TheThe AmericanAmerican gardener ® gardener TheThe MagazineMagazine ofof thethe AmericanAmerican HorticulturalHorticultural SocietySociety September / October 2012 Colorful Cool-Season Annuals Autumn-Blooming Perennials Native Seeds for MagnificentMagnificent Habitat Restoration MaplesMaples contents Volume 91, Number 5 . September / October 2012 FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 5 NOTES FROM RIVER FARM 6 members’ forum 8 NEWS FROM THE AHS “Growing Good Kids” 2012 book award winners announced, TGOA/MGCA photo contest winner selected, The American Gardener receives Garden Writers Association award, tomato trial held at River Farm, 2013 AHS President’s Council trip set for South Carolina. 12 AHS MEMBERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE Peg Owens. 44 HOMEGROWN HARVEST Jostaberries. pagepage 2424 46 GARDEN SOLUTIONS Properly planting trees. gardener’s notebook 14 COLORFUL COOL-SEASON ANNUALS by linda askey 48 Blueberry mixup, frost- Get a jump-start on next year’s garden now with these annuals. tolerant Japanese snowbell developed, new program 20 GROWING PLANTS FOR WILD PLACES by pat munts helps boost climate change awareness, research shows A network of organizations is working together to collect, pre- pagepage 4646 serve, and cultivate native plants for restoration projects. that stressed grasshoppers may contribute to slower plant growth, naming auction for newly 24 LATE BLOOMERS by carole ottesen discovered iris relative now open, evidence When cool nights and shorter days signal the arrival of fall, a few of co-evolution of native and invasive plant special perennials keep on blooming. species, flowers coaxed from Ice Age plants, new partnership focuses on native orchid conservation. 30 MAGNIFICENT MAPLES by caroline bentley and viveka neveln Green Garage: Outdoor garden maintenance. Just before dropping their leaves, maples put on a dazzling show. 52 BOOK REVIEWS How Carrots Won the Trojan War, American A BREEDER APART: ELWIN ORTON by bob hill 36 Grown, and Cacti & Succulents for Cold Developing disease-resistant dogwoods is only one of elwin Climates. Orton’s major contributions to woody plant breeding. 54 traveler’s guide to gardens JC Raulston Arboretum. 41 SCHOOL GARDEN SUCCESS STORY by holly bowers The dynamic integration of gardening into the curriculum at a 55 REGIONAL HAPPENINGS virginia elementary school is an inspiring example for schools nationwide. 58 HARDINESS AND HEAT ZONES AND PRONUNCIATIONS 60 PLANT IN THE SPOTLIGHT On THe COveR: native to the Pacific northwest, Oregon vine maple(Acer circinatum) is a small tree Korean mountain ash. LEFT: KAREN BUSSOLINI. RIGHT: HOLLY BOWERS with leaves that turn brilliant orange or red in autumn. Photograph by Josh McCullough September / October 2012 3 AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Making America a Nation of Gardeners, a Land of Gardens Board of Directors CHAIR Harry A. Rissetto, Esq. Falls Church, Virginia FIRST VICE CHAIRMAN Jane Diamantis McDonald, Tennessee SECOND VICE CHAIRMAN Mary Pat Matheson Atlanta, Georgia SECRETARY Leslie Ariail Alexandria, Virginia TREASURER J. Landon Reeve, IV Woodbine, Maryland IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Susie Usrey Dayton, Oregon EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Henrietta Burke Alexandria, Virginia Sandra Address Chevy Chase, Maryland n Sally Spangler Barnett Jacksonville, Florida n Amy Bolton Falls Church, Virginia Skipp Calvert Alexandria, Virginia n Joel Goldsmith Gilroy, California n Mary Huddleston Dallas, Texas Shirley Nicolai Ft. Washington, Maryland n Ed Snodgrass Street, Maryland n Marcia Zech Mercer Island, Washington EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tom Underwood PRESIDENT EMERITUS Katy Moss Warner President’s Council The President’s Council is comprised of dedicated members whose annual support makes many of the Society’s programs possible, from youth gardening activities to horticultural awards programs. founder’s circle ($25,000+) Mr. and Mrs. Klaus Zech n Mr. and Mrs. Harry A. Rissetto chairman’s circle ($10,000–$24,999) Mrs. Leslie S. Ariail n Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Bluemel n Mr. and Mrs. George Diamantis n Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Farrell n Mr. and Mrs. Shephard W. Hill LIBERTY HYDE BAILEY CIRCLE ($5,000–$9,999) Ms. Amy Bolton n Mrs. Elisabeth C. Dudley n Mr. and Mrs. Albert Huddleston n Mrs. Shirley Ann Nicolai n Mr. and Mrs. Tom Underwood n Mr. and Mrs. W. Bruce Usrey n Ms. Katy Moss Warner HAUPT CIRCLE ($2,500–$4,999) Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Bogle n Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Burke, III n Ms. Petra Burke n Mr. James R. Cargill, II n Mr. and Mrs. Carl Estes n Ms. Judy Daniel n Ms. Amy Goldman n Mr. and Mrs. Joel Goldsmith n Dr. and Mrs. William O. Hargrove n Mrs. Carole S. Hofley n Ms. JoAnn Luecke n Mr. and Mrs. Ken Mountcastle n Mr. L. Neuman n Mr. David D. Parrish n Mr. and Mrs. J. Landon Reeve, IV COUNCIL member’s circle ($1,000–$2,499) Mrs. Sandra L. Address n Mr. and Mrs. Robert Baillie n Mr. and Mrs. Carter Bales n Mr. and Mrs. Bill Barnett n Mrs. Katherine McKay Belk n Mrs. George P. Bissell, Jr. n Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs n Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Bradshaw n Mr. Skipp Calvert n Ms. Mary Ann Carey n Mr. Hans Edwards n Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Eilenberg n Mr. Monte Enright n Mr. Joseph Errington and Mr. William Pullen n Mr. and Mrs. Emil Fischer n Mrs. Walter S. Fletcher n Dr. and Mrs. John A. Floyd, Jr. n Ms. Marguerite P. Foster n Mrs. Janet Gebler n Mr. and Mrs. Don W. Godsey n Mrs. Barbara Grant n Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Hanselman n Ms. Catherine M. Hayes n Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Nancy Hess n Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hixon n Ms. Nancy Hockstad n Mr. Philip Huey n Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Ireland n Ms. Stephanie Jutila and Mr. Thomas Seltz n Mr. Mike Kunce n Mr. Richard Lessans n Ms. Carolyn Marsh Lindsay n Mr. and Mrs. R. Scott Lyons n Mr. and Mrs. Bob J. MacLean n Mrs. Dorothy W. Marston n Mr. and Mrs. Bill May n Mr. and Mrs. Egon Molbak n Mr. and Mrs. Peter Morris n Mr. James R. Moxley, Jr. n Ms. Julie Overbeck n Mr. Edward Pasquesi n Ms. Allison Porter n Mrs. Laura Riddle n Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Roe n Mrs. Deen Day Sanders n Mr. R. P. Simmons n Mr. Ed Snodgrass n Mr. Lamar Thompson n Mr. Joe Viar n Mrs. Angela M. Vikesland n Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Volk n Ms. Katherine J. Ward n Ms. Elizabeth M. Wehrle n Mrs. Dudley B. White n Mr. and Mrs. Dennis White n Mr. and Mrs. Harvey C. White honorary president’s council Ms. Louise Fruehling* n Mrs. Enid Haupt* n Mrs. John A. Lutz* n Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Miller* *In memoriam Corporate Members Bonnie Plants n The Care of Trees n Chapel Valley Landscape Company n The Espoma Company Homestead Gardens n Kurt Bluemel, Inc. n Monrovia n Osmocote Horticultural Partners America in Bloom Symposium & Awards Program n Bellingrath Gardens and Home The Burpee Foundation n Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Garden Symposium n Cox Arboretum MetroPark Garden Centers of America n The Gardeners of America/Men’s Garden Clubs of America Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium n The Homestead in the Garden Symposium Inniswood Garden Society n Oklahoma Botanical Garden & Arboretum 4 the American Gardener CONTACTS FOR NOTES cFROM RIVER FARM AHS PROGRAMS, MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS & DEPARTMENTS For general information about your member- ship, call (800) 777-7931. Send change of address notifications to our membership de- t the American horticultural Society, we see our mission as encourag- partment at 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Al- exandria, VA 22308. If your magazine is lost ing everyone to garden. We emphasize this because there is a tendency or damaged in the mail, call the number above to view gardening in a narrow, and potentially limiting, way. Often, the for a replacement. Requests for membership A information and change of address notification word “garden” conjures up an image of a discrete plot of land, such as a neighbor’s can also be e-mailed to [email protected]. intricate bed of roses, or the community vegetable garden down the road. But any space can be a garden as long as plants are cultivated there. the key word is “cul- THE AMERICAN GARDENER To submit a letter tivate,” which we define broadly as the planting, tending, or harvesting of plants. to the editor of The American Gardener, write here at the AhS’s River Farm headquarters, we are fortunate to have plenty to The American Gardener, 7931 East Boule- vard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308, or send an of space, so we cultivate everything from an orchard to formal flower borders and e-mail to [email protected]. a four-acre meadow. those who have more limited outdoor space or none at all DEVELOPMENT To make a gift to the Ameri- may instead cultivate scaled-down versions of these sorts of plantings—perhaps a can Horticultural Society, or for information six-foot-square masterpiece in front of a town- about a donation you have already made, call house, containerized edibles on a deck, or lush (800) 777-7931 ext. 132 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. indoor gardens. All of these activities fall under the broad umbrella of gardening. Gardens are E-NEWSLETTER To sign up for our monthly everywhere, and everyone can be a gardener! e-newsletter, visit www.ahs.org. One place where gardens are showing up INTERNSHIP PROGRAM The AHS offers intern- more and more is schools. In this issue, there’s ships in communications, horticulture, and youth programs. For information, send an an article starting on page 41 that profiles an e-mail to [email protected]. Information exemplary school garden program that was a and application forms can also be found in featured tour during the AhS’s 20th annual Na- the River Farm area of www.ahs.org.