Planning and planting for a better world Friends of the JC Raulston Arboretum Newsletter Number 4, Summer 1998 Director’s Letter Watering, Weeding, and Waiting by Bryce Lane Summer at the JC Raulston Arboretum is a great time for visiting. However, be sure to bring plenty of water to drink. It has been a hot one so far, and that poses a few extra challenges for gardeners throughout the region. Our summer staff of Mitzi, Karen, Todd, Doug, and Sarah have been busy keeping the garden and collections in “tip top” shape. Much of their time has been involved in two typical summer time gardening Gala in the Garden Co-Chairs May McMillan Benson, left, and Peggy Fain share a well deserved smile during the very successful Gala. See page 18 for activities, watering and weeding. more gala news. photo by Linda Watson In between these activities they have been busy propagating a The giveaway is an incredible event insure the event was memorable. myriad of very interesting and where a “sea” of people select from Indeed it was a memorable Gala, exciting plants. That’s where the a “sea” of plants. It only takes about with brief gale force winds and waiting comes in! Many of these ten minutes for the plants to be torrential rains occurring right plants will be featured at the NC chosen and amazingly, no one is before dinner. That did not dampen Association of Nurserymen Trade injured or very disappointed! Be anyone’s spirits. As we all stood Show, which is now re-scheduled sure to mark your calendars. shoulder to shoulder under the for September 25, 26, 1998 in tents where the silent auction was Charlotte, NC. The month of May was indeed a being held, I saw nothing but very busy one for the Arboretum. smiles. The annual Gala was a A large number of the plants being The Gala in the Garden was a smashing success, in that this propagated will be available at the smashing success. Congratulations year’s event raised more than Annual Friends Plant Giveaway to the Gala Committee for all their $60,000 for the Arboretum. Thanks which is scheduled for Saturday, hard work and commitment. to all who helped. October 3, 1998, at the Arboretum. Catherine Maxwell and her col- Make sure your membership is up leagues from the CALS Develop- Shortly after the Gala, the Depart- to date so that you can participate. ment Office also deserve a special See Director, page 40 thank you. They worked tirelessly to Summer 1998 Page 1 Table Plant News...........................3 Reviews & Previews.........25 of Garden News.....................12 JC.......................................26 Development News............17 1997 Accessions................27 Contents Volunteer News..................23 Editor’s News Seasons of the Misc. Perennial Borders For the first time, the Arboretum Our upcoming lecture and event Starting in September, we are Calendar is stapled into the center schedule is so full of interesting offering sessions that will provide an of the newsletter. This allows us to things that I can only ask you to be in-depth view of the Arboretum do away with the large envelope. sure and look carefully at the new perennial borders. Edith The idea is that you can remove the calendar. Please come to as many Eddleman and Douglas Ruhren calendar and put it wherever you lectures as your schedule allows. will lead twenty people on a tour normally put the calendar. Let us Standard starting time for FOA through the borders, discussing know how this does or doesn’t lectures is 7:30 p.m. in order to identification and culture of the work. allow our friends in outlying areas to perennials of the season. There will get home a little earlier. Remem- be another session in October, one The NC Nursery Association’s trade ber, the lectures are still free to session during the winter, then show has been changed to Sep- members! We can only do this monthly sessions beginning in the tember 25 and 26, 1998. This because of the generosity of our spring. All registration fees will be mainly effects us by changing the speakers and those of you who used to buy plants and supplies for dates we need our army of volun- support us through your member- the perennial borders. The cost is teer baggers to get ready for the ship payments. I can tell you that only $20.00 a session. Please see annual plant distribution to the there is not another public garden in the new Calendar to register for wholesale nursery trade. See page the country that brings its members September and October. Look to 24 for further details. such a high quality parade of future calendars for upcoming speakers for free. We are happy to sessions. do it, and we hope you will continue to support us with your member- ships and donations. Photo not available Michael Dirr Of special note this fall is the Michael Dirr lecture on November 6, 1998. Dr. Dirr generously agreed to help us raise money for the Education Center. The evening will include a wine and cheese recep- tion, lecture, plant auction and book signing of the new edition of his Manual of Woody Plants. Wow! Tony Avent has agreed to be the auctioneer, so you know it’s going to be great fun. The Propagation Workshop with Michael Dirr, November 7, 1998, has a few spaces left, but not many. If you’re planning on attending, Catherine Maxwell and William Joslin at the Joslin Garden dedication. please send in your registration See page 23. soon. Page 2 Friends of the JC Raulston Arboretum Newsletter Atlantic white cedar tolerates wet Integrated with growth data are soils and performs well in garden customer preference question- Plant situations. Because of rapid growth naires. Visitors to CANR are and variable growth habits, cultivars requested to list their top five and of Atlantic white cedar have the bottom five Atlantic white cedar potential for groundcovers, shrubs, selections. Also, at the Georgia News hedges, screens, groupings, Green Industry Association (GGIA) specimens and Christmas trees. January 1998 meeting eight of the best 26 taxa were displayed without The Georgia Christmas tree grow- names and evaluation forms were ers are excited about the many distributed to booth visitors. They Evaluation and cultivars for the infusion of new were asked to rank them in order of Selection of foliage colors, textures and forms. aesthetic characteristics. The data Several growers envision the for the CANR and GGIA evaluations Atlantic White smaller types like ‘Andelyensis’, are presented in tables 3 and 4, ‘Little Jamie’, ‘Meth Dwarf’ and ‘Top respectively. Cedar Taxa Point’ as table-top and container Christmas trees. At their annual The research component, beyond David Sandrock, Dr. Michael Dirr meeting (1998) they mentioned that the above growth and aesthetic and Dr. Jean Williams-Woodward Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis considerations, consists of con- leylandii Dallim.) sales were within trolled inoculations and screenings Introduction to Atlantic 2% of Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana for various fungal diseases that are white cedar Miller) in 1997 and will supersede problematic on Leyland cypress the latter species in 1998. Indeed, (Cupressocyparis leylandii). These Atlantic white cedar[Chamaecyparis the Christmas tree industry sees a fungi are Seiridium, Botryosphaeria thyoides (L.) BSP] is a member of possible future for Atlantic white and Phyllosticta. Results from Cupressaceae and is the only cedar beyond the paradigm of the disease resistance screening, Chamaecyparis native to the typical Christmas tree. coupled with growth and develop- eastern United States. Specifically, ment data, will be used to select Atlantic white cedar is found along Research and evaluation cultivars of Atlantic white cedar as the eastern seaboard from Maine to possible alternatives to Leyland Florida and west into Mississippi, In an energetic effort to foster cypress, and to select superior and is adapted to zones 3 to 8. It interest and evaluation we are cultivars of Atlantic white cedar for grows mostly in pure stands along sharing collections with the JC their potential in the contemporary stream banks, in wet depressions Raulston Arboretum, the University landscape. Leyland cypress is the and fresh-water bogs and occurs on of Maine, North Carolina Arbore- standard for fast screening, hedging shallow, peat covered soils under- tum, Bernheim Arboretum and the and grouping in southeastern lain with sand. University of Minnesota. In Geor- landscapes. If the Atlantic white gia, plants have been given to any cedar clones do not grow as fast In the wild, Atlantic white cedar is and all nurserymen who inquire. and/or posses disease resistance, columnar in youth, forming a narrow Replicated field plots have been then their promotion and use are spire-like crown at maturity and established at the Department of questionable. Additional studies reaching a height of 12 to 15 Horticulture research farm, and at under consideration include cold meters (40 to 50 feet). However, the Center for Applied Nursery hardiness and drought tolerance cultivars of Atlantic white cedar Research (CANR) at McCorkle utilizing laboratory techniques for display a wide range of growth Nurseries a replicated container rapid screening. habits. A collection of 52 taxa at the test was established March 11, University of Georgia and the 1997. The growth data presented Center for Applied Nursery Re- in this article were taken from the search (CANR) in Dearing, Georgia plants at CANR in 1997. In 1997, See Cedar, next page includes compact, columnar, 26 taxa were included in the study; pyramidal, spreading, weeping, 24 additional taxa were added on juvenile, blue, green, yellow and April 16, 1998. variegated forms. Summer 1998 Page 3 Plant News Cedar, continued Table 1: Growth Data for Atlantic White Cedar Taxa The following information is based on one season’s growth (March - October), considering an average starting liner height of 6 inches.