus. They also foot long. There seems to be no written across an ancient land bridge to Siberi a, tend to bloom later, intO fall. It's not sur ex pl anati on for th e o ri gin of its common Vogelmann suggested, and became region prising that they're ha rd to find in nurs name, mosq ui tO agastache, but Texas folk all y exti nct during subsequent cooling. eries, since they're notOriously hard to lo re ho ld s th at it's an in sect repell ent. A. urticifoLia, the horsemint hyssop, is propagate. M any have small leaves typical Tha t's not surprising, since both a n wides pread in moist sites throughout the of the arid Southwest, but onl y two endure isa ld ehyde and pul egone a re insecticides. Northwest. It's easy to see the origin of its truly desert conditions. M ost occur in open Tenderness is n't necessarily the rule specific na me, meaning stingin g leaved, but pine and oak woods. They're adapted to amo ng southwestern agastaches. Since the short hairs that cover its nettle-sha,ped intense sun and summers of infrequent some are at home in the mountain s, a leaves are painless to touch . H orsemint rain , and they demand dry winters as well. careful se lection of variants can give cer hyssop can vary in height fr om three to six This heat and low humidity promote an tain species a Zone 6 or even 5 hardiness, fee t ta ll and the spikes that bea r its rosy intense conce ntra ti on of volatil e o il s in as long as they stay dry in winter. Thus the purple fl owers, from two to six inches. It's so uthwes t agastac hes . Their scents range orange rose A. rupestris and the shocking ha rdy from Zones 7 through 9. fr o lll th e ba lsa m-ca la mint odor o f A. pink A. pallida var. pal/ida enter the pic This agastache has a strong mint fl avor, mexicana to the li corice redolence of A. ture, most notably as parents in a race of and while most animals prefer blander cana. Their fl owers a re larger a nd more fl oriferous hybrids developed by Richard fare, both wild and domestic fauna like to tube-sha ped than their eastern cousins, Dufresne, a la biate-obsessed gardener in graze on it. Birds are espec ia ll y fond of its suggesting po llin ati on by hummingbirds North Carolina. (See "The Sage of Sa l seeds, along with those of the anise hyssop. rather th an bee s. vias," American Horticulturist, OctOber The Paiute and Shoshone made med ic in al A. mexicana, ha rd y onl y in Z ones 9 and 1992.) Kn own for their ease of propaga use of its leaves, and occasionall y ate its 10, is worth growing as a n annual else ti on fr om cuttings, two Dufresne introduc seeds out of hand or ground in tO a fl our. where. It is composed of a few erect, un tions, 'Tutti-Frutti' and 'Firebird', reli abl y The crossed-s tamened agastaches a re branched stems two to three feet long with overwinter in Zone 6 as long as their so il less we ll -known, but include some of the tri angular leaves two and a half inches long is amended for sharp drainage and they are 34 AUGUST 1994 shielded from excess winter mo isture by a snow blanket or overhanging roof lin e. Aptly named for the li ght fruity tang of its triangular leaves, 'Tutti-Frutti' resulted from a hand-pollinated cross between a strongly lemon-scented form of A. mexi cana, 'Toronj il Morado', and the hardier A. pallida var. pal/ida. 'Tutti-Frutti' begins bl oomin g in midsummer and seems to ga ther stea m moving into autumn, its 18- in ch spikes of dusky rose-flushed ca lyces studded with raspberry pink fl owers. With sparse, stiff branches like A. mexicana, 'Tutti-Frutti' grows to three feet its first season and approaches five feet by its sec ond year. 'Firebird' is a bushy pl a nt up to three feet tall with bl ossoms of coppery o range backed by rose-tinted calyces, the old fl owers bleeding to magenta with age. It Above: Buttery orange 'Apricot occ urred as a natural cross, ge tting its Sunrise' was developed by North size and shape from the Mexican A. Carolina millt breeder Richard coccinea a nd its hardiness and colora ti o n Dufresne. Left: The leaves of from A. rupestris of Arizona and New Aga~tache cana, a willowy species Mexico. With purple-fl ushed new fo from New Mexico alld westen! li age, 'Firebird' straddles the fence be Texas, are said to repel mosquitos. tween many different colo rs, mak ing it inva lu a ble as a "blending" plant. At Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, New York, horticulturis t Rita Kings ley takes advantage of its cha meleonic qualities to knit together a border of sunset hues including achillea, daylilies, nasturtiums, roses, and peach-toned dahli as. Other Dufresne hybrids a re suited for Zone 7, most notably 'Apricot Sunrise'. A natural cross between ora nge A. coccinea and the golden-flowered A. au rantiaca from Mexico and the southwes t U.S. mountains, 'Apricot Sunrise' pro duces a clear buttery o range fl ower with ava il a ble in the trade only as seeds because , none of the rosy overlay of ' Firebird'. It of the difficulties in propagating them veg SOURCES forms a three- to four-foot, o pen and etati ve ly. While the northwestern agas willowy plant suggestive of A. cana. The taches are said to germinate errati call y, the Logee's Greenhouses, 141 North Street, burnished orange flowers and gray green appearance o f their southwestern relati ves Danielson, CT 06239, (203) 774-8038. leaves are especially striking against d eep in widely varied habitats indicates their A. foelliculum, 'Firebird', 'Tutti-Frutti'. purples and blues. readiness to sprout. Cata log $3. Although longev ity isn't part of their Agastaches can be treated as half-hardy, Pl ants of the Southwest, Aqua Fria, Route reputation, ma ny of the agastaches can long-blooming a nnua ls north of their har 6, Box l1A, Santa Fe, NM 87501, (505) last for 10 ye ars o r more in the garden if diness range. Where they are hardy, their 471-2212. A. cana. Catalog $1.50. they' re kept in a sunny, well-aerated, upright narrow shape makes them ideal for Sandy Mush H erb Nursery, 3 16 Surrett humus-laden soil of low fertility. Excess filling gaps left by earl y bloo mers. Add to Cove Road, Leicester, NC 28748-9622, nitrogen tends to promote tall, thin this that they require no deadheading, and (704) 683-2014. A large assortment. plants that will need staking, a nd overfed it's clear that the agastache tribe should be Cata log $4. pl ants may succumb to root rot in d amp welcomed into the garden of anyone who Southwestern Native Seeds, P. O. Box winters. The southwestern agastaches appreciates a combination of low-ma inte 50503, Tucson, AZ 85703. A. pallida like a bit of lime in their soil , and their nance and striking colors. va r. pal/ida. A. urticifolia. Catalog $1. colors may bl each out in climates with Sunnybrook Farms, 9448 Mayfield Road, high humidity and warm nights. Ja ck Henning works for a lal1dscape design P. O. Box 6, Ches terfield , OH 44026. A. Most of the southwestern agastaches are company in New York City. mexicalla. Catalog $1. AMER ICAN HORTICULTURIST 35 Mantis Metamorphosis 36 AU(,U, T 1994 How a stick-shaped cannibal won over an avowed entomophobe. B y M A G G E p E R R y efore I tell my story, I think it's room-well away from both humans and intentionally introduced in the 1890s. So important that yo u know I'm "real" animals. was the narrow-winged mantis (T. an an "animal person" as we ll as Sin ce the mantis was found in my back gustipennis), a south Asian species im a gardener. I love animals al yard garden, I had some clue as to what ported in 1933. My visitor was probably a most as much as I love the feel type of habitat it would require. I began by Mantis religiosa. oBf rich ga rden soil under my fingernails or putting two inches of soil in the bottom of AU mantids have the same basic anat the sight of neat, straight rows of bean the tank. Then I added a small tree branch omy: a long, rather substantial abdomen, plants in midsummer. I see a kind of paral and some plants. I used weeds: I wasn't slender thora x, and a triangular head atop lel between a well-tended garden and an about to sacrifice so much as a pansy to the a very fl exible neck. Unlike any other in affectionate pet: both seem to thrive on enemy. A rock with crevices and a sma ll sect, a mantis can look over its "shoulder," attention. bowl of water completed the decor. I cov which a ll ows it to make good use of its But I had never regarded insects as ani ered the tank with a plate of glass, leaving well-developed eyes. It walks with its two mals. I knew, of course, that there were an opening large enough to admit fresh air lower pairs of legs; the upper pair is mod "beneficial" bugs~reatures to whom I but too small to permit escape. ified into a set of heavy-duty pincers, used was supposed to be grateful, as fellow gar I stood back and admired my handi for hunting and repelling attackers. Its deners would tell me. But I could never work. Yes, I thought, it looks like a nice mouthparts are small but very strong, al reall y get over the bad ones. Bugs, for me, enough cage, but what about food? I had lowing it to pi erce the tough exoskeletons were th e things that preyed on my defense no idea what this living twig might regard of its prey. less seedlings-that wreaked havoc on as a meal. Did it eat leaves, flowers, or But there's a great deal of va riation on bl ooms and produce alike. And besides, I other bugs? Its diet wasn't the only mys the basic theme. Mantids range in length thought, most insects are ugly. No: as far tery. Does it bite people? I wondered. Are from a fraction of an inch to a formidable as I was concerned, bugs were definitely those enormous front claws used to pinch half foot. They come in a full palette of not animals. or grasp? Where and how long does it live? colors, from muted browns and greens to So perhaps you will understand my re The situati on demanded research. I was pink, yellow, or vibrant green-and-white action when, on a sunny afternoon last fall, off to the library, where I discovered that patterns. Some species fly, while others are a young neighbor came running up to show the mantis is no monster. Des pite its fear earth-bound. In some, only the males fly. me something cupped in his hands. " Look some mien, the mantis posed no threat to Our common name for the mantis recalls what I found in your garden! " he ex either my azaleas or my family. its characteristic posture, which resembles claimed. Mantises or mantids, as entomologists a human at prayer, hands together and When he opened his hand to reveal his usually call them, are related to grasshop head bowed. But the only thing a mantis is prize, I wanted to scream and run for the pers, crickets, and cockroaches. (The sim i praying for is its next meal. Mantids are insecticide. larities have to do with fine points of insect voracious and indiscriminate carnivores. There was an alien-looking monster a anatomy, not behavior.) But the exact rela They will eat any insect they can catch, couple of inches long. A live stick with tionships are not very clear. Mantids are including other mantids, and some species eyes-a praying mantis! Not wanting to sometimes grouped with all these related will attack frogs, lizards, and small birds as disappoint this 10-year-old entomologist, I bugs in the order Orthoptera. Sometimes well. stifled my shock and took a closer look. they're classed with roaches alone, in the Mantids are accomplished stalkers. Curiosity soon got the better of contempt order Dictyopera, or they may be given Their form and color make them look more and I found myself wondering about this their own order, Mantodea. Whatever the vegetable than animal, and some species strange creature. Questions about its be classification, the total number of mantid enhance that effect by swaying gently, to havior and function formed in my head species is thought to be about 1,800 world look like leaves stirring in a breeze. Some and I determined to find out all I could wide. Mantids are native to Africa, Europe, ca n lighten or darken themselves, like cha about my visitor. Asia, and the Americas. meleons, to suit the prevailing light. Many In the meantime, I wasn't about to return North America has 11 resident mantids. lurk near flowers to ambush pollinating it to the garden. Where there was one bug, But our most common mantis, Mantis insects. One African species is actually I knew there would almost certainly be religiosa, is not native. It arrived as a stow adapted to look like a flower, to attract its others, but I just couldn't bring myself to away in a shipment of nursery stock from set it fr ee. I resolved to quarantine the southern Europe in 1899. Some of our Opposite: A walking twig with an invader. With my daughter's help, I set up other mantids are immigrants too. The attitude. Mantids are among our most a 20-gallon aquarium in the spare bed- Chinese mantis, Tenodera aridifolia, was formidable insect predators. AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 37 would -be pollin ato rs to a sudden demise. The ootheca is said to repel birds but it I fed my mantis spiders, moths, and may attract other diners. I noticed that my sma ll gra ssho ppers. She abstained fr om the mantis's egg case was getting plenty of cri ckets [ offered, even though crickets are attention from two pill bugs, or wood lice, supposed to be a favorite food. She seemed that must have come into the tank with the to prefer the moths to anything else; it soil. They had eaten about half of the 50 usuall y took her about five minutes to eat or 60 eggs in the case before I realized what one. Once she appeared mildly interested they were up to. I moved what was left of in a honey bee but ev idently she wasn't the case into a separate jar. My mantis's hungry--{)r perh aps she was unfamiliar eggs were pa le beige, roughly a quarter of with this snack. No doubt, my garden of an inch long, and about as thick as a pencil fered a far more extensive menu . lead. I'm sorry to report that none of them When a mantis senses movement, it will hatched. twitch its slim , delicate antennae and turn A successful clutch produces miniature its head like a ca t whose curiosity ha s been versions of the parents. Newly hatched piqued. Usually slow and graceful in its mantids need no maternal care and they movements, the mantis is lightening quick start life with a voracious appetite. They'll to react to nearby prey. It snaps up its eat anything that's small enough and comes victim, then positions it para llel to its own within reach, including their own siblings. thorax. Next, the mantis inflicts an im Before they reach adulthood, mantids go mobilizing bite in the area corresponding through several molts, growing larger each Mantids often stake out flowers to to the back of the neck . Dinner itself is a time they shed their skins. Flying species trap pollinators. more leisurely affair, typically beginning develop wings only after the final molt. with the victim's head, then the thorax, The mantis may look like a miniature then the a bdomen. Often the legs and monster but it is, as organic growers say, a wings are discarded. "beneficial"-a good bug. You can even After dinner, the ma ntis takes a bath. buy mantis egg caS(lS from suppliers of First it runs its forelegs through its mandi organic pest controls. Unfortunately, host bles, lik e a cat licking its paws. Then it ing a mantis is no guarantee against invad passes its forelegs over its head and anten ing hordes of aphids making a banquet of nae to brush off any remaining morsels. your roses, or grasshoppers holding end Lastly, it brings its hind legs up, one at a of-summer picnics among your vegetables. time, grasping each in a pincer and running So far, systematic attempts to use mantids nearly the entire length of the leg through for pest control have yielded indifft'lrent its mandibles. A fastidious creature, the results. The problem may be that as the mantis seems to enjoy bathing almost as mantis population grows, the effect on the much as eating. pests is limited by cannibalism and preda The mantis sleeps at night, hanging up tion on other beneficials. But recently, re side down lik e a bat. Gripping a twig with searchers in China have reported its back legs, the mantis hangs parallel to encouraging results from mantis releases it with its pincers folded up. [ imagine this carefully timed to match exploding pest must be a comfortable position, easing the populations. The Chinese also feed the burden of its enormous forelegs and pro young mantids a special diet to discourage viding some protection from inclement cannibalism. So maybe mantids will one weather. day have a place on the farm. A day after her arrival, [ found my I'm convinced they already have a place houseguest swaying back and forth as if in the garden. That's why, three weeks after she were seasick , secreting a cocoa-brown I had imprisoned her, I restored my mantis foam onto her branch. The sudsy mass was to the freedom of a pink spirea. I knew she an ootheca, or egg case: before her ca pture, hadn't much longer to live, since it was my mantis must have mated, and she was already late autumn and mantids don't now prepating to lay her eggs. Female overwinter. But I also knew my garden mantids may mate with as many as six would be the poorer without her. Today, males. In some spec ies the females eat their when I look among the flowers for her mates during or after copulation-a form relatives, I look at the flowers differently of romance th at recalls the infamous bl ack too. My mantis taught me to see a kind of widow spider. After the ootheca is depos wildemess in the shrubbery. ited, usua ll y o n bark or soil, the mantis expels her eggs into the lather. The foam Maggie Perry is a free-lance writer in Love th en hardens to protect its contents. land, Colorado. 38 AUGUST 1994 Refreshing Gaultherias Wintergreen and its kin are a nostrum for the fall garden. BY DANIEL HINKLEY splendent with a variety of fruits that re a large family that includes heath s, heath li eve the green gloom. We grow many trees, ers, blueberries, and rho do dendro ns. shrubs, a nd perennials fo r this effect, but Gaultherias have the urn-shaped, white or nder the sullen, late autumn one group of plants stands o ut, both for light pink fl owers so common in Ericaceae, skies of the Pacifi c North brilliant fruit and for handsome evergreen but the blooms tend to be hidden by the west, amid a surplus of fo li ar fo li age. In my view, many species of Gaul fo li age. The berries, however, are very col green, gardeners relish any theria, as well as those of the related genus orful and vary greatly from one spec ies to bright colors that shine be Pernettya, are amo ng the a ri stocrats of the yoUnd the first frost. In that season, the fruiting plants. The fruits of the common wintergreen ga rdens at my Washington nurse ry are re- Both of these genera belong to Ericaceae, adorn eastern woodlands in the fall . .-\\IFR ICAN H ORTlClI I TlIR I ~T 19 another. Actually, gaultherias don't have true berries, because the seeds aren't im bedded directly in the flesh of the fruit. Instead, the flesh surrounds a seed capsule. The capsule is explosive: you can make a ripe fruit spit its seeds if you pierce the capsule with a needle. The genus name commemorates Jean Fran~ois Gaultier, an 18th-century French physician who botanized in Quebec. It's appropriate that a botanizer of the New World should preside over these plants. Even though Gaultheria includes over 200 shrubs and ground covers from all over the world, two of its North American species are probably the most widely grown. I grew up in northern Michigan, where I got to know both of these-G. pro cumbens and G. shallon. I could find the former growing wild in the woods, and if you live on the eastern half of the conti nent, you can probably do the same. G. procumbens is the original source of oil of wintergreen, which has since been distilled from several other Gaultheria species. A topnotch ornamental shrublet, it's a com mon understory plant throughout eastern Canada and the northeastern and mid western states, occurring occasionally as far south as Georgia. Spreading by under ground stems, it produces dense tufts of glossy, oval leaves on five-inch stems. White flowers blushed with pink appear in early spring, followed by plump scarlet fruit, ripening in autumn. The fruits are edible; they're sweet and laced with the flavor of wintergreen. Grouse and turkey relish them, as do white tailed deer, which also browse the foliage. Native Americans smoked the leaves and valued the fruit as a tonic for the stomach. week was called lemonleaf. Twenty years syrup, pleasant to the taste" made from European settlers added the plant to their later, gardening in the Pacific Northwest salal berries-apparently the local equiva pharmacopoeia as well. They brewed win amid dense stands of G. shallon, I realized lent of chicken soup. tergreen teas and distilled the aromatic oil I had found the lemonleaf's native habitat. I'm fond of salal. It can be an effective, from the foliage. By the 19th century, oil of In the forest communities of western Wash weed-smothering ground cover in many wintergreen had become a common patent ington and Oregon, the cottage industry of situations. But as a garden subject, it's a bit medicine ingredient. Modern analysis has cutting "greens" is still very much alive. on the boisterous side. It snakes about found the chemical basis for wintergreen's G. shallon, or salal, occurs along the subversively, sending up shoots where they reputation: a high concentration of methyl West Coast from California to Alaska. It aren't welcome, and tends to swamp its salicylate, a compound closely related to prefers moist forests, where it creates im more diminutive neighbors. A better choice aspirin. So even though there are recipes for penetrable thickets of five-foot stems bear for the garden might be the dwarf variety wintergreen pies, jellies, ice cream--even ing glossy, oval leaves up to five inches of salal discovered in central Washington, beer-wild foods connoisseurs should long. Its pinkish white bells appear in in the Cascade Range's Snoqualmie Pass. It watch their dosage. spring and are followed by large clusters of was found about a decade agp by Steve I remember G. shallon not from the blue-black fruit. Native peoples used the Doonan and Phil Pearson, the owners of Michigan woods, but from the florist's re leaves for lining cooking pits and as a Grand Ridge Nursery of Issaquah, Wash frigerator. As a boy, I worked after school medicinal. The berries were eaten both ington. I've had G. shallon 'Snoqualmie at a flower shop, where I had to open and fresh and dried. The History of the Lewis Pass' growing in my peat bed for six years store away shipments of flowers and and Clark Expedition describes an ailing and it has only recently begun to spread. It greens. One of the greens we received every Meriwether Lewis being offered "a kind of forms a neat, dense mound of foliage to 15 40 AUGUST 1994 Salal, far left, is native to the West Coast. It's a showy but unruly garden subject. Moxie-plum, above, occurs in Canada and our northern states. It's more subtle than salal-and harder to grow. A less demanding white-fruited species is Gaultheria itoana, left, a native of Taiwan. inches, and bears flowers and fruit similar This is a slow-growing, distinctive ground to those of the species. cover, usually well under a foot. It does The other three gaultherias native to have a peculiar growth pattern, which I North America are rare in cultivation. G. have observed in more than one locality: humifusa, alpine wintergreen, grows to its older stems tend to die for no apparent about four inches. It's native to the western reason, but new stems sprout in the scars mountain states, where it prefers wet sub left by the dead branches. alpine forests. G. ovatifolia may grow to An equally appealing ground cover is G. eight inches. It has much the same native cunneata, from western China. It has range as alpine wintergreen but prefers small, glossy, pointed leaves and grows to somewhat drier conditions. G. hispidula, about eight inches. Crops of popcorn creeping snowberry or moxie-plum, grows shaped white fruit blushed with pink ap in coniferous forests and sphagnum bogs pear in fall and remain through December. all across Canada and occasionally in the G. itoana, from Taiwan, bears tiny nee northern states. It's a low, trailing, semi dlelike foliage on five-inch stems. Snaking herbaceous shrub. All three species have a about the front of our peat bed, this species reputation for exactitude in their growing forms handsome greenish bronze mats requirements. studded with white fruit in autumn. Outside North America, Gaultheria has G. veitchiana, from western China, pro an enormous distribution, from the An duces an I8-inch mound of bright green dean region of South America to East Asia, foliage. Its leaves are fairly large--to four the Himalayas, and Australia. The genus inches-and in late summer it bears a usually favors a cool, moist, subalpine cli pleasing crop of dark blue fruit. mate, like that of the Pacific Northwest. G. tetramera, from western China and I've taken advantage of that fact to grow Tibet, is similar to Veitch's gaultheria in many of the most interesting foreign spe foliage and size. Its fruit is the color of cies. Here are some of my favorites: lavender Venetian glass. In the nursery G. miqueliana, from Japan, has heavily trade, this species is often muddled with G. veined leaves blushed with purple. White hookeri, a much larger Himalayan species fruits appear in late summer or early fall. with white fruit. AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 41 A high-altitude groundhugger, Gaultheria nummularioides, above, hails from the Himalayas. At right, the urn-shaped flowers ofG. veitchiana, from China, invite close inspection. Their form is typical of the genus and the heath family in general. The five-foot South American Pernettya mucronata, far right, commands attention from a distance. G. nummularioides, a low-growing thorities now lump Pernettya into Gaul shrub from the Himalayas, is impressive theria, since they consider the differences mainly for its foliage. The variety minor, a berween the two groups too slight to justify ground-hugging dwarf form, is especially separate genera. But there are some obvi distinctive. With its dark green, rounded ous distinctions. Pernettya, for instance, leaves along prostrate reddish stems, minor produces true berries: the seeds are im forms tidy rosettes bejeweled with shiny bedded in the enlarged tissue of the ovary. black fruit. I consider it one of the finest More important from a horticultural view plants in the genus. point is the prevalence of dioecism in Per G. sinensis boasts perhaps the largest nettya. Gaultherias are self-fertile but in fruit in the genus. These marbles of bril Pernettya, the sexes usually occur on dif liant cerulean blue make a delightful, hu ferent plants. That's not always true morous contrast with the plant's some clones produce flowers with both diminutive habit: it reaches only one foot. sexes-but in general, if you're growing These species are generally at their best pernettyas for the fruit, you'll need both in Zones 6 and 7, but many will survive a male and female plants. Zone 5 winter under a thick layer of mulch. In the garden, the most commonly en You might cover them with fallen leaves countered pernettya is P. mucronata. Na and pine boughs. Of course, heavy snow tive to the southern tip of South America cover makes an excellent mulch. and Chile, this species is hardy through Like Gaultheria, the closely related Zone 7. P. mucronata deserves its popular genus Pernettya is named for an 18th-cen ity. It has probably produced more culti tury botanizer, Antoine Joseph Pernetty. vars than any other member of the genus, He accompanied the famous French ex and the species is a beautiful plant in its plorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville on a own right. Its upright, densely branching trip to the Falkland Islands and South stems may reach five feet but can readily be America and produced a chronicle of the pruned to a more modest stature. The new expedition. Pernettya consists of some 25 growth is cherry red and bears a dense species native to Mexico, South America, complement of dark green needlelike New Zealand, and Tasmania. Some au- leaves. In late spring, the foliage is packed 42 AUGUST 1994 with bright white flowers and at the end of generally reach about two feet and produce well-composted manure. I give the foliage autumn, succulent fruit ripens to shades of pink berries. a quick once over with a push broom to red, pink, or white, depending on the clone. In the 1920s, breeders at the Royal Hor settle the manure in place. Pruning, except The fruits are edible but bland; I find their ticultural Society's gardens in Wisley, Eng to keep the larger plants under control, is appearance more refreshing than their land, succeeded in crossing Gaultheria and unnecessary. taste. Luckily for the gardener, P. Pernettya. They interbred our native salal All these plants make ideal companions mucronata is not entirely dioecious. But as with P. mucronata to produce the bigeneric for dwarf conifers, heaths and heathers, with many species that are only partly self hybrid called x Gaulthettya wisleyensis. vacciniums, leucothoes, and smaller rho fertile, you'll get more fruit if you plant (An alternative name for this artificial dodendrons. But when fall arrives, don't be several different clones. genus is Gaulnettya.) Gaulthettya wisley surprised if you find yourself giving the Excellent for this purpose is the dwarf ensis is usually sold as the selection 'Wisley lower growers top billing. variety, P. mucronata 'Thymifolia'. It Pearl', a tidy little plant only 15 inches forms a mound of very fine dark green high. Its leaves look like miniature salal Daniel Hinkley is co-owner of Herons foliage only eight inches high. Since it's leaves, and it produces multitudes of ivory wood Nursery and a teacher of horticul male, it produces no fruits of its own, but white flowers followed by bacchanal clus ture at Edmonds Community College, near any fruit-bearing clones will benefit greatly ters of blue-black fruit. Like salal, this Seattle. His book, Winter Ornamentals, from its presence. hybrid spreads vigorously by underground was published by Sasquatch Press in 1993. A first-rate fruiting clone of P. muc'/'o runners to form sizable colonies. nata is a plant known at our nursery simply Both genera and their hybrid demand as "the large fruited form." It came from similar growing conditions. They wjll tol SOURCES seed we obtained about seven years ago erate light shade, but here in the Pacific from the University of British Columbia. Northwest they seem to do best in full sun. Forestfarm, 990 Tetherow Road, Wil We've never given the plant a formal name, If you do plant in full sun, you'll have to liams, OR 97544-9599, (503) 846- but it definitely lives up to our matter-of make sure they don't dry out in the sum 7269. Catalog $3. fact label: it bears stunning, rich pink to mer. And of course farther south, full sun Greer Gardens, 1280 Goodpasture Island rose red fruits. Plants offered under the could be too much of a good thing. Before Road, Eugene, OR 97401-1794, (503) name 'Compacta' are also excellent choices planting, the soil should be amended with 686-8266. Catalog $3. for fruit. This term isn't a formal name a generous amount of peat moss, fine bark, Heronswood Nursery, 7530 288th Street either-it's a looser category that includes sawdust, or compost. In spring, my gaul N.E., Kingston, WA 98346, (206) 297- several similar forms. 'Compacta' plants therias respond nicely to a top dressing of 4172. Catalog $3. AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 43 PRONUNCIATIONS Abelia grandiflora uh-BEEL-yuh Crinum americanum KRY-num Ilex glabra EYE-leks GLAB-ruh gran-dih-FLOR-uh uh-mer-ih-KAN-um 1. vomitoria 1. vom-ih-TOR-ee-uh Aesculus ES-kyew-lus Crocosmia kroh-KAHZ-mee-uh Itea virginica eye-TEE-uh vir-JIN-ih-kuh Agapanthus africanus ag-ah-PAN-thus Cryptanthus krip-TAN-thus Leucobryum longifolium loo-koh-BRY-um af-rih-KAN-us Cuphea hyssopifolia KYEW-fee-uh lon-jih-FOE-lee-um Agastache aurantiaca ah-guh-STAH-she hiss-sop-ih-FOE-lee-uh Liatris chapmanii lie-AY-triss ar-an-tee-AH-kuh x Cupressocyparis leyland;i chap-MAN-ee-eye A cana A. KAN-uh koo-press-oh-SIP-ar-iss lay-LAND-ee-eye Liriope muscari lih-RY-oh-pee mus-KAR-eye A coccinea A. kok-SIN-ee-uh Cyrilla racemiflora sigh-RIL-luh Leucothoe axillaris loo-KOH-thoh-ee A foeniculum A. fee-NICK-yew-lum ras-em-ih-FLO R -uh ak-sih-LAIR-iss A mexicana A. mex-ih-KAN-uh Dianthus die-AN-thus Liriodendron tulipifera leer-ee-oh-DEN-dron A pallida A. PAL-lih-duh Dicranum longifolium die-KRAN-um too-lih-PIH-fer-uh A pallidiflora A. pal-lih-dih-FLOR-uh lon-jih-FOE-lee-um Lobelia cardinalis low-BEEL-yuh A rugosa A. roo-GO-suh Dietes bicolor die-EE-teez by-KUL-er kar-dih-NAL-iss A rupestris A. roo-PES-triss D. vegeta D. VEJ-eh-tuh Lonicera sempervirens lah-NISS-er-uh A urticifolia A. er-tih-sih-FOE-lee-uh Eucharis amazonica YEW-kah-riss sem-per-VY-renz Andrea petrophila AN-dree-uh am-ah-ZAHN-ih-kuh Magnolia grandiflora mag-NOLE-yuh peh-TROF-ih-luh Ficus pumila FIE-kus PYEW-mih-luh gran-dih-FLOR-uh Aquilegia ah-kwi-LEE-juh Gaillardia pulchella gay-LARD-ee-uh M. macrophylla M. mak-roh-FIL-luh Arisaema triphyllum air-ih-SEE-muh pul-KEL-uh M. soulangiana M. soo-lan-jee-AN-uh try-FIL-lum Gaultheria cunneata gahl-THEER-ee-uh Maranta leuconeura muh-RAN-tuh Aristida stricta ah-riss-TEE-duh STRICK-tuh koo-nee-AY-tuh loo-koh-NER-uh Asparagus sprengeri as-PAIR-uh-gus G. hispidula G. hiss-PID-yew-luh Miscanthus sinensis miz-KAN-thus SPREN G-ger-eye G. hookeri G. HOOK-er-eye sigh-NEN-siss Bartramia pomiformis bar-TRAM-ee-uh G. humifusa G. hyew-mih-FEW-suh Muhlenbergia capillaris mew-len-BER-jee-uh pahm-ih-FOR-miss G. itoana G. ih-toh-AN-uh kap-ih-LAIR-iss Befaria racemosa beh-FAR-ee-uh G. miqueliana G. mih-kel-ee-AN-uh Myrica cerifera mih-RY-kuh ser-IF-er-uh ras-eh-MOH-suh G. nummularioides var. minor G. Nepeta cataria NEP-eh-tuh cat-AH-ree-uh Begonia coccinea beh-GOHN-yuh num-uh-lar-ee-OY-deez var. MY-ner N. x faassenii N. x fas-SEN-ee-eye kok-SIN-ee-uh G. ovatifolia G. oh-vat-ih-FOE-lee-uh N. mussinii N. mus-SIN-ee-eye Blechnum serrulatum BLEK-num G. procumbens G. pro-KUM-benz N. nepetella N . nep-eh-TEL-uh sair-yew-LAY-tum G. shallon G. SHAL-lon Ophiopogon japonicus off-ee-oh-POH-gon Callicarpa americana kal-lih-KAR-puh G. sinensis G. sigh-NEN-siss jah-PON-ih-kus ah-mer-ih-KAN-uh G. tetramera G. tet-ra-MAIR-uh Pachysandra terminalis pak-ih-SAN-druh Calycanthus floridus kal-ee-KAN-thus G. veitchiana G. veech-ee-AN-uh ter-mih-NAL-iss FLOR-ih-dus Gaulthettya wisleyensis Passiflora incamata pass-ih-FLOR-uh Camellia sasanqua kuh-MEEL-yuh gahl-THET-ee-uh wiz-lee-EN-siss in-kar-NAY-tuh sah-SAHNG-kwuh Gunnera chilensis GUN-er-uh chil-EN-siss Pennisetum setaceum pen-ih-SEE-tum Carpinus caroliniana kar-PIE-nus Hedera helix HED-er-uh HE-liks seh-TAY-see-um kair-oh-lin-ee-AN-uh Hedyotis purpurea hed-ee-OH-tiss Penstemon multiflorus PEN-steh-mon ,..------'---, Celtis laevigata SEL-tiss per-PER-ee-uh mul-tih-FLOR-us lee-vih-GAY-tuh Hibiscus coccineus Pemettya mucronata per-NET-ee-uh Ceanothus americanus see-ah-NO high-BISS-kus kok-SIN-ee-us moo-kroh-NAY-tuh thus uh-mer-ih-KAN-us Hosta plantaginea Phaius tankervilliae FAY-us Cercis canadensis SER-siss HAHS-tuh plan-tah-JIN-ee-uh tang-ker-VIL-lee-eye kan-uh-DEN-siss Hydrangea macrophylla high Phlox divaricata FLOKS Chionanthus virginicus DRAN-juh mak-roh-FIL-uh dih-vair-ih-KAY-tuh ky-oh-NAN-thus vir-JIN-ih-kus Hylocomium triquetrum Pinus elliotii PIE-nus el-lee-OT-ee-eye Clivia miniata KLY-vee-uh min-ee-AY-tuh high-loh-KOH-mee-um try-KET-rum Pittosporum tobira pit-toh-SPOR-um Coreopsis gladiata koh-ree-OP-siss Hypnum crista-castrensis HYPE-num toh-BEER-uh glad-ee-AY-tuh kris-tuh-kas-TREN-siss Pityopsis graminifolia pit-ee-OP-siss Cortaderia selwana kor-tah-DEER-ee-uh H. splendens H. SPLEN-denz grah-mih-nih-FOE-lee-uh sel-oh-AN-uh Hypoxis hirsuta high-POK-siss her-SOO-tuh Plumbago auriculata plum-BAY-go 44 AUGUST 1994 ar-ik-yew-LAY-tuh Polytrichum commune pah-Iee-TRIK-um kom-MEW-nee Psychotria neroosa sigh-KOH-tree-uh ner-VOH-suh Quercus geminata KWER-kus jem-ih-NAY-tuh Q_ hemisphaerica Q. hem-iss-FEER-ih-kuh Q. incana Q. in-KAN-uh CLASSIFIEDS Q. laevis Q. LEE-vis Q. nigra Q. NY-gruh Q. virginiana Q. vir-jin-ee-AN-uh Raphiolepis indica raf-ee-oh-LEP-iss IN-dih-kuh Rhododendron austrinum roh-doh-DEN-dron Classified Ad Rates: All classified advertis CACTI & SUCCULENTS aw-STRY-num ing must be prepaid. $1.25 per word; min SEMPERVlVUMS! Hardy succulent rosettes. Rosa multiflora ROH-zuh mul-tih-FLOR-uh imum $25 per insertion. 10 percent Twelve-va riety collection, $15 check. Descrip Rudbeckia fulgida rood-BEK-ee-uh di scount for three consecutive ads using the ti ve li st, $1 deductible. STRONG'S ALPINE FUL-jih-duh same copy, provided each in se rtion meets SUCCULENTS, Dept. C, P.O. Box 2264, Flag staff, AZ 86003-2264. Ruellia caroliniensis roo-EL-ee-uh the $25 minimum after discount. Copy and CARNIVOROUS PLANTS kair-oh-lin-ee-EN-siss prepayment must be received on the 20th Salvia coccinea SAL-vee-uh kok-SIN-ee-uh day of the month three months prior to CA RNIVOROUS (Insectivorous) PLANTS, S. gregii S. GREG-ee-eye seeds, suppli es, and books. Color brochure free. publication date. Send orders to: AHS Ad PETER PAULS NURSERIES , Canandaigua, NY S. leucantha S. loo-KAN-thuh vertising Department, 2300 South Ninth 14424. Serenoa repens sair-eh-NO-uh REP-enz Street, Suite 501, Arlington, VA 22204- EMPLOYMENT Silene virginica sigh-LEE-nee vir-JlN-ih-kuh 2320 or call (703) 892-0733. Solidago odora va!. chapmanii sol-ih-DAY-go PROFESSIONAL CARETAKER AVAILABLE. Expert property care. Horticultural expertise. oh-DOR-uh var. chap-MAN-ee-eye THE AVANT GARDENER Upkeep and improve ment sk ill s. Estate, farm or S. nemoralis S. neh-mor-AL-iss FOR THE GARDENER WHO WANTS MORE ranch position sought in rural West or Rocky Spartina bakeri spar-TEE-nuh BAY-ker-eye FROM GARDENING! Subscribe to THE Mountain States. L.S., P.O. Bo x 761, Ojai, CA Spathiphyllum spath-ih-F1L-lum AVANT GARDENER, the li ve liest, most useful 93024. of all gardening publications. Every month this Spigelia marilandica spy-JEE-Iee-uh unique news service brings you the newest, most JOB SEEKERS-The freshest source of horticul mair-ih-LAN-dih-kuh practical information on new plants, products, tural job openings in America (full, part-time, Spiraea virginiana spy-REE-uh techniques, with sources, feature articles, special seasonal ). Sample issue-$3.50. Three-month vir-jin-ee-AN-uh issues. 26th yea r. Awarded Garden Club of subscription (6 issues)-$19.95.~1CNISA. Em America and Massachusetts Horticultural Soci ployers-for fast, inexpensive vacancy listings, Spiranthes praecox spy-RAN-theez call Ferrell 's JOBS IN HORTICULTURE, 154 E. PREE-koks ety medals. Curious? Sample copy $1. Serious? $12 full year (reg. $18). THE AVANT GAR Chapel Ave., Carlisle, PA 17013-3435. (800) Stokesia laevis stoh-KEE-zee-uh LEE-vis DENER, Box 489M, New York, NY 10028. 428-2474. Fa x: (800) 884-5198. Styrax american us STY-raks BOOKS GREENHOUSES uh-mer-ih-KAN-us HORTICA-AII-Color Cyclopedia of Gar HOBBY GARDENS GREENHOUSES AND Thuidium delicatulum thew-ID-ee-um den/Flora, with Hardiness Zones, also IN SUPPLIES. 12' x 20' greenhouse only $339- del-ih-KAY-tuh-Ium DOOR PLANTS, 8,100 photos, by Dr. A. B. other sizes and handicapped units available. Tradescantia ohiensis trad-es-KAN-tee-uh Graf, $238. TROPICA 4 (1992), 7,000 Color CERTIFIED MASTER GARDENER HOT oh-high-EN-siss photos of plants and trees for warm environ LINE, P.O. Box 83AH, Grand Isle, VT 05458. Ulmus alata UHL-mus ah-LAY-tuh ments,$165. EXOTIC HOUSEPLANTS, 1,200 (802) 372-4041. photos, 150 in color, with keys to care, $8.95. U. americana U. uh-mer-ih-KAN-uh GROUND COVER Circulars gladly sent. Shipping additional. Vaccinium darrowi vak-SIN-ee-um ROEHRS CO., Box 125, East Rutherford, NJ HARDY HEATHERS for all-year garden color! DAIR-row-eye 07073. (201) 939-0090. Fax: (201) 939-0091. Descriptive mail-order list for SASE. Fast ser vice! HEATHS & HEATHERS, P.O. Box 850, Viburnum obovatum vy-BER-num OUT-OF-PRINT, RARE AND USED BOOKS Elma, WA 98541. ahb-oh-YAY-tum for gardeners and collectors. Free catalog Woodwardia areolata wood-WARD-ee-uh FAIR MEADOW BOOKS, 90 Hilltop Dr., HERBS ar-ee-oh-LAY-tuh Trumbull CT 06611. (203) 378-4865. EXTENSIVE COLLECTION-Perennials-se Yucca {ilamentosa YUK-uh BULBS dums-scented geraniums-display gardens fil-uh-men-TOH-suh TULIP COLORBLENDS-First-quality bulbs living room gift shop-catalog, $2-wholesale Zamia ZAY-mee-uh at the best prices. Free catalog, SCHIPPER & list, ·SASE. WRENWOOD, Rt. 4, Box 361, COMPANY, Box 7584a, Greenwich, CT Dept. AH, Berkeley Springs, WV 25411. (304) 06836. (800) 877-8637. "Our Roots are 258-3071. Bulbs." When w~iting advertisers ... HOSTAS Mention you sow their message in DUTCH BULBS for fall planting, 12cm Tulips, CHOICE SELECTION-Hosta specialists, cat DN1 Daffodils, Hyacinths and Miscellaneous. alog $2. SAVORY :S GARDENS, INC., 5300 Catalog Free. Paula Parker DBA, Mary Matti Whiting Ave., Edina, i\1N 55439. (612) 941- son Van Schaik, IMPORTED DUTCH BULBS, 8755. American P.O. Box 32AH, Cavendish, VT 05142. (802) 226-7653. HOUSE PLANTS Horticulturist ANTIQUE TULIPS, DAFFODILS, and more ORCHIDS, GESNERIADS, BEGONIAS, from America's only specialist in rare historic CACTI & SUCCULENTS. Visitors welcome. bulbs-for every garden! Free list, $1 catalog. 1992-1993 catalog, $2. LAURAY OF SALIS It helps your Society help you. OLD HOUSE GARDENS, 536-A Third, Ann BURY, 432 Undermountain Rd., Salisbury, CT Arbor, MI 48103. (313) 995-1486. 06068. (203) 435-2263. AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 45 HYDROPONICS/GROW LIGHTS PLANTS (UNUSUAL) COi\\PLETE HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS srart OVER 2,000 KINDS of choice and affordable The Cactus & ing at $65. high-intensity grow lights from $114. plants. Outstanding ornamentals, American na Free catalog. Send post card to GREENTREES, tives, perennials, rare conifers, pre-bonsai, wild Succulent Society of 2244-H S. Santa Fe Ave .• Vista, CA 92084. life plants, much more. Descriptive catalog, $3. America (800) 772-1997. FORESTFARM, 990 Tetherow Rd., Williams, NURSERY STOCK OR 97544-9599. CHOOSE FROM 1,500 VARIETIES of exciting Invites You to Join! JOY CREEK NURSERY penmnials and native and hardy plants. Many exclusives. Rhododen plants. Catalog $2, refundable, JOY CREEK As a member, you will be part drons. azaleas, conifers, shrubs, trees, perennials NURSERY, Bin 2, 20300 N.W. Watson Rd., and much more, Mail-order catalog, $3. ROS of an international Society Scappoose, OR 97056. founded in 1929 to promote a LYN NURSERY, Dept. AH, Box 69, Roslyn, NY better understanding and 11576. (516) 643-9347. TREES, SHRUBS, PERENNIALS. Extensive appreciation of cacti and PALMS collection of species, varieties and cultivars. succulents. The Society is also RARE AND EXOTIC HAWAIIAN GROWN Quality discount. Catalog $2. OWEN FARMS, dedicated to the protection and PALM AND CYCAD SEEDLINGS from Route 3, Box 158-A-AH, Ripley, TN 38063- preservation of these most unique around the world-Carefully shipped to any 9420. creations of nature. where in the USA. Please send $1 for price list to: KAPOHO PALMS, P.O. Box 3, Dept. A, ROSES By joining you will enjoy many Pahoa, HI 96778. (808) 936-2580. HARDY OWN-ROOT ROSES, Canadian hy benefits, including: PERENNIALS bridized and grown. Book now for early autumn ./ A Subscription to the Cactus BEAUTIFUL PERENNIALS at a pleasing price. planting. Color catalog $2 (credited). HARDY and Succulent Journal. A We at Bluestone have grown and shipped our ROSES FOR THE NORTH, Box 273, Danville, specialty, perennials, for over 20 years. Let us WA 99121-0273. (800) 442-8122. Fax: (800) bi-monthly publication fea 442-3122. turing a balanced presentation help beautify your home with our economical plants, bulbs and shrubs. Write today for our of scientific and cultural FREE color catalog. BLUESTONE PERENNI HORTICO'S LARGE CROP of heavy roses available from mid-November on. Over 700 articles. Advertisers in the ALS, 7201 Middle Ridge, Madison, OH 44057. Journal offer a wide variety of varieties, including: new show roses and ground plants, seeds, literature and You are cordiall y invited to join the covers; English garden roses by David Austin; supplies. American Rhododendron Society Pioneer roses; antique and classic roses by Peter Annual subscription of $25 (U.s.A.) Beales; miniatures by Rennie; 6 thornless HT ./ Membership Voting Benefits: quarterly journal, seed & pollen exchange, varieties; hardy types-Ottawa Explorers, Man Privileges chapter affiliation, conventions. itoba Parkland roses, and the fabulous Pave ./ CSSA Newsletters Dues may be sent to: ment roses. A superb collection from our fidds Barbara Hall, Executive Secretary that are known to be virus-free. Orders shipped ./ Opportunity to obtain rare P.O. Box 1380 • Gloucester, VA 23061 USA by our temperature-controlled truck to UPS de seeds at a nominal cost pots in the USA for local distribution. Catalog, Annual Dues: $3 . Separate catalogs for roses, shru bs (&lin€rs), (fIjp Worm World and perennials. New: Video on roses by English $30--U.S.A., Canada & Mexico rose hybridizer Peter Beales, $25. HORTICO $35--0ther Countries Pennsylvania's Finest INC., 723 Robson Rd., Waterdown, ON LOR (surface mail) Redworms 2Hl. (905) 689-6984. Fax: (905) 689-6566. $55--0ther Countries (airmail) Quality Breeders & Compost Redworms Journal SUbscriptions commence with SEEDS the first issue of each year. Pounds Cost Guaranteed Live SAVING SEEDS? Imprinted Seed Packets, 12 for I $15 Delivery $2. Information pamphlet, $1. Add $1.25 S&H. To begin your membership, Y.L. PRICE HORTICULTURAL, 506 Grove 5 $55 Generous Overcount send your name, address, and a 10 $100 Ave., Catawissa, PA 17820-1000. check or money order in U.S. 50 $400 Postpaid dollars drawn on a U.S. bank to: TOURS 800-1,000 worms per pound! NEW ZEALAND GARDENER'S TOUR, plus CSSA, Inc. orchids in Fiji, garden writer €scorted: Nov. 26 Ihnat Lane P.O. Box 35034 2-30, 1994. All private and public gard€ns in Avella PA 15312 cluding nurseries are exclusively conducted Des Moines, IA 50315-0301 (412) 356-2397 tours. UPTOWN TRAVEL, Dept. HO, 104 U.S.A. King South, Waterloo, ON N2] IPS CANADA r , (519) 886-3320. European Garden Tours TROPICALS Affiliated Clubs in 1994 TROPICAL SEEDS AND BULBS-Thousands There are more than eighty The Gardens of Italy: explore the frnest of types including chocolate, cashew, cinnamon, affiliated organizations located gardens of the Italian Lake district and tea, coffee, banana, heliconia, gingers, annonas, throughout the United States, Tuscany and enjoy 2-3 night stays in chicle, plus palms and much more for your Canada and other countries. For Venice, Florence and Rome. tropical greenhouse or indoor sunroom. Send $3 for catalog. THE BANANA TREE, 715 N. more information on organizing The Chiteaux and Gardens of France: Hampton St. , Easton, PA 18042. an affiliate club, or on the experience the most beautiful gardens location of a club near you, write of Northern France, the castles of the WITCH HAZELS Loire Valley, sightseeing in Normandy to: FRAGRANT WITCH HAZELS BRING the Affiliate Committee and the enchantment of Paris. promise of spring to January and February. Our c/o Mary Jo Gussett Call John Bradfidd al Toe heavily budded plants, shipped to you with care, 11807 Dover 4208 N. m ....y Blvd .. 5 ••. 121. Sacramco.o. CA 95834 will dispel the grip of winter. Lovely catalog, $3. Houston, TX 77031 (800) 505-2505 or (916) 922·7927 FAIRWEATHER GARDENS, Box 330-A, '- ./ Greenwich, NJ 08323. 46 AUGUST 1994 THE 49TH AHS ANNUAL MEETING OCTOBER 13 TO 16 ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA This year the American Horticultural Society's Annual Meeting returns to the Washington , D.C., area with an exciting program that includes lectures by John Brookes, British landscape designer and author; Allan Armitage, horticutiure profes sor at the University of Georgia; and John Alex Floyd, AHS Board Member. and vice president and editor of Southern Living magazine. This year's garden tours will take us to Green Spring Valley outside Balti more, Maryland. As always, the highlight is . our Awards Dinner, honoring horticulture's brightest stars. Optional events include an evening Gala at our River Farm headquar ters in Alexandria, Virginia. For more information on the 1994 Annual Meeting call AHS toll-free at (800) 777-7931 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m . Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. A complete Annual Meeting program will be mailed to members in June.