en notes
NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
FALL 2005
NHS FALL PLANT SALE HAS NEW VENUE, NEW GARDEN MARKET
Get ready for a fantastic autumn — for selecting and growing plants — by shopping at the NHS Fall Plant Sale, September 16-17.
You’ll find the choicest, healthiest plants around from dozens of specialty growers and nurseries representing the best of the Puget Sound region.
Since fall can be one of the most opportune times to plant in the Pacific Northwest, the two-day event is a fantastic chance to find a wide assortment of choice plant material all in one spot.
You might just be getting started with a garden. Or, like NHS board member Richie Steffen, you’re a die-hard, plant- crazed individual who barely has room for another plant in the garden. Calling himself “the man who’s grown everything twice,” Richie admits to thinking he’s seen it all.
“And then I come to the NHS plant sale — and BOOM — I find something incredible. Last year I found a double- flowered agapanthus ( Agapanthus floraplena)\ It was very exciting.”
This year, Richie is on the lookout for another agapanthus, one called ‘Storm Cloud’ that has very tall, deep royal- purple blooms. “Agapanthus is my must-have plant right now, but I know
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2005 PLANT SALE VENDORS
NURSERIES
• BOTANICA: uncommon & under-used perennials,
• BOUQUET BANQUE NURSERY: fat, juicy, healthy, 2-gallon perennials.
• CASCADE GARDENS
• COLDSPRINGS GARDEN NURSERY: interesting, unusual, and durable perennials and shrubs.
• CULTUS BAY NURSERY: fabulous shrubs and perennials.
• DAY CREEK NURSERY: shade perennials.
• DEGRO FLOWER & GARDEN: uncommon perennials and some temperennials.
• DRAGONFLY FARMS NURSERY: native plants, specialty grasses, tantalizing tropicals, bedazzling bamboos, and amaz¬ ing agaves.
• EDWARDS NURSERY: hardy perennials, trees, and shrubs.
• FAIRMEADOW NURSERY: evergreen oaks, perennials, NW native trees & shrubs.
• FOLIAGE GARDENS: ferns and related plants.
• KERSTONS NURSERY: dwarf, low-, and slow-growing plants suitable for urban and suburban gardens.
• LEE FARM & NURSERY: trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, and hardy fuchsias.
• MADRONA NURSERY: special perennials and some native plants.
• MAPLE VALLEY NURSERY: grasses, groundcovers, perennials.
• MESOGEO: water-wise Mediterranean and hardy tropical plants suited to the Pacific Northwest climate.
• MOUNT FOREST FARM/ROBYN S NEST NURSERY: hostas, ferns, and shade perennials.
• MUNRO NURSERY: Hardy perennials, trees, and shrubs with an emphasis on shade-tolerant plants.
• MSK RARE PLANT NURSERY: native and rare plants adaptable to the Northwest.
• NAYLOR CREEK NURSERY: hostas, epimediums, asarums, cimicifuga, and shade perennials.
• NORTHWEST PERENNIALS: tested and uncommon perennials.
• OUDEAN’S WILLOW CREEK NURSERY: carnivorous & bog plants.
• OVERLAND ENTERPRISES: drought- tolerant perennials for sun or shade.
• PAN’S GARDEN: sedums and shade plants.
• RAMBLE ON ROSE PERENNIALS: perennials.
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NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ~ FALL 2005
NHS PLANT SALE
Continued from page 1
I’m also going to find some incredible trees and shrubs at the fall plant sale.”
New Venue: Magnuson Park
As plant sale co-chair with Anita Dunn, Richie predicts that shoppers will enjoy the enhanced features of this year’s event, which moves to Warren G. Magnuson Park, located at 7400 Sand Point Way NE in Laurelhurst (the old Sand Point Naval Air Station). A UW football game bumped this year’s sale from the traditional site at the Center for Urban Horticulture, but the huge indoor facility at Magnuson Park allows several added benefits, including more space, abundant parking, and protection from the elements for plants and people.
“I really like this venue,” Richie says. “It’s all covered, which means if the weather’s too hot, we’ll be shaded and if it’s rainy, we’ll be protected.” With plenty of elbow room and wider aisles between each vendor’s plant area, shoppers will find it simple to hunt for just the right trees, shrubs, grasses, vines, groundcovers and perennials, he adds. “And we have a new hold area, so if you’re looking at making major purchases, it will be very easy.”
Specialty Growers
Thirty-five specialty nurseries and growers will attend the sale, bringing
along healthy, hard-to-find plants for your garden. Gardeners will be treated to a selection of wholesale and specialty nurseries, many offering limited availability of choice plants. Fall is an excellent time to plant in the Pacific Northwest, as still-warm soil temperatures and increased rainfall allow plants to become well established late into the season. You’ll be doing your garden a favor by installing plants during the fall months (and don’t forget that means shrinking water bills next spring). Everything that gets into the ground now — before the winter rains arrive — has a much better chance of adapting to your garden’s cultural conditions.
New: The Garden Market
As an added feature this year, a new group of vendors will present an excellent selection of garden-inspired artwork, antiques and collectibles. From dazzling containers to hand-wrought ornamental ironwork, the Garden Market will introduce you to the best in garden decor. Select the coolest garden embell¬ ishments — from European artifacts to American-style salvage finds — to enhance your plants and design style. You’ll find another great way to celebrate the pleasures of your garden, indoors and out.
2005 PLANT SALE VENDORS
Continued from page 1
• ROBINWOOD NURSERY: eclectic selection of perennials, grasses, hardy fuchsias, and specialty shrubs.
• ROSEBRIAR GARDENS & DESIGN: non-grafted roses and related plants.
• ROSE HILL LANDSCAPING: hardy trees, perennials, and shrubs.
• SPECIES UNLIMITED: species rhododendrons and azaleas
• STEAMBOAT ISLAND NURSERY: temperennials, uncommon and interesting perennials, shrubs, vines, and grasses.
• SUNDQUIST NURSERY: hardy ferns, perennials, shrubs, and grasses.
• SWAN’S TRAIL GARDEN: unusual perennials.
• TERRA NURSERY: dwarf conifers and Japanese maples.
• TERRAPIN GARDENS: interesting and unusual perennials and trees.
• THE GREENERY: species rhododendrons, woodland natives, and companion plants.
• WIND POPPY FARMS: grasses, sedges, rushes, water plants, and perennials.
MARKET VENDORS
• CHECKERED PASTS
• GREAT FINDS & DESIGNS
• HOME AGAIN
• IMAGE CUSTOM IRON WORKS
• PETER NORRIS HOME & GARDEN
• PINK LEMONADE
• ROSEBAR
• THELMA & LOUISE
• WOLFPEACHES
SEATTLE YOUTH GARDEN WORKS
(See Garden Notes, Spring 2005) will have a booth with information about their programs and volunteer opportunities.
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THE GARDEN CURMUDGEON
The Original Garden Curmudgeon
The Garden Curmudgeon delegated her curmudgeonly duties to the Original Garden Curmudgeon this month, as he seemed especially testy.
How come every time I try to be a little trendy in my garden it looks completely cliche, common, or just plain bad? I remember buying a photinia several years back because I thought its lovely red foliage was stunning. It wasn’t until after I had given it a place of honor in my garden that I started to see it at every fast-food restaurant and gas station in town.
Then there was the year I was smitten with heaths and heathers. What a mess that turned out to be! My garden, having heavy clay soil, wasn’t quite suited for them, so they never looked quite as good as the day they left the nursery. Now that was a classic example of the wrong plant in the wrong place!
The next year I decided to get professional help — no, not that kind of help — at a couple of specialty nurseries. I had read about this nursery near Portland that specializes in clematis and I thought that maybe a few vines would add another dimension to my garden.
I drove down, which took three hours, and found myself surrounded with 147 different types of clematis. After another two hours of sorting through what might work, with a salesperson that never met a clematis he didn’t like,
I found myself heading home with
18 supposedly different clematis. The next spring they all bloomed at once, completely overwhelming their supporting plants. If that wasn’t bad enough, they were all purple. Now I know I told him that I wanted a variety of colors but a couple shades one way or another still makes it purple. I hate purple!
The next attempt was to tiy one of those “Hellebore Extravaganza” plant sales. Just like the clematis, I got swept up in the moment, grabbing one of this and one of that. When I got to the cashier I realized I had picked up $350 worth of plants — and they all fit in one box.
Lately I have just gone back to the big retail nurseries. Recently, with
several holes to fill in my border, I headed to the local garden center. Now the problem here is that I’m still completely overwhelmed. The difference is that there usually isn’t a salesperson to be found, so you don’t have to worry about them stuffing plants into your cart. I walked from my car to the first aisle and began filling my cart. When I got home I planted my hostas, hellebores, hydrangeas and heucheras. Guess I walked into the H aisle. If I had walked into the front door I would have ended up with astilbes, arisaemas and assorted aroids. The funny thing is that it sort of works.
Maybe we should just try and alphabetize the beds. (On a side note, how many heucheras are there, anyway? And is the yellow one geneti¬ cally designed to peak at the one gallon size and then get smaller?)
I guess sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t. That’s part of what keeps us gardening and the nurseries in business. Today most of the holes in my borders seem full, even though my garden may not be the most trendy garden on the block. But tomorrow, who knows? Look out photinia: Here comes the persicarias, petasites, and podophyllums.
The Garden Curmudgeon and The Original Garde?i Curmudgeon are NHS members who wish to remain anonymous.
Catherine L Allan Barbara Beatty Jane Becker
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Tam Crocker Lin Hoisington Jeanne Judd
Suzanne Learned Jack & Edna Lewis Sherrey Luetjen
Jean Merge Carol Scheuffele Tish Treheme
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NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ~ FALL 2005
THE MYTH OF CLOROXED CLIPPERS
Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D.
“A BLEACH SOLUTION IS THE BEST CHOICE FOR DISINFECTING PRUNING WOUNDS AND TOOLS”
The Myth
Anyone who has made an investment in top-quality paining tools probably cleans and maintains them on a regular basis. But would you clean them every day — maybe several times? If you are worried about potentially transmitting plant diseases such as fire blight, Dutch elm disease, and sudden oak death, then such a cleaning regimen would be crucial. Furthermore, you might be inspired to disinfect the pruning wounds, especially those made on diseased trees and shrubs. The question is: What to use as your disinfectant?
Nearly all of the popular Web sites with advice regarding tool disinfection say something like this:
“. . . sterilize pruning tools using a solution of U/2 cups of liquid chlorine bleach in 2 gallons of water. After each cut, dip the pmner or saw into this solution before starting the next cut.”
This advice is repeated on thousands of Web pages, including .edu sites. Is this the best choice?
The Reality
A few years ago I wrote a fact sheet on when to disinfect pruning tools
(available on my Web page at www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalk er-Scott/Fact%20sheets.html), so I will not cover that material for this discussion. We’ll assume you have already established a legitimate need to disinfect your tools and focus on choice of disinfectant materials.
Before disinfection, tools should be free of dirt and debris so the disinfecting solution can reach every cutting surface. Increment borers should be treated in the same manner. Disinfectant solution can be carried into the field in a tightly sealed plastic bottle; ideally this bottle should be wide enough so that tools can be dipped directly into it. If this is not feasible, solution can be applied with a clean cloth or poured over the tool held over a bucket. Disinfecting solutions should not be allowed to contaminate the soil.
Pmning tools that are regularly disinfected need to be kept in top condition. The older the blades, the more pitted they become; these pits can harbor microbes that are unaffected by quick sterilization. This is especially tme of bacteria associated with active cankers; the sticky matrix is often difficult to remove from pruner surfaces. One study found that disinfectant solutions would not remove bacterial slime from the surface of cutting tools, especially if the tool surface was pitted. I do not recommend the use of chlorine bleach for disinfectant use in the field for a variety of scientific and practical reasons:
1) Tool damage: As the MSDS (material safety data sheet) states for Clorox as well as other brands of bleach, “prolonged contact with metal may cause pitting or discoloration.” Indeed, this includes your pmning tools. Bleach
is an oxidizing agent, which means it is corrosive. You don’t find bleach for sale in unlined metal containers, and there’s a reason for that.
2) Clothing damage: It’s pretty self- evident that bleach will, well, bleach your clothing. Any spills in the field are impossible to treat unless you can immerse the affected material immedi¬ ately. It probably is not a smart idea to carry a bottle of bleach in your pocket. Cloths used to wipe your tools down after treatments disintegrate quickly and have to be replaced continuously.
3) Human health damage: Chlorine bleach (like Clorox) is listed as an acute and chronic health hazard. In addition to the damage it can do to your clothing and tools, contact with bleach will irritate your skin and your nose, throat, and lungs if vapors are inhaled. Medical conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and obstmctive lung disease are aggravated by exposure to chlorine bleach. Though you would most likely be in a well-ventilated area while using bleach, to minimize health risk you are also supposed to wear impervious gloves and safety glasses. This means more equipment to carry.
4) Plant health damage: Bleach is extremely phytotoxic, more so than any of the other commonly used disinfec¬ tants. Any bleach left on your pruning tools will damage the tissue of the next cut. Likewise, those pmners sold with reservoirs that release disinfectant as they cut should never be used.
Other disinfectant treatments have included:
Alcohol dips (ethanol or isopropyl alcohol): Alcohols are readily available and moderately safe and effective to use.
4
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However, they can be expensive.
Alcohol dips + flaming: Though this is standard procedure for tissue culture, it’s not practical for field use.
Copper compounds (copper oxide, Bordeaux mixture): These are powerful fungicides and readily available. However, they probably are not the most environmentally friendly choice. There has not been a great deal of research on their effectiveness as paining tool disinfectants.
Formalin (HCHO): It’s used in embalming fluid and readily penetrates skin. Not a good choice.
Household cleaners (Listerine®, Lysol®, Pine-Sol®): Readily available, moderately safe, can be extremely effective. Lysol® in particular was found to be least corrosive to pruning tools. This is my personal choice.
Trisodium phosphate (Na3P04): Like bleach, this compound is corrosive
and probably not good for field work.
Finally, disinfectants should never be applied to pruning wounds, though old literature from the 1930s and 1940s often recommended this practice. This just adds insult to injury, making it more difficult for the plant to treat the wound with its own arsenal of disinfectants. Indeed, more recent research has established that pruning wounds treated with ethanol and other disinfectants had more cambial necrosis and wood discol¬ oration than tissues left alone. Furthermore, treated wounds were inhibited from forming the callus tissue that protects damaged tissue. The only exception to this may be in treating cut stumps where regrowth is desired; in such cases sterilizing this broad, flat surface may prevent pathogen infection.
The Bottom Line
• Choose a disinfectant that is
effective, readily available and affordable, relatively safe to handle, and won’t harm your tools or clothing. Many household cleaners fit this description.
• Be sure to clean tools of dirt, debris, etc. before disinfecting.
• After dipping your paining tools, be sure to wipe away excess disinfectant to avoid injuring the next plant.
• A longer soaking may be needed for paining surfaces that are not smooth.
• Like painers, increment borers should always be sterilized before and after use.
• Never use disinfectants on paining wounds; they are phytotoxic and cause more harm than good. El
Dr. Chalker-Scott is an extension horticulturist and associate professor at Washington State University's Puyallup Research and Extension Center She can be reached at lindacs@wsu.edu.
GARDENS, ART, ANTIQUES WINE WITH DEBRA PRINZING
Discover the “Other Pacific Northwest”
Join NHS on its two-day tour of the Yakima Valley Saturday, October 1 & Sunday, October 2
Members: $265 / Non-members: $285 (Double Occupancy) Single Room: Add $50 / Optional Wine Tasting: Add $20
Based on the successful format of NHS tours to Portland and Vancouver, we will explore three excellent residential gardens east of the Cascades, including the inviting four- season landscape of NHS member Linda Knutson. Some of our hosts will also open their homes for touring, including one avid gardening couple with a world-class collection of Americana. A highlight of the weekend includes an exclusive visit to see design-filled world of acclaimed Yakima artist Leo Adams, with a private tour of his home interiors and art studio.
Dinner includes an optional wine-tasting of the area’s best wines, led by a Northwest wine expert. We’ll also visit Country Garden Antiques in Wapato (located in the carriage house of the Old Sawyer mansion) and stop along the way for a sampling of Yakima Valley’s fall harvest.
Tour pricing includes hotel, transportation, breakfast, two lunches and dinner. For more details or to register, contact nwhort@aol.com or call Karin Kravitz (206) 780-8172.
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N H S DATE. DAY & TIME |
LECTURES FA EVENT NAME FEATURED SPEAKER |
L L 2 0 TYPE OF EVENT |
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September 16 (Fri) 1:00-6:30 p.m. September 17 (Sat) 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. |
NHS ANN1 |
UAL FALL |
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October 12 (Wed) 6:45 p.m. Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
Recent Introductions: Outstanding Performers for Local Landscapes |
John Elsley |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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November 9 (Wed) 6:30 p.m.Reception 7:00 p.m. Meeting |
NHS , |
ANNUAL |
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November 9 (Wed) Immediately following meeting |
Gardens of the Alhambra: Moorish Splendour in the Mediterranean Landscape |
Carolyn Jones |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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January 11 (Wed) 6:45 p.m.Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
From China to India: A Year in the Life of a Plant Hunter |
Steve Hootman |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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March 8 (Wed) 6:45 p.m.Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
Adventures in Gardening with Ciscoe — Favorite Plants, Favorite Stories |
Ciscoe Morris |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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April 12 (Wed) 6:45 p.m.Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
Design Your Own Garden |
Dairmuid Gavin |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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May 10 (Wed) 6:45 p.m.Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
The Liveable Landscape |
Rick Darke |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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June 14 (Wed) 6:45 p.m.Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
The Art Of Perennial Combinations |
C. Colston Burrell |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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October 11 (Wed) 6:45 p.m.Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
The Joy of Gardening |
David Tarrant |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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November 8 (Wed) 6:45 p.m.Reception 7:15 p.m. Lecture |
A Kitty Kelley Cultivar Tell All |
Richie Steffen |
Slides & Lecture Wednesday Evening Lecture Series No reservation required |
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1 Elisabeth C. |
Miller Library will bi |
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1817 4th AveN Seattle, WA 98109
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2053 McGilvra Blvd E irkand Recreati Seattle, WA 98112
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NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
SPECIAL EVENT
Always wondered what to do with your old camp trailer — how about a garden folly? The Edwards/Forkner Garden
NHS BOARD MEMBERS INVITE YOU TO THEIR GARDENS FOR GARDEN OPEN
Saturday, September 24th, 11am- 4pm
The NHS board of directors is inviting NHS members to tour their gardens.
You’ll have the opportunity to see a number of private gardens as well as engage in conversation about plants, NHS, Garden Notes , or anything else that comes to mind.
Tour
Overview
L-J Indianola Suquamish
Asmervig/Thanem 5040 45th Ave ME Seattle. WA 98105
Poulsbo
Patrick
12101 NE 33rd St Bellevue, WA 98005
.Bonhey Lake
Rountree
3205 102nd Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004
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Brooks/Prinzing 4709 52nd Ave S Seattle, WA98118
Edwards/Forkner 4764 55th Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116
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Members are especially encouraged to bring non-members with them in an effort to expose more people to the benefits of NHS membership.
Old Goat Farm
20021 Orting Kapowsin Hwy E ,04th s^E Graham, WA 98338
NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ~ FALL 2005
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The Quinn Garden,
Queen Anne Neighborhood, Seattle 98109 1817 4th Ave N 206-285-5045
“The Quinn Garden is an eclectic mix of plants that reflects my interest in both the rare and the not-so-rare,” says board member Joanne Quinn. A self-designed paver hardscape in the backyard sets the stage for many gatherings of good food, good music and wickedly fun “Celtic Fires.”
Old Goat Farm, the new home of NHS president Greg Graves and his partner Gary Waller is a former specialty nursery. Situated on two acres of rocky glacial till, Old Goat Farm is home to many of the plants from Greg and Gary’s former Capitol Hill home. The two have been combining their collection with the existing gardens for just a few months, but the effect is already spectacular. A turn-of-the-century Victorian home, quaint vintage outbuildings, and a menagerie of pet farm animals makes this garden worth the trip.
“My new garden may not be at the end of the earth, but you can see it from there,” says Greg. “I fell in love with the site the first time I saw it, which was in December 2004, and it has only gotten better. We are renovating the existing garden and expanding into new territories, so it is definitely a work in progress.”
Board member and former Garden Notes editor Debra Prinzing writes about gardening themes for numerous local and national publications. See where she gets her inspiration each day! This 7,200-sq. ft. city garden in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood boasts a lovely view of Lake Washington. Walk up 30 steps to the garden, and enjoy a landscape filled with perennials, trees, ornamental shrubs, roses and private seating areas.
The Graves Garden Old Goat Farm, Graham 98338 20021 Orting Kapowsin Hwy E 360-893-1261
The Brooks/Prinzing Garden, Seward Park Neighborhood, Seattle 98118 4709 52nd Ave S 206-725-7079
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Ravenna Park
Asrnervig/Thanem 5040 45th Ave NE Seattle, WA 98105 (206) 523-4392
Bridle Trails State Pi
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Keith and Janet Patrick 12101 NE 33rd St Bellevue, WA 98005 (425)822-2026
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The Asmervig/Thanem Garden, Laurelhurst Neighborhood, Seattle 98105 5040 46th Ave NE 206-523-4392
The Patrick Garden,
Bridle Trails Neighborhood, Bellevue 98005 12101 Ne 33rd St 425-822-2026
“My small urban garden is part woodland and part tropical,” writes Barbara Asmervig, a board member active on the education committee. “I mix lime green, blue, and burgundy foliage with flowers in rich saturated hues. The summer garden is filled with hostas, cannas, red banana, clematis, coleus, and dahlias.”
4
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“We have three gardens,” writes new board member Keith Patrick. “There is Keith's folly, Janet's perennials, and our half¬ acre garden, mostly in the shade. There is also a small rhododendron garden that is about 20 years old.”
“Keith’s folly has a Terry Welch-designed Japanese feeling to it; the perennial gardens feature a colorful border Janet designed; and the half-acre garden was the scene of our son's wedding ten years ago.
“We call the gardens strolling gardens, and encourage people to walk through the vistas while they are enjoying the great water features put in by Terry Welch.”
The Rountree Garden,
Clyde Hill Neighborhood, Bellevue 98004 3205 102nd Ave NE 425-889-2023
“While foliage is not forgotten in my garden,” says NHS membership committee chair Nita-Jo Rountree, “flowers and fragrance take center stage. The focal point of the steeply sloped back garden is a formal stacked stone koi pond. Annabelle hydrangeas surround the back of the pond. My garden is what I have learned and what I am learning; my garden is me.”
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2053 McGilvra Blvd E Seattle, WA98112
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NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ~ FALL 2005
The Rii iii Garden,
Capitol Hill Neighborhood, Seattle 98102 2107 12th Ave E 206-323-2161
Former NHS president Pat Riehl describes her garden as “a small Capitol Hill garden that is mostly shade. It is packed with plants, concentrating on ferns, hostas, epimediums, bainnera, and heuchera — and everything else I can find! I’m just discovering pyrossias and rhodeas.”
“Five years ago the house was surrounded by grass, grass and more grass,” says Gillian Mathews, retiring board member and Ravenna Gardens owner. “Today the garden is slowly coming together and the grass is all gone. I dream of drifts of five and seven, but plant in drifts of one, maybe because I’ve never met a plant I didn’t like. I’m currently wild about leaf form and color — aren’t we all! The back garden was planted this year. It’s definitely a work in progress.”
Fremont Gardens owner Lorene Edwards-Forkner is a celebrated garden designer, having won the Founder’s Cup at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in 2001. Her personal garden is a plant collector’s dream, full of bold color, texture, and a saucy little camp trailer that she and her husband are turning into a garden folly, complete with turntable and cocktail bar. This small garden is full of surprises, lessons, and a lot of laughs.
The Mathews Garden,
Madison Park Neighborhood, Seattle 98112 2053 Mcgelvra Blvd E 206-325-7927
The Edwards/Forkner Garden, Fauntleroy Neighborhood, West Seattle 98166 4764 55th Ave NE 206-938-3913
Edwards/Forkner 4764 55th Ave SW Seattle, WA98116
4
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05-SPRING 2006 MEMBER / DESCRIPTION NON |
NHS P.O. Box 4597 Rolling Bay, WA 98061-4597 (206) 527-1794 LOCATION |
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PLANT SALE |
FREE |
Warren G. Magnuson Park Special Events Center 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seatde |
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John Elsley, well-known plantsman and Director of Horticulture for Klehm Companies in Illinois, specializes in the selection and marketing of new plant material. John has been personally involved with internationally acclaimed breeding and introduction programs for peonies, hostas, and daylilies, and he introduced the Royal Heritage strain of hellebores. He will bring us his ideas on the best of the recent plant introductions. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
|
EETING |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 41st, Seattle |
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In this garden-travelogue of gardens and nature reserves in Spain, Carolyn Jones, Director of the Miller Botanical Garden, shares her experiences and observations of the contrast between the dry Mediterranean landscape and the creative use of water developed by the Moors. Learn more about some of your favorite plants and see the beauty of the Alhambra’s complex of gardens and palaces. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
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Steve Hootman, Co-Executive Director & Curator of the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, has participated in or led numerous expeditions into the remote regions of Asia looking for rare and new taxa of rhododendrons and other plants. He will take you along on a year of plant exploring and show you his incredible plant discoveries |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
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Ciscoe Morris, everyone’s favorite radio and TV personality, will share a slide show of his favorite plants and gardens punctuated with stories of his successes, disasters, and adventures in performing around the Northwest as our beloved garden guru. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
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Dairmuid Gavin, charismatic garden designer, BBC television personality, and the so called “bad-boy of English gardening,” has been credited with changing the way contemporary designers think and approach garden design. Hear Dairmuid demystify the ground rules of good, contemporary design and give you the confidence to use your imagination and transform your own outdoor space. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
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Enlightened design blends artistry with environmental awareness to produce interconnected, livable landscapes that are both sustaining and sustainable. Author and photographer Rick Darke will look at a diverse array of 21st Century landscapes, and will outline a design ethic that embraces transitions through space and time, palette and purpose, meaning and motivation. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
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Combinations are the building blocks of successful gardens. Groupings of plants that share the same growth requirements will be the most successful, and the lowest maintenance. Cole Burrell, garden designer, photographer, naturalist and award winning author will stress the use of colorful flowers and foliage to create season-long interest in beds and borders of all sizes, in both sun and shade. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 41st, Seattle |
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David Tarrant, Public Relations and Program Coordinator of the UBC Botanical Garden and host of CBC’s Canadian Gardener will give an overall look at what drives us to garden and the different approaches we take. His examples will include private and public gardens along with community gardens. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
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Richie Steffen, Coordinator of Horticulture for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, will draw on his experiences in growing almost everything to tell you what’s good, who’s bad and who we don’t even care about anymore. We’ll see the best and the worst in horticulture today and how the new plants stack up to some of the old standards. |
$5/$10 |
NHS Hall Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4lst, Seattle |
-7:15 P.M. BEFORE THE WEDNESDAY EVENING LECTURES.
NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ~ FALL 2005
PRUNING JAPANESE MAPLES
Barb Engram
Ask people what they like about Japanese gardens, and most will mention the maples. These beautiful small trees add a sense of lightness and grace, a perfect counterpoint to the strength of the pines and stones. Left to their own devices, however, many of them become thick, and bear little resemblance to the airy trees we hoped for when we planted them.
The lace leaf cultivars especially tend to become very solid.
Late summer is an ideal time to paine maples. Although in our mild climate you can paine almost anytime, maples, pained in the spring may tend to “bleed” sap (they’re of the family that gives us maple syaip, remember). Though it might sound simpler to paine them after the leaves have fallen, I think it’s easier to see the outcome with all the leaves there, so August and September are my favorite times to paine.
I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that you should study a tree for two years before starting to paine it. I think it’s not the two years that matters so much as the stance you take with regard to the tree. You are there to understand its beauty, to approach it with respect for what it is. It’s just you and this tree, and as you learn about it, you can work
with what it offers to produce something beautiful.
So let’s get down to specifics. Where do you stall and where do you go from there? First of all, remember always to use thinning cuts. Never just lop off a branch leaving a stub end. Instead, make your cut where the branch attaches to the larger branch or tmnk from which it grows. Always cut at an angle, making sure to cut outside (and take care not to damage) the collar (the swelling where the branch is attached).
Most paining profes¬ sionals I know will tell you to start with the 4 D’s: remove anything that is dead, damaged, diseased, or deranged (growing inwards toward the center of the tree or growing straight upwards or downwards from a branch.) When you complete this first phase, you are more than halfway finished. You have brought the tree to its healthiest form which serves as the starting point for the remainder of your pruning job. It is in this second phase you start making stylistic and aesthetic judgments about what to remove and what to keep, what to hide and what to reveal. Doing the D’s also tends over time to teach you which branches survive and which don’t, knowledge that comes in handy when you have to make a choice about which
of two branches to remove. Generally, you remove the one that you know has the least chance of survival.
When pruning a maple in the Japanese style, line is very important. Trees are pruned to be open and airy, and to reveal their inner staicture.
Cutting out the dead branches (which tend to be on the inside of the tree where they get little light) creates this openness. Maples often re-sprout where branches have been removed. These sprouts should be removed as well to maintain an open center. In our damp and often gray climate, keeping the center open to light and air circulation also helps to prevent fungal infections.
The viewer’s eye tends to follow the lines of the branches. Remember that most trees grow upwards and outwards as they reach to expose their leaves to sunlight. This up and outward line looks natural to us. Other lines appear unnatural and are usually removed: right angle turns, T-intersections, or branches growing downward or upward from a horizontal branch. So, as you prune, maintain the upward-outward movement.
Finally, keep the inside of the tree clear. In order to get maximum light, leaves cluster at the outer parts of the branches. You’ll really see this as you cut out the dead wood, which tends to be on the inside of the tree where it gets little light.
The lower branches of lace leaf maples, which have a weeping habit, often lie on the ground. But if you’re pruning a lace-leaf maple, don’t let the lady drag her skirts in the mud. Aim to have the bottom edge an inch or so above ground level to keep the lower
“YOU ARE THERE TO UNDERSTAND ITS BEAUTY,
TO APPROACH IT WITH RESPECT FOR WHAT IT IS.
IT S JUST YOU AND THIS TREE, AND AS YOU LEARN ABOUT IT,
YOU CAN WORK WITH WHAT IT OFFERS TO PRODUCE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.”
8
'CLTcfen NOTES
leaves from getting soiled and bedraggled. To do this, locate and grab the dragging limb, trace it back to its connection to a main limb and, using a thinning cut, cut it off there. Another way to raise the level of a limb is to reduce its weight. By taking off some of the smaller branches attached to a main limb, especially those near its outer edge, you can lighten the weight on the limb so that it rises naturally.
I usually do most of the pruning I’ve described so far from inside the tree so I can see the lines and structure of the tree silhouetted against the light from
outside. It requires some crawling around and I get pretty dirty, but it does let me see what I’m doing.
The last pruning step I do from the outside. By this time the tree should be fairly light and airy. I work around it, taking out additional small branches to create “windows” that allow glimpses into the inside of the tree. I think it is critical to keep moving as I do this.
Don’t try to finish one section before moving on to another. Instead, keep in constant motion. Work a while on one section, then move on to another area. When you return to a section, you
always see it more clearly. Also, back up from time to time and view the tree from a distance. Walk around the tree, looking at it from close up and far away. View the tree from various vantage points, as each of these vantage points offers a different view of the tree. Then prune to enhance that view. You’ll be amazed what beauty you and a tree can produce. El
NHS member Barb Engram is a land¬ scape designer specializing in Japanese gardens. She can be reached at (206) 633-1089 or barbengram@aol.com.
VOLUNTEER PROFILE:
GILLIAN MATHEWS
Editor’s Note: This issue's volunteer profile focuses on a retiring board member.
The North west Horticultural Society has been fortunate to have the talents and energy of Gillian Mathews ,
and thanks her for many years of service.
Ravenna Gardens owner and retiring board member Gillian Mathews has been gardening since her 20s. “I think I got serious about gardening about 25 years ago, when my son was born. There’s something about gardening and nesting (making a home, having children) that go together,” she explains.
Like many gardeners, Gillian inherited her gardening enthusiasm from family members. “I think I was influenced by my father who gardened back in Yorkshire, England. He grew great gooseberries and raspberries. Gillian also credits her gardening sister as an important source of inspiration.
A long-time NHS member (seven years and counting), Gillian says she’s most enjoyed the community of gardeners and the Society’s renowned education program. Over her tenure, Gillian has worked on a variety of
committees, including organizing tours abroad for the education committee as well as sitting on the plant sale, auction, and membership committees. You may have seen her at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show booth, enlisting show attendees to consider NHS membership.
In her own garden, now five years old, Gillian has removed all of the lawn. “You can hardly see the house” for the garden, she says. And even this nursery owner and long-time gardener admits to making a mistake or two. “The first thing I planted was the parking strip, which I didn’t amend — I really should tear it out and start again,” she explains. That said, her garden is “full of my favorite plants, with lots of color and texture and foliage. There are plenty of planted containers and some found items. I have a great metal sculpture called “Gardening Girl,” and a piece by Francie
Allen called “Hold onto your Dreams.” The back garden is just being put in this year so it’s veiy young.
When asked to name her favorite plant, like most avid plant collectors, Gillian balks. “That would be too difficult!” she says. “I’m intrigued by Tetrapanax ‘Steroidal Giant’, which Laine at Steamboat Island grows. I love abutilons and I never met a euphorbia I didn’t like.”
“I’ve gained many new friends from my involvement with NHS and learned more than I can ever remember!” continues Gillian, a sentiment shared by many volunteers. El
Editor's Note: Gillian's garden will be open to NHS members and their friends during the NHS Director’s Garden Open on Saturday, September 24. See page TBD for more information.
9
NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ~ FALL 2005
SPEAKERS FOR FALL
Debra Prinzing
October Preview
JOHN ELSLEY
RECENT INTRODUCTIONS: OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS FOR LOCAL LANDSCAPES
Wednesday, October 12, Center for Urban Horticulture
His horticultural experience is equally rooted in two continents, with a profes¬ sional background that involves public gardens in the U.K (RHS Wisley a Garden and Royal Botanic Gardens,
1 Kew) and the U.S. (Missouri Botanical Garden).
As a plantsman, Elsley’s credentials read like a who’s who of great plants we’ve all grown and loved. He has been involved in the U.S. introduction or promotion of such beloved plants as the ‘Stella de Oro’ daylily, David Austin roses and House of Meilland roses.
Today, as the director of horticulture for the Klehm Companies (South Barrington, Illinois), John Elsley is respon¬ sible for this diverse plant seller’s selection of new plants for its wholesale and retail divisions.
The firm’s mail order catalog is named Klehm’s Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery; inside, no fewer than 105 pages are filled with must-have descriptions of Elsley’s favorite herbaceous and woody plants for residential gardens. (Visit the website at www.songsparrow.com).
His lecture for NHS will include an overview of ornamental shrubs and perennials that are, according to Elsley, “arguably worth trying.” Get ready to learn about the favorite new sel¬ ections that have this gifted plantsman and plant marketer excited. “I will focus on some veiy recent new perennials and woody plants — I’ll bring up some items that will be new to people.”
Elsley, who with his wife Billie tends to a one-acre home garden in Greenwood, South Carolina, is also known for his development over 15 years, of the Royal Heritage Strain of hellebores. “I might just very briefly mention one or two hellebores,” he notes.
November Preview
CAROLYN JONES
GARDENS OF THE ALHAMBRA: MOORISH SPLENDOR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPE
Wednesday, November 9, Center for Urban Horticulture
Carolyn Jones, the curator and director the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, visited the gardens of Alhambra last year while attending the Botanic Gardens Conservation International conference in Barcelona.
With more than 20 years working in the world of horticulture, Carolyn Jones has been an inspiring addition to the local gardening community. In her garden-travelogue of the courtyards, walled gardens and water-filled landscapes of Alhambra, Carolyn will share her experiences and observations of the contrast between dry Mediterranean landscapes and the creative use of water developed by the Moors. She’ll discuss how water was a rich symbolic element — and how its presence at center of eveiy courtyard was paramount to this historic culture.
“What struck me about the Moors is that because they had come from the desert, they considered water to be their wealth,” Carolyn explains of the people who migrated from North Africa to Spain in the ninth century. “In comparison to the dry Mediterranean climate, water represented amazing wealth and they wanted cascades of water running down staircases, out of fountains— everywhere.”
She will also discuss Mediterranean plants that thrive against this desert backdrop, including those discovered while touring the Alhambra complex, the island of Grenada and gardens around Barcelona. “I saw cistus and dwarf irises growing wild. Hellebores and hepaticas in the wild. Rosemary and thyme was growing alongside the road,” she enthuses. “The most exciting thing was seeing a Rhamnus pumila plastered on this big rock!” H
All lectures are held at NHS Hall, Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 4lst St., Seattle. Fee is $5 for NHS members, $10 for guests. See Calendar (pps. 6-7) for lecture times and a preview of the 2006 Wednesday Evening Lecture Series.
m
10
Des Kennedy
Jack Staub
Meduyn William
SPRING SYMPOSIUM CELEBRATES THE NOBLE VEGETABLE
Saturday, March 25 has been earmarked for the spring gardening symposium . The topic, vegetable gardening, will be covered in depth by national and international experts Des Kennedy, Jack Staub, and Meduyn Williams.
Canadian humorist DES KENNEDY is an award-winning journalist, a prolific author, and an environmental activist. His most recent book is Living Things We Love to Hate: Facts, Fantasies, and Fallacies (Whitecap Books, 2002). Kennedy is also a regular contributor to Gardening Life magazine. He lives on Denman Island in British Columbia.
JACK STAUB is a professor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin. He works closely with the United States Department of Agriculture on “the production, evaluation, and testing of USDA cucumber and melon lines, hybrids,
and populations.” He is also involved in performing risk assessment for genetically modified squash.
The Welsh “King of the Veg,” MEDWYN WILLIAMS is a ten-time gold medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show, as well as a winner of the show’s Lawrence Medal for the best exhibit of the year at an RHS Show. A gardener for most of his life, Williams’s displays at Chelsea are “as colorful and vivid as any floral exhibit.” Williams is also chair of England’s National Vegetable Society. His Web site, medwynsofanglesey.co.uk, is “dedicated to the keen vegetable gardener.”
We hope you ll join us for this fun, informative look at the art and science of vegetable gardening.
Saturday, March 25, 2006 / 8:30 — 3:00 Bastyr University Auditorium 14500 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore 98028 Members: $45 / Non-members: $55 / (lunch included) Reservations: nwhort@aol.com / (206)-527-1794 or PO Box 4597, Rolling Bay, WA 98061
~ THANKS TO OUR 2005 PATRONS ~
The educational series would not be possible without the tremendous support of our wonderful patrons. Their generosity enables NHS to provide a world-class educational program for Northwest gardeners. Tljank you, patrons!
Mr. & Mrs. Don G. Abel Phoebe Andrew Alison S. Andrews Lois A. Andrews Barbara Asmervig Karen Babbitt Douglas Bayley Charlotte Behnke Susan Bogert Mrs. Edgar O. Bottler Robyn Cannon Barbara S. Carman Michael J. & Gail Coie Stacie Crooks Nancy Daar Lynn & Ralph Davis Craig Delphey Tanya DeMarsh- Dodson Tina Dixon,
Plants a la Cart Anita Dunn Mrs. Phil Duryee Dominique Emerson Jean Emmons Sharalyn Ferrel Carolyn Fisher Betsy Fitzgerald Kirsten Fitzgerald Lorene Edwards Forkner Mary Formo Noreen R. Frink Janice Givens Marilyn Glenn Greg Graves Mr. & Mrs. Joshua Green HI
Mary Louise Griffin Richard W. Hartlage Nancy Heckler Deborah Heg Jocelyn C. Horder Darlene &
Dan Huntington Teri Jones Gail Karges Kemper/Iversen, Ltd. Karin Kravitz Ellen Lam
Susan & Barry Latter Alice Lauber Julie Lawrence Dorothy Lennard Pete & Midge Lucas Barbara Lycett
Theresa Malmanger Hans Mandt James K. Marshall Gillian Mathews, Ravenna Gardens McComb Road Nursery Kathy E. Meislahn Alexandra F. Morse Diana Neely John & Lee Neff Kathryn Norgaard Wendy Beth Oliver Maison de Padgett Winery Gardens Mary M. Palmer Catherine H. Parker Chitra & Zakir Parpia T. Keith & Janet Patrick Peg Pearson Maryann &
Charles Pember Susan Picquelle Dinny Poison Kate Poole Ed Poquette Debra Prinzing &
Bruce Brooks Joanne Quinn Pat Riehl
Martha E. Robbins Roberta Roberts JoAnne Rosen Nita-Jo Rountree Gale W. Schwarb Elizabeth Scott Richie Steffen Philip & Susan Stoller Nancy Strahle Carolyn C. Temple Brian Thompson & Jack Henry Joanne Titus Thompson Iris Wagner Ralene Walls Linda Waltie Marie Weiler Wendy' Wells and Lisa Freed Joanne White Madeleine Wilde Glenn Witliey/
Charles Price John A. Wott, Ph.D. Glen Youell Marlene & Lee Zuker
11
S arcfen NOTES
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
I hope your summer has been as good as mine. I like living out in the country. I was able to plant a vegetable garden for the first time in about 20 years. It is a real treat to plan dinner around what is fresh in the garden. With 42 chickens, eggs are often a component.
Building and expanding on the existing garden has also been lots of fun although quite a challenge due to the rocky (boulder size rocks) soil.
x j Having a tractor has made a lot of the heavy chores much
easier, especially turning the compost. The only problem to date has been a male peacock that became quite territorial. His new territoiy is in someone else’s garden about 10 miles away.
I haven’t been able to attend quite as many NHS events as normal but the reports I get have been great.
I feel like I have missed out. I’m looking forward to the plant sale soon, which will be even bigger and f better in its new location at Sandpoint.
The classes have all been a hit and continue to fill fast so I would urge anyone interested in taking one to sign up when they are announced. The fall tour to New Zealand is full but there are still a few spaces remaining on the fall weekend tour to the Yakima Valley.
The lecture series will continue in October with John Elsley and I would like to thank Briggs Nursery for their help in bringing him here. We will wrap up this year’s series with Carolyn Jones from the Miller Garden speaking about gardens in Spain. I hope to see you there.
Cheers,
Greg
GARDEN NOTES EDITOR
Linda Plato
editor@ north westhort . org
DESIGNER
Constance Bollen,
CB Graphics
CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ISSUE:
Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott Barb Engram Melody Hooper Karin Kravitz Diane Laird Debra Prinzing
PRINTER
Mike Klinke, Impression Printing
# Telephone: (206) 527-1794 9- Web: www.northwesthort.org $ E-mail: nwhort@aol.com
Northwest Horticultural Society
P.O. Box 4597
Rolling Bay, WA 98061-4597
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID
Seattle, WA Permit No. 4842