eric an Horticulturist Volume 74, Number 10 October 1995

ARTICLE S

Garden of Eatin' by Alice L. Ramirez ...... 16 Why should subtropical gardeners have a merely beautiful landscape when they can plant one to snack on? Maples for the Midlands by John Pair ...... 22 When the wind comes sweeping down the Plains, these trees can take it. Lively Clivi as by John E. Bryan ...... 27 You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy these South African bulbs. A Passion for Pelargoniums by David]. Ellis ...... 30 In West Virginia the clock is ticking on a vast collection of rare and OCTOBER'S COVER heirloom house plants. Ph otographed by David Cavagnaro EI Jefe de las Plantas The golden glow peculiar to by Margie Meldman ...... 36 autumn light illuminates the From dawn till dusk David Eppele leads free tours and gives away yellow leaves and orange fruit of cactus seedlings. Water, he believes, is a terrible thing to waste. 'Hachiya', a cultivar of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki). A Vine of Mystery and Wonder The superior fruiting qualities by Art Ode ...... 41 of this species have led to the He thought he could resist this ornamental fruit. Then he let down development of a number of his gourd. cultivars with diversely shaped, sometimes seedless fruits that DEPARTMENTS range from three to five inches in diameter. The fruits ripen in October and November, a little Commentary ...... 4 later than our native D. Members' Forum ...... 5 virginiana, after the leaves have dropped. Native to China Offshoots ...... 6 and hardy to USDA ZOFle 7, typical trees are small with The Urban Gardener...... 8 spreading, low branches, but more upright specimens can Gardeners' Information Service ...... 10 reach 20 to 30 feet. Planting the Future ...... 11 Natural Connections ...... 13 Book Reviews ...... 14 Classifieds ...... 46 Pronunciations ...... 47 American Horticultural Society

The American Horticultural Society seeks to promote and recognize COMMENTARY excellence in horticulture across America.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS assing along the historical tenets of OFFICERS 1995-1996 horticulture has never been one of Mrs. Sarah S. Boasberg Pmy top priorities. As a scientist, I Chairman have always expected that if the beliefs and Washingnon, D.C. procedures of earlier days held up under Dr. William E. BarriGk both controlled study and practical appli­ First Vice Chairman Pine Mountain, Georgia cation, they would trickle down and be in­ Ms. Katy Moss Warner corporated by the next generation of Second Vice Chairman gardeners. Similarly, I assumed that any Lak€ Buena Vista, Florida practices disproven by new findings in the Mr. William A. Pusey field or in the lab would be discarded. But Seaetary nature is never simple, and the variables of Washington, D.C. any situation often mean an aNswer that Mr. Gerald T. Halpin Treasu.rer begins "It depends .... " Alexafldria, Virginia The questions posed by callers to my weekly radio show are always a challenge, because after several decades, I can offer many explanations as to how a certain result or problem hap­ Mr. Sherman Adler pened, and can give several (too many) alternative answers and plans of ac­ Hobe Sound, FIOFida tion. I ca"n usually give a traditional answer from my graduate days at Dr. Thomas G. Amasan Jr. CorNell University, a more environmentally responsible suggestion, and as :Birmingham, Alabama a final resort, what my grandmother would have done prior to the age of Mrs. Nancy H . Callaway synthetic chemicals, polyethylene, and DNA-retooled genes. Horticulture Pin€ Mountain, Georgia is a rich, always changing stew of inherited wisdom and the latest technol­ Mr. James L. Cerfield Down€rs Grove, Illinois ogy, with a bit of hot new fashion thrown in for seasoning. Mr. Paul Ecke Jr. One gardening concern that is both as old as Moses and as new as drip Encinitas, Catifor;nia irrigation is drought. In the survey we sent to members last year, many of Mr. William R. Marken you in our central states and the West said you wanted to hear more about Menlo Park, Ca,JifOlmia your parts of our nation, where a lack of water is often the overriding issue. Mrs. Martyn L. Miller Silv€r Sl"ring, Maryland Low-water gardens are a recurring theme this month. Mrs. Walter M. Margan Jr. Maples are a favorite tree throughout North America at this time of year. Nashvill@, Tennessee John Pair, of the Kansas State University Horticulture Research Center in Mr. William G. Fannill Wichita, tells us about some that provide exceptional autumn color while Martinsville, Virginia tolerating the extremes of the prairie-not only drought but heat, wind, and Dr. Julia W. Rappaport cold winters. Santa Ana, California From Southern California and USDA Zone 11, free-lance writer Alice Mr. Geaffrey L. Rausch Pinsburgh, Pennsylvania Ramirez describes subtropical trees and shrubs that make the landscape Mrs. Josephine M. Shanks look lush, provide delicious fruit, and rarely need watering. In Arizona, Houston, Texas writer Margie Meldman joins a group of fifth-graders touring the garden Mrs. Sellers}. Thomas Jr. of David Eppele, who has made it his mission to teach water conservation Houston, Texas by freely sharing his desert plants and his knowledge of their uses. Mr. Robert D. Volk From Ohio, frequent contributor and horticulturist-of-many-hats Art San Marino, California Ode probes the"mystery of why 5,000 people would join a society devoted Mr. Monroe Whitta{l Alexandria, Virginia solely to gourds. Assistant editor David Ellis journeys to the heart of West Virginia to interview Faye Brawner, who cares for a vast collection of pelargoniums and wonders who will maintain these rare plants in the fu­ PRESIDENT ture. Finally, California bulb expert John Bryan returns with the third arti­ Dr. H. Marc Cathey cle in his series on underused bulbs, this month telling us about clivias. We hope you'll see this issue as reflecting the evolution of AHS, as we work EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT to help make all of you better gardeners, choosing solutions appropriate fa Mrs. Helen Fulcher Walutes your own region, interests, and available time. Don't wait for a survey to let us know about your special needs. H. Marc Cathey, AHS President

4 OCTOBER 1995 American Horticulturist

Editor Kathleen Fisher Assistant Editor MEMBERS' FORUM Terri J. Huck Assistant Editor David J. Ellis Editorial Assistant Nikole Williamson A Hope-Filled Issue do, here's how to make it: Design Director As a member of AHS for many years, I Peel about three fist-sized lotus roots and Joseph Yacinski want to congratulate you on the super Au­ slice them very thin. Blanch them in boil­ Designers gust issue. It is heart warming to be in­ ing water for about four minutes and drain Reg Perry, Pam Johnson formed of the work people like Mike them, and combine in a bowl with one Membership Director Hayman, the Hammers, and the Glancys medium onion and one medium green pep­ Darlene Oliver are undertaking. I see them as pioneers­ per, both diced. Sprinkle with a tablespoon Editorial Advisory Board the new Americans who are seeking to of salt and two tablespoons of celery seed, John E. Bryan work with nature, preserving, conserving, stir, and let stand about an hour. Sausalito, California replenishing, and loving this land, not Combine three-quarters cup of sugar John L. Creech heedlessly devouring it as we have done and a half cup of white vinegar, stirring to Hendersonville, North Carolina these past 300-odd years. dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables Keith Crotz Chillicothe, Illinois It was both a very interesting and hope- and stir, cover, and refrigerate. The pickles filled issue. Edna L. Cowan are ready to ea t in a day and keep for many Panayoti Kelaidis Denver, Colorado Perkasie, Pennsylvania weeks in the refrigerator. Richard W. Lighty Lotus roots are available at some Asian Greenville, Delaware Looking for Lotuses stores from November through January. Peter Loewer "The Legendary Lotus" (June) refers to a Some stores sell the roots already peeled Asheville, North Carolina famous lotus bed, Grass Lake, 50 miles and sliced. Bettie Lauchis Furuta Elvin McDonald northwest of Chicago where 600 acres of Escondido, California Houston, Texas lotus flowers can be seen blooming in Au­ gust. No one I have talked to knows where Longing for the Lowcountry Advertising AHS Advertising Department this lake is located and if it is open to the I was so excited to see a picture of my 506 Russell Road public. Ella F. Hartmann beloved Boone Hall Plantation in the June Alexandria, VA 22301 Davenport, Iowa issue ("Natural Connections-The Cloak (703) 549-2112 of the Oak"), my hea rt almost burst in Color Separations Grass Lake is in the chain-of-lakes section homesickness. Then I read the caption and Heartland Separations, Inc. of Illinois in the northeast corner of the I nearly cried. The name of the town is state. Co-author Molly Dean says that un­ Mount Pleasant, South Carolina-not Printer William Byrd Press, Inc. fortunately the lotus population there is Pleasant Hill. There may not seem to be dwindling. Visitors can still see yellow lo­ any mountains there. Frankly, there aren't Back issues of AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST are tuses at Crabapple Island on Fox Lake any sizable hills of note. There is, however, available at a cost of $5 per copy. The opinions express· south of Grass Lake. The closest landmark a lovely little rise, facing across Charleston ed in the articles that appear in AMERICAN HORTI­ CULTURIST are those of the authors and are nOt is a restaurant and marina, Kortin's, but Harbor, from which the name is supposed­ necessarily those of the Sociery. Botanical nomenclature any nearby marina should have informa­ ly derived. in AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST is based on HOR­ TUS THIRD. Manuscripts, artwork, and photographs tion on Crabapple Island, Dean says. I was not lucky enough to have been born sent for possible publication will be returned if they are in Mount Pleasant or even anywhere in accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We cannot guarantee the safe return of unsolicited material. Lotus Pickles South Carolina, but I was lucky enough to Thank you for the exciting article ,------, have gotten myself transplanted AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST, ISSN 0096-4417, is the official publication of the American Horticu ltural So­ in the June issue about "The Leg­ there, and I have never felt more ciety, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308- endary Lotus," by Molly Dean "at home" anywhere. 1300, (703) 768-5700, and is issued 12 times a yeaL The and John Creech. The text was My husband was transferred American Horticultural Society is a nonprofit organiza­ tion dedicated to excellence in horticulture. Membership intriguingly descriptive and the to Florida, but I still consider my­ in the Society includes a subscription to AMERICAN photography spectacular. self a South Carolinian. My hus­ HORTICULTUR1ST. National membership dues are $45; two years are $80. International dues are $60. When I was a partner in Olu band was born there, so I can tag Copyright © 1995 by the American Horticultural Soci· Pua Botanic Gardens on the island of along on his coattails. I may be coming ety. Second-class postage paid at Alexandri a, Virgin ia, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send Kauai, I learned from a Japanese lady at across as quite fiercely loyal to this area. Form 3579 to AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST, 7931 the grocer how to pickle the brown, pota­ But I can tell you that anyone who claims East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308·1300. tolike roots called hasu. It became a fa­ the South Carolina Lowcountry as home vorite relish. On the chance that some of feels the same way. Mary Ogden Fersner Produced in U.S.A. your readers might enjoy it as much as I Winter Springs, Florida

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 5 AHS Horticultural Partner Horticultural Society of South Florida

AHS President's Council AHS gratefully acknowledges the generous financial support of the President's Council. Members' annual contributions of $1,000 or more provide essential funds for the Society's mission to promote and improve the OFFSHOOTS art, science, practice, and enjoyment of horticulture throughout the United States. Alexandria Council of Garden Clubs Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Angino Mrs. Suzanne Frutig Bales Dr. William E. Barrick Mrs. James L. Bartlett Jr. Dr. Sherran Blair Mrs. Mary Katherine Blount Mrs. Sarah S. Boasberg Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs Col. and Mrs. Kimberly Brabson Mrs. Nancy H. Callaway Dr. and Mrs. H. Marc Cathey Mr. ana Mrs. Glen Charles ' Mr. and Mrs. Sidney L. Clinkscales Mr. aad Mrs. Charles W. Coker Ms. Margery Hale Crane Ms. Maureen De St. Croix Mrs. Beverley White Dunn Mr. Paul uke Jr. Dr. Jolin Alex Floyd Jr. Mrs. Richard W. Freeman Mr. Gerala T. Halpin Mrs. Richard W. Hamming Mrs. Enid A. Haupt Mr. Claude H0pe Mr. Philip Huey Mrs. Jane Kammerer Mrs. William C. Knox Ms. Helen Kovach Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Kulp Mr. and Mrs. Gerson Leiber Mr. David M. Lilly Los Angeles Flower Market of, the American Florists' Exchange A Pleasance For All success, I branched out each year after that, Mrs. Thomas Marshall sowing seeds such as snapdragons and Mr. Altred S. Martin by Barbara Overton Christie squash before I could read the instructions Mr. Roger Milliken Mrs. Phyllis L. Moerman on the packets. Some things grew and pros- Mrs. Walter M. Morgan Jr. learned to drive a car when I was 15 pered, others petered out or never even ger­ Ms. Carol C. Morrison years old. At the wheel of an old Chevy minated. Haphazardly but happily, I Mr. Robert E. Newton roadster, with my brother beside me giv- turned into a gardener by trial and error. Mr. William G. Pannill I Mrs. Patricia L. Pierce ing instructive encouragement, I practiced How things have changed! Millions of M·rs. Frances Jones Poetker tootling uphill and down, around the vehicles now on our highways and byways Mr. and Mrs. William A. Pusey curves of our suburban neighborhood. The have necessitated stringent laws and tests to Dr. Julia W. Rappaport Harry A. Rissetto Esq. day following my 16th birthday, after a be mastered before anyone can become a li­ Mrs. Jane N. Scarff hasty, last-minute perusal of the DMV censed driver. Driver's education courses Mrs. Josephine M. Shanks handbook for motorists, I went to the local are prerequisites for first-time navigators on Mr. Emanuel Shemin office, took the road test, and received my the road. Even after 50 or 60 years behind Sou~hern Progress Corp. Mrs. Peter Spalding Jr. license. No driver's education courses in the wheel, senior citizens are encouraged to Miss Jane Steffey those days; no leamer's permits. r===~------, attend "mature driver" refresher Of. NiGOla Michael Tauraso Just prove you could handle a ve- courses to keep abreast of current Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas Mrs. SellersJ. Thomas]r. hicle on the road and you were in, highway regulations. Mrs. Harry Van de Kamp a fully qualified driver, ready for Similarly, in the field of horti- Mr. James A. van Sweden all the pleasures of locomotiolil. culture, an ever-growing number Mr. and Mrs. Rebert D. Volk Ms. Katy Moss Warner In somewhat the same cavalier of would-be green-thumbers are Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Whitton way, I learned to garden. My fa- spawning a flood of books and Mrs. Alyce WillIamson ther set aside a comer of our large family magazine articles, all full of expert advice Mrs. Marillyn B. Wilson garden in the spring when I was five, pro- and directives. No longer are you supposed Mrs. Diana S. Wister vided me with some pansi€s and English to pick up a flat of petunias because they are AHS Affiliate daisies along with seeds of marigolds and a fJretty shade of pink or a packet of lark­ Master Gardeners International Corporation radishes, and turned me loose with a small spur seeds because you remember them in trowel and watering can. Puffed up with your grandmother's garden. Before you

6 OCTOBER 1995 even think of growing a single specimen sweet alyssum, cosmos, nasturtiums-these you are admonished to study your individ­ are only a handful of the sturdy annual WORLD'S #1 ual conditions with a keen eye and emo­ flowers that will grow for almost anyone, tions in check. Is your site sunny or shady; anywhere. Garden phlox, daylilies, chry­ PLANT SUP. is the exposure south or east? What kind of santhemums, iris, black-eyed Susans, soil do you have-clay, sandy, or rocky? veronica, and astilbe are perennials that How about prevailing winds, annual rain­ need very little care or encouragement to fall, average last spring and first fall frosts? thrive wherever and however they are set Must you start certain seeds indoors, in out. Vegetable gardening may require a darkness or in light? When should they be modicum more expertise, but nobody needs transplanted outside? What special re­ a degree in horticulture to raise a few toma­ quirements does each plant have-for fer­ to plants, a row of snap beans, or a hill of tilizer, mulching, or pest control? All zucchini in a reasonably sunny spot. helpful, well-meaning information, intend­ Soil testing kits; special fertilizers for ros­ ed to save us from dire results and expen­ es, berries, and tomatoes; weed preventers; sive disappointment. and untold insecticides and disease con­ However, while in a contemplative trols are marvelous scientific aids for the mood recently, it occurred to me that if I serious plant grower. Fencing, trellises, row had to do it all over again today, I might covers, plastic mulches, and hot caps can not have the nerve to learn to drive or-a be extremely useful. But none of these is es­ far more awful thought-dare try to gar­ sential. For years people have gardened den. For a beginner to undertake either of successfully and happily without a single these accomplishments is now daunting. one of the expensive adjuncts that are heav­ Remember Sunday afternoon drives? ily promoted today. It seems a paradox of Weren't they fun and relaxing? Perhaps modern life that in trying to make things you've only read about them, but to wan­ easier and better, we sometimes only make der slowly down a country road on a nice them more abstruse and joyless. day, exploring a new town or discovering Having said all this, I apologize and pay previously unknown sights of your own homage to all the dedicated and experi­ neighborhood, was often the highlight of enced plant scientists and technical advi­ the week for the whole family. Nowadays, sors who constantly strive to make driving is mostly a necessary evil; the pri­ gardening a more exact and successful un­ mary use of our cars is for driving to work, dertaking. Those of us who have toiled in chauffeuring the kids to school, and keep­ the soil for many a year appreciate the new, ing our myriad appointments. Taking the improved garden species and methods of NEARLY 1000 BOOKS, CONFERENCES, wheel is a constant battle against time, cultivation that are introduced annually. 1\I'~'UIIIIIII"'U/I.I1 _BY MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, TVs, RADIOS stress, and the elements. Trying to remem­ But I think we have a duty to reassure new USED BY FIVE U.S. DEPARTMENTS TO HELP WIN WORLD WAR II ber the rules of the road, avoiding other generations who would like to start gar­ OF GOVERNMENTS. STATE UNIVERSITIES. LEADING THOUSANDS ARBORETUMS. BOTANICAL GARDENS. PARKS SYSTEMS drivers in heavy traffic, and praying that dening that things don't always have to be U.S. • STATES and CITIES IN MULTIPLE-DRUMS LOTS your car does not break down take most of as complicated and hidebound as they may FLOWERING PLANTS SHOW WINNERS, WORLDWIDE HEALTHY, TOXleS-FREE FOODS GROWERS the joy out of driving, anywhere, anytime. appear. Let us not overwhelm them at the CD INDOOR PLANTS TO SRlNG OllT MORE So what is the analogy between driving outset with too many importunings, rules, NEW LEAF-BUDS? a car and raising a garden? With all due re­ and hard-and-fast requirements. 2OUTDOOR Q) :~~~ TO ST~rw ROOT AND FOUAGE spect to the many highly qualified and An archaic word for "garden" is "pleas­ PLANTS ROSES ACTION, SHOOTING kindly experts, I believe the mass of gar­ ance," a very fine term to remember. As And t OOWNWARD AND UPWARD? :-~~;~~~~---@ R.OWiRiNG dening advice that inundates us today our earth becomes ever more heavily pop­ : EARUER, LARGER,

AMERICAN HORTICULTURiST 7 THE URBAN GARDENER

Blame it on the Pears by Jeff Minnich

t was the pear trees that did it. I re­ member walking in that door on a mild I January day thinking how great the spi­ ral staircase in the living room looked. Then I saw the balcony (just a seven-by-12- foot rectangle with a railing)-and then I saw the pears. Suddenly they were in bloom in my mind-great, three-story clouds of white. I imagined the dense greenness of their summer coat. Will they be yellow or scarlet in the fall, I wondered? "I'll take it," I said to the agent. After a year of looking for the "right" place for me, she breathed a huge, weary sigh of relief. The condominium had been on the mar­ ket only one day, and there were three of­ fers. But it was the pears that got me the place, too. When my agent told the owners Even in winter the pear trees captured the author's imagination. The table and that I had said, "I'll bet those pea1rs are mag­ chairs were his biggest indulgence. nificent in the spring," the wife said fondly, "Oh, he noticed our pears"-and that was 'Kaizuka'). I planted them in clay pots calamondin orange (x Citrofortunella mi­ all she wrote. with tasteful rolled rims (this is Virginia, crocarpa) gave a delicious, heady scent for But "creating" my balcony was no easy after all). a long period. I also added a dwarf garde­ task. What's a horticulturist to do? So Privacy attained, I needed sounds. Wind- nia (Gardenia jasminaides 'Radicans'), an­ many choices! So little space! chimes went up, but I wanted water too. Af- other luscious and continuous bloomer. Not all my ideas were successful. The ter much contemplation, I chose a classic My banana tree and six-foot-talllantana . sun beat up the impatiens; the winter pedestal and shell bowl with a Greek-style standard (Lantana camara), kept strictly kicked the potted and espaliered redtips statue of a woman holding an urn. I pruned in a lollipop shape, filled the cor­ (Photinia x fraseri) until they barely had al'l promptly christened my new fountain "Sis." ners at the end opposite the espaliers. Prob­ ounce of life left in them. I should have I already had a round table and four ably my favorite addition was a yellow known better. chairs that fit beautifully at the end oppo- shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana) in the Back to square one, I really did think it site the espaliers. Since the balcony sits on honeysuckle pot. It got huge and bloomed through. On the west end I had the mar- the top floor with no cover from the bak­ literally until the fall freeze. I fronted it velous pears. They are between the bal- ing Virginia sun, I immediately bought an with variegated English ivy. My little gar­ cony and one of the complex's r======~ umbrella for shade. den was as complete as any garden can most popular tennis courts-at Then I added Japanese honey- be-or so I thought. least that problem was solved far suckle (Lonicera japanica)-yes, Then the next March, after I had put two me. The only view left to contend a noxious weed, but not in a pot! coats of deep green paint on the balcony with, in terms of privacy, was the It was heavenly in May-and floor, the condo board announced that the south, which blared onto my quickly covered the railing. The balconies had been deemed "unsafe" for neighbor's balcony, a mere dozen next Maroh it sprang forth, hav- use. Everything had to come off! I was dev­ feet away. The only answer was a screen, ing made it through winter. astated-you don't take away a gardener'S to seal me into my own private world. Af- I fiUed wall pots with hanging geraniums garden! For an entire growing season I had ter I failed with the redtips, I consulted of the pink "l'osebud" variety. A poured­ to endure the loss of my balcony. Finally, with cohorts and decided that the ideal so- concrete wall plaque I named "Evita" that fall, it was torn out and replaced with lution would be two enormous espaliered graced the other side of the door. After the a balcony that could have supported a tank. Hollywood junipers (juniperus chinensis honeysuckle finished blooming, a dwarf The break gave me plenty of time to con-

8 OCTOBER 1995 Pear-blossom time, left, with junipers offering privacy on the balcony's open side. With an awning, there's finally enough shade for impatiens, above. sider alternatives. Now I was ready to do it wait) to have it installed. I often think of re-doing things again (a over exactly as I had dreamed. I finally had enough shade for white im­ gardener's work is never done, after all), I used the espaliered Hollywoods again patiens. I planted cast-iron plant (Aspidis­ but I think I may have found paradise with and balanced them with English boxwoods tra elatior) and sprengeri fern (Asparagus what I've got now. (Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa') in densiflorus 'Sprengeri') in an antique urn, lovely square pots in the opposite corners. re-introduced my gardenia, and really felt Jeff Minnich is senior vice president of Variegated English ivy went in all the pots as if I were in New Orleans, Charleston, or Campbell & Ferrara Nurseries, Inc., in to soften them. "Sis" the fountain was Savannah. Alexandria, Virginia. placed in her old spot, as were the wind­ chimes, wall pots, and plaque, "Evita." I also added an old concrete statue of a boy holding a bird. I dubbed him "Peewee." Protect against moisture loss year 'round on My one extravagance was a cast-aluminum valuable ornamental shrubs like rhododendrons, table-and-chair set I had fallen in love with that fall at a home show in Richmond. I azaleas, boxwood and hollies by spraying with loved its classic lines and verdigris finish. The honeysuckle pot went back to its old spot-but without the honeysuckle. To bring fragrance to the late summer air, I planted a sweet autumn clematis (Clematis paniculata), which the follow­ ing spring grew to cover the railing. Its blooms matched the white-only flower theme I adopted so I could see my garden at night. The clematis is delicately tex­ tured-like jasmine-and reminds me of the great courtyard gardens I saw on a visit to New Orleans. My final step was to install a 2S0-watt transformer, a timer, and five low-voltage lights. Two highlight the espaliers, one is trained on "Sis," and two illuminate the pears from the boxwood pots. The following spring I put in my "ceil­ ing"-a retractable awning that cuts the THE PROVEN ANTI-TRANSPIRANT FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. heat not only on the balcony but inside the condo too. I can enjoy dining in my gar­ Write for free literature den even in the rain, and at lunch as well as breakfast and dinner. The first re­ WIL T·PRUF® PRODUCTS, INC. tractable awning to be installed in the P.o. Box 469· Essex, CT 06426 huge complex where I live, it was quite a sensation, and worth every penny (and the

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 9 GARDENERS' INFORMATION SERVICE

Q: How do I take care of a Moses-in- host diseases, in that the fungus needs to al­ the-cradle plant? -P.c., Peoria, Illinois ternately infect two different plant species AHS to complete its life cycle. In the absence of A : Moses-in-the-cradle (Tradescantia one of the host plants, the disease cannot spathacea; formerly Rhoeo spathacea), perpetuate itself. The alternate host for the also called boat lily and about 12 other amelanchier rust organism can be either common names, is a member of the spi- red cedar, common juniper, or southern derwort family. It is prized for its dark white cedar. As indicated in Diseases and metallic green leaves that have glossy pur- Pests of Ornamental Plants by Pascal P. pie undersides. Small white flowers are Pirone, the spores of the rust fungus pro­ borne within purple, boat-shaped bracts duced on cedars can be carried in the air to (the cradle) that are formed in leafaxils. In- amelanchier within a one-mile radius. door Plants, by George B. Briggs and Clyde Since red cedars are very common in Vir­ L. Calvin, suggests that the plants need full ginia, removing potential hosts is impracti­ sun and moderate humidity, temperature, cal. Look for a named amelanchier cultivar and water. The plant does not require and avoid overhead watering, which en­ pruning but should be fertilized four to five courages rust spore germination. Spraying evident, no control measures are effective. times per year. infected service berries and/or cedars with a The most important control is preven­ fungicide in spring can reduce the effects of tion-that is, keeping the soil moisture rel­ Q: I have a special fondness for the ser- the disease in some cases. atively constant throughout the growing vice berry tree. I understand that the tree is Q season. susceptible to rust diseases; on that ac- : The bottoms of most of the tomato count should I be concerned about using frutts in my vegetable garden have large Q: How do I care for the Russian sage this tree in my landscape plan? sunken areas that are almost black in col- plants that I just purchased? -RL., Stafford, Virginia or. What causes this problem, and what -J.c., Washington, D.C. can be done about it? A : Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), -M.N., Alexandria, Virginia A: Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolici) also known as shadbush, Juneberry, or A is a member of the mint family and is native sarvis-tree, is the common name for a : The bottom of a fruit such as a toma­ to areas from Afghanistan to northern In­ group of about 25 species of small decid- to is called the blossom end. The symptoms dia. This aromatic herbaceous perennial uous trees or shrubs in the apple subfami- you describe are typical of a very common that resembles Salvia was voted "Perennial ly. It bears small applelike fruits that ripen disease called blossom-end rot or leather Plant of the Year" for 1995 by the Perenni­ in June and are very attractive to birds. end. The disease also affects pepper fruit. al Plant Association. It can attain a height The most common species found on the The condition may affect the entire lower of three to five feet and is hardy in USDA East Coast is A. arborea, downy service- half of the fruit. The primary cause of the Zones 5 to 9. Violet-blue flowers on foot­ berry, a small tree that grows 15 ,------:::~ disease is a calcium deficiency long spikes are produced from midsummer to 25 feet tall. brought on by a lack of water. through fall, providing a pleasing contrast Rust, caused by a fungus, can When tomato plants are stressed with the silvery foliage. Russian sage does be a moderately serious disease of due to insufficient moisture and a best in well-drained soil and full sun; space serviceberry; however, some of the high transpiration rate, water is plants about two feet apart. To encourage newer cultivars are less suscepti- pulled from the blossom end of more abundant bloom, prune the plants to ble. Rust attacks the leaves and the fruit. The weakened tissues within several inches of the ground in late fruits and may occasionally cause defolia- collapse and the fruits are easily infected by winter or early spring; completely remove tion and fruit drop. The fungus causes elon- the fungi that cause the black rot. In Veg­ any dead wood and very crowded shoots. It gated orange galls to form on the undersides etable Diseases and Their Control, authors would be a good idea to apply compost or of infected leaves; spores from these galls Arden F. Sherf and Alan A. MacNab say a balanced fertilizer in the spring. appear as a rusty, orange-red powder. that a mere 30 minutes of water stress can -Neil Pelletier, Director Rusts are what are known as alternate- cause blossom-end rot. Once infectiofl is Gardeners' Information Service

10 OCTOBER 1995 PLANTING THE FUTURE

Texas Wildflowers by Annie Spade

en I was growing up in the red sand country of west Texas, I W asked for two small patches of ground around the family home so I could "plant things." In the front yard, I had small cactuses (and every pretty rock I could find). Out back I planted mixed an­ nuals from seed packets. It was my grandmother who gave me the idea that something could actually be cul­ tivated in that mesquite-riddled landscape. She used to cut snapdragons and carna­ tions for us from her front yard when we visited. And the pussywillows and sweet pea vine in her back yard left joyous prints all over my heart's memory. Today, I have A preschooler at the Montessori the pleasure of working with a mixed age School of Lake Travis, above, learns group of two- to six-year-old children in a about the responsibilities and Montessori school and garden in central rewards of caring for plants. In Texas, where I can impart the rewards of their native plant garden, left, the gardening in this challenging landscape to children are encouraged to "feel an eager new generation. their way around." After observing children throughout the world for more than 50 years, Maria Montessori wrote The Absorbent Mind. In this book, she described how young chil­ dren "soak up" everything from their en­ vironment so that it becomes a part of who they are: the velvet softness of the snap­ dragon and its crispness when you pinch it ... the fresh fragrance of little carna- knowing and loving them. And what if inspection since it is poisonous). We have tions ... the delightful fuzziness of pussywil- they experienced the work of gardening as also planted a small (16-by-8-foot) speci­ lows on your face. The experiences of early mulching instead of watering, composting men garden in one corner, where vegetables childhood indisputably lay the foundation rather than artificially fertilizing, and pre­ and native plants can grow attractively to­ for our life values and habits. r------, serving native beauty as opposed gether. Here we have salvias, coneflowers, In more recent years, wild- to weeding and mowing? Such lamb's ears, zinnias, poppies, and ruellia as flowers have become my focus, children would be profoundly well as cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and as have environmental issues: prepared in these gardening prac- watermelon. The garden also has clumps shrinking water tables, s~il de- tices. They would have crucial of taller grasses: little bluestem, muhly pletion, and loss of natural habi- values forour times. grass, and switch grass. tats and native species. I wanted Working in a 72-by-32-foot Pathways greatly assist and encourage to develop a special garden for the chil- space, we have simply allowed the native the children in their explorations of the dren in my care, but there seemed to be grasses and plants to grow, bloom, and yard. We created a few for them, and they more at stake than simply giving them scatter their seeds. Among the grasses we created the rest! The specimen garden has positive experiences. have Mexican hats, prairie verbena, rain some stepping-stones, but we also teach the What if we created a garden of native lilies, four-nerve daisy, winecups, and sil­ children to just watch where they step here. plants? Then the children would grow up ver-Ieaf nightshade (which we remove after Two-year-olds are fascinated by the feel of

AMERlCAN HORTICULTURIST 11 the various leaves and flowers. We show specific names for these plants and ani­ er children examine leaves and flowers to them how to be gentle in their explo­ mals. Naming the flora and fauna places l€arn the basic parts of each and their func­ rations, and they have a wonderful time. the experiences in the children's conscious tion in the life of the plant. They also study As one can imagine, our yard attracts memory so they come to feel they really the names of various leaf shapes. much animal life as well: walkingsticks, know them and are more at home in the It should be noted here that the Montes­ mantises, butterflies, damselflies, hum­ outdoor environment. sori method of education was developed mingbirds, ladybugs, one harmless snake, In the classroom, we provide small pic­ from observing children's neecls. Individual and a beautiful emperor moth with eye­ ture cards with one native plant or animal children choose the lessons and materials as spots. Scissortails nested in our oak trees depicted on each. Two- and three-year-olds their interests are aroused. Inside the last spring. use the cards to practice the names, while school, they care for a variety of potted Very young children are constantly ab­ the four- to six-year-olds love to copy the house plants. They sponge dust from the sorbing language to build their vocabulary, pictures and hear information about where leaves, mist them, and give them water so whenever possible we give the children each grows and when it blooms. These old- when indicated by markers placed by a teacher each morning. Our garden and playground are the same place. The children spend an hour and a half here every day. It is a place to work as SOME OF THE MOST RAVISHING IMAGES well as play. Young childr€n love to rake in the history of illustration have leaves; water when necessary; I'l10ve clirt, been those ef plants. But who drew compost and mulch with shovels and small plants, and why? How have these wagons; plant seeds aNd seedlings; and images reflected our changing above all, harvest the fruits! Maria Montes­ relationship with the natural sori wrote, "The act of placing a seed in the world? This beautifully i:llustrated ground, and then of waiting for the seedling to grow from it is work on too small a scale bO('lk t'lxplores the puq;>0se and and involves too long a wait for [young] function of the whole range of children. They want to do big things, and botanical art, f:rGm eady woodcut they bring their activity into immediate con­ Lilypons Water her~als and pa~nted florilegia, nection with th€ products of nature." Gardens@ botanical lirea.tises and records of Parent education occurs as well. Since new disco;veries, to ga.r,dening we are a nonprofit private school, th€ par­ TIIE SOURCE for water gardeners manuals, seed catalogs, and field ents contribute time and materials for Bring natural simplicity and beauty to g1:lides for the amateur el'l.thusiast. building and maintaining our garden. your garden with a water garden. The Grown-ups see there is no harm in having tranqWlity of water lilies. The vitality unmown grass--in fact, the children love ofgolden fish. The reflection ofthe sky Picturing Plants to hide and roll in it and, in summer, fe€l it in a placid bit of water. This is what on their feet and l€gs! They often comment water gardening is. Lilypons brings it An Analytical Hi.story of on how beautifully the plants are surviving to your doorstep with: the heat or cold and ask for plant names. • complete information on Botanical Illustration how to create your own by Gill Saunders BeEause the school currently leases its water garden building and grounds we have been limit­ • water lilies, lotus, goldfish ed in what we are willing or able to do with • pools, liners, and much more ... $29.95 cloth, illustrated, at bookstores the outdoor environment. For example, we All available in our 100 page, full color or order 1-800-822-6657. have to walk the children through two catalog and seasonal newsletters, $5, UNIVERSITY OF rooms to reach the garden/playground area deductible with your first order. CALIFORNIA PRESS from our classroom. This summer we be­ 1-800-723-7667 Operator 1500 gan a fund drive for money to build a per­ manent school that will have direct access to the outdoor environment from the class­ Snow Creek room. It will be designed with a patio space that will allow us to use the garden more often and more creatively. Day lily Gardens We also plan to expand our program to include a Montessori elementary class. Ele­ c!Please send your latest full-color Catalog. $2 enclosed. mentary-aged children can plan and create • PLEAsE PRlNT • much of their own outdoor space and en­ NAME ______gage in many in-depth classroom and com­ Exquisite, proven varieties, developed by munity projects. This will be especially true ADDR~S ______leading hylJridi:zers, and pictured in luscious given their experiences as young children color from the people at B&D Lilies. Send $2 for your copy today. CITY______STATE ___ ZIP______in our very special garden. IVISA ,.Photocopy , or clip & and mail with payment to: ~ •. ' •• Snow Creek Nursery· 330 P Street - Dept H • Port Townsend, WA 98368 ~ Annie Spade is director of the Montessori ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~if~ School of Lake Travis in Austin, Texas.

12 OCTOBER 1995 NATURAL CONNECTIONS

The Aspen's Autumn Alchemy

he mechanism of successional vege­ tation, and the role fire plays in T maintaining these historic patterns, are the subject of much ongoing research­ and some controversy. In the West, forest researchers say the role of fire is critical to the continuance of one of nature's grand­ est spectacles, the golden autumnal alche­ my peculiar to aspen groves. The most widely distributed tree native to North America, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is also known as trembling aspen and by the evocative yet little-used name quiverleaf. It ranges from the Atlantic shores of New England and northeastern Canada, west and north through the Great Lakes states and central Canada, and into northern and western Canada and Alaska highly reflective, so that the tree seems to to the latitude of the Arctic Circle. More shimmer when the leaves move. This is sporadically, it is found at progressively even more dramatic in the fall, when the higher altitudes down the West Coast and ' leaves turn a startling, brilliant gold accen­ the Rocky Mountains south as far as the tuated by the clear blue Western skies. highlands of Southern California, Arizona, Closely related to poplars and cotton- Texas, and northern Mexico. woods, which also reside in the genus Pop- Many taxonomists have attempted to ulus, aspens bloom with drooping split aspen into regional subgroups, but it gray-brown catkins in spring before their is now generally accepted that throughout leaves emerge. These are wind-pollinated its range it is a single, highly variable and produce vast amounts of downy, wind­ species. The closely related P. grandidenta- blown seed. Despite this apparent fecundi­ ta, the large-toothed aspen, is confined to ty, aspen seed is notoriously infertile. The eastern North America from Quebec south conditions it needs to germinate and estab-

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 13 Larger stands are made up of a mosaic of these communities. Under normal conditions, sunlight-lov­ ing, pioneer aspens form groves that serve as nurseries or an early successional stage for conifer forests .' Natural dynamics, how­ ever, lean toward fire periodically removing the conifers before the aspens are totally BOOK REVIEWS displaced, thereby renewing the cycle. Foresters warn that aspen stands regen­ erated by fire at the turn of the century are being lost because this cycle has been artifi­ cially altered by suppression of fire. A July Native Gardens for Dry Climates 1993 report by the forest service's South­ Sally Wasowski with Andy Wasowski. western Region stated that asp€:n-dominat• Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York, ed forest in New Mexico and Arizona was i995. 176 pages. 8 3/4" x 111/4'~ Black­ down from 486,000 acr€:s in 1962 to and-white illustrations; color photographs 263,000 acres in 1986. Replacing aspeflS by Andy Wasowski. Publisher's price: hard­ are ponderosa pine, Douglas and white firs, cover, $35. AHS member price: $31.50. Englemann spruce, and subalpine firs. It's not just the aspens that are being en­ There are two reasons to pick up Sally Wa­ dangered, but many parts of the micro­ sowski's latest book, Native Gardens for and macro-ecosystems that they sustain. Dry Climates. First, it is about a region The New Mexico Department of Game pitifully glossed over by American garden and Fish has identified 221 animal species publications-the increasingly popular that interact within the aspen ecosystem. Americafl Southwest-and second, it en­ The buds, twigs, and bark are winter for­ courages and celebrates th.e use of native age for snowshoe hares and cottontail rab­ plants in our gardens. bits. Elk and mule deer are among the Conditions in the Southwest are tough larger animals that take advantage of as­ for most well-known garden plants. More pen habitat. A wide range of birds eat a's­ dry-climate gardeners, whether from the pen seeds and buds, and many species use high or the low d€:s€:rt (an important dis­ the trees as nesting sites. tinction Wasowski unfortunately does not the book show what plants in the sug­ Aspens also support a much more di­ make clear), are embracing the beauty, di- gested list are native to various South­ verse popl[lation of understory plants than versity, and outstanding p€:rformance of westenl metropolitan areas, and a do the conifers that replace them. Shrubs native plants, as well as the overall sense of directory offers readers information about like snow berry (Symphoricarpos spp.) and place afforded by a geneI0US dose of these sources for plants, native plant societi€:s, wild I0ses mingle with wildflowers such as plants. This book offers some specific sug- and botanical gardens. asters, coneflowers, and yarrows. Typical gestions on how natives can be put to gar- But such a lovely book is undermined by graminoids include members of the Bro­ dening us€:. a clum.sy format that requires tedious flip- mus, Poa, and Carex genera. The book is divided into two parts. The ping back and forth, and by carel€:ss edit­ Under current guidelines, the forest ser­ first part, which combines a description of ing that includes too many typographical - vice is backing what it calls "an ecological traditional thematic gardefls-moonlight, errors, incorrect addresses, misspelled approach to multiple-use mallagement." fragraflce, herbal (here called curandera, a names, and plant misidentifications. This Part of this ecosystem m.anagement, still regional name for a healer), and bird- overall sloppiness, unfortunately, suggests controversial in some circles, is the use of attractive-with appropriate plants of the caution for the novice gardener. controlled or prescribed burns to mimic region, is a welcome and refreshing change There's also an unfortunate tendency, es­ wildfires and encourage successional vege­ from the common misapprehension that pecially in the earlier sections of the book, tation cycles. Foresters hope this tactic will using native plants translates to designing to make the dubious generalization that also lessen the likelihood of catastrophic a naturalistic garden. Each theme garden is native plants can live entirely on their own fires such as the one that Yellowstone ex­ discussed separately and accom- r======,-,,-, without supplemental watering. perienced in 1988. panied by a sample garden plan. In low desert areas, this can only Another concern of foresters is the effect The planting and maintenance re- be said of an extremdy small that grazing by livestock and wild animals quirements of dry-climate gar- number of truly indigenous is having on aspen habitat. Some areas dens are also addressed. plants. No garden worthy of the may require fences and removal or redis­ The second part is am index of name can be maintained without tribution of herbivores before degraded suggested plants divided by appropriate, albeit conservative, ecosystems can recover, they say. use-trees, evergreefl shrubs, succulents, supplemental irrigation. Wasowski makes A better understanding of aspen grove perennials, ephemeral wildflowers, and this point clearer in later sections when she ecology may yet help preserve fO ll' fmure ground covers for shade and sun. A pho- points out that all plants, even natives, generations one of nature's grandest fall tograph of each plant and a brief de scrip- need to be watered for the first couple of spectacles. -David J. Ellis tion of its cultural needs' and normal years while they are becoming established. Assistant Editor habitat are included. Charts in the back of She also has made allowances for thirstier

14 OCTOBER 1995 plants in her garden plans, indicating the due to age, injury, or disease. The methods I have been a handicapped gardener for need for swales where water will collect, or and tools discussed span a number of con­ nearly a decade, and assumed that I knew even for drip irrigation systems. tinuums: from cheap to expensive; from about every catalog and approach devised This book helps satisfy the need for more relatively easy to install to "you had better for adapting a garden. I was wrong. I nev­ . regional gardening books. Most books hire a contractor"; and from "just let me er considered taping a funnel to the top of should be regional, because, in the end, grow something" to "make it look like a a hoUowed-out bamboo pole and using it every garden is of its own place. Wasow­ showcase garden." Regardless of your as a seeder. Nor had it ever occurred to me ski's book will give the reader lots of ideas, physical or economic status, there are that I could set in transplants at ground not the least of which is that native adaptations here that will fit your tastes, level by placing a shaft of PVC tubing over plants-in whatever region-are truly at needs, and price range. the planting hole, sliding a plant down the home in all our gardens. -Mary F. Irish As you would expect, a comprehensive tube, and then using my feet or a long-han­ appendix lists sources for plants, for gar­ dled tool to settle it into the earth. And I Mary F. Irish is director of public horticul­ dening tools and supplies, and for further never would have thought to warn dis­ ture at the Desert Botanical Garden in references and resources for disabled gar­ abled friends to remember that certain Phoenix, Arizona, and a contributor to deners of varying abilities. What you might medications make you more sensitive to The American Garden Guides series pub­ not expect is a chapter focusing on gar­ the sun, or that wire cylinders are safer lished by Pantheon. dening for children, both with and without than stakes for propping up tall plants if physical disabilities. Adil has a personal in­ your condition makes you prone to black­ 1t terest in this subject; her daughter was born outs or if you have difficulty maintaining with spina bifida, a congenital disorder your balance. Accessible Gardening that involves incomplete development of In short, whether you are a novice or ex­ for People with the spine. perienced, either in gardening or in living Physical Disabilities with a disability, you'll find this a useful, uplifting book. As my grandmother used to to Tools~ndl'!an~ Alnide Methods, say, "It gives good value for the money." Book Order Form -Linden Staciokas

o Native Gardens for Dry Fairbanks, Alaska, newspaper columnist Climates ...... $31.50 Linden Staciokas is on the Statewide Advi­ sory Board of the Alaska Cooperative Ex­ o Accessible Gardening for tension Service. People with Physical Disabilities ...... $15.25 Postage and handling: $2.50 first book; UNIQUE $1.50 each additional book. Virginia HOUSEPLANTS residents: add 4 112% sales tax. Please allow six weeks for delivery. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Enclosed is my check for $ Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities VISA 0 MasterCard Janeen R. Adil. Woodbine House, Bethes­ o da, Maryland, 1994.300 pages. 7"x 10/~ Publisher's price: softcover, $16.95. AHS Exp. Date: member price: $15.25. Acct. #: delivered to your doorstep I don't know what standards others use for judging "how-to" books, but I want simple, Signature: Established in 1892, Logee's is reasonably priced practicality, laced with one of the country's foremost sufficient cheerleading to convince me that Ship to: mailorder sources of rare tropicals. the project is do-able. Adil has managed to Our color illustrated catalog lists over 2,000 of the finest fragrant and provide this and more in her commonsense Street: flowering plants. publication Accessible Gardening for Peo­ ple with Physical Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, Tools, and Plants. Logee's The book starts with a dose of inspira­ State/Zip: tion, using stories of other handicapped Greenhouses gardeners as well as quotes from various MAIL TO: AHS Books, 7931 EasE 141 North Street experts, but then moves quickly imo dis­ Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA Dept. AH cussing the specifics of how to adapt your 22308-1300. Or call 1-800-777-7931. Danielson, CT 06239 techniques, plot, and plants to compensate AH10195 for a body grown immobile or unreliable Catalog $3.00 refundable

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 15

Garden of Eatin'

A com:bination of subtropical fruit plants yields a truly tasteful landscape.

B Y A L ( E L RAM R E Z

et me begin by admitting, fl at out, that I am a fruit-growing fanatic. If some­ thing doesn't bear edible fruit, I ask myself, what is the point? My obsession is reinforced by the fact that almost any landscape effect can be enhanced with one or another species of fruiting plant. The rewards of the fruit gardener are double: first from the beauty of the plants themselves, and even more from the Lsheer hedonistic delight of biting into a honey-sweet, tree-ripened fig or tasting fruit ei­ ther too fragile to ship or never commercially available. Here in the mild winters and dry summers of USDA Zone 11, my aim is to interpret the concept of a cottage garden using Mediterranean herbs and fruiting subtropicals. But I have seen a variety of other landscape styles followed with fruit-bearing trees, bushes, '" and vines in both public and private gardens. IE A lush rain forest hideaway can be suggested with the bold canopy of edible fig (Ficus '"~ carica), the huge leaves and dramatic fruit display of banana (Musa acuminata), and the ~ eme"raid foliage of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). The blooms of pineapple guava (Feijoa 0.. sellowiana) splash bright candy-cane colors among its finely cut, olive green leaves. And The ripe red fruits of prickly pear, in autumn, the baseball-sized orange fruits ofjapanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) glow opposite, are nutritious but have to be on nearly leafless branches. picked with care. Figs, above, aren't Yet despite the combined utility and beauty of a hedge planted in citrus or Natal plum, actually fruits but flower clusters that or the dignity of a walkway shaded by carob (Ceratonia siliqua), many gardeners still face inward. The plants' dense, lush segregate edible-fruiting trees and bushes from their "serious" landscaping projects. foliage can give even temperate The drought-tolerant Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa, formerly C. grandiflora) dom- gardens a tropical look. inates many formal hedge plantings, but relatively few people realize that its fruit is edi- ble. Glossy dark green leaves hide the sharp thorns that make this South African native additionally useful as a burglar-proof foundation planting. Its small white flowers de- velop into oval berries the size of small plums-hence its common name. As they ripen, their thin skin changes from green to bright red, and their dark pink flesh softens and de- velops a flavor suggestive of cranberry sauce. Because the fruit stays on the branches, Natal plum can be planted near sidewalks. But elevated plantings might be in order to keep its thorns well away from the tender flesh of passersby. A good cultivar for espe- cially ornamental fruit is C. macrocarpa 'Fancy'. Like the species, it won't survive tem-

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 17 peratures below 26 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the fruiting subtropicals tend to be naturally resistant to pests, diseases, and often drought, when planted in a site har­ monious with their requirements. One of the most problem free is the common jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), also known as the Chi­ nese jujube or Chinese date. This useful tree grows slowly to about 25 or 30 feet, sprout­ ing its glossy bright green leaves, tiny yel­ low flowers, and date-sized reddish fruit on interesting gnarled branches. It's suitable for a wide range of climates, since it is hardy to 20 degrees below zero but requires little winter chilling in order to flower. The jujube fruit is a fleshy, crisp-textured drupe. Its flavor suggests apples and has a distinctive, pleasant aftertaste. Although the tree will eventually let go of its fruits, the jujubes will not stain pavement and can be easily swept away. If you buy a box of "red dates" from an Asian market, you are getting candied jujubes. They are consid­ ered a blood purifier in Chinese herbal medicine. Fruit from seed-grown trees can often be sour or insipid, so you should choose cultivars selected for good size and flavor, such as 'Li' and 'Lang'. The glossy green leaves of Natal plum, The myrtle family (Myrtaceae) provides top, conceal thorns that make it a an excellent selection of low-maintenance good burglar-proof foundation plant. edible-fruiting plants that can be used as The jujube's reddish brown fruits, hedges, clipped into topiary shapes, or nam cherry, is a favorite among local fruit­ above, provide a colorful fall display trained into small trees. Their finely cut, growing enthusiasts. My own immature and a taste reminiscent of apples. dark green leaves, sinuous branches, and specimen grows as a smallish unpruned peeling bark add a touch of delicacy to any bush. I have seen other people train Suri­ landscape. Many species flower in less than nam cherry plants into espaliers. The com­ full sun. None, however, should be plant­ mon name comes from the fruit's size and ed over walkways or patios because un­ bright red color, similar to a 'Bing' cherry'S picked fruit can drop and stain pavement. but with curious lobes, a bit like those of a . One of my personal favorites is jaboti­ pumpkin. The flavor isn't at all cherrylike, caba (Myrciaria cauliflora) from southern but serves as a clue that cloves and allspice Brazil. This species is especially notewor­ are also in the myrtle family. thy because of the way its white flowers Two other family members, the yellow­ and grape-sized fruits form directly on the fruited lemon guava (Psidium littorale) and trunk and scaffold branches. The fruit's the red-fruited strawberry guava (P. lit­ thin purplish black skin covers a luscious, torale var. longipes, formerly P. catt­ tangy-sweet white pulp containing two leianum), are superficially similar to small seeds. The sprightly, piquant flavor jaboticaba and the Surinam cherry with of ripe jaboticabas is comparable to the soft, juicy, cherry-sized fruits. They also white, fleshy aril of a fresh litchi. The tree's make excellent low-maintenance landscape very slow growth can be considered either plants in my mild climate. These two an advantage or a fault, depending on how species tend to come true from seed, which you want to use it in your landscape. A 10- is fortunate since usually only seed-pro­ year-old specimen in my own yard stands duced plants are available from specialty barely five feet tall and only started bear­ nurseries. Native to Brazil, they will surviv€ ing fruit two years ago. This species should into Zone 10. be planted in pots that can be carried to a In my part of California, P. guajava, the sheltered location if winter temperatures very frost-tender tropical species of this fall below 25 degrees. genus, will also survive, but our summers Eugenia uniflora, better known as Suri- rarely get hot enough to let the fruits de-

18 OCTOBER 1995 The cut fruits of kiwi, cactus, and persimmon, left, make a colorful fruit-salad tapestry. Other fruiting plants that bring beauty to a landscape include the exotic-flowered Peruvian cereus, below, and the loquat, bottom, a small tree with dramatic dark green leaves.

velop an adequate sugar level the way they size depending upon cultivar-is soft, would in, say, Hawaii. In my opinion at moist, and always large enough to cause a least, that lack of sweetness, combined mess if squashed underfoot. The seedling­ with a musky undertone, creates an inferi­ grown pineapple guavas found in general or fruit. But with its elongated, deeply interest nurseries can be perfectly accept­ veined leaves and white multistamen flow­ able when only the shrub's graceful habit, ers, P. guajava is a pretty tree and probably subtly colored leaves, and attractive flow­ worth growing for its nostalgia value to ers are important. To harvest good fruit, someone who misses the plants and fruits however, you should choose high-quality, of a tropical homeland. 'Red Indian', self-fruitful cultivars such as 'Apollo', 'Mexican Cream', and 'Hong Kong Pink' 'Edenvale Improved Coolidge', 'Naze­ are three of many cultivars available. metz', or 'Mammoth'. The hardiest of the fruiting Myrtaceae is Rose apple (Syzygium jambos), from a "guava" of another genus, pineapple Southeast Asia, also goes by the name rose guava (Feijoa sellowiana, now being called jambos. The fruit of this charmer provides by some Acca sellowiana), which tolerates an exception to the typically strong, sweet­ temperatures down to 15 degrees. Its tart, and resinous intensity of myrtle fami­ gaudy blooms, almost two inches across, ly fruits. The tree grows to about 25 feet are dark pink on the topside, pinkish white and bears large white bottle brush flowers. below. When the petals develop a certain The rose apples are one to two inches long, softness, they can be eaten and taste like bell-shaped, and usually cream-colored marshmallows. These surround the heavily tinged with pink. Their taste and flower's most spectacular feature, a promi­ smell strongly evoke roses. nent central tuft of crayon-red stamens that When it comes to drought resistance, it's are clustered together like brush bristles. hard to beat cactuses. Their fruits are high Pineapple guava is another myrtle that in vitamin C and low in fat. Native Amer­ should be planted away from walkways. icans and Mexicans have made use of the Although staining is not a particular prob­ seeds, oil, and pulp of Opuntia species to lem, the fruit-an oblong berry of varying make everything from flour and syrup to

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 19 TEMPERATE ORNAMENTALS

ardeners in temperate climates don't have the same wide selection of fruit­ where temperatures plunge to zero degrees. ing plants for a landscape as those in our subtropics. But Alice Ramirez Kaki persimmons come in two varieties, as­ G suggests that they consider jujube and hardy cultivars of fig, or try grow­ tringent and non-astringent. Both develop ing members of the myrtle family in containers. Lee Reich, author of Uncommon peach-sized fruits with vivid red-orange Fruits Worthy of Attention, recommends the following: coloring. Astringent persimmons, such as CORNElIAN CHERRY (Cornus mas): Rounded deciduous tree ox; shrub to 20 feet. 'Hachiya', remain inedible until soft. Bit­ Good as a specimen tree or in small groups. Produces yellow flowers in eady ing into one while still hard would be like spring and tart, drooping red fruits in summer. New larger-fruitingcultivars are chewing on a mouthful of alum. Non-as­ available. (USDA Zone 5) tringent cuitivars, such as 'Fuyu', can be jUNEBERRY/SERVICEBERRY (Amelancbier spp.): Seve;:al species and cultivars of eaten crisp like apples. I agree with the these small trees and shrubs have ornamental and tl1ulring valu ~ , used as Informal many people who consider that astringent hedges or specimens. Most have white flowers in early spring a.nS:! edible fruit. cuitivars, when properly ripe, taste better. Saskatoon (A. alnifalia) makes a good hedge if suckers are allowed to devel0p. If other japanese persimmon trees are (Zone 2-5) growing in the area, their flowers can be LINGONBERRY (Vaccinium vitis-id'i:lea v'ar. minus): Lo:w-gwwing, c).'eeping ever- cross-pollinated and the subsequent fruits green makes an excl;lll«O,t ground cover. Lustr0us dawgreen lea e liigliligh ~ will develop seeds. If not, D. kaki will pro­ ed by plnk-to-white flowers and bright red edibl e'J;~eIries. Pr· cool,. pardy duce parthenocarpic, and therefore seed­ shaded site and acid s0il. Dwarf varietY available. (:?:one 2-5) less, fruits. The tropical D. digyna, known MEDLAR (Mespilus g,ermanica): Small tree to 20 feet makes a good specimen. to fruit buffs as black sapote or chocolate Produces white, wild-1i0selike flowers in late spring and tan apple-shaped edible pudding plant, is an attractive tree with fruits in summer. Fall eo\m is a cOI%lhination of yellow, red, and purple. Various emerald green glossy leaves that can be cult~\r.a[s ate available. ~~one 6) . '* @ , ' grown in the mildest climates of the Unit­ M@UNTAIN ASH AND HYBRIDS (S01,bus spp.): Newculti:vars and hybrids, avail­ ed States. Unfortunately, although the fruit able pow from Europe, offer slender, smaller trees with crimson to orange edible of this dioecious persimmon relative does fruits. 'Ivan's Belle', a cross between mountain ash and hawthorn, and 'Ivan's Beau­ taste somewhat like chocolate, the ripe ty', a mountain ash~hokecherry Cf(')SS, are trademarked selections available from black sapote has a mouth-feel that many One Gre'en Wodo, ('.0. Box 1080, Molalla, OR 97038. have compared to axle grease. NANIqNaCHERRY L?'rllnus tomentosa}:Thisrounded deciduotlS shrub to 10 feet The fruits of white sapote (Casimiroa is igeaI for a specimeii shrub Or informal hedge/windbreak. Produces white or pink edulis) taste like a mixture of peach and flowers in eady spring and tart red fruits jn summer. (Zone 2) pear with strawberry undertones but trav­ PAWPAW (Asimina triloba): F€lf a tropical look in temperate regions, this 15- to el so poorly they are almost never com­ 25 ~foot tree makes a nice specimen or s€reen tree. Exotic purple flowers fmm be­ mercially available, even here in Southern

fore leaves in eady Sf,>d Flg. Lushl een f6liage in stlrfim,erturij.s yellow i:Q. fall. California where they grow easily. They are At least two trees a!1e,;JJeeded to pro e fruk (Zone 4-5) about the size of an orange and are yellow­ QrnNCE (Cydonia spp.): Available forms range,lrom a small shl'Ub or ground green when ripe. The heavy fruit produc­ coveI to a 10- to 15-foot tr.ee. Produces white to deep crimson flowers in spring tion that is one of this plant's greatest ~ndyeUow edible-f.ruits. (Zone 4-6) virtues is also one of its greatest faults. The YBlJlQWHORN (Xanthqceras sOl'bifolium): Latge shrub or sm~H-tfee to 20 feet pro­ bounty of C. edulis can overwhelm a large . duces white spl'ing flowers and pea~sized sweet nuts in two-it;rch capsules. (Zone 6) family and bumps this otherwise trouble­ ~David J. Ellis, Assistant Editor free tree from the low- to medium-mainte­ nance category. (They will also drop fruit, although if you have enough squirrels this a taffy like cake. The fruits of the so-called sherbet-textured, perfume-scented white doesn't become a problem.) There's a small spineless prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indi­ pulp inside is delicious. The mature habit grove of these near the University of Cali­ ca) are sometimes commercially available, of both C. peruvianus and C. glaucus­ fornia at Los Angeles' south entrance, but I find them inferior to those of the var­ narrow at the base then branching out as where enough people walking past recog­ ious Cereus species. Many gardeners ad­ they grow higher-suggests a small tree. nize, appreciate, and gather the fruit for mire the sculptural form and lily-shaped, Hylocereus undatus is a climbing Cereus their own use. night-blooming flowers of these plants, relative that also produces spectacular Another subtropical fruiting tree that re­ but have no idea that they can eat the white, night-blooming flowers and large, quires a bit more maintenance than most is apple-sized fruits. good-tasting fruits. It can grow huge in Ficus carica, the edible fig. When it goes In Spanish-speaking countries the edible mild-climate coastal areas and is best into its short semidormancy period, the fruits of all Cereus and Hylocereus species planted so that it can cling to and expand dramatic large leaves wither, drop, and are called pitaya (or various phonetic upon a large tree. need to be raked. And both white sapote spellings of same), which translates to My favorite fruiting landscape plant is and fig should be planted well away from "cactus apples" in English_ Their electric­ japanese persimmon, often called kaki per­ structures and walkways, or else have their pink outer peel seems to glow under bright simmon (Diospyros kaki). According to invasive root systems confined. morning sunlight as if lit from within. If the writers of All About Citrus and Sub­ Both are drought-tolerant and make you can bring yourself to remove them and tropical Fruits, edited by Rick Bond, the wonderful shade trees, although F. carica is peel off that bright rind, you'll find that the japanese persimmon can be grown in areas often pruned low so that the figs-actual-

20 OCTOBER 1995 Iy not true fruits but flower clusters facing species relatively unknown to Americans inward-stay within easy reach. But while but highly esteemed in China. Its fruits are the tree requires some extra work, the first two to three times larger than grapefruit taste of a tree-ripened fig, its central cavity and have a sweet, pinkish flesh that is seg­ filled with its own highly-flavored syrup, is mented like tangerines. a revelation to those who have known only Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), a rose dry, tasteless supermarket figs. family species of east Asian origin, grows Fruit lovers looking for a challenge well in our coastal areas, tolerating temper­ might consider the cherimoya (Annona atures down to 12 degrees for brief periods. cherimola), one of the many subtropical It produces a variably sweet, smallish fruit and tropical relatives of our native paw­ in January, when little else but citrus is avail­ paw (Asimina triloba). Cherimoya, occur­ able fresh, on a tree with dramatic, deeply ring naturally as an understory plant in veined, dark green leaves. Good cultivars in­ mountain valleys of South America, seems clude 'Big Jim', 'Bradenton', and 'Oliver'. to require an arid climate. (Gardeners in A plant that has never fruited for me humid climates should grow instead the since I don't have one of each sex is Dov­ closely related sweetsop-Annona squa­ yalis caffra, the kei apple. The fruits are mosa-or atemoya, a cherimoya-sweetsop about the size of a plum and reminiscent of hybrid.) Cherimoya also prefers partial an apricot in both color and taste. The shade in hot summer areas. The tree is easy plant can be shaped almost like a topiary, enough to grow for its foliage, a loose­ and because it produces large, sharp looking canopy of six- to 10-inch-long, thorns, some local gardeners have experi­ dull green leaves. The fruit, however, is mented with planting it around their devilishly difficult to produce. mango trees to deter strangers from har­ Although the small green cherimoya vesting fruit that doesn't belong to them. flowers are perfect-with both sexes on Even though fruiting plants have come one flower-the stigmas are receptive only to dominate my largish yard, there are still in the early morning, while the anthers many varieties I have yet to try. Two inter­ shed pollen only in the late afternoon. esting temptations are to be found among Devotees who want to watch the knobby, Sapindaceae. Although litchi (Litchi chi­ custard-textured fruits develop on their nensis) dislikes our arid climate and saline own trees have to collect the pollen of water, people I know have had success with today's flowers, hold it overnight, then go longan (Euphoria longan), another Chi­ out at sunrise to brush it carefully onto the nese delicacy and litchi relative. I'm sure stigmas of next morning's flowers. that I will eventually try one myself. Grow­ What can I say about citruses that hasn't ing fruit seems to have taken over my life. already been said? They require more fre­ It's an addiction, but a delicious one. quent fertilizing and are less drought toler­ ant than other fruiting subtropicals. They Alice L. Ramirez is a contributing editor to can also suffer infestation from aphids, Fruit Gardener magazine, a bimonthly pub­ scale insects, mites, and snails. I deal with lication of California Rare Fruit Growers. the hassles. I savor the sweet perfume of the flowers. I admire the trees' pleasantly rounded habit and lustrous foliage. I love SOURCES AND RESOURCES the way those brightly colored fruits hang from their branches like Christmas tree or­ California Rare Fruit Growers, The Fuller­ naments. I experience an acquisitive glee ton Arboretum, California State Univer­ The edible petals of pineapple whenever I come upon a variety or cultivar sity-Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92634. guava, top, taste like marshmallows. I haven't seen before. A year ago, I planted $ 16/year membership in U.S. Strawberry guava, center, is in the entire length of one fence in assorted Mail-Order Nurseries: another genus, but both are members dwarf citruses. The individual plants will Oregon Exotics Rare Fruit Nursery, 1065 of the myrtle family. Carob, bottom, eventually grow together to create an in­ Messinger Road, Grants Pass, OR has glossy evergreen leaves and tiny formal hedge of glossy leaves decorated by 97527, (503) 846-7578 (phone and flowers in caterpillarlike racemes spheres and ovals of all sizes, shapes, and fax). Catalog $3. Specializes in colder­ that develop directly on the trunk. shades of yellow, orange, and green. climate exotics. I rejoice to have been born after the ad­ Pacific Tree Farms, 4301 Lynwood Drive, vent of dwarf citrus. My own personal col­ Chula Vista, CA 91910, (619) 422- lection includes, so far, a total of 18 2400. Catalog $2. Subtropicals; also cultivars including a 'Chandler' pummelo some true tropicals suitable for green­ (Citrus maxima). Pummelo is a citrus houses only.

AMERICAN H(j IZTICULTURIST 21

The Tatarian maple, above, is said to as 'Bonfire' and 'Green Mountain'. That Porter, remembers that it was growing in tolerate clay and alkaline soils. The description is only half right. By laborato­ the front yard of her family home when largest known specimen of Caddo ry measurements the leaves of 'Green they moved to Hinton in 1909. maple, above right, is a century-old Mountain' are thicker than those of 'Lega­ Seedling Caddo maples have proven giant in Hinton, Oklahoma. cy'. They are also much larger and have a variable in habit, although they tend to be longer petiole, thus exposing them more to a bit more columnar than the species, and wind and other elements. In a recent arti­ sometimes initially quite slow growing. cle in the International Journal of Plant Sci­ (This is thought to be because of a high ences, University of Nebraska researchers root-to-shoot ratio, in which a young plant Liz Conley and Ellen Paparozzi concluded puts more of its energy in establishing that the 'Green Mountain' leaves have a roots than in putting out branches). Since spongier mesophyll-the middle layer of they evolved in a southern climate, their cells-which makes them softer and more spring growth begins early and their leaves apt to tear than those of 'Legacy'. tend to stay green late. But when fall col­ The orange-yellow fall color of the two oration begins, around November 1, the Wandell cultivars begins in mid-October, leaves can be a beautiful deep maroon with 'Legacy' coloring about a week before (classified as "grayed red" using the Royal 'Commemoration'. 'Legacy' has a dense, Horticultural Society color charts). At the more compact crown that lends itself to Kansas State University Horticulture Re­ rather formal landscapes, whereas the search Center in Wichita, we are currently _ more vigorous 'Commemoration' forms an evaluating selections for early fall color. In oval shape, maturing at 50 feet with a more than 10 years of evaluations, the somewhat spreading crown. Caddo maple has shown superior resis­ A southern ecotype of A. saccharum oc­ tance to both drought and leaf tatter, indi­ curs in isolated areas such as Red Rocks cating that in the future it may be a good Canyon near Hinton, Oklahoma, 45 miles choice as an urban street tree. west of Oklahoma City. Called the Caddo A close relative, often listed as a sub­ maple after the county in which Hinton is species of sugar maple, is the black maple, located, it has been the subject of many sci­ A. nigrum, which has drooping, leathery, entific papers. Taxonomists have debated clasp-shaped leaves. Its native range extends its relationship to th~ typical eastern sub­ to western Iowa and northeast Missouri. species of sugar maple, A. saccharum 'Greencolumn', an upright, moderately subsp. saccharum, and the western sugar columnar selection of the black maple, was maple or canyon maple, A. saccharum discovered growing northwest of Des subsp. grandidentatum, but most classify it Moines, Iowa, by Bill Heard of Heard Gar­ closer to the former. It has adapted to the dens and was eventually patented by J. arid Southwest by forming smaller leaves, Frank Schmidt & Son Company of Boring, which in itself may help explain its toler­ Oregon. George Ware, a dendrologist with ance to the drought, wind, and heat of the the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, has prairie. The largest known specimen is ap­ closely studied black maples and conclud­ proximately 50 feet tall with an equal ed-not surprisingly-that trees from the spread. A 90-year-old resident, Cecilia hotter and drier western edge of theil7 range,

24 OCTOBER 1995 especially Missouri and Iowa, are best rubrum var. drummondii, native to adapted for city use in the Midwest. Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Louisiana, The black maple's stress tolerance mech­ tnat has more leathery leaves with pubes­ anisms include a thick, waxy cuticle; a cent undersides. While these traits would drooping, cupped leaf shape; and a downy seem to indicate potential drought toler­ lower surface. These seem to make the tree ance, it is rarely in cultivation. more tolerant than many sugar maples of When choosing non-native trees for a street conditions, especially scorching landscape, it is wise to look for species na­ winds and reflected heat from pavement. tive to an area with a similar climate. There Its strong central leader produces short, are some parallels between our Plains and sturdy branches that radiate outward from arid parts of Asia, especially China. Many the main trunk. On a good site, it can at­ Asiatic maples offer considerable heat and tain a height of 65 feet with a spread of 25 drought tolerance and vivid fall colors, and feet. The leaves emerge light green, turn their small to medium stature makes them darker in summer, and become orange-yel­ ideal for the average-sized landscape. low in fall. It is definitely hardy in USDA The amur maple, still listed by most ref­ Zone 4 and worthy of trial in Zone 3. erences as A. ginnala, has recently been re­ No article on maples would be complete classified as a subspecies, A. tataricum without including the red maple, A. subsp. ginnala. While the leaves of Tatari­ rubrum, one of the most common native an maple, A. tataricum, lack the long mid­ trees of eastern North America. Its natural dle lobe of the amur maple, and it is distribution extends west to Winnipeg in reportedly more tolerant of clay and alka­ Canada and to the Dakotas and the Great line soils, it is very similar in other respects. Plains in the United States. But because it A native of northern China, North performs best in moist soil and can tatter Korea, and Japan, the amur maple is small, severely in high winds, the species is not an usually low-branched, and very hardy. It ideal landscape tree for most areas in the tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, al­ Plains states. In addition, the leaves are though its leaves may become chlorotic in subject to scorch, and the bark to sunscald. alkaline soil. It is perhaps most noted for Nevertheless, landscapers and growers its conspicuous red samaras-seeds with have used red maple extensively, so it was membranous wings-in summer, and its only a matter of time until selections with dependable early fall color in spectacular Red maple, below left, is one of our superior form and color would emerge. One hues of orange and bright red, ranging most common native trees, but to of the most popular is 'Franksred', intro­ sometimes to almost pink. It is also one of avoid leaves that tatter and scorch, duced in 1966 by Schmidt and trademarked the few maples with fragrant flowers. gardeners in the Plains should select Red Sunset. Davis Sydnor, conducting shade The cultivar 'Flame', introduced by the one of the many named cultivars. tree trials at the Ohio Agricultural Devel­ U.S. Soil Conservation Service, is grown The amur maple from Asia, below, is opment Research Center in Wooster, gives from seed and consequently can be some- small, tough, and has fragrant flowers. it high ratings for its strong branch angles, and Wandell, in his Handbook of Land­ scape Tree Cultivars, calls it "the standard for red maple cultivars." Possibly outdistancing Red Sunset in the marketplace is 'October Glory', introduced in 1961 by Princeton Nurseries in New Jer­ sey and known for its persistent red fall color. Both selections have grown more than a foot a year for us in a decade of trials. It is common for the red maple to cross naturally with its close relative the silver maple, A. saccharinum. Recent selections of these hybrids, given the interspecific name A. x freemanii, include 'Autumn Blaze', 'Autumn Fantasy', the trademarked Celebration, and 'Marmo'. The leaves tend to resemble those of the silver maple in having five deeply cut lobes, and some growers believe the hybrids are also more tolerant of stress than the typical red maple. There is a botanical variety, A.

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 25 what variable in color. Vegetatively propa­ habit than the species, but the supply is cur­ gated clones, which are more predictable in rently very limited. form and fall color, include two selections A relative newcomer to the Midwest and from Bailey Nurseries of St. Paul, Min­ Southwest is the Shantung maple, A. trun­ nesota. The densely branched 'Bailey Com­ catum. It is also called the purpleblow pact' is suitable for large, untrimmed maple, referring to the purple pigment in hedges, but buyers should b(l aware that it its foliage when it first leafs out. Native to gets bigger than the seven to eight feet ini­ north(lrn China, Japan, and Korea, it first tially advertised, possibly to 10 feet or even came to our attention in 1973 as an intro­ 12. Also recently introduced by Bailey is A. duction from the U.S. Department of Agri­ tataricum subsp. ginnala 'Embers', which culture. It is well suited to hot and dry has especially pronounced red samaras and regions of the Southwest, even California fall foliage that is mor(l red than orange. and Utah, and has great promise for the Trident maple, A. buergerianum, is a Plains and for tough urban sites. Its other small, spreading maple native to eastern attractions include profuse greenish yellow China and Japan, with fall color that may three-inch corymbs-flat-topped inflores­ vary from yellow to dark red and maroon. cences-appearing in May after the leaves An added attraction is the somewhat mot­ are out. The five- to-seven-lobed leaves re­ tled and peeling bark that the tree develops semble those of sweet gum (Liquidamber as it ages. It is moderately cold hardy styraciflua). Fall color, which occurs in late through Zone 5, but should be planted in October or early November, ranges from a site that gives it some shelter from hot lemon yellow to deep maroon. winds. The bark is Susc(lptible to sunscald Its seedlings vary considerably, and it hy­ on the south side of the trunk if exposed to bridizes naturally with the closely related bright sun in winter, so should probably be Norway maple, A. platanoides. Two such wrapped for its first few years. hybrids, selected for their purplish n(lW fo­ The hedge maple, A. campestre, grows liage, are the trademarked Norwegian Sun­ in an extensive rang(l across Europe and set and Pacific Sunset. Hybrid selections we Asia. As its common name implies, it is have tested don't tolerate the stresses of late often used in hedges in Europ(l because of summer as well as the Shantung maple its small, dense stature with low branching species, although the A. truncatum influ­ that persists Imless it is pruned into a more ence seems to make their leaves less apt to Top: The low-branching hedge maple treelike form. Its fall color is yellow at best, tatter severely in the Plains than typical can be used for that purpose or but it partially compensates with very Norway maple selections. pruned into a more treelike form. corky twigs that are attractive in winter. It Many other maple species and cultivars Above: Shantung maple in fall. is very tolerant of drought and alkalinity, are worthy of consideration by gardeners, but will also do well in slightly acid soils. nurserymen, and landscape architects. We have grown a budded selection, 'Queen Those described here were chosen because Elizabeth' from Schmidt, here in Zone 6; it they can tolerate the extremes of the Heart­ is a bit tender north of Zone 5. land. Their toughness and attractive fea­ A closely related species is the Miyabe tures may make them excellent choices for maple, A. miyabei, a medium-sized tree other parts of the continent as well. from Japan. Lanny Rawdon, a former Bran­ iff Airline pilot with a fascination for botan­ John Pair is a research horticulturist at the ical gardens and now owner of Arborvillage Kansas State University Horticulture Re­ Farm Nursery in Holt, Missouri, calls A. search Center. miyabei a "tree for the future." Densely conical to open in habit, it has tough, glossy, insect-resistant foliage that changes abrupt­ SOURCES ly in fall from green to vivid yellow. Although the species has been described Arborvillage Farm Nursery, P.O. Box 227, as needing moist soil, three seedlings that we Holt, MO 64048, (816) 264-3911. Cat­ grow in an open, windswept site have done alog $1. well with only occasional watering. Unfor­ Owen Farms, Route 3, Box 158-A, Ripley, tunately, the Miyabe maple is quite difficult TN 38063-9420, (901) 635-1588. Cat­ to find in the trade, due to its slow growth alog $2. and difficult propagation. The Morton Ar­ Sunshine Nursery, Route 1, Box 4030, boretum has developed a cultivar, trade­ Clinton, OK 73601, (405) 323-6259. marked State Street by Chicagoland Grows, (Not normally mail-order, but has that is hardier and more uniform in growth agreed to ship maples to our readers.)

26 OCTOBER 1995 Lively Clivias In the ground or in pots, they'll add zing to a shady corner.

B y J o H N E B R y A N

ach time I travel down the sec­ Clive of Plassey. The duchess lived in Syon tion of South Africa's eastern Park, near Chiswick just across the Thames coast known as the Garden from Kew Gardens. The property, which Route, I hope to spot growing still belongs to the Duke of Northumber­ along shady ledges and ravines, land, was landscaped by the famous "Ca­ Eor in forests where mists swirl in the early pability" Brown around 1770. mornings, the magnificent Clivia miniata. It's uncertain who brought the first clivia But because I generally travel in October, to Europe, but we do know that it was de­ although I sometimes glimpse the foliage, I scribed in an 1838 issue of Curtis's Botan­ am no doubt just a bit too late to catch ical Magazine by John Lindley, who in these plants in flower. 1822 had been appointed assistant secre­ Yet it is not an uncommon plant and has tary of the Royal Horticultural Society's a wide distribution from Natal south new garden at Chiswick. Only 23 at the through Transkei to the eastern Cape. It is time of his appointment, he had already also reported to grow in Swaziland, but served as library assistant to the famous here again I have been unlucky and have naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, one of the not found it in the wild. One will frequent­ founding members of what would become ly see it in cultivation, however, since in the Royal Horticultural Society. Lindley South Africa, as in warmer parts of the named the new plant Clivia nobilis. United States, it is a popular garden plant. Members of the amaryllis family, clivias With each annual trip to South Africa, I are evergreens with straplike leaves, some wonder if one day I will enter the woods erect and some spreading. Two of the four along the escarpment of the Drakensberg species have foliage held tightly together at Mountains or in the Transvaal's Lowveld the base to form a short stem, while the and see Clivia caulescens in flower. This ro­ others are stemless or nearly so. They qual­ bust forest perennial is reported to grow ify as bulbs only in the very broadest sense, three feet tall in the deep rich humus of the on the basis of having lower stems slightly forest floor, and even as an epiphyte in the modified for storage. Though the species name means forks of trees where a generous layer of or­ In its native land it is called boslelie, vennilion, Clivi a miniata is more ganic material has built up. The possibility meaning wood lily. At least one species, C. likely to have orange blooms when of seeing such wonders draws me back miniata, is used to treat snake bites. Its grown in the United States. Hybrids each year to this part of the world, which roots are used to reduce fevers and the like the one pictured above come in is truly a plantsperson's paradise. leaves to hasten the onset of labor. Just how a range of colors, such as pink, But I am getting ahead of myself. it is administered is unclear, as I have been yellow, green, and apricot. The genus was named for Lady Char­ unable to find any record of the plants lotte Florentina Clive, the Duchess of being eaten. Northumberland, who lived in the first half C. miniata is by far the most well-known of the 19th century. She was the grand­ and most available commercially. In 1854, daughter of the colonialist Robert Clive of specimens were sent to Backhouse's Nurs­ India (1725-1774), who became Baron ery in York, England, by one Andrew Sted-

AM jORICAN HORTICULTURIST 27 WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD?

yeuow-flowered c1ivia, Clivia miniata 'Sir John Thouron', created quite a man from Natal, perhaps a gardener with stir in horticulture circles last spring when White Flower Farm sold a lim­ the Dutch East India Company at the Ai-ted number of plants for the extravagant price of $950 each_ Plants were Cape, and created quite a furor. When John expected to "send up at least one flower stem-from which will open a sumptuous Lindley saw it, he did not recognize it as a cluster of primrose yellow flowers," according to the cultural instructions frQm clivia and called it Vallota miniata, honor­ White Flower Farm. ing Pierre Vallot, a French botanical author The clivias were already several years old and expected to bloom this year. As who died in 1671. In 1864 German bota­ the cultivar name suggests, the plants were propagated from a clivia broughr to nist Eduard August von Regel set the tax­ this country by Sir John Thouron, whose Pennsylvania estate boasts an extensive onomic record straight. collection of rare plants. The origins of the plant remain a mystery. The species name means cinnabar red, or Several years ago Thouron donated some clivias to Longwood Gardens in Ken­ vermilion. Such a deep red is often seen in nett Square, Pennsylvania, where they were divided into 90 plants and grown to South Africa, where the foliage too, nor­ bloom size. Half were shipped to White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut, mally a pleasant green, becomes a deeper for sale through their catalog. The nursery has a few 'Sjr John Thouron' clivias stiU color, almost purplish green, perhaps due to available; they will be listed in the Christmas catalog (see "Sources"). the higher level of ultraviolet light. Here in Fortunately for gardeners with more humble buggets, there are sources of. less the United States, the flowers are more com­ expensive yellow cl~vias-a'Dd other colors to please the eye. In fact, CaiifOl'nia monly an orange-red or even paler orange. grower Dave Conway says, "Don't get carried away with yellow." According to The centers are light yellow to almost white. him, there is a whole range of exciting colors in clivias. Lindley may have been misled by the After being mentioned in an article in Pacific Horticulture two years ago, Con­ shape of the flowers, which on other clivi as way was inundated with buyers for his unnamed red clivia, peach-colored 'Tessa', tend to be pendulous tubes, but in C. mini­ and 'Sara' cultivar with pale salmon flowers that turn pink-aU of which are cross­ ata are more bell-shaped and face outward. es between C. miniata hybrids. He l).OW limits the number for sale because these Each is two to three inches across, so that plants can only be propagated by division. an umbel of 10 to 20 flowers plus buds can In his search for a green flower, Conway developed q clivia with upright blooms­ be more than eight inches in diameter. some orange with green tips and others pure gn~ en. His main goal has always been Although this species has been called to develop a plllFple flower. In the meantime, he has 22 different yellow cultiva:r:s for stemless, if you examine its base you will safe, blooming seedlings of which can be had for the lielatively inexpensive price of find a very short stem. From anyone $100 each. When available, he sells divisions of the cultivars as well. Many of his stem-after a few years a grouping of sev­ selections are fl'agrant, some with a strong lily scent. eral will be formed-there will be as many as 30 leaves up to three feet long and arranged in vertical rows (distichously)_ Strictly speaking this plant should be called C. miniata var. miniata, as there is a lovely lemon yellow botanical variety, C. miniata var. citrina. Yellow forms are high­ ly prized-and priced. This spring a selec­ tion, 'Sir John Thouron', was offered at _ more than $900. (See sidebar.) It is attrac­ tive, but so is a healthy bank balance. In the wild, the flowers of C. miniata ap­ Clivia miniata x

28 OCTOBER 1995 chance to open and display themselves well. Clivi a nobilis, above left, blooms for nate trait for plants in the wild, since their The tepals are red to reddish orange, fading up to six months in its native South fleshy rootstock is food for a number of ro­ to green at their tips and with a hint of yel­ Africa. The availability of yellow dents. Seedling plants will take some four low along their margins. It's fascinating to hybrids, above, has created excitement years to reach flowering size. speculate how long mature specimens of among gardeners. In mild areas, Much admired in Victorian times, clivias this one would bloom in mild-climate gar­ clivias make a stunning addition to are still valuable today as house plants and dens if they were widely available. the garden, above right. for gardens in mild climates. They bring The exceptionally dark green foliage of color to shady areas in late fall and winter, C. caulescens makes a great foil for its bril­ be allowed to remain undisturbed for and in summer their dark green leaves pro­ liant dark orange to red pendant flowers. years. I have some C. miniata that have vide a pleasing contrast to the rather gaudy The tips of the tepa Is are yellow-green. been in the same containers for 15 years. colors of annuals. It would be wonderful if These two-inch-long narrow tubes have a Although I feed them regularly with or­ commercial growers would look into the curve to them and a waxy look, so that ganic fertilizer when they are not in flower, lesser-known species, so that more of us they resemble miniature bananas. As many I often wonder just why they are so healthy, could enjoy the little "bananas" of C. as 15 flowers may appear on the strong, since they are so crowded it doesn't seem caulescens and the free-flowering of C. no­ slightly flattened stalk. While I have only that there can possibly be any soil left. Yet bilis. Perhaps the publicity surrounding the seen them reaching 18 to 20 inches tall, as long as they thrive, I do not intend to yellow form will payoff for all of us in they are reported to grow to three feet. transplant or repot them. bringing attention to this wonderful genus. When the plant matures, it exhibits a more If you want to increase your stock, how­ distinctly aerial stem. On its home ground ever, division is the best way to do so. After Among John E. Bryan's books is the two­ it flowers from October through Decem­ your plant has finished flowering, simply volume Bulbs. He was the first American ber. Its long bloom time combined with its lift it and pull the clumps apart. Replant named a Fellow of the Institute of Horti­ unusual flower make it another excellent them with the base of the leaves just at or culture in London. candidate as a pot plant. slightly above the soil. If you plant too A species I have not seen is C. gardenii, a deeply, the base of the leaves will rot. It will native of the Transvaal and Natal that was take the divisions at least a year to "settle SOURCES introduced in 1862. It is not very tall at only in" and bloom again. 18 to 24 inches, and rarely produces more Water clivias throughout the year but Conway's Classic Ciivias, 2324 Santa Bar­ than a dozen funnel-shaped flowers per fertilize only when they are in growth and bara Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, umbel. These are up to three inches long, stop when the flowers begin to appear. (805) 682-7651. Nominal fee for catalog. red tinged with orange or yellow, with a dis­ (Several books say feeding is needed when Logee's Greenhouses, 141 North Street, tinct yellow margin at the tips. they are in flower. I do not agree with this.) Danielson, CT 06239, (203) 774-8038. Nor have I ever seen the hybrid between My potted clivias put on a good display Catalog $3. C. miniata and C. nobilis called C. x cyr­ in warm indoor temperatures, blooming McClure & Zimmerman, 108 W. Win­ tanthiflora, introduced in 1877. No one for at least a month. They do not object to nebago, P.O. Box 368, Friesland, WI seems to know where it came from, but it being taken back outside afterwards, 53935, (414) 326-4220. Catalog free. is not a naturally occurring hybrid and may showing no sign of shock despite tempera­ Protea Farms of California, P.O. Box 1806, quite possibly be a selection of C. nobilis, ture differences of up to 25 degrees. In­ Fallbrook, CA 92088, (619) 728-4297. itself a variable species. It is described as 18 doors or out, their foliage should never be Catalog $2. to 24 inches tall with salmon or orange exposed to direct sunlight or it will quick­ Southern Exposure, 35 Minor Street, Beau­ flowers that have outer segments much ly burn. mont, TX 77702, (409) 835-0644. Cat­ wider than the inner segments. In my garden, clivias produce fruit but it alog $5. All species need rich soil with a generous seldom ripens. Ripe fruit turns bright red, White Flower Farm, P.O. Box 50, Litch­ amount of well-rotted organic matter. In and once the fleshy pulp is removed the field, CT 06759-0050, (800) 503-9624. pots they need good drainage and should seeds will germinate easily. This is a fortu- Catalog $5.

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 29 A Passion for Pelargoniums In West Virginia, Paye Brawner is the last hope for an unrivaled collection of heirloom geraniums.

B y D A v D J E L L s

odern nurserymen and beautiful ridge-top property. Yet Brawner plant breeders would call is unsettled about the future of her collec­ them the dinosaurs of the tion. Slowed by a series of operations on pelargonium world-out­ her knee, she realizes she won't be able to dated, finicky plants maintain the plants forever. "I'm not a Mwhose popularity was based on the habits young girl anymore. It's very, very difficult and interests of long-vanished gardeners. for me to keep it up, but if I don't keep it To Faye Brawner, who has spent most of up, there's nobody that will," she observes her life collecting and maintaining what is phlegmatically. The constraints are not just in the genetic diversity offered by heirloom arguably the largest collection of antique physical. The collection-which her hus­ vegetables, Brawner believes preserving and heirloom pelargoniums in North band affectionately terms her "expensive germplasm from older pelargoniums may ' America, they are an irreplaceable source back-yard hobby"-costs the couple be­ be important in future breeding work. of history and germ plasm. tween $5,000 and $10,000 per year to "Some of these plants go back to the sev­ It seems a geographical oddity that this maintain, minimally subsidized by Brawn­ enteen- and eighteen-hundreds. That tells collection of a genus mainly indigenous to er's mostly word-of-mouth mail-order you they are pretty sturdy," she says. southern Africa should end up in rural business, Deerwood Geraniums. Something is in bloom in Brawner's West Virginia. Yet about an hour and a half Brawner would like to ensure that her greenhouse nearly all year long. On enter­ south of Morgantown, near the town of collection finds a more permanent home, ing the double-layered poly-greenhouse it Buckhannon, more than 5,000 pelargoni­ preferably where it would be both avail­ is difficult not to be amazed by the multi­ urn species, cultivars, and hybrids crowd a able for public viewing and serve as an on­ tude of plants that cover every inch of 100-by-30-foot greenhouse on 135 acres going resource for breeders and growers. bench space, hang in double rows from the that Brawner and her husband, Herman, "My main fear is that many of these old ceiling, and poke up into the aisles from be­ moved to in 1991. cultivars will disappear. I keep hoping neath every bench. A sparkling array of Over nearly 40 years, Brawner's com­ someone will come along and preserve white, pink, red, orange, purple, and mul­ mitment to preserving the plants has led her them, as they have done in England with ticolor blossoms highlight the green, gold, to carefully pack up and move the bur­ the National Pelargonium Collection," she white, and bronze hues of the foliage. Less geoning collection to 12 different homes says. There are few remaining germplasm pronounced, yet tantalizing, is the mingled from coast to coast as her husband, first in sources for some of the old selections she fragrance of the scented geraniums. the U.S. Marine Corps and then a forester has been harboring, including many culti­ Pelargoniums are known as geraniums for Louisiana Pacific, changed assignments. vars rescued from the collections of other by most Americans even though the two After so much traveling, the couple fi­ breeders who have died or gone out of are distinct genera within Geraniaceae, the nally appear ready to gather moss on their business. Noting the resurgence of interest geranium family. As opposed to the tender

30 OCTOBER 1995 peiargoniums, mostly native to South Despite her knee surgeries, Brawner is Faye Brawner, above, has amassed Africa, true geraniums belong to a more still vivacious and active and manages to more than 5,000 pelargonium cosmopolitan, generally hardier genus juggle numerous projects around the green­ selections in her West Virginia more commonly used as outdoor bedding house, yard, and house. She has an easygo­ greenhouse, many of them rare plants. Brawner's specialty is pot-quality or ing, practical nature, but her passion for her heirloom cultivars. Among the windowsill peiargoniums. plants ahd her determination to preserve nearly 50 she has introduced is Although the plants don't appear to be them bubble to the surface readily. She has

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 3] consummate pelargonium growers and breeders who lived in Los Altos and San Francisco, respectively. "I was fascinated when I saw things like 'Fairyland'-the first miniature tricolor, bred by Miller," she says. With the en­ couragement and tutelage of Miller, Schmidt, and others, Brawner started breeding on her own. To date she has in­ troduced close to 50 selections, l1')J~~.tly st.el­ lars, dwarf zonals, and angeis. It:'s painstaking and sometimes frustrating work. "For every successful introduction I've probably thrown away about 300," she says. Many of her selections are prop­ agated and sold by larger nurseries, in­ cluding Shady Hill Gardens in Batavia, Illinois, and many in England. A lot of her breeding focuses on developing low-grow­ ing, compact versions of popular cultivars became known by that name." that tend to get too bushy. "I'm trying to Scented geraniums are becoming anoth­ breed dwarf plants so people can really er misnamed group, she says. "Many nurs­ grow them on their windowsills," she says. eries have their scented geraniums listed as The pelargonium boom in America species, but most of them are of unknown started going bust in the 1970s, seemingly origin or crosses. The feeling among nurs­ a victim of changing gardening practices eries seems to be that they have to have a and increased competition among nurs­ botanical name after them, but that is sim­ eries. Miller died and Schmidt retired and ply incorrect in many cases." a lot of the nurseries that had specialized in An early influence on Brawner was her pot-quality geraniums started going out of mother, who grew rosebud pelargoniums business. "At the time there were 40 to 50 when Brawner was growing up in Jack­ pelargonium nurseries in Califorria alone, sonville, Florida. After completing nursing but now they are almost all gbne," she school at Louisiana State University in ~ says. "I started noticing a lot of the old cul­ Baton Rouge and working for the Red ~ tivars being lost as the interest started shift­ Cross, Brawner met and married her hus- ~ ing from fancy pot culture to bedding band, who was in the Marine Corps at the ~ types." According to Brawner, the death time. In 1958, the couple moved to San iii knell for pelargonium diversity came in the

32 OCTOBER 1995 F A y E s F A v o R T E s

or pot or windowsill plants, Brawner recommends the 'Formosum', was found growing a.t a hotel in Mexico. Brawn­ following pelargoniums, divided by group, as both won­ er recommends one of her own cultivars, 'DeerwQod Wildfire', Fderful performers and fairly easy to grow: which she describes as a heavy blooming "dense miniature" ANGELS: A complex cross between regal geraniums and the with single red flowers. lemon-scented Pelargonium crispum, angels have showy, but IVY-LEAFS: Cultivars of P. peltatum, with a trailing habit smaller, regal-type flowers (see below), and some retain the ideal for hanging baskets, these are named for the resem­ lemon scent. "These are ideal as hanging-basket plants, but can blance of their leaves to those of true ivy. Brawner likes 'Rio also be pruned to stay in a four-inch pot," says Brawner. Most Grande', which has deep burgundy, almost black, double are not very heat tolerant; she recommends 'Sancho Panza', flowers . She also recommends 'Mini Lilac Cascade', 'Mini which has velvety purple flowers with pink or white edges, and Red Cascade', and 'Mini Rose Cascade', a series of dwarf ivy­ 'Caravan', which has pale pink flowers with a rosy purple leafs that "bloom prodigiously hung under the eaves of the splotch on the upper petals. "In cooler areas, angels will bloom roof or under the deck, as long as they get a little morning sun almost constantly," she notes. or reflected light." Another in the series, 'Mosaic Mini Red BIRD'S-EGG-FLOWERED: Derived from zonals (P. x hortorum) Cascade', has variegated leaves caused by an introduced virus. and wildly popular in Victorian England, these geraniums (Breeders have discovered two apparently harmless viruses have small rose or pink dots on the petals. Brawner says 'Mrs. that cause variegation on pelargonium petals and leaves. The J.J. Knight', with single white to pale pink speckled flowers, so-called "petal-striping virus" causes patterning on otherwise "can be kept low and blooms well in low light, so it's good for solid petals. The mosaic, or vein-clearing, virus creates a dis­ winter." tinctive white or yellow pattern that highlights the veins on CACTUS-FLOWERED: Akin to zonals in foliage and habit, these pelargonium leaves. Both viruses are transferred by grafting a are so-named in old cutting infected with catalogs because the ~ the virus onto a pro­ person who bred ~ spective host.) them thought their" REGALS: Derived flowers, which have from P. x domes­ long, narrow, twist­ ticum, regals "like a ed petals, resembled six-inch pot and those of a cactus most take a fair dahlia. Brawner rec­ amount of room," ommends 'Attrac­ says Brawner. Re­ tion', a light salmon, Brawner's favorite selections include 'Ivy-Leaf Lass O'Gowrie', left, and gals have large, dou ble-flowered 'Garnet Rosebud', right, the first dwarf rosebud, which was developed by showy flowers with cultivar with fine the late California breeder Holmes Miller. flat or slightly ruf­ lines running the fled petals. They length of the petals, and 'Star of Persia', which has double flow­ thI;ive in the cool, maritime climate found in parts of the West ers that are a blend of crimson and purple. Coast or New England, but tend to stop blooming in the sum­ DWARFS/MINIATURES: Bred to stay small, these zonals are mer heat of the East and Midwest. Brawner recommends ideal for windowsills. Miniatures should get no bigger than 'Fringed Aztec', a lower-growing regal with white £lowers five inches tall; dwarfs typically reach six to eight i'nches tall. striped with purple, and 'My Chance', which "has a lovely deep "The best new English one is called 'Just William', a delight­ purple, trumpet-shaped flower with a neon red throat." She ful plant with red flowers and green and gold leaves," says says breeders are working on more heat-tolerant Gultivars. Brawner. 'Fairyland', a red-flowered tricolor with silver-edged ROSEBUD-FLOWERED: These are distinguished by their dOIi­ leaves zoned with irregular splashes of rose, is a. more diffi­ ble, tightly furled flowers ohat resemble a half-open rosebud. cult, collector's pl-ant. Brawner also recommends 'Fairy Brawner recommends 'Garnet Rosebud', a compaot plant with StOFey', which has a silver tricolor leaf with green center and deep red double flowers, and 'Appleblossom Rosebud', which red zoning. has long-lasting, white double flowers edged in red. FANCY-LEAFS: These are zonals, otten called tricolors or bi­ SCENTEDS: There are hundreds of these cultivars derived from colors, bred for the rings of color on their. leaves. Semisunny species pelargoniums in a myriad of scents, \;mt most g.t:Ow too locati0ns and coohu temperatUFes enhance £0liage colors. large for windowsill or indooF pot cuhivatiop. Brawner rec­ Brawner recommends 'Mrs. Pollock' (yellow border, red and ommends P. odoratissimum, an apple-scented species with brown zone, double red flowers), 'Skies of Italy' (sharply compact growth ideal for sunny windowsills. "If room is avail­ lobed, maplelike leaves with yellow edge, irregular red and able, P. tomentosum is a gem," she adds. "It has large velvety brown zone, red flowers), and 'Lass O'Gowrie' (pale ivory leaves, a strong peppermint scent, and will take shade." edge with purple and brown zone, red flowers, heat tolerant), STEELARS: Classed among zonals, stellars are remarkable for also available with. an ivy-shaped lea£. "These get big but can their star-shaped leaves ana finely serrated star-shaped blos­ be pinched back." soms. Brawner recommends her own introduction, 'Deerwood FORMOSUMS, OR FINGERED-FLOWERED: Sometimes mistaken­ Pink Aura', a compact miniature with white petals that have a ly labeled as stellars, this group has fernlike, deeply lobed leaves pink halo, and the Australian cultivar 'Bon Bon', a miniature and unusual daisylike petals. The first plant, a cultivar called "windowsill stellar" with single red flowers. -D.E.

AMERI CAN HORTICULTU RI ST 33 CARE AND PROPAGATION OF PELARGONIUMS

SOIL: Brawner says that as long as the plants are watered properly they will grow Yet Brawner points out that unlike the in almost any potting medium that drains well. Don't use unsterilizeq garden soil more popular tropical house plants, or compost with the rarer pelargoniums, however, because they are very suscepti­ pelargoniums thrive in dry, minimally heat­ ble to fungal wilts that can lurk there. Repot every two to thre€ years or when the ed areas of the house. "They resent humid, plant shows signs of stress. junglelike air, preferring the same temper­ WATER: According to Brawner, "The single biggest problem people have is that atures people like-SO-degree nights and the plants sit in a saucer of water and their roots rot. They prefer fast-draining 70-degree days-much as they would get soils." Avoid overwatering but don't let the plants dry out completely between Wa­ in their native Cape habitat or in parts of terings. Do not mist pelargotllums, as it may cause rot. California like Santa Barbara, where regals LIGHT: In winter, plants should be in a window where they receive full sun most can grow outside." of the day. Plants that are outside in summer generally: do bettier with morning sun Brawner says Australia "has a pretty fair and midday or afternoon shade. group of pelargonium growers and breed­ TEMPERATURE: As Btawner points out, one of the joys of pelargoniums is they ers that support several societies." It was like the same temperatures as most of I,l;S: 70 to 80 degrees during the day and 50 the late Australian breeder Ted Both who to 60 degrees at night. Ivy leafs and regals prefer slightly reduced highs and lows developed what are now known as "stel­ in winter. As with most house plants; enStlce good ail' cit"culation. 'Xi lars"-bushy plants distinguished by fine­ FERTILIZER: Fertili2'ie regulady during the growing season-spring and summer­ ly serrated starlike flowers and vaguely with a mixture slightly higher inphosphor:us, such as a 5-10-5, to encotIrage star-shaped, deeply lobed leaves. Australia blooming. Let plants have a rest period over winter. boasts a handful of native pelargoniums, PROPAGATION: Four- to six-inch stem cuttings are easy to root in a sterile soil mix although some argue that these species may with added pedite. Strip leaves and stipules-leaflike organs g£Owing f)'om stem have arrived Down Under on the hooves of nodes-from the lowet.half of the qIttipg and plant it

34 OCTOBER 1995 Collected by California breeder Miller West Virginia, was made in April, so the prior to the wars, some of these selections Brawners took a southern route to keep the were among the plants willed to Brawner plants from freezing. "It took nine days. At when Miller died in 1970. Since then, night we'd open the truck at a rest area and Brawner has donated many plants to plug air the plants out-they don't like stagna­ gaps in the English National Pelargonium tion. Our last night, in Kentucky, there was Collection, based at Fivrex Nursery Ltd. in no rest area, so we hauled them out in the Pebworth, England. In appreciation and in parking lot of a motel and watered them. recognition of her lifelong experience with We didn't lose a one. I've always hauled pelargoniums, Brawner was named to the them, ever since I started collecting them. English collection's board of directors. My mother used to say that plants are bet­ To illustrate some of the amazing ways ter travelers than most people!" old cultivars have been preserved over the Now, in addition to taking care of her ex­ years, she tells the story of a green-and­ tended family of pelargoniums, and helping white-leafed bicolor with red flowers that Herman maintain landscape plants not yet English missionaries or travelers apparent­ eaten to the ground by the apparently insa­ ly took with them to China in the 1800s. In tiable West Virginia deer, Brawner writes a the mid-1980s, a Chinese student gave one regular column for Geraniums Around the of the descendants of the plant to World, a publication of the International renowned rna pie breeder J. D. Vertrees, Geranium Society. She also has her hands who lived in Roseburg, Oregon. Although full working on two books-a co-authored the exact origin of the plant has never been book on scented pelargoniums for Inter­ traced, after some research it was identified weave Press due out next year, and a solo as a long-lost heirloom geranium, and effort on the geranium family for Timber Vertrees donated a cutting to the English Press, scheduled for publication in 1997. collection. "One of these colonists must This busy schedule doesn't keep her have given a plant to a favorite friend or mind off her main concern-the steady at­ servant in China, and they preserved it trition of pelargonium diversity. "One or within the family for more than a hundred two people might have 'Fairyland', but the years. That plant traveled all the way collection as such is in a very sad state in around the world," marvels Brawner. this country. In the past 15 years hundreds Many of Brawner's plants have also of regal collections have been lost in Cali­ logged some impressive mileage. Her hus­ fornia, where they grow well. You used to band's early career in the military and later be able to get a large variety even in gro­ his work with Louisiana Pacific as a cery stores, but now you only see a very forester meant that over the course of 37 few of the most successful types." years the couple moved from Texas to For now Brawner is willing and able to South Carolina to California to North Car­ act as an unofficial caretaker of this slice of olina, back to California, to Texas again, botanical history and germplasm. Al­ back to California again, to Montana to though she remains optimistic that a place Washington to two places in Oregon, be­ or organization can be found to preserve fore finally reaching West Virginia. many of her treasured heirloom pelargoni­ In all of those moves, the Brawners had urns, she is all too aware that her collection to deal with an ever-growing stockpile of is in danger of being consigned to the plants. To reduce the load, Faye took only botanical equivalent of the tar pits. cuttings of most of her selections-except 'Bette Shellard', top, is a tricolor for a few especially rare mother plants­ David j. Ellis is assistant editor of Ameri­ fancy-leaf pelargonium. The speckled sticking them in two-and-a-half-inch pots. can Horticulturist. petals of bird's-egg-flowered The pots filled plastic trays that went into pelargoniums such as 'Pink Bird's wooden bulb boxes stacked 10 to 15 high. Egg', center, made them popular "We rented a van just for the plants, and SOURCES AND RESOURCES in Victorian England. 'Fairy Storey', we'd stop at every'rest area to open the bottom, is a miniature silver tricolor doors and give them air. Boy, the look on To receive a Deerwood Geraniums catalog, that has leaves with a green center, people's faces when we started pulling trays send $2 to Faye Brawner, Route 4, Box 525 creamy white border, and red zoning. of plants out of the van!" laughs Brawner. A, Buckhannon, WV 26201, or call (304) The rarer or more tender specimens were 472-4203. Minimum order is six plants transported in their station wagon towed and $20. behind the rental van, with shade cloth To join the International Geranium So­ taped to the windows to reduce the heat. ciety, send $12.50 to the IGS, P.O. Box Their most recent move, from Oregon to 92734, Pasadena, CA 91109-2734.

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 35 El Jefe de las Plantas In southeast Arizona, an unconventional cactus fanatic spreads the low-water gospel.

B y M A R G E M E L o M A N

round the Arizona town of Bisbee, he's known as Cactus Dave or El Jefe de las Plantas (the Plant Boss). David Eppele, a self-proclaimed "cacto­ maniac," has a seven-acre back-yard cactus garden that is home to 750 varieties of high-desert plant life. It's his field of dreams. But it isn't in­ tended to be a private retreat. Far from it. ABy design, the garden is a "show-and-tell" laboratory where plants are introduced and studied to see which are suitable for landscaping the high desert-according to Eppele, above 3,800 feet. "If the plants can't make it," he says, "they're dead." The results are disseminated via Arizona Cactus and Succulent Research, Inc., a non­ profit scientific and educational membership organization that Eppele founded in 1985. Its 260 members, in 35 states and five foreign countries, share Eppele's concern about water conservation and support his efforts to heighten appreciation of desert plants. They send him seeds and cuttings of plants to test. In return, they receive monthly newsletters ("Warning! Newsletters contain humor!"). Mixed among the desert lore, tall tales, and colorful characters, Arizona Cactus News also contains useful information on desert plants ("written in plain English, not Botanese"). Often it includes recipes for making tumbleweed salad or cactus juice (if you want the best, use pods of Opuntia lindheimeri var. linguiformis, known as the cow-tongue prickly pear). That's the "tell" part. The "show" is for his visitors-he and two assistants guided some 3,000 groups last year-and the tours are free. (Why free? "Because something in the West ought to be free," he says.) Eppele describes his garden, Arizona Cactus, as "the only botanical garden serving southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and the Mexican border states of Chihuahua and Sonora." About 30 tour groups each year are from local schools. This is his children's crusade. Teach the children, he reasons, and hope they'll spread the word. He's said that his fa­ vorite students are "Elderhostelers and third-graders, because both really want to learn." Young visitors become members of Spike's Cactus Club, named in honor of the "Peanuts" cartoon character-Snoopy's brother-who lives in the desert and talks to saguaros. Today the guests of honor are Maria Sexton's fifth-grade class from Bisbee's Lowell Middle School. Like all children on field trips, they're happy to be free from their nor­ mal routine, out in the fresh air and sunshine. For the next hour, Eppele's back yard will ~ be their classroom. ~ First stop on the cactus tour: an impressive prickly pear with a five-foot spread. El Jefe ~ calls Opuntia "the most important plant in the desert. " The first question anyone should ~ ask when they venture into the desert, he explains, is "Where's the water?" Prickly pears ~

36 OCTOBER 1995 Left: The slow-growing Agave victoriae-reginae reminds David Eppele of an artichoke. Above: Eppele peeks over a saguaro cactus. Saguaros can't be grown in the high desert without winter protection. Eppele covers his with 10-mil black plastic from mid-October to mid-March.

AMERICAN HO RTI CU LTURIST 37 can store water for up to two years. his classmates, members of the Navajo, With a knife, El jere cuts a prickly pear Acoma, and Zuni tribes, taught him "a dif­ pad. To accompany the bologna-on-Won­ ferent way of looking at nature." They der Bread and peanut-butter sandwiches knew interesting ways to use the desert stowed in their backpacks, the newest plants: which ones you could eat, which members of Spike's Cactus Club are about were poisonous, which were used for med­ to eat-and drink-some cactus. icine, and which for weaving cloth. Sit down, kids. Let's do lunch. When he was nine, the nuns who ran his After scraping off the spines and slicing school were visited by an old friend, Ed­ the pads, Eppele distributes the bite-sized ward F. Castetter, then head of the Depart­ pieces. "In Mexico, this is known as nopal­ ment of Biology at the University of New ito. It's used in salads and as a vegetable." Mexico in Albuquerque. Castetter was in Several of his luncheon guests make faces. the Gallup area to study native uses of The words "salad" and "vegetable" are plants and thought it might be a valuable Top: Old-man cactus, Cephalocereus not well-received. experience for one or more of the students senilis from Mexico, can reach 50 feet "You'll see," he assures them. "It tastes to accompany him. "He thought it would and has yellow-white, night-blooming like fresh baby peas right from the gar­ give us an opportunity to learn, to become flowers. Above: Eppele greets fifth­ den." Dubious looks. Furtive nibbles. Fi­ more curious," Eppele reflects today. graders arriving at Arizona Cactus. nally, n~ luctantly, most agree: "Not bad." Castetter researched Native American Top right: Agave ferox makes an But Eppele is not through. He's harvest­ desert lore by showing plant specimens to eye-catching specimen. ed prickly pear seed pods-known as tribal elders. For the next six years Eppele tunas-and brewed a jug of neon-pink cac­ accompanied Castetter on field trips, pre­ tus juice for them to sample from tiny paper paring plant specimens and taking notes cups. "Tastes like Kool-Aid," declares the that the botanist later transferred to his field first in line. Sighs of relief greet this pro­ journals. "I knew nothing about plants," nouncement. The cactus juice is a hit. Eppele says, "but I had been bored in Eppele knows that childhood experiences school most of the time, although I didn't can shape lives, because he was the age of realize it then." Scribbling madly, he filled these children when his career in ethno­ dozens of Big Chief nickel-tablets. botaro.y-the word hadn't been invented When Eppele was 15 years old his father, yet-began. During lunch, he tells the story. a railroad conductor, was transferred to He grew up in Gallup, New Mexico, and Belen, New Mexico. One day when David

38 OCTOBER 1995 small section of its root and mix it with water, you can make a shampoo that will get your hair squeaky clean." There's much confusion among adult gardeners about the word "native," since current conventional wisdom holds that endemic plants adapt better to difficult local conditions, especially drought. Eppele points out to the children that most of the plants seen in his garden aren't native to southeast Arizona. For instance, Opuntia ficus-indica, the spineless cactus, arrived from Cuba and the Dominican Republic Each member of the tour group, like with early Spanish priests and soldiers who all visitors, gets a baby Arizona had discovered its medicinal value. The rainbow cactus to take home. Spaniards took the plants with them as they traveled throughout the Southwest. "That's why they're so widespread," he tells the children. Other plants are brand-new arrivals being tested by Arizona Cactus. Eppele points out some of them. "These came from Texas. These from Louisiana. I've fooled them into thinking that they're still at home. And guess what? I never water them." The youngsters are incredulous. "How do they live?" "By adapting. Because of their ability to was out "doing something I wasn't sup­ store water, these plants learn to survive on posed to do"-hitchhiking-he was of­ the available rainfall. People who live in fered a ride by a man named Denis Arizona should understand this. So many Cowper. Cowper was a cactus expert who folks move here from other states and knew Castetter's reputation, and he be­ waste water trying to grow gardens like came Eppele's next mentor. The two spent they had back in Kentucky or Ohio. Lilacs years traveling throughout the Southwest are beautiful plants but they don't belong and Mexico, collecting, mapping, and pub­ in the desert. Agaves do. Look at the won­ lishing the distribution of desert plants: derful gardens you can have using land­ cactuses, agaves, yuccas, ocotillos, bear­ scape plants like these. See how big these grass, and sotol. plants can grow without any extra water!" It was on one of these trips that Eppele Trying to broaden landscape horizons first came to Bisbee. "Books said that the for Southwestern gardeners, Eppele has ex­ Chihuahuan desert ended at the Mexico perimented with plants from Argentina, border, but the plants didn't know it, and Chile, and Peru. He's partial to plants that we were finding fingers of the Chihuahuan make a bold statement, and some of his fa­ into Arizona." Bisbee's elevation gives it vorites include Agave ferox from Mexico, considerably cooler summers than much of which can shoot an inflorescence up to 30 the desert. It is also wetter, with 16 to 17 feet; Yucca torreyi, with four-and-a-half­ inches of rain annually, and warmer in win­ foot leaves and a large fruit that looks like ter. Eppele made note of the place, and 17 a plantain; and Y. faxoniana, the palm years ago moved here to begin building a yucca, which at Arizona Cactus has grown botanical garden. to 20 feet- a bold, vertical plant that might After lunch, the tour moves on to a giant take the place of a thirsty tree. yucca, where EI Jefe explains the difference A crested or monstrose form of fishhook between cactuses-which have spines­ cactus (Ferocactus wislizenii) is one of the and succulents, like yuccas, agaves, and few plants that he has dug from the wild. ocotillos-which have leaves. Yuccas are "We have federal and state licenses to col­ important desert plants because their fibers lect plants, but we don't believe in using the are used for weaving, he notes. "And look desert as a plant shop." A New Mexico at this soap-tree yucca. It grows through­ ranchsite is home to many of these barrel out the Chihuahua desert. If you cut out a cactuses, which weigh in at more than 100

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 39 pounds, and the landowner said he'd be E/ Jefe shows today's tour group how proud to have one of his plants displayed members of the Seri tribe constructed te­ in the Bisbee garden. "Digging the plant up pees,of ocotillo branches to keep a clay pot took over an hour," recalls Eppele. "Then of water cool in the hot desert sun. I wrapped the plant in a blanket, tied the He also shares a tip that gets the adult corners of the blanket around a discarded chaperones' attention. "If you accidentally fence post, and carried the cactus over a get cactus spines hooked in your skin," Ep­ mile to my truck." Today the cactus, which pele advises, "take some Elmer's glue. he estimates at more than 130 pounds, Spread it over the spines. Let it dry till it's flowers and produces seed, a rarity for one a hard crust and then peel it off. The cac­ of these forms. "Now if we can just grow tus spines will come off, too." some baby barrels from seeds ... " he muses. Finally, El Jefe leads the class into his The garden boasts an Opuntia that also "Torture Room," the humid greenhouse. marches to the beat of a different drummer, It's the only place where Eppele waters be­ z El Jefe tells the children. "Perhaps it cause the seedlings here are too young to ~ worked a little too hard trying to survive. survive without irrigation. He announces ~ It's a genetic mess, a mutant or crested that everyone can have a baby Arizona a form of cholla. So I call him my Teenage rainbow cactus to take home. "Why are ~ Mutant Ninja ChoBa. " The kids love it. you giving us these plants?" the children ~ "And here's an Arizona rainbow cactus, (/) ask. "Why don't you sell them to people?" ~ named for its colored rings. Just like trees "Because the plants aren't mine," replies ffi have rings. You can count the rings to tell El Jefe. "I'm just their caretaker. I'm an in­ ~ how old this plant is, and best of all, the terested observer." He separates the three­ CL distance between the rings tells you how inch seedlings from the flat and shows how Top: A multi-headed barrel cactus in much water it's received in past years." to plant them properly by spreading their bloom. Above: It's easy to see how the Outside the garden walls, the desert roots. "Lots of people come here and ask cow-tongue prickly pear got its name. wind stirs up a dust devil. The mini-torna­ to buy these plants. Instead, after teaching Aficionados of cactus juice say its do blows some tumbleweeds into view. Sal­ them how to care for the plants, we give pods make the best. sola kali var. tenuifolia, or Russian thistle, away rooted cuttings like these, taken from is called white man's plant by the Hopis. Its other plants in the garden. In some cases, seeds first entered the country around we ask our adopting parents to help us 1873, mixed with Russian flaxseed being with our research by letting us know how transported west by rail. The seed spilled well the plant does where they live." out along railroad tracks, and the thistle As the children reboard their bus, Eppele was later deliberately planted as a soil sta­ urges them to return and bring their par­ bilizer and forage crop. ents. "They can have free plants, too. In a weekly column, "On the Desert," Plants that never have to be watered." printed in some 30 Western newspapers, Back in the classroom, the children make Eppele reported seeing two rear-end colli­ drawings and write essays about their field sions-both resulting in serious injuries­ trip to Arizona Cactus. In their reports that occurred when motorists afraid of some complain about having to eat cactus colliding with a four-foot-tall tumbleweed or about sweltering in the greenhouse "Tor­ slammed on their brakes in the middle of a ture Room." But El Jefe's message clearly highway. "That big weed won't hurt your got through. Nearly every Lowell School little old car!" he wrote. The tumbleweed fifth-grader drew pictures of desert plants is also a primary source of hayfever, he captioned: "These don't need watering!" says, "right up there with ragweed and Bermuda grass." Margie Meldman is a free-lance writer who The self-syndicated column, plus lectur­ lives in Phoenix, Arizona. ing, Elderhostel classes, and two paperback books sold through Arizona Cactus's pub­ lishing arm, Tortilla Press, allow Eppele to RESOURCES pay the bills and keep giving free tours. Ep­ pele's folksy column talks about aspects of Arizona Cactus is open sunriseo'w sunset desert life and lore ranging from Native seven days a week. Individual memberships American wisdom to scorpions to Smokey to Arizona Cactus and Succulent Research, Bear to plants like ocotillo (Fouquieria Inc., begin at $15. For more information, splendens), which he describes as looking write Arizona Cactus and Succulent Re­ like a bunch of 20-foot fishing rods stick­ search, Inc., 8 South Cactus Lane, Bisbee, ing out of the ground. AZ 85603, or call (520) 432-7001.

40 OCTOBER 1995 aVineo! YSTERYand @nd:.~·r

B y A R T E The Clues: ~ o D 5,000 fanatics. ~~ t was a dark and stormy night." It's a cliched be­ An ancient history. "I ginning for a mystery, but this was a mystery of A million uses. sorts, and I did set out to solve it on a dark and .. stormy night last April-determinedly driving east on a treacherous, sleet-obscured 1-80 towards A snap to grow. Kent, Ohio, to interview Hal Hall, the president of the American Gourd Society. I had never heard of the American Gourd Society until I was asked to write an article about it, and even gourds themselves were a bit of a mystery. Of course I knew bird­ houses were made of them. In fact I inherited a set of gourd purple martin houses that hung empty in our back yard for years, finally deteriorating to a half dozen ragged gourd necks blowing disconsolately in the wind. And it's true that gourds are pretty in fall decorations, and that their ephemeral blooms are mildly attractive. Neverthe­ less, they hardly excited my gardener's imagination. In short, gourds seemed to be merely warty, inedible, and spineless things that crawled along the ground to no apparent purpose except their own perpetuation. I was completely clueless as to why 5,000 people would join a society devoted to growing them. Now it's no secret that the preeminent Cornell Univer­ sity horticulturist Liberty Hyde Bailey was fond of these ~ UJ {j plants, having penrted a whole book on the topic in 1937. o U) Wrote Bailey: " .. . the gourds hang on the trellises, and al­ "0: though blossoms are mostly gone and leaves have passed o:::l (!) z their prime, the bright green-and-yell ow-striped fruits in C3 comely attractive form ask for attention. Once the gourds ii' UJ ::; were common objects in homes, then other blooms and

UJ '"J: fruits displaced them ... they are so shapely and so color­ >-­ u.o ful, so strange in their markings, so endlessly unlike each ~ b: :::l Top: Gourd flamingo by Anneli Parvo, Peel, 8 Arizona. Left: Brenda Traffis, of Concord, Ohio, U) § took first place in women's hats at the 1994 J: Q. Ohio Gourd Show.

AMERI CAN HORTICULTURIST 41 other, so durable in winter months, so ap­ rise to the theory that the biblical "Dance parently unrelated to the vines that bear of the Seven Veils" was actually perform€d them, and yet so simple to grow, that they with .. . what else ... gourds! Another AGS hold the interest tenaciously." member is a belly dancer (good photo!) But that's a horticultural scientist's view. who dances with one of her gourd cre­ The American Gourd Society is made up ations on her head, all the while throwing of otherwise seemingly normal people who candy from this precariously balanced are absolutely gonzo about gourds. Here headgear-cum-container. is a group of aficionados who in a gently Not wanting to run off to interview the humorous way have created their own president of anything without some serious subculture, complete with their own research, I laid The Gourd aside with some "gourdisms." A p€rson interested in reluctance and hauled out Bailey'S Stan­ gourds is a "gourdie." You can be a dard Cyclopedia of Horticulture and his "gourd Samaritan," or perhaps "chairman Garden of Gourds, along with a few less Top: Hall Hal, gourd society president, of the gourd." You can "let the gourd entertaining tomes. with a few of his creations. Above: times roll," along with the other "gourd­ Gourds belong to the cucumber family, Green gourds drying on the Hall patio. heads" at the party. You can enter the Cucurbitaceae, which also includes squash, Top right: In Terrell, North Carolina, "Gourden of Eden," or be someone's melons, cucumbers, and pumpkins. By luffas grown by society member Terry "fairy gourdmother." You can of course be most recent count, the family has 118 gen­ Holdsclaw dry in the sun. "out-of-your-gourd," and if you are a real era and 825 species, native mostly to trop-. tough guy you might be pronounced the ical regions of both the Old and New "goNrdfather. " Worlds. Gourds may well be the first plants I obtained these witticisms from back is­ cultivated by humans, and there is evid€nce sues of the society's newsletter, The Gourd, that they gave rise to the rest of our culti­ and found myself enchanted by its good vated cucurbits. humor and sincerity (qualities much lack­ Bailey divided the ornamental gourds ing in today's world, I am afraid). into two ,ategories: the yellow-flowered Gourdies being irrepressible in their ad­ gourds, Cucurbita pepo, and the white­ miration for gourds, The Gourd in its sum­ flowered gourds, Lagenaria siceraria. mer 1993 issue was quick to seize upon an Both genera are extremely variable, with anthropologist's theory that beer was in­ the first also encompassing pumpkins and advertently first brewed when some Ama­ squash, from acorn and crook neck zonian farmer left wet grain stored in a through pattypan and zucchini. The hard­ gourd, thus stumbling upon not only the shelled ornamental gourds have their own mainstay of much of civilization, but its variety, C. pepo var. ovifera, from a flame bottling process as well. originally given to the species by Linnaeus This Gourdian interpretation, if not re­ in the 18th century. Even then it was a cul­ vision, of history was expanded not long tivated plant, and its origins are another ago when the society's seed exchange re­ piece of the gourd mystery. There is a ceived a request from a Brooklyn lady, an species, C. texana, growing wild in the exotic dancer it seems, who sought gourds American Southwest, that some theorists of a particular size and shape, thus giviag hold may resemble C. pepo's ancestor.

42 OCTOBER 1995 Others argue that it's just an escape from Imagine a time before metalworking, the gourds humans have tinkered with for before pottery, before glassblowing-be­ centuries. Linnaeus thought his gourd fore Tupperware! How would one store looked like an egg, but the common shapes grain and dried fruits, carry water, store include spoon, bell, ladle, star, and finger. fats and oils, and yes, bottle beer? And yet The last is sometimes called the crown-of­ here was this most obvious of natural con­ thorns gourd because it has five pairs of tainers, growing not only in the deserts prongs around its top. These gourds can (according to my King James, God caused be white, cream-colored, orange, green­ a gourd vine to grow in the desert to shade and-white-striped, or banded. And as I al­ Jonah from its merciless sun; some au­ ready knew, they can be warty. thorities say this was a gourd tree, but oth­ Adding to the confusion if not to the ers claim it was the castor bean), but in the mystery, some other Cucurbita species also savannas, and wonder of wonders, like a yield hard-shelled, durable gourds: C. gift from Heaven, around the campfires okeechobeensis (native to Florida), C. foe­ and midden heaps of nomadic tribes and tidissima (the foul-smelling calabazilla or villagers alike. And oh! what a wondrous Missouri gourd, native from that state and sound emerged from one of these strange Nebraska south to Mexico and west to objects when a string was placed upon it California), and C. maxima 'Turbani­ and plucked or strummed with an arrow! formis' (a purely decorative form of the And what a wonderful drum a large cal­ Bottom: Pots by Robert Rivera of edible turban gourd, probably native to abash would make! It was no wonder such Placitas, New Mexico, one of the best the Americas). gloriously useful objects came to be deco­ known gourd artists. Below: An A few species of minor interest are found rated and revered. ambitious purple martin housing in the Cucumis genus, including the teasel The uses of these lowly plants did not project by Ken Peeker of Waldo, Ohio. gourd, C. dipsaceus, from Arabia and the end in recent history. Gourds still have a African horned cucumber, C. metuliferl,ts. role to play in developing countries, and The name "hedgehog gourd" has been ap­ many Americans of rural heritage can re­ plied to both. There are also two species of member the gourd dipper that hung on the Trichosanthes, the long skinny snake well with the oak water-bucket, or the cal­ gourds, and three Luffa species, grown for abash used for storage in the toolhouse or their spongelike qualities and usefulness in barn. Some members of the American home and industry. Gourd Society remember the occasional Generally considered to be the gourd of use of gourds to make zithers, which along gourds is Bailey's white-flowered gourd, with fiddles and banjos provided all the Lagenaria siceraria, the bottle gourd or cal­ music necessary for a happy human heart, abash. (Also called the calabash is the or for soothing one aggrieved. gourd tree of Central and South America, African American members of the Amer­ Crescentia cujete.) Remember Jimmy Du­ ican Gourd Society can celebrate their own rante singing "Inka-dinka-do" and signing off plaintively, "Good-night, Mrs. Cal­ abash, wherever you are"? The identity of Mrs. Calabash was always pretty mysteri­ ous. Even Sherlock Holmes smoked a cal­ abash pipe. There's real mystery for you! Lagenaria siceraria can range from a ball smaller than an orange to a bean pod shape up to nine feet long. There are dumbbell, dipper, powder horn, and kettle shapes, just to name a few. The gourd is considered an oddity by most of us today, but it is arguably one of the most important plants in the develop­ ment of civilization. Since the beginning of history, dried and hollowed-out gourds have been used as pitchers, bottles, spoons, ladles, dishes, dippers, pipes, lamps, boxes, and containers of every kind. They have been used as ceremonial masks, rafts, fish­ ing net floats, sponges, jewelry, and deco-­ rative objects.

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 43 GROWING AND USING GOURDS musica l traditions with gourd banjos. No f your soil is reasonably good and loose, says American Gourd Society Presi­ less a personage than Thomas Jefferson de­ dent Hal Hall, gourds require only minimal maintenance. ln fact, they resent scribed an instrument, the banjar, brought I being overwatered or overfertilized. The main thing to remember is that the to the United St?tes from Africa, as "the hard-shelled varieties are warm-season plants. They shouldn't be planted until the original of the guitar." A uniquely African soil warms up ip the spriFlg or they might rot. Gardeners 1n the far nonhern Unit­ percussion instrument, known since the ed States and Canada may have too snort a season to grow some varieties. days of slavery, is the chequeree (or shak­ Gourds can be started indoors or planted like cucumbers, in hills five to eight eree), made by tying a netting of beads feet apart, then thinned to two or three per hill after their true leaves form. Elab­ around a gourd. The beads create a cas­ orate trellises aren't necessary; Liberty Hyde Bailey recommended a head-high tanet sound, while the gourd itself pro­ woven wire fence. duces its own bass rhythm when struck Delphia Dunmire, a gourd seed grower, explained in the fall 1994 issue of The with the hand. Another instrument of Gourd that the fruits grow on lateFaI, or side, vines and recommended cutting the African origin is the hosho, a shot-filled tip off the main vine once it is 10 feet long. gourd that produces a steady rhythmic The pFimary pest of gourds is the cucumber beetle, which cap destroy seedlings pulse when shaken. or infect vines with a virus, but you £al.J, protect your plants by covering them with Native American history is full of gourds a layer of cheesecloth. as utilitarian objects and also as rattles and Freshly harvested gou.rds are 90 percent water and will quickly lose their bright drums. The ovoid Indian rattle gourd is fa­ colors. They can be allowed to dry by leaving them on the vine i.n. fall (although miliar to most of us in the form of modern­ their seeds will not germif,}.ate after a freeze) or they can be brouglh inside and day Mexican maracas. stored iFl a dry place until they feel lightweight and you can hear their seeds when Gourd drums are important to the an­ you shake them. Soaking them in warm water and scrubbing them with steel wool cient Hawaiian hula dance tradition, with will remove the skin and any mold that has accumulated, although some crafters the single gourd drum, the ipu, and the like the design created by the mold and apply wax Of shellac Light over it. You'll double gourd drum, the ipu heke, provid­ wam to. let the gourd dry completely and sand it lightly before trying your first ing a rhythmic background for the chants gourd project. -Kathleen P'isher, Editor and dances. A gourd rattle, the uli uli, is also used in the hula. It would be unlike the gourdies to be dener, at least in regard to gourds. Trellis­ aware of these gourd traditions and fail to es for gourd vines abounded, and some of promote them. There are indeed gourd in­ last year's crop still remained in the field­ strumental groups who heighten the enter­ strangely shaped things that resembled tainment level at gourd society events. everything from basketballs to baby alliga­ Perhaps the most famous is Minnie Black's tors. A number of gourds of various kinds Gourd Band, which often plays at annual were spread out on the ground to dry. meetings. Black, an octogenarian who Hal Hall himself is a tall, distinguished­ plays the gourd fiddle and sings, also runs looking retired school administrator. It was the respected Gourdcraft Museum in East hard to imagine him wearing a gourd hat Bernstadt, Kentucky. Her band consists of or playing a gourd kazoo, attired as he was a dozen or more men and women playing in a professorial uniform of turtleneck all sorts of percussion, wind, and string sweater, wool blazer, corduroys, and gourd instruments. The Garlands, a father­ loafers, and smoking a calabash pipe, no and-son ensemble from Elizabethton, Ten­ less! Here was an obviously serious fellow, nessee, also use gourd instruments in their and serious about this business of gourds. renditions of traditional folk music. A I thought I would get right to the point more scholarly group is Professor Larry by asking him why he was so captivated by Sherman's Oxford Gourd Ensemble, which gourds. "Well," he replied thoughtfully, "as was conceived as an integration of concep­ you know, gourds have been used since time tual art and performance art. immemo~ial by ancient cultures worldwide With all of this absorbed, I felt myself for storage vessels, spoons, ladles, and even dangerously on the verge of becoming a William Lanning of Findlay, Ohio, highly decorative objects. They have been gourdie myself, and by the time I arrived at displays a long-handled dipper gourd. found in the tombs of the Egyptian Hal Hall 's suburban home in Kent, Ohio, pharaohs, and in Incan and Mayan temples. the weather had changed from miserable to They were mentioned often in Christopher wonderful. Yet even such a marvelous array Columbus' first accounts of encounters of historical uses for gourds wouldn't seem with Native Americans." to tell the story of everyone in this devoted There was the history angle. But I con­ group. To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, the tinued to prod, like Joe Friday. Just what game was still afoot. was his personal interest in gourds? As I drove up to the Hall house, I could "Actually," he confessed, "although I see that it was the home of a serious gar- enjoy growing gourds, my primary inter-

44 OCTOBER 1995 est is in their crafting. That means either has a number of state chapters, fills the in­ using gourds as decorative objects in their ternational role as well. The huge annual natural state, or as I do, using dried gourds Ohio Gourd Show usually attracts visitors in craft projects, such as baskets, effigies from a number of foreign countries, and of natural objects such as birds, animals, The Gourd has a regular column, "Letters and plants, and so forth. You can make From Overseas." many things of gourds, such as clocks, One recent letter from Marek Wosinski, beautiful boxes, dolls, puppets, musical in­ a Polish social psychologist who attended struments. They also make wonderful an annual meeting, said many things re­ three-dimensional natural 'canvases' for garding friendliness, hospitality, and the paintings, Ot objects upon which to carve genuineness of the American spirit as or burn pictorial representations or ab­ glimpsed through that encounter. "My stract designs. A painting is two dimen­ strong impression was that many social sional and has to hang on a wall. An borders are abandoned, a lot of stable con­ artistic presentation on a gourd can sit on tacts are established, and the society be­ a shelf, on an end table, on the floor, on comes a real common referent group to all 6 the fireplace mantel, wherever." members, coming from so many places, (3 o I had been distracted, I realized, by professions, and social groups." Transla- ~ thinking of gourds as garden plants or util­ tion (mine): Golly, these folks have fun! ~ itarian objects, and completely missed the After all, what other plant-oriented ~ (') dimension of artistic expression! meeting could you possibly attend that ffi Hall showed me his own creations, a would have a full-fledged parade down ~ phantasmagorical collection of finely craft­ Main Street, with a marching gourd band, ~ iii ed objects. There were basement tables a beauty queen on a float, and at least the ~ covered with highly polished and decorat­ possibility of exotic dancers inside the gs 8 ed gourd bowls, intricately carved and tent-all of them, of course, wearing

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 45 CLASSIFIEDS

Classified Ad Rates: All classified advertis­ CACTI AND SUCCULENTS ROSES ing must be prepaid. $2 per word; minimum RARE AND EXOTIC PLANTS from around MODERN, ANTIQUE AND RARE RO£ES­ $50 per insertion. Copy and prepayment the world. Catalog $2, refundable. ABBEY catalog on request, $4 (listing 800+ varieties and must be received on the 20th of the month GARDEN CACTUS, P.O . Box 2249, La Habra, 384 pictures of individual wses). PICKERING three months prior to publication date. Send CA 90632-2249. (310) 905-3520. NURSERIES, INC., 670 Kingston Rd., Picker­ orders to: AHS Advertising Department, ing, Ontario L1 V 1A6. Tel: (905) 839-2111. FAX: (905) 839-4807. 506 Russell Road, Alexandria, VA 22301, CARNIVOROUS PLANTS or call (703) 549-2112. CARNIVOROUS (Insectivorous) PLANTS, MANY NEW ROSES for the coming season. seeds, supplies, and books. Color brochure free. Over 700 varieties: new show roses and ground THE AVANT GARDENER PETER PAULS NURSERIES, Canandaigua, covers; English and old garden roses; 6 thornless FOR THE GARDENER WHO WANTS MORE NY 14424. HT varieties; antique and classic roses by Beales; FROM GARDENING! SubsGribe to THE miniatures by Rennie; hardy Ottawa explorers; AVANT GARDENER, the liveliest, most useful Manitoba Parkland varieties; and our fabulous EMPLOYMENT of all gardening publications. Every month this Pavement roses that are disease-free, low-main­ unique news service brings you the newest, most THE ARBORETUM IN FLAGSTAFF, ARI­ tenance types that are also suitable for harsh practical information on new plants, products, ZONA, is inviting applications for an Execu­ prairie winters. A superb collection. Our fields techniques, with sources, feature articles, special tive Director. We seek a person with an are known to be virus-free. Orders shipped with issues. 27th year. Awarded Garden Club of academic background in plant science with ad­ our temperature-controllel!l truck to UPS depots America and Massachusetts Horticultural SOGi­ ministrative experience and an interest in eco­ in the USA for local distribution. Catalog $3. ety medals. Curious? Sample copy $1. Serious? logical horticulture. Arboretum studies and Books by Austin and Beales. Encyclopedic video $12 full year (reg. $20). THE AVANT GAR­ public programs involve the use of native plants on roses by English rose expert Peter Beales, $35 DENER, Box 489M, New York, NY 10028. and the perpetuation of rare and endangered delivered. Kindly fax or mail in retail orders or species. Closing date is November 8, 1995. call them in on our answer line (905) 689-9323. Send application, including curriculum vitae HORTICO INC., 723 Robson Rd., Waterdown, BOOKS and three letters of recommendation, to: THE Ontario LOR 2H1. Tel: (905) 689-6984 or 689- HORTICA-Color Cyclopedia of Garden Flora, ARBORETUM AT FLAGSTAFF, Search Com­ 3002. Fax: (905) 689-6566. with Hardiness Zones, also INDOOR PLANTS, mittee, P.O. Box 670, Flagstaff, AZ 86002. 8,100 color photos, by Dr. A.B. Graf, $238. TROPICA 4, 7,000 color photos of plants and Spectacular Old-Fashioned HOUSE PLANTS trees for warm environments, $165. EXOTIC Red and Pink Double Poppies HOUSE PLANTS, 1,200 photos, 150 in color, ORCHIDS, GESNERIADS, BEGONIAS, CAC­ with keys to care, $8.95. Circulars gladly sent. TI AND SUCCULENTS. Visitors welcome. Annual seeds $21100. Send check or m.o. and Shipping additional. ROEHRS CO., Box 125, 1994-1995 catalog, $2. LAURAY OF SALIS­ self-addressed envelope to: East Rutherford, NJ 07073. (201) 939-0090. BURY, 432 Undermountain Rd., Salisbury, CT POPPIES, Rt. 1, Box 1495, Tifton, GA 31794 FAX (201) 939-0091. 06068. (203) 435-2263.

BULBS INNS AND GARDENS Plant Trees for America~ DUTCH BULBS for fall planting, 12cm Tulips, THE WILLOWS OF NEWPORT, RHODE IS­ To receive 10 free Colorado blue spruces, DN1 Daffodils, Hyacinths and miscellaneous. LAND-Romantic Inn and Garden. Fresh flow­ send a $10 membership contribution to: Catalog free. Paula Parker DBA, Mary Matti­ ers, turned-down brass canopy beds. Breakfast in son Van Schaik, IMPORTED DUTCH BULBS, bed! Stroll 3 blocks to downtown/waterfront or ~ The National i..... P.O . Box 32AH, Cavendish, VT 05142. (802) relax in our "Secret Garden." P/bath, p/park, 226-7653. - NC. "**Mobil Award. Listed in "Best Places to . ~~v!?u~te~~~~~?~ r-- Kiss in N.E." (401) 846-5486. TULIP COLOR BLENDS-First-quality bulbs at the best prices. Free catalog. SCHIPPER AND COMPANY, Box 7584a, Greenwich, CT 06836. PLANTS (UNUSUAL) WOULD YOU tlKE TO HELP (800) 877-8637. "Our Roots Are Bulbs." OVER 2,000 KINDS of choice and affordable plants. Outstanding ornamentals, American na­ AHS INCREASE ITS REACH? tives, perennials, rare conifers, pre-bonsai, wildlife plants, much more. Descriptive catalog, If your local library doesn't already carry Gardener Seeks Estate Position $3. FORESTFARM, 990 Tetherow Rd., Wil­ liams, OR 97544-9599. American Horticulturist, Experienced in greenhouse growing, request it. Patron re­ perennial care, grounds maintenance, quests are the number one way to get a pub­ pruning, lawns. Reply to American Hor­ JOY CREEK NURSERY perennials and native lication on the shelves-helping us spread ticulturist, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, plants. Catalog $2, refundable. JOY CREEK Alexandria, VA 22308-1300. NURSERY, Bin 2, 20300 N.W. Watson Rd ., the word about AHS programs. Scappoose, OR 97056.

46 OCTOBER 1995 PRONUNCIATIONS

Acca sellowiana AH-kuh sel-o-wee-AN-uh c. x cyrtanthiflora C. x sur-tan-thi-FLOR-uh Luffa LOOF-uh Acer buergerianum AY -sur bur-jeh-ree-AN-um C. gardenii C. gar-DEE-nee-eye Mespilus germanica MES-pih-lus A. campestre A. kam-PES-tree C. miniata var. citrina C. min-ee-AY-tuh jur-MAN-ih-kuh A. x freemanii A. x free-MAN-ee-eye var. sih-TRY-nuh Musa acuminata MEW-suh A. ginnala A. jih-NAY-luh C. miniata var. miniata C. min-ee-AY-tuh ak-yew-min -AY-tuh A. miyabei A. mih-YAH-bee-eye var. min-ee-AY-tuh Myrciaria cauliflora mir-see-AIR-ee-uh A. nigrum A. NY-grum C. nobilis C. NO-bil-is kaw-lih-FLOR-uh A. platanoides A. plat-uh-NOY-deez Comus mas KOR-nus MAHS Opuntia ficus-indica o-PUN-shuh A. rubrum vaT. drummondii A. ROO-brum Crescentia cujete kre-SEN-tee-uh FIE-kus-IN-dih-kuh var. drum-MON-dee-eye KOO-jeh-tee O. lindheimeri var.linguiformis O. lind-HY­ A. saccharinum A. sak-uh-RYE-num Cucumis dipsaceus KEW-kew-mis mur-eye var. ling-wih-FOR-miss A. saccharum subsp. grandidentatum A. sak­ di p-SAS-see-us Pelargonium crispum peh-lar-GO-nee-um AH-rum subsp. gran-dih-den-TAY-tum C. metuliferus C. meh-tuh-L1F-ur-iss KRIS-pum A. saccharum subsp. saccharum A. sak-AH­ Cucurbita foetidissima kew-KER-bih-tuh P. x domesticum P. x doh-MES-tih-kum rum subsp. sak-AH-rum fee-tid-IH-sih-m uh P. x hortorum P. x hor-TOR-um A. tataricum subsp. ginnala A. tuh-TAR-ih- C. maxima C. MAKS-ih-muh P. odoratissimum P. o-dor-uh-TIS-sih-mum kum subsp. jih-NAY-luh C. okeechobeensis C. o-kee-cho-be-EN-sis P. peltatum P. pel-TAY-tum A. truncatum A. trun-KAY-tum C. pepo C. PEH-po P. tomentosum P. toh-men-TOH-sum Agave ferox uh-GAH-vee FEH-roks C. pepo var. ovifera C. PEH-po var. Perovskia atriplicifolia peh-ROF-skee-uh A. victoriae-reginae A. vik-TOH-ree-ay­ 0-VIF-ur-uh a t-ri h -pi i h -sih -FO-lee-uh reh-GEE-nay C. texana C. tek-SAN-uh Photinia x fraseri fo-TIN-ee-uh x Amelanchier alnifolia am-eh-LANG-kyer Cydonia sigh-DOH-nee-uh FRAYZ-yer-eye al-nih-FO-lee-uh Diospyros digyna dy-OS-pih-ros PoaPO-uh A. arborea A. ar-BOR-ee-uh dih-JIH-nuh Populus grandidentata POP-yew-lus Annona cherimola uh-NO-nuh D. kaki D. KAH-kee gran-dih-den-TAY-tuh chair-ee-MO-luh Dovyalis caffra doe-vee-AH-lis P. tremuloides P. trem-yew-LOY-deez A. squamosa A. skwah-MO-suh KAF-fruh Prunus tomentosa PREW-nus Asimina triloba uh-SIH-mih-nuh Eriobotrya japonica air-ee-o-BOT-ree-uh toh-men-TOH-suh try-LO-buh jah-PON-ih-kuh Psidium cattleianum SIH-dee-um Asparagus densiflorus as-PAIR-uh-gus Eugenia uniflora yew-JEEN-yuh kat-lee-ee-AN-um den-sih-FLOR-us yew-nih-FLOR-uh P. guajava P. GWAH-jah-vuh Aspidistra elatior as-pih-DIS-truh Euphoria longan yew-FOR-ee-uh LON-gan P. littorale var. longipes P. lit-toh-RAH-lee ee-LAY-tee-or Feijoa sellowiana fay-YO-uh var. LON-gee-peez Bromus BRO-mus sel-low-we-AN-uh Rhoeo spathacea RHEE-o Buxus sempervirens BUCKS-us Ferocactus wislizenii feh-ro-KAK-tus spath-uh-SEE-uh sem-per-VY-renz wiz-lih-ZEN-ee-eye Salsola kali var. tenuifolia SAL-so-luh Carex KAIR-eks Ficus carica FIE-kus KAH-ree-kuh KAY-lie var. ten-yew-ih-FO-lee-uh Carissa grandiflora kuh-RIS-suh gran-dih­ Fouquieria splendens foo-kee-AIR­ Salvia SAL-vee-uh FLOR-uh ee-uh SPLEN-denz Sorb us SOR-bus C. macrocarpa C. mak-roh-KAR-puh Gardenia jasminoides gar-DEEN-yuh Symphoricarpos sym-fo-rih-KAR-poz Casimiroa edulis kas-ih-mih­ jaz-mih-NOY-deez Syzygium jambos sih-ZEE-gee-um ROW-uh eh-DEW-lis Hylocereus undatus high-lo­ JAM-boes Cephalocereus senilis sef-uh-lo­ SEER-ee-us oon-DAY-tus Tradescantia spathacea trad-es-KAN-tee-uh SEER-ee-us seh-NIH-liss Juniperus chinensis joo-NIP-er-iss spath-uh-SEE-uh Ceratonia siliqua seh-ruh-TOH­ chy-NEN-sis Trichosanthes try-ko-SAN-theez nee-uh SIH-lih-kwa Justicia brandegeana jus-TISH-yuh Vallota miniata va l-LO-tuh min-ee-AY-tuh Cereus glaucus SEER-ee-us bran-dih-gee-AH-nuh Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. minus vac-SIN- GLAW-kus Lagenaria siceraria laj-eh-NAIR-ee- ee-um VY-tis--eye-DEE-uh var. MY-nus C. peruvianus C. peh-roo-vee-AN-us uh sih-suh-RAIR-ee-uh Xanthoceras sorbifolium zan-THO-sair-us x Citrofortunella microcarpa x sih-troh-for­ Lantana camara lan-TAN-uh KAH-mah-ruh sor-bih-FO-lee-um tew-NEL-uh my-kro-KAR-puh Litchi chinensis LEE-chee chy-NEN-sis Yucca faxoniana YUK-uh Citrus maxima SIH-truss MAKS-ih-muh Liquidamber styraciflua lik-wid-AM-ber fak-son-ee-AN-uh Clematis paniculata KLEM-uh-tiss sty-rass-ih-FLEW-uh y. torreyi Y. tor-REE-eye pan-ik-yew-LAY-tuh Lonicera japonica lah-NISS-er-uh Ziziphus jujuba ZIZ-ih-phus Clivia caulescens CLY-vee-uh KAW-les-senz juh-PON-ih-kuh JEW-jew-buh

AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST 47