^ Iv^^-r^^^-^ .',,-1,/ ,. .S^ \--^'i?'^^ -^^'^^^ ^^^^^BIP^'* yirjTT"^! f ~~"^|^"-," ^' ~ ----t ^r\ _^mri^ _ ■■ ^ .^^'--^-^ ,'^J!' ^^':,-::tv^ f;i^.^-i*f^ NEW HAMPSHIRE PLANT GROWERS ASSOCIATION JUNE / JULY 1999 w have a special name for the trees that come from our tamis — ^ArcticMist.™ When you order ArcticMist,' ''' you are not just buying a tree, but all of the time, attention, and care — from seedling to shipping — that goes into creating a safe, healthy, and beautiful Christmas tree. We plant from seed to achieve ma>dmum qualin, control. All ArcticMist^" trees are heavily needled and ha\'e dense conical shapes. Their lovely blue color, rich fragrance, and good needle retention make them idea! Christmas trees. Fraser, balsam, white spmce, and pine (white, scotch, and red) are available. In addition, we are introducing fralsam, a fraser-balsam cross. Wreaths are also available. Since our fanns are in New Hampshire and \'emiont, we harvest our trees later in the season than man\ other growers. We also do everything we can to minimize moisture loss after harvest and during shipping. ^ oil can order the number of trees that is right for \()u — from 25 to a trailer load. We can arrange shipping or \ou may pick up the trees yourself We respect your schedule and guarantee on time delivery. Our trees arrive indi\ idually wrapped and ready for sale. All you need to do IS remove the wrappers and set the trees out — no broken branches, no last minute trimming. T Lo place an order, or to receive specific information about this year's trees: Callusat800/694-8722 or 603/237-5702. Send us a fax at 603/23 7-(S439. Or write to us at 38 Bridge St., Colebrook, NH 03576. Our internet address is http://www.sibgotree.com SibgoTree Company We (mow wtiat you want for Christinas'. ArcticMist Remember, you can only buy ArcticMist^^ at Sibgo Tree Company. CALENDAR June 18-19 (Friday: 5-8pm; Saturday: 9am-2pm) Eleventh Annual Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth Tour, sponsored by South Church, 292 State Street, Portsmouth, NH; 603-436-4762 'e 24 New Hampshire Plant Growers Asso- ciation Twilight Meeting/Garden Center Evaluation Workshop, Spider Web Gardens, Center Tuftonboro, NH; Ann Hilton at 603-435-6425, workshop informa- tion: Dave Seavey at 603-225-5505 26 "Hay Day" — a family day at The Fells, John Hay National Wildlife Refuge, Newbury, NH; 603-763-4789 27 Rose Society Show, Nashua Mall, Nashua, NH; 603-673-0754 July 10-14 Ohio Florists' Association Short Course, Columbus, OH; 614-487-1117 14 Connecticut Nurserymen's Association Summer Meeting, Burnett's Landscaping and Salem Country Gardens, Salem, CT; 203-445-0110 15-16 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: "Hidden Treasures of the Boothbay Peninsular," 10am-4pm; 207-633-4333 21 Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association Summer Meeting, Forest Park, Springfield, MA; 413-369-4731 21 "Cruise into Lake Sunapee's Past," 4:30-6:30pm, Sunapee Harbor; information and reserva- tions: Friends of John Hay National Wildlife Refuge at 763-4789 22 Open House, W.H. Minkowski, Inc., 10 Middle River Road, Stafford Springs, CT; 1-800- 243-7170 August e 4 New Hampshire Plant Growers' Association Summer Meeting, Pleasant View Gardens Pembroke Facility, Pembroke, NH; information: Robert Demers at 603-625-8298 1 1 New England Nursery Associa- tion and Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association Joint Summer Meeting, The Glen Park, Portsmouth RI; 508-653-3112 13 Benefit Auction, The Fells, John Hay Memorial Wildlife Ref- uge, Newbury, NH; 763-4789 14 Eighth Annual Plant Sale, The Fells, Newbury, NH; 763-4789 15 Annual Open Farm Day — Rockingham and Strafford Counties; for participating farms, map, sched- ule of events: UNH Cooperative Extension Rockingham County (603-679-5616) or Strafford County (603-749-4445) 18 Vermont Association of Pro- fessional Horticulturists (VAPH) Summer Meeting, Vergennes, VT; 802-865-5979 20 Maine Landscape and Nursery Association (MeLNA) fifth annual Horticultural Field Day, Rogers Farm, Orono, ME; 207-225-3998 25 Open House, Griffin Green- house and Nursery Supply, 1619 Main Street, Tewksbury, MA; 978-851-4346 September 15-18 Forty-ninth Annual Meet- ing of the Eastern Region of the International Plant Propagators' Society, Minneapolis Airport Marriott, Minneapolis, MN; Margot Bridgen at 860-429-6818. CONTENTS Departments 3 FROM THE BOARD 5 FORUM 7 NEW HAMPSHIRE NEWS 13 ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS Features 19 Jack-in-the-Pulpit Nancy Surene 20 MEMBER PROFILE Maple Leaf Gardens 22 Harvesting Peonies for a Lasting Cut Flower Karen Cast 24 Sitting in the Shade Jeff Warschauer Columns 10 KIWI CORNER Paul Fisher 14 PIONEER POINTERS 16 THE GREEN SPOT Mike Cherim 26 Diagnostic Update Cheryl Smith 28 Z NOTES Jim Zablocki 28 HOW ABOUT HERBS Tanya Jackson Credits Cover: Pleasant View's Pembroke Facility, photo by Rick Raymond; this page: "...faces carved in the apple trees," 1999 Breath of Spring Flower Show, Keene, photo by Steve Curtin The Plantsman is published in early Fe bruary. Apri , lun c, August, October, and De cember witb adlines being the first ofeach prio month. While earner a-ready ads are preferred, set-up assistance is available a t a nominal fee. Free das. ifiedad ertismg message (no artwork or logos) for one or two i The Plantsman. AD SIZE 3 3/8"w X 2 l/4"h 3 3/8"w X 4 3/4"h 7"w X 2 l/4"h 7"w X 4 5/8"h 7"w X 9 l/2"h 6x $150 $200 $200 $300 $500 $100 For further information, please contact the editor: Robert Parker at the UNH Research Greenhouses, Durham, NH 03824, 603-862-2061; or PO Boi 5, Newfields, NH 03856, 603-778-8353. > 1 » » /QUALin . SELEQION: ',& SERVICE" ThisIsWhatWeGrowAtMillicanNi Wouldn't you someday like to tell your grandchildren that you started using biological pest control way back in the 1 900s? 5'-^ ^ v^^ Come on, be a pioneer. Give us a call and 5o?:i; ] we'll help you . \x make It all — - ^ possible. FREE CATALOG AVAILABLE The Green Spot, Ltd. 93 Priest Rd., Nottingham, NH 03290-6204 Tel: 603 942-8925 Fax; 603 942-8932 Eml:lnfo@GreenMethods.com WHOLESALE SUPPLIER OF NURSERY & WETLAND STOCK TO THE TRADE. M NURSERIES, INC. HERBACEOUS & WOODY WETLAND PLANTS -ORNAMENTALS -GROUNDCOVERS -PERENNIALS -VINES DEALER FOR BON TERRA WETLAND FABRICS CONTRACT GROWING AVAILABLE 24 BUZZELL RD, BIDDEFORD, MAINE 04005 (207) 499-2994 (207)282-7235 FAX: (207) 499-2912 CALL FOR A QUOTATION OR A COPY OF OUR CATALOG. -WE DELIVER- WeVe Got Them • PRUNERS • LADDERS • SPRAYERS • SPRAYING ACCESSORIES FROM THE BOARD The Best Way to "Guarantee" Success TIM WOLFE Recently, my family's retail gar- den center has been grappling with the question of whether or not to guarantee plant material. Some of the biggest problems we have in deciding to do so are the reasons why people return plants. These include improper watering, improper fertilization, poor choice for the location, and mechanical damage. These are all issues that could be avoided and, if avoided, would give the plants a good chance for survival. So how do you get your cus- tomers to understand and practice the correct concepts of plant care? Educate, educate, educate!! I feel as though I'm constantly clobber- ing new and unknown customers with these basics. It seems as though the most commonly asked question is, "How much do I wa- ter it?" Well. ..that depends on a lot of things. Is the plant going into a container or in the ground? What time of year is it? What is the plant's exposure? What are the soil conditions? What is the weather that day? Week? Month? Then, keep in mind that, as the plant grows, its requirements change as well. All these questions must be asked to arrive at a gen- eral answer. Then the customer still has to process the information and — more importantly — go home and practice it! I am also often presented with brown branches or burnt foliage. After discussing water conditions, we move on to investigate fertiliza- tion. I used to recommend incor- porating granular fertilizer into the planting hole until one day, a cus- tomer insisted that she had planted a row of arborvitaes according to my instructions. Yet the whole row was failing. Baffled, I drove to the site to investigate. Upon removing one of the plants from the ground, I found a quarter-inch layer of 10- 10-10 fertilizer directly on top of the root ball! Now, I stress the use of fertilizer after backfilling. From this experience, it is evident that employees need to be very clear when giving advice and instructions. Advising customers on material selection is no exception to this ei- ther. Again, a customer's success is quite often determined by the questions asked of them. Many people want to put that hanging impatiens on the lamp post in full sun. After they go away for a weekend in July, they come home to find it sunburnt and dried out. Then they give the already com- promised plant a foliar feed on a 95-degree day to try to save it. This pushes it to beyond salvage- able, so it comes back to the gar- den center. The customer's dis- gruntled and so am I! Our label recommended it for shade-to-part- shade: they put it in the sun. Even though they ignored a clear label, I am held responsible and so is my business. Why couldn't they have picked a geranium? I am also often held responsible for mechanical damage. An un- knowing home-owner uses his line trimmer around the base of his newly planted cherry tree. After a couple mowings, the tree is com- pletely girdled. Even though I know the tree left here in good condition, the customer insists the plant should be guaranteed. In summary, you will need to know how and if you "guarantee" your plants. No matter what your decision, remember that educating your staff and customers can only help bring success and enjoyment in gardening — and save you a lot of headaches! Tim Wolfe is at Lake Street Garden Center in Salem. Should you note a peculiar crinkling on your petunia leaves, Tim can be reached at 6o3-8p3-s8^8. The More You Qdw, The More You Know. «eo„»e (^^ortheast Nursery, Inc. 'Ty coveR II C "^JL^ Supplying I lals and ^^^ j ^ - :r many I ^- g for all J -^Tci. (5 W-, ;ve been in iJiis business a long lime. We know our customer's needs and demands. Ii dosen'i make a difference lime of year or ttie size of the project. Northeast Nursery all Witli the widest selection m wholesale plant matenal landscape supplies in all of New Kngland it's no wonder consider Northeast Nursery the best One-Stop shoppin your landscape and green supplies. Fine Plant Material & Landscape Supplies 234 Newbury Street, Rt. 1 South Peabody, MA 01960 508) 535-6550 Fax (508) 535-5247 JUN&JllY 1999 "The landscape professional's choice for unique, landscape size plant materials" Largest tree & shrub inventory in Seacoast NH Accessible & convenient location at Stratham Circle (Rte. 108/33) Informative tree and shrub tagging system Quality ♦ Selection ♦ Friendly & knowledgeable staff (603) 778-3711 FAX: (603) 778-3773 Monday to Saturday, 7-7; Sunday, 9-5 Other hours arranged by appointment STRATHAM CIRCLE Nursery & Landscape QUALITY New England's Leading Full Line Seed House • Packet Seeds • Lawn Seed • Fertilizer • Grounds Maintenance Chemicals 1 (800) 326-HART FAST, COURTEOUS SERVICE The Chas. C. Hart Seed Co. RO. BOX 9169 WETHERSFIELD, CT 061 29-01 69 1 (800) 326-HART IFFlAl«^REEN%li The Complete Source For Your Greenhouse Greenhouse Structures - Containers, Flats, Packs, Trays - Propagation Supplies - Growing Media - Soil Handling Equipment - Greenhouse Covers - Polycarbonate and Fiberglass Sheets Controlled Release Fertilizers - Soluble Fertilizers - Irrigation - Crop Protection Products - Fertilizer Injectors - Retail Products - X.S. Smith; Harnois - Free Standing, Gutter Connected. Retail Greenhouse Structures (Steel and Aluminum), Complete Structures and Environmental Design Dillen; TFI; TLC; Belden; Nursery Supplies; Kord - Fiber; Henry Molded-Fiber Jiffy; Oasis - Seeding Equipment, Germination Media Scotts - MetroMix; Miracle-Gro-Customblen Bales; Fafard - Bales, Loose Filled Bags Bouldin & Lawson - Flat and Pot Fillers, Soil Mixers, Conveyors and Seeders Klerk's Plastics - 4 year IR and Anti-condensate Films; AT Plastics - Super-Dura Film4 Polygal; DynaGlas; Lasco Scotts - Osmocote. Osmocote Plus, Sierra Tablets Peters Professional; Miracle-Gro Excel Netafim - Drip and Micro Systems; Richdel; Nelson; Senniger; Amiad; Arkal-Filtration Systems, Complete System Design; Insecticides, Fungicides, Herbicides, Biologicals Anderson; Dosatron Novelty; Scotts; Peters; Miracle-Gro; and more MA '578-85 1 -4346 - ME 207-657-5442 - NV East 5 1 8-786-3500 - NY Central 3 1 5-255-1450 - N.I 609-409-9399 - VA 804-233-3454 - PA 7 1 7-656-0809 Horticultural Endowment Update: Grant Applications Available After a successful fund-raising campaign, The New Hampshire Plant Growers' Association has es- tablished a Horticultural Endow- ment to actively support scientific research and education in the field of ornamental horticulture. The primary goal of this endowment, in keeping with our donors' wishes, is to benefit the New Hampshire horticulture industry and, secondarily, the industry at large. The Association now invites all horticulturists and researchers in related sciences to submit appli- cable grant proposals for funding. Projects may include (but are not necessarily limited to): basic and applied research; equipment to aid in research and education; and travel, training, speakers or events affiliated with research. Grants will be awarded on the basis of the project description, including the project objectives as well as meth- ods, procedures, materials, equip- ment, and personnel involved in the project. Grant monies available for the 1999 awards total $2,500.00. Individuals submitting research proposals must be faculty mem- bers, students, or qualified employ- ees of institutions engaged in hor- ticultural research and education. Grants will be awarded to eligible non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, horticulturists, and research institutions, as well as innovative industry and public-pri- vate collaborative projects. The deadline for proposal appli- cations is October 1, 1999. Grant awards will be announced by De- cember 1, 1999. Grants will be awarded on an annual basis, sub- ject to review and renewal. Al- though approved for funding for only one year at a time, grants will be considered for renewal upon re- ceipt of a renewal application. Interested individuals must com- plete the Endowment's application form. A copy may be obtained by writing: New Hampshire Plant Growers' Association, Horticultural Endowment Fund, 7316 Pleasant Street, Loudon, NH 03301. If you are interested in con- tributing to the Endowment it- self, please contact Henry Hun- tington at (603) 435-8361 or Peter van Berkum at (603) 463- 7663. Contributions to the En- dowment are fully tax deductible and may be pledged over a period of up to three years. The purpose of the New Hampshire Horticultural Endowment — and a long-held aim of the New Hamp- shire Plant Growers' Associa- tion— is to promote improved floriculture practices. 1999 NEW HAMPSHIRE FAIR DATES JULY 23-25 Stratham Fair; Martin Wool at 772-4977 29-1 North Haverhill Fair; David Keith at 989-3305 AUGUST 3-8 Cheshire Fair, North Swanzey fairgrounds; Sandra Amadon at 357-4740 20-22 Cornish Fair; Robert Bladen at 542-4622 21-22 Belknap County 4-H Fair; Sue Roberts at 267-8135; Concessions: Ginny Clifford at 524-4398 SEPTEMBER 1-6 Lancaster Fair; Paul Thurston at 788-4531 2-6 Hopkinton State Fair; Alan Hardy at 746-4191 10-12 Hillsboro County Agricultural Fair (fairgrounds in New Boston); John Robertson at 588-6106 17-25 Rochester Fair; Jeffrey Taylor at 332-6585 30-3 Deerfield Fair; Jane Boucher at 463-7421 9-11 OCTOBER Sandwich Fair; Richard Papen at 284-7062 For information, contact the New Hampshire Association of Fairs and Expositions, 25 Capitol Street, PO Box 2042, Concord, NH 03302-2042 or visit their web site at http;\\www.nhfairs.com. 75 Chestnut Hill, Route 190 Stafford Springs, CT 06076 W.H. MILIKOWSKI, INC. Greenhouse Supplies & Equipment Plants Bulbs All Your Greenhouse Needs 'Our Goal Is Your Success' Ron Hill NH & Maine Representative CT 800-243-7170 Fax: 860-684-3022 WAGEMAN INSURANCE Homes • Barns • Livestock Machinery • Farmer's Liability Livestock Health & Mortality Workers Compensations • Auto BlU r"^ Insure with New Hampshire's largest independent agricultural agency. 1*800-439^2451 will put you in touch with an agricultural insurance professional Jolly Farmer PRODUCTS INC. PLUGS ANNUAL PLUGS. .year-round production of over 650 varieties in 3 sizes, 512'5, 288's, and 144's, VEGETABLE and HERB PLUGS... 60 varieties in 3 sizes. 412's, 288's, and 144's PERENNIAL PLUGS over 100 varieties in 288's and 144's. VERNALIZED PERENNIAL PLUGS & CUTTINGS over 120 varieties in a 70 count tray. 1-888-695-8300 CUTTINGS Grown and shipped in the growing tray. Bacopa J^v^ Begonias-Fancy ijL^^i) Brachycombe ^^^^jf^ Coleus ^(r§4^^ Cuphea ■H" Cyclamen Liners UK Daisy-Marguerite Double Impatiens Fan Asters New Guineas Fuchsia "Mini Qnis" Hardy Mums Petunia Cascadia Ivy Geraniums Zonab Kalanchoes bcorice Plant ..i-*"' 56 Crabbe Road Northampton, New Brunswick Canada E7N 1R6 FINISHED • YEAR-ROUND COLOR program including 4" & 5" pots, planters, and dish gardens. • SPRING nNISHED...nats, hangers, summer annuals, specialty pots, geraniums and more. • GARDEN MUMS. FAIX ASTERS, FALL SPECIALTY POTS. • HOLIDAY CROPS...Poinsettias and Cyclamen and NEW THIS YEAR .Wreaths, Kissing Balls, Garlands & Floral Swags. r:)- xAfci yy^ )C.:) NEW HAMPSHIRE NEWS Farm Day Expands The Annual Open Farm Day will be held on Sunday, August 15, and has expanded to involve agri- cultural enterprises in both Rock- ingham and Strafford counties. The mix (over thirty partici- pants) is eclectic and includes, along with such places as Goudreault's Farm and Green- houses (Plaistow) and Saltbox Farm (Stratham), the UNH Dairy Teaching and Research Center (Durham), the New Hampshire Farm Museum (Milton), Elliott and Williams Roses (Dover), and Little Bay Buffalo Company (Durham). The diversity could cre- ate an interesting day. For a copy of a comprehensive flier listing all farms, a map, and a schedule of events and activities, call UNH Cooperative Extension Rockingham County (603-679- 5616) or Strafford County (603- 749-4445) or Flag Hill Winery at 603-659-2949. StandUp Gardens StandUp Gardens, Ltd., a new business in Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, is expanding the pleasures of gardening. StandUp Gardens spe- cially designs table-height garden- ing systems-on-wheels. Basically, they consist of a 3'x4' green fiber- glass container ten inches deep (there is a drain valve for excess water) set onto a portable frame. A wooden trellis or arbor can be added. Two of these gardens, high- lighted by the Florida chapter of the American Horticultural Therapy Association, are now on exhibit for the sixth annual International Flower and Garden Festival at Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando. President and founder Paul Harris says, "We try to make the joy and beauty of gardening avail- able to people who have been de- nied these pleasures by the con- straint of physical limitations;" these systems are specially tailored to individuals who have difficulty bending to ground level. Last year, StandUp Gardens, Ltd., received a LifeSpace Design Award from the American Health Care Associa- tion's Provider Magazine. The StandUp Garden is also the first product ever endorsed by the American Horticultural Therapy Association. Several models and finishes meet a variety of design require- ments. StandUp Gardens, Ltd., is 8** Summer Annuals PS. COLE d^^^^s^th^:^ Growers 251 North Village Road, Loudon, NH 03301 Phone 603-783-9561 Fax 603-783-9562 >:• if Red Maple 1 .5-3 ■ caliper Varieties: Red Sunset'"', Autumn Flame " (P P 2377), and Armstrong specimen quality, own root (no incompatibility problems), high limbed for street and commercial use 604 Main Street, Cromwell, CT 06416 Phone (203) 635-5500 FAX (203) 635-3685 ^^^^K^ Trees Since 1929 9fillane 9)ursenes,^nc. Growing 500 Acres of New England s Finest Trees i Shrubs AMPSHIRE NEWS at 34 Patterson Lane, Portsmouth. For information, call 1-800-867- 8263. Spring Shows Revisited THE BREATH OF SPRING Flower Show at The Cheshire Fairgrounds Arena in Keene (March 26-29) saw a 10% increase in paid attendance this year — 8617 people. There was no keynote speaker, but workshops, coordi- nated by Bruce Clement, Cheshire County Cooperative Extension, were well-attended. The most com- mented-upon exhibit was a floral display showing Dorothy's early travels through Oz (this year's theme was "Flowers Over the Rainbow"): four munchkin houses surrounded by "hollyhocks, roses, tulips, hyacinths, fountains, and a bridge;" then, a six-foot-tall scare- crow in a field of four-foot high corn. ..and the Tin Man in the orchard... faces carved on the apple trees; and finally, the "gloomy castle (lots of stonework) where nothing but the hat of the melted witch remains." The tentative date for next year's show is March 24-26 — three full days. For more, contact Steve Curtin at 603-355-6335, extension 161. THE SEACOAST FLOWER, Home, and Garden Show (Durham, March 26-28) also saw a marked increase in attendance — "over 16,000," compared with "around 13,000" last year. The increase was due in part to the larger number of nurseries and landscape firms setting up displays. Twenty-three of them were there — in the lobby, on the arena floor, on the con- course— and more are hoped for next year. Next year's dates are March 24-26. For informauon, call 603-356-7750. THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ORCHID Society's show (March 18-21 in Nashua), although at the same time as the New England Flower Show, was also "a great success." The trophy donated by the New Hampshire Plant Growers' Associa- tion for "Best Cut Flower Display" was awarded Ford Flower Com- pany of Salem. Designed by Cookie Santerre, the tabletop ex- hibit held a spectacular display of Oncidium "Gower Ramsay," the "dancing lady orchid." ( Ford's de- signers also created cut flower ar- rangements that were intermingled with the Windham Garden Club exhibit at the show.) This year's trophies were orchid pots hand- crafted by Orchid Perfection of WHOLESALE NURSERY TREES • EVERGREENS • SHRUBS 150 acres of quality plants Wnte for catalog Member MNA. NENA Millers Falls Road. Turners Falls. MA 01376 Telephone 4 1 3 863 25 1 0 S jtewarfe NURSERY, Inc A world leader in development, production and sales of horticultural products Only the finest floral products bear the Yonder name You can see them on television and in picture spreads in leading publications. In numerous store and garden center promotions. In municipal paries and botanical gardens and countless home and backyard settings \5der ...somethings to grow on Mary-Jayne Lattig (203) 468-8890 1-800-232-9557 Ext 800 Fax: (203) 468-8891 New England Aeters • Keepeake Azaleae • 'ro\\aqe • ?o\r\eett\ae • Prophet series garden mums • Pot Mums Kosee * Dahlias * hibiscus • Ne^v Guinea Impatiens * drokered Fluids and Oeran'iume • Ferennials NEW HAMPSHIRE NEWS Sandwich. (Orchid Society summer events include Nick Mancieri of A&P Orchids, Swansea, Massachusetts, speaking at the meeting on July 10 and Paul Martin Brown, Jackson- ville, Florida, editor of the Native Orchid Alliance magazine, speak- ing on August 14. The meetings are held at the Bedford town hall, on Meetinghouse Road, Bedford. These begin at 10:30 and include plant sales, raffles, and pot luck refreshments. For details, call Joanna Eckstrom at 603-654-5070. Big news is that NHOS now has its own website. You can now visit them at www.nhorchids.org to find out about these happenings and others.) Positive Developments The FFA Career Development Day held at UNH on April 16 had one of the highest recent turnouts as students from eight schools tested their skills in a variety of events. In Agricultural Mechanics (welding, small engine technology, practical problem-solving, a written exam). Fall Mountain had the highest team score. Mark Bowen (Fall Mountain), Adam Laurent (Exeter), and Jon Palmien (Fall Mountain) had the highest indi- vidual scores. In the Landscape/Nursery events (plant ID, potting, pruning, equip- ment maintenance, landscape draw- ing, written assistance, a general exam), the team from Exeter had the highest score; Somersworth was second; Coe-Brown, third. High individual scorers were Nick Davis (Exeter), Dan Henderson (Somers- worth), and Chris Pool (Exeter). Floriculture events included plant ID, plant disorder diagnosis, floral design, sales, problem solv- ing, and a general exam. Alvirne had the highest score, followed by Dover and Winnisquam. Becky Moore (Dover), Colleen Sparks (Alvirne), and Jill Coultier (Alvirne) had the highest individual scores. Congratulations. Winning Teams represent New Hampshire in na- tional events in Louisville in the fall. The robust turnout certainly added to the day's overall success. But its success came from the work of many people — Dave Howell, Jeff Huntington, various Thompson School instructors....the list is long. These people should be thanked. Their efforts to per- petuate New Hampshire's agricul- tural traditions in this time of change and innovation deserve ap- plause. And support. WHOLESALE GROWERS and SUPPLIERS of QUALITY PLANTS Spring Annuals • Geraniums • Hanging Baskerts Perennials and Foliage Plants 3" to 10" P.O. Box 360 • Alton NH 03809 • Tel: 603-875^444 Located on Route 28, 1 V^ mile south of the Alton Traffic Circle Chimers Bn4ce and Linda Holmes Quality Landscape-Grade Plants all season long! The Winter Blanket - a better way to overwinter your nursery stock Call for info or a product sample 1-800-692-7752 fax: 978/692-5887 JUNE^'D' 1999 KIWI CORNER Paul Fisher Hopefully you've had a wonder- ful spring of sales, with loads of customers leaving your gate with their trunks full of beautiful plants. As you begin to count the money, and even think forward to next spring, it can be difficult to know what plants were most prof- itable and which lines you might increase or eliminate in the future. Do you know how much it cost to produce each of your plant prod- ucts? If you do, you're ahead of the game. Cost accounting is a very useful method that adds up the costs of production in order to help you make strategic and pricing deci- sions. The kind of questions that can be addressed by cost account- ing include: Should you buy in snapdragon plugs or grow your own? Should you keep your own stock plants or buy in cuttings? Should you increase your number of hanging baskets or focus more on cell-packs? A key concept in cost account- ing is the difference between over- head (fixed) and direct (variable) costs. Examples of overhead costs are advertising, property taxes, man- agement salary and benefits, land and truck rental, and utilities such as heating. These costs basically re- main constant regardless of the crop and number of units produced. Direct costs include the pots, seeds or cuttings, media, produc- tion labor, and other inputs that can be allocated to each unit pro- duced, and directly increase as you grow more 8-inch mixed baskets, etc. To calculate the cost of produc- ing a plant product, for example, a 4-inch geranium, you can go through the following steps. 1. Look at your annual income statement and add up all overhead costs that cannot be split off as di- rect costs (e.g., 5100,000). If you have a diversified farm or business, figure out what proportion of that 5100,000 can be allocated to the greenhouse operation (e.g., half of the total 5100,000, or 550,000, in greenhouse overhead costs). 2. Calculate the number of square feet of bench space (e.g., 7200 sq. ft. in our hypothetical farm), and the number of weeks in the year you run the greenhouse operation (e.g., 40 weeks). Divide the total greenhouse overhead cost by the bench area times the weeks opet- ated (e.g., 550,000 divided by (7200 X 40) equals 50.17). 3. That figure (50.17 in the ex- ample) is the square-foot-per-week cost (i.e., the cost of operating each square foot of greenhouse for one week). The square-foot-per- week cost is incurred by your busi- ness, regardless of whether or not you are growing a plant on that bench space. 4. For each product you grow, cal- culate the overhead cost of its pro- duction by multiplying the square- foot-per-week costs times the num- ber of weeks of production times the square footage required per container. For example, a grower might produce 4-inch geraniums for eight weeks at a 6 x 6-inch spacing (which is 0.25 square feet). With a square-foot-per-week cost of 50.17, the overhead cost for 4-inch geraniums would be 50.17 times eight weeks times 0.25 square feet, or 50.34. 5. Now add up all of the variable costs for each product: for ex- ample, the geranium cutting, the pot, fertilizer, media, insecticide, fungicide, and labor. Note that it can be hard to calculate the fertil- izer, insecticide, or fungicide costs, but these are usually insignificant in terms of the overall cost. When calculating labor costs, be sure to HARRY STOLLER & CO., Inc 109-111 Essex St., Haverhill, MA 01830, (978)373-6838, (800)244-0332 We cater to the small and medium size nursery in any quantity desired. 1. New heavy grade domestic burlap sqs. untreated and no-rot treated 2. Open burlap bags 3. New windbreak burlap 4. Balling bags 5. Wire baskets 6. Flat-folded burlap basket liners 7. Truck covers 8. Sisal twine and poly twine 9. Woven polypropylene sqs. nclude any benefits or taxes that you pay as an employer when add- ng up the hourly wage. (Inciden- ally, the average hourly wage in he Northeast region for green- house labor was estimated at S8.15 n a recent survey by Greenhouse Grower magazine.) In our gera- nium example, we will assume that all direct costs add up to $0.50. 6. Add the overhead and variable costs together (SO. 34 plus $0.50 equals $0.84). Estimate what pro- portion of losses result from sec- ond-grade plants or plants that are not sold (e.g., one plant in 20, or 0.05). Multiply the overhead plus variable costs by one plus propor- tion of losses (e.g., $0.84 times (1+0.05) equals $0.88) to give the total cost of production. 7. Subtract your total production cost for the product from the sales price to calculate the per unit profit (e.g., $2.49 sales price minus $0.88 production cost or $1.61 profit). Multiply the number of units sold times the net profit to calculate your net income (e.g., 1000 geraniums times $1.61 equals $1610). Everyone's costs are different, and the geranium example is for illustration purposes only. You need to go through this process to calculate your own square-foot-per- week costs (probably somewhere in the range of $0.15 to $0.30) and variable costs. There are a couple of reasons that I have presented this topic. First, there are few better pieces of information that you can have at hand than knowing your costs of production. The second reason is that our floriculture research pro- gram here at UKH is beginning to focus on tools for financial analysis and on greenhouse investment de- cisions. PL Light Systems, a company that produces high-pressure sodium lighting systems for greenhouses, is generously funding a new research project here at UNH. The project will examine the economics of in- stalling greenhouse lighting systems for growers in the northern United States and PL Light Systems will be supporting a new graduate stu- dent, Caroline Donnelly, to work in this area. Another student, Linda Bilodeau, will be working on her master's degree this fall in another greenhouse lighting-related project. I am sure Caroline and Linda will generate a lot of useful information to share with our in- dustry and I am excited about working with them over the next two years. Paul Fisher, Department of Plant Biology, Spaulding Hall G-44, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 0^824, can be reached by phone at 60^-882-4^2^, by fax at 60^-862-47^/, or by email at prf@hopper. unh. edu. ^^^Pleasant ' ™ INNOVATIONS IN Fl ( INNOVATIONS IN FLORICULTURE Growers of Proven Winners,™ Cottage Accents,™ and Cut & Grow Herbs^ Pleaseant View Gardens, Inc. 7316 Pleasant Street Loudon, NH 03301 Phone: 800-343-4784 Fax: 603-435-6849 JUNEOUD' 1999 "The Geranium Specialists" Wholesale Qrowers 2 1/2" Geraniums (year round) 4" Pre-finished Geraniums 2 1/2" Ivy Geraniums & Fuchsia Martha Washington Geraniums Spring Hanging Baskets, Lihes/Bulbs Azaleas, Cyclamen, Poinsettias, Foliage J.B. CARPENTER & SON, INC. 603/659-3391 220 SOUTH MAIN STREET NEWMARKET, NH 03857 Select from our COMPLETE LINE OF BULK AND BAGGED PRODUCTS. MULCHES: Hemlock, Cedar, Pine-Spruce, Pine Nug Premium Mix, Dark Bark and Colonial Red - our rich red, color enhanced mulch. Soils & Soil AMENDMENTS: Premium Potting Soils & Top Soils, Peat & Organic Humus, Composted & Dehydrated Cow Manures, Organic Compost, Peat Moss and our exclusive Shrub & Tree Mix. Let Rough Brothers' expertise turn your greenhouse into a powerhouse — for profits. Call the experts at Rough Brothers for information and technical assistance on these quality products. Manufacturers of: • WhiteHouse • The International • Harvest House • The "2100" gutter-connected house • Free-standing poly arch houses • Techlite glazing • Ro-Flo benches • Ebb & Flo benches Distributors of • Alcoa Aluminum Fin Heating • Heating and ventilating equipment • Maintenance supplies, glass, parts ...and more Rough Brothers 5513 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217 nrm ROUGH BROTHERS I I 1-800/543-7351 Temperature & Misting Controls for Greenhouses of all sizes Misting automatically adj with changes in sunlight rain or shine!!! reduce disease, increase yields, reduce labor, reduce rooting time Sunny day misting ^^— Rainy day misting Solar 3B (3 zones . $385) Solar 12B ( 1 2 zones, $890) Temperature Set separate temperatures fornight,sunrise and day DIFtrol 23A ($385) Electronic Temperature Control 2-stages of heating control, and 3-stages of cooling control with horizontal airflow (circulation); or 4-stages of cooling; or roof vents; or side-curtains. DIFtrol24A ($575) MiniTempl: New Bottom Heat Controller with electronic precision in Splash-proof enclosure Proud to have New England Distributor Rimol Greenhouse Systems (603)-629-9004 i AVIS ngineering Tel: (818)-993-0607 FAX: 0472 ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS Research/Extension Awards Announced New England Floriculture, Inc., sponsors of the New England Greenhouse Conference, recently announced the recipients in the 1999 Research/Awards Program. This program is designed to fund projects of benefit to the green- house industry planned and orga- nized by researchers and Extension personnel throughout New En- gland. The total amount of money given was $14,000. The following projects received this year's awards. "Comparison of Controls for Pow- dery Mildew on Garden Phlox," Leonard Perry, University of Vermont "Effect of Harvesting Technique and Genotype on Cut Flower Pro- duction of Alstroemeria," Mark Bridgen, University of Connecticut "Improved Irrigation Management for Ornamental Lily Growth," Paul Fisher and Rosanna Freyre, Uni- versity of New Hampshire "IPM Fact Sheet Series: Specialty Crops, Herbaceous Perennials, Herbs, and Vegetable Bedding Plants," Tina Smith, University of Massachusetts, and Leanne Pundt, University of Connecticut "Studies on Leaf Yellowing in Cut Stems of Oriental and Asiatic Lilies," Susan Han, University of Massachusetts "Use of Red Plastic Mulch to Increase Stem Length of Field- Grown Specialty Cut Flowers," Lois Berg Stack, University of Maine, and Mary Wiedenhoeft, Iowa State University "Video-Conferencing Series for Greenhouse Growers," Paul Lopes and Tina Smith, University of Massachusetts Congratulations to all recipients. A Landmark Study {News to Use) New England Nursery Associa- tion (NENA) is encouraging across-the-board participation in a landmark study of the eco- nomic impact of the New En- gland Green Industry. This project is in response to a need expressed by the state association leadership for a broad-based re- gional survey that accurately de- Inside or out, Quality is covered. HPRn#IS As the authorized Harnois dealer in the Northeast. the professional staff at Greenhouse Supply, Inc. will handle all your greenhouse needs. Whether you are looking for free standing or gutter connected houses, call us. GREENHOUSE SUPPLY, INC. 1-800-696-8511 FAX: 207 989-1553 email: greenhse@agrotech.conn http://agrotech.com PIONEER POIIVTERS termines the economic value of various sectors of the environ- mental horticulture industry. The report is being funded with a $10,500 grant from HRI , along with matching funds from NENA. Dr. Leonard Perry, Uni- versity of Vermont, and Lois Berg Stack, University of Maine, are the lead researchers for the project. The survey will be mailed to about 10,000 Green Industry professionals in September. The final report will be pub- lished in early 2000 and will pro- vide regional as well as state statis- tics. Suggested guidelines as to how to use the results to benefit the state associations will be dis- tributed to the states' leadership. For information, call NENA at 508-653-3112. Meeting Announced The Eastern Region of the Inter- national Plant Propagators' Soci- ety will hold its 49th annual meeting at the Minneapolis Air- port Marriott in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on September 15-18, 1999. For information, contact Mar- got Bridgen at 860-429-6818; her fax number is 860-429-6665; e-mail, mbippser@neca.com. The IPPS website (www.accessone.com/ ipps/er-usa/er_ipps.htm) gives full tour and program information. A Birthday Celebration The American Society of Land- scape Architects (ASLA) officially launched their "100 Parks, 100 Years" program, the centerpiece of its centennial celebration, on April 1 3 at a press conference at Ballou Senior High School in Washington, DC. The program is a series of projects throughout the country designed by members of local ASLA chapters. Designs include Protect Your Assets Protect Your Assets Am I a Grower? Or a Manager? Yes indeed, you are a grower — and very good at it. But how well do you manage what you grow? Pretty simplistic ques- tion and, hopefully, you can answer it honestly. It's better to ad- mit that you are not comfortable managing than to try to do it and be overwhelmed. Remember that you are the owner. Use your talents where needed: growing, training the staff, marketing the product. Then, fill the gaps that are not your strengths: shipping/delivery, phone support, record-keeping (payroll and invoicing), and scheduling work hours. This doesn't mean that you exclude yourself from these areas. You will still need to be knowledgeable. However, do not hesitate to DELEGATE these very important tasks to key staff members. Initially, upon delegation of these certain tasks, have them check in with you daily and, as they become more proficient and self- confident, on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis. You can also use staff meetings or one-on-one follow-ups. The bottom line is that you cannot do it all yourself and that it's all right. Rely on staff members who can work with you to get it accomplished. Your newly delegated team members will gain a sense of responsibility and a feeling that they too can make a difference. Ultimately, you will gain staff loyalty and im- proved earnings. If you need to discuss the management structure of your business, general business and strategic planning, and/or labor management issues. Pioneer Farm Credit has an in-depth consulting staff will- ing to assist. For more information, call our Bedford office at I-800-82S-32S2. (SW) school playgrounds, "Alzheimer's gardens," and highway beautifica- tion. The chapters work with the communities and give the re- sources needed to see the projects through to completion. The goals are "to revitalize American neigh- borhoods, beautify community gathering places, and showcase the skills of landscape architects." Of the 105 projects an- nounced, five are in New En- gland: two each in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and one in Connecticut (Old North Cem- etery in Hartford). Both Massa- chusetts projects — North End Park and New England Greenway Project — are in Boston. The Rhode Island Projects are the Rhode Island Veteran's Home Master Plan (Bristol) and a Wet- lands Learning Outdoor Class- room at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. For more information, contact Deb Sherno at 202-216-2329 or visit the ASLA website (www.asla.org) . The Plantsman Tuckahoe Turf Farms Wholesale Yard Rte. 293 \ 1 F.E. Everett TPKJ me. 3 Mall of NH \ Colpy Rd. \ / ^"""^ Rte. 1 1 1 Nas ' Hudson '"^ Litchfield, NH Open 6 days a week: Monday-Friday, 7am-5pm; Saturday, 7am 'til noon • pallets of sod • bark mulch • fertilizer • grass seed • loam • related turf products 7!cfi«r7iir Wholesale Yard 15 Colby Rd. Litchfield, NH 03052 1-800-633-5222 603-424-7000 -fw THE GREEN SPOT r^e Question (recently submit ted by a New Hampshire grower): "When should preda- tors be introduced? Is it too late after an insect population has appeared?" The Green Spot's Answer: "Predators, as the name suggests, prey on smaller or less capable — and tasty — organisms. (For ex- ample, a ladybug is a predator which feasts on aphids.) Taking this into account, it is in the predator's best interest to have prey available when released. Therefore, it is not TOO late. However, it is often in the grower's best interest to release very early on in the infestation. Don't wait until pest populations are massive — it may be too late to effectively and economically turn the situation around. This logic applies not only to biologi- cal pest control, but to any form of control, including that ob- tained by chemicals. "Parasitoids (parasitic mini- wasps, etc.), on the other hand, since they respond more favor- ably to smaller infestations, are often best used just prior to the expected onset of a pest popula- tion. In other words, the are used preventively and during pe- riods of very light infestation (or to supplement any predators on the site). They should not be used to (or expected to) turn around high pest numbers. Their "too late" comes much sooner than that of predators." The Green Spot, Ltd., would like to extend an invitation to readers of this column to submit their questions about biocontrol and IPM. All questions submit- ted for publication must be ad- dressed as follows: The Green Spot, Ltd., Published Q&A, 93 Priest Road, Notting- ham, NH 03190-6x04 Or you may wish to submit your query by email. If so, please put "Published Q&A" on the subject line of your transmission. Address to: Info@GreenMethods.com All questions will be an- swered. If not in the column, The Green Spot, Ltd., will call you, so please be sure to put your name, company name, and phone number on the submis- sion. (Written consultation for purposes other than this column is a billable service.) And con- tinue to call 603-941-8915 for regular consultation, which is free by telephone. Call for details. Mike Cheritn is president of The Green Spot, Ltd. 1028 Horseneck Road, Westport, MA, 02790 508-636-4573 508-636-3397 FAX www.sylvannursery.com Specializing In Heath... Heather... Bearberry... Perennials... Seashore Plants... also, a full line of quality nursery stock "Our Service Keeps Growing and Growing." Inspiration for Sale {COKTAINERS OR B+B} AT U RE 250 West Road, Canterbury, NH 03224 Phone: 800-648-8873 Fax: 603-783-A596 ^CTC raising more than shrubs & trees. We're raising a few eyebrows. Come by & let us inspircyou. * Landscape supplies * Nursery stock * Turfgrass sod * Annuals * Perennials * Garden furnishings B E A U T "t SOD FARM Gt NURSERY, INC. INTERNATIONAL TRUCKS, INC. 1400 South Willow Street, Manchester, NH 03103 rt-'NEOLly 1999 '^^?fe'^ GarJen Center Consultations and Landscaping Designs Greenhouses, Nursery, Craft, and Christmas Shop 656 South Mammoth Road (Rte. 28A) Manchester, NH 03109 (603) 625-8298 Perennials, Plugs, Geraniums, Prefinished Mums Bulbs, Holiday Crops, Flowering Plants Joseph Giannino Co. Representing Fine Growers of Quality Plant Material 17 North Road, East Kingston, NH 03827 Telephone: 888/948-2001; Fax: 603/642-9230 Newton Greenhouse Quality Volants Qreen & Flowering 32 Amesbury Road, Newton, NH 03858 603-382-5289 Liscensed propagator of New Guinea Impatiens Steenberg & Callioras THE AUCTION PROFESSIONALS, INC. Archie Steenburgh Route 10 Haverhill, NH 03765 603/989-5690 Peter Callioras 251 Leavitt Road, Belmont, NH 03220 603-528-7760 Blue Heron Images Photography Catalogs, Brochures, AnniKil Reports. Web Sites. Special F.vents Richard H Raymond Specializing in Horlicultural Images Traditional and Digital Photographic Services c Heron Images. 1 CopBUhle Road. Durham. NH 0.*82J Phone (603)659-7.113 Ball Seed Company Your Source for Superior Plant and Seed Material Annual plugs, geraniums, "Vigor Indexed" seed, spring plants, perennials, pot plants, holiday crops, prefinished flatsA hanging baskets, and more! David Giurleo 324 Howard Street, Northboro, MA 01532 Phone: 508-393-4534, Fax: 508-393-0003 Toll Free Pager: 800-719-9360 Rolling Green Landscaping & Nursery 500 varieties of perennials ♦s Annuals & herbs Omamenta! trees, shrubs & vines ■•s Trellises Wholesale prices available ♦i Call for 1 W9 listing 64 Breakfast Hill Rd., Greenland. NH (Next to 1-95) 603-436-2732 Take Care Of All Your Plant Needs AtWLocaUonl • Northern-Grown "frees, Evergreens & Shrubs ' Expanded Aquatic Area • We Specialize In Specimen Plants • Blooms Of Bressingbam Distributor O'Donal's Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema Triphyllum NANCY SURETTE Reprinted from the Vernal Equinox, 1999, issue of Grunite Trowel, a Master Gardener publication. I was just cleaning out some cabi- nets and ran across a report I did on the Jack-in-the-pulpit for the Flora of New England class at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham I did some years ago. I remember choosing this plant for my research be- cause I thought it was an odd-lookin piece of vegetation that always made me giggle. For starters, as part of the Arum family, it has a hooded spathe flower (pulpit) and a slen der spadix (Jack) in the middle. It is a monocot with distinctly parallel veins. Like its relative, the skunk cabbage, it emits a rancid odor to attract insects for pollination, but I generally do not detect an odor while walking in the woods. Then there is this odd characteristic of changing its sex from year to year. More on that later. This is a wonderful woodland plant to observe through the season. You should have plenty to choose from if you have rich, moist, acid shade. Select a healthy plant and watch it change from week to week. The plants first spear their way to the surface in late April by pushing forth in a tight pointed curl to break through the soil. Within a few days or so, they unfurl their leaves and expose the hooded flower. Not infrequently, some pulpits will quickly acquire a nasty-looking rust disease which looks like sprinkled mustard powder. These plants will wither and die and should be removed . Not to worry: rich woodlands will produce many healthy ones too. I have often come across large plants with stalks almost two inches in diameter and at least two feet tall. The pulpits will flower for several weeks, then the vegetation will die back, exposing a swollen spadix. Peel back the outer layer and you will find a tight grouping of green seeds. Watch your woodland floor change from green to red as the seeds mature in the fall, giving you visual interest and food for the birds. Now about that sex thing. The sex of the Arisaema tryphillum may change several times throughout its life. The plant doesn't flower at all the first year, but as it matures, it pro- duces male flowers first. If the plant be- comes robust in later years, it switches to producing female flowers. At this point the sex may change from year to year depending on growing conditions. The vigor of the plant in the previous year is the best indicator of the likely sex of the plant of the next season. Male flowers appear after poor years, and females after good years. Generally a female plant has two sets of trifoliate leaves. The only way to be sure is to take the flower apart and to look at the pistol and stamens. It's not the smartest plant to munch on in the wild Eating it raw is poisonous, but the Native Americans used to boil the corms and tolerate the peppery taste caused by the calcium oxolate crystals, hence the com- mon name of "Indian turnip." This is a common native with an uncommon lifestyle. I think I'll just admire the plants through the year and stick with fiddleheads for sustenance. Jack-in-the-Pulpit, illustration by Roger Tory Peterson from A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. Nancy Surette, principal of Seedling-Naturescapes, a landscape design/consulting firm in Windham, NH, can be reached at 6oy8gy/^04. yjSHJJWi 1999 MEMBER PROFIL MAPLE LEAF GARDENS A Concern for Quality BOTH ERIK AND JOAN Pierce grew up in the mid-west. They met at Ohio State, where Erik was a business administration major. He worked awhile in the electronics field, but wanted to go into business for himself and wanted it to be a greenhouse. The patterns of thinking honed by these experiences inform their decision-making. A location was chosen by narrowing the options in a logical manner. They both liked New England. At the time (1976), New Hampshire, of the six states, seemed most prosperous. Concord was a population center without a lot of re- tail growers nearby. A 33-acre piece of land — a working farm with house and barn, vegetable fields, farm stand, and small greenhouse — on Clinton Street seemed the best of the properties available. "It was a good choice:" with churches, schools, playing fields, a nature preserve all around them, the street is still rural in character. That first summer — the summer of '77, the retiring farmer planted a crop for them before he left. And they put up their first greenhouse — a 30'x60' double- poly — and went into business full-time. For the first few years, Joan admits, it was a struggle ("lots of macaroni suppers"), finding a balance between what worked for them and what brought the customers back. TODAY THERE ARE three houses. Their designs evolved out of use over time; all were constructed by Erik himself. The largest is U-shaped, with two wings — 30'x60' (the main retail area) and 20'xl00'(pui: up last fall and replacing the greenhouse that came with the farm) — connected by a I6'x72' crosspiece. Between the retail area and the crosspiece is a 30'x40' space for work and storage. The cross- piece and second greenhouse are used for seed germi- nation. From this area, beginning in late winter, material moves outward, gradually filling the rest of the range. The frame is wood, pressure-treated in the pieces that touch the ground; ribs are four feet apart, pur- loins are bolted onto the ribs; DynaGlas — a polycar- bonate— is fastened to the purloins. Erik sees this as fairly permanent, eliminating the time and expense needed for maintenance and replacement. The struc- tures are modified quonset-style houses: Erik created six-foot-high straight sides to prevent snow build-up; the roof is still curved — the DynaGlas has followed the curve without shattering. Two sets of wall shutters, as well as the overhead doors, at the front of the retail section work with five fans set into the rear wall of the crosspiece to cool the entire unit. A second house is a 36'x56' wooden frame covered with DynaGlas. Hinged panels on all four walls open outward, cooling and creating cross ventilation. "For some reason — I don't know why — seed geraniums grow beautifully here." So this is the house's main crop, set in four-inch spacer trays. This house is also open to customers. Hangers are also grown here. The floor of the main retail house is cement; all others are crushed stone. Some benches are peninsular- style; others are simply spaced evenly down the length of a house; all are expanded metal on wood frame bolted onto wooden legs. The relatively small spaces — filled with textures of wood and stone — are orderly and clean and, in themselves, seem an advertisement for the quality of the material grown. The third production area is a 15'x84' wood frame and DynaGlas structure in which vegetable transplants are grown on ground cover. The temperature is kept cool — no higher than 53F days. But from mid-March, the sun warms the house and there's little need for daytime heat. Greenhouse production space is around 9000 square feet. But this is doubled by the use of cold frames. There are six 10'xl6' frames that can be heated with propane-fed salamanders. In April, they're filled with eight-inch perennials. A tarp holding the heat in at night rolls up during the day. There's an equal number of smaller unheated frames. An unheated frame 3 1/2 feet-wide runs the length of the retail house. In April, most were filled with pansies in white Tote Trays. Plastic rolls down at night. ERIK SEES WHOLESALE AND RETAIL as two dis- tinct ways of doing things. Maple Leaf is retail and is MEMBER PROFILE open for two high-sales periods of the year. It opens at Easter (although Erik sees Easter as limited: "Churchgoers like a lily on the altar, but there's no real tradition of plant-giving for this holiday.") for the spring trade — bedding plants, perennials, hangers. It closes in mid-June, then reopens in late July, this time as a farm stand selling produce, cut flowers, and mums. It closes for the year at the end of September. Two years ago, they decided not to be open for the Christmas season — the decision was pragmatic: poin- settias and trees no longer made a worthwhile return. "Farmers here never learn — they produce the same crop year after year and complain about how little they make. Why? 'We always have,' they say. As the wholesale price for trees drops, it causes a glut — they pour in — everyone sells them — no one makes much. ...and there's no aftermarket." He uses two brokers. He buys smaller amounts from several suppliers, which gives him the ability to change sources without threatening an entire year's production: "Sometimes suppliers can get too large — they don't necessarily lose quality, but they lose accu- rate timing." Current suppliers include Yoder (he likes their min- iature dahlias), Knox Nurseries, and QuickStarts. He comments on a tray of portulaca with three or four tiny plants in each plug: "This is the way they should be — each plug will give the customer a good full plant." About a tray of marigolds, he notes that each cell contains only one seedling — "a perfect 208." Although 75% of the crop is grown from plugs, seeding is important for smaller amounts and unusual material. This is very straight-forward, without bottom heat or enclosed containers. He uses three types of bagged media. Medium is not only any one of the three, but any combination of the three as well. He hand-waters, spot-watering whenever necessary, and feeds through a centrally located dosatron. The Concord water supply has an 8.9 pH, so acidity is brought down through feeding. He controls growth through pruning, timing, and temperature. The six cold frames give Erik six choices for night-time heat — allowing him to push along some material, hold back on others. He uses no growth regulators: "I sometimes have to prune back heavily to get the growth regulators out of their systems. Once it's eliminated, the plants take off." Because he demands that the material he buys be clean, and because the houses are shut for so much of the year, there is rarely any need to spray. Quality is the driving factor; quality and variety is what he can offer that mass marketers can't. His goal is a healthy plant that will do well for the customer for the entire season. Size is important — he uses three- pacs for vegetables; zucchini is sold in hills; each cell- pac of basil contains four seeds. All hangers are twelve-inch. They may be started at smaller sizes, but are grown at the final spacing. Com- bination plantings — a variety of complimentary colors and textures in a single pot — sell well. Color Bowls — hangers, pots, and ovals — have become popular. Quality is his responsibility: he will not grow more than what he can personally handle. "To have a way with plants is instinctive, something that can't be taught. If you're a good grower, you can't multiply that factor by simply hiring more people." Although a few people come up from Massachusetts, most customers are local: Manchester, Weare, New London. There has never been any serious advertising or marketing. An ad appears in the local newspaper twice a year, once to announce Maple LeaPs spring opening, once to announce its reopening in July. In late June, once they've pretty much sold out, the retail house is transformed: ""Is this the same build- ing?' some people ask." A black/white shade material covers the roof; the wood and wire benches are re- moved; new benches are brought in. The second phase of the retail year begins. The Pierces sell produce — Erik grows six acres of vegetables — "the basics: corn, tomatoes, peppers: what- ever I can harvest myself (again, the question of quality is a factor in deciding amount). He buys in the rest from Rodonis Farms in Litchfield. A major aspect of the summer business is cut flow- ers. A local gardener, Maureen Ireland, has developed her own business at Maple Leaf, to mutual advantage. She grows a wide variety, but concentrates on sun- flowers— 20 types ("these are the most popular — people call in their orders in advance"), snapdragons, asters, zinnias, and cosmos. Planted on a plot behind the barn, Erik helps with the growing. The flowers are sold at the farm stand (Maple Leaf receives a small percentage of the money she makes) in pre-made bou- quets. These are extremely popular — an attraction — and she often sells up to sixty a day. A third aspect is mums. Erik grows these outside, hand-feeding, with the same attention to detail. ATTENTION TO DETAIL defines Maple Leaf in all seasons. There seems to be no problem in selling more than what is currently grown, but Erik feels expansion could diminish the quality he has worked so hard to achieve. The size is manageable and quality remains high. (BP) Maple Leaf Gardens is at 147 Clinton Street, Concord, NH 03301. rJ>iE^1i' 1999 Harvesting Peonies for a Lasting Cut Flower KAREN CAST Years ago, herbaceous peonies were com mon as seasonal cut flowers. They were used often for weddings and fu- nerals and other early sum- mer occasions. Before hor- ticulturists could manipu- late growing conditions to produce crops "out-of-sea- son", fresh cut-flower con- sumers were limited to what was "in-season". As we discovered how to grow crops out-of-season, we ended up with those for which flowering could be most easily induced. Cus- tomers forgot about the seasonal flowers, including peonies, which fell out of favor. They got relegated to the backyard landscape and were harvested only to decorate family graves for Memorial Day. In the heyday for peonies, before World War II, trainloads of fresh-cut flower buds were shipped out of Kansas and southern Indiana and Missouri into Chi- cago and other large metropolitan areas. Peonies did so well in transport because they can be harvested in the soft bud stage, which travels much better than an open flower, and can be stored reliably on cold tem- peratures (32-36F) for up to four weeks. Even with these great attributes, their seasonality caused them to PIONIA CPionia calida & ficca in fccundogradu. Cuius ra^ di'x in medicinis poniturcum rcpen'tur in rccepti's cligenda eft illa qux nigra cxiftit continua non per forata.ac in hycmc coliigitur 8f per annum fcrua^. Vircutem habet occultam contra cpilenuam 8C fuy fpcnfam coUo praefcruat ab cpilcntiarteftantc Galie no experto de quodaj puero cuius coUo talis radix appeia erac K non patuba^:radice.n,fubcra(fla (la/ "The first know printed picture of the peony, from Uerbarius of Arnoldus de Villanova, published lose favor in the market- place. Several thousand culti- vars of herbaceous peonies are out there somewhere. Most are not in the trade and a lot do not make good cut flowers. A good cut flower must have strong, long stems; the harvested flower buds must open off the plant and open quickly, in less than a day; the petal color must be stable; and the opened flower must have a vase life of at least five days. Being fragrant is good, but not as impor- tant. There are many shades of pink and red, as well as white, from which to choose. Harvesting peony buds at the best stage is a skill that takes practice and can be done during only the harvest season, so practice time is limited to a short period once a year. After four years, I am still learning new cultivars and have to renew my skill every year. In general, the bud should be marshmallow-soft when you press on it with your fingers. I prefer to place the stem between my first two fingers and then use my thumb to press down on the flower. This helps me determine the hardness of the center of the bud. Most buds will not open if the center is still hard. Other 1484. 22 The Planlsman people just press on either side of the bud with their thumb and two fingers. The technique depends how you are trained and how it feels to you. Singles, Japa- nese, and semi-doubles are harvested harder, and reds are harvested softer with a true petal flagging. "Flag- ging" is when the petal is unfurled a bit from the bud. Each cultivar is a bit different. As you work with them, you get to know when they are ready. Many late cultivars may look ready with big and colored buds, but they are rock hard until the end of the sea- son. Kathryn Hill, manager of Craigmore Peonies Partnership, Timaru, New Zealand, has written a great manual covering how to harvest peonies for the begin- ner. She includes specifics on several cultivars (See Recommended Resources for details on how to get the manual). Cutting peonies in the bud stage gives you the longest vase life. If you want to use the flowers im- mediately, cut — under water — one inch from the stems, then strip the leaves off the bottom two- thirds of the stem. Floral preservatives extend the vase life a bit more compared to water, but water is sufficient for the home gardener. If you want to keep your peonies for a later date, how you handle them depends on how long you want to store them and what cultivar they are. If you are going store them for more than a week, you should place them dry in polyethylene bags. I use two-gallon self-seal- ing bags, which hold two bunches of five flowers fairly well. The stems need to be cut short enough so the bag can be sealed. The flowers should be dry when placed in storage to prevent disease problems. For one week of storage, my research shows that the best methods depends on the cultivar. I stored flow- ers dry in polyethylene bags, in water, and in floral preservative. Some cultivars took longer to open af- ter being held in floral preservative. Sometimes a treatment made the flowers bigger, but they lasted a short time. With most, treatment did not make a difference, although the flowers held in water and floral preservative looked better coming out of storage. I have successfully stored peony flowers for 12-14 weeks using a pretreatment of floral preservative and silver thiosulfate. However, the vase life was very short, only a day or two. A Kansas grower stored flowers for 19 weeks with minimal loss, less than 25%. She did tell her buyer that they would last only a day, but the buyer was happy to have peonies in October. In foL of my tour years or so or working with peonies, I can now make some recommendations on which cultivars have the best vase life. My best reds in- clude 'David Harum,' 'Felix Supreme,' 'Felix Crousse,' and 'Philippe Rivoire.' My best whites are 'Festiva Supreme,' 'Dr. F.G.Brethour,' 'Henry Sass,' and DH1460. The best pinks are 'James Pillow,' 'Mister Ed,' 'Raspberry Sundae,' and 'Sarah Bernhardt.' Illustrations from The Peony, Alice Harding, The Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. Karen L.B. Gast, Ph.D. is an associate professor and extension horticulturist at Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. She received her doctorate in plant science from the University of New Hampshire in ip88. Recommended Peony Resources The Peony, Alice Harding updated by Roy G. Klehm, Timber Press, 133 S.'W. Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204. The Gardener's Guide to Growing Peonies, Martin Page. Timber Press, 133 S.'W. Sec- ond Avenue, Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204. Has listing of peony sources. Peonies, Allan Rogers. Timber Press, 133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204. Has listing of peony sources. The Beginners Guide to Picking Perfect Peonies, Kathryn Hill. Craigmore Peonies Partner- ship, RD2, Timaru, New Zealand. American Peony Society, Mrs. Greta Kes- senich, 250 Interlachen, Hopkins, MN 55343. Kansas State University Agricultural Experi- ment Station Reports of Progress Production and Postharvest Evaluations of Fresh Cut-Peo- nies, Karen L.B. Gast. 1995 KSU-AES SRP 767 1996 KSU-AES SRP 791 1997 KSU-AES SRP 818 1998 KSU-AES SRP 820 JUNIvTULY 1999 Sitting in the Sliade JEFF WARSCHAUER Warren Buffet once said, "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. Today, many growers are reaping the fruits of their vision for excellence over the years. To keep pace with the changing world, it is critical to keep abreast of the many options and con- tinue evolving your approach to business. What are the latest trends in greenhouses for com- mercial growers, landscapers, and garden center managers? Structures What's new in greenhouse structures? Many custom- ers find wide span-houses to be a great advantage to their growing environment. The Nexus 42' Vail or the Nexus Big Sky with the 6' x 8' sealed glass sys- tem, are two options that you will see in many op- erations. The new naturally ventilated greenhouse, the Zephyr™! offers a solution for natural ventila- tion because it is designed and constructed to meet regional snow load ratings. The Zephyri^ uses a top mounted roof vent, allowing air to escape at the highest point in the greenhouse. The Nexus Con- vertible Roof combines the retractable roof with the proven technology of the Nexus Vail peak design. The Convertible allows growers to take advantage of full-sun growing conditions for crop hardening while having the ability, to close the roof during in- clement weather. A secondary shade system can be added for shading the crop and for heat savings. Headhouses are multipurpose structures, usable for shipping and growing. You can cost justify your next headhouse expansion (on a peak style green- house) by adding a clear or translucent cover en- abling shipping and production January through June and growing an additional crop in the summer months. Automation In recognition of the pressures to reduce costs fac- ing growers today and the problem of greenhouse labor availability at any price. Nexus has become the only full spectrum North American greenhouse supplier, putting all automation for greenhouses and greenhouse structures under one umbrella. Many growers want their complete growing environment to be designed, manufactured, and serviced by one company Nexis will be the North American repre- sentative for HAWE Systems International, one of the largest containerized bench system manufacturers and for Vissefinternational Trade and Engineering, a leader in automated equipment such as transplanters and seeders. Energy Shade Curtains These automated curtain systems are used to reflect much of the sun's energy — solar energy, thus re- ducing heat in the structure by as much as 15F in summer. During the winter months, curtains can be closed to save as much as 20 to 25 percent of your heating cost. This obviously is dependent upon how much the shade is kept closed. Many different shade factors and colors are available. It's important al- ways to consider fire-retardant cloth as an option. Venting/Cooling Many options are available for natural and me- chanical cooling. Other than traditional cooling fans, wet pad systems, and roof side vents, newer systems (such as the Nexus retail self-contained cooling system) are available. These allow for evapo- rative cooling in a remote self self-contained unit, offering full access to walls for display and less noise than traditional fans and pads. Be sure to al- ways consider required maintenance on these op- tions as well as location' noise level, and additional associated costs such as electricians, installation, and energy usage. Retailing is Detailing Retail selling of plants has become another profit center for many of our commercial growers. It used to be that a grower could just put up a small struc- ture near their nursery and people would stop to buy flowers. Now the grower is competing with very elaborate retail environments as commonplace as the grocery store. In order to compete, customers must have the same comfort and ease of shopping that they find in other places. Many of the design and building rules have changed over the last few years. Here are several of the things that are new in retail structures and why. 24 • Storefront glass has been a big enhancement for many retail operations Putting a bank of windows on the front or side of the greenhouse allows you to maximize the use of internal area for retail displays. You can coordinate the color flashings on your greenhouse to match your decor. • Open-air canopy areas are a wonderful way to dis- play hardgoods and perennials. Hard-roof canopies instead of shade cloth allow you to have much more usable space and extend your season. You can show plants in spring, bird baths in summer, and Christ- mas trees in the winter. These covers are fairly inex- pensive. • Opening of side walls is becoming more common. Many retailers desire the "Open Market Look," but want to be secure. By opening the side walls in the greenhouse, you can achieve both of your goals. The side walls can be closed down at night for se- curity, or for inclement weather, or with a change of season. Taller greenhouse sides can be con- structed to make a cooler greenhouse. So, let's plant a tree today so that you will be able to sit in the shade tomorrow. Jeff Warschauer is vice-president of sales. Nexus Corporation. TAKE ROOT v.^ SHERMAN! "^•Illng to iom*on« cr«at«t a sal*, but helping somson* to buy cr«at«t a customer." ■^y Represented by: Frank Thomann Charter Oak Landscape 29 Mountain Terrace Road West Hartford, CT 06107 Toll Free 1-800-431-6625 or 1-860-521-2638 Fax 1-860-661-4130 Professional * Experienced * Dedicated SHERMAN NURSERY COMPANY P.O. Box 579 • 1300 Grove Street Charles City, Iowa 50616-0579 1-800-747-5980 or 1-515-228-1124 Fax 1-800-361-7759 "Growing With America Since 1884" Sherman o^rs « cotnpt«te line ojbareroot andoontamer nun ery stock mdudinq: Fruit Trees, Small fruit. Shade and Orna mental Trees. Ornamental Shrubs, Peonies, Roses, Evergreens. Hedging, Vines, Perennials, Rooted Cuttings and Potted Liners Nu-Form Products Landmark Products Pre-fiUed Flats & Pots Klerks Films "Metping You to Grow" B.E. Supply GREENHOUSE SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT Hemlock Road, Langdon Mailing Address; P.O. Box 0, Charlestown, New Hampshire 03603 • Restricted Pesticides • Kord Products • Fertilizers • Distributors for Hyde Park &. Sunshine Soils Work: 603/835-6930 Home: 603/835-2523 Fax: 603/835-2180 DIAGNOSTIC UPDATE Well, if it's not one thing, it's an other! Lack of water seems to be the problem this year (at least until the rains in early May). But we haven't hit June yet. ..let's hope it isn't a repeat of last year. The cooler temperatures kept things rather slow during April, but the buds and flowers really popped once the weather warmed over the first two weeks of May. If we stay rela- tively dry, the disease problems of last year will hopefully become just a memory. Woody Ornamentals Compared to last year, this has been a relatively dry season during bud break and leaf expansion. Thus, the incidence of anthracnose and blight should be much less than last year (although we can always expect some anthracnose on the typical hosts such as maple and sycamore). Although I haven't yet seen any samples of Ascochyta leaf blight on lilacs, it's worth repeating the de- scription of the disease since it was the most common problem on lilacs last year. Ascochyta has two phases, a shoot blight in the spring (which resembles bacterial shoot blight) and a foliar phase causing necrotic leaf spots and marginal blight during the summer and early fall. Dead shoots and branches should have been pruned prior to bud-break and fun- gicides should be applied through leaf expansion (copper fungicides combined with a thiophannate- methyl product work well). Thin- ning dense bushes will also help re- duce disease severity. Shoot blight of Prunus species, caused by the fungus Monilinia, has been very damaging the last several years, so protective fungicide sprays may be warranted on nursery stock and valuable landscape specimens. Fungicides should have been first applied when the blossoms opened and followed by a two additional applications ten days apart. If blight does occur, dead shoots should be removed during dry weather to pre- vent further spread of the disease. Cedar rust galls were producing telial horns (the jelly-like, orange growths) during the rainy period of May 4-8. Susceptible deciduous host (apple, quince, Amelanchier, haw- thorn) could have been infected dur- ing this time. In most cases, control consists of eliminating the alternate host or applying fungicides to the deciduous host (practical for nurser- ies and orchards only, due to cost effectiveness) . Greenhouse Crops Since bacterial blight and South- ern bacterial wilt of geraniums seems to be on everybody's mind this spring, I thought it would be worth- while to point out the similarities and differences between bacterial blight, caused by Xanthamonas campestris pv. pelargonii and South- ern bacterial wilt, caused by Pseudomonas solanacearum. Similarities: 1. Both bacteria can cause gerani- ums to become chlorotic and/or de- velop necrotic (dead) wedges in the leaves, develop totally necrotic leaves, or wilt. 2. Both bacteria can kill geraniums. 3. Both need to have infected/symp- tomatic plants rogued out as soon as possible after confirmation by a di- agnostic lab (testing for Pseudomonas takes a couple of days longer than testing for Xanthamonas). Differences: 1. Only Xanthamonas (bacterial blight) can cause l/l6"-l/8" diam- eter, round, brown spots. 2. Xanthamonas (bacterial blight) only infects plants in the Geraniaceae (geranium) family, while Pseudomonas (Southern bacterial wilt) has a wide host range, espe- cially foliage plants. The most important thing to do j when suspicious plants are first no- i ticed is to send plants for testing and isolate the remaining symptom- ] atic plants. I have tested (via Agdia | Testing Labs) over 80 samples this year for bacterial blight and all were I negative. The dozen samples tested ' for Pseudomonas were also negative. ' It's important to remember that in- fected plants can't be cured. \ Verbenas have had several prob- | lems this spring. The most common j problem has been Phytophthora I stem canker and root rot. The j symptoms include brown cankers at ] the base of the stems, wilting, and 1 root rot symptoms similar to Pythium (the cortex of the root sloughs off easily when pulled gently 1 between the thumb and forefinger). I Infected plants should be removed and the remaining plants should be I drenched with fungicides used for control of Pythium. Ascochyta leaf spot and blight has also been com- mon. The symptoms include ne- ; erotic leaf spots and stem browning | similar to that caused by Phyto- | phthora. Avoid wetting the foliage when watering and space plants to allow for good air circulation. Alfalfa mosaic and cucumber mo- saic virus were both diagnosed on Nemesia. The symptoms included distorted foliage, white line patterns, and ringspots. Virus-infected plants j should be destroyed (don't take cut- \ tings from infected plants). Other dis- ] eases and problems that have been di- i agnosed this spring include Pythium I root rot on osteospermum, iron and | manganese toxicity of geraniums in- | duced by low pH, crown gall on \ argeranthemum causing stem galls, and lots of edema on ivy geraniums. ,; Herbaceous Ornamentals I Botrytis blight was the most signifi- j cant problem during June and early ' July of 1998, particularly on bed- j ding plants, Asiatic lilies, and peo- j nies. Be sure to adequately space to 1 DIAGINOSTIC UPDATE □ allow for good air circulation be- tween the plants. Overhanging branches from nearby trees should be pruned to reduce shading and promote the rapid drying of wet foliage. If overhead irrigation is used, water early in the day to al- low the leaves to dry prior to nightfall. Fungicides will be neces- sary if we have periods of pro- longed wet weather. Management of leaf spot diseases is the same as that of Botrytis blight. Turf Snow molds have not be as much of a problem as in previous years because of the lack of snow cover (at least in southern areas). For turf that has been hit by snow mold, rake the dead and matted blades from infected areas to allow for new growth. Spring applica- tions of fungicides are NOT effec- tive. Red thread and pink patch usually appear on lawns during late-May and June (and again in September). The diseases are most common on perennial ryegrasses and fine-leaf fescues, but can be found on other turfgrass species as well. Infected lawns have a pink- reddish cast when viewed form a distance. These diseases only infect the leaf blades, thus are not very destructive and rarely require chemical control. Collect the clip- pings from infected areas, avoid late-day watering, and maintain pH at 6.5-7.0. Leaf spots and blights and brown patch are also common diseases that appear dur- ing warm weather. Several cultural practices can help to reduce these warm weather diseases. Avoid ex- cessive use of water-soluble nitro- gen fertilizers, especially during hot weather. Mow high to avoid plant stress and only remove 1/3 of the blade at each cutting. Avoid broadleaf, phenoxy herbicides in areas with leaf spot problems. And, of course, don't water late in the day. If you wish to submit plant material to the UNH-PDL for diagnosis, send samples (with a check for $12.00) to: The UNH Plant Diagnostic Lab, CIO Dr. Cheryl Smith, Plant Biology Department, 241 Spaulding Hall-UNH, Durham, NH 03824. Samples should be accompanied by an identification form (available from your county Cooperative Exten- sion office or by calling 862-3200). Cheryl Smith is the UNH Coopera- tive Extension Specialist in Plant Health, and can be reached at 603- 862-3841 or e-maii-c heryLsmith@unh.edu. The Natives are^stless! 1-800-447-4745 '' ' ur bare-root conifer seedUngs and transplants ha\e helped to keep forest mdustnes, nurseries, and other landowners successfully in the green for seventy-five years. Ask for a catalog, today! AINE ^MUEI'*'^^"''' V.O. Box 250, Hn'ehurg, ME 0403" Fax: (207) 935-2043 Email: wmntrees^nxi.c HOW ABOUT HERBS Twilight. One poet — I don't know who — called it I'heure bleu. The interval when birds do their evening ballet in the sky, then sing their chicks to sleep. The white flowers in the garden gleam, as others disappear into the building darkness. This is why Vita Sackville-West planted her white garden — for enjoyment at twilight. Fragrance intensifies — it's time to enjoy garden aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has enhanced homes for hundreds of years. It's one of the most traditional uses for aromatics. In medieval times, "strewing herbs"were scattered over the packed dirt floors to make the house smell better and keep it free from germs. In Victorian times, la- dies would provide a different pot- pourri for each room of the house. All sorts of essential oils have been vaporized to get rid of unpleasant odors, prepare a room for medita- tion, or create an intimate mood. Now, let's take it a step further — into our gardens at twilight. Plants other than herbs come to mind. The "lemon daylily" {He- merocallis flava) has pale yellow petals that glisten and a lemon- honeysuckle scent that is delight- ful. Daylilies are enjoying great popularity right now, with new cultivars turning up every day. They're just about the easiest of the cultivars to grow and a mass of them is most impressive. But for fragrance, be sure it's the old- fashioned H. flava and not H. fulva (the common orange daylily) that you are choosing. If you want to be certain to have twilight fragrance, plant Nic- otiana. Considered an annual, it reseeds readily, so once you plant it, you'll always have it. The fra- grance holds off all day, waiting for the softer light. Celia Thaxter, famous for her gardens on the Isles of Shoals, mentions nictotiana and its perfume in her writings. The tubular flowers open and re- lease their sweetness as dusk ap- proaches. Focus on the white vari- eties so you can see them as well as smell them, but all nicotianas are deliciously fragrant and hum- mingbirds love the red ones. At Cypress gardens in Florida, I saw my first brugmansia. It was as big as a tree! We can only grow it as an annual or in a pot to keep inside in winter. The huge trum- pets hung all over it and the evening fragrance was overpower- ing. Some people say it smells like bath soap or cheap perfume. Oth- ers think it smells like lilies. There are several colors — peach, yellow, pale pink, but the whites {Brugmansia x Candida and B. suaveolens) have the most fra- grance. At the Family Patch in Scarborough, Maine, owned by the radio garden personality, Paul Par- ent, you'll find as number of good-sized brugmansia and smaller sizes for sale. If you REALLY want perfume in your garden, consider this plant and bring it inside for winter. Old-fashioned stock (Matthiola longipetala is the night-scented va- riety), four-o'clocks {Mirabalis jalapa and M. longiflora), and En- glish wallflowers {Cheiranthus) are all very fragrant. They are not of- ten grown nowadays and you may have to search for seed, but they are worth the effort. I picture a screened gazebo sur- rounded by a border of old-time plants such as these. I'll slip away to it for my twilight meditation and I'heure bleu will not be blue at all, but glowing with happiness. Tanya Jackson, a well-known area herbalist, can be reached at 603- 431-8011. a This spring, our testing lab in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and I have both noticed that many geranium growers are experiencing unusual pH drop. What makes this so difficult is that geraniums left on their own with neutral water and no additional fertilizer will cause the pH of the media to drop. Geraniums and a few other crops — celosia, begonia, dianthus, tomato — have this unique ability to alter the pH on their own. Most growers in the Northeast have fairly pure water with pHs lower than what most plants need. Because of this, growers here need to monitor their media in order to insure that the pH remains in the 5.8-to-6 range. Geraniums compound the problem with their natural ability to lower pH. Geraniums grow best at a pH of 6 or slightly higher (many other spring bedding crops can grow in a wider range). Iron toxicity is usually the first sign that a geranium is growing in too low a pH: leaf-bronzing indicates that too much iron is available. By raising the pH, you will reduce the availability of iron. By using calcium- based fertilizers such as calcium nitrate, 15-0-15, or 15-5-15 in your feed program, you will insure that the pH stays in a satisfactory range. Jim Zablocki, Technical Manager of the Northern Horticultural Group, the Scotts Company, can be reached at 603-224-^^8). Creative Solutions For All Your Greenhouse Needs. „BhBj-- --ijSpii Rimol Greenhouse Systems offers a large variety of fine products, structures, and accessories to help your business grow. We offer great value at a fair price and we are committed to providing outstanding customer service. For more information, call 603-629-9004 or fax us to request a quote at 603-629-9023. XRIMOLX Greenhouse Systems, Inc. Jaderloon and Poly-Tex gutter-connect, free- standing and overwintering structures for growing, propagation & garden center applications. Armin Tufflite 4 year regular, anti-drip and IR poly, 1 year and overwintering white and clear poly. Co-Ex Macrolux 8mm twinwall polycarbonate and Co-Ex Rooflite corrugated polycarbonate. Kwik-Klip polylock. Poly Patch repair tape Inflation blowers and fans. Sunderman oil and gas fired heaters. Reznor gas fired heaters. Bio-Therm root zone bottom heat, Starfin and Duofin. Co-Ray-Vac radiant heat systems. Schaefer and Jaderloon horizontal air-flow (HAF) fans. Ken-Bar convection tubing. Quietaire exhaust fans and shutters. Jaderloon Carolina evaporative coolers. Roof vents, side and end vents, roll-up curtains and shade cloth. Environmental Micro-Grow and Davis Engineering greenhouse Controls controls. Goldline thermostats. Katolight back-up generators. Sensaphone alarm systems. Irrigation Netafin, Chapin and Wade rain drip irrigation. Fittings and supply tubing. Hi-Hose kits. Midwest Gro-Master Ebb and Flo benching. OCS Mister Irrigator, Superior and Davis Engineering irrigation controllers and solenoid valves. Dosatron fertilizer injectors. Extension hooks. PRC retail modular bench systems. Rolling and stationary benches. Amico expanded metal. Material Handling Metro and VRE reta Monorail systems. and grower plant carts. Aero-Mate low volume and back-pack sprayers. Plant Protection Woven and knitted shade cloth, ground cover. Fabrics frost protection blankets. B fISiiillillfiil iHi iiRE 03101-1149 Ph: 603-629-9004 NEW HAMPSHIRE PLANT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION 1999 Summer Meeting Pleasant View Gardens Pembroke Facility North Pembroke Road (Off Route 106), Pembroke, New Hampshire As of mid-May, the Summer Meeting was still evolving, but ele- ments already in place indicate it will be a full day, centering around the state's most recent state-of-the-art production facility, PVG's 65,000-square-foot Nexus Big Sky — completely automated (flood floors, environmental controls, etc.). It's something certainly worth seeing. Events include: complete tours of the facility, the Tailgate Trade Show, visits to The OV Speedway and other nearby NHPGA members, educational displays (Paul Fisher will discussing some of his work in bedding plant production), and the Scholarship Auction with Peter Callioras, auctioneer. The noon meal is a Pig Roast, but along with pork, beef and turkey will be served as well. (There will be plenty to eat.) Cost is $20.00 for both members and non-members. A flier with more details will be sent shortly. For information, contact Rob- ert Demers at 603-437-6336. ASSOCIATIOIV OFFICERS Presides ROBERT C. RIMOL 670 N. Commercial Street Manchester, NH 03101 629-9004 Vice President GEORGE TIMM PO Box 476, Rte. 137 S., Hancock, NH 03449 525-4728 Seirettrry I Treasurer CHRISTOPHER ROBARGE UNH/TSAS Horticultural Facilities Durham, NH 03824 862-1074 Directors ROBERT DEMERS 656 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, NH 03103 437-6336 DAVID GIURLEO 324 Howard Street, Northboro, MA 01532 508-393-4534. ANN HILTON 4 Karacuii Lane, Pirtsfield, NH 03263 435-6425. HENRY HUNTINGTON 7316 Pleasant Street, Loudon, NH 03301 435-8361 PETER VAN BERKUM 4 James Road, Deerfield, NH 03037 463-7663 TIM WOLFE 37 Lake Street. Salem, NH 03079 893-5858 Extension Liaison NANCY ADAMS 113 North Road, Brentwood, NH 03833 679-5616 NH PLANT GROWERS ASSOCIATION Till' Plantsmaii Editor LNIl Research C.reenhouses Durham, NH 03824 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 43