THE TURK’S CAP Volume 15, Number 1 Spring 2012 The Newsletter Of The Delaware Native Plant Society www. delawarenativeplants.org In This Issue Page 1 Natural Quotes DNPS Vision Page 2 Notes from Newcroft Rick Darke talk Page 3 Paw paw follow-up Hazelnut tree Page 4 Gardening With Native Plants Resources and Reviews Page 5 Feature Article continued Botany's new rules Page 6 DNPS Annual Meeting DNPS Spring Workshop review Page 7 Upcoming Events How Can I Get Involved? The Delaware Native Plant Society is open to every- one ranging from the novice gardener to the pro- fessional botanist. One of the primary goals of the society is to involve as many individuals as possible. The DNPS is working on some significant projects at this time. We have completed four reforestation projects in the Prime Hook area, at Blackbird Creek in New Castle County and Cedar Creek in Sussex County where we have installed tree tubes around newly sprouted seedlings, and are performing an- nual management of the sites. Help is also needed at our native plant nursery at the St. Jones Reserve with the monitoring and watering of plants along with many other nursery activities. For more information, visit our website at www.delawarenativeplants. org. Our very informa- tive, up-to-date website has all the contact infor- mation for the Society, along with a section on na- tive plants, volunteering, and links to other envi- ronmental and plant related organizations. Use the online links in this newsletter to access the world wide web of native plant information. / Springtime at Newcroft Note: In the online version , blue links go to additional information. The DNPS Vision T he purpose of the Delaware Native Plant Society (DNPS) is to participate in and encourage the preservation, conservation, restoration, and propagation of Delaware's native plants and plant communities. The Society provides information to government officials, business people, educators, and the general public on the protection, management, and restoration of native plant ecosystems. The DNPS encourages the use of native plants in the landscape by homeowners, businesses, and local and state governments through anon-going distribution of information and knowledge by various means that includes periodic publications, symposia, conferences, workshops, field trips, and a growing statewide membership organized by the DNPS. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 15, Number 1 Page 2 Notes from Newcroft The long, warm winter has created an unwelcome invasion of honeysuckle at Newcroft. After battling with one stand of that, I'm ready to get back to my reading. My travels to botanic gardens in Europe usually presented a statue of the Swedish Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). Exploring books in our Delaware library system about the Father of Binomial Nomenclature, I discovered "The Compleat Naturalist: A Life of Linnaeus" by Wilfrid Blunt 1971. He resolved the jumbled classification of the natural world. Through his Systema Naturae, first published in 1735, he brought order to all recorded knowledge about living things, distinguishing and naming 7,700 plants and 4,400 animals in his lifetime. The application of binomial nomenclature is now governed by various internationally agreed codes of rules, of which the two most important are the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN ) for animals and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants { ICN ) for plants. The Nomenclature Section held just before the 18th International Botanical Congress in Melbourne, Australia in July 2011 saw sweeping changes to the way scientists name new plants, algae, and fungi. For the first time in history the Code now permits electronic-only publication of names of new taxa; no longer will it be a requirement to deposit some paper copies in libraries. See pg. 5 for the Washington Post article " Botany's new rules allow English to replace Latin in describing species " by Adrian Higgins.) Read more about the current Code here. Now, back to the garden at Newcroft and my struggle with Japanese Honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica). Nice that the Japanese have given us so many lovely japonica species, but this is one we could do without in our landscapes and cultivated gardens. Cindy Albright, editor Design for the Nature of Today's Garden Article by Margo McDonough in the News Journal 3/25/12 Rick Darke will talk about "Design for the Nature of Today's Garden" on Tuesday, April 10, at UD's Townsend Hall. Sponsored by the UP Botanic Gardens, the lecture is a kick-off event for the gardens' spring plant sale, which is April 27-28. Homeowners can't spend a lot on chemical fertilizers and herbicides or new trees and shrubs. Likewise, local and state governments can't devote much money or time to maintaining parks and natural areas. Rick Darke doesn't see anything bleak in this picture; rather he chooses to focus on the opportunities that exist in contemporary gardening. "There has never been a more interesting or exciting time to be involved in the design of outdoor spaces," says Darke, a University of Delaware alumnus who heads a Pennsylvania-based landscape consulting firm. His books include The American Woodland Garden and The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition. “There has been a sea change in how we approach our green spaces," adds Darke. "This new trend embraces the dynamic nature of living landscapes and identifies conservation, functionality and viability as primary goals." For example, he has become better at choosing the "right plant for the right place." To save both time and money, Darke lets the wind, water, birds and animals dictate — through seed dispersal — what new plants get added to his yard. He still buys plants but more often he enjoys these seedlings that arrive spontaneously. Of course, you might not be thrilled with where the wind dropped your new beech tree — perhaps it's growing between flagstone pavers or in front of your prized red-twig dogwood. That's where judicious editing comes in, notes Darke. Feel free to transplant seedlings to different locations in your yard and to give away excess seedlings. Into the Woods (again) Trees are growing again to restore one of Delaware's lost forests* A year ago, an article appeared here about The Nature Conservancy's 908 acre Pemberton Forest Preserve's Ponders Tract located near the Redden/Ellendale forest in DE, one of the largest wooded areas remaining on the Delmarva Peninsula. In 2010, 10 miles of trail were opened. An update includes a link to the map which may be downloaded if you would like to take a hike in Ponders tract. We hiked there over the winter but didn't have a map to carry with us. Here is one you may print before you leave home. Ponders tract The Turk’s Cap, Volume 15, Number 1 Page 3 Resources & Reviews A Walk Through the Year by Edwin Way Teale 1978 Daily reflections and observations of the seasons and nature. ''Warmth is winning over cold. The optimism of spring is in the air." From the Walks of Spring chapter p. 11. Follow-up on Pawpaw Tree Article In the last Turk's Cap issue, we highlighted the Pawpaw tree. Sun Nurseries in Woodbine, MD is at- taching a planting instructions sheet to all of their receipts this season. The re- verse side has three "Easy Fruits to Grow" plants and Pawpaw is one of them. It is listed as "The native tree that you may not know. No spraying is necessary. " They have beautiful maroon flowers (above) and striking golden fall color. They grow in sun and part shade. Tolerate wet soils, but are also drought tolerant. They are naturally pest and disease resistant. Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws Quid Publishing 2011 The entries are or- dered by latin name, (Linnaeus is smiling) so Agave is the first and Ginger ( Zingiber ) is the last, with all kinds of treasures in between such as maize, ferns, English oak, tea, hemp and tulip. White Wil- low Salix alba is one of the 50 listed. Using Bill McAvoy's " Flora of Delaware" database Salix nigra is the willow in our Piedmont and Coastal Plain. % $ % i Fifty Plants i H II i . irv For the Squirrel in All of Us* by Barbara Damrosch Having a fine old nut tree in your yard is like signing up for a yearly shower of protein from heaven, but most are very large, and with a new one it may be many years before you can rake up enough nuts to top a sundae. Eager to include nuts in my own edible landscape, I de- cided to give hazelnuts a try. They're the perfect choice for an impatient gardener with limited space. Also known as filberts (most likely after Saint Philbert, whose feast is celebrated at the time of the late August nut drop), these tasty nuts can hold their own in any fancy nut mix, and they grow on plants that are more shrub than tree. Two springs ago I set out three good-size plants from a nurs- ery, and last fall I was thrilled to reap a bowlful of little nuts, tasty and fairly easy to crack. The nuts provide abundant food for wildlife such as squirrels, which may squirrel away your harvest before you do. However, one observer noted that squirrels don't like to run through tall grass and leaving hazelnuts in an unmowed grove deters them. The toothed leaves of Corylus americana resemble those of a birch to which the hazelnut is related. Two popular varieties are Lewis and Clark named for the explorers who encountered the nuts on their western travels. With all hazelnuts, male and female flowers are borne on the same tree, and for pollination you need to plant at least two trees that bloom at the same time. I'm pictur- ing a "hazel wood" like the one in W. B. Yeats's poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus." * «*> *. Fifty Plants r tMf I )i#r4j»r»l tl»s I jiurer i»f a History V * * Article in Washington Post, June 11, 2009 The Turk’s Cap, Volume 15, Number 1 Gardening With Native Plants Shad bush (amelanchier arborea) by Bob Edelen Natural History Long before the bright green leaves of most woodland shrubs and trees signal the begin- ning of another growing season, the showy flowers of the shadbush unfold at the edge and in the understory of Delaware's forests. The shadbush inhabits moist soils of hardwood forest east from the Mississippi River basin and south from southern Canada to northwest Florida. The flowers of the shadbush are pure white, fragrant, and borne in 2-4" long pendu- lous racemes in mid to late April. These ex- tremely showy 1 inch flowers last only 4 to 7 days, but are an important source of nectar for the earliest small bees of spring, which serve as the primary pollinator. But the true wonder of this woodland native is in its fruit. Often overlooked, the reddish-purple fruit is a 1/4" - 1/3" edible pome that emerges in June. Edible berries resemble blueberries in size and color and are often used in jams, jellies and pies, but don't delay in harvesting this woodland delight for at least 22-bird species relish the sweet nourishing fruit. Prominent feeders include veeries, hermit thrushes, gray catbirds, cedar waxwings and northern orioles, and if that's not enough there are 11 or more mammal species that feed on the fruit bark and twigs of Page 4 The shadbush is a small tree often 15 to 25 feet tall with a trunk 4 to 6 inches in diameter, but may reach heights of 40 feet. It's brilliant fall colors of orange to yellow to red are but one of many rea- sons to make space in your landscape for this won- drous shrub or small tree. Where to Grow In general, the flowers and fall color of the shad- bush show best against dark backgrounds or in dark corners. This species is ideal for naturalization, on building corners, or in small groves when space is plentiful. Shadbush appears to do best in sunny and dry sites, but will persist as the forest grows in around them. They are also found in smaller num- bers in a wide variety of habitats, including wetter sites. Shadbush is easily grown in average, medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade and is tolerant of a somewhat wide range of soils. Shad- bush may be pruned to maintain a single trunk for a specimen tree or allowed to bush out for a lower growing shrub. Root suckers are common, and if not removed, will result in a shrubby growth habit, which may be suitable for naturalizing along edges. Propagation and Care Propagation of shadbush may be accomplished ei- ther by seed or rooted cuttings although difficulty in rooting cuttings has been noted. To propagate from seed, the seeds should be harvested as soon as the fruit is ripe in mid-summer. A cold stratifica- tion of 4 months at 40 degrees Fahrenheit is re- quired for germination. Once seeds sprout in the spring, they should be kept evenly moist and pro- tected from full sun by either a shade cloth or growing in a lightly shaded area. Once 4 leaves have developed, seedlings should be transplanted into individual pots and grown on for another year be- fore planting in the landscape. Care should be taken to keep the seedlings well watered during the growing season until well established. They will continue to benefit from occasional watering during periods of drought. Resources Flowering Earth fmore on page 5)) By Donald Culross Peattie "By night the moths take over, fertilizing the night-blooming flowers. This tribe of the feathery antennae have some of them tongues incredibly long, coiled like a watchspring that can probe the deepest corolla." The Turk’s Cap, Volume 15, Number 1 Page 5 Review of "Flowering Earth" by Donald Culross Peattie, 1991 ed. First published in 1939, this beautifully imaginative book is about botany much in the same sense that Walden is about a pond. Part natural history, part biography, and part philosophical reflection, Flowering Earth is written in a warm, lyrical style that made poet-scientist Donald Culross Peattie one of America's best-known naturalist writers. Gardening with Native Plants Amelanchier (Continued from page 4) Lore Few plants have the variety of common names as Amelanchier arborea has. The name shadbush, or shadblow, was given because the blossoms appear about the time when the first shad begin their spawning runs up the rivers of the east coast. The name serviceberry stems from a time when the ground was so frozen that corpses were held unburied until the ground thawed sufficiently for digging. That was about the time when the shadbush blossoms appeared, and then the service could be held - hence the name serviceberry. Finally the name Juneberry denotes the time of year the berries appear on the plant. Regardless of the name Amelanchier arborea, is a great choice for your landscape! However, high- quality evidence for its use in most conditions is still lacking. Bob Edelen Botany's new rules allow English to replace Latin in describing species (Excerpts from Adrian Higgins article in the Washington Post , 1/19/2012) Latin is a bit like a zombie: dead but still clamoring to get into our brains. In one discipline, however, Latin just got a bit deader. For at least 400 years, botanists across the globe have relied on Latin as their lingua franca, but the ardor has cooled. Scientists say plants will keep their double-barreled Latin names, but they have decided to drop the requirement that new species be described in the classical language. Instead, they have agreed to allow botanists to use English (other languages need not apply). In their scientific papers, they can still describe a newly found species of plant — or algae or fungi — in Latin if they wish, but most probably won't. Zoologists dropped the Latin description rule years ago, though botanists point out that while there are only about 5,000 species of mammals on the planet, there are at least 400,000 plant species. Add insects to the animal kingdom mix, however, and you descend into a taxonomic Hades. If plants top half a million, "there are 14 times that many beetles," Gereau said. "Insect museums seldom catalogue collections at the level of species." As botanists increasingly seek to deconstruct organisms at the microscopic level and through DNA sequencing, the vernacular descriptions become even more opaque, said Alain Touwaide, a researcher and Latinist at the Carolus Linnaeus Smithsonian who would translate for botanists. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 15, Number 1 Page 6 Invasives Out April 26- 29 Mrl MEMBERS ONLY 26 Thursday 3-7 pm 27 Friday 3-7 pm OPEN TO PUBLIC: 28 Saturday 10 - 4 pm 29 Sunday 11 - 4 pm Don't miss the Delaware Nature Society's Native Plant Sale See Page 7 for details DNSP 2012 Spring Workshop Review On Saturday, March 24, the Delaware Native Plant Society held its 2012 Spring Workshop at St. Jones Preserve located in Dover. This year, the workshop's theme was Recognizing Our Native Landscape in Winter , and focused on winter identification of some of our more unique and beautiful woody trees and shrubs. The workshop was presented by Eric Wahl, a registered Landscape Architect in Delaware and our Vice-President of the Society, with an introduction to the workshop given by Jennifer Holmes. The workshop was a great success and those in attendance came from varied backgrounds: Master Gardeners, contractors, and home landscape enthusiasts. A Power Point presentation was given showing examples of our winter landscape along with special characteristics that our woody plants exhibit. Afterwards, attendees browsed specimens of cones, seeds, dried fruit, acorns, dried leaves and some twigs that were brought in to help identify certain species. In addition, some attendees requested that the presentation be available for download through our website. This is in process and after some minor revisions to the document, it will be uploaded to at www.delawarenativeplants.org Special thanks to all those that contributed and attended the 2012 Spring Workshop, and hope to see you at our next event. Eric Wahl Annual Meeting featuring Shade Gardening Program Saturday, May 12 11—2 pm (See page 7 for meeting details) Delaware Native Plant Society Announces the 2012 Delaware Native Plant of the Year Last Fall, the Delaware Native Plant Society announced that it was seeking nominations for the Delaware Native Plant of the Year for 2012. Because the Society would like to make the chosen plant species available for purchase at the annual Native Plant Sale (1st Saturday in November, 2012), there was a stated preference that nominations be restricted to species which meet the following criteria: 1) Plant species is native to Delaware 2) Plant species is common or relatively common throughout both the Coastal Plain and Piedmont in Delaware 3) Plant can be easily propagated 4) Plant is attractive as a landscape plant and/or valuable for use in wildlife habitat restoration (e.g., provides important food or cover to native wildlife) The winning species receives the prestigious title of DNPS Native Plant of the Year, will make appearances at DNPS events during its winning year, starting with the annual meeting in May, and will be the featured plant species to purchase at the annual Native Plant Sale. The Delaware Native Plant of the Year for 2013 and 2014 will also be selected from the list of nominations (above). So, if your nominated plant species didn't make the cut this year, it still has a chance of being selected next year. The following species were nominated: swamp groundnut ( Apios Americana), partridge-berry (Mitchella repens), cardinal flower ( Lobelia cardinalis), New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), butterfly milkweed ( Asclepias tuberosa), and downy lobelia ( Lobelia puberula). The species receiving the most votes was cardinal flower! This species also meets all of the above criteria and, therefore, has been selected as the DNPS Native Plant of the Year for 2012. This beautiful native herb is found growing in swamps and freshwater marshes throughout Delaware. If you enjoy canoeing or kayaking in bald cypress swamps (e.g., Trap Pond), you may find it growing on hummocks, along with swamp rose ( Rosa palustris), sweet pepperbush ( Clethra alnifolia), and fetterbush ( Leucothoe racemosa). The cardinal flower has brilliant red flowers which attract ruby-throated hummingbirds. It will make an appearance at this year's DNPS annual meeting, to be held in May (more information coming), and will probably be offered as a door prize. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 15, Number 1 Page 7 Upcoming Events Spring 2012— Mt. Cuba Center (22 events over the next three months) Eighth Annual Wildflower Celebration is Sunday, April 29, from 10AM to 4PM here in our glorious gardens - as always, admission is free. On Friday, May 11, Mt. Cuba Center will be open from 10AM to 3 PM in honor of National Public Gardens Day. Admission is free, free-strolling is encouraged, plus there will be plant giveaways and family fun activities. Two chances this spring to see Mt. Cuba Center in all of our spring time beauty! For more information and to register for tours and classes, visit www.mtcubacenter.org, or call 302-239-4244 . Spring 2012— Adkins Arboretum More information or to register for this or other classes visit adkinsarboretum.org. April 2011 — Delaware Nature Society's Native Plant Sale Thurs. and Friday, April 26—27 , 2012 - 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm (DNS Members Only Sale) Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (Open to the public) Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 11:00 pm to 4:00 pm (Open to the public) Native Plant Sale features more than 300 rare, unusual and favorite varieties of native wild- flowers, trees, shrubs, ferns and aquatic plants for all growing conditions, including drought- tolerant. Some are introductions from the nearby Mt. Cuba Center and many species attract wildlife such as birds and butterflies. (See previous page for info about plant brochure.) Location Delaware Nature Society's Coverdale Farm in Greenville, DE. Saturday, May 5 —The Center for the Inland Bays 8th Annual Native Plant Sale 9:00 a. m. — 1:00 p.m. James Farm Ecological Preserve Go to website for directions www.inlandbavs.org Annual Meeting featuring Shade Gardening Tour Saturday, May 12 11—2 pm Home of Dr. McClements, Dover, DE Our annual meeting is a tour of Dr. Jim McClements' home garden, as a follow up to his presentation last year about his stunning property. Jim McClements is an award-winning photographer and avid gardener for woodland gardening with natives and near natives. The Field trip will be followed by a brief business meeting. Space is limited and please RSVP to EWahl@elementdg.com . Meets at the home of Dr. McClements: 50 S. Prestwick Ct, Dover, DE 19904. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 4 Page 8 ^ Membership Application www.delawarenativeplants.org i Delaware native Plant Society Member Information Name: Business Name or Organization: Address: City and Zip Code: Telephone (home/work): E-mail address: O Full-time Student $10.00 O Individual $15.00 O Family or Household $18.00 O Contributing $50.00 O Business $100.00 O Lifetime $500.00 o Donations are also welcome $ Membership benefits include: * The DNPS quarterly newsletter, The Turk’s Cap * Native plant gardening and landscaping information * Speakers, field trips, native plant nursery and sales Total Amount Enclosed: $ Make check payable to: DE Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369, Dover, DE 19903 Delaware Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369 Dover, Delaware 19903