Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/greenscene3016edpr Go to the experts & see the difference! LANDSCAPE & DESIGN SERVICES Design • Installation • Maintenance • Residential • Commercial Registered Landscape Architects & Designers 914 Baltimore Pike, Concordville, PA 19331 6 1 0.459.2400 • www.styers.com Photo: Summer Container, Residential, Summer 2001. Fine Garden Creations, Inc. Landscape and Garden Design, Installations, and Tree Work FINE GARDEN CREATIONS • 610-338-0630 • info@finegardencreations.com www.finegardencreations.com Cathedral Village 22 Years of Achievement Committed to. . . Resident Satisfaction.. .starting with our own dining program that offers flexibility, choices, and a distinctive presentation of meals prepared by our Executive Chef, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. C K^reativity. . .which is reflected in the vibrancy of our award-winning retirement community. The atmosphere at Cathedral Village is frequently compared to a vacation resort. Innovation ...which has resulted in our trend-setting Health Club and Fitness Program, our expansive Greenhouse and Horticultural Program, and much more. Vi, ision.. .an on-going process that anticipates changing trends in future residents’ expectations and establishes tomorrow’s new standards. Our vision has earned us certification as a Retirement Resort™, our reward for not accepting the norm. vah 'Clllie. . .which has earned us a reputation of providing more types of care and services for your dollar than any other community. Compare and see what real value means! Visit us Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Appointments are encouraged for weekdays and are necessary on weekends. Cathedral Village CrerviED memuk A Nonprofit, Nondenominational CCRC 600 East Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128 (2 1 5) 984-8622 Website: www.cathedralvillage.com 1=1 Equal Housing Opportunity Affiliated with the Jefferson Health System FEATURES 1 1 2002 Philadelphia Flower Show Preview! Join Dorothy Wright for a sneak peek at the 2002 Philadelphia Flower Show. This year’s theme is “Pleasures of the Garden, ” and that is surely what you will find at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 3rt^ through 10CF Come see the magic! 18 The Alpine Master For regional gardeners who are interested in alpine plants, the name Lee Raden is not an unfamiliar one. The rock-garden expert is known throughout the region for his displays at the Flower Show, as well as his extensive work with PHS and the North American Rock Garden Society. Here, Marban Sparkman gets Lee’s educated views on the art of the alpines, as well as a glimpse of his distinctive plants and plantings. 28 A Knock -out Garden in Chestnut Hill In keeping with the romantic theme of this year’s Flower Show, here is a gem of a romantic garden in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill section. Created by Pete Hedrick, this stunning design evokes old- world charm and grace. In words and pictures, Rob Cardillo gives us a tour of this one-of-a-kind garden. 36 A Tough, Native Orchid Who says orchids are tropical lightweights? Janet Bly introduces us to Spiranthes cernua (syn. odorata ), a hardy orchid that grows beau- tifully in our region. If you’re looking for a subtle fall-bloomer, this might be the plant for you. COLUMNS 40 Savoring Herbs: Tussie Mussies by Alexandra Basinski 41 Organic Matters: Beneficial Insects by Rob Cardillo 42 Beguiling B ulbs: A Flurry of Snowdrops by Kathryn Andersen 46 Cl ossified Ads 48 Backyard: A Victorian Flower Show by Pete Prown The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society motivates people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture. Cover Photo by Floyd Limbos f \ PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER | february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 3 GREEN Editor Pete Prown Associate Editor Jane Carroll Publications Assistant Laurie Fitzpatrick Art Design Baxendells' Graphic Publications Committee Stephanie Cohen Alan Detrick Linda Detrick Beverly Fitts Anne Kellett, ex officio Adam Levine Jennifer Lin Marby Sparkman Bill Stieg L. Wilbur Zimmerman Printer ALCOM Printing Group, Inc. THF, PENNSYLVANIA HORTICl I.Tl RAL SOCIF/n 100 N. 20th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 (215) 988-8800 Chair Anne Kellett President Jane G. Pepper Executive Vice President J. Blaine Bonham, Jr. PHS Membership Information Linda Davis, (215) 988-8776 Display Ads Kim Richards at Manzo Communications, (610) 527-7047 kim4manzocomm@aol.com Classified Ads and Subscription Services Laurie Fitzpatrick, (215) 988-8769 lfitzpat@pennhort.org Ask A Gardener Phone Line (215) 988-8777, Monday through Friday, 9:30 to 12 [closed in December ] askagardener@pennhort. org Web Site www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org GREEN SCENE (USPS 955580), Volume 30, No. 1. is published bi-monthly (February, April, June. August, October, December) by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, a non-profit member organiza- tion at 100 N. 20th St.. Philadelphia, PA 19103- 1495. Subscription: $16.95. Single Copy: $3.00 (plus $2.00 shipping). Second-class postage paid at Philadelphia, PA 19103. POSTMASTER Send address change to GREEN SCENE. 100 N. 20th St., Philadelphia. PA 19103. © Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 2001 GREEN SCENE subscriptions are part of the membership benefits for: Cox Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ Horticultural Society of Maryland, Baltimore Horticultural Society of New York Phipps Conservatory, Inc., Pittsburgh. PA Staten Island Botanical Garden, Inc, New York Effortless Pruning! i-— , ** n FLORIAM RATCHET-CUT® PRUNING TOOLS 1 www.floriantools.com 1-800-275-3618 As Featured at the Philadelphia Flower Show for More than 30 Years. Call for your FREE Florian catalog and check out our complete line of pruning systems MADE IN qph ‘Perennial Pleasures ^ ^ >1 garden-inspired shop Furnishings and accessories for the inspired home & garden Reproduction antique & contemporary garden ornaments & structures Rich assortment of planters, pots and vases Choice selection of hard-to-find plants "Botanically correct" artificial stems, plants and trees Wide range of gifts for all occasions Join us f°r April 2002 Grand Opening of our all new ■ 1000 square foot Garden Courtyard Voted Best of Main Line and Western Suburbs 2001 Best Carden Accent Shop Main Line Today Magazine THE FIVE SENSES 312 Business Route 30 across from Exton Mall • Exton, PA 19341 • 610.594.6696 • Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10:00 am - 8:00 pm • Sun. Noon - 5:00 pm 4 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 175 Years of Tradition When thinking of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, many words come to mind: community, friendship, and, of course, glorious gardens. Interwoven with this is another key word — tradition. It’s hard to be a part of PHS and not be aware of the many traditions that shape everyday life here. This is even more relevant in 2002, the year of our 175th anniversary. On November 24th, 1827, the Society’s first meeting was held at the Franklin Institute, then located on 7th Street, between Market and Chestnut. There, it was resolved "to establish a Horticultural Society in the City of Philadelphia for the promotion of this inter- esting and highly influential branch of Science.” At the time, the fledgling Society boasted 53 members. Today, PHS’s membership is 12,000 strong and growing every day. At this time in the calendar, the tradition looming in most of our minds is the Philadelphia Flower Show, which will run from March 3-10, 2002. The first exhibition in 1829 was held at Masonic Hall on Chestnut Street, where the Christmas favorite, the poinsettia, was introduced. But the event has grown dramati- cally over the decades, evolving into the grand Flower Show of today, now held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and annu- ally drawing 275,000 visitors over an eight-day period. For many of the faithful who return year after year, the Flower Show is the official beginning of gardening season. (And it’s not just a ritual for visitors, either — the J. Franklin Styer Nurseries in Concordville, Pennsylvania has been exhibiting at the Show since the early 1890s!) There are other traditions that are just as integral to the Society. Following its genesis in 1974, our Philadelphia Green program has become the nation’s pre-eminent model for urban greening. From its simple beginnings in the city’s community vegetable gardens, it has grown to be a major player in all realms of the urban landscape. Philly Green helps clean up neighborhood parks, turns vacant lots into open green space, and works to restore major public land- scapes, such as Penn’s Landing and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia Green itself is also a wealth of tradition — just think of the City Gardens Contest (started in 1975 and still thriv- ing today) or the Kids Grow Expo, a wonderful gardening event for the city’s children that is held each spring. Perhaps our greatest tradition, however, is volunteering. If there is any single concept that gets to the core of the Society’s mission, it is the act of getting together with other gardeners and “working the soil,” whether it’s planting fall bulbs in a Philadelphia neigh- borhood, taking a tour of other members’ gardens, or joining other avid gardeners to help stage the Philadelphia Flower Show. When gardeners come together, great things happen, and fostering this fertile notion has been one of the greatest practices to emerge in our long history. Throughout this year of celebration, we will highlight many of these fine traditions for our members and the public. You can help make PHS history too by joining the fun, whether it’s volunteer- ing at the Flower Show, attending a hands-on plant workshop, or entering your best garden veggies at the Philadelphia Harvest Show. These are but a few of the many ways to pitch in and get “behind the scenes" at PHS events, but getting involved is what it’s all about. If you think about it, this is where many of our traditions begin. /y}7//' syhmz/ email: greenscene@pennhort. org february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 5 A Bounty of Bacopa Each year I make the rounds of the local garden centers, looking for new or unusual annuals. A few years ago I discovered bacopa, a relative newcomer that is both carefree and good- looking. Many of the plants sold under the name “bacopa” are hybrids of Sutera cordata. However, some are members of the genus Jamesbrittennia. While also of garden merit, these are large, shrubby plants that prefer higher heat and humidity. Bacopas in the Sutera genus are flat- growing, trailing plants with numerous small, five-petaled flowers held slightly above rounded, glossy leaves. Hardy in Zone 9, they grow as annuals for us and make excellent container plants or groundcovers. There are several patented varieties worth considering. One of the best known , ‘Snowstorm’ (pic- tured right), grows to 8 feet long and is virtually covered with petite, white flowers. Another popular choice, ‘Lavender Showers’, has flowers of a light lavender color. New cultivars provide even more options. The recently introduced ‘Lilac King’ has larger, violet-pink flowers. Josh Schneider, a spokesman for Proven Winners professional growers, says, “It flowers so much you almost don't see the leaves.” ‘Blue Showers’, from the Flower Fields, a California grower, has lavender- blue flowers, making it one of the most intensely colored bacopas. While bacopa is great on its own, it con- trasts well with broad-leaved or brightly colored partners. Try it with angel-wing or rex begonias, or pair it with coleus, sweet potato vine, or petunias. For best results, choose a partly shaded site, and water and fertilize regularly. Bacopa is very sensitive to drying out, but it can be difficult to tell when it needs water. Check frequently, and use its com- panion plants as watering indicators. If kept moist, bacopa will flower all summer and into fall. Schneider adds, “Bacopa is a hardworking plant that makes it easy for gardeners to be successful.” — Debbie Moran GREEN SCENE • february 2002 Bottom: Pete Prown. Top: Courtesy of Proven Winners. Germany * France — A Passage to Europe When one thinks of European gardening, the designs of the Netherlands and Italy quickly spring to mind. But what of German and French gardens? As to the former, Germany is home to many beautiful gardens, including world-famous parks and stellar private gardens. Germany is also noted for its hybridizing of garden perennials — in fact, many of our own garden favorites were German introductions. To explore more of Germany’s grand gardening heritage, PHS will sponsor a members’ trip there from June 25 to July 9, 2002. Notes PHS Membership manager Betsy Gullan, “Germany doesn’t really have owe tradition or garden style, largely because its history as a unified nation is fairly brief. For centuries, the courts of its many ‘city states’ developed their own regional gardening styles. In the north, they gathered ideas from the Netherlands, while in central and southern Germany, they borrowed French and Italian designs. When the English landscape style became popular, it was also adapted. They’ve even made groundbreaking gardens inspired by the American native-plant movement.” Another exciting trip on the PHS docket will take members to France’s Burgundy region from June 7 to 19, 2002. Designed with garden stops throughout this famed wine region, this trip will be led by PHS president Jane Pepper and will include visits to chateaux, the cloistered garden of Fontenay, and cities with magnificent medieval architecture. Itineraries for both trips are available by calling Betsy Gullan at (215) 988- 8778 or emailing her at: bgullan@pennhort.org. You can also find more infor- mation on the PHS website, www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org , under the button “Travel with Us.” L / GflRDtn ncT HOT ORCHIDS. If you’re an orchid lover, you may want to put the city of Atlanta on this year’s travel itinerary. On March 24r*\ the Atlanta Botanical Garden will open its Fuqua Orchid Center, a $4.8 million new facility filled with exotic and rare orchids from around the world, including the eerie-looking “bucket” orchid ( Coryanthes alborosea, pictured above). One inter- esting aspect of the Center is its prototype green- house, which houses orchids from both the trop- ics and higher elevations. There’s also the Tissue Culture Lab, which seeks to clone endangered North American terrestrial orchids. Better still, a floor-to-ceiling glass wall lets visitors observe the cloning process firsthand. SOIL TESTS ONLINE. As many know, a soil test is great first step in starting a new garden, as well as maintaining an older one. To speed up the process, EarthCo has created a user-friendly web- site (www.earthtest.com) that guides the home gardener through the soil-collecting process, test selection, and questions about soil types. When the test is done, the gardener receives a detailed report about their soil and its nutrient deficien- cies, including information on what kind of fer- tilizers to add. The soil tests range from $20 for the Basic Test to $55 for the Complete Test. It might be the nicest thing you’ve ever done for your garden. C FI EATING WITH BULBS. If you forgot to plant your tulips last fall, do what many profes- sional designers do. Buy pre-potted bulbs at your garden center, supermarket or florist and plant them out into your garden or in containers. Sneaking potted bulbs into the spring garden is good, sly fun. february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 7 More than a Garden Philadelphia’s community gardens make a dramatic impact on the physical fabric of the city, providing a pleasant, green oasis for residents, as well as a source of locally grown produce and flowers. But many urban dwellers also use gardens to reach beyond their vegetable plots to address a range of local issues. The act of creating a garden brings together people of different cultures and social classes, strengthening community ties. Last spring, a group of graduates from PHS’s Garden Tenders classes created the “Lots of Love Community Garden” in West Philadelphia. Previously, the site had been used by a traveling soup kitchen, which had operated out of a bus on the 600 block of Budd Street (just off Lancaster Avenue). That group left after a dis- heartening incident of theft, but area residents Michelle Snow and Pete Golden were encouraged by the way the neighborhood supported the mobile kitchen. They decided to start Lots of Love to nurture the renewed community spirit. Though Michele admits that the group is “still just learning how to garden,” their efforts have already made an impact. About 20 neighbors now participate in Lots of Love, including neighborhood youths who help tend the garden plots and attend weekly arts and crafts workshops. The group uses a barbecue pit, built by the bus group, to grill up extra produce for the needy. In keeping with its name, Lots of Love is never locked and has not had any problems with vandalism. Gardeners from nearby Aspen Farms, a longtime PHS partner, have visited the new garden to share their knowledge and experience. And in October, Lots of Love took first prize in the “First-Year Community Garden” category of the Society’s City Gardens Contest. Reflecting on their impressive accomplishments at Lots of Love, resident gar- dener Carol Bowers now says, “People are starting to dream again.” — John Gannon & Jane Carroll o 8 A few how-to tips: first, don’t leave the bulbs in their plastic nursery pot. Instead, tip the pot and gently remove the contents. Replant in rich, well- drained soil. If you have grouped plants in one pot, keep them intact — don’t try to separate indi- vidual bulb plants to rearrange them. Just slip the whole works out of the nursery pot and replant “as is" with plants in their original configuration, while keeping soil intact. This way you avoid damaging roots that may have grown intertwined within the pot. Then water well, sit back, and enjoy the sudden bonanza of spring color. SYMBOLIC PLANTS. Herb gardens and “healing gardens” are sprouting up everywhere these days, reflecting a renewed interest in the curative power of plants. But in the Middle Ages, the whole of nature — including animals, miner- als, and even the seasons — offered medical wis- dom along with religious instruction. A new book, The Wisdom of Nature: The Healing Powers and Symbolism of Plants and Animals in the Middle Ages (Prestel, $25.00), explores the medieval folklore of the natural world. If winter gets you down, for example, you’ll be heartened to learn that “snow and ice” were thought to “stimulate the digestion.” You might be more familiar with another medieval observation — that winter causes “painful joints and paralysis.” Illustrated with period reproductions from herbals and bestiaries, the book is an intriguing and informative exploration of everyday life in the Middle Ages. [To learn more about symbolic plants, see this issue’s Savoring Herbs column on page 40 J Werner Telesku The Wisdom of Nature The Healing Powers and Symbolism of Plants and Animals in the Middle Ages Join the Barnes Society Today! Explore endless possibilities and ideas inspired by our collections. • Support public access to an international Treasure. • Learn with the masters in an environment of intellectual inquiry and practical application. • Enroll in full-time courses for practical gardening and horticultural techniques, landscape design and botany. • Exchange ideas with experts. The Barnes Foundation Arboretum, Magnolia collection. BARNES Touring the Gardens of Europe with Lucas & Randall Discover Europe’s finest gardens and a rich variety of cultural and historic sites. Expertly guided visits of the world’s great gardens and rarely seen private gardens. First-class touring at a civilized pace with a small group. A unique and memorable experience. The Villas and Gardens of Italy combines the spectacular terraced gardens of the Lake District with Renaissance gardens of Tuscany. Full sightseeing programs in Venice, Florence and Rome. Holland in Springtime shows the tulips at their peak and includes the Floriade Flower Show. Keukenhof gardens, Aalsmeer flower auction and Het Loo Palace. City stays in The Hague and Amsterdam. The Gardens of England features landscape gardens with masses of azaleas and rhododendrons and a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show. Sissinghurst, Exbury and Hampton Court are featured and the tour ends in London. The Italian Riviera, Lakes and the Veneto visits Mediterranean gardens on the Riviera and terraced gardens of the Lakes. Off the beaten track, the tour visits the unspoiled countryside of Veneto and Friuli. Provence and the Cote dAzur tours private gardens in Provence and visits Arles, Avignon and ALx. On the Riviera, visits to Villa Ephrussi and La Serre de la Madone with time to relax in fashionable Nice. The Chateaux and Gardens of France highlights the fabulous castles of the Loire Valley and the countryside of Normandy. Featured visits to Villandry, Givemy and Versailles with full touring in Paris. England's Summer Gardens combines cottage gardens and historic castles with the Hampton Court Flower Show. Special visits to Great DLxter, Sissinghurst. Blenheim Palace, Hidcote, Stratford and London. The Gardens of Kent and Sussex a relaxed tour of private gardens and historic estates in Southeast England - Penshurst, Churchill's Chartvvell, Kipling’s Bateman’s, Sissinghurst and Hampton Court Palace. 1 "Thoughtfully planned and flawlessly executed - a wonderful way to see the castles and gardens of France” Kathy Center Noble Call for a brochure 800*505*2505 vuvvv.lucasandrandaU.com Call for class workshop information! The Barnes Foundation 300 North Latch’s Lane Merion, PA 19066 610-667-0290 Barnes Society Membership ext. 2233 Education ext. 2259 www. bamesfoundation. org (/% We invite you to: j Wander Through fa Our Garden of Gifts ■ Gifts and Home Decor ■ Interior Design ■ Garden Sculpture ■ Fountains ■ Urns and Containers .y wS ■ Gift Registry ■ Special Orders Complimentary Gift Wrap rl- 128a broad street red bank, new jersey 0 • 7 • 7 • 0 • 1 (across from Bon-Ton Dept. Store) phone732. 936. 0600 toll free 877-936-0600 www.homeandvine.com Visit our booth #603 to obtain money saving coupons! february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 9 Jack Blandy Stoney Bank Nurseries 61 Stoney Bank Road Glen Mills, PA. 19342 Design and Build 610-459-5100 Fax 610-459-5974 Stoney Bank Nurseries 1DICATED TO THE FINE ART OF NDSCAPE DESIGN BEAUTY AND DEI PLEASURES OI THE GARDEN • Formal Gardens • New American Garden • Romantic Landscapes • English Cottage Garden • Water Features • Japanese Gardens • Creative Space Gardens Flower Show Awards Best in Show 2001 Central Feature Silver Trophy Governor’s Trophy Buckley Trophy Campbell Trophy PlSLiUBE.. . Webster's defines it as the gratification of the senses or el the mind. That is the inspiration lor the Central Feature •<<» 2002 Philadelphia Flower Show "THE PLEASURES .! ui GARDEN," which promises to delight visitors' senses oi sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Photos by Pete Prown i i A Calla lily ( Zantedeschia sp.) First, visitors are transported back in time to the Victorian period. “The original concept came out of the idea that a garden is experienced on a very personal level, whether it is a public garden for hundreds of thousands of people or one’s own lit- tle quarter acre,” says Ed Lindemann, designer and director of the Philadelphia Flower Show. “Above all, a garden gives sensual pleasure and, as we know, the Victorians were pleasure seekers.” The experience begins as visitors pass through the shingled portals of a brightly painted, Victorian-inspired entrance gate. They are sur- rounded by the clear bell tones of carillons and niches filled with vivid floral arrangements. “The entrance is the overture to the Central Feature of the show,” Lindemann explains, “and it is pure fantasy.” THE FANTASY UNFOLDS Next, visitors approach an ethereal Victorian home in the center of a five-part garden. As inter- preted by J. Cugliotta Landscape/Nursery Inc. of Southampton, N.J. and stage set designers S.M.R.D. Theatricals, the house’s walls dissolve into semi-transparency to give visitors glimpses of wire figures in period costumes suggesting scenes of Victorian domestic life. The lady of the house combs her hair at her dressing table. A romantic young couple on the porch is caught in the midst of a marriage proposal. An elderly woman tends a plant-filled Wardian Case in the parlor. A boy on the tower playfully catches a butterfly in his net. The cook prepares the family’s meal in the kitchen. But while the house is a centerpiece and the figures play supporting roles, the garden is the star. “The garden was an integral part of the Victorians’ lives — from the enjoyment of flower arrangements and the exchange of floral gifts to the use of plants for medicinal and household purposes. They also dined on seasonal fruits, veg- etables and berries grown in their gardens,” Lindemann explains. EXPLORING THE SENSES J. Cugliotta Landscape/Nursery marks its 20^ year as a Philadelphia Flower Show exhibitor in 2002. To celebrate, owner Joe Cugliotta and designers Laurel Allen and Douglas Burgess have created an enormous exhibit that explores the five senses. In the 7,600-square-foot exhibit, they used some 6,500 plants. “One of our main goals was for 12 GREEN SCENE . february2002 | the exhibit to be integrated — instead of five little gardens, we wanted to tie it all together,” Allen says. “It is designed to feel as though you are at someone’s house in the Victorian period and you can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.” Each garden flows seamlessly into the next. Allen says the focal point of the fragrance garden is a set of wrought iron hoops supporting climb- ing wisteria and surrounded by shrub roses, creat- ing the setting for an outdoor tea party. “A Pennsylvania fieldstone walkway lined with cat- mint creates a winding path through the garden to a small bench,” she continues. “A grove of birch trees is underplanted with a profusion of fragrant plants, including tulips, gardenia, lavender, lilac and narcissus.” The sight garden is dominated by “tons of color and a Victorian ribbon garden, in which hundreds of red, white and blue petunias are bedded out to suggest waving ribbons,” Allen says. The taste garden includes an old-fashioned kitchen garden, a grove of apple trees and wild blueberries. “We’ve included an overflowing pic- nic basket set among the wildflowers,” she adds. A large hillside rockery, waterfall and pond form the backdrop for the texture garden, where ferns, azaleas and hostas appeal to the sense of touch. “The Victorian passion for ferneries, rockeries and mosseries also reflected their interest in collec- tions,” continues Allen, who notes that the design team enjoyed researching the period. Water is integral as well to the sound garden, which features an ornate Victorian fountain. Surrounding the five sense gardens will be free- standing “islands,” including a bird garden, a sculpture garden and an entrance garden. The hairpin fence surrounding it all is accented with big spikes of delphiniums. The Cugliotta design team strove for a very clear communication of the theme. “We re- emphasize it a lot of different ways,” Allen explains. Ed Lindemann adds, “Every element is there for a purpose.” Victorian birdhouses that will be exhibited in the Central Feature. A GLOBAL APPROACH The Central Feature next brings visitors to a timeless piazza in Italy, where members of the American Institute of Floral Design interpret the pleasures of the garden through the “Products of the Garden.” Each of the 30 featured designers, who represent five countries in North America, | february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 13 The deep-pink lily, ‘Woodruff’s Memory’ (grown by Mrs. Samuel M. V. Hamilton and displayed at the 2001 Show). Europe and Asia, will complete one monumental arrangement for the 5,000-square-foot exhibit. Designers have free rein to interpret the many pleasures of the garden. “When you go into a gar- den, your senses are bombarded with fling,” says Ron Mulray, AIFD, owner of the Philadelphia Flower Company in Philadelphia. He is co-chair of the exhibit with Adriene Presti, AIFD, owner of Dahlia Floral Concepts in Pennington, New Jersey. As previous visitors to the Flower Show well know, the sky is the limit for these premier floral designers, who are among some 1,200 AIFD mem- bers worldwide. “We give the designers guidance but we try not to limit their creativity,” Mulray explains. “These are the leading creative people in the floral industry and they know this just has to be their best work.” Lindemann says AIFD members’ work goes beyond floral arranging. “To me, it’s like sculp- ture,” he says. “Their pieces are usually quite large, with many exotic flowers and strong contemporary color combinations, which will contrast with the ancient look of the setting.” For example, as visitors enter the piazza through its rustic stone walls, they are greeted by a circular reflecting pond featuring a rotating, mixed-media FAST FORWARD Finally, Flower Show visitors will enter the “Peace Garden.” “We wanted to give people some- thing very positive and uplifting,” Lindemann explains. “Visitors view a garden with crumbling walls and chipped and broken statuary, but it is springtime and the garden is just bursting into color and life. “For many people, including me, the garden is where we find peace and tranquility in the most difficult times,” Lindemann says. “This exhibit symbolizes our hope for peace, life and beauty in the future.” £3 garden sculpture. Throughout the exhibit, dramatic lighting accents the museum-like quality of the setting and arrangements. This is AIFD’s seventh year as an exhibitor in the Flower Show, where it has won numerous top awards, but it is the first time its members have taken part in the Central Feature. Altogether, some 100 members will be involved in mounting the exhibit. “Everyone in the organization has such a passion for flowers, that to be involved in something on this grand a scale is just an incredible opportunity,” Mulray notes. Dorothy Wright is a freelance writer who lives in Ardmore, PA. (I 14 GREEN SCENE • february2002 february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 15 Meadowbrook Farms Choose from an ever-expanding variety of annuals, perennials, tropicals, native and woody plants. Be sure to see our new cactus and succulent house. Our sales room is stocked with unique garden- related gifts fountains, statuary and colorful combination baskets. Great horti- cultural gifts including bonsai and troughs. 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V . ■ Wive - f* « 'A Jr " f * Exceptional Quality ‘ 4 * t , 1% *lt s the McFarlaftid Way! . • ; - «\<„v i k Vi < > f. • * •" Jr 7 r • ij. ^ k 'iJT Call today to schedule a free professional consultation to review your property 215«844-TREE (8733) • 610-688-6644 • Fax:215-438-1879 www.mcfarlandtree.com 16 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 Your source for rare and unusual plants native plants and grasses unique water and container gardens natural habitat plantings to attract birds and butterflies pottery and more. GATEWAY Card en Center RTE. 41, LANCASTER PIKE • HOCKESSIN, DE 19707 302 239 2727 gatewaygc@aol.com CHANTICLEER ...ap'easur^arden Open April through October - Wednesday through Saturday 10 to 5 and Fridays until 8pm during June, July and August 786 Church Road Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 610/687-4163 www.chanticleergarden.org 17 The Perfect Gift! (we’ll even send a gift card) Give a friend or loved one the gift of gardening. ..with a subscription to Green Scene magazine! That’s 6 issues of GREAT GARDENING TIPS and CREATIVE OUTDOOR IDEAS, all perfect for gardeners on the East Coast. GET SIX ISSUES FOR ONLY $16.95 (ONE YEAR) OR SAVE WITH 12 ISSUES (TWO YEARS) AT $32.95. Yes, sign me up for Green Scene magazine! Q 1 year Q 2 years Q Gift subscription Send subscription (and gift card) to: Name Address City/State Zip Gift from (if applies): Name Payment method: □ check enclosed □ credit card Card# Exp. date Date: Mail to: Green Scene, PHS P.O. Box 82-1839 Philadelphia, PA 19182-1839 february 2002 • GREEN SCENE Top left: Rhodohypoxis baurii Top right: Lee in his garden Bottom left: Dianthus, Phlox and creeping juniper Bottom right: Viola Corsica Right: Papaver atlanticum Portrait of an A Visit with Rock Garden Expert Lee Raden Story by Marban M. Sparkman/Photography by Pete Prown As many gardeners know, some of the loveliest plant species are found in the alpine and sub-alpine elevations of the worlds mountain ranges. They are the miniatures of the plant world, stunted by the harshness of their environment and distin- guished by their exquisite form and delicate detail. Originally defined by the British as anything that grew above the tree line, the class has been expanded by American gardeners to include any minute plants that grow in mountain soil. The common denominator among alpines is diminutive size and a willingness to thrive in meager, rocky soil. february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 19 Lee Raden, who has been master of his own miniature alpine world in the Delaware Valley for 30 years — not to men- tion a Philadelphia Flower Show veter- an— agrees that the definition is very hazy. He prefers to think of an alpine as “any small plant that you can grow in your gar- den.” Most authorities make little distinc- tion between “rock garden” plants and alpine ones. Partly because of climate, American rock gardeners seldom limit their plantings to inhabitants of high mountains, often including other small, choice plants that look as if they belong. Some succulents come under this heading. For example, Echeveria , a sub-alpine succulent that grows in Mexico at 7,500 feet, is a great favorite with Lee, though he describes it as “a devil to grow in our area.” AN ALPINIST’S GARDEN Miniature species bulbs also bloom in all seasons in Lee’s garden, poking their heads above and between their tightly knit neigh- bors. Fritillaria, a plant that takes six years to bloom, is another favorite. Lee stretches his definition of “anything small” to include 6-inch-tall Sternbergia lutea, a bulb that offers gorgeous yellow goblet-shaped flow- ers in fall and keeps its foliage through the winter. Though he doesn’t claim it as an alpine, he says “it fits in perfectly” and so finds a home in his garden. Alpines are relatively easy to grow, given a semblance of their natural habitat where the soil is a rocky rubble, technically called scree and moraine. Moraine consists of great chunks of clay and rock that have been dis- lodged from the mountainside by glacial movement. Beaten down by the elements over time, moraine dissolves into pebbles called scree, a very meager growing medi- um. This “lean soil” produces tiny but Top left: Achillea tomentosa, Phlox subulata, and Dianthus sp. Bottom left: Alpines being planted in troughs. Right: Draba longisiliqua exquisitely detailed plants. About 30 years ago, Lee undertook to transform his flat, fertile, windswept, hill- top into a series of six hummocks (or berms) that give the effect of a ridge of small mountains. There are no jagged rocks or craggy boulders in this rock garden, only gently rounded mounds shaped out of 40,000 pounds of ground granite, topped with sand and local soil, and then covered with scree. The hummocks provide protec- tion from the wind and create a variety of vertical planes that enhance the visual effect of the ground-hugging plants. Given this close approximation of their natural habitat, alpines thrive here without the addition of fertilizer or water. What potash and phosphorous they get comes from their own decaying leaves. Lee theo- rizes that “plants grown in the mountains get their nitrogen from lightning.” When a bolt splits the atmosphere it creates nas- cent-state oxygen and nitrogen, which the plants readily absorb. It is this “nitrogen fix,” not the cleansing rain, that makes a garden look so green after a storm. “Not many people know this,” he adds. Lee estimates that he sows 200 packets of seed each year — starting them in the base- ment under lights — because he finds that seedlings adapt more readily to the harsh- ness of their growing environment than do young plants that have become accustomed to a richer diet. Alpines grow best in a melange of commingled roots. They thrive in what Lee calls “root company.” This intermingling of plants gives the garden a very natural look, as drifts of color and tex- ture spread across the hillocks. Diminutive grasses such as bright green Deschampsia flexuosa ‘Tatra Gold' (syn. ‘Aurea’) grow together with the variegated leaves of Cyclamen bederifolium and fern- like Corydalis sempervirens to form a minia- ture tapestry. In places, the variety and tex- ture is so subtle that you wish for a magni- fying glass. Creeping phlox [Phlox subulata) looks wonderful massed in the garden and is one of the easiest natives to grow, though some would say that if it grows in the Delaware Valley at 400 feet above sea level, it is not a true alpine. The randomness of self-seeding plants is a special boon. Tiny hardy cyclamen, for example, pop up every- where. Raden says, “Columbine is promis- cuous, too; it inter-breeds to give you the most fascinating colors and shapes. Just let it go.” Alpines flowers are indeed wonderfully colorful. Growing naturally in the moun- tains, they cover hillsides in the spring with sheets of red and coral, yellow and blue. To view the beauty first hand, Lee goes to Yosemite National Park each July, just as the last snow is melting, to see the gorgeous color. He recalls, “One of the most thrilling For seed sources and more infor- mation on rock gardening and alpine plants, Lee Raden recom- mends the major societies, most of which are available on the Internet: • The North American Rock Garden Society www.nargs.org • The Alpine Society of Great Britain ww. alpinegardensociety. org • The Scottish Rock Garden Club www.srgc.org.uk • The Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia www. icangarden . com/ clubs/ agcbc Closer to home, the Delaware Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society has a spring and fall seedling sale that is a must for aspiring alpine gar- deners. For more information on membership, contact Dick Rosenberg at rosiebig@voicenet.com or write: 5 Westview Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010. You can also find them on the web at www.nargs.org/meet/ chap_dv.html february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 21 “Just as the sex of a hippopotamus is of interest only to another hippopotamus, so the garden of a horticulturist is of interest only to another horticulturist. For, be it remembered, the landscaped’ garden, the garden planted to make pretty pictures irrespective of its plant material, is one thing, and the horticulturist’s quite another. In the latter, the interest centers in the plants themselves. Mine, I’m afraid, belongs to this cat- egory. “I have seen the owners of the picture gardens leave this place with their noses tilted up to the empyrean and muttering, ‘My God! And he calls that a garden!’ I have also seen horticulturists crouch in rapture before my one solitary plant of the rare Daphne Ghiraldi [sic]. Though they are usually hec- tic jumbles, the gardens of horticulturists possess more personality than those that are professionally landscaped, and are longer remembered. In clothing, the professional custom tailor-made look is desirable; it is not always desirable in gardens.” Every gardener has a favorite bit of prOSe. One of Lee Raden’s is “Horticulturist’s Gardens,” written in 1929 by Richardson Wright. To Lee, it sums up his feelings about alpine gardening in one perfect nutshell sights I have ever seen was at Lake Tahoe. I went up in the gondola and there were miles of California poppies for as far as the eye could see.” INSIDE AN ALPINE HOUSE Because most plants that grow in the mountains are under snow cover six to eight months a year, Lee tries to simulate those conditions inside a special “alpine house” on his property. This unique, south-facing structure maintains a 34°F night tempera- ture, rising to 50-55°F in the daytime, with the help of fans that steady the temperature and add buoyancy to the air. Shade cloth tames the searing sun of the Delaware Valley from April Fool’s Day until Halloween. Tented with moveable glass panels in winter, this deep cold frame holds the same scree mix. Consisting of Soil Master, ground granite and peat, the medi- um offers no nourishment, but its porosity provides perfect drainage and allows oxygen to easily reach the roots of plants. Some of Lee’s many alpines sitting under a sunscreen. 22 Inside the alpine house, Lee grows the rare specimens that he shows in the Philadelphia Flower Show, some of which take up to nine years to mature for compe- tition. Also growing here are miniature alpine bulbs, which have a special place in Lee’s affections and his gardening scheme, as well as those rare “species” bulbs that don’t care to grow in pots and can’t stand Philadelphia’s summer heat and humidity. Dormant and dry through the summer, these dainty Mediterranean bulbs require only water beginning in the fall to produce a steady stream of bloom throughout the winter. Lee finds this kind of gardening “very, very rewarding.” Lee Raden is an intrepid grower and a very patient gardener. He is currently experimenting with South African bulbs, such as Watsonia and Lachenalia. Many of his exotic treasures take three to five years from seed to bloom. Some never make it out of their pots and into the garden at all. Those special challenges are also kept in the alpine house, along with an extensive col- lections of dwarf daffodils, species cycla- men, and primula. GREEN SCENE • february 2002 | AT THE FLOWER SHOW In his alpine house, Lee has numerous bulbs growing in pots throughout the fall and winter. They, too, require water begin- ning in early fall to bring them out of dor- mancy, though their growth is not other- wise forced. Native to North Africa and Spain, these species come from so far south that our winter is their natural bloom time. They thrive and bloom all winter in the cli- mate of the alpine house. The best of these bulbs appear in the Philadelphia Flower Show every March. But Mother Nature is capricious about what will be ready at show time, or which plants will need just a little more time under lights in the basement to bring them to perfection. But ever the eager competitor, Lee manages each year to bring some unique specimen to perfection just in time for the Show. “Growing plants in pots demands an entirely different mind set,” says Lee, “In fact, it’s a craziness.” What happens natu- rally in the garden becomes an issue in the alpine house: When to water? How to fer- tilize? When to go dormant? He admits, “It’s a whole lot easier outdoors. In here, I lose thousands of plants, but I just love the challenge.” Rising to the challenge of growing per- fect alpines has also garnered Lee Raden every major prize in the rock garden classes during his 33-year history at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Imagine his pleasure in winning the prestigious Doretta Klaber Award in 1999, for it was she who first intrigued him with alpine gardening. For the 2002 Show, a Cyclamen pseudibericum that he has grown from seed for five years looks like a possible entry. Lee is also optimistic about a 3-inch, mid-win- ter-blooming Cyclamen coum, though he has never succeeded with it before. The greatest challenge, he says, would be to grow a Dionysia , a tiny, flower-covered mound that is popular in England but almost impossible to grow here. Says Lee, “I have tried every ruse known to man and still I fail. But I love it — it’s so humbling.” Marby Sparkman is a regular contributor to Green Scene and a member of the PHS Publications Committee. february 2002 • GREEN SCENE Gale Nurseries has been designing and building exquisite, award-winning gardens for three generations. Period gardens that relate to architecture and personalities • Natural, native plantings that create quiet, inviting areas • Contemporary designs for a bold, exciting statement Nurseries ' * ^er Lant'n“s refurbished, reworked Inc. and revitalized 1716 School House Road, Box 264 • Gwynedd PA 19436 215.699.4714 * fax 215.699.3203 gale@netcarrier.com — Environmental Landscape Associates Inc maintenance LANDSCAPE architecture LANDSCAPE construction wait for mother nature? Tree Transplanting Tree Sales 1-800-ELA-9252 DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA A special advertising section for retail vendors in the Flower Show’s “Marketplace” section. We invite you to visit them when you come to the show. cuaor jto Exhibiting in the 9 V Philadelphia Flower Show for over 60 years. Visit us there in the Marketplace. largest provider of orchid plants ' & related supplies 10 East Poplar Avenue, Linwood, NJ 08221 Retail Hours: Friday & Saturday, 9 am to 5:30 pm Wholesale by Appointment 610.927.4126 • e-mail: waldor@waldor.com or on the WEB at: www.waldor.com february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 25 Parkside Orchid Nursery 2503 Mountainview Drive Ottsville, PA 18942 For directions and more information visit our Web Site at www . parksideorchids . com Looking for that beautiful and unusual gift for a special occasion or that species or hybrid to add to your expanding collection? Visit our unique nursery located in Upper Bucks County just north of Doylestown, PA. Thousands of blooming orchid plants are available throughout the year We specialize in: > BLOOMING ORCHID PLANTS, > GIFT BASKETS & CERTIFICATES, > A FULL LINE OF SUPPLIES & SERVICES, > INSTRUCTIONAL CLASSES, > AND SPECIAL EVENTS Visit us at Booth #213 at the Philadelphia Flower Show, in the nursery or at our extensive on-line Web Store located at www.parksideorchids.com. Nursery Hours Wednesday thru Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday, Noon to 5pm email: titanic@epix.net 610.847-8039 Walpole is full of fresh ideas for your upcoming outdoor season Stop by and visit us at the Philadelphia Flower Show, Booth #515/616 or call 973-539-3555 for our Free Selections brochure. PeonyLand LOCATED IN UPPER BUCKS COUNTY The largest Chinese peony garden in North America. Offering premium Chinese tree and herbaceous peonies. P.O. Box 910 475 Church Road Richlandtown, PA 18955 Phone: 215-536-9388 • Fax: 215-529-7128 www.peonyland.com Walpole Woodworkers Quality Fence Since 1933 540 Tabor Road, Rt. 10W at 53N, Morris Plains, NJ ANLA member • Wholesale and Distributors Welcome. BOOTH 211 26 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 Quality Garden Tools for Serious Gardeners LYN SNOW ORIGINAL WATERCOLORS And please visit our website www.lynsnow.com Ask for our FREE catalog of unique, high-quality, hard-to-find garden tools. It contains many tools manufactured by Lee Valley as well as hundreds of unusual and work-saving items imported from around the world. LIMITED EDITION PRINTS Con se& our (tew prints. Booth #407 or call 1 -800-871 -81 58 or fax: 1-800-513-7885 and request free catalog UG230. Lee Valley Tools Ltd. 12 East River St., Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669 $ Lee Valley To shop online or • www.leevalley.com order a catalog, visit: v 'Pretty ™ Wp make special stakes for special gardens. Clear, nearly invisible stakes for all your plants, from orchids to sunflowers. Please visit our website at: www.clearlypretty.com or email mjbarbi@aol.com or barbysullivan@aol.com Yardley, PA • 215-493-8979 Statement of Ownership Management and Circulation (Act of October 23, 1962; Section 4369. Title 39, United States Code) 1. Date of Filing: September 28, 2001. 2. Title of Publication: Green Scene Magazine. 3. Frequency of issue: bimonthly. 4-5. Location of Known Office of Publication and Headquarters: 100 N. 20th Street. 5th floor. Philadelphia, Pa 19103-1495. 6. Names and Addresses of Publisher and Editor: Publisher - The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia. Pa. 19103-1495: Editor: Pete Prown. 100 N. 20th Street. 5th floor. Philadelphia, Pa 19103-1495. 7. Owner: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia. Pa. 19103. 8. Known bondholders, mortgages and other security holders holding one percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None. 9. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue Preceding 12 Months Single Issue During Nearest to Filing Date A. Total No. Copies Printedfnet press run) 13,817 12,412 B. Paid Circulation: Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales Mail subscription 88 13,160 63 12,196 C. Total Paid Circulation 13,248 12,259 D. Free Distribution by mail, carrier or Other means, samples, complimentary And other free copies 108 116 E. Free Distribution outside the mail (carriers or other means) 532 100 F. Total Distribution (sum of D and E) 640 216 G. Total Distribution (sum of C and F) 13.888 12,475 H. Copies not distributed: Office use, left over, unaccounted. Spoiled after printing 200 200 Return from news agents 0 0 I. Total (sum of G, HI and H2) Percent Paid and or Requested 14,088 12,675 I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Pete Prown, Editor february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 27 Victorian Romance Abounds in a Chestnut Hill Garden Story and Photography by Rob Cardillo Between the Wissahickon Creek and the quaint, cobblestone streets of Chestnut Hill are some of Philadelphia’s finest homes. Residents here share a passion for inspired landscaping and many have spent years creating horticultural wonderlands built of bud, bark and flower. But the most public of these talented gardeners would have to be Pete Hedrick, whose Federal-style townhouse and garden spill over onto Germantown Avenue, the Hill’s main busi- ness strip, surprising and delighting wan- dering shoppers. 28 Mi Passersby can’t help but first notice the large containers of Japanese tree lilacs (, Syringa reticulata) that intersperse the parking meters. Nor can they ignore the inviting steps to an entry resplendent with sculpted shrubs and trained vines. In the eight short years he’s been there, Pete, a family physician, has created a valentine to his neighborhood in shades of green. But as lush and pleasing as his front yard is, the real horticultural riches remain hidden behind a brick wall. And those who are fortunate enough to walk through his open gate during the Hill’s many festivals usual- ly swoon at the sight of his Victorian- styled courtyard. Strong, geometric lines carve his proper- ty into a series of smaller rooms, each with a unique rhythm and floral palette. Boldly colored annuals punctuate the disciplined topiaries, and exotic plants flourish among the neoclassical statuary. Brick, flagstone and pebble paths weave through and about, leading to intimate views and quiet corners. Small in size but rich in perspec- tive and ornamentation, this is a true gem of a romantic garden. Of course, it didn’t happen overnight. Both home and grounds were seriously dilapidated when he took ownership and much of the future garden was used as a parking area, which compacted the soil considerably. And Pete, who had moved from a high-rise apartment where his only plants were artificial, had no real horticul- tural experience. What he did have, how- ever, was a passion for classical design and a love for the trained and topiaried gardens of Provence. With a few books, a pick ax, and a heroic amount of sweat, he spent a year clearing away the entrenched ivy, old paving, rocks, rubble and clay and amend- ed what was left with countless bags of manure. Not a fan of Philadelphia winters, Pete wanted a garden with strong “bones” that would continue to offer inspiration during the long cold months. His first project was a simple brick pathway leading from his conservatory door to a Gertrude Jekyll- inspired Lutyens bench. Next, he con- structed a low triangular boxwood parterre followed by a small woodland path, a four- square kitchen garden and a low boxwood knot. Soon, without the aid of any formal plan, the yard unfolded with multifaceted beds, paths and an emerald green lawn neatly stitched together with clipped ever- green shrubs. Ornaments play a major role in this gar- den and Victorian motifs appear in foun- tains, benches, containers and statuary. With careful consideration, Pete chose and placed each object, creating subtle focal points that enhance the overall coziness of the garden without overwhelming the plantings. Italianate planters sprouting tropical ferns and cycads anoint the top of the brick wall. Oversized stone artichokes and acorns intersperse long runs of foliage. Dark leaded urns hold ivy topiaries, and a stone obelisk has become a foil for the dra- matic ruffles of an elephant-eared Colocasia. Water features include a repro- duction stone cistern with fountain and a small bubbling pool. Both help mask the occasional rumble of a truck on nearby Left inset: A circular design of canna and caladiums. Left: A profusion of hotly colored annuals with variegated shrubs create a knock-out composition. Right: Even Pete’s toolshed is beautiful. february 2002 • GREEN SCENE \ \ 4 v\ 41% -UP* . d ; , i — ^ You don’t have to train topiaries for your own version of a romantic gar- den. Just keep these ideas in mind as you design: Germantown Avenue. The outbuilding was one “ornament that surprised Pete. With plans from a lumber company, he asked a contractor to build this simple tool shed. When he returned from work one evening, the building was nearly complete — and three times the size he had imagined! Eventually, the large structure was covered by trained sinewy vines, and a mail-order cupola and weathervane were added to the top. With these additions, the building fell into proper perspective. Training and pruning are Pete’s primary chores these days. With a bypass topper and hand pruner, he sculpts the box- woods, lilacs, hollies and ivies with a measured elegance. Japanese lilacs are not often grown as standards, and viewing these fragrant lollipops underplanted with purple pansies is a real spring delight. The plants in the front receive more sun and hence need more pruning. The front wall showcases an English ivy trained on a dia- mond lattice of wires attached to evenly spaced nails. The pruning here is almost every other week during the growing sea- son for this vigorous plant. The opposite side of the wall hosts a slower paced Euonymus ‘Manhattan’, which climbs without supports and needs less frequent attention. The arched Japanese hollies {Ilex crenatd) along the fence line require a clipping only three to four times a year. The European hornbeams ( Carpinus betulus ) that border his southern exposure Below: Lush plantings also abound on the front of Pete’s house on busy Germantown Avenue. V Create an intimate garden “room” with screens made of tall plants. Furnish with a bench for cozy tete- a-tetes. V Include a few secret spots, views or objects to add an air of mystery. ** Showcase a few architectural objects such as footed urns, orna- mented containers, and romantic statuary. These focal points will add an emotional quality to your plantings. v Build curved pathways that invite strolling rather than racing. V Add a small water feature and a place close by to sit and enjoy its relaxing sound. V Plant big bold-colored and flam- boyantly foliaged annuals such as castor bean, Brugmansia, bananas, cannas and bamboo to add drama and intensity. Allow smaller plants to billow and drape over the pots and paths for a softer look. V Don’t forget fragrant herbs and flowers! Their engaging perfumes will complete the experience. 1 are another matter. Pete wove these togeth- er using a method known as pleaching, where the fairly elastic young limbs of cer- tain trees are plaited and tied together. After planting the saplings, he ran three horizontal, evenly spaced cables across their tops and secured them to poles on either side. Once the trees reached a good height, he simply wired the side limbs and the cables together. After two or three years, the trees had an established growing pattern and all the supporting hardware was removed. These and the large saucer magnolia now require pruning at a sub- stantial height and are the only chores that Pete has others perform. Boxwood was one of Pete’s early loves. At first, he cultivated only the dense English Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), the type grown throughout the ages in Europe for screens and hedges. Finding dwarf specimens was a challenge, but he eventually located a good local source for these and other specialized woody plants at nearby Colibraro Landscaping & Nursery (818 Herman Road, Horsham, Pennsylvania, 215-628-9452). When many of his boxwoods began suf- fering with the deadly fungal disease Volutella, Hedrick attempted to spray and prune out the afflicted parts, though with- out much luck. The disease, a bane to many boxwood collections, spreads easily, especially through pruning tools. While replacing dying plants can become an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, Pete eventually surrendered and reluctantly took to using the more resistant Korean Boxwood ( B . microphylla koreana) as a sub- stitute. Devotion to a demanding career leaves little time for gardening, and Hedrick is often seen clipping his plants into the night. His tremendous love of the garden was test- ed recently when he pulled his back lifting a large concrete planter. The next day a friend found him practically crawling on all fours pulling weeds and trimming edges. These Herculean efforts paid off this year when Pete won first prize in the Good Morning America “Best Garden in America” contest. They chose his garden over hundreds of other entrants. Camera crews were on hand at all the finalist’s gar- dens at 5:00 am one July morning. No one knew which garden was going to win until Rebecca Rolls, the show’s garden cor- respondent, strolled through Pete’s white gate with a big bouquet. A live interview followed and his website ( www.petesgar - den.com) soon amassed over 10,000 hits. Things have quieted down a little since then, but this jewel of a garden still shines under Hedrick’s meticulous care. He’s met visitors from all over the world and from every walk of life while tending his front ivies. All who stop and chat walk away a little richer and a little more relaxed. Come visit yourself the next time there’s a garden open day, and see firsthand how this hilltop beauty sparkles. £3 Ql -ll-u... Iiiltli- t> earner toala f|ursery The only thing harder to find than our nursery Is a better selection of plants! Behmerwald Nursery grows numerous varieties of hardy perennials and grasses. We also stock a nice selection of unusual trees and shrubs along with the garden classics. Only 45 minutes west of Philadelphia 4904 Garges Road, Schwenksville, PA 19473 610 287-0480 Get directions from our web site: www.behmerwald.com Cedar cl\urserY cine. Landscape Contractors • Arborists A landscape design/build firm, specializing in creating and enhancing environments utilizing our own rare collection of native grown plant material. Specializing in large hand dug transplants. Serving the Tri-county area for over 20 years. (610) 584-4972 Please visit our web site for a full tour of our services. www . cedaridgenursery. com february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 33 CENTER CITY’S ONLY FULL SERVICE GARDEN CENTER Annuals & Perennials Trees & Shrubs Imported Pottery From arbors and trellis, to garden furniture, mailbox and lantern posts, window boxes, and our hand crafted fence, Walpole is full of fresh ideas for your upcoming outdoor season. Stop by and visit us at the Philadelphia Flower Show, Booth #5 15/616 or call 973-539-3555 for our Free Selections brochure. ^Walpole Woodworkers® Quality Fence Since 1933 540 Tabor Road, Rt. 10W at 53N, Morris Plains, NJ LANDSCAPING BY EXPERTS EVERYTHING FOR INDOOR & OUTDOOR GARDENING HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS AT WHOLESALE PRICES Over 5000 Plants in Stock at all Times From 6" Pots for the Windowsill to 15" Tall Specimens PLANT RENTALS COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL 1233 BAINBRIDGE STREET ONE BLOCK OFF S. 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The nursery offers: - Rare and Native Trees and Shrubs - Extensive Ornamental Grass Collection - Hundreds of varieties of Herbs - Unusual Carniverious Plants - Bulbs - Unusual gifts - Full Service Garden Center And don't forget, we carry many PHS Gold- Medal winning plants every year. Triple Oaks Nursery & Herb Garden - Delsea Drive - Franklinville, NJ (856)-694-3696 www.tripleoaks.com We Can Deliver the Flowers! The flower garland scarf, an exclusive design of the PA Horticultural Society. Inspired by the garlands of ancient Egypt, scarf is silk satin and 36 inches square. Colors work with all apparel. White or pale blue background. Give your neckline the treatment it deserves! $68 plus $5 shipping (PHS Member price $60) PHS Shoppe, 100 North 20th St - 5th fl Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 Phone Orders: Call 215-988-1613. Send to: Name Address City State Zip Phone number of scarves ordered □ Check (payable to PHS) □ PHS Member □ Charge to: □ VISA □ Mastercard Card # Exp. Date Cardholder Name Signature PAYMENT INFORMATION february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 35 A Native Orchid for Everyone By Janet Bly For gardeners who are already making plant-shopping lists for next season, Spiranthes cernua ‘Chadds Ford’ will make a wonderful addition to any garden. Also known as fragrant or nodding ladies’-tresses, this native orchid is hardy in southeastern Pennsylvania and, better still, offers six weeks of fragrant white blooms from September to late October. Spiranthes cernua (syn. odorata) is a ter- restrial to semi-aquatic orchid whose native habitat includes marshes, swamps, and wet woods from Eastern Canada to Florida and as far west as Texas. [Note — there is some confusion in the trade as to its true species name, so if shopping for the plant, make sure to find the cultivar 'Chadds Ford’.] The name Spiranthes is derived from two Greek words: speira or spiral, and anthos or flower. Its common name, fra- grant ladies’-tresses, refers to the appear- ance of the spikes in bud which resemble hair plaits. ‘Chadds Ford’ is a clone of a plant rescued in the late 1960s from a ditch in a Delaware residential develop- ment. Not long after this inauspicious beginning, the American Orchid Society recognized the excellent qualities of this plant, awarding Certificates of Cultural Merit in both 1973 and 1999. My interest in this plant stems from an article by Barry Glick of Sunshine Farm about ‘Chadds Ford’. As an aspiring orchidist, I was intrigued by the idea of a hardy native orchid that would not take up al ready-scarce growing space under lights during the winter. On the lookout for ‘Chadds Ford’, I snagged one at a local orchid auction late last winter. By the time April rolled around, I was able to separate three plants from the pot. 1 presented one to my auction partner and set the others about a foot apart in a patio bed that had been enriched with humus and cow manure. While ‘Chadds Ford' is advertised for "sun or shade in a moisture- retentive soil,” I hedged my bets, opting for a spot that received morning sun and afternoon shade. During the summer, the plants formed small 8-inch round mats of basal foliage. In late August, each plant sent out a half-dozen green spikes bearing three to six slender leaves on the lower part of the stem. These 10- to 1 4-inch spikes held buds arranged in a twisted spiral around the top third of the spike. Finally, in mid-September, delicate white flowers began opening at the bot- tom of the spiral, with blooms gradually moving up until the full spiral was in flower. The tubular flowers have two lips and are held at right angles to the stem. While the individual flowers are small (about a half inch), each spike holds 30 or more blossoms that remain in bloom until early November. Both the spikes and flow- ers are attractive, and the vanilla-like fra- grance— particularly noticeable on a warm fall day — is simply wonderful. Despite its orchid lineage, the culture for ‘Chadds Ford’ is remarkably easy. Since the genus Spiranthes is found largely in damp situations in the wild, wet feet are not an issue. However, they tolerate a normal gar- den situation as well, at least in my experi- ence. With the regular rainfall during most of this past summer, I didn’t feel a need to provide supplemental moisture, and the plants seemed quite happy. While ‘Chadds Ford’ appears immune to most pests, slugs 36 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 Photos by Jerry Pavia Sources Plant Delights Nursery Raleigh, NC (919) 772-4794 www. plantdelights. com J. Franklin Styer Nurseries 914 Baltimore Pike Concordville, PA (610) 459-2400 imvw.styers.com Sunshine Farm Renick WV (304) 497-2208 www.sun.farm. com White Flower Farm Litchfield, CT (800) 503-9624 www. whiteflowerfarm. com did nip off a few spikes in mid-growth. Circles of sand around the plants proved an effective deterrent for this problem. Left alone, ‘Chadds Ford’ will colonize readily, spreading through stoloniferous roots. Pleased with its performance in the trial spot, I decided to pot up divisions in November. I lifted the two original plants and dunked them in a pail of water to remove the soil. From each mother plant, I was able to easily pull apart nine basal rosettes with healthy root growth. So, I now have 1 8 Spiranthes wintering under lights (so much for saving indoor growing space). With a little attention and luck, each pot will host two or three plants by spring so that I will have plenty to try next year in a sunnier spot. I think I will put them in front of fall-blooming anemones, as well as in a shady berm, nestled with Trycirtis, Aruncus aethusifolius, hostas, and ferns. I’ll also replant some near the patio where the late bloom and fragrance can be easily enjoyed. On the chance that I was the last to learn about this lovely plant or that there were problems that I had not noticed, I checked with Mike Owen, formerly with Longwood Gardens, who agrees that 'Chadds Ford is “tough as nails” as well as underused in gardens. Longwood grows it in pots for the Fern Walk display in September and also has planted it in a nat- uralized setting in Pierce’s Woods. Mike suggests the only particular cultural requirements (aside from ample moisture and a moisture-retentive soil) are that, in summer, the basal foliage be exposed to light and not overwhelmed by neighbor- ing plants, and, in winter, take care to avoid stepping on the fragile rosettes that persist throughout the cold months. Mike also indicated that the plant forms numer- ous viable seeds, so that in a hospitable environment, self-seeding can be expect- ed. At the Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora in Centreville, f m>t iff 1 Please Visit Us at The Philadelphia Flower Show, March 3rd - 10th BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS www.bartlett.com ® Corporate Offices 1290 East Main Street, Stamford, CT 06902 (203) 323-1131 or 1-877-BARTLETT and other offices throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom Innovators in Plant Care: Guided by The Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories, Charlotte, North Carolina 38 GREEN SCENE • february2002 Delaware, ‘Chadds Ford’ has been grown in both greenhouse and garden situations since 1984. Greenhouse manager Philip Oyerly, whose ‘Chadds Ford specimen received the most recent American Orchid Society award, confirms that it is a desir- able plant whose merits have been over- looked by many gardeners. Mt. Cuba’s only problem with ‘Chadds Ford’ in a gar- den setting has been hungry mice during winter. Oyerly suggests that orchids’ noto- riety for demanding cultural requirements has probably limited interest in native orchids such as this one. ‘Chadds Ford' is not just for suburban gardens, either. In Center City gardens, where every plant has to earn its keep, the details of the plant can be easily appreciat- ed and its long bloom period is welcome in a small garden room. Conversely, a broad sweep in a woodland setting or in shady borders provides a beautiful display amidst other fall-blooming plants. And, for sunny perennial beds where its height may reach 3 feet with adequate moisture, ‘Chadds Ford' supplies an elegant and unusual complement to the standard fall show. Finally, following the examples of Longwood and Mt. Cuba, ‘Chadds Ford’ is a good candidate for pots, with the added bonus of being able to bring it indoors to enjoy the bloom and fragrance. All in all, Spiranthes cernua ‘Chadds Ford’ is a terrific plant and well worth a hunt. Not only will your efforts be reward- ed with a wonderful fall display, but you’ll probably be the first in your neighborhood to show it off. 53 Janet Bly is a garden writer from Wynnewood, PA Chinese Tree Peonies Antique Flowers Unrivaled in Beauty They are the National Flower of China and were recognized 1400 years ago as the premier flower. See them in bloom and you will understand that the passage of time has no meaning in knowing their beauty. Grows in Zones 4-9. Visit our website or write for our color catalog - $3. Cricket Hill Garden-Peony Heaven 670 Walnut Hill Road, Dept. GS Thomaston, CT 06787 Shop online: www.treepeony.com • tel. 860-283-1042 PRUNING PROBLEMS ? Please visit my website for all your pruning questions at: www.pruningmattersl23.com or fax your questions to me, Fran West at: 410-332-0270 I specialize in pruning shrubs and small trees. Transform your Yard into a Personal Paradise Many services Avant Gardens offers include: « Landscape design and ornamental plantings '• Ponds, fountains and waterfalls « Specialized gardens including herb gardens, perennial borders, shade and fern gardens, English cottage gardens and naturalized wildflower gardens Avant Gardens also covers a variety of outdoor construction services: e Masonry such as flagstone patios, walks, steps and garden walls of stone e Brick and belgian block walkways e Decks, trellises, arbors and play structures Ambient and safety lighting e Stone installation, cleaning and renovation Call 215-634-6332 for a fee consultation february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 39 SAVORING HERBS C Lu ‘Victorian ^ language of (fLCerbs an B lowers A gift of flowers speaks a universal language of love, friendship, congratulation, or condolence, offered whenever words fail ro adequately express an emo- tion. The arr of communicating with flowers reached its height during Queen Victoria’s reign, when exchanging “tussie-mussies’' became the rage. A tussie mussie— usually made to send discreet messages of love — is simply a small nosegay or hand-held bouquet made from fresh or dried flow- ers and edged with paper frill or greens. Sounds easy enough. Victorians, though, chose each flower carefully for its signifi- the plants you have selected will add to the impact. Here are some sentiments associated with popular herbs: sweet woodruff (be cheerful and rejoice in life); lemon thyme (enjoyable activity); sage (esteem); and rosemary (remem- brance). To make your own tussie-mussie, choose a theme and select plants for their symbolism. Here are some examples from Lesley Bremness’s Complete Book of Herbs. FOR A BRIDE: Around a pale-pink “New Dawn” rose (pure & lovely), wrap sprigs of mint (virtue), sage (domestic virtue), forget- me-nots (true love), golden marjoram (blushes), myrtle (love), linden blossom (conjugal love), and rosemary (remembrance). Finish with a rim of variegated ivy (fidelity). Kathleen Gips suggests adding lavender for devotion. A GET-WELL POSY: A scarlet geranium for the center (comfort), trimmed with lemon balm (sympathy), chamomile (energy in adversity), thyme (activity), hyssop (cleanliness), fennel (strength), and lady’s mantle (protection). The disinfectant herb eucalyptus can be added to speed recovery. FOR CONDOLENCES: Author Kathleen Gips uses a white rose for the center (regard), pansies (thoughts of you), borage (courage), and fen- nel (strength). 53 cance, consulting special dictionaries of plant symbolism, such as “Flora’s Dictionary,” published in 1829 by Elizabeth Washington Wirt (thought to be the first American plant dic- tionary). For an updated version, check out Kathleen Gips’s 1990 book, Floras Dictionary: The Victorian Language of Herbs and Flowers. With Gips’s book as a guide, a Loveland Colorado citizen’s group planted a Peace Garden during the Persian Gulf War. But however you use the language of flowers — in a tussie-mussie sent to a friend in need or made to carry at a wed- ding— attaching a card explaining the meaning of By Alexandra Basinski SOURCES Flora’s Dictionary: The Victorian Language of Herbs and Flowers by Kathleen M. Gips “A Tiny Peace Garden” by David Merrill, The Herb Companion, June/July 1995 Tussie-mussies: The Victorian Art of Expressing Yourself in the Language of Flowers, by Geraldine Adamich Laufer 40 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 ORGANIC MATTERS 0 ometimes I think I have less of a garden and more of ■f t a multi-level nightclub and natural-foods restaurant ^ for creatures that buzz, wiggle, fly and crawl. Insects and spiders are the predominant wildlife in this organic garden, and their relationships with my plants and each other are part of a dance so ancient and complex that I can barely hear the beat. Because 95% of the residents of my refuge are either beneficial or do no harm, 1 enjoy observing their striking physical forms and bizarre lifestyles as I work alongside them. The remaining 5% are not so well behaved. They can repro- duce with abandon and their multitudinous children can wreak havoc on tender greens or emerging rosebuds. Most of these pest outbreaks are prevented by common-sense organic prac- tices, and savvy gardeners know that well-fed, well-sited and well-watered plants better resist infestations. But even with healthy plants, we all rely on heroic insects to keep the unmannered in line. Some of these beneficial bugs are predatory, like the praying mantis. Without a doubt, these mar- tial-art bug hunters are impressive to watch but they also tend not to discriminate between friend and foe. They snag moths, mosquitoes, and grasshoppers but are also known to eat butter- flies, frogs and even [gasp ) an occasional hummingbird that gets too close. Ladybugs are more selective predators and dine almost exclu- sively on aphids. But as cute as these poster girls for beneficial insects are, their appetites pale in comparison to their larval off- spring. You’ll have to look closer to see these tiny, orange and black alligator-shaped crawlers as they move with speed and determination, gobbling their weight in aphids every day. With over 450 North American species, not all ladybugs look alike, but they’re all beneficial except for one notable outcast — the Mexican bean beetle. Beneficial insects aren’t only bugs that eat other bugs. Some parasitize pest species. If you’ve seen a tomato hornworm with what looks like rows of white rice along its back, you’ve seen the diabolical handiwork of the tiny braconid wasp. Each rice-like egg case hatches a larva that feeds on the hornworm’s body before maturing and killing its host. Lacewings, hover flies, ground beetles, predatory mites — these are only a few of the thousands of beneficial organisms currently being used or studied to control garden pests. Some bugs even eat weeds! Purple loosestrife, an invasive wetland plant, is being controlled in some areas by a weevil that feeds almost exclusively on its leaf and root. How do you draw these insect champions into your garden? <&tt crocs First, don’t spray s. pesticides or broad "5 spectrum botani- ^ cals such as “ rotenone or pyrethrin. Even Bt and soap sprays may harm some butterfly larvae, so use them sparingly. Garden with diver- sity in mind and include specific plants that attract and feed beneficials such as goldenrod, which draws over 75 good bugs. Other beneficial magnets include members of the Umbelliferae or Compositae families (such as dill, cilantro, fennel, aster, daisy and sunflower). Mint and mustard family relatives are also good bets. Give your heroes nearby shelter in undisturbed shrub and perennial borders and try not to overtill the soil. Have a shal- low water source (such as a bird bath) nearby but change it often to discourage mosquito breeding. And don't overreact to minor pest sightings — you’ll need a few on hand to keep your beneficials from getting hungry and moving on to new feeding sites. You can also buy an army of beneficials through the mail. Check out Gardens Alive! ( wwwgardensalive.com ) for starters. Once released, these little mercenaries can be a lit- tle tricky to keep around, so make sure you follow the package instructions. 53 Writer-photographer Rob Cardillo has written for Organic Gardening, Country Living Gardener, and Better Homes and Gardens. By Rob Cardillo february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 41 BEGUILING BULBS Snowdrops: (fptavbingeis of Spring Those who love the “flower fairies” from Cicely Mary Barker’s 1927 Book of Flower Fairies will nostalgically recall the Snowdrop Fairy: “ Deep sleeps the Winter, cold, wet and grey; Surely all the world is dead, Spring is far away. Wait 1 The world shall waken; it is not dead for Lo, The fair Maids of February stand in the snow!" Snowdrops {Galanthus sp.) may not appear until March here, but even a glimpse of the first buds tells us that spring is really on the way. Once established, the bulbs multiply, perhaps mutate, and stay with us forever. I have walked over an old home site in a wooded area of Chester County where blan- kets of common snowdrops (G. nivalis) and winter aconites (. Eranthis hyemalis ) were the only clue to former habitation. In exam- ining thousands of snowdrops, it was interesting to note the amount of variation in size, vigor, and strength of markings, although all were unmistakably G. nivalis. If you live in England and enjoy crawling around on the ground at this time of year, no matter how wet or windy it is- — all to get a better view of the markings on the inner petals of a snowdrop — you might be able to join that group of Galanthophiles who attend annual “Snowdrop Parties." I heard about these events through an Internet bulb group from whom I received email postings. In one, I was introduced to John Grimshaw, co-author of the new book, Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus (Griffin Press, Maidenhead, UK), who vividly described rushing home from Africa to host such an annual party! The book itself is just as intriguing and includes a plethora of named selections and hybrids available in England today. Each entry includes a description of its origin and inter- esting points, as well as technical information to assist in iden- tification and cultivation. With over 200 gorgeous photo- graphs, this book will bring us all to our knees to search for places to plant snowdrops in our own gardens. Snowdrops are sometimes hard to find. In the past, so many giant snowdrops ( G. elwesii) were ripped from the wild in Turkey and shipped to bulbs suppliers that the entire genus — garden cultivars as well as species — has been placed on the CITES list of endangered plants (for more information on this important international agreement, visit www.cites.org). Today, it is very expensive to import Galanthus from the Netherlands or England and, when doing so, each species or cultivar must be individually inspected and certified. Only the most common species and hybrids are readily avail- able for purchase in this country. Fortunately, via the International Bulb Society’s website ( www.bulbso - ciety.orf, I discovered H. Lyman of Temple Nursery in upstate New York. Mr. Lyman, originally from England, grows and sells snowdrops on a very small scale in the U.S. and does so in the time-honored method of supplying them “in the green.” The bulbs — with foliage and flowers attached — arrive perfectly packaged and ready to pop into the garden just as they come into bloom. Last year, mine arrived in late March. The bulbs are not inexpen- sive, but they come in prime condi- tion, can be enjoyed the first season down, and grow like crazy. If you feel a little “galanthophilic” after reading the Grimshaw book, you just might wish to write to Mr. Lyman for a list and begin cultivating your own pas- sion for these exquisite late- winter bulbs. 53 Source Mr. H. Lyman The Temple Nursery P.O. Box 591 Trumansburg, NY 14886 By Kathryn Andersen 42 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 Start with high performance plants from Mostardi We stock flowers, shrubs and trees that are recommended hy the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s “Gold Medal Award” Program. They are superior plants that will provide longer-lasting beauty all around your home. Stop by today to check out our MOSTARDI NURSERY incredible collection of greenery. The colors are gorgeous. The values are exceptional. And the prices are surprisingly low for such high quality. But then, that’s what you should expect from Mostardi plants. They are as good as Gold! 4033 West Chester Pike (Rte.3) Newtown Square, PA 19073 610-356-8035 www. mostard i .com C.jS FARM MARKETS Growers of Premier Garden Plants including Annuals, Perennials, Proven Winners & Garden Dahlias. Propagators of Zonal Geraniums. New Guinea Impatiens Hanging Baskets Growers of Holiday & Garden Plants Combination Garden Baskets Charles S Heal Jr. & Eric Heal visit us on the web @ rwww.cshealmarket.com J 1607 Salem Rd. Burlington Twp. NJ (609)386-9422 Fax: (609)386-9635 OPEN DAILY! Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30, Sat. & Sun. 9-5 I And the living is easy. Foulkeways* at Gwynedd does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap or familial status. Visit our web site! www.foulkeways.org kSU Foulkeways Retirement Community, no one is ever left out in the cold. Not with all the wonders that await our residents in the great indoors. Step out of your warm and inviting apartment or spacious cottage, and join the fun and excitement in the numerous activities that Foulkeways offers, including: painting, woodworking, indoor Wimbledon, greenhouse gardening, computer training, swimming in our indoor pool, and (whew) much, much more. Stretch your mind, as well-thanks to Foulkeways' guest speakers and well-stocked library. For more information about Foulkeways' affordable lifestyle, you're invited to call Nancy B. Cold, Director of Admissions, today at 215-643-2200. 1120 Meetinghouse Road •Gwynedd, PA 19436 E-mail: admissions@foulkeways.org february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 43 BEAUTY FROM BULBS Glorious spring gardens come alive with Beauty from Bulbs The astonishing beauty of Tulip Shirley is unsurpassable for glorious spring gardens and bouquets. A shimmering, ever-chang- ing palate of glistening ivory-white and luscious purple, this Single Late Tulip deserves a home in your garden. Plant an unforgettable drift of SO of these dazzling tulips in your family’s garden for the special price of $19 95 (including shipping). We will ship them to you any- where in the continental U.S. at the prop- er time for fall planting. Free 76-page color catalog! Send for your free 76-page color catalog featuring over 700 varieties of breath- taking tulips, narcissi, fritillaria, allium, lilies and exotic flower bulbs. □ Send me a free catalog! □ Send me SO Shirley Tulips for $19.9S (CT residents add 6% sales tax) □ Payment enclosed $ □ Charge to: □ MasterCard □ Visa Acct. No: Exp. Date: Name: Shipping Address: City: State: Daytime Phone:_ _Zip:_ John Scheepers 23 Tulip Drive (((l TJU/- m Bantam, Connecticut 06750 Phone: (860) 567-0838 Fax:(860)567-5323 website: www.johnscheepers.com e-mail: catalog@johnscheepers.com PA 20 Excellence in Landscape Desien & Installation At Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc., we believe that our team approach to creative residential landscape design, coupled with a highly trained field staff and innovative technical personnel, enables us to provide unique, artistic and superior products to our clients. We will fulfill your design wish- es from the initial con- cept to construction implementation and landscape maintenance. Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc. An Award Winning Landscape Development Firm Glenside 215-887-1773 • Bryn Mawr 610-520-2025 Extend your growing season! Easy access for carts and wheelbarrows. Screened zippered vents improve airflow UV resistant Rip-Stop woven polyethylene lasts 5 to 7 years. Sturdy ground anchors. The portable greenhouse for the garden enthusiast! Call for a Master Catalog today! We offer high quality garden equipment and accessories at reasonable prices. ClearSpan™ protects the best! flower Mention SHOW SPECIAL Code PRICING! F11600 Distributed by FarmTek® Dealer Inquiries Welcome phone 1-800-327-6835 fax 1-800-457-8887 online www.FarmTek.com e-mail sales@farmtek.com 44 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 Experience the community of Dunwoody Village Wherever you are in Dunwoody Village, there’s a special feeling you get. It starts the minute you enter the grounds and follows you wherever you go - whether you’re strolling through the gardens, grabbing a quick bite in the commissary, or enjoying a show. It’s the feeling of friendship, caring and above all, community, and it shines in all aspects of Village life, every day of the year. CALL 1-800-DUNWOODY or visit us at www.dunwoody.org wpere Friendships Bloom... Dunwoody VILLAGE The Retirement Community for people who enjoy living 3500 WEST CHESTER PIKE NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA 19073-4168 A Step of Faith Choosing a new com- munity is a big step. At PresbyHomes & Services, your step of faith will be matched by one of our own. Our residential living, assisted living and healthcare services are grounded in a faith- based commitment to provide the highest quality of care to older adults of all backgrounds and faiths. It’s a com- mitment backed by a half-century of service. Call today, and experi- ence the Presby differ- ence. PresbyHomes&Services A ministry to older adults by the Presbytery of Philadelphia Rydal Park ■ Rosemont Presbyterian Village • Broomall Presbyterian Village Spring Mill Presbyterian Village • Emily A. Marble Health Center • HUD Communities Tollfree: 1.877.9PRESBY www.presbyhomes.org If you’d like to own finely crafted, solid copper garden lighting, visit us on-line and discover the Art of Illumination. Escort Lighting 51 North Elm Street. Wemersville, PA 19565 Phone: 800-856-7943 Fax: 610-670-5170 (showroom hours by appointment only) www. escort li<:h ting, com february 2002 • GREEN SCENE 45 ANTIQUE BOOKS RARE & PREVIOUSLY OWNED BOOKS ON HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL PRINTS - Bought and Sold Polly Goldstein 37 Lochwood Ln. West Chester, PA 19380 (610) 436-9796 E-mail: GrannyPol@aol.com GARDEN SHOPS MEADOWBROOK FARM Choose from an ever-expanding variety of annuals, perennials, tropicals, native and woody plants. Be sure to see our new cac- tus & succulent house. Our sales room is stocked with unique garden-related gifts, fountains, statuary and colorful combination baskets. Great horticultural gifts including bonsai and troughs. Tours for horti- cultural groups offered April-October, call for details. Visit us soon and often and become excited about plants! MEADOWBROOK FARM 1633 Washington Lane Meadowbrook, PA 19046 Mon-Sat 10-5 (215) 887-5900 10% Discount to PHS Members presenting Membership card MARANO GARDENS, LLC (formerly Fort Washington Garden Mart) A family owned garden center serving the area since 1960, offering an extensive selec- tion of plants and containers. • Beautiful hanging baskets, mixed garden containers. • Dwarf conifers and alpine troughs. • Culinary and medicinal herbs. • Cutting edge annuals, tropicals and peren- nials, including the Beds & Borders line. • Ornamental trees and shrubs, emphasizing native varieties and PHS Gold Medal winners. MARANO GARDENS, LLC 488 Bethlehem Pike Ft. Washington, PA 19034 215-646-3336 Minutes north of Chestnut Hill, or 4 miles from the Blue Route. Jerry Fritz Garden Design, Inc. Presents Linden Hill Gardens Featuring an extensive collection of cutting-edge plants from the world’s most respected nurseries Exceptionally Planted Earthenware Source for 2002 Gold Medal Winners 10% Discount for Cardholding Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Members Phone for our Spring Schedule of Behind-the-Scene Tours, Garden Walks, and Plant Events 8230 Easton Road (Route 611) Ottsville, Bucks County Pennsylvania 18942 phone: 610-847-1300 fax: 61 0-847-1324 BONSELL’S NURSERY Choose from our large selection of high quality trees, shrubs, and perennials, many grown at our nursery. Including 2002 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Medal Winners Physocarpus o. ‘Diablo’ Buxus ‘Vardar Valley’ Conveniently Located near 309 & the PA turnpike. Winter hours by appointment. Open daily starting April 1st. 1245 Fort Washington Ave. Fort Washington, PA 215-643-2418 VISIT OUR GREENHOUSES ... Colorful African violets, baskets designed, decorated to order. Unusual centerpieces for all occasions. Blooming Phalaenopsis Orchids. TINARI GREENHOUSES, 2325 Valley Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 215-947-0144. Open 8 to 5 GARDEN STRUCTURES HANDCRAFTED IRON GARDEN STRUCTURES Arbors, Trellises, & Gates in the tradition of elegance, beauty and permanence. Full Color Catalog $3 The Painted Garden, Inc. 304 Edge Hill Road Glenside, PA 19038 (215) 884-7378 HERITAGE STONE & MARBLE We are an installation and restoration company who emphasizes long lasting quality with outstanding craftsmanship. FLAGSTONE, BRICK patios and walkways, COBBLESTONE edging and paving, STONE walls, RETAINING walls, MARBLE, GRANITE floors, walls, countertops. (21 5) 699-561 1 Upper Gwynedd, Pa. GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Sales and Service Janco, Lord & Burnham and more. Call Robert J. LaRouche at Glass Enclosures Unlimited (610) 687-2444 THE SUNWORKS CORPORATION • Greenhouse Sales: Residential, Commercial and Institutional. • Installations: Of greenhouses from any manu- facturer, shading and ventilation systems. • Maintenance: Reglazing, reskinning, painting, cleaning. Emergency repairs. Call (302) 655-5772, ask for John Klein HELLEBORES HELLEBORE OPEN HOUSE MARCH 23, 2002, 10 AM-3PM Carolyn’s Shade Gardens in Bryn Mawr, PA See hellebores in bloom in our gardens. 8 hellebore species and a wide selection of Orientalis Hybrids available for sale. Call 610-525-1661 for plant list and directions. LANDSCAPE DESIGN Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc. A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN/BUILD FIRM Experts in Landscape Renovation, Naturalistic and Classic Formal Gardens. Landscape Construction, Unique Patios, Terraces, Creative Stone Work, and Landscape Lighting. Major Award Winning Exhibitor Philadelphia Flower Show. 610-520-2025 215-887-1773 www. burkebrothers. com S. Edaar David and Associates Landscape Architects Site planning and Garden Design Outdoor Spaces, Lighting, Pools, Ecological Restoration Transforming the landscape with innovative solutions Design Studio 610-584-5941 46 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 LINDA CORSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN •Consulting •Plans •Supervision Registered Landscape Architect Member ASLA 215-247-5619 David Brothers Landscape Services Bean Road Nursery Architects, Builders and Nurserymen Providing the Fine Art of Garden Construction and Landscape Restoration (215)247-2992 (610)584-1550 (610)525-3232 Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. • Landscape Architects & Contractors • Formal/Period/Naturalistic Gardens • Creating outdoor living spaces of distinction • Master Plans/Phased projects • Let us make your desires become reality P.O. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-ELA-9252 LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE ANDREW C. BECK LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE A Dependable Source for All Your Landscape Needs. Serving CHESTNUT HILL & MONTGOMERY COUNTY • Lawn Mowing • Garden Care, Mulching, Planting • Tree & Shrub Pruning • Organic Fertilization & Aeration • Spring & Fall Clean up • Property Management Insured 215-233-9401 References MULCH PINE NEEDLE MULCH Won’t change soil pH Wholesale and retail FLOWERS BY THE YARD 610-701-9283 renee52@erols.com RESTORATION REED’S WOODS, INC. QUALITY WORK AT A FAIR PRICE Custom Builder Restorations, Remodeling Greenhouses Springhouse Restorations Decks, Carpentry & Landscape Structures Jamie Reed 2125 Bodine Road Malvern, PA 19355 (610) 827-9663 TRAVEL Come to England Stay with us in our idyllic tranquil home and enjoy personally guided visits to wonderful Private and Public Gardens. Very small groups. En suite rooms. Delicious food. Overseas guests met at Heathrow. Details www.gardensofsomerset.homestead.com Or 01 1-44-984-667202 TREE SERVICE TREE TRANSFERS, INC. Large Tree Transplanting and Sales Machine and Specialized Hand Digging Dealers and Locators of Large Horticultural Specimens Mature Screening and Shade Trees Assessing and Renovating Mature Collection and Estate Gardens Plant Material Purchased (215) 635-2310 Tree Transplanting & Sales • Machine & hand digging • Supply & install specimen plants • Locate/Purchase mature trees • Why Wait for mother nature? Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. P.O. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-ELA-9252 UNUSUAL SPECIMENS HOSTA Over 1 00 varieties Assorted perennials, Ferns, shade plants. Michael’s Country Nursery 165 Tuckertown Road Medford, NJ 856-983-6512 RARE & UNUSUAL PUNTS • Specimen plants • Pond plants • Bonsai • Orchids • Hardy cacti • Tropicals • Sculptured trees and shrubs • Perennials • Unique Flower and gift shop. MUTSCHLERS’ FLORIST & RARE PUNTS 1-800-242-9438 www.mutschlers.com february 2002 • GREEN SCENE Buy where the professionals buy! Order the highest quality flower bulbs at the lowest prices from Van Engelen's Wholesale Price List for fall planting. Send for your free catalog featuring: * Tulips * Hyacinths * Daffodils * Iris * Exotic Bulbs * Muscari * Crocus * Paperwhites * Lilies * Amaryllis Special Offer lOO Mammoth Darwin Hybrid Tulips These huge, colorful tulips are ter- rific for both display and cutting! Shipped by UPS at the proper time for fall planting. Only $19.95! □ Please send me a free catalog. □ Please send me lOO Mammoth Darwin Hybrid Tblips for $19.95. (CT residents add 6% sales tax.) □ Payment enclosed: $ □ Charge to: □ Master Card □ VISA Account #: Exp. Date: Name: Mailing Address: Shipping Address: City: State: Zip code: Phone Number: V&vi €r\$c)cr\ 1 mc. 23 Tulip Drive Bantam, Connecticut 06750 , 70 Phone: (860) 567-8734 Fax: (860) 567-5323 47 While Queen Victoria may not have been known for her effervescent personal- ity, the artistic side of Victorian culture was far different. Though society was out- wardly restrained, the arts were marked by deep romance, mystery, and subtle pleas- ures of the senses. Here in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society indulged its creative side at the time through glorious flower exhibitions at its headquarters, Horticultural Hall. Its premier event was a large fall show, but there was also a won- derful spring show, timed to kick off the gardening season, much in the same spirit as today’s Philadelphia Flower Show. Here are some highlights from the Show’s histo- ry during the last third of the 19th century. APRIL 1871. Several new plants made their debut at this year’s Spring Show. PHS treasurer and local plantsman Henry A. Dreer (pictured below) exhibited Antburium scherzerianum , commonly known today as flamingo flower. These days, this plant often turns up in cut- flower arrangements, but in hindsight, it illustrates the passion of those normally reserved Victorians for gaudy hot-house tropicals. December 1871. At this month’s meeting, a motion was passed to eliminate monthly exhibitions (much to the delight, we re sure, of the Shows department), and instead concentrate on “four grand dis- plays each year.’’ PHS members “in good standing” were to receive two tickets of admission, and non-members would be charged a whopping 50C. This was the first alteration of PHS exhibitions since its first show in 1829. HflLU(a««)*K«spi!af) An n EXHIBITION oF Towers OPENSTUESDAY EVENIN' MARCH 29'-Ht 8 PM. -' CLOSES FRIDAY EVENIN' APRIL l5-1 at I OEM.-- JANUARY 1881. On the morning of Monday, January 31st, the original Horticultural Hall on the corner of Broad & Lardner (now called Manning St.) was damaged in a fire. PHS’s secretary at the time noted that the loss of “the Library, Fixtures, and Furniture. ..was $514.70." The Hall was repaired and reopened a year later. MARCH 1892. What plants were they exhibiting at the Spring Show 110 years ago? According to a plant list from that year’s event, the display included “cycla- men, callas, anemones, primulas, English daisies, primroses, marguerites, pansies, and zonale geraniums.” (Ominously, the minutes also noted that “there was no fruit display. ”) May 1893. On the 27th, Horticultural Hall burned again, and this time it was completely destroyed. As a result, the fall Chrysanthemum Shows during the next few years were held vari- ously at the Armory on Broad Street, the Academy of Music, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The Spring Show, mean- while, was cancelled in 1894, due to the fire as well as lack of profits. On January 1, 1894, PHS’s bank bal- ance was a paltry $26.25. By Pete Prown - CROOKED WoNDF.IUTI.I.V JlKAI Tt FPL — gorgeous, new and rare ORCHIDS. AUGUST 1895. At a ceremony on the 15th, the cornerstone of the rebuilt Horticultural Hall was laid at the same location, its construction paid for by insurance money and the issuing of bonds. PHS vice-president Dr. J. Ewing Mears gave a speech, noting, “We are assembled here today to perform a ceremony.. ..of suf- ficient importance, not only to members of the Horticultural Society whose home this building is to become, but also to the community at large.” Interestingly, his comments foreshadowed PHS’s present- day mission, which is to “improve the quality of life and create a sense of com- munity through horticulture.” March 1899. At the monthly meet- ing, president Clarence H. Clark announced that the new building was finally complete. Despite two fires and financial problems during the previous two decades, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Spring Show had resumed and soon blossomed into the 20^ century, growing decade by decade ever since. Over 100 years later, we know this event as the world-famous Philadelphia Flower Show, but its purpose re- mains precisely the same — to provide its visitors with a wondrous gust of spring beauty and fragrance, long be- fore the daffodils begin to bloom outside. 53 Grand Orchid Exhibition and SPRING FLOWER SHOW. Hmuir i OftCMcsTPA Every Evening Horticultural Hall ( 2'm oad, Abovs Struck} , March 17. IS. 19 and 20. 48 GREEN SCENE • february 2002 “Nocturne” Limited Edition Bronze • 1 997 By Barbara Chen Philadelphia Flower Show First Prize Winner for Marketplace in 1996, 1999 and 2000. Antique & Contemporary Ornaments for the Connoisseur’s Garden A unique collection of over 3,000 items from around the world — including fountains and limited edition bronze sculpture by these distinguished artists: • David Goode • Susan Luery • Lorann Jacobs • Jim Ponter • Phil Kaufman • Charlotte Stokes • Marian Flahavin • Else Martinus Chapman Elizabeth Schumacher's 4 Union Hill Road West Conshohocken, PA 19428 610 . 825 . 5525 www.garden-accent.com Hours: Tues-Sat • 10:00 - 5:00 pm 1996 * 1998 * 2000 Mention this ad to receive your free portfolio. G5 gardenSoPcents RIMEX J3o W. Glenside Avenue Glenside. PA 1 0038 2 / C' 3S7 7500 Bringing you the best in personal service and knowledge for over 50 years. Gardening enthusiasts and landscape professionals throughout the area have come to depend on Pnmex for an outstanding selection of horticultural products. Come find out why! * Sj» Proprietary Research Unparalleled Investment Experience Personalized Service Networking Opportunities Estat( Planning We understand that while all investors may share the same basic goal, how you achieve your goal differs. Our low client-to-advisor ratio ensures you get the care, time and attention to detail you expect. Plus, our Women's Financial Services Network offers seminars to help you make better-informed decisions. All of which helps you reach the most important goal of all. Your future. For more information, call 1-800-PNC-7003, or visit www.pncadvisors.eom. © PIN C Advisors The Thinking Behind The Money,. ©2000 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC Advisors is a service mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., for investment management, banking and fiduciary services. -J II APRIL 2002 *$5.00 TI1K PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Winner— Best in Show 2002 Philadelphia Flower Show LANDSCAPE & DESIGN SERVICES Design • Installation • Maintenance • Residential • Commercial Registered Landscape Architects 8c Designers 914 Baltimore Pike, Concordville, PA 19331 6 1 0.459.2400 • www.styers.com Go to the experts & see the difference! Kent Russbul* Also creates*?:' Container i^jGardens r ** Photo: Summer planter incorporating annuals, perennials, vegetables & tropical plants * • Cathedral Village 22 Years of Achievement Committed to. . . Resident Satisfaction.. .starting with our own dining program that offers flexibility, choices, and a distinctive presentation of meals prepared by our Executive Chef, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. C K^reativity. . .which is reflected in the vibrancy of our award-winning retirement community. The atmosphere at Cathedral Village is frequently compared to a vacation resort. Innovation.. .which has resulted in our trend-setting Health Club and Fitness Program, our expansive Greenhouse and Horticultural Program, and much more. Vis tsion.. .an on-going process that anticipates changing trends in future residents’ expectations and establishes tomorrow’s new standards. Our vision has earned us certification as a Retirement Resort™, our reward for not accepting the norm. \ah 'aiue. . .which has earned us a reputation of providing more types of care and services for your dollar than any other community. Compare and see what real value means! Visit us Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Appointments are encouraged for weekdays and are necessary on weekends. Cathedral Village CEKTOKO MEMSEfi A Nonprofit, Nondenominational CCRC 600 East Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128 (2 1 5) 984-8622 Website: www.cathedralvillage.com 1=1 Equal Housing Opportunity Affiliated with the Jefferson Health System FEATURES 7 10 A World of Clematis Join Jeff Jabco for a look at the many species of clematis growing at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. While ‘Jackmanii’ is a beauty, to be sure, there are many other clematis in this genus worth your attention. Here are a tew of the best. 16 An Inspired Kitchen Garden For those who like to cook as well as grow, the kitchen garden is an indispensable part of one’s property. Writer/photographer Derek Fell couldn’t agree with this sentiment more. Here, he gives us a per- sonal tour through his magnificent kitchen garden in the wilds of Bucks County. 22 People, Parks and Partnerships How do you create thriving urban parks that become energetic cen- ters for their neighborhoods? The answer is partnerships. In this arti- cle, Jane Carroll details the intricate, lasting relationships between residents, city officials, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society that are helping revitalize Philadelphia’s many parks. Like many other great city gardening stories, this one is a tale of “people power.” 28 Roses, Roses . . . and More Roses! As many gardeners know, there are never enough roses. Just ask Reggie and Frank Thomas, rose-gardeners extraordinaire. In their garden, there are roses everywhere — on fences, on trellises, and even growing over a large part of their house. Better yet, Reggie and Frank’s roses are in bloom for over seven months a year, from May through November. How do they maintain such a constant stream of rose blossoms? Let’s find out.... COLUMNS 36 Savoring Herbs: South of the Border by Alexandra Basinski 37 Organic Matters: Lawn Order by Rob Cardillo 38 Beguiling B ulbs: A Spanish Holiday by Kathryn Andersen 42 Classified Ads 44 Backyard: Tulips for the Teacher by Jane Carroll The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society motivates people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture. Cover Photo of Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’ by Pete Prown ft PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER aprii 2002 • GREEN SCENE Editor Pete Prown Associate Editor Jane Carroll Publications Assistant Laurie Fitzpatrick Art Design Baxendells' Graphic Publications Committee Stephanie Cohen Alan Detrick Linda Detrick Beverly Rtts Anne Kellett, ex officio Adam Levine Jennifer Lin Marby Sparkman Bill Stieg L. Wilbur Zimmerman Printer ALCOM Printing Group. Inc. THE PF.NNSYLN VMA IIORT1CI LTURAL SOCIF.TT 100 N. 20th St. Philadelphia. PA 19103-1495 (215) 988-8800 Chair Anne Kellett President Jane G. Pepper Executive Vice President J. Blaine Bonham, Jr. PHS Membership Information Linda Davis. (215) 988-8776 Display Ads Kim Richards at Manzo Communications, (610) 527-7047 kim4manzocomm@aol.com Classified Ads and Subscription Services Laurie Fitzpatrick, (215) 988-8769 lfitzpat@pennhort.org Ask A Gardener Phone Line (215) 988-8777. Monday through Friday. 9:30 to 12 [closed in December] askagardener@pennhort.org Web Site www. pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety. org GREEN SCENE (USPS 955580), Volume 30, No. 2, is published bi-monthly (February. April, June. August, October, December) by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, a non-profit member organiza- tion at 100 N. 20th St., Philadelphia. PA 19103- 1495. Subscription: $16.95. Single Copy: $3.00 (plus $2.00 shipping). Second-class postage paid at Philadelphia, PA 19103. POSTMASTER: Send address change to GREEN SCENE, 100 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. © Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 2002 GREEN SCENE subscriptions are part of the membership benefits for: Cox Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Morristown, NJ Horticultural Society of Maryland, Baltimore Horticultural Society of New York Phipps Conservatory, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA Staten Island Botanical Garden, Inc. New York 3 “Wedding of the Senses ” Recognized Excellence in Design and Contracting "BLENDING HORTICULTURE AND ARCHITECTURE TO ENHANCE YOUR LIFE STYLE" INNOVATIVE DESIGN SOLUTIONS • SKILLED CRAFTSMEN • QUALITY NURSERY STOCK AND MATERIALS “Fruits of Our Labor ” Robert Montgomery Landscapes, inc. 545 East Uwchlan Avenue Chester Springs, Pennsylvania 19425 phone (610) 594-1810 Beautiful homes and gardens are the expression of imaginative and functional design concepts, not merely good inten- tions. Our award-winning designers and professional craftsmen, specialists in all phases of landscape construction and planting, collaborate closely with you during each phase of the design/build process. A leader in the successful design and management of large residential landscape projects in the Delaware Valley, Robert Montgomery Landscapes, Inc. assures that your property’s fullest potential is realized. J better me SrA'for Starting Over What would you do if you had the opportunity to start your garden over? Having recently moved, I find myself in precisely that situation and, frankly, it seems more daunting than I thought. For years, I’ve thought about starting over and repenting for all my past horticultural sins (roses in part shade, tall plants at the front of the border, and horrifying color combina- tions galore). But now it’s time to stop daydreaming about it and really put my new ideas into action. My first task is to assess the new site. Where 1 had a small, flat area tor my previous garden (pictured on page 3 of the December 2000 issue), my new “backyard” is a sloping wooded area with nary a flicker of sun- light. This raises hard questions: Do I work with the site and try to create a complementary woodland garden filled with shade-loving plants? Or do I work with a landscape architect to develop plans to clear some of the aged and dying trees and terrace the area for more sun-worshipping specimens? Decisions, decisions! Since I’ve barely unpacked, much less decided what to do outside the back door, I’ll instead canvas a few members of our PHS Publications Committee — all of them rabid garden- ers— to find out what “new garden” dreams they can spin. Maybe I can pick up some good tips along the way. Jennifer Lin, a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, gardens with her husband, Bill Stieg, also a member of the Committee. She notes, “We’re seri- ous organic gardeners and, in the past, have followed a 'survival of the fittest’ approach to gardening — no sprinkler system, no pesticides, no plant food, no nothing. Were actually just about to start again and create a proper garden and right off the bat, I want to make sure we do it right: Bring in professionals. Enrich the soil. Add a watering system. When I think of all the money we’ve wasted on our hodgepodge approach, it makes sense to invest from the outset.” Bill chimes in, “I’d plant more trees in the first few years, but bet- ter calculate the future size of saplings to give them more room. I’d also do a better job improving the soil before putting in perennials and shrubs. Finally, I’d use more native plants or, better yet, take a list of Gold Medal trees and plants to the nursery and just load up!” Echoes writer Marby Sparkman, “My answer is always the same — lower maintenance. To that end, my solution would be to include a broader range of flowering shrubs and small trees.” What would Green Scene writer Beverly Fitts do if she could start again? “If the house was in a brand new development and sur- rounded by only grass, I’d think first of providing structure. Where are the main and secondary focal points going to be — the front door, the back door, the patio? Then I’d add the pathways connect- ing the points of emphasis. Next, I’d look at placing the trees and shrubs to provide structure and privacy. Lastly, I would look at the ground level and decide where flower beds and groundcovers should go. In all, good structure and strong focal points are probably most important to me but having lots and lots of flowers is crucial, too. Unfortunately, they should come last, but like a lot of people, I put them in first." Noted horticultural teacher and lec- turer Stephanie Cohen actually re-did her garden a few years ago and gives us this pearl of wisdom: “1 tried to do most of the ‘right things.’ 1 worked with a landscape architect and devel- oped a master plan. But even though 1 spent a lot of time improving the soil, if I had to do it all again, I’d improve it even more. This is especially true for new houses — the topsoil is often quite poor. The lesson is that soil impacts everything, so make it as good as pos- sible.” The photographic team of Alan and Linda Detrick also put an emphasis on planning. “Both Alan and I (independ- ently) came up with the same answer: we would start with a formal master plan. Our present shade, vegetable, butterfly and perennial gardens have evolved as a result of acquiring plants that we love, but a more formal plan would have prevented the appearance of the ‘new garden every year’ syn- drome.” And now it’s back to you — what would you do differently? The good news is that you don’t have to move to start a new garden. Many bold gardeners have simply revamped their current gardens — whether digging out old, ugly plants in favor of fresh, new ones or even completely redesigning the entire space. With a good plan, some elbow grease, and the will to keep your garden as fresh and creative as possible, it’s never too late to start again. email: greenscene@pennhort.org april 2002 • GREEN SCENE 5 Pete Prown Crabapples for All Seasons When thinking of flowering crabapples one often pictures a tree with a stunning spring display of flowers. Conversely, others con- jure up images of fi reblight, leafdrop and other fungal scourges that affect the tree. The good news is that there are now many disease-resistant cultivars available that come in an amazing variety of tree forms (columnar, round, vase-shaped, etc.), heights (5 to 35 feet), and colors (foliage, flowers, and fruit). Crabapples also toler- ate urban conditions including drought, salt, air pollution, and soil compaction. Given a sunny location, well-drained soil and a disease-resistant cultivar, crabapples can be an asset in most landscapes. The flower colors of crabapples include shades of red, pink, and white, and some flowers even progress through a series of colors as they mature. On cultivars like the new Gold Medal winner Malus 'Adirondack', the buds start out deep red, progress to lighter shades of red over sever- al weeks, and finally open to lovely white blossoms. The fruit of 'Adirondack' also retains its cardinal red color and persists on the tree until December. For many Malus connoisseurs, this long-lasting colorful fruit display is considered a greater asset than the flowers. Thus, 'Adirondack' pro- vides year-round interest with spring flow- ers, disease-free summer foliage, and brightly colored fall fruit that lasts into winter. In addition to the many red-fruited cul- tivars, there are now more yellow-fruited crabapples available, such as ‘Bob White’ (pictured below), 'Doubloons' and 'Winter Gold’. A group of five recently planted 'Winter Gold' crabapples can be seen at Penn’s Land- ing along Columbus Boulevard across from J 0) the historic ship, The S Olympia. The Penn- tj sylvania Horticultural £ Society’s Philadelphia Green program man- ages this landscape. Combine yellow-fruit- ed crabapples with those sporting red or maroon fruit for inter- esting fall and winter color combinations. The persistent fruit, disease resistance, and white spring flowers make these yellow- fruited cultivars very distinctive, and the fruit contrasts beautifully with evergreens and dark colored backgrounds. With so many interesting, disease-resist- ant new trees to choose from, it’s time to welcome a crabapple into your garden soon. — Marilyn Romenesko For a very helpful chart of some of the best crabapples and their characteristics, visit: www. jf schmidt. com 6 - [j/ie (farckners $kkoks/kk Heirloom Flower Gardens: Rediscovering and Designing with Classic Ornamentals By Jo Ann Gardner ( Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 335 pp. , paperback, $24.95) I Level: Intermediate Pros: Lots of interesting history Cons: Not enough drawings and photos I’m so excited. We finally have a house of our own, and this spring my father- in-law will divide a portion of the Rosa rugosa that came from his mother’s garden so I can plant it in my South Philly back yard. Our new some very old stock. By Ms. Gardner’s definition, we will have the beginnings of an heirloom garden. Gardner defines “heir- loom” as “those plants introduced to American gardens from 1600 to 1950,” which is a little broad. But in reading Gardner’s book, you begin to understand the basic idea that she is quietly encour- aging— “sustainability,” that is, looking for what has worked in the past and going from there. Gardner shares a wealth of experience, much of it gleaned from 30 years of collecting old garden favorites at her farm on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. She has searched old homesteads for garden remnants and patches of naturalized daffodils, discovering heirloom lilacs, iris and strains of Poeticus daffodils — but never without first asking permission. As she explains in the “Plant Collector’s Guide” sec- tion, there are rules of etiquette in plant collecting. This thought- ful guide will keep you on the straight and narrow when searching for pre-hybrid-tea “Old Roses” from neglected gardens, roadsides, and graveyards. The book includes 93 plant portraits, which, among other per- tinent facts, list the dates of introduction so you can discern I whether your old garden friend is ancient or merely antique. Gardner also captures the “stored wisdom and wit of countless generations of ordinary gardeners” by including several common names for each plant. Gardner’s account ol her search for the 1952 floribunda rose, ‘Ma Perkins’, also offers a critique of the marketplace and its relentless search for the new. Apparently, despite a spotless reputa- tion, ‘Ma’ was replaced by a preponderance of newer (and younger) hybrid roses. — Julie A. Snell garden will start off with GflRDCn nCT AND THE WINNER IS... From the National Garden Bureau comes word that 2002 has been des- ignated as Year of the Vinca since these annuals pro- vide so much garden color for such little care. Interestingly, the annual vinca is not even in the Vinca genus, but rather Catharanthus (though both belong to the same botanical family, APOCYNACEAE). By the time botanists had realized the differences between the plants in each genus, the name “vinca had become too common to change. Regardless, the popular Catharanthus roseus is a charming single- petaled flower that comes in many colors, among them, pink, deep rose, red, scarlet, and the popular white with a red eye. It grows well in containers or as an edging plant, and blooms profusely from late spring through first frost. [For more information, visit the National Garden Bureau’s website at www. ngb. org) IT’S RAINING ACORNS. Green Scene reader Joseph Dittmar recently wrote to tell us about his love affair with acorns. He writes, “In 1972, our fam- ily moved to a new housing development, largely without trees. So I collected fruits of my favorite hardwood trees in nearby woodlands and began cul- tivating them, first in a basement tray of sand and then in a series of pots until they were ready to be planted outside our new house. “One of them, a northern red oak (Quercus bore- alis), is now 40 feet tall and this past September, it began depositing acorns on my driveway with gusto. I decided to record this event by collecting all the acorns I could find. For the next month, I collected the fruit almost daily, which at peak production, was between 500 to 600 acorns a day. By October 6th, aprii 2002 • GREEN SCENE 7 THE PO ING SHED Tulips for North American Gardens By Brent and Becky Heath (Bright Sky Press, $24.95, 144 pages) Level: All Pros: Very comprehensive Cons: None The Heaths — i.e. “Brent and Becky” of gardening-catalog lame — have given the genus Tulipa the same thorough going over that they perfected a few years ago in their book, Daffodils for American Gardens. The authors take a comprehensive look at all aspects of tulips: anatomy, culture, companion plantings, even forcing and arranging. They explain the characteristics of the 14 tulip divisions and recommend their favorites in a most valuable photo gallery. Speaking of which, the photos are marvelous. Gorgeous close- up views feature velvety texture, exquisite form, and heart-melting color subtleties. Wider views of tulips en masse, particularly those taken in Holland trial gardens, are amazing. The photographs also make an important point: tulips look best planted in large groups of the same cultivar. When planted singly, they vie for attention like too many supermodels in a spring collection. A helpful back- ol-the-book chart lists all of the authors’ favorites by color, height, and bloom time. Let’s hope the Heaths go on to give the rest of the bulb world the same treatment. — Nancy Q. O’Donnell the harvest was complete and I tallied the total: 6,860 acorns! A few of my neighbors may have wondered about my strange habits during those September evenings, but fortunately, my planting efforts of 30 years earlier have now surrounded me with so much foliage that my foraging was nearly invisible to all but those who know me well.” DRINK YOUR GARDEN. New this year from the mail-order seed company Renee’s Garden are seed packets of ‘East Indian’ lemon grass, which can be brewed into fragrant cups of tea. This lemon grass quickly forms clumps of gray-green leaves which can be harvested as needed. It has a lovely lemon scent and can be dried for year-round enjoyment. And as a drink, ‘East Indian’ can be served hot or cold and promises to “soothe the digestion, restore the spirit, and delight the tastebuds.” [For more information, 888-880-7228 or www.reneesgarden.com ] SURFING THE RAILS. If you’re looking for a new twist to your gardening adventures, garden trains are a booming hobby for the outdoor enthusi- ast. This pastime essentially combines gardening with large-gauge model trains, and its proponents install outdoor train sets into their backyard environments. Able to run all year long, these trains can be set into beautifully planted areas of small shrubs, flowers, and other diminutive landscapes. Better still, it’s a great way to get your train-hobbyist partner out of the basement and into the fresh air. For more informa- 8 Need a Visiting Doctor to Come to Your Home? Have you experienced any of the following? ■ Do you have difficulty getting to your doctor's office? ■ Do you have frequent hospitalizations or go to the emergency room often? Are you too ill to go to the doctor's office? ■ Do you want personalized attention in your home with modern medical technology? VNA HouseCallssm physician, Dr. Gabrielle Fish (above, right) It you’ve answered YES to any of these questions, please call for an assessment in your home by our 3 physicians or 3 nurse practitioners: (2 1 5) 473-8533 or (800) VNA- 1 1 80 VNA HouseCalls “ TDD: (215) 473-7323 VNA HouseCallsSM services are covered by Medicare VNA HouseCallsSM is an affiliate of The Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Philadelphia A Medicare certified home care provider. Home Health Care since 1886. 4 BEYOND #0 EXPLORING the Wide World of CLEMATIS at SCOTT ARBORETUM Story by Jeff Jabco Photography by Pete Prown Most gardeners are familiar with clematis because of the ubiquitous C. ‘Jackmanii’, that purplish-blue vine that covers lampposts and mailboxes every June. But with over 250 species and hundreds of hybrids and culti- vars, the clematis season can start in April and last through late autumn. Clematis flowers come in diverse colors, including pink, purple, lavender, mauve, red, white and yellow. They come in all shapes and sizes, too. Growth habit varies from lax, sprawling herbaceous plants barely reaching 2 feet, to woody vines that range in size from 4 to 5 feet to over 15 feet tall. While there are clearly lots of clematis to choose from, it is this dizzying diversity that discourages many from trying anything other than tried- and-true ‘Jackmanii’. Right: Clematis ‘Venosa Violacea’ 10 Above right: Betty Corning’ Below: ‘Sir Trevor Lawrence’ Opposite page: ‘Madame Julia Correvon’ At the Scott Arboretum, located on the campus of Swarthmore College, clematis are grown in many forms. Vines make up the majori- ty of the more than 60 plants in the Arboretum’s clematis collection. In the gardens surrounding Cunningham House, home of the Scott Arboretum offices, we grow clematis in several differ- ent styles. Clematis viticella ‘Betty Corning’ — a PHS Gold Medal Award winner — has nod- ding, bell-shaped flowers that are pale violet and fade to almost white. The small flowers (2-1/2 inches across) are numerous but give the plant a very dainty appearance. It is also one of the few fra- grant clematis. It flowers in early summer and will continue sporadically into autumn. We grow it on a wrought iron obelisk, which allows one to see through the vine to the garden beyond. Against the creamy white wall of the building also grows ‘Madame Julia Correvon’, with glowing red flowers up to GREEN SCENE • aPni 2002 ■ 5 inches across. The tepals (botanically, they really aren’t petals) are twisted and create an open, natural-looking flower. ‘Madame Julia Correvon’ is a moderately vigorous climber; it is trained on a wire trellis held several inches from the wall. (Welded-wire fencing with 2-inch by 4- inch openings works very well.) Vining clematis require a smaller support (thinner than a pencil) so that the petioles of the leaves can wrap around it. Wire fencing, twine, trellises and branches of shrubs and trees are all suitable supports for clematis. Roses and clematis make exquisite part- ners, especially if the flowering times over- lap. In the Dean Bond Rose Garden, we have paired approximately 20 clematis with roses in that classic combination. We allow some clematis to sprawl up through large shrub roses; others intermingle with the climbing roses along the posts and chains. ‘Venosa Violacea’ has tepals with dark mauve to pur- ple edges progressing to white at the base, highlighted with violet veins running the length of the tepals. It pairs splendidly with white, pink, or even red roses. It is vigorous enough to wind its way through even the most aggressive climbing rose. F» i Above right: Clematis terni flora Below: ‘Ernest Markham’ Also in the Bond Rose Garden is Clematis texensis ‘Sir Trevor Lawrence’, which has vase-shaped young flowers that open into tulip- like blossoms. The tepals are dark purplish-red with bright red central bars. ‘Sir Trevor Lawrence’ flowers later than most roses so it gives a nice floral display after the roses have shed their blossoms. The Cosby Courtyard Garden of Kohlberg Hall is a relatively new garden with strong structure. A stone building surrounds the gar- den on three sides, and in the courtyard there are stone walls, flagstone paving and six tall wooden posts running its length. Each of these obelisks supports one or two vines, creating pillars of blossoms or foliage during the growing season. A large-flow- ered hybrid, Clematis ‘Ernest Markham’, covers one obelisk, attaching itself to wires screwed into the wooden post. In June, the post is ablaze with the petunia-red color of the 4- to 6-inch-diameter blossoms. Sweet autumn clematis, Clematis terni- flora (syn. C. maximowicziana ) is one of the easiest to grow. At the Arboretum it covers a wire support encircling the trunk of an old Austrian pine. In late summer, this vine is covered with small, star-like blossoms that have a distinctive, sweet-flo- ral fragrance. This is one of the most vig- orous clematis in the Delaware Valley. It should be cut back to 8 to 10 inches in late winter, but it can grow 10 to 15 feet in one season. Although the seedlings can be a nuisance, most gardeners tolerate the extra weeding in order to enjoy this flower’s fra- grance in September. Another vigorous grower is Clematis tangutica ‘Bill MacKenzie’. This cultivar has unusual bell-shaped, nodding yellow flowers with four thick tepals that are re- curved at the tip. It flowers in mid to late summer and has attractive silky, pompom seedheads that remain on the vine through autumn. Of the low-growing type, we include C. integrifolia , C. heracleifolia and C. recta in mixed borders or let them sprawl between floribunda roses and other shrubs. These herbaceous clematis, which reach Chinese Tree Peonies Antique Flowers Unrivaled in Beauty Visit us during our Peony Festival, mid to late May, and you’ll understand why gardeners through the centuries love them. Too busy or live too far away? Our 45 min. video, A Stroll Through Peony Heaven is now available, $30 postpaid. Visit our website or write for our color catalog - $3. Cricket Hill Garden-Peony Heaven 670 Walnut Hill Road, Dept. GS Thomaston, CT 06787 Shop online: www.treepeony.com • tel. 860-283-1042 Zhao's Phink 14 GREEN SCENE- aprii 2002 ■ When to Prune Clematis Aside from choosing plants from the vast clematis genus, gardeners can be daunted by the strict prun- Iing regimen of the many clematis “groups”. To simplify, pruning should be based on the flowering season of the plant. Clematis that flower early in the season (April to June) do so on wood that grew the previous year, so any pruning done in winter or spring would remove flowers for that growing season. These plants, if they need any pruning at all, should be done immediately after flowering. Clematis that bloom in mid-to-late summer flower on new wood and require annual pruning in late winter. Without pruning, the vines would just get longer and longer, and flowers would appear only at the tips of the long stems. The plant’s vigor determines how far to cut back. Some, such as the extremely vigorous viticella group, can be pruned to the lowest pair of buds or just above ground level each winter. Many large-flowered hybrids are less vigorous, and, depending on their support struc- ture, are pruned back several feet to a pair of healthy buds. To learn more about clematis and its respective pruning techniques, take out one of the many books on the subject available at the PHS McLean Library at 20c^ & Arch (Streets in Philadelphia, (215) 988- 8772, www.pennsylvaniahorticul- turalsociety.org -JJ ■ aprii 2002 * GREEN SCENE only 3 to 4 feet tall, die back to the ground each winter. They need to weave through or lean against surrounding plants for support. The Scott Arboretum plans to expand its collection of clematis by adding new hybrids from Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Poland and Japan. We’ll let many of these new vines grow through shrubs and scram- ble up trees, adding another dimension to the gardens of the Scott Arboretum. □ Jeff Jabco is director of grounds and coordinator of horticulture at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA. For more information, visit www. scottarboretum. org Professional Landscape Gardeners arde Design Installation Maintenance Has An EARTHY OBSESSION & Formal Gardens w Horticultural Consultation ■S’ Cottage Gardens 'V; Best Quality Plant Materials # Intimate Garden Rooms $5 Spring & Fall Clean-ups Natural Woodland Settings Problem Area Improvement Lush Inventive Designs Magnificent Basket, Container & Living Wreath Plantings Custom Designed maintenance Programs To Meet Your Needs * 215-862-5153 * A Visit to Meadowbrook Farm WILL DELIGHT YOUR SENSES! An inspirational place for your home and garden. ..ask our experts for ideas! We offer Superior quality and an unusual selection of: Annuals & hanging baskets Trees & shrubs including Gold Medal Plants Perennials, native plants & alpines Begonias, cactus & succulents Statuary, fountains & decorative pots Garden related gifts including bonsai, troughs & topiary We offer tours for horticultural groups April-October. Call for more information 10% discount to PHS members Meadowbrook Farm 1633 Washington Lane • Meadowbrook, PA 19046 • (215) 887-5900 15 Author with the lettuce ‘Black S. Simpson Story and Photography by Derek Fell I first became a gardener out of a desire to grow fresh vegetables. So when I purchased historic Cedaridge Farm in Bucks County to serve as an outdoor studio lor my pho- tography and garden writing, I eagerly set out to create a bountiful vegetable garden. The first plot I established at the farm contained only vegetables; it sits atop a sunny slope enclosed by a low wall measuring 20 by 30 feet. Made of rough fieldstone collected from crum- bling boundary walls, the wall not only serves as a barrier against rabbits and A Before - Raised beds newly planted... > After - The raised beds ready for harvest. After V The herb garden the season after planting. The newly planted herb garden... groundhogs, but also supports an area of level, well-drained soil. Aesthetically, the dry stone wall construction also helps maintain the historical integrity of the farm and its 200-year-old farmhouse. Over the years, my wife Carolyn and I have embellished the vegetable plot with an herb garden, several raised beds for growing root crops, a grape arbor, fruit orchard, berry borders, a melon patch and a corn patch. Indeed, it’s turned into an ambitious kitchen garden. PESTS & PROBLEMS Since deer visit the property almost every night, the low-walled garden is enclosed by a tall deer fence, using “invisi- ble” black netting strung from rustic cedar posts 8 feet high. In addition, a picket fence surrounds the entire kitchen garden, acting as a first line of defense. Though adult deer can jump the picket fence, they generally prefer to walk around it. The indigenous heavy-clay soil needed much improvement, which we accom- plished by mixing in well-rotted horse manure from local stables, along with gar- den compost from our own large compost bins. We garden without chemical sprays (neither synthetic nor organic — not even pyrethrum or rotenone), and we fertilize mostly by tilling in more garden compost and manure in fall and spring. We also use booster applications of Nitron 35 and Spray ‘n’ Gro organic fertilizer formula- tions. We rake the granular Nirron 35 into the upper soil surface in the spring, and apply Spray ‘n’ Gro, a foliar feed, onto established rows every two weeks with a back-pack sprayer. Though slugs and other insect pests sometimes plague the garden, we can usu- ally find an acceptable method of eradica- tion, such as hand-picking the slugs to deplete their populations. And when my teenage children discovered that sunfish like to eat Japanese beetles, they would race each other into the garden in the early morning to gather up as many beetles as possible. They threw the beetles onto the surface of our pond, and a veritable feed- ing frenzy would ensue. Goodbye beetles! PLANTING TRICKS AND TIPS We enjoy growing vegetables in contain- ers, especially mixing ornamental vegeta- bles like curly endive, parsley and ‘Bright Lights’ chard with flowering plants like coleus and cannas. Even in the main plots we strive for a decorative effect, partnering different colors of lettuce with different colors of cabbage, for example. Some years we grow as many as 20 distinct lettuce varieties, such as ‘Australian Yellow’, ‘Red Sails’, ‘Speckled Trout’, ‘Buttercrunch’, and five varieties of cabbage — including red, blue and savoyed varieties — to create a quilt design. My all-time favorite lettuce is slow-bolting ‘Sierra’, which remains edible for up to three weeks longer than other head lettuce I have tested. We grow root crops in raised beds of fine-textured soil. To establish these special beds, I double-dug the site to a depth of two spade spits, added well-decomposed compost and river sand, then passed the improved soil mix through fine screens to rid it of stones and weed roots. Then I returned the soil to the site, raising it 6 inches by means of boards as an edging. This resulted in fine, crumbly soil to a depth of 2 feet, which a perfect medium for growing even long tapering root crops like ‘Nutri-Red’ carrots, which we like for their deep red color, and ‘Punjab Purple’ carrots for the handsome mahogany skin. We cover the raised beds with bird netting, creating the perfect location for a patch of everbearing, day-neutral strawberry plants. We also practice rotation planting. For example, if we grow peppers and tomatoes in the main plot one year, we switch them to the sweet corn plot the next year, and the melon plot after that. We also practice succession planting: when an early crop of peas or bush beans is finished, the ground is prepared for a planting of quick-growing cucumbers, summer squash or broccoli. We confine perennial plantings of horse- radish, asparagus and rhubarb to the inside perimeter of the walled garden, with the odd clump occupying space within a Colonial-style herb garden incorporating a quadrant design. The Perfect Gift! (we’ll even send a gift card) Give a friend or loved one the gift of gardening. ..with a j subscription to Green Scene magazine! That’s 6 issues of GREAT GARDENING TIPS and CREATIVE OUTDOOR IDEAS, all perfect for gardeners on the East Coast. : / l GET SIX ISSUES FOR ONLY $16.95 (ONE YEAR) OR SAVE WITH 1 2 ISSUES (TWO YEARS) AT $32.95. Yes, sign me up for Green Scene magazine! □ 1 year Q 2 years □ Gift subscription Send subscription (and gift card) to: Name Address City/State Zip Gift from (if applies): Name Payment method □ check enclosed □ credit card Card# Exp. date Date: Mail to: Green Scene, PHS P.O. Box 82-1839 april 2002 • GREEN SCENE Philadelphia, PA 19182-1839 Potatoes of all shapes, sizes.. .and colors! A. ' ^ f-A y \ w yJm x / . M * oKCv' -v WybjrS / ' ' J 1 ■ . _ •*£ L 190 v I 1^, _ aHA THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS The vegetable garden remains productive even into winter months, since we seed parsley, spinach and arugula and other hardy greens into the raised beds in late August through early September, ensuring vigorous leafy clumps by the time frost strikes the garden. They often remain pro- ductive until Christmas without protection, and stay edible even longer with a covering of clear plastic draped above them. Visitors to the kitchen garden marvel at its health, neatness and bounty and invari- ably ask what happens to so much pro- duce. Little goes to waste, since we enjoy summer salads, but we mix most of the surplus into a big pot and boil it down into a rich vegetable soup that we freeze for consumption during the winter months. Also, we have discovered that nothing impresses a houseguest more than dining on the crunchy head lettuce they just admired in the garden. F2 Derek Fell wrote about the flower gardens at Cedaridge Farm in the April 2001 issue of Green Scene. Fie is the author of The Pennsylvania Gardener (Camino Press), with special chapters on growing vegetables, herbs and fruits. 20 GREEN SCENE • aprii 2002 ATTRACTIVE ARRANGEMENTS. Not just the flowers, but everything at Meadowood. From the appealing' country landscaping to the spacious, often custom-designed, apartments and cluster-style homes. The financial options are also attractive. Our residents guarantee their lifecare by entering Meadowood on one of the Declining Balance Plans or the 90 % Refundable Plan. Our “Couples Together” program is carefully considered for cases in which one spouse may need extra support services. Imagine a morning dip in our sunlit pool, an afternoon hand of bridge and a leisurely round of twilight golf at our club. Your weekend itinerary may include a concert, theatre trip or dinner out at the near- by William Penn Inn. Come see all of the conveniences that await you at Meadowood. Call the Marketing Department, today, at 610-584-1000. A Lifecare Retirement Community 3205 Skippack Pike PO Box 670 Worcester PA 19490 610-584-1000 Meadowood ^ G rations Countn Coming soon! Gracious, spacious Carriage Homes with garages, beautiful views, and choice of - amenities. Unprehedehted Experience .. * Personal Service s the IucFarlahd Way! WM 9 «> * <9PT , Irm v* . Vi - * '2* V ’ ••• • #,*• Call today to schedule a free professional consultation to review your property 215-844-TREE (8733) • 610-688-6644 • Fax:215-438-1879 www.mcfarlandtree.com Call for more information and our free catalog. 1-800-856-7948 Escort Ligliti no 51 North Elm Street Wemersville, PA 19565 Phone: 610-670-2517 Fax: 610-670-5170 I april 2002 • GREEN SCENE 21 Left: Philadelphia Department of Recreation staff Chuck Boyer, Tom Fox, and Tyrone Foster with Doris Gwaltney of Carroll Park Neighbors. 22 GREEN SCENE • apni 2002 Like a well-tended garden, a good partnership requires an investment of time and effort. And like a fruitful garden, a successful collaboration creates its own energy and produces its own rewards. Working together toward a common goal, each partner can accomplish much more than any one person or organization could hope to achieve alone. The whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. The power of partnership is clearly evident in Philadelphia Green’s Parks Revitalization Project. Begun in 1993 as a modest initiative involving three neighborhood parks, the proj- ect now involves over 40 parks throughout Philadelphia. Through the collaborative efforts of Philadelphia Green, the Philadelphia Department of Recreation, and dedicated vol- unteer groups, the project has had a dramatic impact, greatly improving the appearance of many parks and reclaiming them as an integral part of urban life. I april 2002 • GREEN SCENE 23 o 1 > Extending Rose Magic Throughout the Season Sfory by Reggie & Frank Thomas A perfectly healthy, chemical-free rose garden that's always in Monet- like bloom. ..a fairy tale? Maybe. But with selective choice of plants and proper pruning, you can create an organic rose garden that blooms for well over six months a year, even here in Zone 6. All it takes is the right roses planted in the right spot, and a little planning. Here are some tips to get you going. Left: ‘Carefree Beauty’ Right: Even on Halloween, there are roses in bloom. Here, ‘Country Dancer’ is highlighted against the hot orange-red berry of an Ilex verticlllata in tree form. Select a broad variety of roses for long sequential BLOOM. Most roses have a single, spectacular bloom of about two weeks, and if they do rebloom, the first bloom is the most spec- tacular. To extend this initial “wow” period to eight weeks, plant a variety of roses, so that the garden has several “waves” of bloom. The early May wave in our garden consists chiefly of the climbers ‘Cecile Brunner’, ‘Madame Alfred Carriere and ‘Erfurt’; the hybrid musk ‘Cornelia’; and several rugosas. A few weeks later, the second wave joins the first display, extend- ing it a bit. This second wave opens with the climbers ‘Alchemist’ and ‘Constance Spry’, and the Buck roses ‘Country Dancer’ and ‘Carefree Beauty’. This is followed by the long solo performance of ‘Dr. Walter Van Fleet’ and the David Austin roses. Select hearty roses that survive on neglect and no chemical spraying. Our Main Line garden is mostly planted with old roses and newer shrub or climbing roses. We avoid finicky hybrid teas. april 2002 • GREEN SCENE 29 In May, the author’s bird- house is awash in Rosa ‘Erfurt’. Underneath is a lush planting of ‘Golden Nugget’ barberry, ‘Mellow Yellow’ spirea, ‘Helen Von Stein’ lamb’s ears, purple ‘East Friesland’ salvia, and Viburnum dilatatum ‘Erie’. Then, in a June-to-early-July finale, the third wave opens with climbing ‘New Dawn’, followed by various new and old shrubs: the various Meidilands, ‘Bonica’, ‘Ballerina’, ‘The Fairy’ and ‘Sea Foam’ — and one last climber, ‘Autumn Sunset’. Well before their first bloom, we shear, by 1/2 foot or so, the inside portion of the rose circle so that the first flowers are on the outside of the shrub, and, when those blooms are finished, the sheared inner blooms begin. Because ‘Country Dancer’ blooms so prolifically, no one seems to notice that we have tampered with Mother Nature. Thereafter, the roses in the circle are always on a different cycle, so in a sense, the circle is ever-blooming. To keep it going, we usu- ally deadhead faded flowers. (If the shrubs grow too tall, the circle can be given a light shear, and then after a few weeks’ pause, they will bloom profusely again.) While we have never tried it, we sus- CONSIDER SHEARING. Instead of deadheading after the first bloom, we roughly shear bushes with a pair of trusty (and even rusty) pruning shears. This rough pruning serves two purposes: first, it saves time, and second, it encourages profuse growth of new foliage, making the garden look fresh again. While shearing may slightly delay rebloom, the sheared bushes will also rebloom at different times, creating sort of a tag team flowering throughout summer and fall. Put a favorite rose— one that reblooms the most and has the BEST FOLIAGE— IN A CENTRAL LOCATION. For me, this is the very pink ‘Country Dancer’, which can bloom from May 20th or so through November (or even to Christmas in warmer years), with a bit of special pruning. We have six ‘Country Dancer’ shrubs in a prominent circle in the garden. GREEN SCENE • aprii 2002 ■ - 30 In July, the same birdhouse bed sports Rosa The Climbing Fairy’, along with bright yellow daylilies, yel- low barberry, and the soft violet of Nepeta sibirica ‘Souvenir d’Andre Chaudron’. NO RESPECTABLE ROSE GARDEN SHOULD BE WITHOUT AN ARCH. On each side of our arch is a deep pink ‘Constance Spry planted with a pale pink ‘New Dawn’. Constance blooms spectacularly, then Constance and New Dawn bloom together for about one over-the-top week, and then throughout the remaining sum- mer and fall, ‘New Dawn’ reblooms on and off with wonderful foliage to mask Constance’s less-than-stellar old pect you could create the same continuous bloom with ‘Carefree Beauty’, another Buck Rose with a similar habit and good all- season foliage. foliage. It also contrasts nicely with the many summer and fall clematis planted on the arch. If we weren’t afraid the arch might collapse, we’d add the ever-rebloom- ing ‘Madame Alfred’ to the mix. Combine climbing roses with different bloom times, extending THE MAGIC THAT COMES WITH HEIGHT AND HIDING OLDER FOLIAGE. On our 25-foot rose wall, the early spring season kicks off with ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’, a hearty, white-scented rose that blooms regularly every few weeks until Thanksgiving. But alas, its foliage is sparse, so the once-blooming ‘Dr. Walter Van Fleet’ comes to the rescue, with its always-fabulous foliage. Still other favorite climbing combinations: • In a slightly shady site, early ‘Cecile Brunner’ followed by ‘Lavender Lassie’, with the flat stems and leaves of a climbing Schizophrcigma hydrangeoides growing in and around the two climbing roses. I april 2002 • GREEN SCENE 31 ‘Erfurt’ and then ‘The Fairy’ climbing over a tall birdhouse, keeping this a central feature for two months or so. COMBINING ROSES THROUGHOUT YOUR GARDEN Hide those rose legs and mid-summer rose blemishes with large perennials and other shrubs. Some of our favorite combinations include: • Hosta sieboldiana in a circle with ‘Country Dancer’, surrounded • by ‘Six Hills Giant’ nepeta. • Violet Buddleja ‘Lochinch’ planted around the tallish pink ‘Carefree Beauty’. The roses bloom first, and then the buddleia grows up, over and around the rose bushes, leaving the rose • blooms to dance above and among the buddleia’s “see through” foliage. By adding a front row of yellow barberry shrubs, with Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’ grasses at the feet of everything, this garden • corner always sparkles. Any yellow-leafed spirea in front of any leggy' David Austin rose. While I love the perfection of the Austin recurrent blooms, the summer and fall form of the Austin shrubs can be unattractive in an organic garden, requiring the distraction of other shrubs. Also, try the tall yellow rose ‘Graham Thomas’ with any purple buddleia. Yellow or purple barberry with white or pale pink roses. • Hydrangeas with almost any rose. Planting Hydrangea ‘Preziosa’, with early, pink or white roses ensures a long sequential bloom. First come the roses, then the soft-pink hydrangeas bloom, and finally the hydrangeas’ drying blooms of deeper pink, violet. Another example is a hedge of the late June Hydrangea serrata ‘Blue Deckle’, concealing the legs of a taller pink ‘Ballerina’ hedge rose (which has dreadful post-bloom foliage). Another row of yel- low Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’ grasses completes the picture, particu- larly in fall when ‘Ballerina’ reblooms and the hydrangea leaves deepen in color and throw off a few flowers here and there. Nepeta ‘Souvenir d’Andre Chaudron’ with any rose: the nepeta blooms tall, blooms late and blooms for weeks and weeks, hiding all sorts of rose foliage sins. Lots of clematis growing through climbing roses and rose hedges. While many books show roses and clematis bountifully blooming together, most clematis bloom for us at the quieter rose time toward the end of June and beginning of July (and later again in the fall). Hedges of roses with hedges of perennials. One favorite: a long hedge of peach ‘Cornelia’ with clematis, fronted by a hedge of tall blue hosta, white Allium nigrum , blue Siberian iris, and the orna- mental grass, Pennisetum ‘Little Bunny’. On the first day of May, Rosa ‘Cornelia - planted picturesquely along a wooden fence — frolics with Allium nigrum (syn. A. multibulbosum), hosta, and Siberian iris. I Willhite Seed Inc. Superior Quality Seed Over 400 varieties including watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, bean, corn, okra, peas, squash, etc. Wide selection of unusual Indian vegetable seed. Beautiful 64-page color catalog FREE ON REQUEST. P.O. Box 23, Poolville, TX 76487 817-599-8656 • www.willhiteseed.com HC i FARM! MfiKKETj l:F Tg Growers of Premier Garden Plants including Annuals, Perennials, Proven Winners & Garden Dahlias. Propagators of Zonal Geraniums. New Guinea Impatiens Hanging Baskets Growers of Holiday & Garden Plants Combination Garden Baskets Charles S Heal Jr. & Eric Heal visit us on the web rwww.cshealmarket.com1 1607 Salem Rd. Burlington Twp. NJ (609)386-9422 Fax: (609)386-9635 OPEN DAILY! Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30, Sat. & Sun. 9-5 We Can Deliver the Flowers ! The flower garland scarf, an exclusive design of the PA Horticultural Society. Inspired by the garlands of ancient Egypt, scarf is silk satin and 36 inches square. Colors work with all apparel. White or pale blue background. Give your neckline the treatment it deserves! $68 plus $5 shipping (PHS Member price $60) PHS Shoppe, 100 North 20th St - 5th fl Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 Phone Orders: Call 215-988-1613. Send to: Name Address City State Zip Phone number of scarves ordered □ Check (payable to PHS) □ PHS Member □ Charge to: □ VISA □ Mastercard Card # Exp. Date Cardholder Name Signature PAYMENT INFORMATION THE ROSE THAT EVERYONE CAN GROW™ Full bush with masses of blooms. Easy care with no-fuss pruning. Quick repeat blooming from Spring to Fall. Available at leading garden centers this spring! Ask for them by name! J april 2002 • GREEN SCENE 33 Right: In early May, ‘Cecile Brunner’ steals the show S over the kitchen door, but just on the right, you can see § ‘Alchemist’ just starting to bloom. And over in the far •- right and above is the climber ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’. » In June, ‘New Dawn’ will then bloom on this wall. In this S’ garden, the rose show is all about clever succession planting. Below: A close-up of ‘Alchemist’ Dubbed “The Long Rose Run,” this magnificent view in mid- June includes the following roses: ‘New Dawn’, ‘Bonica’, ‘Erfurt’, ‘Carefree Beauty’, and ‘White Meidiland’. Grow a iate-season rose in several different ways, creating the illusion of DIFFERENT ROSES ALWAYS IN BLOOM. There are fewer late roses to choose from, but ‘The Fairy’ is one that seems to bloom all summer, with very short pauses, particularly if you plant a hedge of it in one place, a climbing form of it in another, and a standard in a third place. Don't sweat the beetles. Japanese beetles come furiously after the fourth of July and leave by the end of August. If you have sheared most of your roses, then when they rebloom, it is a little later in the beetle season and the bugs are not as bothersome. In the mean- time the daylilies, hydrangea, grasses, phlox, and other summer perennials and shrubs are at their peak. Don't forget that fourth season. While we have roses blooming for a full seven months a year (May to November), our climbing and shrub roses are also winter stars, providing won- derful, eye-catching structure and catching the occasional snowfall. Never one to be outdone, our “ever-blooming circle of ’Country Dancer’ blooms with white lights throughout the dark winter. S3 Reggie Thomas started to garden in the late 1 980s. She is a partner in Family Wealth Management at the law firm of Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll, Philadelphia. Her husband, Frank Thomas, is also a lawyer in Philadelphia. CENTER CITY’S ONLY FULL SERVICE GARDEN CENTER T • 9 • - 4V.; " Photo: Residential, Summer 2001. Fine Garden Creations, Landscape and Garden Design, Installations, and Tree Work FINE GARDEN CREATIONS • 610-338-0630 • info@finegardencreations.com www.finegardencreations.com Annuals & Perennials Trees & Shrubs Imported Pottery LANDSCAPING BY EXPERTS EVERYTHING FOR INDOOR & OUTDOOR GARDENING HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS AT WHOLESALE PRICES Over 5000 Plants in Stock at all Times From 6" Pots for the Windowsill to 15" Tall Specimens PLANT RENTALS COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL 1233 BAINBRIDGE STREET ONE BLOCK OFF S. BROAD STREET OPEN 7 DAYS 21 5-545-5044 april 2002 • GREEN SCENE WE DELIVER! 35 Jerry Pavia SAVORING HERBS * tail end of the season, "I and I was anxious to see a large population o at peak bloom and £ observe the diversity of size, form and color. After hours of driving on complete- ly deserted roads through these high mountains, we were not disappointed. Large patches of TV. alpestris were indeed at their prime, rang- ing from 4-inch-tall miniatures to standard size, colored pure white to distinctly yellow, but all facing downward with typi- cal goose necks. We spent the second night in the Val d’Aran, where new ski resorts are proliferating. I wanted to revisit some mountain- sides where I had seen hybrids between TV. abscissas and TV. poeticus. Unfortunately, several years of heavy cattle grazing had eliminated almost all the daffodils front the slope. Animal grazing takes an even bigger toll on daffodils in the Pyrenees than the ski industry, with its massive villages and lifts. Nowhere is this more apparent than at Superbagneres on the French side, where a huge hotel sits atop the mountain and skiers fly down the steep slopes all winter without harming the bulbs beneath. During the years that sheep grazed here, however, almost no bulbs flowered and the foliage was cropped close to the ground. The next morning’s deep fog and drizzle did not keep us from searching out TV. poeticus in the Valle d’Oueil outside of Luchon. Every form and size of poet can be found there, from rwisty and spidery to flat and round, but always with dead white petals, a green eye and yellow corona edged in bright red. On our way towards Mt. Louis, an ancient walled town near the main road into Andorra, we visited a cave with pre- historic paintings but found no daffodils. Towards dusk we stopped for the night at a tiny auberge at the Col du Port, where 1 expected to see TV. pallidiflorus. (This is the “Straw Colored Daffodil” mentioned in John Parkinson’s 17^-cen- tury book, Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Ter res tr is.) The next day, sadly, we found only heavily grazed turf and one small stand of foliage under a prickly shrub. We continued towards Mt. Louis to view the legendary poet fields surround- ing the city. Twice before, I had arrived too early to see the poets in bloom. This year, I had the right season, but the fields had disappeared entirely, giving way to cow pastures or new construction. On a happier note, our last day was bright and sunny and filled with daffodils. The Val d’Incles in Andorra remains vir- tually unchanged since my first visit in 1989. There, we enjoyed a picnic lunch ‘T9 on a hillside surround- pa/lidiflonis. h waned a fitting ending to our daffodil fling for v ; 2001. Top: Narcissus bicolor in the French Pyrenees. Bottom: Poet field in the Val d’Oueil. By Kathryn Andersen GREEN SCENE • aprii 2002 ■ V 9 38 V Thumbs Up to A Green Thumb! The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s celebrated Suburban Greening Award recognizes the best gardeners in the tri-state area. Give a thumbs up and nominate your favorite community group or volunteer gardener who has made your neighborhood a little greener. Bryn Maivr Community Park Garden Borough of Ambler Main Street Planting Nominees must: 1 . maintain a public space planting (public parks, Main Street planters, gateways, traffic islands, or commercial ventures) in suburban Philadelphia, New Jersey or Delaware 2. be an enthusiastic, active garden club, civic organization, community group or individual For more information please call Flossie Narducci at 215-988-8897 or email fnarducc@pennhort.org www. pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org Sponsored by ^*0RT'ct/ mV m Suburban Greening Award THE 55TH ANNUAL WILMINGTON GARDEN DAY A Tour Of Distinctive Gardens and Homes FOR INFORMATION: (302) 428-6172 or www.gardenday. org I april 2002 • GREEN SCENE i Antique & Contemporary Ornaments for the Connoisseur’s Garden Elizabeth Schumacher's garden ^ Accents 4 Union Hill Road • Wesl Conshohocken, PA 19428 610 . 825 . 5525 • wtvw.garden-accent.com Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 5:00 pm Mention this ad to receive a free portfolio ( $2 postage & handling) GS 39 AMERICA’S #1 GROUND COVER ROSE The EASY-CARE™ A, Rose that blooms month after month Available at 4 leac|ing garden ^ centers this spring. For your nearest Flower Carpet {g retailer, call ^ 1-800-580-5930. 435 W7. Oletiside Avenue Glenside, PA 1Q038 215 837 7500 vV>r>i Bringing you the best in personal service and knowledge for over 5Q years. Gardening enthusiasts and landscape professionals throughout the area have come to depend on Pnmex for an outstanding selection of horticultural products. Come find out why! (gs-u ‘perenniah Pleasures QP* fa garden-inspired' sfwp Visit us at the Chester County Flower Show at QVC Studios, April 18-21 Furnishings and accessories for the inspired home & garden Reproduction antique & contemporary garden ornaments & structures Rich assortment of planters, pots and vases Choice selection of hard-to-find plants Botanically correct" artificial stems, plants and trees Wide range of gifts for all occasions April 2002 Grand Opening of our all new 1000 square foot Garden Courtyard Voted Best of Main Line and Western Suburbs 2001 Best Carden Accent Shop Main l.inr Tcxtc\> Magazine 312 Business Route 30 across from Exton Mall • Exton, PA 19341 610.594.6696 Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10:00 am - 8:00 pm • Sun. Noon - 5:00 pm 40 GREEN SCENE • aprii 2002 ■ | Transform your Yard into a Personal Paradise Many services Avant Gardens offers include: if Landscape design and ornamental plantings i’ Ponds, fountains and waterfalls %’ Specialized gardens including herb gardens, perennial borders, shade and fern gardens, English cottage gardens and naturalized wildflower gardens Avant Gardens also covers a variety of outdoor construction services: e Masonry such as flagstone patios, walks, steps and garden walls of stone i’ Brick and belgian block walkways i’ Decks, trellises, arbors and play structures %’ Ambient and safety lighting i’ Stone installation, cleaning and renovation Call 21 5-634-6332 for a free consultation University of Cambridge Summer Study Program for Sldudts July 14 - 27, 2002 LEARN at the University of Cambridge with distinguished Cambridge faculty. LIVE in residence at beautiful Downing College. Most rooms have private bath. CURRICULUM tailored to the interests of adults who are looking for a unique educational and cultural experience. COURSES: • Castles and Cathedrals • British Gardens • Oscar Wilde • The Elizabethan Age • The Churchill Years Credit is available. For brochure write or call . . . Office of Cooperating Colleges 714 Sassafras St., Erie, Pennsylvania 16501 Ph. (814) 456-0757 Fax: (814) 453-5502 www.cssp.net A Step of Faith Choosing a new com- munity is a big step. At Presbyl lomes & Services, your step of faith will be matched by one of our own. Our residential living, assisted living and healthcare services are grounded in a faith- based commitment to provide the highest quality of care to older adults of all backgrounds and faiths. It’s a com- mitment backed by a half-century of service. Call today, and experi- ence the Presby differ- ence. PresbyHomes&ServjcgS A ministry to older adults by the Presbytery of Philadelphia Rydal Park • Rosemont Presbyterian Village • Broomall Presbyterian Village Spring Mill Presbyterian Village • Emily A. Marble Health Center ■ HUD Communities Tollfree: 1.877.9PRESBY www.presbyhomes.org pur garden is your sanctuary... come to CMeOstardi' s for distinctive plants, expertise and inspiration . ■ aprii 2002 • GREEN SCENE 41 ANTIQUE BOOKS RARE & PREVIOUSLY OWNED BOOKS ON HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL PRINTS - Bought and Sold Polly Goldstein 37 Lochwood Ln. West Chester, PA 1 9380 (610) 436-9796 E-mail: GrannyPol@aol.com BUSINESS FOR SALE GARDEN CENTER AND GIFT SHOP Main Line location includes valuable real estate offering opportunity for growth or development. Very profitable with potential for rapid growth. SUNBELT NETWORK 610-941-2177 GARDEN SHOPS MARANO GARDENS, LLC (formerly Fort Washington Garden Mart) A family owned garden center serving area since 1960, offering an extensive selection of plants and containers. • Beautiful hanging baskets, mixed garden containers. • Dwarf conifers and alpine troughs. • Culinary and medicinal herbs. • Cutting edge annuals, tropicals and peren- nials, including the Beds & Borders line. • Ornamental trees and shrubs, emphasizing native varieties and PHS Gold Medal winners. MARANO GARDENS, LLC 488 Bethlehem Pike Ft. Washington, PA 19034 215-646-3336 Minutes north of Chestnut Hill, or 4 miles from the Blue Route. BONSELL’S NURSERY Choose from our large selection of high quality trees, shrubs, and perennials, many grown at our nursery. Including 2002 PHS Gold Medal Winners Physocarpus o. ‘Diablo’ Buxux s. ‘Vardar Valley’ Conveniently Located near 309 & the PA turnpike. Open Mon-Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5 1245 Fort Washington Ave. Fort Washington, PA 215-643-2418 GARDEN ROAD GREENHOUSE Unusual annuals, 500 Varieties perennials and flowering shrubs, Herbs, Roses, Combination baskets, and Containers. Take Rt. 55 South to Exit 35B, 60 West 3 miles to: 402 Garden Road Pittsgrove, NJ 856-358-3032 Jerry Fritz Garden Design, Inc. Presents Linden Hill Gardens Featuring an extensive collection of cutting edge plants from the world’s most respected nurseries. Exceptionally Planted Earthenware Source for 2002 Gold Medal Winners 10% discount for Cardholding PHS members Spring Plant Event Weekends 10am to 5pm April 13 and 14 May 4 and 5 May 11 and 12 June 1 and 2 June 22 and 23 Phone for our complete schedule of Behind-the -Scenes Tours, Garden Walks, and Plant Events 8230 Easton Road (Route 611) Ottsville, Bucks County Pennsylvania 18942 phone: 610-847-1300 fax: 610-847-1324 GARDEN STRUCTURES HANDCRAFTED IRON GARDEN STRUCTURES Arbors, Trellises, & Gates in the tradition of elegance, beauty and permanence. Full Color Catalog $5 The Painted Garden, Inc. 304 Edge Hill Road Glenside, PA 19038 (215) 884-7378 HERITAGE STONE & MARBLE We are an installation and restoration com- pany who emphasizes long lasting quality with outstanding craftsmanship. FLAGSTONE, BRICK-patios and walkways, COBBLESTONE-edging and paving, STONE walls, RETAINING walls, MARBLE, GRANITE-floors, walls, countertops. (215) 699-5611 Upper Gwynedd, Pa. GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Sales and Service Janco, Lord & Burnham and more. Call Robert J. LaRouche at Glass Enclosures Unlimited (610) 687-2444 THE SUNWORKS CORPORATION • Greenhouse Sales: Residential, Commercial and Institutional. • Installations: Of greenhouses from any man- ufacturer, shading and ventilation systems. • Maintenance: Reglazing, reskinning, paint- ing, cleaning. Emergency repairs. Call (302) 655-5772, ask for John Klein WROUGHT IRON REVIVALS Specializing In Garden and Patio Furniture Restoration Free pick and Delivery Conshohocken, PA 610-941-3508 LANDSCAPE DESIGN S. Edgar David and Associates Landscape Architects Site Planning and Garden Design Outdoor Spaces, Lighting, Pools, Ecological Restoration Transforming the landscape with innovative solutions Design Studio 610-584-5941 Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc. A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN/BUILD FIRM Experts in Landscape Renovation, Naturalistic and Classic Formal Gardens. Landscape Construction, Unique Patios, Terraces, Creative Stone Work, and Landscape Lighting. Major Award Winning Exhibitor Philadelphia Flower Show. 610.520.2025 215.887.1773 www. burkebrothers. com LINDA CORSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN •Consulting •Plans •Supervision Registered Landscape Architect Member ASLA 215-247-5619 42 GREEN SCENE • apdi 2002 ■ r- Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. • Landscape Architects & Contractors • Formal/Period/Naturalistic Gardens • Creating outdoor living spaces of distinction • Master Plans/Phased projects • Let us make your desires become reality P.O. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1 -800-ELA-9252 David Brothers Landscape Services Bean Road Nursery Architects, Builders and Nurserymen Providing the Fine Art of Garden Construction and Landscape Restoration (215)247-2992 (610)584-1550 (610)525-3232 Green Team Gardeners Assurance of Fine Gardens Vicki Fox 215-482-1058 Bill Hengst 215-438-9438 562 Hermit Street, Philadelphia, PA 19128 Fax:215-482-9063 Email: VickBrick@aol.com DONALD PELL GARDEN SERVICES Creating & maintaining gardens with expert horticultural craftsmanship. View our portfolio of landscape designs online at www.donaldpell.com or call 610.917.1385 for a brochure and consultation. LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE ANDREW C. BECK LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE A Dependable Source for All Your Landscape Needs. Serving CHESTNUT HILL & MONTGOMERY COUNTY • Lawn Mowing • Garden Care, Mulching, Planting • Tree & Shrub Pruning • Organic Fertilization & Aeration • Spring & Fall Clean up • Property Management Insured 215-233-9401 References Awbury Landscape Services, Inc. A subsidiary of Awbury Arboretum Association Provides Lawn Maintenance, Spring and Fall Clean-up, Plant Installation, Bed Preparation and Mulching, Tree Planting, Pruning and Removal. One Time or Yearly Service Contracts. Contact Steve Pascavitch at (215) 849-2855 ext. 24 april 2002 • GREEN SCENE Sharon Marsocco Gardening Creating Beautiful Gardens Specializing in Perennial Maintenance, Containers, and Garden Makeovers. References (215) 285-5495 James Farr Landscape (215) 778-2325 Large plant transplanting \ll plants hand dug, balled and burlaped, the old fashioned way. Some plants available: • Southern magnolia ‘Edith Bogues’ (20-25ft) ($3140) • Kousa dogwood (1 6-1 8ft)($1 680) • Weeping Elm (20ft wide) ($1640) • Swiss-stone pines (14-1 8ft) ($2860) • Lacebark pines (16 to 20ft) ($2320) • American hollies (15 to 18ft) ($2640) • Rapendens yew (8 to 1 0ft) ($940) azaleas (10ft) • rhododendron • yews, etc. Instant privacy, plants in scale with existing landscape. MULCH PINE NEEDLE MULCH Won’t change soil pH Wholesale and retail FLOWERS BY THE YARD 610-701-9283 renee52@erols.com RESTORATION REED’S WOODS, INC. QUALITY WORK AT A FAIR PRICE Custom Builder Restorations, Remodeling Greenhouses Springhouse Restorations Decks, Carpentry & Landscape Structures Jamie Reed 2125 Bodine Road Malvern, PA 19355 (610) 827-9663 43 SHADE PLANTS SHADE PLANT OPEN HOUSES APRIL 13, APRIL 27, MAY 18 (highlighting hostas and ferns) & JUNE 8, 2002, 10AM - 3PM, RAIN OR SHINE Carolyn’s Shade Gardens in Bryn Mawr, PA Over 200 varieties of perennials for shade for sale and displayed throughout several acres of gardens. Showy and colorful flowering plants that thrive in full shade. Native Plants, Hostas, Ferns, Wildflowers, Anemones, Corydalis, Epimediums, Hardy Cyclamen, Hellebores, Pulmonaria Call 610-525-4664 for a plant list and directions. TREE SERVICE TREE TRANSFERS, INC. Large Tree Transplanting and Sales Machine and Specialized Hand Digging Dealers and Locators of Large Horticultural Specimens Mature Screening and Shade Trees Assessing and Renovating Mature Collection and Estate Gardens Plant Material Purchased (215) 635-2310 Tree Transplanting & Sales • Machine & hand digging • Supply & install specimen plants • Locate/Purchase mature trees • Why Wait for mother nature? Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. P.O. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-ELA-9252 UNUSUAL SPECIMENS HOSTA Over 1 00 varieties Assorted perennials, Ferns, shade plants. Michael’s Country Nursery 165 Tuckertown Road Medford, NJ 856-983-6512 RARE & UNUSUAL PLANTS • Specimen plants • Pond plants • Bonsai • Orchids • Hardy cacti • Tropicals • Sculptured trees and shrubs • Perennials • Unique Flower and gift shop. MUTSCHLERS’ FLORIST & RARE PLANTS 1-800-242-9438 www.mutschlers.com Classifieds BACKYARD Tt\UpS ■Pov fUe Te^ncUev “What happens to all those flowers and plants after the Show?” It’s a question that comes up every year at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and each exhibitor has his or her own answer. While some trees and woody plants can be returned to nurseries, most flowering plants, especially bulbs, have been forced into bloom outside of their normal season and must be thrown away. But when a local teacher posed that question a few years ago to Tom and Karen Snyder ol the Netherlands American Business Association, a special col- laboration was born. The teacher, Barbara Rosenzweig, wanted to use the spent bulbs from the Netherlands American exhibit to teach her sixth graders about plant biology. Rosenzweig teaches life science at Upper Moreland Middle School in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. An avid gardener, she knew a good angiospernt when she saw one. She had sometimes brought tulips and daffodils from her own garden for students to study in their “angiospernt lab.” But she never had a sufficient variety or enough flowers for all 10 classes taught by herself and fellow teacher, Paula Dawson. “Hands-on experiences are so important in teaching,” says Rosenzweig. “You can tell students that a bulb is a storage mechanism for the plant, but when they can see it and handle it, that’s when it really begins to make sense to them." In the classroom, the students examine the bare bulbs, identifying the differ- ent parts of the flowers, diagramming and dissecting them to get a better under- standing of how plants function. “Thanks to the Snyders, we now have enough plants for each group of students to study a number of species,” says Rosenzweig. It wasn’t hard to convince Tom Snyder, whose business is based in Abington, to donate the bulbs to the nearby school. “It’s a ‘win-win’ situation,” says Snyder. “It’s a great solution to the problem of what to do with our Flower Show bulbs, and it’s a great experience for the kids.” — -Jane Carroll Drawing by Katie Schuman \aJ 'AT VaJ vV<<\ CS-TV\;vOe r p-e+cM \ at www.tripleoaks .com Triple Oaks Nursery And Herb Garden - Delsea Drive - Franklinville. NJ - (856)-694-4272 - vvvvvv.tripleoaks.com Proprietary Unparalleled Personalized Networking Estate Research Investment Service Opportunities Planning Experience We understand that while all investors may share the same basic goal, how you achieve your goal differs. Our low client-to-advisor ratio ensures you get the care, time and attention to detail you expect. Plus, our Women's Financial Services Network offers seminars to help you make better-informed decisions. All of which helps you reach the most important goal of all. Your future. For more information, call 215-585-5438, or visit www.pncadvisors.com. ©PMC Advisors The Thinking Behind The Money II ©2000 The PNC Financial Services Group. Inc. PNC Advisors is a service mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., for investment management, banking and fiduciary services. I > k/ i. V0\ *00 THE PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY JUNE 2002 -$5.00 COLOR COMBINATIONS GARRETT CHURCHILL A LANDSCAPE DESIGN & BUILD COMPANY The mission of Garrett Churc hill is quite simply to create an outdoor environment that allows our clients to enjoy their properties hy showcasing their individual lifestyles or corporate culture. I his mission is accomplished through creative design/ huild services as well as enlightened horticultural and management practices. Associated Landscape l an Contractors of America ■ SITE DEVELOPMENT/PLANNING ■ EANDSCAPE DESIGN ■ LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION ■ horticultural SERVICES/MANAGEMENT ■ LANDSCAPE LIGHTING ■ AQUATIC GARDENS ■ WATER FEATURES DSCAPF (x Nursery American Nursery (x Association Landscape Association For more information please check out our website at www.garretteburcbill.com E-mail mfo@garrettcburcbill.com 1509 Edge Hill Road ' Abington, Pennsylvania 19001 ' 215-884-3766 ' Fax 215-884-3672 Photo: Residential, Late Summer 2001 Fine Garden Creations, Inc Landscape and Garden Design, Installations, and Tree Work FINE GARDEN CREATIONS • 610-338-0630 • info@finegardencreations.com www.finegardencreations.com Cathedral Village 22 Years of Achievement Committed to. . . R .esident Satisfaction.. .starting with our own dining program that offers flexibility, choices, and a distinctive presentation of meals prepared by our Executive Chef, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. C K^reativity. . .which is reflected in the vibrancy of our award-winning retirement community. The atmosphere at Cathedral Village is frequently compared to a vacation resort. i, YITlOVatlOn. . .which has resulted in our trend-setting Health Club and Fitness Program, our expansive Greenhouse and Horticultural Program, and much more. Vis ision.. .an on-going process that anticipates changing trends in future residents’ expectations and establishes tomorrow’s new standards. Our vision has earned us certification as a Retirement Resort™, our reward for not accepting the norm. yah 'aiue. . .which has earned us a reputation of providing more types of care and services for your dollar than any other community. Compare and see what real value means! Visit us Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Appointments are encouraged for weekdays and are necessary on weekends. A Nonprofit, Nondenominational CCRC Cathedral Village 600 East Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128 (215) 984-8622 Website: www.cathedralvillage.com 1=1 Equal Housing Opportunit) Certified Member Affiliated with the Jefferson Health System FEATURES • 10 The Elements of Combining Color Noted author Sydney Eddison instructs us on the basics of com- bining color in the garden. From tints to tones and every color of the rainbow in between, here are the ground rules for this exciting area ot garden design. 16 Color in Containers Container gardening is hot, hot, hot, so what would be more apro- pos than a look at using pots in our never-ending quest to find the perfect color combination. Light and portable, containers give hor- ticultural color blending a kind of mobility unavailable to those who plant in the earth itself. Join the photographic team ot Alan and Linda Detrick for a wonderful photo essay on this subject. 22 A Perenn i a I Favorite Stephanie Cohen is known far and wide for her expertise on perennials, as well as her colorful lectures on the subject. But what does this expert plantsperson’s own garden look like? In this special Green Scene garden visit, crafted by writer/photographer Rob Cardillo, you will get a personal tour through Stephanie’s magical garden, where subtle combinations of hue abound and delight the senses. 30 Enchanting Chanticleer For daring color combinations, look no further than the complex bedding schemes at Chanticleer, a pleasure garden in Wayne, PA. Here, executive director Chris Woods displays photographs of sev- eral uncanny — and unconventional — color combinations, each compelling in its own way. COLUMNS 37 Savoring Herbs: Blending Basils by Alexandra Basinski 39 Organic Matters: The Natural Lawn by Rob Cardillo 40 Beguiling B ulbs: Cultivating Clivias by Kathryn Andersen 42 Cl ossified Ads 44 B ackyard: Pondering Pink The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society motivates people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture. Cover Photo of Iris pseudacorus and Lupinus ‘Russell Hybrids’ by Steve Silk O PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER june 2002 • GREEN SCENE 3 GREE44 Editor Pete Prown Associate Editor Jane Carroll Publications Assistant Laurie Fitzpatrick Art Design Baxendells' Graphic Publications Committee Stephanie Cohen Alan Detrick Linda Detrick Beverly Fitts Anne Kellett, ex officio Adam Levine Jennifer Lin Marby Sparkman Bill Stieg L. Wilbur Zimmerman Printer ALCOM Printing Group, Inc. THE PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 100 N. 20th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 (215) 988-8800 Chair Anne Kellett President Jane G. Pepper Executive Vice President J. Blaine Bonham, Jr. PHS Membership Information Linda Davis, (215) 988-8776 Display Ads Kim Richards at Manzo Communications, (610) 527-7047 kim4manzocomm@aot.com Classified Ads and Subscription Services Laurie Fitzpatrick, (215) 988-8769 lfitzpat@pennhort.org Ask A Gardener Phone Line (215) 988-8777, Monday through Friday, 9:30 to 12 [closed in December] askagardener@pennhort.org Web Site www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org GREEN SCENE (USPS 955580), Volume 30. No. 3. is published bi-monthly (February, April, June. August, October, December) by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, a non-profit member organiza- tion at 100 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103- 1495. Subscription: $16.95. Single Copy: $3.00 (plus $2.00 shipping). Second-class postage paid at Philadelphia, PA 19103. POSTMASTER Send address change to GREEN SCENE. 100 N. 20th St., Philadelphia. PA 19103. © Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 2002 GREEN SCENE subscriptions are part of the membership benefits for: Cox Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ Horticultural Society of Maryland. Baltimore Horticultural Society of New York Phipps Conservatory. Inc., Pittsburgh. PA Staten Island Botanical Garden, Inc. New York LANDSCAPE & DESIGN SERVICES Design • Installation • Maintenance • Residential • Commercial Registered Landscape Architects & Designers 914 Baltimore Pike, Concordville, PA 19331 610.459.2400 • www.styers.com Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd. ilii iili Mil Itlli SViMMiflBMIl 125 WEST MINER STREET WESTCHESTER, PA 19382 610-692-9112 \ 4 GREEN SCENE, june 2002 ■ Considering Color Combining color is among the most rewarding — and challenging — -areas of garden artistry. It’s one thing to stick some plants in the ground and make them thrive; it’s quite another to make them relate to each other in a harmonious composi- tion. And that’s what color combinations are all about: turning your garden into a unified tableau that pleases the eye. In my early gardening years, I stumbled upon the power of color combinations quite by accident. The first time came one spring when my tulips — planted the previous autumn — sprouted from the cool earth. There, right in front of my living room win- dow, was a simply horrifying clash of soft pink and hot sherbet-orange blossoms. Some six months earlier, I had spent a fall afternoon happily digging a few packs of bulbs into the ground, thinking little of what would happen the following May. But now I knew — a queasy cacophony of color. The second lesson followed shortly there- after when a neighbor complimented me on having the foresight to plant a bright yellow iris in close proximity to a Euonymous fortunei shrub, which echoed the iris’ bold yellow in its own leaf margins. I thanked her and, like any good gardener, took humble credit for plan- ning a “color echo” (nods to author Pamela Harper, who coined this term and wrote a use- ful book with that title). But secretly, 1 made a mental note about the power of placing relat- ed hues near each other. Both incidents made me think of my garden not as a collection of individual plants, but as a larger picture wait- ing to be composed. So where does one start when learning to use color? Some planters will play it safe with a sim- ple “think pink” scheme from spring ‘til fall, essentially banning all hot colors (yellows, oranges, and all the many reds) from their beds and working with a palette of pinks, blues, vio- lets, and whites. For a romantic look, this works extremely well. More daring folks will try complete color conversions throughout the months, timing I ■ june 2002 . GREEN SCENE their plant colorings to shift from cool to hot depending on the month. For example, your spring display could be filled with blue scilla, white daffodils, soft pink tulips, and purple rhododendrons, until mid-summer brings on hot yellow rudbeckia and daylilies, rocket-red cosmos and snapdragons, and fiery orange Mexican sunflowers [Tithonia sp.). Then later in the summer, the cool colors of asters, sedum, cleome, and boltonia can weave their way back into the scheme. Sounds tricky, but with a bit of planning, this type of daredevil coloring can be accomplished quite successful- *y- And this is just the tip of the paintbrush. Color combinations can involve your own personal color blends at any time of the year. One can also use container plants to keep the chromatic display constantly changing, or skip the blossoms altogether and work on mixing complex arrays of green foliage. Indeed, there are zillions of green shades to experiment with. And don’t forget the true color zealot, who will rip out any plant that hits a disharmonious note and throw it on the compost pile without batting an eyelash. After 5 all, to the garden colorist, it’s the whole com- position that matters. In this special issue of Green Scene , we’ll hit on several of these “colorful” themes. Noted author Sydney Eddison will fill us in on the basics of garden color, while Chris Woods of Chanticleer in will take us to the other extreme, showing off the virtuosic combina- tions at that cutting-edge garden. We ll also give you stories on using containers, using classic “cottage” colors, and a special visit to the home garden of plantswoman and educa- tor Stephanie Cohen, well-known for her deft handling of color, scale, and texture. So get out your color wheels and start thinking about the differences between pur- ple, violet, lavender, and magenta, and how each relates to, say, canary yellow. At the end of the day, it’s this kind of subtle understand- ing of color that separates great ornamental gardeners from the merely good ones. //}'//' //hmy/ email: greenscene@pennhort.org I Above & Left: A dazzling display of color harmony, here is a melange of electric-fuchsia geraniums (a), salmon-pink coral bells (b), blue-pink pincussion flowers (c), white-pink Penstemon ‘Husker Red’ (d) and vio- let Campanula persicifolia ‘Telham Beauty’ (e), with purple foxgloves (f) and bright lemon-green Sedum acre (g) in the distance. Above: Stunning in simplicity, but masterful in effect, this combination of a deep pink Aubrieta ‘Royal Blue’ with the feathery white- green blossoms of a Tiarella cordifolia ‘Running Tapestry’ works perfectly against this rustic stone wall. Story by Terry Jones / Photos by Pete Prown ven the most jaded garden modernist can’t help but swoon over the thought of a cottage with abundant flower borders beckoning you outdoors. One such abode exists in a small town west of Philadelphia, where its owner carefully tends the gardens, always keeping an eye on the color scheme surrounding this 1 920s Arts & Crafts cottage. COTTAGE COLORS 2002. GREEN SCENE THE POTTING SHED COLORING BOOKS Visit the McLean Library to take out these essential books on color in the garden, or use the Books-by-Mail service for PHS members (more information below): • The Bold & Brilliant Garden • The Flamboyant Garden Sarah Raven, 1999 Elisabeth Sheldon, 1997 (Adams Media Corp.). (Henry Holt). • Color by Design: Planting the • The Gardener’s Book of Contemporary Garden Color: Creating Contrasts, Nori and Sandra Pope, 1 998 Harmonies, and Multicolor (SOMA Books). Themes in Your Garden Andrew Lawson, 1996 • Color Echoes: Harmonizing (Reader’s Digest Assoc.). Color in the Garden Pamela J. Harper, • The Gardener’s Palette 1994 (Macmillan). John Dale, 1 992 (Harmony Books). • Color for Adventurous Gardeners • The Gardener’s Palette Christopher Lloyd, 2001 Jenny Hardy, 1 998 (Firefly Books). (Knickerbocker Press). • Color in Garden Design • Gardening with Light & Color Sandra Austin, 1998 Marylyn Abbott, 2000 (Taunton Press). (Kyle Cathie Ltd.). • Colorful Gardens: Contrast & • The Harmonious Garden: Combine Your Plants & Color, Form, and Texture Flowers for Spectacular Catherine Ziegler, 1 996 Visual Effects Modeste (Timber Press). Herwig, 1994 (Sterling). —Jane Ailing The PHS McLean Library is located at 100 N. 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA. telephone: (215) 988-8772 • email: mcleanlibrary@pennhort.org • website: www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety. org 1) Subtle color echoes abound on this rocky ledge next to the patio. At the base, an unknown magenta gerani- um and the light pink Geranium sanguineum var. striatum lead the eye upwards to a parade of rosy coral bell spikes at the summit. 2) In May, white bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’) fills the foreground, while the muted violet hues of a mature wisteria explode on the pergola. 3) A study in subtlety, the white-green blossom of this astilbe is framed beautifully by the cottage’s tawny stucco walls. 4) Behind the garage sits this border brimming with hostas, coral bells, penstemon, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ roses, hardy geraniums, campanula, pulmonaria, and bleeding heart, with tall hollyhock foliage looming in the back- ground. Note the focal point of a red Dianthus, one of the rare bursts of hot color in this otherwise cool planting scheme. Of the numerous foxgloves, which re-seed readily, the gardener says, “I tend to let volunteers stay in place if they are vigorous and look good — they can often pre- sent happy color combina- tions. Gardening can some- times seem like a struggle with nature, but I find it comforting that no matter what we do, nature is in charge.. .and has pretty good taste, to boot.” 5) A long view of the sunken garden in May. & OTTAGE COLORS Story by Sydney Eddison Photography by Steve Silk DISCOVERIES MADE IN THE 17th CENTURY by the great British physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, are still causing gardeners no end of headaches. Sooner or later, if you enjoy playing with color in the garden, you are bound to encounter Newton’s theories about light. In 1666, he proved that white light contains all the col- ors of the rainbow. His breakthrough experiment involved intercepting a sunbeam with a glass prism. To his great sat- isfaction, the prism separated the light into its respective colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. He described these colors as the “solar spectrum” and drew, in pen and ink, a circle divided into wedges showing their rela- tionships to each other. Prior to Newton’s light demonstration, ideas about color had been based on pigments, like those used by artists. The consensus had always been that pigments were the source of color, making apples red and sunflowers yellow. So when this young upstart — Newton was a 23- year-old instructor at Cambridge University — informed the establishment that color was not a property of pigment, but of light, its members remained skeptical. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, color is “the sensation resulting from stimulation of the retina of the eye by light waves of certain lengths.” Scientists today still have many questions about color. But for gardeners and artists, it is 10 p-^ vm ^ r^V /S 3L HIPPIE PB* %i?* < jl ty .A * F J \ii^*: «L * m *S H -\ Itm If J 9 V Jr jbH K^jjT1 A WJ more important to know what a color looks like than what it is, and to under- stand its relationship to other colors. While Sir Isaac Newton continued to explore the mysteries of light and color vision, a French engraver, Jacques Christophe Le Blon was busy inventing color printing. In the process, he discov- ered that all other colors can be mixed from red, yellow, and blue — the so-called “primaries.” Twenty years later, an English engraver named Moses Harris provided artists with the first full-color diagram of a color wheel. 12 iL If you are wondering what all this has to do with gardening, be patient for just a lit- tle longer. Using color in the garden is all about color relationships. That’s where the color wheel comes in. Like Newton before him, Harris based his color wheel on the arrangement of hues in the rainbow: red next to orange next to yellow next to green and so on around the circle. Being an artist, he noticed that orange bore a family likeness to both its parents, red and yellow, and therefore, belonged between them. Now, this should be of interest to gar- deners because likeness is the fundamental ingredient in harmony , which is one of two basic ways of using color in the garden. In addition, Harris observed that colors that appear opposite each other on the color wheel are as different from each other as colors can get. And difference is the under- lying principle in contrast, the other basic technique for using color in the garden. So there you have color theory for gardeners in a nut shell: contrast and harmony. A $6 color wheel, available at any art store, will provide you with additional information, plus a great deal of fun. On one side, you will find descriptions of color schemes using both contrast and harmony. They are all worth trying. Even the con- trasts are harmonious, if you interpret “harmony” as a pleasing, orderly arrange- ment of colors. Take your pick from surefire attention- getters like contrasting “complementary” pairs. “Complementary colors” are those directly opposite one another on the color wheel. The classic pairs are red and green; yellow and violet; blue and orange. Complementary pairs, used at full strength, are a way of generating interest and excitement. They are employed again and again on book covers, calendars, and GREEN SCENE • june 2002 | catalogs. If they work here, they will work in containers, flower arrangements, and in the garden. “Analogous” colors, which are next to each other on the color wheel and share a common pigment, are easily compatible because of their similarities. Try adjacent colors, such as red with red-orange for a “warm” color harmony; or violet with blue-violet for a “cool” harmony. Although warm and cool are not physi- cal attributes of color, we all get the idea. The hot colors are red, orange, and yellow because they remind us of embers, flame, and the heat of the yellow sun. The so- called cool colors — green, blue, and violet — suggest soothing shade and distant mountaintops. Warm colors make for bright, cheerful color schemes and a lively garden. Cool colors offer a more restful atmos- phere. Fortunately, the vocabulary of color is non-technical and easy to master. In painting, any color with white added is called a tint, a color with gray added, a tone-, and a color with black added, a shade. Although gar- den colors are premixed by nature and infinite in number, the terms still work. The pink of shrub rose 'Bonica’ is a tint of red, while the red of the barberry Berberis thunbergii Atropurpurea Nana’ is a tone, and the deep black-red of the tulip 'Queen of Night’ is a shade. Tints, tones, and shades are modified versions of each color and, as such, incred- ibly useful to gardeners. These modified colors can be employed to temper combi- nations that might otherwise be garish. For instance, the effect of the three primaries Coleus and marigolds with Anchusa capensis. s C"C HEM v JAK' • iTimr mmm ifV * 't mm f' . Vi K " Vi if f wax' a i L IV j| >J'£»\/ jjg ft J J> jl a5* -* VpI /\ w ^JtXi ^ ^1|* ipr^i \iy 4B rf * "W t ^n H •*g- »y |m\ 1 fl ' I'll ^ ^gg >v %3 Jud together — red, yellow, and blue — can be blinding. However, as pastel tints of pink, primrose, and pale blue, they make a love- ly ensemble. Soft neutral tones have a dual role in the garden: to set off other colors on the one hand, or to reduce their intensity on the other. Intermingled with tints, tones, and shades of green, silver foliage can be count- ed upon to calm even the most lurid color scheme. Most of our so-called “silver” foliage plants are actually tones of gray- green or a grayish blue-green. These grayed colors are wonderful with the pastels because they don’t overpower them. They are also perfect foils for bright colors. As color preference is such a personal matter, laying down the law about colors and color schemes in the garden would be rushing in where angels fear to tread. Your garden is one place where the only thing you ought to do is please yourself. It’s your garden and should reflect your personal color sensibility. If you respond to contrasting color com- binations, go for the complementaries. If gentle harmonies of lavender, mauve, and violet suit you better, all well and good. If | june 2002 • GREEN SCENE you are a one-of-every-color sort of gar- dener, nature is on your side, providing cool green leaves to tie the disparate hues together. And if you are restrained by nature, a monochromatic scheme using shades, tints, and tones of a single color may be just your cup of tea. If you don’t know what kind of garden- er you are or what your color preferences are, experiment. Play with the color wheel. Try some of the suggested combinations and put them to the test in containers. Container color schemes have the advan- tage of being moveable and temporary. You are never stuck with your mistakes. And while were on the subject of mistakes, never be afraid to make them. Some of the best color schemes are happy accidents. The most important thing about color in the garden is to enjoy it and not worry too much about what goes with what. After all, a good color combination is a color combination that you like. 53 Sydney Eddison is a former drama teacher and scene designer, veteran gardener, and author of several books, including The Gardener’s Palette: Exploring Color in the Garden. 15 Above: Purple kale and heliotrope make a cooling combination. Opposite page: A fiery orange dahlia with the purple-pink of Verbena bonarlensis. All photographs by Alan and Linda Detrick, except where noted / . ... . b - j f V r ~ 1 m — 1* \ If $ > W|\V T jy i ~ 1 IT* > ■ »> • . • j/ s . - j * » ~-.. I - * — v. . \ , --4 L ■ ^ ■ ■ ■ ' ess > 1 GREEN SCENE, june 2002 ■ — - LEFT: An homage to the Dutch mod- ernist painter Mondrian, this entryway and container display from the Chelsea Flower Show is awash with hot, primary colors. Within this combi- nation are impatiens, ‘Solar Gold’ marigold, Canna indica, Agapanthus ‘Blue Giant’, red pelargoniums, and yellow hollyhocks. Containers combinations aren’t just for in-ground gardens — they look fab in containers, too. Better still, you can change combinations more readily with pots, since they’re portable. Try lavender blos- soms with silver foliage one week, and when you get bored, pair the lavender with another pot containing soft yellows, pinks, or blues. And that’s the best part of all — the possibili- ties are as endless as your sup- june 2002 • GREEN SCENE 17 i I RIGHT: Created by Philadelphia Flower Show Executive Committee vice- chair Midge Ingersoll in her New Jersey garden, here is a stunning wall container of white impatiens with a variegated coleus that has maroon leaves with chartreuse margins. BELOW: Hot colors abound in this container of orange and yellow Lantana ‘Spreading Sunset’, mixed with the beet-colored coleus, Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Red Creeper’. Pete Prown ABOVE: The red-violet hues of Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ draw the eye in this cool combination of purples and silvers. Completing the composition is the silver-leafed Plectranthus argentatus, the red- centered vinca Catharanthus roseus ‘Pink Polka Dot’, and the eggplant-shaded foliage of Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ (upper right). LEFT: For a dash of the understated, abandon primary colors and embrace the world of silver. In this pot at Longwood Gardens, you can observe a rosemary plant surrounded by a germander (Teucrium cossonii ‘Marjoricum’, at left) with feathery silver-blue leaves and, at bottom, the silver-green leaves of the gummy snapdragon ( Antirrhinum hispanicum syn. glutinosum ) from Spain. june 2002 • GREEN SCENE 19 BELOW: From chartreuse green to pink to maroon and beyond, there’s a shade of coleus for everyone. It’s an indispensable container plant for our region. 53 ABOVE: A riot of tropical pizzazz, this container is brimming with canna, petunias, caladiums, marigolds, pentas, coleus and more. RIGHT: A windowbox overflowing with verbena, Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ and an unknown clematis, with a brilliant red pelargonium splashed on top. 435 W. GlensiJo Avenue Glenside, PA 1Q03& 215 387 7500 Bringing you the best in persona I service and knowledge for over 5Q years. Gardening enthusiasts and landscape professionals throughout the area have come to depend on Primex for an outstanding selection of horticultural products. Come find out why! Hours thru July 31 Monday - Friday 8:00-5:30 Saturday 8:00-4:00 Sunday 10:00-3:00 Closed July 4th Hours thru June 30 Monday - Friday 7:30-6:00 Saturday 8:00-5:00 Sunday 10:00-5:00 U'SMm Tropical garden planters and selected work by other artists Wine and Cheese Reception Friday, June 28, 2002 from 6-9pm Showing through July Curated by s Unique Garden Antiques, Art, Ornaments, Furniture & Architecture for Fine Gardens Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 1 0:30-5:30pm INE GARDEN CREATIONS. i. 7 South Chester Road, Swarthmore, PA 19081, 610.338.0630 phone Lithographs by the late june 2002 • GREEN SCENE Story and Photography by Rob Cardillo “Color is personal,” quips Stephanie Cohen, the diminutive duchess of perennial gardening, while standing next to one of the most vibrant entryway gardens in the Delaware Valley. “And if it pleases you to mix red, magenta and orange flowers together in your border, then you should Tf —i CD O o_ o Left: A sublime blend of Ipomea, Pelargonium and marigolds )[ just go ahead and do it — the horticulture police won’t come and take you away!” She adds “But if those strong colors are used with imagination and skill, you might end up with a knockout display that everyone loves.” Co Q_ O O O n cz — s Go CO CD~ ~o ZT~ Q 13 CD* o o CD jpqp 'if r f % f At • _ Above: Clary sage (Salvia sclarea) makes a great color foil for just about anything. One look at her front garden should convince you that Stephanie has a big green thumb. Her doorway garden in June is an impressionistic wash of soft yel- lows, bright purples and cheery pinks underscored with boldly textured foliage plants in tones of gray and green. Only four years old, it’s already been fea- tured in Better Homes and Gardens. It’s just one of the many attractive beds and borders you’ll find at her two-acre Collegeville home, which she’s dubbed Shortwood Gardens, a wry reflection on her diminu- tive height. It’s not that Stephanie thinks that red, magenta and orange are the wrong color choices for flowering perennials, it’s just that they are the three most diffi- cult shades for garden designers to work with. They easily overwhelm other hues and clash with each other when placed too close. But when these bold col- ors are used with a light hand and a little discretion, they can add a lot of spice and variety to any garden. As Stephanie likes to say, “There are no bad colors, only bad uses of color.” With such fresh remarks and a degree in horticul- ture from Temple University Ambler, Stephanie has been educating and entertaining students, profession- als and just plain gardeners in the classroom and on the road. Her bookings as a speaker have taken her from Maine to Oregon, and on special occasions, she even impersonates the noted garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, complete with period costume and mirthful tales. When she and her husband first moved into their suburban home, Stephanie enlisted the talents of Pete Moscufo of Piedmont Designs in Kimberton to help her create a spectacular landscape. After considerable discussion, they came up with a formal plan for the front garden with specific patterns of repeating colors. Less traditional foundation plantings included oak leaf hydrangea ( Hydrangea quercifolid), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) , and Spirea, while the bluestone pavers were hugged by low-growing dianthus, mounding grasses and ornamental strawberry (Fragaria sp.) . Not willing to wait for everything to grow in, Stephanie added another 200 to 300 plants once the landscapers left. Because she likes to continually redesign areas and test new plants each year, Stephanie and Peter conceived the backyard as a series of smaller and larger geo- metric plots woven together with a pink-gray gravel path. Each plot has its own theme, such as ornamental edibles or unusual herbs or plants that don’t get too tall (or at least taller than Stephanie), but every part has been installed with a keen eye to how colors work together for maximum impact. “I don’t really have any hard and fast rules for using color,” she reassures us, “just some thoughts.” For instance, if your daily life is stressful, Stephanie sug- gests using lots of pastel-toned flowers to help soothe and calm your mind. Pastels also become a little luminous at twilight, which is nice if you don’t often see your garden until after dark. 24 GREEN SCENE • june 2002 y rfafi - 4 y m js JTvvC ^3f ^xW 4p K / >•••! ^aflgg ■>Ai •• '^M»R igKtjK t vHjjKH^m ^ yflHKk . *^22*2^, i '-•'si ; MHn^l fi w >. w» *» J%&v ** - SKra^nLi^: On the other hand, if you want to be excited and ener- gized by your perennial plant- ings, go wild with the bolder shades. Stronger hues also tend to appear closer than pastels, and that makes them an asset in big gardens where too many pastels might just recede into the background. And although we associate some colors like blue and green with men and other colors like pink and yel- low with women, good garden designers should know how to use them all. Stephanie also suggests organizing your perennials to maximize and reflect the natu- ral color combinations of all three seasons. Spring suggests soft, less showy colors such as the pale yellow of Cornelian cherry dogwood ( Cornus mas, a PHS Gold Medal Plant), the soft blue of Virginia bluebells (. Mertensia pulmonarioides), and the pure white of bloodroot (. Sanguinaria canadensis). Most spring bloomers fall into this laid-back palette but you can certainly jazz it up judiciously by adding hot-colored daffodils, tulips, and crocuses. By June, the mix of colors is “pizzazzier” all by itself with the appearance of deep yellows, bright reds, and bold blues and purples that also show up in the natural landscape. When perennial gardens hit the doldrums in late summer and early fall, Stephanie tells us that that’s the time to let annuals take the stage. She’s found some wonderful bedding plants to fill in the gaps such as 'Lemon Gem’ and 'Orange Gem’ marigolds, Zinnia angnstifolia and Angelonia angustifolia , a big favorite of hers, which looks as good as any flowering perennial in her garden. Containers packed with color can also come to the rescue during this slow peri- od. These "moveable gardens” are perfect for placing near perennials that become shabby or go completely dormant. Above: Coreopsis and larkspur. Opposite Top: Intertwining Clematis ‘Polish Spirit’ and Lonicera semper- virens hold their pastel colors for a long time and help soften the edges of a wooden pergola. Bottom Left: In July, the goemetrically configured back gardens become a showcase of color and texture to complement the gray birdhouse arch and the terra cotta pots and sculptures. Bottom Right: Abutilon, Osteospermum, and Centradenia. ■ june 2002 . GREEN SCENE 27 In fall (“The last hurrah” as she puts it), Stephanie likes to imitate the colors of the changing trees and grasses — the yellows, oranges, reds and earth tones — and use perennials that have those same colors in their blooms. “In essence, you’re bringing the tree colors down to the ground,” she says. So if your maples turn buttery yel- low, have some goldenrod ( Solidago sp.) nearby to echo those rich autumnal tones. You can then complement that combo with a blue or purple aster or even some chrysanthemums. Of course, she always warns about the dangers of catching “mumitis” — the uncreative overuse of these autumn standards seen in too many home landscapes. Stephanie’s eclectic tastes also include the world of colorful vegetables and herbs. You’ll likely spot ruby red Swiss chard, tiny white eggplant, big blocky purple peppers and the ever-popular sweet potato vines ( Ipomoea batatas) pop- ping up in unexpected places throughout her perennial borders. “Americans tend too much to be separatists. Why not mix and match?” she says. “And besides, if you don’t like the look of vegetables growing in your perennial garden, just eat them!” Getting color in shady areas is also much easier these days with so many great perennials to choose from. She likes to use the more brightly colored ones (like chartreuse and variegated hostas) in the deepest shade to give these dark corners the feel of sunshine. Standard green hostas might work better near the sunnier edges. And tying everything together requires the mediating influences of good foliage plants that range from deep green to blue green to chartreuse and purple. Grays are especially helpful in an area where “the colors are giving you a migraine or make you want to wear sun- glasses.” And don’t forget to keep in mind other dominant colors in the nearby landscape, such as the color of your home. A white house works with any shade whereas a red brick house might limit your choices. Stephanie’s blue and gray home exterior seems to work well with a wide range of plants. Foundation plantings (those right against the house) should closely comple- ment your home’s exterior — you can then get a little wilder as you plant further away. Similar consideration should be given to other garden features such as furniture, sheds, trellises and the like. Keep these in color synch with your garden blooms unless you want them to become inten- tional focal points. Reminding us that with perennials, the whole garden cannot be in flower at the same time, Stephanie suggests planning for little garden vignettes of interest that last for several weeks each. And never be afraid to experiment. If a small shrub or peren- nial doesn’t look right, yank it up and try it somewhere else. She ll keep moving a plant around her garden until she finds the spot where the color and foliage make sense. And if it eventually dies, so be it — it’s just a part of her continuing edu- cation. “You don’t really know a plant until you’ve killed it,” she winks. 53 Chinese Tree Peonies Antique Flowers Unrivaled in Beauty Visit us during our Peony Festival, mid to late May, and you’ll understand why gardeners through the centuries love them. Too busy or live too far away? Our 45 min. video, A Stroll Through Peony Heaven is now available, $30 postpaid. Visit our website or write for our color catalog - $3. Cricket Hill Garden-Peony Heaven fv 670 Walnut Hill Road, Dept. GS Thomaston, CT 06787 Shop online: www.treepeony.com • tel. 860-283-1042 y f Experience the community of Dunwoody Village Wherever you are in Dunwoody Village, there’s a special feeling you get. It starts the minute you enter the grounds and follows you wherever you go - whether you’re strolling through the gardens, grabbing a quick bite in the commissary, or enjoying a show. It’s the feeling of friendship, caring and above all, community, and it shines in -all aspects of Village life, every day of the year. i Dunwoody VILLAGE The Retirement Community for people who enjoy living 3500 WEST CHESTER PIKE NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA 19073-4168 CALL 1-800-DUNWOODY or visit us at www.dunwoody.org 28 GREEN SCENE, june 2002 ■ | Florals, Landscapes Commissions accepted phone: 61 0.668.1 185 online gallery: www.shelleypicker.com Make Your Web Browser Come To Life! We've worked long and hard to make Tripleoaks.com a one-stop site for all things horticultural! Point your browser this way for info about trees and shrubs, recipies for herbs, and gardening articles by Lorraine Kiefer. Don't stop at our website. The nursery offers: - Rare and Native Trees and Shrubs - Extensive Ornamental Grass Collection - Hundreds of varieties of Herbs - Unusual Carniverious Plants - Bulbs - Unusual gifts - Full Service Garden Center And don't forget, we carry many PHS Gold- Medal winning plants every year. Triple Oaks Nursery & Herb Garden - Delsea Drive - Franklinville, NJ (856)-694-3696 www.tripleoaks.com native plant nursery june 2002 • GREEN SCENE 29 The striped leaves of canna and the rich purple blossom of glory bush ( Tibouchina sp.) BRAVE BLENDS Pushing the Limits of Color at Chanticleer Story by Chris Woods Although the beds and borders at Chanticleer, a pleasure garden in Wayne, PA, are indeed quite colorful, their main colors are the blue of the sky and the green of leaves. In fact, we do not design for color exclusively — it is the whole presence of the plant that intrigues us and color is but one attribute. The texture and shape of the plant, its fragrance or its season may even be more important. But it is the sum all of these factors that creates the uncommon color combinations that are so often found in our plantings. 30 GREEN SCENE • june2002 ABOVE LEFT: The yellow throat of Indian pink ( Spigelia marilandica ) corresponds with the soft yellow of Iris ‘Glory of Aki’. ABOVE RIGHT: Spring simple: creeping phlox ( Phlox subulata ) and the cowslip ( Primula elatior subsp. leucophylla) . LEFT: If in doubt, plant green! The varie- gated white and green foliage of the hardy mile-a-minute plant (Fallopia japonica var. compacta ‘Milk Boy’) against the finely texture backdrop of the miniature date palm (Phoenix roebelenii). GREEN SCENE • june 2002 BRAVE BLENDS ABOVE: A beautiful soft yellow clematis with the brown “sticks” of cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea). LEFT: Silver reigns supreme in the Tea Cup Garden, where a large aloe plant (Agave americana) harmonizes elegantly with the blue-gray fescue grass (F estuca var. glauca). The dark purple foliage ot Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ provides a superb contrast behind the aloe. 33 BRAVE BLENDS ABOVE: Take a seat in the garden. A purple chair surrounded by brown-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia tnloba). BELOW RIGHT: The green “berries” of pokeweed (Phytolacca americana ) hang down on pink stems above this salmon-pink canna. 13 For visiting information, contact: Chanticleer, 786 Church Rd., Wayne, PA (610) 687-4163, www.chanticleergarden.org PRUNING PROBLEMS ? Please visit my website for all your pruning questions at: www.pruningmattersl23.com or fax your questions to me, Fran West at: 410-332-0270 I specialize in pruning shrubs and small trees. A Visit to Meadowbrook Farm WILL DELIGHT YOUR SENSES! An inspirational place for your home and garden. ..ask our experts for ideas! We offer Superior quality and an unusual selection of: • Annuals & hanging baskets • Trees & shrubs including Gold Medal Plants • Perennials, native plants & alpines • Begonias, cactus & succulents • Statuary, fountains & decorative pots • Garden related gifts including bonsai, troughs & topiary • We offer tours for horticultural groups April-October. Call for more information • 10% discount to PHS members Meadowbrook Farm 1633 Washington Lane • Meadowbrook, PA 19046 • (215) 887-5900 Make every homecoming special. To make your outdoor area even more enjoyable this summer, Walpole has everything from arbors, trellis and garden furniture, to mailboxes, lantern posts, window boxes, and handcrafted fence. Call for our free Selections brochure, 973-539-3555. Woodworkers® Quality Fence Since 1933 540 Tabor Road, Rt. 10W at 53N, Morris Plains, NJ Old World Craftsmanship New World Technology Distinctive illumination for your garden. Locally designed and crafted in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Call for more information and our free catalog. 1-800-856-7948 Escort Ligliti llg 51 North Elm Street Wemersville, PA 19565 Phone: 610-670-2517 Fax: 610-670-5170 ■ june2002 . GREEN SCENE 35 CHANTICLEER jyfkosure^ Open April through October Wednesday - Saturday 10 to 5 Fridays until 8pm during June, July and August 786 Church Road Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 610/687-4163 www.chanticleergarden.org Antique & Contemporary Ornaments for the Connoisseur’s Garden 4 Union Hill Road West Conshohocken, PA 19428 610.825.5525 \wv\v.garden-accent.com Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 5:00 pm Elizabeth Schumacher's gardiSjpcents ATTRACTIVE ARRANGEMENTS. Not just the flowers, but everything at Meadowood. From the appealing country landscaping to the spacious, often custom-designed, apartments and cluster-style homes. The financial options are also attractive. Our residents guarantee their lifecare by entering Meadowood on one of the Declining Balance Plans or the 90 % Refundable Plan. Our “Couples Together” program is carefully considered for cases in which one spouse may need extra support services. Imagine a morning dip in our sunlit pool, an afternoon hand of bridge and a leisurely round of twilight golf at our club. Your weekend itinerary may include a concert, theatre trip or dinner out at the near- by William Penn Inn. Come see all of the conveniences that await you at Meadowood. Call the Marketing Department, today, at 610-584-1000. Meadowood 4^ Gracious Country Hiving A Lifecare Retirement Community 3205 Skippack Pike PO Box 670 Worcester PA 19490 610-584-1000 Coming soon! Gracious, spacious Carriage Homes with garages, beautiful views, and choice of amenities. DAYLILIES GALORE!! Buy bareroot daylilies from our website. We ship from May through September. Over 100 varieties available. Visit our garden center from May through July for potted daylilies, other long blooming perennials, flowering shrubs and roses See our website to order plants, see color photos and descriptions, a farm tour, daylily information, map and directions. Thomas Daylily Farm thomasdaylily.com 380 Fairview Road, Glenmoore PA (610) 942-3817 From Rte 30 in Downingtown take Rte 322W toward Honey Brook, turn North on Rte 82, turn nght on Fairview Road and go 1 5 miles to our sign From Rte 100, take Rte 401 West 1 mile to Fairview Road, turn left and go 5 miles Tnpk Exit 23 then N to 401. 36 GREEN SCENE • june 2002 SAVORING yellows (marigold, nastur- g tium), and blues (the annual 2- Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria g5 Blue). These plants grow 5 about 24 inches high and 15 inches wide. Q I" For containers or edging, 2. try ‘Spicy Globe’ or ‘Green g" Bouquet’. These are round- ly ed, compact plants with ? bright green tiny leaves. They grow 8 to 12 inches high by 12 inches wide. As for growing culture, basil ( Ocimum basilicum) is an annual that is easily started from seed indoors or directly in the garden. Plant in light, well-drained soil in full sun and keep well watered during dry periods. Pinch out the growing tips starting at about 6 inches to encourage bushy plants and prevent flowering. What could be easier? E3 SOURCES Mostardi Primex Garden Center Waterloo Gardens Newtown Square, PA Nursery Devon, PA, (610) 293-0800 (610) 356-8035 Glenside, PA, (215) 887-7500 (also in Exton, PA) rp Triple Oaks Nursery Franklinville, NJ, (856) 694-4272 ■ june 2002 * GREEN SCENE 37 By Alexandra Basinski ^our garden is your sanctuary... come to ^Aiostardi' s for distinctive plants, expertise and inspiration. Furnishings and accessories for the inspired home & garden Reproduction antique & contemporary garden ornaments & structures Outdoor furniture including LaneVenture This beautiful handwoven synthetic wicke with deep-seated cushions is completely impervious id 'Weather Rich assortment of planters, pots and vases Join us June 17 through 30 * to celebrate our 2^ amversary and our newest honor: "Botanically correct" artificial plants, trees & stems - custom design BEST OF MAIN LINE 2002!!! Best Home & Carden Accent Shop Main Line Today Magazine Best of Main Line 2001 Best Carden Accent Shop Wide range of gifts for all occasions ♦TAKE 20 % OFF ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN STOCK 312 Business Route 30 across from Exton Mall . Exton, PA 19341 . 610.594.6696 • Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10:00 am-8:00 pm . Sun. Noon-5:00 pm LANDSCAPING BY EXPER EVERYTHING FOR INDOC & OUTDOOR GARDENIN - . HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS A WHOLESALE PRICES Over 5000 Plants in Stock at all Tin From 6" Pots for the Windowsill to Tall Specimens Bid PLANT RENTALS COMMERCIAL - RESIDENT!! 1233 BAINBRIDGE STREB ONE BLOCK OFF S. BROAD STREET j OPEN 7 DAYS 215-545-5044 WE DELIVER! 1 38 ORGANIC MATTERS (^A ns [like my lawn for what it is — a tenacious and imperfect medley of biodiversity. You’ll find ample amounts of clover, plantain, chickweed, ground ivy and, if you look closely, some ryes and fescues down there some- where. It’s low input (which means a mowing now and then) and provides a pleasant enough foil for the ornamental beds and borders that it weaves through and connects. It went brown and played dead during the big drought of 1999 but sprang up just fine the next season. And it even sends me a lit- tle thank you now and then, such as the dainty patch of slen- der speedwell ( Veronica filiformis ) pictured at right. But most of the time, it’s just a neutral green backdrop lor the major garden players to stand against and belt out their arias. Still, for many others — including the suburban lawn barons who live near me — the lawn is the main show. They ache for that finely textured, all one shade, weed-free, monocultured tapestry that’s rarely seen outside of goll courses. And often, their neighborhood associations demand such a manicured standard. Now I don’t mind people’s passion lor perfection at all, except that it’s very possibly hurting me and you and our children, pets, wildlife, water and soil. It’s the lawn chemicals, ol course. As Madge the manicurist might have said, “We’re soaking in them.” Overuse of herbicides, pesticides, fungi- cides and fertilizers pose real health dangers to those nearby and are a growing part ol nonpoint source pollution (i.e., through natural, underground water systems) of our already burdened streams and rivers. Now I may stand a little apart from my organic brethren and say that there may be circumstances that warrant heavy- duty chemical intervention, such as when insects are eating my house or seriously threatening an old revered tree. But the exceptions for me are few and far between. What’s frightening is how easily available some of these chemicals are, how fre- quently they are applied to lawns by untrained people, and how so many half-used bags and bottles of this stuff end up in landfills. Enough ranting. Let’s get positive! There are ways to reach for that green perfection without poisoning the neighbor- hood. It’s simple. Keep the mower blade high (3 to 4 inches) to encourage good root development and to keep weed seeds from sprouting. Keep it sharp to discourage ragged leaves which invite disease. When your old mower dies, buy a mulching model that leaves the nitrogen rich clippings on your lawn as nutrients. Water thoroughly but infrequently (except in years of drought restrictions). Swear oil the herbi- cides and pesticides. And rent a power aerator and power dethatcher to get your soil breathing again. To keep your lawn on its health kick, get your soil tested before applying any fertilizer. If needed, use an organic fertil- izer such as compost, pelletized mushroom soil or liquid sea- weed spray. Control grub infestations with milky spore, ben- eficial nematodes or by inviting more birds into your yard. Use one ol the corn-based herbicides if necessary. Replant new areas with native turf or sturdy ground covers. Hire an organ- ic lawn care company if your time is short. (They’re in the phonebook.) And think of ways to reduce the overall size of your lawn. Accept a little imperfection with the results and maybe your lawn will send you a bouquet of thanks, too. 0 Rob Cardillo is a Pennsylvania-based garden writer and photog- rapher. His work has appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Organic Gardening, Country Living Gardener, and many other publications. ONLINE RESOURCES Organic Lawn Care www.organic-lawn-care.com/ Extremely Green Lawn Company www.extremelygreen.com june 2002 • GREEN SCENE 39 By Rob Cardillo ING BULBS ‘folivias, (.odfuj \ s usual, visitors oohed and aahed over huge con- tainers of glorious clivias, both orange and pale yellow types, at the 2002 Philadelphia Flower a*’®" a™3 Show. A few years ago yellow clivias were all the rage. A magnificent container of Clivia miniata citrinius, the yellow one, sold for over $1,000 in 1981 at the first Delaware Center for Horticulture Rare Plant Auction. Today, C. miniata , the orange one, is produced by the thou- sands in Canada for the U.S. mass market where a blooming plant may sell lor less than $20. But just wait! Soon, newer colors and forms will be readily available. The ancestry of these can all be traced back to four species native to southern Africa: C. miniata , C. nobilis, C. caulescent and C. gardenii. Unlike C. miniata , the latter three have blooms that are tubular and pendant. In their native habitat, clivias grow in rather dry conditions in loose soil or leal litter. Recently, though, huge clivia plants have been dis- covered growing in a swamp, and clivia enthusiasts are still and ( tomorrow debating whether they should be regarded as a new species or a giant form of C. miniata. The South Africans as well as the Japanese have made extensive crosses between C. miniata and the other species. By utilizing yellow forms of one or both par- ents, hybridizers have been able to develop delightful colors in the progeny. These interspecific hybrids seem more vigorous than either parent and exhibit bloom forms midway between the parents. Naturally occurring interspecific hybrids can be seen in many California gardens, where clivias of all types are used in landscaping. South African, Japanese and California hybridizers are interested in extending the color range of clivias. The yellows are approaching butter yellow, pastels are tending towards paler and more luscious shades, and reds are becoming more vibrant. Now there are bicolors, green throats, and baby pinks, but the quest is still on for a true white. For a dazzling look at what is now available, contact Conway’s Clivias. Dave Conway offers choice plants, and if you put his CD-ROM in your computer, you will definitely feel yourself reaching for the checkbook. Interest is also developing in variegated plants. Leaves with lengthwise stripes of either yellow or white are readily avail- able in specialty garden shops. This variegation does not appear to be completely stable. One leaf can differ from another, and offsets may be entirely different from the parent. The Chinese and, to a lesser extent the Japanese, have also taken an interest in developing the form of the plant. Dwarf Daruma clivias have short, very wide leaves that emerge one directly on top of another. Blunt tipped leaves are favored over pointed ones, and slightly puckered leaves are preferred to those that are smooth and flat. For Japanese cultivars, see Mr. Shigetaka Sasaki’s website: www.col.ne.jp/-shige/. Watch for the definitive book Clivia by Prof. Harold Koopowitz of the University of California at Irvine, which Timber Press will release this fall. And for extra pleasure, join the Clivia Society. Dues are $20 per year and members receive a colorful and informative publication and can participate in an annual seed sale. Indeed, there’s no time like the present to begin investigating this fascinating genus of bulbs. 53 Clivias Society Joy Woodward, Secretary P.O. Box 53219 Kenilworth 7745 Republic of South Africa Email: woodward@nbict.nbi.ac.za (Credit cards accepted.) RESOURCES Conway's Clivias 2324 Santa Barbara St. Santa Barbara CA 93 1 05 Phone/fax: (805) 682-7651 Email: s.b. conway@worldnel. all. net Cape Flora Nursery P.O. Box 10556, Linton Grange Port Elisabeth 60 1 5 Republic of South Africa Phone: +27-41-732-096, fax +27-41-733-188 Email: capeflor@iafhca.com By Kathryn Andersen 40 GREEN SCENE • june2002 FARM MARKET: Growers of Premier Garden Plants including Annuals, Perennials, Proven Winners & Garden Dahlias. Propagators of Zonal Geraniums. New Guinea Impatiens Hanging Baskets Growers of Holiday & Garden Plants Combination Garden Baskets Charles S Heal Jr. & Eric Heal visit us on the web www.cshealmarket.com 1607 Salem Rd. Burlington Twr NJ (609)386-9422 Fax: (609)386-9635 OPEN DAILY! Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30, Sat. & Sun. 9-5 A Step of Faith Choosing a new com- munity is a big step. At PresbyHomes & Services, your step of faith will be matched by one of our own. Our residential living, assisted living and healthcare services are grounded in a faith- based commitment to provide the highest quality of care to older adults of all backgrounds and faiths. It’s a com- mitment backed by a half-century of service. Call today, and experi- ence the Presby differ- ence. PresbyHomes&ServteS A ministry to older adults by the Presbytery of Philadelphia 1=1 Rydal Park ■ Rosemont Presbyterian Village • Brootnall Presbyterian Village Spring Mill Presbyterian Village • Emily A. Marble Health Center • HUD Communities Tollfree: 1.877.9PRESBY www.presbyhomes.org Gale Nurseries has been designing and building exquisite, award-winning garden dreamscapes for three generations. And our garden projects are as diverse as your dreams that inspire them: • Period gardens that relate to architecture and personalities • Natural, native plantings that create quiet, inviting areas • Contemporary designs for a bold, exciting statement • Older plantings refurbished, reworked and revitalized A Design/Build company for Period, Native and Contemporary Gardens Charles H. Gale Jr. B.S. Ornamented Horticulture 1716 School House Road, Box 264 * Gwynedd PA 19436 • 215 .699 .47 14 • fax 215 .699 .3203 • gale@rietcanier.com ■ june 2002 . GREEN SCENE 41 Classified ANTIQUE BOOKS RARE & PREVIOUSLY OWNED BOOKS ON HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL PRINTS - Bought and Sold Polly Goldstein 37 Lochwood Ln. West Chester, PA 19380 (610) 436-9796 E-mail: GrannyPol@aol.com GARDEN SHOPS MARANO GARDENS, LLC (formerly Fort Washington Garden Mart) A family owned garden center serving area since 1960, offering an extensive selection of plants and containers. • Beautiful hanging baskets, mixed garden containers. • Dwarf conifers and alpine troughs. • Culinary and medicinal herbs. • Cutting edge annuals, tropicals and peren- nials, including the Beds & Borders line. , • Ornamental trees and shrubs, emphasizing native varieties and PHS Gold Medal winners. MARANO GARDENS, LLC 488 Bethlehem Pike Ft. Washington, PA 19034 215-646-3336 Minutes north of Chestnut Hill, or 4 miles from the Blue Route. il BONSELL’S NURSERY Growers of high quality trees, shrubs, and perennials. • Large Selection. • Reasonable Prices. • PHS Gold Medal Plants. Trees for small yards. Including Acer griseum, Acer triflorum, Ceres canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’, Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’ and many more. Conveniently located near 309 & the PA turnpike. Open Mon-Sat 9-5. 1245 Fort Washington Ave. Fort Washington, PA 215-643-2418 GARDEN ROAD GREENHOUSE Unusual annuals, 500 Varieties perennials and flowering shrubs, Herbs, Roses, Combination baskets, and Containers. Take Rt. 55 South to Exit 35B, 60 West 3 miles to: 402 Garden Road Pittsgrove, NJ 856-358-3032 Jerry Fritz Garden Design, Inc. Presents Linden Hill Gardens Featuring an extensive collection of cutting edge plants from the world’s most respected nurseries Exceptionally Planted Earthenware Source for 2002 Gold Medal Winners 10% Discount for Cardholding PHS Members Summer Plant Event Weekends 1 0 am to 5 pm June 1 and 2 June 22 and 23 July 27 and 28 August 24 and 25 Phone for our Complete Schedule of Behind-the-Scene Tours, Garden Walks, and Plant Events 8230 Easton Road (Route 611) Ottsville, Bucks County Pennsylvania 18942 phone: 610.847.1300 fax: 610.847.1324 GARDEN STRUCTURES HANDCRAFTED IRON GARDEN STRUCTURES Arbors, Trellises, & Gates in the tradition of elegance, beauty and permanence. Full Color Catalog $5 The Painted Garden, Inc. 304 Edge Hill Road Glenside, PA 19038 (215) 884-7378 HERITAGE STONE & MARBLE We are an installation and restoration company who emphasizes long lasting quality with outstanding craftsmanship. FLAGSTONE, BRICK-patios and walkways, COBBLESTONE-edging and paving, STONE walls, RETAINING walls, MARBLE, GRANITE-floors, walls, countertops. (215)699-5611 Upper Gwynedd, Pa. GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Sales and Service Janco, Lord & Burnham and more. Call Robert J. LaRouche at Glass Enclosures Unlimited (610) 687-2444 THE SUNWORKS CORPORATION • Greenhouse Sales: Residential, Commercial and Institutional. • Installations: Of greenhouses from any man- ufacturer, shading and ventilation systems. • Maintenance: Reglazing, reskinning, painting, cleaning. Emergency repairs. Call (302) 655-5772, ask for John Klein GARLIC Grow your own Garlic! Organic planting stock, growing tips, and prepared garlic foods. Secure online ordering at www. TheGarlicStore. com. LANDSCAPE DESIGN S. Edgar David and Associates Landscape Architects Site Planning and Garden Design Outdoor Spaces, Lighting, Pools, Ecological Restoration Transforming the landscape with innovative solutions Design Studio 610-584-5941 Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc. A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN/BUILD FIRM Experts in Landscape Renovation, Naturalistic and Classic Formal Gardens. Landscape Construction, Unique Patios, Terraces, Creative Stone Work, and Landscape Lighting. Major Award Winning Exhibitor Philadelphia Flower Show. 610-520-2025 215-887-1773 www.burkebrothers.com LINDA CORSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN •Consulting •Plans •Supervision Registered Landscape Architect Member ASLA 215-247-5619 Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. • Landscape Architects & Contractors • Formal/Period/Naturalistic Gardens • Creating outdoor living spaces of distinction • Master Plans/Phased projects • Let us make your desires become reality P.O. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-ELA-9252 David Brothers Landscape Services Bean Road Nursery Architects, Builders and Nurserymen Providing the Fine Art of Garden Construction and Landscape Restoration (215) 247-2992 (610) 584-1550 (610) 525-3232 42 GREEN SCENE • june 2002 Green Team Gardeners Assurance of Fine Gardens Vicki Fox 215-482-1058 Bill Hengst 215-438-9438 562 Hermit Street, Philadelphia, PA 19128 Fax: 215-482-9063, Email: VickBrick@aol.com DONALD PELL GARDEN SERVICES Creating & maintaining gardens with expert horticultural craftsmanship. View our portfolio of landscape designs online at www.donaldpell.com or call 610.917.1385 for a brochure and consultation. LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE ANDREW C. BECK LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE A Dependable Source for All Your Landscape Needs. Serving CHESTNUT HILL & MONTGOMERY COUNTY • Lawn Mowing • Garden Care, Mulching, Planting • Tree & Shrub Pruning • Organic Fertilization & Aeration • Spring & Fall Clean up • Property Management Insured 215-233-9401 References James Farr Landscape (215) 778-2325 Large plant transplanting. All plants hand dug, balled and burlapped, the old fashioned way. Some plants available: Southern magnolia ‘Edith Bogues’ (20-25ft)($31 40) Kousa dogwood (1 6-1 8ft)($1 680), Weeping Elm (20ft wide)($1 640), Swiss-stone pines (1 4-18ft)($2860), Lacebark pines (16 to 20ft)($2320), American hollies (15 to 1 8ft)($2640), Repandens yew (8 to 10ft)($940), azaleas (10ft), rhododendron, yews, etc. Instant privacy, plants in scale with existing landscape. MULCH PINE NEEDLE MULCH Won’t change soil pH • Wholesale and retail FLOWERS BY THE YARD 610-701-9283 renee52@erols.com RESTORATION REED’S WOODS, INC. QUALITY WORK AT A FAIR PRICE Custom Builder Restorations, Remodeling Greenhouses Springhouse Restorations Decks, Carpentry & Landscape Structures Jamie Reed 2125 Bodine Road Malvern, PA 19355 (610) 827-9663 SPECIMEN TREES Ilex opaca, Ilex aquipernyi 20’ Colorado Blue Spruce DELICIOUS Homegrown Horticultural Fruits PICKED AND PICK YOUR OWN Raspberries - Blueberries - Blackberries Peaches - Plums - Pears Indian Orchards, Media PA 610-565-8387 TREE SERVICE TREE TRANSFERS, INC. Large Tree Transplanting and Sales Machine and Specialized Hand Digging Dealers and Locators of Large Horticultural Specimens Mature Screening and Shade Trees Assessing and Renovating Mature Collection and Estate Gardens Plant Material Purchased (215) 635-2310 Tree Transplanting & Sales • Machine & hand digging • Supply & install specimen plants • Locate/Purchase mature trees • Why Wait for mother nature? Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. PO. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-ELA-9252 UNUSUAL SPECIMENS HOSTA Over 100 varieties Assorted perennials, Ferns, shade plants. Michael’s Country Nursery 165 Tuckertown Road Medford, NJ 856-983-6512 RARE & UNUSUAL PLANTS • Specimen plants • Pond plants • Bonsai • Orchids • Hardy cacti • Tropicals • Sculptured trees and shrubs • Perennials • Unique Flower and gift shop. MUTSCHLERS’ FLORIST & RARE PLANTS 1-800-242-9438 www.mutschlers.com CLASSIFIED RATES Base Rate $3.00 per word Formatted Words $5.00 Minimum Charge $60.00 (without formatting) (ex. Bold, Italic or ALL CAPS) Discount 10% off the second j consecutive ad, using the same copy Deadlines February Issue (by December I) June Issue (by April I) October Issue (by August 1) April Issue (by February 1) August Issue (by June 1) December Issue (by October I) Please note: Green Scene does not guarantee advertisement position, and we reserve the right to edit copy to fit available space. Green Scene ads are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis until space is filled for a particular issue. Please calculate your ad cost based on number and formatting of words, and enclose a check along with your copy (call for assistance). Green Scene will bill any difference or credit upon publication of your advertisement. If your new ad arrives very close to deadline, we may deposit your check until ad is scheduled. If we can’t schedule your ad, your check will be returned. Make checks payable to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Send all advertising correspondence to: Laurie Fitzpatrick, Green Scene , The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103 -1495. If you have any questions, please call (215) 988-8769. ■ June 2002 . GREEN SCENE 43 Classifieds \ PERFECTLY PINK These days, it’s oh-so unfashionable to plant pink flowers in one’s garden. They are so trite, so predictable, and so very blase! Today’s color palette demands sultry combinations of silvers and blues, chartreuse and yellow, and more shades of green and purple-black than you can shake a stick at. In the trend-setter’s garden, soft pink combinations are out, and hot, edgy ones are in. Or are they? As the images below reveal, there are countless shades of this time- honored hue to revel in. From gentle symphonies to daring juxtapositions, there’s a place for pink in everyone’s plot. That is, of course, if you want your garden to be “in the pink.” — Pete Prown Top Right: Who knew that late-summer-blooming Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ would just sing when placed next to a castor bean plant (Ricinus communis), which itself sports subtle pink highlights? Thank goodness for happy accidents. Right: In perfect harmony, the dark pink Triumph tulip, ‘Attila’, and the lighter ‘Shirley’ blend into a trance-like composition. Below Left: A perfectly pictur- esque panorama of pink, this collage of daylilies (Hemerocallis ‘Bejeweled’), yarrow (Achillea ‘Rose Beauty’) and Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) is nothing short of intoxicating. You can breathe now. Far Right: Talk about edgy! Love it or hate it, this melding of pink threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis rosea) with the hot oranges, golds and russet-reds of ‘Queen Sophia’ marigolds is sure to raise eyebrows. Who said pink is old fashioned? All Phases of Tree Care: Residential and Commercial Maintenance Pruning • Prescription Fertilization Plant Health Care Programs • Insect & Disease Management Tree Support Systems • Lightning Protection For a FREE consultation call 1-877-BARTLETT (227-8538) or contact your local office: BARTLETT W BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS Scientific Tree Care Since 1907 www.bartlett.com Bala Cynwyd, PA (610) 664-3200 Cherry Hill, NJ (856) 662-3767 Dublin, PA (215) 249-1819 Exton, PA (610) 594-4740 Wilmington, DE (302) 995-7562 You’re thinking, “Now that I’ve built a ccessful career, what’s next? We’re thinking, “Now build your future vs Proprietary Unparalleled Personalized Networking Estate Research Investment Service Opportunities Planning Experience We understand that while all investors may share the same basic goal, how you achieve your goal differs. Our low client-to-advisor ratio ensures you get the care, time and attention to detail you expect. Plus, our Women's Financial Services Network offers seminars to help you make better-informed decisions. All of which helps you reach the most important goal of all. Your future. For more information, call 215-585-5438, or visit www.pncadvisors.eom. © PNC Advisors The Thinking Behind The Money. ©2000 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC Advisors is a service mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., for investment management, banking and fiduciary services. THE PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AUGUST 2002 -$5.00 Come to the Philadelphia Harvest Show! Waterlilies • Fabulous Foliage Plants A LANDSCAPE DESIGN & BUILD COMPANY ■ SITE DEVELOPMENT/PLANNING ■ LANDSCAPE DESIGN ■ LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION ■ horticultural SERVICES/MANAGEMENT ■ LANDSCAPE LIGHTING ■ AQUATIC GARDENS ■ WATER FEATURES The mission o f Garrett Ch urc hill is quite simply to create an outdoor environment that allows our clients to enjoy their properties hy showcasing their individual lifestyles or corporate culture. 1 his mission is accomplished through creative design Build services as well as enlightened horticultural and management practices. AN: LA For more information please check out our website at www.garrcttclmrclnll.com E-mail info@garrettcliurclull.com 1509 Edge Hill Road ' Abington, Pennsylvania 19001 • 215-884-3766 ■ Fax 215-884-3672 Photo: Residential Container, Summer 2000. Fine Garden Creations Creative Garden Installations Superior Plant Selection for Distinctive Plantings Borders, Containers, Ponds, Stone Work, Arboriculture Design. Installation, and Maintenance for All Seasons Philadelphia, The Main Line, Swarthmore, Wilmington. FINE GARDEN CREATIONS 610-338-0630 www.FineGardenCreations.com ■ Cathedral Village 22 Years of Achievement Committed to. . . Resident Satisfaction. ..starting with our own dining program that offers flexibility, choices, and a distinctive presentation of meals prepared by our Executive Chef, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. C K^reatwity. . .which is reflected in the vibrancy of our award-winning retirement community The atmosphere at Cathedral Village is frequently compared to a vacation resort. Innovation ...which has resulted in our trend-setting Health Club and Fitness Program, our expansive Greenhouse and Horticultural Program, and much more. t/ . ' ^ 9 vision.. .an on-going process that anticipates changing trends in future residents’ expectations and establishes tomorrow’s new standards. Our vision has earned us certification as a Retirement Resort™, our reward for not accepting the norm. \titll 'aiue. . .which has earned us a reputation of providing more types of care and services for your dollar than any other community. Compare and see what real value means! Visit us Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Appointments are encouraged lor weekdays and are necessary on weekends. A Nonprofit, Nondenominational CCRC Cathedral Village 600 East Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128 (215) 984-8622 Website: www.cathedralvillage.com i=r Equal Mousing Opportunity QKTOTED M£M6£R Affiliated with the Jefferson Health System c&#zife/z£f FEATURES 1 2 Fantastic Foliage Is there more to life than enjoying flowers? Yes, indeed! Join horti- culturist Marilyn Romenesko for a sampling of 10 plants known for their exquisite foliage. From well-known coleus and hosta to more arcane varieties of Euphorbia and Verbascum , there are many fine foliage plants that will give your border a boost. 18 C ome to the Philadelphia Harvest Show! Fall is just around the corner and that means it’s time for the PHS Philadelphia Harvest Show. Held this September 14 and 15 in beautiful Fairmount Park, this great family event features horticul- tural competitions, kids’ games, and shopping galore, says writer Jane Carroll. Better still, PHS members can go for free! 24 Beholding the Waterlily Terrestrial plants are beautiful, of course, but what could be more charming and romantic than a waterlily floating in a midsummer’s pond? In this story, we visit the spectacular water gardens at Longwood Gardens and enjoy their world-class collection of lilies. We are also given a special behind-the-scenes glimpse of Longwood’s water works. 30 Designs for Life Sometimes a garden offers more than a delightful view. In Philadelphia’s revitalized public spaces and gardens, thoughtful landscape design can help improve the quality of life. Here, John Gannon shows us three examples of good design in action. COLUMNS 37 So voring Herbs: Attracting Butterflies by Alexandra Basinski 39 Organic Matters: The Imperfect Garden by Rob Cardillo 40 Beguiling B ulbs: Early-Tall Bloomers by Kathryn Andersen 42 Classified Ads 44 Backyard: Thinking cool for August The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society motivates people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture. Cover Photo by Jim Roese PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 3 GREEN Editor Pete Prown Associate Editor Jane Carroll Publications Assistant Laurie Fitzpatrick Art Design Baxendells' Graphic Publications Committee Stephanie Cohen Alan Detrick Linda Detrick Beverly Fitts Anne Kellett, ex officio Adam Levine Jennifer Lin Marby Sparkman Bill Stieg L. Wilbur Zimmerman Printer ALCOM Printing Group, Inc. THE PEN \ SYLVAN I \ IIORTICI LTl UAL SOCIETY 100 N. 20th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 (215) 988-8800 Chair Anne Kellett President Jane G. Pepper Executive Vice President J. Blaine Bonham, Jr. PHS Membership Information Linda Davis, (215) 988-8776 Display Ads Kim Richards at Manzo Communications, (610) 527-7047 kim4manzocomm@aol.com Classified Ads Laurie Fitzpatrick, (215) 988-8769 lfitzpat@pennhort. org Ask A Gardener Help Line (215) 988-8777, Monday through Friday, 9:30 to 12 [closed in December] askagardener@pennhort. org Web Site www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org GREEN SCENE (USPS 955580), Volume 30, No. 4. is published bi-monthly (February, April, June, August, October, December) by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, a non-profit member organiza- tion at 100 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103- 1495. Subscription: $16.95. Single Copy: $3.00 (plus $2.00 shipping). Second-class postage paid at Philadelphia, PA 19103. POSTMASTER Send address change to GREEN SCENE. 100 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. © Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 2002 GREEN SCENE subscriptions are part of the membership benefits for: Cox Arboretum, Dayton. Ohio Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Morristown, NJ Horticultural Society of Maryland. Baltimore Horticultural Society of New York Phipps Conservatory, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA Staten Island Botanical Garden, Inc, New York GALE NURSERIES PROUDLY ANNOUNCES THEIR MOST RECENT RECOGNITION CLASSICAL AMERICA PRESENTS THE ARTHUR ROSS AWARD TO CHARLES H. GALE, JR. LANDSCAPE DESIGNER [ter gardens around ^P/ii/ade/p/iia PRESENTED BN' HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS MICHAEL OF KENT trrcr A Design/Build company for Period, "Native and Contemporary Qardens Charles H. Gale Jr. B.S. Ornamental Horticulture 1716 School House Road, Box 264 • Gwynedd PA 19436 215 .699 .47 14 • fax 215 .699 .3203 • chgale@comcast.net native plant nursery 4 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 better fAe &/// lUmr hun '/hmz/ email : greenscene@pennhort. org august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 5 Photography by Pete Prown except where noted Left: The author and her freshly root-pruned ivy. Maintaining Topiaries Try Root Pruning to Keep Topiaries Growing Nicely by Janet Bly Top to bottom: • Put your container on a sheet or tarp — this may get messy! • Remove topiary from its pot • Loosen tangled roots. • Use pruners to cut away dead roots and one-third of live root mass. My 24-inch ivy topiaries had filled in well after three years, completely covering the conical wire frames on which the ivies grew. However, their fourth season was marked by list- less growth and leaf loss. After ruling out insects and disease as culprits, the possibility that it was “pot bound” seemed a likely problem. As potted plants increase in size, gardeners routinely repot them in larger containers to accommodate expanding roots. However, since topi- aries are generally meant to be maintained at a predetermined size and remain in the same container, the need to repot and refresh the planting medium periodically is easily forgotten. Surprisingly, this suggestion is generally missing in books about topiaries. After removing the topiaries from their pots, I found that the roots of each plant had completely filled the container and had pushed much of the original planting medium out of the bottom drainage hole. So, not only were the plants completely pot-bound, but they had little soil to sustain them. After hosing off all the soil, I untangled the roots as much as possible. With pruning shears, I then cut away all roots that appeared to be dead and removed about one-third of the live root-ball mass. In removing the live roots, the intent should be to achieve a balanced root ball, much as one would approach pruning the top of the plant. To replant, place coarse gravel or pot shards in the bottom of the pot to ensure drainage and then add 2 to 3 inches of potting soil. Place the root ball in the middle of the pot, spreading the roots as much as possi- ble and keeping the crown about an inch below the lip of the pot. Gradually fill in soil in between and around the roots, firming the soil with your hands. Since it is important to make sure the soil works its way around the roots, water gently when the pot is half filled with soil and again before the top is reached. Add more soil as necessary as the soil in the pot settles. Firm the soil around the crown and water again thoroughly. Place the plant in a shady spot for a week or so, watering regularly. When new growth appears, apply a gentle fertilizer. After another week or so, the plant should be ready to return to its usual spot. After under- going the root pruning and repotting process, the ivy topiaries respond- ed with vigorous new growth within two weeks and after a month were completely rejuvenated. This process can be used with many plants whose roots have out- grown their containers. For example, I’ve root-pruned 7-foot ficus trees when they appeared to have lost vigor, rather than changing them to larger containers. And I’ve root-pruned smaller plants that I wanted to keep in the same decorative planters. So, to keep your topiaries growing well, add root pruning to your schedule every few years. It’s easy to do and well worth the effort. Janet Bly wrote about a native orchid in the February 2002 issue. | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 7 - THE POTTING SHED Revisiting Ladybugs by Suzanne Wainwright Evans hen it comes to beneficial bugs, what was old is new again. For today’s modern gardener, for- ward thinking means looking back to the old ways of gardening. One way to do this is to allow all good bugs to thrive in our gardens, especially ladybird beetles, more commonly known as “ladybugs.” Ladybird beetles are the vacuum cleaners of your garden: they cruise around on your plants eating any fleshy little morsels they can get their mouth parts on. They devour such nasties as aphids, mites and even caterpillar eggs. In fact, they will feed on almost any soft-bodied insect. Even the larva of the ladybird, which many people would not recognize, has a voracious appetite. The larvae look like tiny black alligators with yellow bands. They are wingless. They will have three pairs of legs like the adult beetles, but that is about the only similarity. Ladybirds lay small, orangish, spindle-shaped eggs. They are laid in clusters of 10 to 15 on leaves. With gardeners’ growing love of ladybird beetles, many have tried to enhance their garden populations by buying them. If you are going to buy ladybird beetles, you should be asking the seller, “Where do these ladybugs come from?” Some suppliers sell ladybird beetles that have been “har- vested” from natural winter aggregation sites. In the western United States, after feed- ing, ladybirds will head up into the moun- tains by the millions to spend the “off season" in huge hibernating masses. These are usually convergent lady beetles, Hippodamia convergens. Collectors come along and scoop up the hibernating lady- birds and ship them out for release. Once released into a landscape or garden, they usually leave the area before feeding or lay- ing eggs, providing little or no control for your insect pest. Harvesting from the wild is also not environmentally sustainable. So what is a gardener to do? Here are some hints to get the most out of ladybirds: • Use varieties of plants that have pollen. Many ladybirds like to feed on pollen in addi- tion to inseas, and this will bring them in nat- urally. • Be seleoive with what you spray on your plants. Ladybird larvae are very sensitive to pesticides. • If you have an infestation of pest insects and would like to buy in some lady- bird beedes, buy from a reputable insectary, like Entomos LLC {www.entomos.com). They use a lab to rear ladybirds that are native to the northeastern United States. • Buy ladybird larvae. Larvae have not yet developed wings, forcing them to stay in your garden to feed. Suzanne Wainwright Evans is an ornamental entomologist living in Frenchtown, NJ. She can be contacted at buglady@aol.com or (908) 996-4707. GREEN SCENE • august 2002 Judith C McKeon Native Charm of the Shining by Judith C. McKeon The smallest of the eastern North American roses, the shin- ing rose, Rosa nitida , is a little charmer and a garden- worthy species unknown to many gardeners. In its native haunts, from Newfoundland to Southern New England, the shin- ing rose forms a low-growing mound or thicket about 18 to 24 inches tall and wide from creeping stems. In gardens, this versatile, deciduous shrub may grow a bit bigger — 30 inches tall and wide. Rosa nitida makes an attractive, compact mound covered in clean glossy foliage that colors to a brilliant purple scarlet in autumn. The bright pink single flowers of summer are followed by berry- like red hips. In New England and eastern Canada, this little native inhabits harsh situations atop headlands, in meadows and at the margins of swamps. In cultivation, the shining rose thrives in nearly any situ- ation and tolerates boggy soils. South of its range, where summers tend to be hot and dry, this Northern species appreciates some afternoon shade. Therefore, when siting Rosa nitida in Delaware Valley gardens, choose a morning exposure. The multi-season interest and dwarf size of the shining rose make it an excellent choice for use in the rock garden or as a foreground shrub in mixed borders, where the handsome, disease-free foliage integrates attractively with perennial companions. Unlike modern hybrid tea roses, the shining rose thrives on neg- lect. Little pruning is required. Simply maintain desired width by pulling up creeping stems each spring. Plant bare-root or potted Rose specimens of Rosa nitida in spring or fall. Enhance your native plant palette and enjoy the charms of the shining rose from New England in your gar- den. As for cultivars, ‘Corylus’ is a hybrid between Rosa nitida and Rosa rugosa var. rubra that combines ornamental attrib- utes of both parents. Infused with the robust, ironclad vigor of R. rugosa, the cultivar produces heavily scented, large bright pink single flowers. Expect it to reach 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, clothed in the pointed glossy foliage of the shining rose. The foliage turns to golden orange in autumn. Like its Rosa rugosa pat- ent, ‘Corylus’ is heat tolerant and performs best in a well-drained situation in full sun. Judith C. McKeon is a garden writer and author of Gardening with Roses. Her email is ripka@surfree.com. SOU ROES B & B Nursery & Propagators (California) (530) 934-2676, www.bandbnursery.com Forestfarm (Oregon) (541) 846-7269, www.forestfarm.com Heritage Rosarium (Maryland) (301) 774-2806, email: heritagerog@aol.com M. august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 9 I I I I NEW BOOK ON URBAN VACANT LAND. PHS executive vice president J. Blaine Bonham, Jr. is co-author of a new book, along with Gerri Spilka of the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning and Dari Rastorfer, published in April by the American Planning Association. Old Cities/Green Cities: Communities Transform Unmanaged Land explores the problem of urban vacant land plaguing older industrial cities, with a special focus on Philadelphia. The book takes a close look at PHS’s Philadelphia Green program— including numerous color photographs of some of its most successful projects — and outlines a compre- hensive “Green City Strategy” for the city. It is available through the American Planning Association’s online bookstore at www.planning.org. Or you can call the Planning Association at (312) 431-9100. GOING POSTAL. Just when you think you’ve seen everything for the gardener, along comes the Post Planter, a novel idea from Lawnmarks, Inc. The company is taking advantage of the average American homeowner’s penchant, nay obsession, for planting flowers around his or her mailbox. Scientists have not yet discov- ered precisely why were inclined to do this each spring, but we do it never- theless, be it a clump of petunias, ‘Nelly Moser’ clematis or fluorescent annual geraniums. Thus comes the Post Planter, a column-like lawn tchotchke that has tidy little planting pockets, as well as provisions for a mailbox, light fixture, address num- ber, or even a sign, if you go so far as to name your house and/or estate. One model even supports an electronic transmitter to let you know if the mail has arrived. What will they think ol next! For more information, visit www.mailboxpostplanter.com or call (866) PLANTER. AXING ARSENIC. After many years, American lumber com- panies have agreed to stop using arsenic-based preservatives in so- called pressure-treated wood by the end of 2003. It is often used in outdoor structures like playgrounds, decks, and picnic tables. Environmental groups have long contended that arsenic, a known carcinogen, remains on treated wood surface for years and rubs off on people’s hands, as well as leaches into the sur- rounding soil. Industry officials, however, still maintain that treated wood is safe and that the change is a voluntary response to consumer demand. For more information, visit www. epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/ 1 file, htm THE STRAIGHT POOP. Two new organic fertilizers will soon be widely available. Simple Gardens has developed an easy- to-use home fertilizer made from chicken waste. According to the company, the product is completely non-toxic thanks to a heat- based sterilization process. And by recycling chicken waste, it helps reduce the problem ol nitrogen run-ofl into rivers and streams. (Fertilizer run-off is responsible for a “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico the size ol the state of Massachusetts.) For more informa- tion, visit www.simplegardens.net Meanwhile, Seattle-based SoilSoup, Inc. is introducing a 6.5- gallon compost-tea brewing system suitable for home gardens, lawns, and small organic farms. “Applying SoilSoup is like adding several inches of compost to the soil, notes their literature. The starter system — at $329 a pop — includes five pounds of worm compost and a “compost tea bag. Would you like crumpets with that? For more information, visit www.soilsoup.com DROUGHT INFORMATION. On the PHS website ( www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org ), visitors can now find information on the drought that is affecting our region. When you click on “Special Section: Drought 2002," you will find instructional material on conserving water, capturing rain and shower water for the garden, and how to help your plants survive the current drought. STARTING OVER.. .AGAIN. Marty Detering, a Green Scene reader in Cochranville, PA, emailed a response to Pete Prown’s “Letter from the Editor: Starting Over” in the April 2002 issue. Here are some of her comments: “I am married to a retired Marine, and moving from one duty station to another for nearly 20 years forced me to start over frequently. Pete’s article had won- derfully valid points, but I feel it omitted one very important thought. You must live in your surroundings tor a time to under- stand how you will use your space, the paths you choose to walk and the vistas that are important to you (or any eye-sore views to eliminate). Secondly, we all have grand plans that are better sim- plified. Keeping things simple allows the beauty ot the land to shine through and also makes maintenance easier. Have fun... I do envy anyone’s chance to start over again!” io GREEN SCENE • august 2002 Tie one on! PHS ties that bloom all year. Printed on silk A- 1 Floral A-2 Blue Gift boxed. $35 (member price $27) oppe Dij Proceeds from the sale of these products benefit The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's programs, including Philadelphia Green, the nation’s most comprehensive urban greening program. ai B. The flower garland scarf. 36" square, 100% silk satin. Cream ground, multi colours work with all apparel. Gift boxed. $68 (member $60) C. Perfect accent! PHS oblong silk satin chiffon scarf with Citron green, 58" x I I" Gift boxed. $30 (member price $27) D. Celebrate with us! PHS 175th Anniversary commemorative plate. 10" cream with gold. Gift boxed. $35 incl. tax (member price $3 1 .50) E. Cafe latte? PHS mural mug. 1 4 oz., ceramic. $ 1 3 incl. tax (member price $1 1.70) PHS Shoppe Pennsijlvania Horticultural Societij 100 North 20th Street - 5th floor; Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 To order by phone, call 2 1 5-988- 1613 • To order by fax: 2 1 5-988-8783 Name Address City State Zip Phone (day) Member ID# Email PAYMENT INFORMATION □ Check or money order; payable to PHS □ Visa □ Mastercard Card # Exp. Date / Cardholder Name Signature Thank you for your support of PHS! Item # Quantity Item Description Item Price Total Shipping/Handling Up to $25 $5 $25 C! $35 $6 $35.0 1 -$50 $7 $50.0 1 -$75 $9 $75.01-$ 100 $10 $ 1 00.0 1 -$ 1 50 $12 over $ 1 50 1 0% of sale Total Merchandise Standard Shipping (see chart to left) Fed Ex - call for charge Additional Shipping Charges Total august 2002 • GREEN SCENE li ** > rXjL. V i 0 0 G c if) Few people can resist a stunning profusion of colorful blossoms or a perfect, single stem of rose, iris, or peony. But more and more gardeners are waking up to the beauty of foliage. From container plantings in Center City Philadelphia to the lovely, spacious gardens in the suburbs and beyond, foliage is finally grabbing some attention of its own. < b~ (!) 0 I There are certainly many trees, shrubs, and vines with spectacular foliage — enough for a whole book, much less a single article. But amazing ornamental characteristics can be found in our herbaceous (non-woody) plants, and that’s what we will concentrate on here. One need only look at the genus of the easily propagated herbaceous annual coleus (. Solenostemum sp.) to develop an appreciation of the broad range of color and patterns pos- sible in foliage. The advent of sun-loving coleus varieties, such as those in the Solar Series, has brought the use of these exciting annuals back into vogue. There seems to be a coleus for any color scheme, but it is probably more interesting to build a color scheme around one or more of the coleus cultivars. ‘Wild Lime’, ‘Solar Shadow', ‘Penny’ and ‘Camouflage’ are a few of the newer cultivars of sun lovers that I find espe- cially appealing. Or try the daring magenta cultivar, ‘Meandering Linda’ for a dash of dramatic red. Another genus with a vast array of color choices is hosta. While there are hostas in chartreuse, blue-green, green, and variegated patterns, this genus also possesses many vari- eties with outstanding texture and form. The old standby, Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans, can develop into a 5-foot-wide by 30-inch-high mound. The size of a small shrub, this cultivar august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 13 Walter Chandoha I A 0 Z < 0 UJ cc 0 ^ has the added bonus of blue-green, seersucker-textured if foliage, which can be overlaid with a striking chartreuse n hue. Other hostas offer satin-textured foliage such as §_ that of the newer cultivar, ‘First Lady’, which also has a a chartreuse edge surrounding its emerald green center. Some of the most exciting cultivars contain three shades of either green, yellow or white in each leaf. Hosta ‘Guacamole’, for example, has green, light pastel green and chartreuse-to-yel- low variegation in each leaf. There are also culinary plants with beautiful foliage to con- sider beyond their merits in the kitchen. In addition to the many lovely basils and sages, oregano has seen many new cul- tivars in the last few years, including ‘Herrenhausen’ ( Origanum laevigatum ‘Herrenhausen’). It has an attractive mid-summer display of dark pink flowers and especially inter- esting purple fall foliage. A recent addition to my garden is the Norton Gold oregano ( Origanum laevigatum x O. vulgare ‘Aureurn’), which was introduced to the United States from England in 1995. In full sun to part shade, this oregano forms an 8-inch-high mound of yellow foliage that holds its color over a long period. This multi-purpose plant also provides a savory and colorful garnish lor many entrees. In the H <- m> T1 Z m m T Cfl z m 14 I . LU 0 < (!) LU CD DC D d C/) < h i y~ UJ Y Z 0 Q in the deep shade garden. The fronds of this fern have a deep vio- j? let stalk and the pinnae are also flushed with deep violet. In stark contrast, the remainder of its pinnae become a lovely silver-gray 5 color. It does require supplemental watering during extended dry £ periods, but is otherwise trouble free. ? Garden or common sage ( Salvia officinalis) is uncommon in its functions as an herb and an excellent garden ornamental. The gold and green variegated form (S. officinalis ‘Aurca’) is purportedly a tender perennial, although it came back in my Wilmington, Delaware garden this year. The variegation of this cultivar is espe- cially bright and pleasing in the border, where it combines easily with most other colors. 1 prefer lavender or blue colors with this cultivar whose overall effect is chartreuse. I also find that it is well behaved in the garden, forming a 12-inch-high by 18-inch-wide mound. This yellow sage, purple sage (5. officinalis ‘Purpurascens’) and the tricolor sage ( S . officinalis ‘Tricolor’) are all good culinary selections as well as attractive foliage plants for gardens, contain- ers or (temporarily) the kitchen window sill. Breathtaking as a groundcover, donkey-tail spurge ( Euphorbia myrsinites) is another perennial that has more attractive foliage than g flowers. Its glaucous blue-green, A imbricate foliage starts out held -f above the floral stems and later ^ stretches out to hug the ground ° octopus-style, spreading up to 18 :f inches. The foliage remains all year with bright chartreuse flowers forming in spring on the previous year’s stems. It prefers full sun and soil that’s on the dry side. The genus Verbascum is a must- have biennial for anyone who truly appreciates the textural qualities of plants. In its first year, Verbascum bombyciferum ‘Arctic Summer’ forms an impressive 2-foot-diame- ter rosette of bold woolly foliage that is silver to white in color. In the second year, another rosette is formed and an extremely tomen- tose raceme rises up to 3 feet high before the numerous 2-inch florets gradually open. The raceme follows the direction of the sun and tilts toward where the sun was last seen — obviously a sun-loving plant. It also prefers well drained soil, especially in winter. No garden, especially one designed for the sens- es, should be without Verbascum ‘Arctic Summer’. One of the most daring of the tropical plants used in area gardens, z> £ w zco D < O1 LL 0 Marilyn Romenesko is a project manager for PHS’s Philadelphia Green program. She gardens extensively in Wilmington, Delaware. 16 Ira Beckol ” and probably the _2 n most difficult to | use effectively, is J ° the castor bean J. ( Ricinus commu- J nis). Growing up to 10 feet high and 6 feet wide in a single season, castor bean rivals the sunflower for height achieved in a single season when grown from seed. If you dare to use it, a site in full sun is best, though it can grow to shorter heights in part shade. The foliage of various cultivars ranges from maroon to green, and the leaves are palmately lobed, sometimes with red vienation. The cultivar ‘Carmencita’ has very attractive green to maroon foliage with each leaf reaching up to 12 inch- es in diameter. The leaf lobes are divided by electric-red-colored veins. This one has the added bonus of numerous large, bright salmon-pink seed pods, which develop toward late summer. Caution should be used in handling this plant, since all of its parts are poisonous if ingested. Fountain grass and purple foun- tain grass ( Pennisetum setaceum and P. setaceum ‘Rubrurn’) offer a very differ- ent foliage effect and graceful movement with the slightest breeze. My first and most memorable experience with this species was at an evening event where the landscape featured fountain grass in a planter supplied with uplighting. The fine texture of the long narrow grass blades, combined with its movement in the breeze, created a magical scene. While green and purple fountain grass are both annu- als, they will mature quickly when grown from a 4-inch pot in spring. The inflorescence of both, while attractive, tends to turn a buff color with age and is secondary to the very fine textured foliage that flourishes throughout the growing season. These are just a few of the many choice foliage plants available for use in our gardens. Next time you look at your garden, try to imag- ine the scene you can create without the benefit of flowers. The foliage qualities of texture, shape, color, and movement of our plant- ings are truly indispensable. 17 At the 2001 Harvest Show, Stephen Clarke of Havertown, Pennsylvania set a new world record in speed pumpkin-carving, creating a jack-o-lantern from a whole pumpkin in just 2 minutes, 31.6 seconds. f 18 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 Story by Jane Carroll There will be pumpkins aplenty at PHS’s upcoming Philadelphia Harvest Show (September 14-15). And not only pumpkins — there will also be glorious flowers, vegetables, pies, and more to behold. The Harvest Show is also one of most enjoyable family events of the season, giving young people lots of opportunities to run, jump, paint, play and just have fun. Here are a few glimpses of the Show for young and old to enjoy. * august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 19 Photography by Jim Roese, except where noted Above: A few bales of hay provide loads of fun for some young Harvest Show visitors. Kevin Nash/KSN Images Above: A young pumpkin connoisseur eyes some choice specimens. Right: Beside the reflecting pool, visitors shop for plants, fresh preserves, garden ornaments and other accessories. Left: PHS staff member Tanya King gets into the spirit of the 1999 Harvest Show theme, “Harvest Luau.” f \bove: With remarkable | :alm, exhibitor Robert I Harvey, Jr. from Harvey’s Honey (of Monroeville, HJ) models the famous ‘beard of bees,” a highl- ight of the Harvest Show jach year. 1 | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE My Eggplants by Emily Hylton, age 1 1 This is the story about how I got to grow my eggplants. At the 2000 Philadelphia Harvest Show, I was walking around when I saw Steve Clarke’s wonderful basket of eggplants. I thought they were the neat- est vegetables I had ever seen, so my grandma (PHS member Tina Colehower) asked Steve if he could send me some eggplant seeds, and in January, he sent me some. 1 planted them in March. I started them in little containers and after they grew a little I moved them into a big- ger container. They got left outside in a bad storm and were covered in mud, so I moved them into even bigger pots and they grew a whole lot. In July, my family moved to my new house in Virginia and my eggplants got moved to my new house in the moving van. And then they were ready to enter in the Harvest Show. I entered them in the youth section of the 2001 Show and got a blue ribbon and a special bronze medal, too. And I’m already growing my new seeds for the 2002 Show this September. Can’t wait! 21 a Left: Face painting is just one of many fun activities for children at the Harvest Show. Below: Young racetrack tycoons root for their edible hotrods in the Veggie Races. Above: A colorful row of “preserved products attracts attention inside Fairmount Park’s Horticulture Center. Right: Breathtaking home-grown dahlias often steal the show. 22 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 2002 PHILADELPHIA HARVEST SHOW DATES Saturday, September 14 Sunday, September 1 5 INFORMATION (215) 988-8800 www. pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety. org HOURS 10am - 5pm LOCATION Horticulture Center, Fairmount Park Philadelphia, PA THEME Rock-and-Roll Harvest! PRODUCER The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society SPONSORS SUBARU © BARTLETT W BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS TICKET PRICES Adults, $6 (PHS members receive com- plimentary tickets.) Children (ages 2 - 12), $2 Must be accompanied by an adult OPENING CELEBRATION Friday, September 13, 4 - 7pm Free to PHS members; PHS member guests $6 PHS MEMBERS’ ANNUAL PLANT DIVIDEND Friday, September 13, 4 - 7pm Saturday, September 14, 10am - 5pm Unpretedehted Experience _ ^ A Tree & Landscape Services - * ‘jBF -T ' • • ’ * r i 1 W& ^3? . .-C- c '• • Exceptional Quality * v • L . JK ■ -7” s the McFarlafrid Way! .v H I.** % ii Ik 4 •> . -f- •TBKt • T Call today to schedule a free professional consultation to review your property. 215-844-TREE (8733) • 610-688-6644 • Fax:215-438-1879 www.mcfarlandtree.com PHI IADEIPHIA H0USEPLANT WHOLESALERS Fail 2002 \ m HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR SUMMER! We’d like to thank our customers for making our retail business a success. • Bring in this ad for a 1 0% discount on everything in our 1 3,000 square foot houseplant warehouse! EVERYTHING FOR INDOOR & OUTDOOR GARDENING HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS AT WHOLESALE PRICES • Over 5000 Plants in Stock at all Times From 6" Pots for the Windowsill to 15" Tall Specimens • PLANT RENTALS COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL 1233 BAINBRIDGE STREET ONE BLOCK OFF S. BROAD STREET OPEN 7 DAYS 21 5-545-5044 WE DELIVER! | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 23 Longwood For one of the grandest water-garden displays in the country, one need look no further than Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. With ponds started over 40 years ago, this venerable horticultural institution maintains a stunning collection of water plants, including waterlilies, lotuses, and giant Victoria ‘water platters.’’ How does Longwood make such a large operation flow so seamlessly? Let’s take a tour of the famed aquatic gardens and see what secrets we can uncover. Left: Nymphaea ‘Aviator’ Opposite page: N. ‘Antares’ The Lilies of Story and Photography by Pete Prown j 24 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 Behind the Scenes at a Large-Scale Water Garden Above: N. ‘Rhonda Kay’ Guiding us on our behind-the-scenes tour is senior gardener Tim Jennings, who’s been at Longwood for 12 years. Originally a stu- dent in Longwood’s Professional Gardener Training Program, Tim worked in several positions there before concentrating on his true love, water gardening. Along with a crew of part-time volunteers, he tackles everything from planting and fertilizing in the spring to removing huge amounts of plant debris in autumn. So just what makes Longwood’s col- lection so impressive? “Basically, it’s our resources and dedica- tion. At Longwood, we do things in a big way and, in our water gardens, we have ^plants. Our ponds hold 160,000 gallons of water and the waterlilies sit in pots that are 3 to 6 feet in diameter. They’re constructed out of concrete rings cut to a depth of about 13 inches. The ponds are 30 inches deep, so the plants have 1 5 inches of clearance from the top of the pot to the surface of the water, giv- ing them plenty of room to thrive in a full- sun location." WATERLILY CARE How else does Longwood achieve such big, glorious plants? Basically, proper cultural conditioning, including fertilizer, is the key contributor to the quality and size of their waterlilies and other aquatic plants. “We plant up our lilies using basic field soil from designated fields around Longwood, notes Tim. “We improve it by sowing cover crops like buckwheat, clover, and alfalfa, which add rich nutrients and organic matter. To this, we also blend in granular fertilizer rated at 10-6- 4. In terms that the home water gardener can relate to, this is in an approximate ratio of 4 ounces of fertilizer to 10 quarts of soil. Starting in July, we give plants fertilizer sup- plements about every two weeks. Each plant has different needs, of course, but the home enthusiast should simply follow the direc- tions on the fertilizer package." Considering that Longwood has a large quantity of tender tropical waterlilies, it’s sur- prising to learn that they aren't overwintered from year to year. “We start with new plants 26 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 every spring — it’s easier for us that way. In the fall, we put on hip waders, go dig all the old plants and compost them. We have so many plants that this process can take 2 to 3 weeks. We then start new plants from tubers each year. “Home water gardeners can learn to over- winter tropicals, especially considering that they aren’t cheap to buy. There are two kinds of lilies one can buy. Viviparous plants lorm their babies right on the leaf. You can remove them in August or September and pot them up. Put them in an aquarium for the winter and keep light on them. The other way to overwinter tropical waterlilies is by collecting tubers. You can encourage tubers on your tropicals by essentially stressing the plant — you put it in a smaller pot and dead- head frequently. This will cause the lily to produce a walnut-sized tuber that you can overwinter in moist sand. Keep it in a cool, dark spot in your house, preferably at around 55-60°F.” TERRIFIC TROPICALS Tropicals are the heart of Longwood’s waterlily collection. They come in both day- and night-blooming cultivars, each with its own special place in the pond. Day bloomers, for example, offer bold colors, including the only true blue in the genus. Night-blooming specimens are good for people who work out- side the home and want to return each evening to a sumptuous display of color. They’re also good for entertaining, since they bloom at a time when one typically has a dinner party. Among the best day-bloomers at Longwood is ‘Aquarius’, which has a daz- zling blue-purple glow. This is one of two waterlilies bred at Longwood by Patrick Nutt, who helped Longwood design the water garden in 1 957. ‘Judge Hitchcock’ is a popular blue-purple cultivar or, for a lighter violet shade, try ‘Rhonda Kay’. ‘Panama Pacific’, another favorite, is noted for its bright purple-violet color and ease of cultiva- tion. It's both hardier than many tropicals and highly viviparous. And like many waterlilies, ‘Panama Pacific’ has a charming fragrance. For night-blooming cultivars, Tim notes that “‘Missouri’ is a terrific lily. It’s big and white, and glows like a lantern in the early Above: N. ‘Jennifer Rebecca’ Left: N. ‘Attraction august 2002 • GREEN SCENE evening." Other night-blooming favorites include ‘Antares’, a Longwood hybrid with a bold red-purple hue. A cross between ‘H. C. Haarstick' and 'Emily Grant Hutchings,’ it gets its name from Antares, the red star at the heart of the constellation Scorpius. And for a deep, dark purple-red, don’t miss ‘Jennifer Rebecca’, with its profuse blossoms and stunning color. HEAVENLY HARDIES Longwood also has many hardy waterlilies on display, which are attractive to the home water gardener because of their perennial nature and value for the money. Better still, Tim adds, “There are new hardy lilies com- ing out all the time, especially yellows, pinks and even doubles. There are no blue ones, but one asset is that some cultivars can take part sun, while tropicals need 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day.” Among the top-performing hardies at Longwood are ‘Hermine’ (“a nice white that works well in a small pool or container," says Tim) and ‘Attraction’ (“a good red for medi- um to large ponds”), for more esoteric color, Tim also recommends ‘Sioux’, which has yel- low-to-copper tones, and the peach-colored ‘Colorado’. MORE WATER WONDERS In addition to its waterlilies, Longwood’s Victoria “giant water platters” have gained worldwide fame. Named in honor of England’s Queen Victoria, this tropical genus has two species, both of which hail from the waters of South America. Its leaves average 4 to 6 feet in diameter and can actually support the weight of a person weighing up to 120 pounds. A night-flowering genus, it has huge blossoms that open lor two nights — the first night as a white female flower and the second as a pink male flower (so that the plant is unable to sell pollinate). Elsewhere in Longwood’s water-garden collection you'll find a large variety ol color- ful cannas, black and green taro ( Colocasia sp.), giant lotus ( Nelumbo sp.), papyrus (Cy perns papyrus), and powdered thalia ( Thalia dealbata ), which has dusty purplish flowers. Indeed, the water gardens at Longwood are chock full ol interesting plants and even fish — the ponds are teeming with tiny mosquito fish that eat any bug spawning there. TIM’S TIPS Overseeing Longwood's water gardens has given Tim Jennings an expert eye on what the pond enthusiast should — and should not — do in their own backyards. Often homeowners “don’t build their ponds big enough,” he says. They’ll install a small pond and then realize too late that it holds only two waterlilies.” He also says that water plants are not mysterious and often shouldn't be treated any different from their terrestrial counterparts. In his words, many of them are just “wet, slimy, smelly perennials.” Summing up, Tim offers one last design tip, “When selecting plants, make sure to add ver- tical highlights your garden, such as taller plants, which will offset the horizontal spread of waterlilies. It will make your pond seem much more dynamic. And these days, there are so many beautiful plants to choose from — new ones are released all the time. No question, this is a great time to be a water gardener.” wt? To learn more about water gardening, visit the website of the International Water Garden Society. You can find them on the Internet at www.iwgs.org. You can also visit Longwood Gardens online at www.longwoodgardens.com | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 1 Top: While wading in one of the pools, Tim Jennings takes a moment to answer visitors’ questions. Center: Longwood student Piers Goldson placing plant labels on the waterlilies. Bottom: The boiler under Longwood’s vast conservatory, part of which heats the tropical waterlily pools. ITT More Than a How Good Landscape Design Pretty Picture Can Enhance the Quality of Urban Life Story and photography by John Gannon Philadelphia began as a bustling city filled with the echoes of rural, lush green spaces. Yet could our forefathers have foreseen the challenges that landscapes would face in today’s urban environment? The fumes of cars, trucks, and buses... the hot microclimate of the concrete urban world... the problems of vandalism and land marred by debris and neglect. And so a question arises — how do you go about creating and caring for dynamic cityscapes? The answer is perplexingly simple: it all starts with sound design. Let’s take a closer look at three examples of urban landscape design and see how they create more than a pretty picture. 1: T EXISTING BUHJ L t PLANTING B k 30 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 GERMANTOWN AVENUE Illustration by Sharon Dendy PLANTING BED BENCHES (4) ill TURF ARBOR > MORAL PLANTING BED PATIO W/ rtCNIC TABLES (3) .AND BARBECUE GRILLS (2) U TREES (6) — ENTRY GATE PARKING LOT ENTRY GATE PLANTING BED - WROUGHT IRON FENCE Philadelphia Green designed the Garden of Hope in North Philadelphia with input from the residents of the Hogar de Esperanza housing development. The inset photos, taken at the garden’s dedication, include elements of this open space — its dynamic mural and arbor (story on pages 33 & 34). “With the increasing number of green spaces in our neighborhood, people no longer feel threatened by their surroundings. ” -Sandy Salzman Ira Beckoff Above: Eastern State Penitentiary. Right top & bottom: A ‘clean & green” lot along Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia’s New Kensington community. 32 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 At Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia Green oversees monthly workdays that draw from the Fairmount neighborhood. DESIGN 101 Sometimes the most effective landscape design is the most basic. And sometimes the best landscape for a city space isn’t the most awe-inspiring eye-candy in the horticultur- al world. In 1996, members of PHS’s Philadelphia Green staff sat down with the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (CDC), whose neighborhood contains an astounding 1,100 vacant lots, many of them filled with illegally dumped trash and demolition debris from razed abandoned houses. Their approach was simple: clear off the lots and amend the soil, then establish grass and line the perimeter with city-tough trees like red maple, honeylocust, and crabapple to discourage dumping and provide wel- come visual relief. The goal was to immedi- ately boost the “curb appeal” of the com- munity, helping to attract new residents and business by replacing neglect with a simple form of “greening.” This basic, interim landscape treatment meant not only that lots could be converted quickly into man- aged open space, but also that costs for their care would be kept to a minimum. Even though these new green spaces aren't elaborate feats of cutting-edge design, their impact has been dramatic, resonating throughout the New Kensington neighbor- hood. In fact, the social benefits of these lots are just as important, if not more so, than their aesthetic appeal. “This effort has | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE J . contributed to a good feeling about our neighborhood,” says Sandy Salzman, execu- tive director of the New Kensington CDC. “With the increasing number of clean and green spaces, people no longer feel threat- ened by their surroundings.” MAKING A CHERISHED SOCIAL SPACE When creating a community open space, designers must consider the needs of the users. The Garden of Hope, for example, is an intimate shared space specifically j)ur garden is your sanctuary... come to ostardi's for distinctive plants , expertise and inspiration. MOSTARDI NURSERY 4033 West Chester Pike (Route 3) Newtown Square, PA 19073 610.356.8035 www.mostardi.com 33 The Garden of Hope is a sanctuary, a simple yet elegant landscape that serves a social purpose. designed for special-needs residents of the North Philadelphia housing development known as Hogar de Esperanza. The garden is the result of a truly inter- active partnership that engaged Hogar’s res- idents, Philadelphia Green, and the Department of Recreation’s Mural Arts Program. “When we met with the residents to explore what they wanted, they all agreed on an outdoor gathering place that could be used for social events and barbecues with their families, ” reflects Philadelphia Green project manager Carl Haefner. And so, with the residents’ input, Philadelphia Green’s design team created a sitting garden and passive recreation area, accented with plantings of grasses like Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ and Panicum virgatum 'Hanse Herms’, and perennials that include Rndbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ and Sednm Autumn Joy’. The garden also includes vines, groundcovers, and new plantings of river birch and Okame cherry trees. The Elizabeth S. Hooper Foundation generously provided funding for the initial plantings. A unique feature of the garden is a three- dimensional mural, incorporating sculpted concrete, mosaics and paint. It was born from a collaboration among the residents, visual artists Heather Fenton and Josh Sarantitis of the Mural Arts Program, and composer Tina Davidson. Through com- munity workshops, residents helped devel- op the mural’s images of hope: birds in flight, flowers, a ray of light. The mural also features poetry by the residents, which formed the basis for a song created by Davidson. Formally dedicated with a vibrant cele- bration in May, the Garden of Hope is a sanctuary, a simple yet elegant landscape that serves a social purpose. It is also an inspiration for those seeking to create spaces that not only fulfill their needs, but also inspire people to dream. PERENNIALS ON A PRISON BREAK An urban landscape requires thoughtful planning so that it doesn’t overwhelm its community caretakers. Historic Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood closed its cell doors for good in 1970. Since that time, this huge, imposing structure was untouched by anything even remotely hor- ticultural until the late 1980s, when local ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ss« ss: a;: 2 immismw W V Vi Archer & Buchanan Architecture, V * 'll i A Ltd. 1 125 WEST MINER STREET WESTCHESTER, PA 19382 •MU > r- 610-692-9112 34 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 PRUNING PROBLEMS ? Please visit my website for all your pruning questions at: www.pruningmattersl23.com or fax your questions to me, Fran West at: 410-332-0270 I specialize in pruning shrubs and small trees. CHANTICLEER residents approached Philadelphia Green about adopting the neglected front ter- race. The initial design led to an abundant planting of yellow-flowering meadows filled with Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam,' Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' and goldenrod ( Solidago sp.). Enthusiastic citizens from the neigh- borhood were happy to help out on monthly workdays, but after a couple of years a “minor problem surfaced. "In the spring, when everything leafed out, it was really difficult to tell the difference between the weeds and the wildflowers,” explains steadfast volunteer Dorene Martin. Alas, the weeds soon staged a revolt and took over. Since it wasn’t practical to mow the meadow annually or burn it (just imag- ine: “The prison is on fire!”), the mead- ow had to go. To compete with the immense scale of the penitentiary walls, Philadelphia Green and community resi- dents planted extra tall ravenna grasses, shorter feather-reed grass, and shrubs like Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw) and V opulus (cranberry shrub). Rounding out the revamped landscape are colorful perennials like Aster novae angliae ‘Alma Potschke’ (New England aster) and the daylily Hemerocallis 'Dark Orange’. The end result? A planting that is much easier to maintain and ripples with color, texture and seasonal interest. Others in the neighborhood have been inspired to tackle the other “sides” of Eastern State, now reclaimed as a much- needed park and haven for Fairmount’s canine population. j BEYOND THE BEAUTY These examples illustrate that there is more to good urban design than bringing beauty to a site. With community input and attention to ongoing care, a well- thought-out combination of plants and hardscape elements can turn neglected areas into places of hope. This is the power of good design — ideas that can help change behavior and improve the quality of life. ^ Open April through October Wednesday - Saturday 1 0 to 5 Fridays until 8pm during June, July and August 786 Church Road Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 610/687-4163 www.chanticleergarden.org | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 35 A Visit to Meadowbrook Farm WILL DELIGHT YOUR SENSES! An inspirational place for your home and garden... ask our experts for ideas! We offer Superior quality and an unusual selection of: • Annuals & hanging baskets • Trees & shrubs including Gold Medal Plants • Perennials, native plants & alpines • Begonias, cactus & succulents • Statuary, fountains & decorative pots • Garden related gifts including bonsai, troughs & topiary • We offer tours for horticultural groups April-October. Call lor more information • 10% discount to PHS members Meadowbrook Farm 1633 Washington Lane • Meadowbrook, PA 19046 • (215) 887-5900 A Step of Faith Choosing a new com- munity is a big step. At PresbyHomes & Services, your step of faith will be matched by one of our own. Our residential living, assisted living and healthcare services are grounded in a faith- based commitment to provide the highest quality of care to older adults of all backgrounds and faiths. It’s a com- mitment backed by a half-century of service. Call today, and experi- ence the Presby differ- ence. PresbyHomes&Servjces A ministry to older adults by the Presbytery of Philadelphia t=J Rydal Parle • Rosemont Presbyterian Village • Broomall Presbyterian Village Spring Mill Presbyterian Village • Emily A. Marble Health Center • HUD Communities Tollfree: 1.877.9PRESBY www.presbyhomes.org 36 GREEN SCENE- august 2002 ■ SAVORING lowers of) the “I meant to do my work today, but a brown bird sang in the apple tree, And a butterfly flitted across the field.... ’ -Richard LeGallienne By the time August rolls around, I don't need many excuses to relax in my herb garden, listening to the hum of busy bees or the bright songs of birds as 1 sip some iced herbal tea — it’s my reward for all that hurried work in the spring. By hr, the most soothing part of the summer garden is watching the butterflies’ annual show. The first step in luring these enchanting creatures into your garden is to introduce the right plants; fortunately, quite a few herbs attract butterflies. Use nectar-rich plants with tubular or single flowers, as all the insects flitting around require a lot of energy. Butterflies, like most insects, are nearsighted, so you should plant herbs in groups instead of singles. Among the herbs that attract butterflies are bee balm, garlic, chives, anise, hyssop, lavender, mint, oregano, pineapple sage, mealy cup sage, and thyme. On the downside, you can’t have butterflies without having caterpillars. Adult butterflies consume mostly nectar and some pollen, but butterfly larvae eat plant parts. In Eric Grissell’s book Insects and Gardens, the author notes that while “adult butterflies may drop by for a sociable visit, their children want to stay awhile and bust up the place if there’s anything good to eat.” Butterfly larvae are a show unto themselves, as colorful and varied as the butterflies they become. To feed these hungry crit- ters, try growing borage, dill, fennel, mint, and parsley. The presence of butterflies is one measure of a healthy envi- ronment. Insect and bird populations are greatly diminished by garden chemicals that contaminate soil and plants. A few chewed-up plants is a small price to pay to have these “flowers of the air” inhabit our gardens. Use non-toxic alternatives to tra- ditional garden chemicals. Butterflies also need a constant source of water. A nearby pond, shallow stream, or a birdbath will do nicely. Butterflies also love mud puddles — several species will congregate at small rain pools and form puddle clubs. A few large, flat rocks placed around the garden will provide a heat source to warm their wings in the cool mornings and evenings so they’ll be able to fly. Butterflies, like humans, like places to rest, get out of the weather, hide from predators, and get shade during the worst heat waves. Nearby shrubs and trees work well, as do natural and constructed brush piles. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. RESOURCES Books Insects and Gardens by Eric Grissell (Timber Press, 2001) Butterfly Gardeningby the Xerces Society and the Smithsonian Institution (Sierra Club Books, 1998) Web Electronic Resources on Lepidoptera www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHRJlepidoptera.html Butterflies of North America www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resourceldistrllepidlbflyusa/bflyusa.htm The Butterfly WebSite http:/ /butterfly website, com/ august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 37 By Alexandra Basinski Alexandra Basinski Growers of Premier Garden Plants including Annuals, Perennials, Proven Winners & Garden Dahlias. Propagators of Zonal Geraniums. New Guinea Impatiens Hanging Baskets Growers of Holiday & Garden Plants Combination Garden Baskets Charles S Heal Jr. & Eric Heal visit us on the web Fwww.cshealmarket.coml 1607 Salem Rd. Burlington Twr NJ (609)386-9422 Fax: (609)386-9635 OPEN DAILY! Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30 , Sat. & Sun. 9-5 Experience the community of Dunwoody Village When you reside at Dunwoody Village, there’s a special feeling you get. It starts tl minute you enter the grounds and follows you wherever you go — whether you’re strolling through the gardens, grabbing a quick bite in the Village Coffee 1 Shop, or even enjoying a visit to the zoo in nearby Philadelphia. It’s the feeling of friendship, caring and above all, community, and it shines in all aspects ol Village life, every day of the year. Assisted Living Accommodations Available Immediately! CALL 1-800-DUNWOODY or visit us at www.dunwoody.org Dunwoody i VILLAGE The Retirement Community for people who enjoy living 3500 WEST CHESTER PIKE NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA 19073-4168 Searching for the Exceptional? Elizabeth Schumacher's 4 Union Hill Rond Wes! Conshohocken, PA 19428 610.825.5525 —g3fc.ll www.garden-accenl.com ^ 1( Hours: Tuesday - Samrday (garden BEST of* 10:00 -5:00 pm The above pictures were taken at the US National Arboretum in Washington D.C. in August of 2001 . When planted in the fall of 1 998, they were 3 feet tall and planted on 6 1/2 foot centers. They grew 3 feet the first year (1999), and are now 10 to 12 feet tall. It can be trimmed to any height or width to create the ultimate natural or formal hedge 'The Thuja Green Giants are the tough- est, disease, insect, deer and ice resistant evergreen I have ever used. I am 6' tall with a 6' arm span, so you can see the height to width ratio of these trees." - Mike Shade THUJA X « GREEN GIANT’ Replacement Tree for New England's Dying Hemlocks k. New US National Arboretum plant k- Pennsylvania Gold Medal Plant Award 1 998 k- Tough, Fragrant, Tall, Narrow Pyramidal Evergreen k- Deer, Bagworm & Disease Resistant k- Fast Growing, 3' - 5' /Year k- Zone 5-8 k. Excellent Alternative To Leyland Cypress k- We Ship All Year www. botany shop, com Many pictures on our web site! Plants 7in. - 2ft. tall, $3.00 to $20.00 each Botany Shop - Joplin, Missouri PHONE: (888) 855-3300 Valley Forge American Elm • The Most D.E.D (Dutch Elm Disease) Resistant American Elm Ever Tested • New U S D. A Release • No Secrets or Patents • Anyone Can Easily Propagate, Grow or Resell this Great American Tree • We Give a 1 5 Year D.E.D. Guarantee www.botanyshop.com 38 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 ORGANIC MATTERS r\ arden photography, M 'W' like so much other photography, is the selective use of view- point and chicanery to produce an image that approximates perfec- tion. When assigned to shoot a garden for a magazine, I most often walk into an above-average home landscape that needs primp- ing and propping to bring out its finer features. Sometimes I work with a stylist whose job is to replant bare spots, move or add furniture or statuary, deadhead and prune the flowers and shrubs, and sweep the sidewalks and patio before setting the table with linens and tea cups. On occasion, we’ve even taken to pinching blooms = and relocating them in tiny bud vases hidden by foliage. Then with -g the right lens, a dramatic perspec- tive, flattering light and super-saturated film, I can make that garden look like a calendar pinup that an editor will adore. The final image is a lovely artifice that can inspire readers but at the same time give them unrealistic expectations of what they can achieve. No garden, not even Longwood (which comes real close in my book), is as perfect as a great photograph. Gardeners continually face weeds, pests, disease and unyielding boulders, and we’re pushed to respond with heroic weekends of shoving and pulling, strong and dangerous chemicals, or new and improved plants. We sometimes suc- ceed for a short period but our gardens are never entirely under our control. They twist and squirm like kittens getting their claws trimmed and then make a run towards entropy when we turn our backs. Maybe it’s time for a new aesthetic. In Japan, there’s an ancient approach to art and life known as wabi-sabi , where the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete aspects of our lives are considered virtues rather than wrestling partners. It’s a deep view that celebrates the cycle of decay, the profundity of the minute and transient, and authenticity above all. As with so much of Eastern thought, it’s a difficult concept to pin down but you can certainly see its influence in the gnarled and bark- stripped branches of bonsai or the uneven and fissured glazes of Raku pottery. To me, wabi-sabi is also the heart and soul of organic gar- dening. And the more I remind myself that I’ll never have the perfect and com- plete garden, the more time and enjoyment 1 get from the plants that surround me. I now pause and admire the botanical nuances of weeds before giving them the yank and I linger over the dried and withered blossoms of spent annuals. I’m slowly learning to reinterpret the irregular, frayed and eroded parts of my landscape as either rustic or quaint. I’ve also stopped fretting over my two old Peco-pruned and cement-filled maples out front. I’ve been told by the pros to take them down, but they seem to find enough energy each spring to push out new leaves from their split and disfigured trunks and then fill my front windows with a buttery light each fall. And every year, I'll plant my dear departed Uncle Harvey’s paste tomatoes. Even though they’re prone to growth cracks and green shoulders, the sauce they make is richly sweet and full of memories. I’m also trying to be more realistic as to how much yard waste I can actually shred and compost. Instead, I now leave a big brush pile to winter over by the back fence. It’s really not that unattractive, especially when it tans and settles. And I’ve given up trying to grow asparagus in a yard full of rabbits and now watch them dash about. Perhaps it’s a sign of maturity, too, but I plan to stop banging my head on doors that won’t open and just admire the door knockers for a while. And when I want a little perfection, I can always take out my camera, Writer-photographer Rob Cardillo has written for Organic Gardening, Country Living Garden, and Better Homes and Gardens. | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 39 By Rob Cardillo BEGUILING BULBS Choice If I could only have two kinds of early fall-blooming bulbs in the garden, I most surely would select Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’ and any Sternbergia I could find. Clumps of smooth pristine blooms are most welcome when the rest of the garden is coming to the end of a long season and beginning to look a bit tired. In A Handbook of Crocus and Colchicum for Gardeners, E. A. Bowles refers to C. speciosum ‘Album’ as “one of the most beautiful of hardy bulbous plants” with “snow-white goblets of good form, equal to that of a Tulip standing on soft emer- ald green tubes.” In Hardy Garden Bulbs, Gertrude Wister sin- gles out this species as “choice.” Flowers appear before the foliage emerges, and, if dug and divided every few years, the corms will multiply rapidly and remain large, producing enor- mous flowers. Even a small clump can bring much pleasure. In damp weather, the large green foliage that follows the blooms is unfortunately a magnet for slugs, so appropriate measures should be taken to combat these pests. Various “white” fall- blooming crocus appear dingy and quite undersized when compared to C. speciosum ‘Album’. Colchicum speciosum album should not be confused with Crocus speciosus albus which is much more readily available, but less desirable. I have grown several different sternbergias over the years and purchased the first bulbs quite by mistake. One July more than 30 years ago, I was in rhe Nikotinsky Botanic Garden near Yalta in the Crimea and wandered into a shop where bulbs were sold. I could not resist purchasing the last three small “black daffodil” bulbs that remained in the bin. The Cyrillic writing on the sign offered no clue as to the identity of the bulbs. It was not until the next fall that I realized what I had acquired. Over the years, I have had masses of Sternbergia lutea in the garden with plenty to share with fam- ily and friends. Since all species of Sternbergia require a warm locale for ripening the bulbs in summer, a sunny Delaware Valley garden provides an ideal situation. My favorite sternbergia is S. clusiana, which blooms with large lemony goblets tinged with green before sending up foliage. Sad to report, my first planting only appeared occa- sionally, lying dormant for years in between and now seems to have disappeared entirely. Far easier and more reliable are S. lutea and S. sicula. In my garden, the blooms of lutea are a lit- tle earlier, larger and more rounded than those of sicula. Both appear with foliage in early fall and last for about two weeks giving the appearance of golden crocus. The small green leaves, which persist throughout the winter, are soon lost beneath emerging bulb foliage in the spring. RESOURCES Odyssey Bulbs (for Colchicum ) 8984 Meadow Lane, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103 toll free (877) 220-1631 [security code 4642] email: odysseybulbs@earthlink. net Brent & Beckys Bulbs (for Sternbergia) 7463 Heath Trail, Gloucester, Virginia 23061 toll free (877) 661-2852, www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com By Kathryn Andersen 40 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 LANDSCAPE & DESIGN SERVICES Design • Installation • Maintenance • Residential • Commercial Registered Landscape Architects Sc Designers 914 Baltimore Pike, Concordville, PA 19331 6 1 0.459.2400 • www.styers.com RIME# 435 W. Glensiae Avenue Glensiae, PA 1Q038 215 837 7500 Bringing you the best in personal service and knowledge for over 5Q years. Gardening enthusiasts and landscape professionals throughout the area have come to depend on Primex for an outstanding selection of horticultural products. Come find out why! August 1 - September 1 Monday - Friday 8:00-5:30 Saturday 8:00-4:00 Closed Sunday Closed Labor Day September Hours Monday - Friday 8:00-5:30 Saturday 8:00-5:00 Sunday 10:00-4:00 | august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 41 Classifieds ANTIQUE BOOKS GARDEN STRUCTURES GARLIC j RARE & PREVIOUSLY OWNED BOOKS ON HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL PRINTS - Bought and Sold Polly Goldstein 37 Lochwood Ln. West Chester, PA 19380 (610) 436-9796 E-mail: GrannyPol@aol.com GARDEN SHOPS MARANO GARDENS, LLC (formerly Fort Washington Garden Mart) A family owned garden center serving area since 1960, offering an extensive selection of plants and containers. Beautiful hanging bas- kets, mixed garden containers. Dwarf conifers and alpine troughs. Culinary and medicinal herbs. Cutting edge annuals, tropicals and perenni- als, including the Beds & Borders line. Ornamental trees and shrubs, emphasizing native varieties and PHS Gold Medal winners. MARANO GARDENS, LLC 488 Bethlehem Pike Ft. Washington, PA 19034 215-646-3336 Minutes north of Chestnut Hill, or 4 miles from the Blue Route. HANDCRAFTED IRON GARDEN STRUCTURES Arbors, Trellises, & Gates in the tradition of elegance, beauty and permanence. Full Color Catalog $5 The Painted Garden, Inc. 304 Edge Hill Road Glenside, PA 19038 (215) 884-7378 HERITAGE STONE & MARBLE We are an installation and restoration com- pany who emphasizes long lasting quality with outstanding craftsmanship. FLAGSTONE, BRICK-patios and walkways, COBBLESTONE-edging and paving, STONE walls, RETAINING walls, MARBLE, GRANITE-floors, walls, countertops. (21 5) 699-561 1 Upper Gwynedd, Pa. GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Sales and Service Janco, Lord & Burnham and more. Call Robert J. LaRouche at Glass Enclosures Unlimited (610) 687-2444 i Grow your own Garlic! Organic planting stock , growing tips, and prepared garlic foods. Secure online ordering at www. TheGarlicStore.com. SPECIMEN HOLLIES DELICIOUS HORTICULTURAL FRUITS SUSTAINABLY AND ORGANICALLY GROWN PICKED + PICK YOUR OWN Apples - Raspberries - Blueberries - Blackberries Peaches - Pears - Grapes Indian Orchards, Media PA 610-565-8387 LANDSCAPE DESIGN S. Edgar David and Associates Landscape Architects Site Planning and Garden Design Winners of the ASLA Pa/Del Chapter 2001 and 2002 Honor Awards Transforming the landscape with innovative solutions BONSELL’S NURSERY Growers of high quality trees, shrubs, and perennials. • Large Selection. • Reasonable Prices. • PHS Gold Medal Plants. Trees for small yards. Including Forest Pansy Redbud, Paperbark Maple, Golden Larch, Sourwood, and many more. Conveniently located near 309 & the PA turnpike. Open Mon-Sat 9-5. 1245 Fort Washington Ave. Fort Washington, PA 215-643-2418 THE SUNWORKS CORPORATION • Greenhouse Sales: Residential, Commercial and Institutional. • Installations: Of greenhouses from any manufacturer, shading and ventilation systems. • Maintenance: Reglazing, reskinning, painting, cleaning. Emergency repairs. Call (302) 655-5772, ask for John Klein Member ASLA Registered Landscape Architects Design Studio 610-584-5941 Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc. A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN/BUILD FIRM Experts in Landscape Renovation, Naturalistic and Classic Formal Gardens. Landscape Construction, Unique Patios, Terraces, Creative Stone Work, and Landscape Lighting. Major Award Winning Exhibitor Philadelphia Flower Show. 215-887-1773 www. burkebrothers. com LINDA CORSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN • Consulting • Plans • Supervision Registered Landscape Architect Member ASLA 21 5-247-561 9 Chinese TYee Peonies Plant These Antique Flowers This Fall for Spring Splendor! See them in bloom and understand why gardeners through the centuries have loved them. Our 45 min. video, A Stroll Through Peony Heaven, is a personal tour of our garden in bloom with a history of the tree peony and plant care from spring to fall. $29.99 postpaid. Visit our website or write for our catalog -$3. Order noiv for to reserve for Fall planting! Cricket Hill Garden 670 Walnut Hill Road. Dept. GS. Thomaston, CT 06787 Shop online: www.treepcony.com • tel. 860-283-1042 42 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 CLASSIFIED RATES Base Rate $3.00 per word Formatted Words $5.00 Minimum Charge $60.00 (without formatting) (ex. Bold, Italic or ALL CAPS) Discount 10% off the second consecutive ad, using the same copy Deadlines February Issue (by December 1) April Issue (by February 1) June Issue (by April I) August Issue (by June I) October Issue (by August 1) December Issue (by October I) Please NOTE: Green Scene does not guarantee advertisement position, and we reserve the right to edit copy to fit available space. Green Scene ads are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis until space is filled for a particular issue. Please calculate your ad cost based on number and formatting of words, and enclose a check along with your copy (call for assistance). Green Scene will bill any difference or credit upon publication of your advertisement. If your new ad arrives very close to deadline, we may deposit your check until ad is scheduled. If we can’t schedule your ad, your check will be returned. Make checks payable to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Send all advertising correspondence to: Laurie Fitzpatrick, Green Scene , The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495. If you have any questions, please call (215) 988-8769. Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. • Landscape Architects & Contractors • Formal/Period/Naturalistic Gardens ♦ Creating outdoor living spaces of distinction • Master Plans/Phased projects • Let us make your desires become reality P.0. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1 -800-ELA-9252 David Brothers Landscape Services Bean Road Nursery Architects, Builders and Nurserymen Providing the Fine Art of Garden Construction and Landscape Restoration (215) 247-2992 (610) 584-1550 (610) 525-3232 DONALD PELL GARDEN SERVICES Creating & maintaining gardens with expert horticultural craftsmanship. View our portfolio of landscape designs online at www.donaldpell.com or call 610-917-1385 for a brochure and consultation. LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE ANDREW C. BECK LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE A Dependable Source for All Your Landscape Needs. Serving CHESTNUT HILL & MONT- GOMERY COUNTY - Lawn Mowing - Garden Care, Mulching, Planting - Tree & Shrub Pruning - Organic Fertilization & Aeration - Spring & Fall Clean up - Property Management Insured References 215-233-9401 LECTURE SERIES Garden Lecture Series at the Radnor Hotel Second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 PM. Price: $15.00, includes wines and hors d’oeuvres. For reservations call: 610- 341-3192. August 14: Butterflies in the Garden, Meg Barrett - Tyler Arboretum September 11, Organic Gardening, Craig Strimel October 9, Hedgleigh Spring: 100 Years in a Family Garden, Charles Cresson November 13, Crossing the Herbaceous Border, Chris Woods - Chanticleer December 11, Christmas Decorations, Jean Stahl For more information: www.radnorhotel.com MULCH PINE NEEDLE MULCH Wonit change soil pH Wholesale and retail FLOWERS BY THE YARD 610-701-9283 renee52@erols.com RESTORATION REED’S WOODS, INC. QUALITY WORK AT A FAIR PRICE Custom Builder Restorations, Remodeling Greenhouses Springhouse Restorations Decks, Carpentry & Landscape Structures Jamie Reed 2125 Bodine Road Malvern, PA 19355 (610) 827-9663 TREE SERVICE TREE TRANSFERS, INC. Large Tree Transplanting and Sales Machine and Specialized Hand Digging Dealers and Locators of Large Horticultural Specimens Mature Screening and Shade Trees Assessing and Renovating Mature Collection and Estate Gardens Plant Material Purchased (215) 635-2310 Tree Transplanting & Sales • Machine & hand digging • Supply & install specimen plants • Locate/Purchase mature trees • Why Wait for mother nature? Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. PO. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-EU\-9252 UNUSUAL SPECIMENS HOSTA Over 1 00 varieties Assorted perennials, Ferns, shade plants. Michael’s Country Nursery 165 Tuckertown Road Medford, NJ 856-983-6512 RARE & UNUSUAL PLANTS • Specimen plants • Pond plants • Bonsai • Orchids • Hardy cacti • Tropicals • Sculptured trees and shrubs • Perennials • Unique Flower and gift shop. MUTSCHLERS’ FLORIST & RARE PLANTS 1-800-242-9438 www.mutschlers.com august 2002 • GREEN SCENE 43 Classifieds Cooling Off Conjuring a Restful Haven in Your Garden By Ronny F. Kosempel 44 GREEN SCENE • august 2002 The temperature outside was 93°F in the shade. The flowers were drooping and the shrubs were wilting before my eyes. My body ached to be in the cool air-conditioned house, but I knew I had garden chores to finish, so I slogged onward. And this was April. Naturally my mind swirled with ideas. I would transform my yard into a cool, sheltering haven against the blazing summer sun. My first thought was to have it domed over and air-conditioned, but that was the heat talking. I set out to research low-cost, easy ways to transform any yard into a welcoming oasis. My second idea was to find some shade and make the most of it. Shade is scarce in our yard because my family does not like to rake leaves. Shade trees are natural air conditioners, giving off moisture and oxygen and filtering pollutants from the air. If you are fortunate enough to have a shade tree, thank your lucky stars. Put some comfortable seats or a hammock underneath to catch those summer breezes, and surround the tree with potted plants in soothing colors. If you don’t have a tree, consider planting one. Although it may be a few years before it grows large enough to provide shade, you and the future owners of your home will benefit from its cooling effects for a long time to come. No room for a tree? Don't despair. Build an arbor and plant quick-growing vines such as wisteria, hops (a key ingredient in beer and ale), grapevine, or silver fleece vine, which will climb over the arbor to create a shady retreat below. Picture yourself entertaining friends and sipping iced tea beneath the gently rustling leaves. This is number one on my list. Water features are another cool idea, but an Olympic-sized swim- ming pool was definitely out of the question for our yard. The sound of trickling water soothes the spirit and invites birds and but- terflies to your garden — it also helps mask the sound of passing cars and other noises. Many garden centers and pet-supply stores carry easy-to-install, pre-formed pond liners in various sizes, along with pumps to re-circulate the water. I have an aboveground fountain with a wooden barrel, liner, and pump. It’s a little small for me to sit in and cool off (not that I’ve actually tried mind you), but I appreciate its tinkling sound nonetheless. Whatever you decide, have a professional electrician check your set-up for safety. As for plants for your oasis, choose cool shades of blue, white, sil- ver, and purple, avoiding the “hot colors of red, yellow and orange. Drought-resistant plants like artemesia and yucca will stand up to the heat, and ornamental grasses will sway in the smallest breeze. And don't forget the mulch so you won’t have to weed in the swel- tering heat — much better to sit and sip mint juleps under your new arbor. You could also try some “aromatherapy” for the hot-weather blues. Fragrant herbs such as lemon balm, lavender, mint, and rose- mary provide a natural lift to your spirits each time you brush against them. On hot days I like to keep a sprig of mint in my pock- et and occasionally inhale the crisp aroma. My neighbors wonder what it is I’m sniffing all the time, and why I am always smiling as I go about my chores, but so far, no one has called the cops. Now all that is left is to grab a good book and a cool drink — be it a chilled herbal tea or a soothing mint julep — and go enjoy a cool, breezy piece of heaven. Ahhhh. 1 think I feel a nap coming on, too. M 11 Phases of Tree Care: Residential and Commercial Maintenance Pruning • Prescription Fertilization Plant Health Care Programs • Insect & Disease Management Tree Support Systems • Lightning Protection Jor a FREE consultation call 1-877-BARTLETT (227-8538) BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS Scientific Tree Care Since 1907 www.bartlett.com or contact your local office: Bala Cynwyd, PA (610) 664-3200 Cherry Hill, NJ (856) 662-3767 Dublin, PA (215) 249-1819 Exton, PA (610) 594-4740 Wilmington, DE (302) 995-7562 Proprietary Unparalleled Personalized Networking Estate Research Investment Service Opportunities Planning Experience We understand that while all investors may share the same basic goal, how you achieve your goal differs. Our low client-to-advisor ratio ensures you get the care, time and attention to detail you expect. Plus, our Women's Financial Services Network offers seminars to help you make better-informed decisions. All of which helps you reach the most important goal of all. Your future. For more information, call 215-585-5438, or visit www.pncadvisors.com. ©PNC Advisors The Thinking Behind The Money ©2000 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC Advisors is a service mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., for investment management, banking and fiduciary services. THE PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OCTOBER 2002 *$5.00 O' V**! V 2003 GOLD MEDAL PLANTS Dutch Tulips Tree Tenders in Philadelphia Cathedral Village 23 Years of Achievement And Still Growing! New and Innovative changes are taking place at Cathedral Village to accommodate the growW of our community and the educational and cultural interests of our residents. Townhouses .. .1 .Construction of another sixteen beautifully-appointed, single-story Townhouses featuring a spacious two-bedroom/two-bath design... an enclosed sunroom, skylights... and many other amenities for your enjoyment. Atrium Dining Room . . . An additional distinctive Dining Room overlooking our beautiful grounds and adjacent to the Fireside Cafe' which will allow sixty more residents and guests to enjoy Chef Lachman’s wonderful meals. Village College Classrooms... Four additional Classrooms to accommodate our growing Village College... where the diverse faculty, residents who are educators and business leaders, etc. ... and the students, residents who love the challenge of learning... pursue education in an environment where there are no tests to take or to grade. An Art Studio... A completely unique Studio with plenty of artist-preferred natural light... designed for professional artists as well as for those just starting in the Village College art classes ... plus a separate Ceramics Studio! Alore Value Than Ever Before ... in our community that continues to set standards for innovative leadership and for providing the highest level of care and services possible. Visit us Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Appointments are encouraged for weekdays and are necessary on weekends. Cathedral Village A Nonprofit, Nondenominational CCRC 600 East Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128 (2 1 5) 984-8622 Website: www.cathedralvillage.com t=T Equal Housing Opportunity Affiliated with the Jefferson Health System FEATURES 10 Where Do Tulips Come From? Join Eva Monheim for a behind-the-scenes look at tulip produc- tion in the Netherlands. From planting to harvesting to grading and shipping, we ll see all the hard work that goes into growing these timeless heralds of spring. 18 2003 Gold Medal Plant Awards! Want to learn about great trees, shrubs and vines for your property? Here, Barry Yinger announces the latest winners of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Gold Medal Plant Awards. Geared for gardens in the mid-Atlantic region, these plants are sure to be winners on your property. 24 An "Herbal" History What were garden books like 200 years ago? In this story, Olivia Lehman talks to renowned heirloom-plant grower William Woys Weaver, who has recently translated a Revolutionary War-era herbal written in German by a Chester County plantsman. It’s fas- cinating garden lore for all. 32 A Tree G rows in Philadelphia Without trees, the city would be a barren landscape of concrete and asphalt. But through PHS s “Tree Tenders” program, city res- idents are trained to care for trees in their own neighborhoods. In this article, Jane Carroll reveals how this program is helping trans- form the city into a greener, more pleasing landscape, as well as how trees help bring people together. COLUMNS 38 Designing for Small Behind a Rowhome by Jeff Jabco Spaces: Gardening 41 Gardening Indoors: by Ilene Sternberg Fragrant Houseplants 42 Shrubs in the Home by Bill Thomas Landscape: Fall Color 44 Classified Ads 46 Backyard: Dreading by Patricia Taylor Deer Editor Pete Prown Associate Editor Jane Carroll Publications Assistant Laurie Fitzpatrick Art Design Baxendells’ Graphic Publications Committee Stephanie Cohen Alan Detrick Linda Detrick Beverly Fitts Anne Kellett, ex officio Adam Levine Jennifer Lin Marby Sparkman Bill Stieg L. Wilbur Zimmerman Printer ALCOM Printing Group, Inc. THE PENNSYLVANIA IIORTICULTl UAL SOCIETY 100 N. 20th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 (215) 988-8800 Chair Anne Kellett President Jane G. Pepper Executive Vice President J. Blaine Bonham, Jr. PHS Membership Information Linda Davis, (215) 988-8776 Display Ads Kim Richards at Manzo Communications. (610) 527-7047 kim4manzocomm@aot.com Classified Ads Laurie Fitzpatrick, (215) 988-8769 lfitzpat@pennhort.org Ask A Gardener Phone Line (215) 988-8777, Monday through Friday. 9:30 to 12 [closed in December] askagardener@pennhort. org Web Site www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org GREEN SCENE (USPS 955580), Volume 30. No. 5. is published bi-monthly (February. April, June, August, October, December) by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, a non-profit member organiza- tion at 100 N. 20th St.. Philadelphia. PA 19103- 1495. Subscription: $16.95. Single Copy: $3.00 (plus $2.00 shipping). Second-class postage paid at Philadelphia, PA 19103. POSTMASTER: Send address change to GREEN SCENE, 100 N. 20th St.. Philadelphia, PA 19103. © Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 2002 The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society motivates people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture. Cover photos by Erv Evans, Rob Cardillo & Barry Yinger PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER October 2002 • GREEN SCENE GREEN SCENE subscriptions are part of the membership benefits for: Cox Arboretum, Dayton. Ohio Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Morristown, NJ Horticultural Society of Maryland, Baltimore Horticultural Society of New York Phipps Conservatory, Inc.. Pittsburgh, PA Staten Island Botanical Garden, Inc, New York 3 GARRETT CHURCHILL A LANDSCAPE DESIGN & BUILD COMPANY The mission of Garrett Churchill is quite simply to create an outdoor environment that all ows our clients to enjoy their properties hy showcasing their individual lifestyles or corporate culture. This mission is accomplished through creative design/ build services as well as enlightened horticultural and management practices. MA'A AML A For more information please check out our wehsite at www.garrettchurchi ll.com E-mail info@garrettchurchill.com 1509 Edge Hill Road ’ Ahington, Pennsylvania 19001 ' 215-884-3/66 ' Fax 215-884-36/2 ■ SITE DEVELOPMENT/PLANNING ■ LANDSCAPE DESIGN ■ LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION ■ HORTICULTURAL SERVICES/MANAGEMENT ■ LANDSCAPE LIGHTING ■ AQUATIC GARDENS ■ WATER FEATURES Beyond the Border Like many new gardeners, my early gardening years were focused on dramatic flowering borders brim- ming with ornamentals: roses, delphini- ums, foxgloves and towering lilies galore. But now that I’m teetering on the cusp of middle age, my priorities are evolving, as are any inclinations I once had to double- dig beds and weed them on my knees throughout the summer. There must be another way to garden that’s kinder on one’s back. Fortunately, a new approach inadvertently dropped into my lap, thanks to the house I moved into last fall. The house is on a heavily wood- ed lot, yet the previous own- ers had assiduously planted ornamental shrubs through- out their 30 years there. In fact, it’s one of the things that attracted my wife and me to the property — an array of full-grown shrubs that provided plenty of pri- vacy. So here I am with a prop- erty full of flowering woody plants. But do woody plants alone constitute a garden? As I’m learning, the answer is a resounding “yes.” The previous owners had put in a nice selection of hardy shrubs over the decades, from azal- eas and rhododendrons, to leucothoe, mountain laurels, pieris, lilacs, and more. Granted, I could do without the gaudy, speckled aucubas {A. japonica ) seated around the house — to my mind, these are the pink flamingoes of the woody plant world. But beggars can’t be choosers and, all told, I’m happy with my lot. ..all three- quarter acres of it. Moreover, I’m finding that caring for shrubs is easier on the back and knees than many other gardening activities. I’ve gained a new appreciation for my hand primers, trimmers, bow saw and loppers, which have long sat neglected in the shed. In fact, an afternoon pruning one’s shrubbery is not the onerous task I once thought. It’s a sur- prisingly pleasant and relaxing way to spend the day. ( Good grief, I am turning middle aged.) What’s more important here is that working with shrubs, as well as trees and woody vines, can teach us all a fresh way to garden. When pruning woodies, there’s a slower, more studied pace (one doesn't have to perpetually keep after weeds, as in a flower bed). Also, more thought is given to form and structure, instead of the easy allure of color, and one can gain a deeper appreciation for the subtleties of foliage and texture. This isn’t to say that I won’t eventually dig an herbaceous border some- where, but for the time being, my surprise bounty of woody plants is keeping me an active and contented gardener. In this issue of Green Scene , you'll learn of several fine woody specimens as we announce the winners of the 2003 PHS Gold Medal Plant Awards. Since 1978, this program has celebrated superb trees, shrubs and vines that thrive in our region (Zones 5-7) and provide solid bang for the buck in the garden. We are also unveiling our new columns for the year. Our writers include Bill Thomas of Longwood Gardens, who, coincidental- ly, shares his expertise on shrubs, while Jeff Jabco of the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College will deal with the conundrum of gardening in small spaces. Finally, newspaper colum- nist Ilene Sternberg will delve into the indoor world of houseplants. I hope you enjoy these columns as much as we enjoy presenting them. In a similar spirit, I want to offer a great round of thanks to last year’s terrific stable of columnists: Rob Cardillo, Kathryn Andersen, and Alexandra Basinski. You all did a wonderful job and 1 know our readers share my deep apprecia- tion of your efforts. Hates to reveal a rich, cinnamon brown inner bark. Abundant white flowers • I'M appear in May, and in fall, the leaves turn scarlet red. But its best feature is V ^1|| .'■*«* the orange-red, berry-like fruits that appear in September and persist until ij jjk eagerly consumed by migrating birds in late winter. The berries are an attractive holly substitute, according to PHS Gold Jprj $ j . fj| Medal Plant coordinator Joe Ziccardi, Jr. He explains that when he worked j&fc. >\y; at a garden center, he would often cut sprigs of them at the holidays when the winterberry holly was out of stock. “The customers loved it,” he ' .* ' recalls. “The berries were larger and brighter than the holly and lasted \ v. * T '. >* longer when freshly cut.” ‘K\ ' l.'- Because it is nearly thornless, ‘Winter King’ is easier to site than many * ‘ ‘ * * -- hawthorns. It is also more resistant to cedar hawthorn rust but should be planted away from Eastern red cedar to minimize problems. With a mature height and width of about 30 feet and a vase-shaped form, it is equally effective as a specimen tree or for the back of the border. Hardy in Zones 4 to 7, ‘Winter King’ does best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. However, it tolerates a range of conditions, including urban pollution and drought. This tough and handsome tree will perk up your garden at any time of year. — Debbie Moran For source information, visit www.goldmedalpDnts.com October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 7 f/7ie (fardener s fjQwks/te/F A--' Beverley Nichols: A Life (Timber Press, hardcover, 320pp., $29.95) By Bryan Connon PROS: Fascinating insight into this garden writer’s life. CONS: Not enough photo- graphs. If nothing else, this biography of writer Beverley Nichols paints the portrait of a hugely complex person. Nichols was the author of over 50 books — along with hit musicals, poetry and more — yet considered himself something of an artistic failure. He earned his living with the written word, but felt he missed his calling as a serious concert pianist. He was a genteel garden writer, but his private life was daring, promiscuous, and even dangerous. Today, Nichols is most famous lor his gardening books, which he knocked off as mere trifles during a long and prolific career. Nevertheless, tomes like the Merry Hall trilogy, Down the Garden Path , and Garden Open Today are considered classics of 20th-century garden literature, blending general horticultural information with the author’s famed wit and whimsy. In this book, biographer Bryan Connon goes far beyond the blissfully silly world of Merry Hall and delves into the writer’s mysterious childhood, during which the subject claimed to have been forever scarred by an alcoholic, abusive father. John Nichols is a central character in the book, specifically as the author uncovers evidence that his son exaggerated and even made up gross untruths about his hither. Towards the end of his life, the younger Nichols even laid claim to several murder attempts upon his drunken father, but whether these were truths or by-products of the writer’s prolific imagination remains unknown. Conversely, one can only sit in wonder at Nichols’ high-flying lifestyle. He was born into affluence in the late Victorian era, reared in the golden Edwardian age, and, unlike thousands of men his age, he survived World War I. Audaciously, he wrote his first autobiography at the age of 25 and it was a surprise success, launching his journalistic career. Throughout the Roaring ‘20s, he apparently lived life to the fullest, parlaying his natural charm and intelligence into connections with royalty (the king and queen of Greece), politicians (Winston Churchill), and celebrity writers galore (Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham, among them). Wherever there was a party, it seems that Beverley Nichols was not fir behind. Down the Garden Pathws, published in 1932 and continued his winning spree — amazingly, the book is still in print 70 years later. But Nichols’ gardening books are only the tip of the ice- berg: he also wrote on politics, religion, travel, the occult, and even cats. Despite his enormous output, he never wrote a defini- tive literary masterpiece, owing to a frequent weakness for senti- mentality. Even his charm finally wore thin. In his later years, critics grew tired of his self-infatuation (he wrote no less than eight autobiographies) and skewered his large, insecure ego with delight. Still, it’s hard to deny Nichols’ offbeat genius, despite the unflinching assessment of his personal life captured in this solid biography. By the time you’ve digested Bryan Connon’s reflec- tions and research, you may find yourself not always liking Beverley Nichols, but it’s hard not to be a little enchanted by his colorful persona. It’s little wonder that so many of the charming characters in his gardening books were simply based upon himself. — Pete Prown I The City Gardener's Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Small-Space Gardening (Storey Books, 336pp., paperback, $19.95) By Linda Yang PROS: Excellent reference guide. CONS: Dated-looking photographs. After a brief hiatus, The City Gardener's Handbook by Linda Yang is back in print in a new edition by Storey Books. Originally publishedjn 1990, the book was reissued in 1995 as The City and Town Gardener. (Random House published the first two versions.) This third incarnation still includes the 1995 foreword by PHS president Jane Pepper, while adding new intro- ductory comments by Katherine Powis, librarian for the Horticultural Society of New York, who calls the book “just the best book on the subject I know.’’ Indeed, Yang crams a huge amount of information into one compact volume — just what you’d expect from a city gardener who’s learned how to make the most of a small patch of land. In just the first few minutes of leafing through it, I learned two GREEN SCENE • October 2002 H J CITY GARDENER’S H AN DBOOKjsjssssss; 8 things: that those light-colored spots on my tomato leaves are probably a sign of ozone pollution, and that I could make my garden less attractive to pigeons by spreading cut Christmas tree boughs under the bird feeder (it hides the seeds from those hun- gry pigeons). Much of this encyclopedic book remains the same as the pre- vious two versions, including the excellent section on container gardening, a seasonal almanac, lots of good, basic gardening advice and a list of city-friendly plants. Trained as an architect, Yang even discusses how to determine safe weight loads for rooftops and terraces and pairs a number of photographs with detailed garden plans. So what’s different? The 2002 edition has a new cover and an updated resource section, with a list of on-line sources, as well as new information about organic pest control and fertilizers. Although the photographs seem a bit dated — they probably date from 1 990 — they still offer inspiration for those of us who gar- den within view of a skyscraper or two. Overall, The City Gardener's Handbook contains a wealth of practical, easy-to-find information from one who has been there, done that. And at $19.95, it’s a bargain. — Jane Carroll Garden Master Class (DK Books, 2002, 352pp., $40) Natural Landscapes (DK Books, 2002, 191pp., paperback, $19.95) by John Brookes PROS: Great drawings and photos. CONS: None. John Brookes’ Garden Master Class opens with a delightful journey through a lifelong study of iconic gardens from around the world, ancient to modern, that have influenced the author. The mood of enchantment lasts until you turn the page and see an aerial view of a cookie-cutter housing development plopped | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE in a swamp. One expects excoriation, after the beauty and sensi- tivity of the intro, but no — instead we get an essay on sense of place. That’s when you realize this is no snob coffeetable book for the over- privileged; Brookes is a realist who wants to bring his insights to the everyday sort of gardens that most of us live with. This is the first garden book I’ve seen that delves into the sort of regional thinking that is the hallmark of today’s professional landscape-architectural training. Brookes’ keen sensitivity for regional characteristics — natural, cultural, industrial or agricul- tural—is brought to bear on the individual garden. He acknowl- edges the contribution of the premier mid-20th-century garden designer Thomas Church and his influential book, Gardens are for People , a classic that recognized the “new” California outdoor lifestyle. Like Church, his guru, Brookes reaches across the vast divide between professional and amateur gardeners to bring the best current thinking to a popular audience. But unlike Church, he extends his reach to encompass a large range of gardens. He considers all the elements of gardens: plants, paths, water elements, enclosures, structures and so on. There are wonderful photographs, too, but most useful are his parings of photographs and analytical drawings. Brookes’ other new book, Natural Landscapes , expands on the idea of a garden being one with its setting. After an introduction to natural gardening and a primer on the elements of design, the book is chaptered by location. A variety of situations are consid- ered— coastal, temperate, wetland, woodland, tropical, grassland, desert, and city. For each situation, he gives examples of gardens, with plant lists, design analysis, tips on establishment, and care and management. This book is laid out in the publisher’s trademark style, with each topic broken into separate elements occupying two facing pages. The book overflows with explanatory photographs and drawings, and their instructional intent does not detract from their visual allure. This urban gardener was particularly drawn to the clever ideas in the City Garden chapter: a long, narrow gar- den in Georgetown sports a sinuous flagstone path meant to evoke a dry stream; a Minneapolis garden captures roof runoff to an artificial plastic-lined bog; and a modern house in Melbourne, Australia has a terrace and pool that match its recti- linear lines. Both of these books contain engaging tours of gardens around the world, ones any garden enthusiast would like to see. Both are filled with practical information and doable techniques. Rather than espouse a particular style, John Brookes encourages the reader to connect to his native landscape and to make the garden work for the lives that are lived within it. This is the best that any garden design book can do. — Nancy Q. O’Donnell A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Dutch Tulip Production By Eva Monheim The heavy, moist air hung all around us as we entered Keukenhof, the annual open-air flower exhibition in Lisse, Holland. The sweet fragrance of tulips was suspended in the mist, and I was awestruck by the scent and visual vibrancy of the tulip pageantry. Stately beech trees and brilliant green lawns outlined the walk- ways and the beds of the spring-blooming flowers. I was here to see what millions of other visitors had seen before me, and, like them, I was consumed by Keukenhof’s spring regalia. Walking through Keukenhof will never leave my memory, nor will I ever view a tulip in the same manner. After seeing Keukenhof ( pictured at left), one begins to have a better understanding of why the so- called “tulip mania” swept Holland in the 17th century. It was after the first sight of tulips in Turkey by Dutch ambassadors that the Dutch began their love affair with the flowers, eventually becoming the best tulip growers and breeders in the world. At Keukenhof, the oldest and newest of Dutch tulips are exhibited in the most imaginative ways for the public to swoon over. It is no wonder that the Dutch refer to the tulip as “The Queen of Spring.” I had come to Keukenhof to learn how the best tulips are selected and produced in the Netherlands for our gardens in the US. The story begins at the tulip farms. After our visit to Keukenhof, my Dutch friend, Carin, took me to two farms — first to the farm of Geert Jan Duisterwinkel. We drove for several hours to the northern part of the country, to the small town of Ulrum. Upon our arrival at the Duisterwinkel The Queen of Spring Opposite page clockwise from top right: 1) Bulbs of various size with a bulb-measuring tool. 2) The netting on which bulbs are planted for easy removal. 3) A warehouse next to the tulip fields. 4) Inside a tulip warehouse. 5) Harvesting blossoms to keep the bulbs growing strong. 6) Closeup of tulip bulb and bulblets. Below: Close up of ‘Prinses Irene’ tulips. farm, Geert Jan greeted us at the door of the farmstead with an armful of parrot tulips. I was taken back by the gesture, feel- ing as if I’d been given the world — hun- dreds of years of history in one armful. Metaphorically, I was given the farmer’s world, his custom, his love of flowers and his livelihood, all in one big bouquet. Geert Jan took us out in the field to explain the artful procedure of growing tulips. As we walked through the field, across a row of tulips planted four bulbs across, forming large bands of color, Geert Jan explained that it all starts here in the planting. Because of his farm’s clay soil, the bulbs are planted mechanically in one long continuous netting material. As the netting is rolled out and ploughed under, the bulbs fall into their beds. The holes in the netting are large enough to allow the young tulip leaves to grow through them. Later, at har- vest time, the netting helps loosen soil from around the bulbs as they are pulled up in the netting. This prevents injury and keeps the clay soil from remaining on the bulbs, which can cause disease and improper grad- ing for bulb size. How are tulip bulbs graded for export? Tulip bulbs are measured against the stan- dard for the Japanese market — the highest quality of bulbs grown — known as “class 1 Japan.” The culling technique for tulips for the Japanese market is determined by the percentage of disease found within the bulb. The Japanese standard requires few diseases in very low percentages within a shipment of bulbs. The higher the percent- age of disease within a shipment, the lower the class designation will be. Tulip brokers and their clients may demand other standards as well. These can include tightness and color of the outside bulb sheath, whether the sheath is broken or fully intact, and the size of the bulb. The tulip bulb’s size is the measurement, in cen- GREEN SCENE • October 2002 | LH Ml Afrjp wL Top of page: Acre upon acre of color. Above: My traveling companion Carin (left) with grower Geert Jan Duisterwinkel. timeters, of the circumference. Bulbs for garden planting usually start at size 10/11 and go up accordingly to 11/12 and 12+ centimeters. Geert Jan shared with me many profes- sional growing techniques. For example, applying fertilizer and treating the tulips against disease are two important ways to increase bulb size. Another technique is removal of the plant’s blossom after the flower has opened. Just as the fields become vibrant in color, workers remove the heads, being careful to remove as little of the flower stem as possible. Leaving the flower stalk and leaves provides additional food for the bulb. Geert Jan said that for every centimeter removed from the flower stem, 1% of the bulb size is lost. Loss of bulb size could mean an additional growing season to get the bulb up to a larger grading size. If the blossom is left on the plant to bloom and go to seed, the bulb may or may not flower the following year. Larger bulbs can bloom up to three seasons, and with a yearly application of fertilizer, they will bloom for many seasons. After the first growing season, tulips 14 develop bulblets. Bulblets are the asexual means of reproduction for the tulip, ensur- ing that the variety grows true to form — the DNA is identical. The development of large, healthy bulblets at the base of the original/mother bulb guarantees bulbs for new crop development. Pinching off the blossom encourages bulblet development. As we continued walking through the colorful, fragrant field, stopping to admire 'Prinses Irene’, an orange-melon tulip with a red-burgundy streak up the petal, Geert Jan observed, “It is not only the knowledge and vigilance of the individual farmer that produces the best bulbs. The climate and the daily weather conditions play a big role, and it’s important to have a supportive net- work of other farmers.’ He explained that cooperation among farmers — sharing equipment, sharing knowledge of successes and failures, and working together during harvesting and planting — helps to create a world-class product and a world-class repu- tation. At the second farm, I met Geert Kruize, a breeder and tulip broker. Here, the tulips were grouped in smaller plots to accommo- GREEN SCENE • October 2002 | TerenniaC Tkasures A garden-inspired shop Schedule now for our holiday decorating services Custom design featuring our "botanically correct" artificial stems iMAiN I LINE 2 0 0 1 | Main line Today Best Garden Accent Shop Furnishings and accessories for the inspired home and garden Wide range of gifts for all occasions ■main! ± LINE iMam line today Critics Choice for Best Home & Garden Accents 312 Business Route 30 across from Exton Mall * Exton, PA 19341 . 610.594.6696 Hours: Mon - Tues 10:00 am - 6:00 pm: Wed - Sat 10:00 am - 8:00 pm: Sun 12:00 - 5:00 pm 43 ? W7. Glenstde Avenue Cjletiside, PA I Q033 21? 38/ 7500 Bringing you the best in persona I service and knowledge for over 5Q years. Gardening enthusiasts and landscape professionals throughout the area have come to depend on Primex for an outstanding selection of horticultural products. Come find out why! October Hours November Hours Monday - Friday 8:00-5:30 Monday - Friday 8:00-5:30 Saturday 8:00-5:00 Saturday 8:00-5:00 m Sunday 1 1 :00-4:00 Closed Sunday | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 15 I The Queen of Spring date the vast number of varieties being grown. Geert showed me a technique to guarantee pure color lines within each new variety of tulip. He carried a small triggered sprayer and directly applied a straight stream of Roundup to any plant that was not true to the variety being grown — known as a “rogue.” A visual scanning of the fields, while the tulips are in bloom, helps the breeder maintain pure lines — or discover new lines or varieties. If a rogue tulip is not identifiable as an existing vari- ety, the plant is sometimes tagged and numbered and the visual characteristics noted. Later, the rogue tulip is separated from the rest of the tulips in the field, even- tually being planted out again in its own area. Geert will watch the new variety to make sure it has desirable qualities before naming and introducing the tulip. What do breeders look for when making new selections? Tulip characteristics are matched to the needs of the market. If a tulip is short and stocky with thick flower stems, the tulip might be sold to the land- scape industry as a good wind-resistant variety, or it may be utilized for the potted flower market. Short, stocky plants provide easy shipping and handling and compact beauty for apartment dwellers. Large foliage and tall, large headed tulips might be used for botanical garden displays or in the cut flower industry. Debbie van Bourgondien of van Bourgondien Bulbs, says that when she visually assesses her company’s fields in the Netherlands, she looks for overall unifor- mity in height, color, petal shape, overall plant size, foliage shape and color, variety name and blooming time. Working closely with breeders in the Netherlands, Debbie can make selections based on her compa- ny’s long track record in Dutch bulb sales and her knowledge of current American market trends. She says Americans tend to purchase tulips with easy-to-pronounce names and more unusual characteristics. Just before leaving, Geert Kruize wanted to show me one more group of fields before we ended our day. We drove down dark earthen roads, over small bridges, and past fields of tulips. Large puffy clouds filled the azure blue sky. In front of us was a large Dutch barn, an earthen dyke, and j tall modern windmills, sheep grazing, fields of colorful tulips and the sea I beyond. We stopped our car. “This is Holland at its best,” said Geert, as I gazed I at the scene. I had learned in a short time what took centuries to create and master. I now understood the connection of the Dutch with their landscape and their love affair with tulips. The Queen of Spring Tulip Planting Recommendations Plant tulips in late fall in humus-rich, sandy, well-drained soil. Grow them where they will get at least 5 to 6 hours of sun a day; full sun is preferable. Dig the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches, and work in Bulb Booster or other bulb food. Set the bulbs 4 to 8 inches apart, depending on size and variety. After the ground has frozen, mulch with straw or hay. After flowering, remove the head of the tulip but allow the stem and foliage to die back naturally. Tulips perform best their first year, and many gardeners treat them as annuals, discarding the plants after they finish blooming. Extensive testing in recent years has proven that if a slow-release fertilizer such as Bulb Booster is applied, you can expect more than one year of flowers out of most varieties of tulips. Many early-flowering species, as well as Darwin Hybrid tulips, come back year after year with no effort. Barry Yinger The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society presents by Barry Yinger <7 he Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Gold Medal award committee has selected an international group of six exceptional trees, shrubs, and vines to grace Delaware Valley gardens. This year's winners include three natives: an evergreen vine, a conifer, and a broad-leaved evergreen magnolia. There is also a hardy spring-blooming camellia, a new spirea from Japan, and a classic deutzia hybrid from France. Magnolia grandiflora 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ is not only a very beautiful selection of our native southern magnolia, it is also a tremendous breakthrough in cold hardiness. This variety was selected for introduction by nurseryman Ray Bracken of Easley, South Carolina because of its superior form, foliage, and flowering. Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ c (:J7ie 2003 f fold jXiedal ,9 %wt~ Slmrd H // Above: Bignonia capreolata ‘Dragon Lady’ Opposite top: Camellia japonica ‘Korean Fire’ Opposite bottom: Deutzia x hybrida ‘Magicien’ Ray did not then know its potential as an ornamental tree for USDA Zone 6. By chance it was included in a group of vari- eties tested for hardiness by analysis of leaf samples, and its hardiness potential came to light. This variety has performed well in Pennsylvania with minimum winter temperatures of -28° and -12° F without damage. Gardeners in the Northeast have very few choices for evergreen trees other than conifers. 'Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ will please you every day of the year. In winter you will enjoy the rich, glossy, dark green foliage with its cinnamon-brown felted undersides. In early summer the bloom sea- son begins, with 6-inch-wide pure white flowers that are highly fragrant, especially at night. In fall, the seed cones open to reveal the red seeds. The foliage and seed cones are very desirable for indoor decora- tion in fall and winter. It is dense and com- pact, and it transplants well. Plant ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty' in rich, well-drained soil in sun. Its large leaves hold up better and its hardiness is enhanced if it is sheltered from the north- west winter winds. In colder areas, it is bet- ter to start with a larger tree, as hardiness increases with the size of the tree. 20 Bignonia capreolata 'Dragon Lady' Bignonia capreolata ‘Dragon Lady’ is also known as cross vine because a stem cut 1 reveals a pattern of a cross. This broad- leaved evergreen vine grows wild in the southeastern United States but is hardy I north of its native range. ‘Dragon Lady’ was selected in the Philadelphia area from a planting that has been thriving for over 50 years. Evergreen vines with gorgeous flow- ers are almost unknown in our northeast- ern climate, so ‘Dragon Lady’ is a great opportunity for year-round garden decora- tion. Cross vine is a self-clinging vine that will attach itself to rough surfaces without being tied in place. Plant it against a stone wall or on an arbor or trellis. If planted on the north or east side of a structure, it will be more attractive through the winter, as too much winter sun can burn the leaves. The foliage takes on a lovely purple tint in winter. This vine can grow to great heights, so limit its climb by keeping it on a support that you can manage. ‘Dragon Lady’ flowers in June, produc- ing rich red trumpets and great cascades of color that attract hummingbirds. GREEN SCENE • October 2002 Barry Yinger Camellia japonica 'Korean Fire' Camellia japonica ‘Korean Fire’ is an amazing breakthrough in the search for a hardy spring-blooming camellia for USDA Zone 6. This beautiful variety was selected from a group of plants grown from seeds collected on small islands just off the North Korean coast. I have a very personal con- nection to this plant, as it was a series of experiences during my stay in Korea that led to this plant being available to garden- ers. In 1978, when I was working in Korea at the Chollipo Arboretum, I came across an article written in Japanese by the Japanese botanist Ueki, who wrote about finding populations of broad-leaved evergreens such as camellia on the northwestern coast of Korea. I was intrigued by the possibility of finding hardier broad-leaved evergreen shrubs, so I decided to visit these islands, now off-limits to non-military personnel. | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE After a series of traumatic failures, I finally got on a boat with a Korean friend and found the plants Ueki wrote about. On that occasion and during later visits that I organized for the U.S. National Arboretum, quantities of seed and cuttings were imported and tested. ‘Korean Fire’ was selected for its beauti- ful red flowers that open wide, its thick glossy foliage, and its overall excellence of form, plus its great hardiness. In 10 years of trials in south-central Pennsylvania, it has never been damaged or failed to bloom, even after -12° F winters. To thrive, ‘Korean Fire’ needs rich, well-drained soil and a position with no direct afternoon sun. It will benefit from protection from the northwest winds in winter. DEUTZIA X HYBRIDA 'MAGICIEN' Deutzias are popular old-fashioned flow- ering shrubs from Asia that were common in our grandmothers’ gardens. Of the many 21 Richard Lighty Above left: Pinus strobus ‘Fastigiata’ Above right: Closeup of Pinus strobus ‘Fastigiata’ Right: Spirea thunbergii ‘Ogon’ Mellow Yellow® in summer Below: Spirea Thunbergii ‘Ogon’ Mellow Yellow® in fall that are commercially available, the cultivar DeutziaX hybrida ‘Magicien’ is particularly magical in the late spring garden. This exceptional hybrid was bred in France in the 1920s. It produces glorious sprays of large pink and white striped flowers that are purple on the reverse side. The flowers are borne on strong, slightly arching branches on vigorous upright stems up to 6 feet tall. This shrub provides an abundance of color in the interval between the burst of spring bloom and the flowers of summer. ‘Magicien’ will grow well in sun or part shade and is somewhat drought-tolerant. It has few cultural problems and thrives in a variety of well-drained soils. It is seldom troubled by disease or insect pests. Spirea thunbergii 'Ogon' Mellow Yellow® There are few deciduous blooming shrubs that offer as much year-round inter- est as the golden-leaved form of spirea, S. thunbergii ‘Ogon’ Mellow Yellow®. The ordinary species is a native of China that has long been grown in Japan. It has been a 3 popular garden plant in the West since its * introduction in the late 1800s. This superi- CD CD GREEN SCENE • October 2002 Pinus strobus 'Fastigiata' Pinus strobus ‘Fastigiata’, the northern white pine, is one of our most familiar and beautiful native conifers. Its rapid growth, ease of culture, and relative freedom from diseases and insects has made it a much- beloved ornamental tree in the home gar- den. Today’s smaller gardens are not always good sites for the white pine, which quick- ly grows to 30 or 40 feet tall and nearly as wide, eventually reaching 80 feet. This upright selection of white pine also grows quickly but is about three times as tall as wide. It not only takes up less space but is also much better as an evergreen screen because it is narrow, dense, and upright in growth. White pines are undemanding in the garden, requiring only full sun and well- drained soil that is not strongly alkaline. When using narrow upright evergreens to create a screen, consider planting them in a staggered line rather than a single file, for deeper, more effective shelter. I ora pla ,k $P or variety was developed in Japan and introduced into the United States in 1993 through Hines Nurseries Inc. of Irvine, California. Like its parent, the golden form is extremely durable in the garden, enduring heat, drought, and adverse growing condi- tions. It succeeds in sun or light shade. Its ornamental features become apparent early in the year, with its cascades of white flow- ers in March or April. The narrow golden leaves appear soon after, mellowing to char- treuse by summer. In fall this variety dis- plays blazing fall color, ranging from yellow through shades of peach and orange. The foliage remains on the plant until very late in the fall, sometimes until early December. Look for these Gold Medal plants at your local garden center or nursery. You will derive endless satisfaction from these plants that have demonstrated excellence to the members of the Gold Medal Committee. Barry Yinger is New Products Resources Manager for Hines Nurseries Inc. of Irvine, California, a wholesale nursery company with 1 5 growing sites throughout the United States. He also co-owns Asiatica, a small specialty nursery selling mostly unusual Japanese shade plants. NOMINATE A PLANT Is there a plant in your gar- den that performs like gang- busters year after year? One that, even after the drought and your benevolent neglect, continues to thrive and bring you pleasure? Why not nominate that plant for a Gold Medal Plant Award. We’d love to hear form you. Call (215) 988-8774 or email goldmedal@pennhort.org for an easy-to-fill- out plant nomination form. Who knows? Your plant could receive a Gold Medal! CHANTICLEER Longwood Gardens Kennett Square, PA, (610) 388-1000 www. longwoodgardens. org Spirea Mellow Yellow® in spring. ko Q> P The Gold Medal Program is partially funded by the Chanticleer Foundation. Visit Chanticleer, a pleasure garden, in Wayne, PA. Open from April through October, this garden has many Gold Medal winners featured in the landscape. Go to www.chanticleergarden.org or call (610) 687-4163 for more information. You can also see Gold Medal plants in the landscape at these area gardens Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA, (610) 328-8025 www. scottarboretum. org Brookside Gardens Wheaton, MD, (301) 949-8230 www. brooksidegardens. org Morris Arboretum of the University" of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, (215) 247-5777 www. upenn. edu/ arboretum Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn, NY, (718) 623-7200 www.bbg.org | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 23 The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Morris Township, NJ, (201) 326-7600 http:llmorrisig. comlvgreenl arbor, htm Noted horticulturist William Woys Weav« GREEN SCENE • October 2002 l. 24 - '( anslates a colo rful 1 8th-century "herbal" Story by Olivia Lehman Photography by Rob Cardillo Keeping up with William Woys Weaver comes close to being a form of aerobic exercise. In fact, a person might be wise to take up jogging in order to catch the man. One day he’s breeding a new kind of golden plum tomato in the garden of his 19th-cen- tury Devon home, the next he’s flying off to Cyprus to confer with Australian archaeologists about digging up a medieval village. Green thumbs and “foodies” alike know William Weaver as one of the Delaware Valley’s triple-threat horti- cultural celebrities: writer, gardener, and cook. He is a three-time Julia Child cookbook awardee and the cura- tor of the Roughwood Seed Collection, which includes many rare heirloom-vegetable seeds. As devoted to cooking foods as he is to growing them, Weaver contributes articles to Gourmet magazine and is now the associate and art editor of The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture , a three-volume work to be published by Scribners. Other current projects include spearheading an experimental **&*"tl gcfrtflefco ZUflUtcrbuchs, gngl. Saffron, tdl. Cruus. ill irarmtc unb tnxJnir 3?«lur, bat ttroa; fliufcrige* form Pidcn bliiiaren Sbciicn, unb tviliir (tint Sli; gin!) 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A page from Sauer’s original “Herbal”. culinary program at Drexel University; working with the United Nations to promote World Food Day; reissuing two of his 10 books ( The Quaker Womans Cookbook, and The Christmas Cook)-, and collabo- rating with an archeological team in Paphos, Cyprus, to unearth medieval kitchen wares. Weaver, however, sees himself primarily as a writer. And although he does his share of digging and cooking, he possesses the intellectual curiosity of an academic. He loves unraveling puzzles, and three years ago, he got to take a stab at a big one. He embarked on the task of trans- lating the 200-year-old Sauer’s Herbal Cures (Routledge Books, 400pp., $37.50). Written in Pennsylvania High German, Sauer's Herbal Cures was our country’s first “herbal" (a collection of herbal recipes for treat- | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 25 Opposite page: In addition to his historical work, Weaver is a renowned expert on heirloom vegetables. Here is the corn ‘Seneca’ from his garden. Left: A 17th century apothecary similar to Sauer’s. ing common ailments using herbs found in the kitchen garden). Weaver grew up in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he learned both Pennsylvania Dutch and German. Grandfathers and a colorful “herb granny” cousin taught him about plants, using as their textbook the lush terrain near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. When Weaver later started writing about food and gardens, his inclinations, not surprisingly, led him back to his Pennsylvania roots with their Germanic influences. While gathering infor- mation for a Pennsylvania-German herbal that he hoped to write himself, Weaver realized the importance of the Sauer herbal. The work is a collection of yearly almanacs compiled by Christopher Sauer, a German-born apothecary and printer. A deeply religious man, Sauer hoped I October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 27 Right: Here is a purple heirloom carrot. Weaver doesn’t just write about garden history— he also grows it. Opposite page top: Relatives of ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes. Opposite bottom: Basil, sage and other herbs are found in Sauer’s recipes. GREEN SCENE • October 2002 I | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE the almanacs might ease and enrich the lives of North America’s rural poor. Sauer first published the collection himself in Germantown (now part of Philadelphia). Two hundred years later, Weaver has translated the volume into English, updated much of its horticultural information, and provided analyses of Sauer’s life and times. Born into one of the richest German-American families of the Colonial era, Sauer died with a cer- tain notoriety but without a penny. His loyalty to the British during the American Revolution cost him his publishing business. The herbal is as colorful as the man, who was known for his ser- mons as much as for his politics. Besides offering up kitchen-garden cures for a number of ailments, Sauer addresses touchy matters like the over-consumption of sugar by “spoiled” bourgeois wives or the perils of tea drinking. Although any herbal is by necessity a com- pendium of centuries-old wisdom, Sauer could never resist adding his own two cents. He was acutely aware of rural hardships, and he encouraged frugality by suggesting second uses for things — old apples for poultices, linen caps as strainers. Most of the almanac’s readers lived far from doctors and faced constant peril. Snakes, lizards, and vermin were a threat, shoes a luxury. Cures for ailments like chimney sweep’s cancer, leprosy, and bent limbs fill the book’s pages. The foundation of Herbal Cures rests upon theories of bodily func- tion and healing that seem antiquated. Yet a close look at some of the remedies reveals their likeness to modern holistic restoratives — Sauer recommends mint tea for a queasy stomach just as we might today. Similarly, viewing food as medicine, a notion entirely accepted in Sauer’s day, resonates with us still. Sauer merely recommended a lot more brandy and, occasionally, morning dew. Beware that once you’ve ducked into his world, cooking will never be the same. Suddenly the idea of dipping practically anything into a bit of alcohol seems to 29 CHRISTMAS 2002 THE LARGEST SELECTION OF TREES IN CENTER CITY CHOOSE FROM THOUSANDS Fraser Fir 5' to 15' Douglas Fir 5' to 15' Balsam Fir 5' to 15' make sense. Together, Weaver and Sauer paint a vivid picture of the eighteenth-century German-American kitchen. One can imagine dark rooms animated by squawking chickens and babies, soot flying through the air, curative soups called “restaurants” on the boil, and the garden’s herbal aromas wafting in through the back door. Sauer’s language is kind of outrageous. One wonders if his contemporaries also spoke this way, or if he was a true eccentric, determined to vanquish the ills of man and beast by offering up his own very particular mixture of science, religion and witchery. “Proud stinking wounds,” “cold brain,” “livid sores,” “blackened melan- cholic blood” — this is Sauer. In a typical passage, he advises that “if saffron is used too strongly, it will provoke so much mirthfulness that people may think them- selves about to die from laughing.” Such language at times transforms Herbal Cures into entertainment as much as a reference guide or historical document. Yet as enchanting as the original work remains, William Weaver’s clear translation, historical insights, and considerable horticultural knowledge transform Herbal Cures into something more than a curiosity. Most important, Weaver suggests New World substitutes for the largely Old World plants Sauer refers to in his recipes. As evidenced by the wide range of heirloom plants illustrated in this article, Weaver sees himself as just one in a long line of “herb grannies,” and we enthusiasts can gain much by drinking up his and Christopher Sauer’s bewitching lore. Bring on the brandy! WV Longtime contributor Olivia Lehman last wrote about an Italian garden in the August 2001 issue. SPECIAL WHOLESALE PRICES FOR LARGE POINSETTIA ORDERS! WREATHS & ROPING POINSETTIAS WHOLESALE PRICES HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS AT WHOLESALE PRICES OVER 5000 PLANTS IN STOCK AT ALL TIMES FROM 6" POTS FOR THE WINDOWSILL TO 15" TALL SPECIMENS PLANT RENTALS COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL 1233 BAINBRIDGE STREET ONE BLOCK OFF S. BROAD OPEN 7 DAYS 215-545-5044 When is the Last Time You’ve Been to the Barnes Foundation? BARNES Have you... ...joined us for a day trip to an art or horticulture attraction? ...taken one of our new courses, attended a lecture or workshop? ...heard about our new docent training program? ...seen our recently renovated greenhouse or the new additions to the arboretum? Join the Barnes Society Now and Receive: • IMPRESSIONS , our newsletter, that includes behind-the- scenes insights, upcoming events and a bloom chart • INVITATIONS & DISCOUNTS on exciting trips, exclusive pre views, educational lectures and workshops • 10% off Gift Shop purchases & plants at the Annual Plant Sale Additional benefits are available at higher levels, call us for details at 610.667.0290 ext. 2255 or visit our website at www.barnesfoundation.org your Investment, Our future! serving over 700 members since its inception in May 2001. 30 GREEN SCENE • October 2002 October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 31 Caring for Trees in the Urban Forest by Jane Carroll F i Ph se art b HO! I Mi •if SC ms ::s ; |oi 10 'n 32 GREEN SCENE • October 2002 “A tree is a wondrous thing,” says Mindy Maslin, read- ing from a quotation to a new group of eager volunteers. Mindy is man- ager of Philadelphia Green’s Tree Tenders Project, which has been training Philadelphia residents to plant and care for Street trees for almost a decade. Mindy wants every new Tree Tender to appreciate the awesome power of trees (did you know they can pump thousands of gal- lons of water and split rocks?), as well as understand the life-giving benefits they bestow on us ambulatory creatures, includ- ing the oxygen we breathe and wood to build our houses. She was hired by PHS in 1990 to run a tree education program for children and adults. But she soon became intrigued with volunteer tree-care programs in other cities and thought a similar program might work in Philadelphia. As wondrous as trees are, they are especially beneficial in the urban environment. They reduce heat, help control run-off, act as noise buffers, filter pollution, provide shade, calm traffic, create shelter for birds, and generally soften the urban landscape. Their economic benefits are also con- siderable. Mature trees can cut summer cooling costs by 40%. They increase property values by 3% to 15%. Some studies even suggest that the mere presence of trees creates stronger neighbor- hood ties and reduces domestic violence. Urban trees have a much tougher life, however, than their suburban and rural counterparts. Cramped quarters often send roots pushing through sidewalks or metal grates. Bumps from cars and trucks damage their bark, passing dogs and cats urinate on tree trunks, careless people dump motor oil or other chemicals tree maintenance, such as removal of dead or dying trees, pruning, and replacement of trees, was put on the back burner. Without adequate care, the average life expectancy for city street trees was under 10 years. “It seemed like the right time to get the com- munity involved,” says Mindy. With a grant from the William Penn Foundation, PHS’s Philadelphia Green program launched a pilot project in 1993. Each new Tree Tender group — a minimum of four people — completes 12 hours of training, which includes tree biology and identification, planting, “pit care," and prun- ing. Each group also learns how to recruit volunteers, build a strong organization, and raise funds for their own projects. “The goal is to make each group as self-sufficient as possible,” Mindy notes. About 40 people, or seven groups, showed up for the first Tree Tenders training class. Today, there are 82 active Tree Tenders groups caring for trees throughout Philadelphia, with new Tree Tenders completing training each spring and fall. Graduates of the training receive an official card that identifies them as Tree Tenders, “endorsed by the City of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park Commission and permitted to care for and prune trees throughout the city.” From the beginning, the Tree Tenders project was conceived as a partnership with the onto the surrounding soil, and utility com- panies lop off branches that grow too close to overhead wires. In winter, salt or chemi- cals used to melt snow and ice can accu- mulate to toxic levels. It’s no wonder that city trees need all the help they can get from us. A committed corps of trained cit- izens can go a long way toward keeping trees healthy, and that’s where Tree Tenders come in. During the early 1990s, city budget con- straints in Philadelphia meant that regular | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 33 “The act of caring for trees has helped bring our community together.” — Susan Petrone Fairmount Park Commission, the city agency that has jurisdiction over street trees. Over the years, the project has won the city’s full support. Since late 1997, Philadelphia has made more funds available lor tree planting and maintenance. And when it comes to free street trees, Tree Tenders now get first priority. This year, for the first time, the Fairmount Park Commission will donate 220 trees to active Tree Tender groups and has already prom- ised a similar donation next year. “It was an easy decision,” says Jim Donaghy, director of operations and land- scape management lor the Fairmount Park Commission. “What better way to distrib- ute new trees than to place them with trained and committed people. You know the trees will be cared for." Gus Jardel has seen first- hand the positive impact that the Tree Tenders have had in Philadelphia. A Fairmount Park arborist for over 18 years, Gus admits he was skeptical at first about what volunteers could actually accomplish, but now, he says he’s grate- ful for their help and confi- dent in their abilities. Gus often participates in train- ings, and he is impressed with the Tree Tenders’ com- mitment. He often sees people coming back for additional workshops (he calls them “repeat offend- ers”). “I know it’s not just for the free pizza,” he says wryly. Aside from championing the environmental benefits of urban trees, the Tree Tenders project is equally valuable for the way it seems to spark a new sense of community. “Ultimately, the goal of the project is to get people to work together to improve their quality of life,” says Mindy, a former social worker. “To me, success is when a Tree Tender group becomes inspired and finds new ways to make their neighborhood better.” Indeed, Tree Tenders often get involved in other beautification projects. In the city’s Oak Lane section, Charles Phillips has been leading a group of Tree Tenders for about six years. All in all, the group has planted about 1 12 trees. “It’s been a really great thing for our neighborhood,” says Charles. After plant- ing trees at the local library, the Oak Lane Tree Tenders and a library gardening group began working together to plant flowers and trees in other public places. Charles is now trying to convince business owners in Oak Lane’s commercial areas to plant trees in front of their buildings. Susan Petrone, who leads a small group called the South Philadelphia Tree Tenders, adds that tree tending can have unexpected benefits. “To use a fitting metaphor — it’s really taken root in our neighborhood,” she says. She sees more and more flower boxes and planters appearing in front of homes. When Peter Verrecchia, a member of Susan’s group, planted 10 trees in Columbus Square Park in the neighbor- hood, he was able to round up new volun- teers to help mulch and take care of them. The city then provided funds for a new park maintenance building. But most importantly, according to Susan, “The act of caring for trees has helped bring our commu- nity together. Neighbors are getting to know each other and building rela- tionships or re-establishing old ones. The longer I do this, I realize that that is what it’s really all about. The beauty is icing on the cake.” (Still, 1 50 trees in the neighborhood in the past five years — that’s a lot of beauty.) Charles, too, says tree tending has created stronger neighborhood GREEN SCENE • October 2002 34 Willhite Seed Inc. Superior Quality Seed Over 400 varieties including watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, bean, corn, okra, peas, squash, etc. Wide selection of unusual Indian vegetable seed. Beautiful 64-page color catalog FREE ON REQUEST. P.O. Box 23, Poolville, TX 76487 817-599-8656 • www.willhiteseed.com HC Chinese Tree Peonies Plant These Antique Flowers This Fall for ' Spring Splendor! See them in bloom and understand why gardeners through the centuries have loved them. Our 45 min. video, A Stroll Through Peony Heaven, is a personal tour of our garden in bloom with a history of the tree peony and plant care from spring to fall. $29.99 postpaid. Visit our website or write for our catalog -S3. Order now for to reserve for Fall planting! Cricket Hill Garden 670 Walnut Hill Road, Dept. GS, Thomaston, CT 06787 Shop online: www.treepeony.com • tel. 860-283-1042 If i distinctive, floral, design. LeRoy’s FLOWERS 16 N. York Rd Hatboro PA 19040 215-674-0450 PHS membership card honored Visit us on the web at www.leroysflowers.com ************************ AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Scholarly Publishing since 1771 ************************ ‘“Forget not Mee & My Cjarden...” SELECTED LETTERS. 1725-1768 OF PETER COLLINSON, F.R.S. “Edited and ivith an Introduction by Alan W. Armstrong "Forget not Mee & My Garden. . . ,” Peter Collinson wrote his Maryland friend George Robins in 1721. "If you have any Shells. Curious Stones, or any other Naturall Curiosity Remember Mee." Armstrong describes Collinson's correspondence as “vigorous, brisk, and emphatic." This selection of 187 letters is enhanced with over 120 illustrations, some by Mark Catesby, Georg Dionysius Ehret. William Bartram, many in color. The edition contains notes and commentary for most letters. Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. 241 Cloth ISBN: 0-87169-241-4 $60 ************************ Contact: American Philosophical Society, P.O. Box 481, Canton, MA 02021-0481 (tel: 800-821-7823; fax: 781-828-8915; e-mail: acadsvc@aol.com). Prepaid orders are postage free; foreign orders, add $6.00 postage/handling. Checks must be drawn on U.S. Banks. Visa/MasterCard accepted. ************************ The above pictures were taken at the US National Arboretum in Washington D C. in August of 2001 . When planted in the fall of 1 998, they were 3 feet tall and planted on 6 1/2 foot centers. They grew 3 feet the first year (1999), and are now 10 to 12 feet tall. It can be trimmed to any height or width to create the ultimate natural or formal hedge. "The Thuja Green Giants are the tough- est, disease, insect, deer and ice resistant evergreen I have ever used. I am 6' tall with a 6' arm span, so you can see the height to width ratio of these trees." • Mike Shade THUJA X « GREEN GIANT Replacement Tree for New England's Dying Hemlocks New US National Arboretum plant Pennsylvania Gold Medal Plant Award 1 998 Tough, Fragrant, Tall, Narrow Pyramidal Evergreen Deer, Bagworm & Disease Resistant Fast Growing, 3' - 5'/Year Zone 5-8 Excellent Alternative To Leyland Cypress We Ship All Year 3 a*. www.botanyshop.com Many pictures on our web site! Plants 7in. - 2ft. tall, $3.00 to $20.00 each Botany Shop - Joplin, Missouri PHONE: (888) 855-3300 Valley Forge American Elm • The Most D.E.D (Dutch Elm Disease) Resistant American Elm Ever Tested • New U.S.D.A Release • No Secrets or Patents • Anyone Can Easily Propagate. Grow or Resell this Great American Tree • We Give a 15 Year D.E.D. Guarantee www.botanyshop.com | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 35 John Gannon ties. “Two neighbors, who had been feud- ing over their back fence for many years, both got involved with the Tree Tenders. Before long, they became almost like long- lost brothers,” he told me. “Another woman, a resident for 15 years whom no one knew, showed up for a group walk to observe trees in our neighborhood. Her husband, however, is confined to a wheel- chair. Does our group meet in an accessible place? Well, no. So she volunteered her house lor our next meeting.” Often, Tree Tender projects nicely dove- tail with other Philadelphia Green initia- tives. Many Tree Tenders are also commu- nity gardeners, park volunteers, or are involved in caring for public landscapes, and their efforts overlap and complement each other. For example, the Bel Arbor Tree Tenders, in South Philadelphia’s Bella Vista neighborhood, created an urban tree farm on an empty lot in 1995, and Philadelphia Green planted nearly 1,000 saplings there for transplanting on city streets. The Tree Tenders project benefits from strong partnerships with several other organizations. Some help with training, donate trees, or provide funding. Julianne C Schieffer, an arborist with the Penn State : Urban Forestry Program, has been an : e important partner from the very beginning. “Tree Tenders is the best vehicle for working with citizens who really care about trees.” She says. “I’ve loved ever)' minute of it.” Gus Jardel agrees. “I have nothing but good things to say. God only knows F where we’d be without the volunteers. c Every city should have some form of p Tree Tenders.” To learn more about forming a Tree Tenders group, call (215) 988-8844 or email mmaslin@pennhort. org PARTNERS IN THE PHS TREE TENDERS PROGRAM William Penn Foundation (funder) Penn State Urban Forestry Program F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Co. Temple University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Awbury Arboretum Friends Hospital The Pennsylvania Urban and Community Forestry Council The Penn State Urban Gardening Program W. B. Saul High School Abraham Lincoln High School The U. S. Forest Service The School District of Philadelphia 36 GREEN SCENE • October 2002 I 1 University of Cambridge Summer Study (Program for Adults July 13 - 26, 2003 LEARN at the University of Cambridge with distinguished Cambridge faculty. LIVE in residence at beautiful Downing College. Most rooms have private bath. CURRICULUM tailored to the interests of adults who are looking for a unique educational and cultural experience. COURSES: • Castles and Cathedrals • British Gardens • Virginia Woolf • The Elizabethan Age • History of British Sea Power Credit is available. For brochure write or call . . . Office of Cooperating Colleges 714 Sassafras St., Erie, Pennsylvania 16501 Ph. (814) 456-0757 Fax: (814) 453-5502 www.cssp.net 1REEGUAE °e£R repellE**1 Stop Deer From Dining M53S> BECKER UNDERWOOD 801 Dayton Ave • Ames, IA 50010 USA • 515-232-5907 • fax 515-232-5961 At Your Home • Ready-to-use mal • Use on flowers, shrubs, and trees slauahterhoUSe •Rain-resistant Wast& s • Lasts up to 1 00 days Member tested and recommended by the National Home Gardening Club www. bu color. com Start with high performance plants from Mostardi We stock flowers, shrubs and trees that are recommended by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s “Gold Medal Award” Program. They are superior plants that will provide longer-lasting beauty all around your home. Stop by today to check out our MOSTARDI NURSERY incredible collection of greenery. The colors are gorgeous. The values are exceptional. And the prices are surprisingly low for such high quality. But then, that’s what you should expect from Mostardi plants. They are as good as Gold! 4033 West Chester Pike (Rte.3) Newtown Square, PA 19073 610-356-8035 www.mostardi.com | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 37 ■pv ESIGNING F0R Creating a City lJ small spaces Row-Home Garden by Jeff Jabco To be successful, an outdoor living space should feel intimate, interesting and private, as well as comfortable. Philadelphia residents Brian Foster and Ernie Seskin have achieved this at their South 17^ Street row-home garden by focusing on just two specific elements of design and working within the limita- tions that existed on their site. The earliest garden space at Foster/Seskin’s is just eight years old and came about after they bought the late 1800s three-story home and began to renovate it. The rear yard was a meager 17 feet wide by 15 feet deep and it backed up to the rear yards of the adjoin- ing houses and ones immediately in back. Foster and Seskin have since pur- chased the two adjoining houses. One is used as the office and studio of their business, Groundwork, which designs and manufactures decorative items for the home and garden, and the third property is rented. Brian and Ernie have created a garden space that fully utilizes the three rear fc,;;! 'A j%' ^5 > J| yards. Their challenge was to create an outdoor living space that was interesting year-round, felt secluded from the neigh- bors and could take advantage of the sunlight. Light was limited because the garden was surrounded by three-story houses and the next row of houses in the rear, only 30 feet away. The northern end of the garden is shaded by the neighbor's large tree of heaven ( Ailanthus altissima ) — not a desirable tree but it offered some shade and didn’t block the southern sun from reaching the rest of the garden. In designing the garden, Brian and Ernie wanted to create a space that could exist with these limitations. They achieved this by enclosing the combined three rear yards with six-foot-tall wooden stockade fencing and extending the height 2 1/2 feet by adding an open trellis on top. They draped the fence with English ivy, Virginia creeper, a climbing rose ( Rosa 'New Dawn’), climbing hydrangea, trumpet creeper and several clematis. The fence is not completely covered, and Top left: A quiet sitting area. Above: Tranquil pool on an adjacent property. Left: Vines, containers and artifacts create a blissful nook. 38 vines are kept managed so that each has its space and is encouraged to fill in the open trellis on top. By planting around the perimeter, they created an open area in the center where chairs can be placed for casual entertaining or a table set up for evening dinners. Brian and Ernie live on the second and third floors of the middle house while the first floor is rented, so one first sees this garden from above and then descends into the space surrounded by the lushness of the perimeter plantings and the vines on the fence. Bluestone paving, most of which was salvaged from an old estate, pulls the space together. Its neutral gray color complements the weathered wooden fence and the plant- ings. The perimeter plantings, such as boxwood, were selected to emphasize texture. Other plants include oakleaf and 'Annabelle' hydrangeas (large leaves, big flowers, coarse texture), Carex ground- cover (thin, linear leaves, fine texture) and a purple-flowered wisteria (weeping form with fine texture) trained into an overhead “umbrella.” Yellow flag iris ( Iris pseudacorus) , with its vertical swords of leaves, grows in the ornamental pool of the rented house. Numerous architectural remnants and antique garden ornaments give this gar- den its own personality. As Brian says, “The garden is not about flowers, but texture and architecture.’ By focusing on the space, or volume, of the garden and the contrasting texture of the plants, and by understanding the limitations of the site, Brian Foster and Ernie Seskin have created an intimate and comfortable garden that elegantly unites their home and workplace. Hi Jeff Jabco is the director of grounds and coordinator of horticulture at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. GREEN SCENE • October 2002 DEXTERITY, DURABILITY, COMFORT, STYLE FOXGLOVES “ HAS IT ALL! BLACK FOXGLOVES Available In November: FOXGLOVES Grip Gloves 888-322-4450 foxglovesgardengloves.com A Step of Faith Choosing a new com- munity is a big step. At PresbyHomes & Services, your step of faith will be matched by one of our own. Our residential living, assisted living and healthcare services are grounded in a faith- based commitment to provide the highest quality of care to older adults of all backgrounds and faiths. It’s a com- mitment backed by a half-century of service. Call today, and experi- ence the Presby differ- ence. PresbyHomes&Servic^s A ministry to older adults by the Presbytery of Philadelphia Rydal Park ■ Rosemont Presbyterian Village ■ Broomall Presbyterian Village Spring Mill Presbyterian Village • Emily A. Markle Health Center ■ HUD Communities Tollfree: 1.877.9PRESBY www.presbyhomes.org {Talc jXitrseries FPlrciulli/ Sliinvunces tJJtrir jMcxt ^flpcent^pcojfntfion CLASSICAL AMERICA PRESENTS THE ARTHUR ROSS AWARD TO CHARLES H. GALE, JR. LANDSCAPE DESIGNER [for gardens around flVit/tuMp/iia PRESENTED BY . J/er JPpi/af. jV/t/finess f Princess y I l/c/ae/ of JQrnP r i' \ *i3 >'-*». tfU f - . Ti i • i ML i f , G* JL, 1 Gale Nurseries has been designing and building exquisite, award-winning garden dreamscapes for three generations. And our garden projects are as diverse as your dreams that inspire them: • Period gardens that relate to architecture and personalities • Natural, native plantings that create quiet, inviting areas • Contemporary designs for a bold, exciting statement • Older plantings refurbished, reworked and revitalized Burseries A Design/Build company for Period, Native and Contemporary Qardens Charles H. Gale Jr. B.S. Ornamental Horticulture 1716 School House Road. Box 264 • Gwynedd PA 19436 • 215 .699 .4714 • fax 215.699.3203 * chgale@comcast.net | October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 39 Distinctive illumination for your garden. Call for more information and our free catalog. 1-800-856-7948 Escort Lighting 51 North Elm Street Wernersville, PA 19565 Fax: 610-670-5170 A Visit to Meadowbrook Farm WILL DELIGHT YOUR SENSES! An inspirational place for your home and garden. ..ask our experts for ideas! We offer Superior quality and an unusual selection of: • Annuals & hanging baskets • Trees & shrubs including Gold Medal Plants • Perennials, native plants & alpines • Begonias, cactus & succulents • Statuary, fountains & decorative pots • Garden related gifts including bonsai, troughs & topiary • We offer tours for horticultural groups April-October. Call for more information • 1 0% discount to PHS members Meadowbrook Farm 1633 Washington Lane • Meadowbrook, PA 19046 • (215) 887-5900 40 GREEN SCENE • October 2002 One Man’s Scent Gardening indoors by Ilene Sternberg Stephen Maciejewski, winner of mul- tiple awards for his fancy plants at the Philadelphia Flower Show each year, is forever trying to foist his beloved Cestrum nocturnum babies on me. Though I appreciate his munificence, I told him 1 once had one of those night- blooming jessamines. Alas, the first time it flowered, detonating its miasmic “weapon” into the air, I thought I’d need to have my nostrils lanced. My cat boy- cotted the house for weeks until I gave away the bio-hazardous plant to a friend, along with a firm warning. (Come to think of it.... I haven’t heard from that friend since.) Although Stephen argues that it yields one of the world’s loveliest scents, I claim the Latin “cestrum” and “cesspool” stem from the same root. To me the smell is overwhelming, cloying, and downright intolerable, especially indoors. One man’s scent is another man’s stench, I suppose. This June, while on a tour, I noticed 10 mature potted specimens of Cestrum noc- turnum sunning themselves on the wall of a prestigious garden, so my cat and I are likely in the minority on this one. Not only do folks have personal views of what is pleasant, each of us also has a range of what we can and cannot per- ceive. While I dislike the aromas of paperwhites and daphne, I can’t detect freesia at all. So, I can only report on what my nose knows. Yours will assured- ly have its own opinions. Some of my fragrant favorites are: Stephanotis floribunda (Madagascar jasmine): Glossy green leaves and pristine white blooms wind vigorously around a hoop or other support. Some describe the perfume as “bubblegum” or “cherry pie." I don't taste mine. I say “plumeria.” Ilene Sternberg is an award-winning garden columnist for the Wilmington News Journal. Araujia sericifera (bladder vine, cruel plant, moth catcher): Outdoors at Chanticleer, this invasive Peruvian native rapidly twines 30 feet up an arbor. Indoors it can be easily tamed by machete. Pale gray-green triangular foliage and abundant white flowers, similar to stephanotis in scent and shape. Hoy a carnosa (wax plant): Flailing vines grasp everything within reach. Water sparingly, but watch your neck upon approach. Umbels of sweet-smelling waxy flowers suspend from runners and rebloom on the same spurs year- round. Jasminum sambac 'Maid of Orleans' (Arabian tea jasmine): Pure, clean fragrance and continuous bloom. Trouble-free. Bouvardia longiflora (bouvardia): White tubu- Pittosporum tobira (Japanese mock orange): Needs cool winter nights below 60°F for white clusters redolent of orange blossoms to bloom. Be especially wary of scale for this one, too. And certainly beware of Maciejewski if you see him heading your way with those darned Cestrum things. WV lar trumpets blare exqui- site perfume nightly. Plant swoons unfor- givingly if you forget to water. Tabernaemontana divaricata (crape jasmine, carnation of India): Shiny leaves, white single or semi-double ruffly “pinwheels.” Perfume intensifies at night. Mentioned in the Kama Sutra as a love plant. (Woo-woo!) Pelargonium graveoletis (rose gerani- um): There are many “rose geraniums.” Sniff before buying. Aromatic foliage for sachets and for flavoring jellies and cakes. (Tips: Twenty-four hours ahead, wrap butter in rose geranium leaves. Also seal leaves in jar of sugar to be used for icing. Line cake pan with more leaves before baking. Mmm-mm-m. We’ll all be over for dessert.) SOURCES Plants available at local green- houses, or by mail-order from Logee’s Greenhouses, Ltd., 1 4 1 North Street, Danielson, CT 06239 (888) 330-8038 www.logees.com I GREEN SCENE • October 2002 41 hrubsintheHome Landscape THREE CHOICES FOR FALL COLOR by Bill Thomas We all spend more time inside than we care to admit. Paying bills, eating, washing dishes, and brushing teeth are just some of the activities that bring us inside. That’s why some of my favorite plants are just outside the most important windows. This becomes espe- cially apparent in autumn. After a sum- mer of back-porch dining and being out- side much of the time, I begin to move indoors with the shorter days and more frequent rains. Yet, fall color brings as much of a smile to my face as do the early flowers of spring. I don’t want to miss the show just because I’m on the wrong side of a wall. Autumn ends the growing season with a broad palette of color. Shrubs, on their own or mixed with perennials, add to the show, bringing the seasonal hues of trees down to earth. The low-angled sun of October adds dramatic backlighting. Three of my favorite shrubs are color- ing up now. Each grows outside an important window. From the kitchen ( oh , those hours with sudsy hands), I can see Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’*(left) shining with a burgundy glow. The plant was a gift from its discoverer and namer, Hal Bruce, the late garden curator at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Even if it didn’t have special memories associated with a great plantsman and author, I’d love this shrub’s year-round performance. The leaves glisten green throughout the summer, contrasting in late June with bouquets of white flowers. Pink fruits follow, turning blue-purple just as the foliar display begins. I com- bine its autumn color with the peachy flowers of Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink’ and the orange-purple of the bold- textured Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’*. The view from my east-facing office window encompasses Disanthus cercidi- folius (below). On October mornings, the sun enflames the puce, heart-shaped leaves (hence the species name, as they resemble the heart-like form of the red- bud tree, Cercis sp.). And if I look close- ly at the leaf axils, I see tiny, purple witchhazel-like flowers. Through the rel- atively open branches, I spy Ilex verticil- lata 'Winter Red’* berries, shimmering red in contrast to both the purple leaves of the Disanthus and the greenish yellow leaves of the winterberry. Beyond that, New England asters continue the purple theme. One warning about Disanthus-. it requires ample moisture but good drainage. Don’t let it dry out. The brilliant purples and oranges of fall require a red pigment, which only devel- ops in the presence of light. The above shrubs will grow in sun or shade, but perform best in light shade. Heavy shade brings disappointing color, while full sun may result in drought stress. What if these plants aren’t in front of your favorite win- dows? Cut the branches and bring them inside. Use heavy vases or ones filled with pebbles so the top-heavy branches don’t pull them over. Umbrella stands work great. Just as in the garden, these branch- es combine beautifully with autumn flowers such as asters, chrysanthemums, and Cimicifuga. After all, enjoyment of the garden shouldn’t end when you walk inside. A? * Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Medal Plant Award winner SOURCES: Fairweather Gardens, P.O. Box 330 Greenwich, NJ 08323 (856) 451-6261 www.fairweathergardens. com Forestfarm, 990 Tetherow Road Williams, OR 97544-9599 (541) 846-7269 www. forestfarm. com Gossler Farms Nursery 1200 Weaver Rd. Springfield, OR 97478 (541) 746-3922 Roslyn Nursery 211 Burrs Lane, Dix Hills, NY 11746 (631) 643-9347 www. roslynnursery. com We-Du Nurseries 2055 Polly Spout Road Marion, NC 28752 (828) 738-8300 www.we-du.com Woodlanders, Inc. 1 1 28 Colleton Avenue Aiken, SC 29801 (803) 648-7522 www. woodlanders. net Bill Thomas is research horti- culturist at Longwood Gardens and lives in Kennett Square, PA. 42 GREEN SCENE • October 2002 CjS r I FARM MARKET] • Growers of Premier Garden Plants including Annuals, Perennials, Proven Winners & Garden Dahlias. Propagators of Zonal Geraniums. New Guinea Impatiens Hanging Baskets Growers of Holiday & Garden Plants Combination Garden Baskets Charles S Heal Jr. & Eric Heal JIBS www.cshealmarket.com 1607 Salem Rd. Burlington Twp. NJ (609)386-9422 Fax: (609)386-9635 OPEN DAILY! Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30, Sat. & Sun. 9-5 PRUNING PROBLEMS ? Please visit my website for all your pruning questions at: www.pruningmattersl23.com or fax your questions to me, Fran West at: 410-332-0270 I specialize in pruning shrubs and small trees. Florals, Landscapes Commissions accepted phone: 61 0.668.1 185 online gallery: www.shelleypicker.com Touring the Gardens of Europe Discover Europe s fines t gardens with Lucas & Randall Villas and Gardens of Italy Please call for a brochure and a rich variety of cultural England's Garden Heritage 800»505«2505 and historic sites. First-class Chateaux and Gardens of France touring at a civilized pace with Treasures and Gardens of Spain www.lucasandrandall.com a small group. A unique and memorable experience. • Holland in Springtime 9 ixj 1 '3 tTT ANNUAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY OPEN NOVEMBER 30th & DECEMBER 1st • DECEMBER 6th & 7th PHS MEMBERS DISCOUNT ACCEPTED The grounds and displays are exceptional this year to inspire Christinas spirit. Creative wreaths, Offering naturals, Uncommon hardgoods garlands & containers unique greens, fresh cut and statuary will also be are purchasable displays. botanicals & herbals. available to purchase. Our holiday classes this year are - Outside Holiday Containers, Specialty Lighting for Display & Williamsburg Decoration Let us help you decorate your home inside and outside for this “I holiday season. 43 Classifieds ANTIQUE BOOKS RARE & PREVIOUSLY OWNED BOOKS ON HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL PRINTS - Bought and Sold Polly Goldstein 37 Lochwood Ln. West Chester, PA 19380 (610) 436-9796 E-mail: GrannyPol@aol.com EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Display, Propagation, Enthusiast Fax Resume to: 302-656-3375 GARDEN SHOPS MARANO GARDENS, LLC (formerly Fort Washington Garden Mart) A family owned garden center serving area since 1960, offering an extensive selection of plants and containers. • Beautiful hanging baskets, mixed garden containers. • Dwarf conifers and alpine troughs. • Culinary and medicinal herbs. * Cutting edge annuals, tropicals and perenni- als, including the Beds & Borders line. • Ornamental trees and shrubs, emphasizing native varieties and PHS Gold Medal winners. MARANO GARDENS, LLC 488 Bethlehem Pike Ft. Washington, PA 19034 215-646-3336 Minutes north of Chestnut Hill, or 4 miles from the Blue Route. BONSELL’S NURSERY Growers of high quality trees, shrubs, and perennials. • Large Selection. • Reasonable Prices. • PHS Gold Medal Plants. Trees for small yards. Including Forest Pansy Redbud Paperbark Maple, Golden Larch, Sourwood, and many more. Conveniently located near 309 & the PA turnpike. Open Mon-Sat 9-5. 1245 Fort Washington Ave. Fort Washington, PA 215-643-2418 GARDEN ROAD GREENHOUSE Unusual annuals, 500 Varieties perennials and flowering shrubs, Herbs, Roses, Combination baskets, and Containers. Take Rt. 55 South to Exit 35B, 60 West 3 miles to: 402 Garden Road Pittsgrove, NJ 856-358-3032 GARDEN STRUCTURES HANDCRAFTED IRON GARDEN STRUCTURES Arbors, Trellises, & Gates in the tradition of elegance, beauty and permanence. Full Color Catalog $5 The Painted Garden, Inc. 304 Edge Hill Road Glenside, PA 19038 (215) 884-7378 HERITAGE STONE & MARBLE We are an installation and restoration com- pany who emphasizes long lasting quality with outstanding craftsmanship. FLAGSTONE, BRICK-patios and walkways, COBBLESTONE-edging and paving, STONE walls, RETAINING walls, MARBLE, GRANITE-floors, walls, countertops. (21 5) 699-561 1 Upper Gwynedd, Pa. WROUGHT IRON REVIVALS Specializing in outdoor furniture refinishing. Let us store and restore your heirlooms over the winter. 610-941-3508 Conshohocken, PA (Free pick up and delivery) GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Sales and Service Janco, Lord & Burnham and more. Call Robert J. LaRouche at Glass Enclosures Unlimited (610) 687-2444 THE SUNWORKS CORPORATION • Greenhouse Sales: Residential, Commercial and Institutional. • Installations: Of greenhouses from any man- ufacturer, shading and ventilation systems. • Maintenance: Reglazing, reskinning, paint- ing, cleaning. Emergency repairs. Call (302) 655-5772, ask for John Klein GARLIC Grow your own Garlic! Organic planting stock, growing tips, and prepared garlic foods. Secure online ordering at www. TheGarlicStore.com. LANDSCAPE DESIGN S. Edgar David and Associates Landscape Architects Site Planning and Garden Design Winners of the ASLA Pa/Del Chapter 2001 and 2002 Honor Awards Transforming the landscape with innovative solutions Member ASLA Registered Landscape Architects Design Studio 610-584-5941 Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc. A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN/BUILD FIRM Experts in Landscape Renovation, Naturalistic and Classic Formal Gardens. Landscape Construction, Unique Patios, Terraces, Creative Stone Work, and Landscape Lighting. Major Award Winning Exhibitor Philadelphia Flower Show. 610.520.2025 215.887.1773 www. burkebrothers. com LINDA CORSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN •Consulting •Plans •Supervision Registered Landscape Architect Member ASLA 215-247-5619 Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. • Landscape Architects & Contractors • Formal/Period/Naturalistic Gardens * Creating outdoor living spaces of distinction • Master Plans/Phased projects • Let us make your desires become reality PO. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1 -800-ELA-9252 44 GREEN SCENE • October 2002 CLASSIFIED RATES Base Rate $3.00 per word Formatted Words $5.00 Minimum Charge $60.00 (without formatting) (ex. Bold, Italic or ALL CAPS) DISCOUNT 10% off the second consecutive ad, using the same copy Deadlines February Issue (by December I) June Issue (by April 1) October Issue (by August 1) April Issue (by February I) August Issue (by June 1) December Issue (by October 1) Please NOTE: Green Scene does not guarantee advertisement position, and we reserve the right to edit copy to fit available space. Green Scene ads are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis until space is filled for a particular issue. Please calculate your ad cost based on number and formatting of words, and enclose a check along with your copy (call for assistance). Green Scene will bill any difference or credit upon publication of your advertisement. If your new ad arrives very close to deadline, we may deposit your check until ad is scheduled. If we can’t schedule your ad, your check will be returned. Make checks payable to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Send all advertising correspondence to: Laurie Fitzpatrick, Green Scene , The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103 -1495. If you have any questions, please call (215) 988-8769. David Brothers Landscape Services Bean Road Nursery Architects, Builders and Nurserymen Providing the Fine Art of Garden Construction and Landscape Restoration (215) 247-2992 (610) 584-1550 (610) 525-3232 DONALD PELL GARDEN SERVICES Creating & maintaining gardens with expert horticultural craftsmanship. View our portfolio of landscape designs online at www.donaldpell.com or call 610.917.1385 for a brochure and consultation. LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE" ANDREW C. BECK LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE A Dependable Source for All Your Landscape Needs. Serving CHESTNUT HILL & MONTGOMERY COUNTY - Lawn Mowing - Garden Care, Mulching, Planting - Tree & Shrub Pruning - Organic Fertilization & Aeration - Spring & Fall Clean up - Property Management Insured References 215-233-9401 LARGE SPECIMEN HOLLIES APPLES - PEARS - HONEY - HOME MADE PRESERVES Christmas Trees Cut When You Come Indian Orchards, Media PA 610-565-8387 LECTURE SERIES Garden Lecture Series at the Radnor Hotel Second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 PM. Price: $15.00, includes wines and hors d’oeuvres. For reservations call: 610-341-3192. August 14: Butterflies in the Garden, Meg Barrett September 1 1 , Organic Gardening, Craig Strimel October 9, Hedgleigh Spring: 100 Years in a Family Garden, Charles Cresson November 13, Crossing the Herbaceous Border, Chris Woods December 1 1 , Christmas Decorations, Jean Stahl For more information: www.radnorhotel.com MULCH PINE NEEDLE MULCH Won’t change soil pH • Wholesale and retail FLOWERS BY THE YARD 610-701-9283 renee52@erols.com OVERSEAS TOURS SPAIN!! Hike/Cycle 2003 March 17 - 26 • April 22 - 30 • May 19 - 27 Mediterranean Plants, Breathtaking Scenery, Small Group, Hospitable Environment 800-649-9970:215-735-7869 WWW.CYCLESPANIA.COM RESTORATION REED’S WOODS, INC. QUALITY WORK AT A FAIR PRICE Custom Builder, Restorations, Remodeling Greenhouses, Springhouse Restorations Decks, Carpentry & Landscape Structures Jamie Reed 2125 Bodine Road Malvern, PA 19355 (610) 827-9663 TREE SERVICE TREE TRANSFERS, INC. Large Tree Transplanting and Sales Machine and Specialized Hand Digging Dealers and Locators of Large Horticultural Specimens Mature Screening and Shade Trees Assessing and Renovating Mature Collection and Estate Gardens Plant Material Purchased (215) 635-2310 Tree Transplanting & Sales • Machine & hand digging • Supply & install specimen plants • Locate/Purchase mature trees • Why Wait for mother nature? Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. PO. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-EU\-9252 UNUSUAL SPECIMENS HOSTA Over 1 00 varieties Assorted perennials, Ferns, shade plants. Michael’s Country Nursery 165 Tuckertown Road Medford, NJ 856-983-6512 RARE & UNUSUAL PLANTS • Specimen plants • Pond plants • Bonsai • Orchids • Hardy cacti • Tropicals • Sculptured trees and shrubs • Perennials • Unique Flower and gift shop. MUTSCHLERS’ FLORIST & RARE PLANTS 1-800-242-9438 www.mutschlers.com October 2002 • GREEN SCENE 45 Classifieds by Patricia A. Taylor Gardeners with deer problems are boring. They whine incessantly about yet another plant that has been devoured, about spraying to no avail with all sorts of unmentionable things, and about hunkering down behind fences and adopting fortress mentalities. And now I find myself doing just that and am often astounded to hear those same cranky words pouring out of my mouth. The first deer arrived about three years ago in the form of an occasional buck or doe casually walking down my in-town street. At the time I was more concerned about the startling increase in rabbit population and the subsequent vegetation devastation. During the millennial winter, there was a doe and three fawns, and that, of course, was a sign that gardening as I once had known it was at an end. This sign was confirmed the winter of 2001-02, when six deer periodically browsed whatever they could find on my street. I now understand that gardeners with deer problems view horti- cultural activities from an entirely different perspective than that dis- played in magazines and books. When we deer-afflicted gardeners look at printed spreads of lush borders, we suspect that there is either a sharp-shooter hiding behind a hedge or else the local deer herd hasn’t heard about this garden... yet. We also know that the concept of using native plants to attract wildlife — in other words, to go back to the past when flora and fauna were in an ecological equilibrium — is not the answer. Here in New Jersey, for example, we don’t want wolves and foxes on our streets or in our backyards, and, as a consequence, there is no check on the rabbits eating the native New Jersey tea shrub ( Ceanothus americanus) to extinction. Likewise, deer calmly demolish dwarf fothergillias (F. gardenii) and dwarf red osier dogwoods ( Cornus sericea). Maybe wolves aren’t such a bad idea after all. Deer herds also affect our horticultural buying habits. 1 now look at a plant and think: does the price justify having a deer eat it within a few weeks? Picking and choosing by genus, I have found, is use- less. To date, Heuchera sanguina , H. cylindrica , and purple-toned H. villosa cultivars and hybrids have flourished untouched by either deer or rabbits. At the same time, a new H. villosa cultivar known as Autumn Bride’ — which features warm green leaves and abundant sprays of creamy white flowers in September — has been chewed to the ground. 1 can’t help but think how gardens first started: as enclosed spaces in the homes of wealthy Persians thousands of years ago. I now understand better why those gardens were enclosed and kept close to living quarters. Still, there’s a part of me that has yet to give up. While much of the joy of gardening has been eaten away, there is still the challenge of creating an uneaten, aesthetically pleasing display in an open space. I’m learning a lot about salvias and scutellarias, sumacs and spicebushes, and other aromatic plants that are pretty, yet distasteful to deer and other munchers. Yet, as I plant anew in places where hostas, tulips, daylilies, and stokesias once flourished, I do so with a wistfulness rather than an eagerness to try new plants. And so I have come to realize that, behind the boring crankiness of gardeners with deer problems, there is something of an ineffable sadness. 10 Deer-Resistant Plants to Know • Apricot sprite ( Agastache aurantiaca cultivar), perennial with apricot flowers late spring into fall. • Nodding onion ( Allium cernuum ), bulb with white to purple flowers in mid-summer. • Spicebush ( Lindera benzoin), shrub with red berries and yellow fall foliage. • Petite delight ( Monarda hybrid), dwarf perennial with lavender pink summer flowers. • Mountain lover ( Paxistima canbyi), dwarf evergreen shrub. • Mountain mint ( Pycnanthemum hyssopifolium), perennial with white summer flowers. • Fragrant sumac {Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-low’), shrub with orange to scarlet-red fall foliage. • Wild petunia {Ruellia species), perennials with lavender flowers in July and August. • White sage {Salvia greggii ‘Alba’), shrub with white flowers late spring into fall. • Scutellaria (5. incana ), perennial wirh sky blue flowers throughout summer. 46 GREEN SCENE • October 2002 > A. Tie one on! PHS ties that bloom all year. Printed on silk A- 1 Floral A-2 Blue squares Gift boxed. $35 (member price $27) oppe Proceeds from the sale of these products benefit The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s programs, including Philadelphia Green, the nation's most comprehensive urban greening program. ai B. The flower garland scarf. 36" square, 100% silk satin. Cream ground, multi colours work with all apparel. Gift boxed. $68 (member $60) C. Perfect accent! PHS oblong silk satin chiffon scarf with Citron green, 58" x I I Gift boxed. $30 (member price $27) HORTICf iraimg D. Celebrate with us! PHS 175th Anniversary commemorative plate. 10" cream with gold. Gift boxed. $35 incl. tax (member price $3 1 .50) E. Cafe latte? PHS mural mug. 1 4 oz., ceramic. $ I 3 incl. tax (member price $ I 1 .70) PHS Shoppe Pennstjlvania Horticultural Societij 100 North 20th Street - 5th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19 103- 1495 To order by phone, call 2 1 5-988- 1613 • To order by fax: 2 1 5-988-8783 Name Address City State Zip Phone (day) Member ID# Email PAYMENT INFORMATION □ Check or money order; payable to PHS □ Visa □ Mastercard Card # Exp. Date / Cardholder Name Signature Item # Quantity Item Description Item Price Total Shipping/Handling Up to $25 $5 $25.0: $25 $6 $35.01 $50 $7 $50.01 $75 $9 $75.01-$ 100 $10 $100.01-$ ISO $12 over $ 1 50 1 0% of sale Total Merchandise Standard Shipping (see chan to left) Fed Ex - call for charge Additional Shipping Charges Total Thank you for your support of PHS! THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND WEALTH? IT COULD BE THE UNIQUE THINKING OF PNC ADVISORS. As one of the largest wealth managers in the country, we are particularly adept at addressing the specialized needs of successful women professionals to enhance and preserve wealth. Local experts, who live and work where you do, deliver wealth management solutions that are customized to your unique situation. Call 215-585-5438 today for more information about PNC Advisors' Women's Financial Services Network or for a complimentary wealth management consultation. © PNC Advisors Women's Financial Services Network The person pictured is for illustrative purposes only. PNC Advisors is a service mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., which is used in the provision of investment manage- ment, fiduciary and certain banking services by PNC Bank, N.A. and PNC Bank, Delaware. Members FDIC. PNC Advisors does not provide legal, tax or accounting advice Investments: Not FDIC Insured. No Bank Guarantee. May Lose Value. www.pncadvisors.com DECEMBER 2002 -$5.00 THE PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s 175th Anniversary [ml ; / l . M J. Franklin Nurseries M ■ t - " \'f c |{;w a ' r ' v Jv. \ ,/flk H 4 ( Go to the experts & see the difference! LANDSCAPE & DESIGN SERVICES Design • Installation • Maintenance • Residential • Commercial Registered Landscape Architects 8c Designers 914 Baltimore Pike, Concordville, PA 19331 610.459.2400 • www.styers.com Photo: Residential, Winter 2001. Fine Garden Creations, Inc. Landscape and Garden Design, Installations, and Tree Work FINE GARDEN CREATIONS • 610-338-0630 • info@finegardencreations.com www.finegardencreations.com Cathedral Village 23 Years of Achievement And Still Growing l New and Innovative changes are taking place at Cathedral Village to accommodate the growth of our retirement community and the educational and cultural interests of our residents. Townhouses ... Construction of another sixteen beautifully-appointed, single-story Townhouses featuring a spacious two-bedroom/two-bath design ... an enclosed sunroom, skylights ... and many other amenities for your enjoyment. Atrium Dining Room . . . An additional distinctive Dining Room overlooking our beautiful grounds and adjacent to the Fireside Cafe' which will allow sixty more residents and guests to enjoy Chef Lachman’s wonderful meals. Village College Classrooms. . . Four additional Classrooms to accommodate our growing Village College... where the diverse faculty, residents who are educators and business leaders, etc. ... and the students, residents who love the challenge of learning... pursue education in an environment where there are no tests to take or to grade. An Art Studio... A completely unique Studio with plenty of artist-preferred natural light... designed for professional artists as well as for those just starting in the Village College art classes ... plus a separate Ceramics Studio! Adore Value Than Ever Before . . . in our community that continues to set standards for innovative leadership and for providing the highest level of care and services possible. Visit us Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Appointments are encouraged for weekdays and are necessary on weekends. Cathedral Village CetTWEDM£*6£l A Nonprofit, Nondenominational CCRC 600 East Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128 (215) 984-8622 Website: www.cathedralvillage.com Affiliated tsf w>th the Equal Homing Opportunity Jefferson Health System C{jvszfcsz/0Cittp, commencing, f 6 18 2f and ending 18S/P 4*. «VWWW WWVWVWW%^W^V\ W»WVW\W\-VVVW\ \wwvw\wt w 'XVV\\^W»WW\WWVW\V»AVV\ PERSPECTIVES It’s one thing to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and its many fine achievements, such as the Philadelphia Flower Show and the Philadelphia Green pro- gram. But it’s quite another to consider the story of PHS within a historical context. There, it becomes clear just how much the world has changed since the Society’s earliest days. Off the top of one’s head, the year 1827 probably doesn’t mean much to most of us. However, a historian could find interesting parallel events to bring the date into per- spective. As many of you know, the Society held its first meeting on November 24th of that year. John Quincy Adams was President, only the sixth leader of the fledg- ling country, which then included just 24 states. In addition, such figures as Ludwig von Beethoven, poet William Blake and Philadelphia art luminary Charles Willson Peale all passed away that year. It’s funny to think of PHS and Beethoven in the same breath, but in a sense, they are irrevocably linked by history. The world that gave birth to the Society was one of horse-drawn carriages, wood- burning stoves and candle-powered illumi- nation (gas light and coal heat wouldn't be common in homes until later in the 19th century). The first steam-powered trains were just beginning to run in England and photography wouldn’t be discovered until the following decade. The Industrial Revolution hadn’t really reached Philadelphia just yet. That’s not to say the City of Brotherly Love was a backward province. In fact, just the opposite was true. Thanks to visionar- ies like Benjamin Franklin, John Bartram, and Peale (founder of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts), Philadelphia was the center for science, art, and culture in the United States at the time. With that in mind, it’s little wonder that a society dedicated solely to horticulture should come to fruition here. There are other signposts in PHS history. In July 1863, America fought its most infa- mous battle in history at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a turning point in the Civil War. In our minutes from that same month, however, it was only noted that “The exhibit of [plantsman] Thomas Meehan consisted of 38 named varieties of verbena, 25 seedling carnations, nine hardy shrubs in flower, eight varieties of hardy phlox, and 20 hardy herbaceous plants.” From a modern viewpoint, it seems oddly incongruent that the Society would hold a flower exhibition while tens of thou- sands of men were dying a mere 1 40 miles to the west. Then again, perhaps it illus- trates why PHS has survived so long — no matter how much turmoil exists in the world, the pursuit of horticultural knowl- edge always proceeds at a steady pace at PHS. That unswerving dedication is part and parcel of the Society’s culture and tra- dition. In September 1876, as America celebrat- ed its centennial anniversary, PHS put on its largest Autumnal Exhibition to date. Members were introduced to new grapes, figs and “the first sour Florida oranges ever shown before the Society." Renowned seed catalog entrepreneur Robert Buist also exhibited a wide assortment of plants, from the rare South Pacific conifer, Araucaria rulei, to the still-popular maidenhair fern, Adiantum raddianum ‘Gracillimum’. At a more somber time, notes from October, 1918, near the end of World War I, nonchalantly state, “It was decided to omit the Show scheduled for November, probably because of the war.” Fifty years later, America had changed dramatically and so had the Society, but its shows were still a staple of Philadelphia’s garden- ing culture. In 1969, the year American astro- nauts landed on the moon, the Philadelphia Flower Show attracted an impressive 1 00,000 visitors, and the Society’s annual Yearbook was pub- lished in Day-Glo psychedelic colors. (Let it never be said that PHS was not hip in the ‘60s.) Finally, as editor of this magazine, I would be remiss not to mention another special anniversary PHS is celebrating this year. In 1972, a committee led by L. Wilbur Zimmerman worked with the Society’s leadership and editor Jean Byrne to create Green Scene for its members. For the past 30 years (not quite 175 years, but an impressive life span for any magazine), Green Scene has provided custom-tailored information for gardeners in the Delaware Valley. As we look back this year and reflect on our current achievements and future goals, we can only imagine how our grand- children’s grandchildren will celebrate PHS’s 350th anniversary, 175 years from now. If nothing else, let’s hope folks still know how to throw a grand party in the 22nd century. email: grcensceneGppennhort. org | december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 7 A picture of “Pomona,” the Roman goddess of fruit and gardens, who was PHS’s symbol for many years. Here is a vintage Flower Show certificate with her image on it. A Celebrated History 175 Years of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society By Liz Ball 8 DELPHI, morning. -5E2EMBKK "'■'t- y»jf I PHILADELPHIA T] \k *k*"' b“'Wta| tw AND NOW * tfc* Penn*ylv»mJ “ '•'* r,.m r«built in lt91 Hoftkaitorjj ’• which itood ■W*. burnt J Lf* US-*.**, ^JShuWt On Saturday, November 24, 1827, a group of 53 promi- nent Philadelphia citizens, interested in promoting the “highly instructive and interesting science’’ of horticul- ture, formally gathered to create a new organization they named the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Over the ensuing 175 years, this Society — now familiarly known as PHS — has continued to pursue its original mission, renewing and reinventing itself to meet the exigen- cies of the times. Throughout its long history, the Society has fiercely guarded William Penn’s vision of a “greene countrie towne” by fostering an appreciation of plants, acquiring scientific knowledge about them, disseminating horticultural information, and involving the public in gardening and beautifying the city of Philadelphia. In the Beginning The group of citizens who met at the Franklin Institute that Saturday in 1827 envisioned a society of the sort then com- mon in England. Many of them were well acquainted with each other, having met and socialized at M’Mahon’s seed store on 2n^ & Chestnut Streets, where seeds from Lewis & Clark’s trip were available for study and cultivation. At a second meeting in December the founders passed by-laws and fixed annual dues at $5, life membership at $50. Citizens (male) “of good moral character” who paid $100 could be honorary life members. Present at this second meeting were Horace Binney, David Landreth, Jr., William Davidson, George Pepper, Nicholas Biddle, Moses Brown, M.C. Cope, Thomas Astley, and Joshua Longstreth. It was not until 1835 that the first women were invited to meetings, with the expectation that they would provide a tempering influence on the unfortunate tendency of the gentlemen to use “strong language.” The First Flower Show From the beginning it was customary for Society members to bring to meetings sam- ples of particularly interesting plants or unusual fruits and flowers they had grown. On November 3, 1828, “upwards of forty specimens of beautiful plants and flowers, fifteen varieties of pears and apples, American grape wine and some fine cauli- flower and broccoli” were on display. The following June, members’ plants were exhibited to the public for the first time at Masonic Hall on Chestnut Street. This is significant because it was the first public flower show held in America; fur- thermore, it was such a success that it became an annual event. Held each spring until 1832, it was moved to September that year to take advantage of the fruit harvest season. Philadelphia’s fabled heat may also have been part of the reason for the move to fall shows. An article in American Farmer on June 10, 1831 chronicled the “splendid exhibition" that had taken place the previous week and noted that the tem- perature on the final day of the exhibit was “98 degrees in the shade.” Interest in tropical and semi-tropical flowering plants was high in those early years, and in 1829, the poinsettia was exhibited for the first time. Camellias were extraordinarily popular, with roses and dahlias close behind. Fruits, both native and imported varieties, were well represented in the exhibits. Most of the vegetables on display would be familiar to today’s visitor. However, tomatoes, or “love apples,” were conspicuously absent, since they were regarded with sus- picion at the time. Asparagus was still a luxury and sweet corn was not mentioned in the records. The Society’s efforts to further horticultural knowledge were evident in these early meetings and shows. Members displayed new technology, tasted and commented on wine, and exchanged seeds and grafts, both from abroad and from other regions in this country. They propa- gated new plants, reported results and cor- responded with European horticultural groups. At the 1836 exhibition, the Society introduced sugar beet seed to the U.S. and Above and right: Vintage photographs from the 1942 Harvest Show, including a shot of Miss Victory Gardens. 10 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 A Celebrated History PHS by the Numbers • Membership in 2002: 13,000 • Volunteers: 3,500 • Flower Show visitors in 2002: 270,000 • Number of organized community groups for whom Philadelphia Green provides technical assistance, education, supplies and encourage- ment: Over 800 groups • Paid Staff: OVER 100 STRONG • Number of copies of Green Scene magazine printed each year: 90,000+ • Titles in the PHS McLean Library devoted to gardening and horticulture: 14,000 A Celebrated History Right: Abundant vegetables decorate an exhibit by the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Gardeners (also from the 1942 Harvest Show). Below: Pictures of the renovations next to the building on Walnut Street, which was PHS’s headquarters from 1964 to 1996. ww , i distributed it to members. The Society also solicited subscriptions to fund a prize for “the person who shall discover a remedy to protect fruit trees against destructive insects.” A Time for Renewal Periods of war were times of decline for the Society. This was first evident during the years leading up to and including the Civil War. Membership, always problemat- ical, declined as interest faded under lack- luster leadership. There was a “lack of strict adherence to the By-Laws.” Then in 1867, the fortuitous election of a new president, William L. Schaffer, brought firm leader- ship and a period of renewed energy and commitment. Schaffer wisely emphasized building the Society’s membership. Realizing the poten- tial contribution of women, he appointed a women’s committee to campaign for new members. When he died in 1884, PHS was in much better shape. In addition to all its other activities, by the close of the century the Society began hosting a series of horti- cultural lectures by distinguished speakers, a tradition that extends to the present day. Also of significance is the fact that his sister, Elizabeth Schaffer, gave PHS its first “planned gift” in his memory. In 1886, she paid off the $75,000 mortgage on Horticultural Hall at the corner of Broad & Lardner Streets and gave it to the Society for its use in perpetuity. Growing Pains As the world greeted a new century, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society experi- enced some additional problems. Schaffer’s legacy did not last long. The second of two fires gutted Horticultural Hall in May of 1893, and the bank balance dipped to $26.25. By 1890, practical leadership was provided by the secretary, who was guided largely by whatever discussions took place at monthly meetings. Meanwhile, membership dropped signif- december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 13 icantly, especially among enthusiastic ama- teurs. Commercial or professional horticul- tural interests dominated the proceedings. The years spanning World War I found the Society’s fortunes in decline. The Boyd Years When James Boyd became president in 1919, he was determined to turn things around. He reached out to amateur garden- ers through an alliance with the Flower Show Association of the Main Line, spurring the change to an entirely amateur organization and a growing membership. The new president and an Executive Council, newly endowed with executive powers, presided over the proper installa- tion of the library — shelving and cata- loging books and adding a convenient reading room. Eventually there would be a circulating collection. In 1923 Boyd formed a committee that proposed activities such as competitive flower shows and “pilgrimages to attractive scenes” to help boost membership. Area garden clubs became active participants and competed for prizes in annual exhibi- tions held at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. In 1921 splendid orchid displays by Mr. and Mrs. Fitz Eugene Dixon and Joseph E. Widener won rave notices, and John Wanamaker won the gold medal for a new or rare foliage plant. Also around this time, Garden Tours were inaugurated, as members of the Society opened their gardens to other members on specified days in the spring. The Society also made Horticulture maga- zine available to its members. (It would not be until 1972 that PHS would have its own magazine, Green Scene) Another important venture was to cooperate with the Florists’ Club and others in 1925 to establish a Philadelphia Flower Show at the Commercial Museum at 34^ & Spruce Streets. It featured mostly professional dis- plays, because few amateur members of the Society were able to grow flowers under glass for a spring show. A Celebrated History Into the Modern Era Strong leadership again propelled PHS into a period of renewal and expansion. Aware that an organization is only as strong as its membership, C. Frederick Stout, elected president in 1929, steadily built membership to 4,000 by 1941. After another low point during World War II, membership reached 5,000 by 1950 under the leadership of Stout and secretary John C. Wister. By the halfway mark of the twentieth century, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society was poised to move into its most productive and influential era. The Society has always drawn its strength from the dedication and talent of its member volunteers. Ernesta D. Ballard had long been enormously active in PHS, and her combined administrative and hor- ticultural experience made her the perfect choice for executive secretary in 1963. She became the first paid president of PHS when that position was created in 1973. Paramount on the long list of Ballard’s accomplishments is wresting control of the spring Flower Show from its professional and commercial management. She jumped at the opportunity to run the Show else- where when construction interrupted the regular schedule of Philadelphia Flower Show Inc., effectively establishing PHS as the manager of the Show after 1966. In 1970, Ballard inaugurated the Flower Show Preview Dinner, raising funds for PHS’s increasingly ambitious program of civic horticulture that was later christened Philadelphia Green. Beginning in 1974 as the Community Vegetable Garden Program, its goal was to encourage neigh- borhood groups to grow vegetables on vacant lots and plant window boxes. By 1980, Philadelphia Green helped residents to green and beautify entire neighborhoods around the city with food and flower gar- dens, and blocks with street trees and side- walk containers. PHS Today The leadership of Jane Pepper, beginning in 1981, marked the arrival of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society at the forefront of civic horticulture and onto the national stage. During her tenure, the growth and influence of the Society has surpassed anything that the founders of PHS could have envisioned. Of special note is the 1996 migration of the Flower Show to the downtown Pennsylvania Convention Center where, along with Show designer Ed Lindemann, she helped turned it into “the world’s largest indoor flower show.” The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is once again renewing itself. Building on its enormous success with the Philadelphia Flower Show and Philadelphia Green, the Society has positioned itself to respond to 21st-century horticultural and community concerns. As it collaborates with federal, state and city agencies to address the prob- lem of vacant land in Philadelphia, the Society is still promoting the “highly instructive and interesting science” of hor- ticulture— the mission that first attracted our original members 175 years ago. WV A former high school American history teacher, garden writer Liz Ball enjoyed this opportunity to combine her interest in his- tory with her love of gardening. In addition to her weekly newspaper column, she is the author of numerous articles and books on yard and garden care. Her latest book, Pennsylvania Gardener’s Guide, was recently published by Cool Springs Press. Special Memento Experience the community ofDunwoody Village When you reside at Dunwoody Village, there’s a special feeling you get. It starts the minute you enter the grounds and follows you wherever you go — whether J you’re strolling through the gardens, grabbing a quick bite in the Village Coffee Shop, or even enjoying a visit to the zoo in nearby Philadelphia. It’s the feeling of friendship, caring and above all, community, and it shines in all aspects of Village life, everv day of the vear. » ¥ Ms l Wr Assisted Living Accommodations Available Immediately! CALL 1-800-DUNWOODY or visit us at www.dunwoody.org Ij • • Of. Dunwoody •*!■*?! VILLAGE The Retirement Community for people who enjoy living 3500 WEST CHESTER PIKE NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA 19073-4168 14 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 {tu/c jXttrscrics iPtvutl/t/ Sht "ounces U7rcir j\ losf (pi'ct’nf[l\(cc(jiii/tcn CLASSICAL AMERICA PRESENTS THE ARTHUR ROSS AWARD TO CHARLES H. GALE, JR. {for jfiirdeiis dr mm) * PAi/(u)r//r/fta PRESENTED BY , J-fer ^Hrnal \%/uj/wess < Princess j\[ic/mr/ of'Kevf Gale Nurseries has been designing and building exquisite, award-winning gar- den dreamscapes for three generations. And our garden projects are as diverse as your dreams that inspire them: • Period gardens that relate to architecture and personalities • Natural, native plantings that create quiet, inviting areas • Contemporary designs for a bold, exciting statement • Older plantings refurbished, reworked and revitalized A Design/Build company for Period, Native and Contemporary Qardens Charles H. Gale Jr. B.S. Ornamental Horticulture 1716 School House Road, Box 264 * Gwynedd PA 19436 • 215.699.4714 • fax 215 .699 .3203 • chgale@comcast.net december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 15 This sterling silver cup was awarded to a Flower Show entrant in 1841 for some exceptionally fine camellias. Ironically, the cup, which was recently donated to PHS, had been used by its last owner as a toothbrush holder. Photography by Pete Prown & John Gannon Historical Research by Jane Ailing With 175 vears under our collective belt, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has naturally accumulated a wealth of » * artifacts over the decades, manv of them stored in the • * archives at our McLean Library. From medals to letters to antique documents written written in pen and ink, are a few pieces of our past to savor. / pc*r'- f>/\ Cj'0-' 16 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 | december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 17 Here’s where it all began — on November 24th, 1827, a group of Philadelphia gentlemen gathered to form the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Here is the first page of minutes from that meeting, including the names of 10 of its earliest members. I SPRING FLOWER SHOW PHILA. CIVIC CENTER MARCH 9-16 It was 1969 and, catch- ing the hippie spirit in the air, this years Flower Show poster was alive with bold Day-Glo colors. 34th St. and Civic Center Blvd. Sundays: Noon to 7 PM, Weekdays: 10 AM to 10 PM Three medals from the PHS archive (1-r): Schaffer Memorial medal, Centenary medal, and the Apollo XIV medallion (replica). | december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 19 -,r;- : b^-^JP HJL.1. 1 v-jgfr- :;; . : jk *2&l?Mr M ‘■■:J2b SSr^jf ;3Hd? 5* ftitfvJ** ^'■jtTlMj*, ■ •-.£?. >;•!*” . ; :: ^?r>~f ; "^C,.- »^ttr,-^- “5 . &<*■' W*!T‘ .« .$ U So"""1 n'“ ' auo~»« Paris ■ Sep' jtentoe1 28, 1928. “*”. w, • /■ "M‘—. **.15?-^ ^sit to WahfPe ^o f y " a Wae^on/you enjoyed a th *«* dee em°r^le til0u^tfuinese;papprecii d Wi‘i be ° for yoUr Sd est Wishes, Peciai E»„to „ Rector D' Mallard -»1.6 Dear Sir, Hi.qheeaa cercne , 0ne-Vea*, wV your »«fto enter a o llshed by Y SetyGreen S ... „te receiving », Di*"* ty- date receiving ^lpVauty sne «°^eTalai^erorer^^ «' “ air mail at » a you ther S-aTa-- ln ^iCa-n - yo— ***%•£?• Better , 1 - attention slnCerelY VoarB' ' UW • ^ W^.X: W^Ci-5lA' isette Sonssan , a aortic^ Penney1 g^iety Itural Famous letters from famous ladies: above is a note of thanks from First Lady Patricia Nixon (addressed to “Mr. Ernesto” Ballard), while on the left is a letter from Princess Grace of Monaco — AKA Grace Kelly — requesting a sub- scription to Green Scene magazine. 20 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 distinctive, floral, design. LeRoy’s FLOWERS 16 N. York Rd Hatboro PA 19040 215-674-0450 PHS membership card honored Visit us on the web at www.leroysflowers.com Touring the Gardens of Europe with Lucas & Randall Villas and Gardens of Italy England's Garden Heritage Chateaux and Gardens of France Treasures and Gardens of Spain Holland in Springtime Please call for a brochure Discover Europe 's finest gardens and a rich variety of cultural and historic sites. First-class touring at a civilized pace with a small group. A unique and memorable experience. » www.lucasandrandall.com .. a* n r T ^ | 4 | El'jiCJpS -i " -li jour garden is your sanctuary... come to dMostardis for distinctive plants , expertise and inspiration. Old World Craftsmanship New World Technology , - Distinctive illumination for your garden. Call for more information and our free catalog. 1-800-856-7948 Escort Light ing 51 North Elm Street Wernersville, PA 19565 Fax: 610-670-5170 december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 21 When Ed Lindemann got the official word that the 1996 Philadelphia Flower Show would be held at the newly built Pennsylvania Convention Center at 12r“ & Arch Streets in downtown Philadelphia, he knew he had a real challenge on his hands. “The Show had been in the Civic Center [in West Philadelphia] for 30 years,” says Lindemann, Flower Show designer and direc- tor, “and everyone was comfortable with it — the staff, the exhibitors, and the visitors.” Construction of the new Convention Center wasn’t even complete when Lindemann began planning the 1996 Show. He and PHS presi- dent Jane Pepper toured the unfinished build- ing in hard hats, trying to imagine filling the cavernous, 10-acre space with floral displays. “It was like having a new job,” he recalls. “A number of issues immediately came up,” Opposite page: McNaughton Nurseries 1996 Philadelphia Flower Show exhibit. Below: Setting up at the 1996 Flower Show. Opposite page: J. Cugliotta Landscape/Nursery 1996, “Simple Things”. Below: J. Franklin Styer Nurseries 1996, “This Sand is Your Sand.” Lindemann says. “Wed be in Center City, and that conjured up images of traffic jams and logistical nightmares. There was almost double the amount of exhibition space to fill. There was no central food-service area. It all seemed pretty daunting. But we all just looked at each other and said, ‘We can make it work; we just have to figure out how.”’ “Ed was a great cheerleader for us all,” says Jane Pepper. “His optimism carried the day.” Like many longtime exhibitors, Bruce Robertson, ol Robertson’s in Chestnut Hill, also recalls feeling some trepidation about the move. “For so long we thought about how our exhibit would look to people com- ing down the escalator at the Civic Center, taking in the view from above,” he says. “Now, their first look would be from ground level. At the same time, Robertson found the new environment exciting. “The Convention Center is everything they said it would be and more,” he says. “The high ceilings created a whole new set of creative possibilities. Logistically, it’s easier to move things in and out — the old place had only one loading door — and there is more work- space and better traffic flow for visitors.” I Sandy Young, who was chair of Competitive Classes that year, had the job of keeping everything running smooth- ly— and keeping everyone calm — when hundreds of amateur exhibitors brought their entries to the new location. “Most people were really excited about the new venue,” she recalls. “We had no problem filling the classes.” Still, that first year, there were a few snafus. “When we were trying to set up the artis- tic classes,” Sandy remembers, “we couldn't find the boxes for the 'niche' entries [flower arrangements]. We searched all over the huge Convention Center — no easy feat — and finally realized that the horticul- ture displays had been set up using the niche boxes as bases. Most people had gone home, but a few of us stayed until 10:30 that night re-staging the whole thing. Somehow we got everybody through it. She adds, “As I recall, there were lots of last- minute trips to Home Depot that year.” With the Convention Center’s 30-foot ceilings, just lighting the Show was a chal- lenge in itself, and Lindemann admits that the ‘96 Show was a bit dark. “People said it was a beautiful Show — too bad you could- n’t see it, he laughs. “Thankfully, we’ve Unique Garden Antiques, Art, Ornaments, Furniture & Architecture For Fine Gardens Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 12-6 Extended holiday hours The. 7 South Chester Road, Swarthmore, PA 19081 610.338.8182 phone december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 25 Ira Beckoff Ed was a GREAT CHEERLEADER for us all,” says Jane Pepper. “His OPTIMISM carried the day.” learned a lot since then.” In addition to the big increase in exhibi- tion space, the new Convention Center included numerous meeting rooms and areas beyond the Show floor that had to be filled. So Lisa Stephano, the Society’s pub- lic relations and marketing director, began brainstorming. “Over the course of the fol- lowing few years, we added the culinary events, the Afternoon Teas, and the book shop, which have become very popular,” she recalls. “We were also able to expand the offering of the lectures and demonstra- tions that have always been part of the Show. And people do take advantage of them. Our surveys show that most visitors now spend about five to six hours at the Show as opposed to two or three in the old days.” What about the traffic nightmares of Center City? “It actually works much bet- ter,” says Lindemann. “I met with the Philadelphia Police Department, and they offered to help in any way they could. They created a plan for out-of-town buses that has worked beautifully. We also assembled group of volunteers — who jokingly call themselves the “Grumpy Old Men” — who meet the buses and help direct visitors to the Show. They’re out there in all kinds of weather, and do a great job of making peo- ple feel welcome. “And when the connection between the Market East train station and the Convention Center was complete, that was a beautiful thing, too. It meant that people could easily take the train to the Show without even going outside. About a third of our visitors arrive this way now.” The move to downtown created new possibilities for tourism, too. Former Mayor Ed Rendell knew that the Flower Show downtown could create a buzz of excitement for Center City. “Fie was really the first to envision a citywide festival built around the Show,” Stephano notes. “Flower Show Week” has since become an annual rite of spring. Restaurants create Flower Show menus and offer discounts, and hotels and airlines provide special trav- 'j f I A F i B \ 26 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 All Phases of Tree Care: Residential and Commercial Maintenance Pruning • Prescription Fertilization Plant Health Care Programs • Insect & Disease Management Tree Support Systems • Lightning Protection For a FREE consultation call 1-877-BARTLETT (227-8538) BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS Scientific Tree Care Since 1907 www.bartlett.com or contact your local office: Bala Cynwyd, PA (610) 664-3200 Cherry Hill, NJ (856) 662-3767 Dublin, PA (215) 249-1819 Exton, PA (610) 594-4740 Wilmington, DE (302) 995-7562 “Flower Show Week” has since become an ANNUAL RITE OF SPRING. el packages for out-of-town visitors. Many shops compete for prizes in the “Phlower Power” window display contest. “One year, one store clothed their window manikins entirely in Flower Show posters,” Stephano recalls. All of this activity has indeed been a boon for the city. Hotels alone do a boom- ing business. About 27,000 Flower Show now stay at least one night in Philadelphia, as opposed to about 8,000 when the Show was held at the Civic Center. Some restau- rants report a 100% increase in business during Flower Show Week. Notes Jane Pepper, “We estimate that the total eco- nomic impact on the city is now around $27 million a year — one of the highest amounts for any single event.” “It’s really a lot of fun for us to be in the heart of downtown,” Lindemann declares. “Some of the exhibitors get just as excited about eating lunch at the Reading Terminal Market all week as they do about anything else,” he jokes. “But seriously, it feels great to be part of something that the whole city embraces.” Adds Stephano, “For those nine days in March, it’s a wonderful thing to walk through Philadelphia and see flowers every- where.” Lamsback Floral Decorators 1996, “And the Winner Is...”. For information regarding Preferred Customer Club benefits, visit us @ waterloogardens.com Wk Waterloo (gardens Water Coo gardens... • Distinctive Holiday Decorations • Exquisite Gifts • Waterloo-grown Poinsettias • Custom Decorated Wreaths •Top Quality Fresh Greens • Spectacular Services & Events • Professional Decorating Services • Unique Corporate Gifts • And Much More! ‘Discover the unique and unforgettable shopping experience at Waterloo gardens Does it Dest for the ^Holidays! DEVON: 136 Lancaster Ave., 610.293.0800 • Exton: 200 N. Whitford Rd., 610.363.0800 THE Seeds OF Above: Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge Right: For the 2002 edi- tion of the annual “Fall for Your Park” event, over 400 people — many of whom represented other community parks across the city — helped spruce up Stenton Park at 17th & Courtland Streets. The Story of Philadelphia Green by John Gannon In 1974, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society planted the first seeds of what would become its urban greening program, Philadelphia Green. Using proceeds from the Philadelphia Flower Show, the Society partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Recreation to help neighbors build 10 vegetable gardens on vacant lots. Thanks to the commitment of the community, the gardens were an immediate success. “We weren’t looking to change the world,” reflects Blaine Bonham, Philadelphia Green’s first director and now PHS executive vice president. “Our aim was quite modest. We wanted to help people grow food on these lots. We simply believed in horticulture and what it could do for the soul of the individual and the community.” Over the next few years, the Society helped create 35 gardens each year on sites scattered throughout Philadelphia’s strug- gling communities. The program’s official incarnation as Philadelphia Green came in 1978, when the city’s Office of Housing & Community Development began directing federal funds to inner-city neighborhoods through PHS, allowing it to greatly expand its community outreach initiatives. As Philadelphia Green developed in the 1980s, it shifted from a “scattered site” approach to more concentrated efforts in a handful of “target” neighborhoods. With the significant support of local foundations like the Pew Charitable Trusts and the William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Green created the “Greene Countrie Towne” project (a name inspired by city founder William Penn) to aid eight low- income communities. In North Philadelphia’s Norris Square neighborhood, leader Iris Brown observes, “Through community gardening, things started to change. If a person planted a tree, then another wanted to plant one. It was contagious.” Today, the residents of Norris Square continue to use gardening as a way to nurture their community. “We use the gardens to teach children about their her- itage and instill ethnic pride,” Brown says of this mostly Puerto Rican area. “We cul- tivate more than gardens — we foster hope.” The Greene Countrie Towne project, which continued for about 12 years, illus- trated that greening could be used as a tool for urban revitalization, a practice that would be developed on several fronts in the 1990s. Philadelphia Green began working with community development corpora- tions (CDCs), helping them incorporate greening and open space planning into new housing developments. For example, in 1996 Philadelphia Green collaborated with Asociacion de Puertorriquenos en Marcha december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 31 Top Left: In the 1970s, the “Gardenmobile” was used to deliver plants and soil to aspiring city gar- deners. Its motto? “Bringing People and Plants Together.” Top Right: One of Philadelphia Green’s early efforts was this com- munity vegetable garden in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood, circa 1976. Left: Before and after cleanup, a reclaimed site in the American Street Empowerment Zone at 2nd Street & Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Below: The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s East Courtyard. We use the gardens to teach children about their heritage says Iris Brown of her mostly Puerto Rican neighborhood. "We cultivate more than gardens — we foster hope." in North Philadelphia, bringing thought- fully designed green space into their new housing and commercial developments. Staff also worked at the community level, helping neighbors transform vacant lots into vegetable gardens and small sitting parks. Also in the early 1990s, Philadelphia Green again joined forces with the city’s Department of Recreation, this time to address neighborhood parks that had become crime-ridden eyesores in commu- nities drained by decades of blight. The aim was to engage the community to organize and take back what were once cherished gathering places. From a modest start assisting three parks and their volunteer “friends” groups, Philadelphia Green’s Parks Revitalization Project today has helped over 40 park groups build stronger organizations and acquire the horticultural know-how to keep their parks beautiful lor years to come. “Today, there’s not only new life in parks across the city, but an encour- aging sense that everybody’s hard work is really making a difference,’ reflects Philadelphia Green’s Joan Reilly. Philadelphia Green also expanded its scope to include the rehabilitation of prominent public landscapes in the city’s downtown area and at its entryways, or “gateways.” In partnership with the Fairmount Park Commission and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Green managed the renovation of the Museum’s grounds. It also cleared and landscaped what had been derelict railroad easements along JFK Boulevard near 3(W Street Station. A heavily traveled roadway between the airport and downtown (the 261*1 Street Gateway) was also transformed from an unsightly industrial corridor to a verdant parkway of trees, shrubs, ornamen- tal grasses and flowering perennials. In perhaps the program’s most ambitious undertaking to date, Philadelphia Green began to tackle the city’s overwhelming problem of abandoned land — in part a result of decades of population loss and the decline of inciustry in the 1950s. Working with the New Kensington Community Development Corporation in 1995, Philadelphia Green helped develop an open space management system that continues to operate in the community. To date, over 50% of New Kensington’s 1,100 lots have (coni, on page 36) One of many planting workshops offered by Philadelphia Green. december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 33 Shannon Nec Photos on these pages by: Ira Beckoff, Eileen Gallagher and John Gannon a; O c o c c re O c JZ o CD ra City gardeners are resourceful people, often having to work through the problems of an inadequate water source, rocky soil, and the overall harsh conditions of the urban environment. Yet they solve these problems, and their ingenu- ity often spills over to reveal creative, artistic, and some- times even comedic ele- ments in their gardens. Let’s take a look at some the imaginative — and downright unusual — aspects of a few of these green spaces. Above: The Village of Arts and Humanities, led by Lily Yeh (profiled in the August 2000 issue), is a non-profit community-based organization that uses art to revitalize its host neighborhood in the vicinity of 10th & Germantown Avenue. Its gardens and open spaces feature dynamic mosaics, murals, and sculptures. Right: Artist Maya Gat, of the Rising Phoenix Creative Collaboration, made this sculpture at the Lots of Love community garden in West Philadelphia. She named it “Harold.” (For all of you movie buffs out there— a “Maude” may also be in the works.) Harold is made up entirely of found objects from the block, and was creat- ed with the help of Maya’s fellow gardeners. He sits in a fire-pit to prevent it from misuse. 34 Above: El Batey in the Norris Square neigh- borhood reflects the strong Puerto Rican roots of this North Philadelphia community. In the foreground are stones painted with sym- bols indicative of Puerto Rico’s native Taino Indians. The mural, entitled “Butterflies of the Caribbean,” was done by Cuban artist Salvador Gonzalez through an arrangement with the Philadelphia Department of Recreation’s Mural Arts Program. Above: The Christian volunteer group, M-Fuge, helped to build “Colobo” (also known as the African Village) across the street from the Las Parcelas community garden in Norris Square. Left: The garden of Esquilin Marcelino (Palethorpe & Dauphin Streets) defies any sort of category. A variety of carnival horse statues have been thrust far above, creating a fantastical, utterly bizarre, yet strangely appealing sight that brings new meaning to the term, “height in the garden.” Below: This funky ornate fence surrounds The Spring Gardens at 18th & Wallace Streets, a sprawling community garden that occupies about half of a city block, just north of Center City. Below: Eileen Szewczak, a past winner in the Society’s City Gardens Contest, created these wood-faced characters for her whimsical Roxborough garden. f*- '‘■JA A • r‘ ■, 1 v »] P - v Jte Inc. Gale Nurseries has been designing and building exquisite, award winning garden dreamscapes for three generations and is nowr pleased to provide expert irrigation services. Our irrigation designers are seasoned horticulturists who have the knowledge to create plant specific watering zones. The result is conservation of water and energy, promotion of plant health, and ultimately, a beautiful garden. A Design/Build company for Period, Native and Contemporary Qardens Charles H. Gale Jr. B.S. Ornamental Horticulture 1716 School House Road, Box 264 • Gwynedd PA 19436 215. 699. 4714 • fax 215 .699 .3203 • chgale@comcast.net been reclaimed, either as basic “clean and green” spaces (with plantings of grass and trees) or as “sideyards” transferred to adja- cent homeowners. “All of this work has made a positive impact,” says resident Lou John. “It gives people a sense of pride, it gives them encouragement, and it gives them hope for the neighborhood.” Building on the momentum in New Kensington, Philadelphia Green agreed in 2000 to manage a land reclamation project in the federally funded American Street Empowerment Zone. Working again with Asociacion de Puertorriquenos en Marcha and three other community-based organi- zations, staff oversaw the “cleaning and greening” of 48 sites totaling 12 acres, mak- ing an impressive physical impact on the neighborhoods along the American Street corridor in North Philadelphia. And just last year, Philadelphia Green began a new chapter, becoming a partner in Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI). As a part of NTI, the city has adopted PHS’s Green City Strategy, which calls for using green- ing and open space as a vital component of urban revitalization. “As we move away from rebuilding at historic densities, the incorporation of green open space assumes a key place in the redevelopment of Philadelphia’s communities,” notes Michael Groman, director of Philadelphia Green. Lastly, the common threads through Philadelphia Green’s history are its educa- tion and training efforts, aimed at helping residents, neighborhood organizations, and city agencies to create long-lasting, success- ful greening projects. From helping aspir- ing gardeners create vibrant shared spaces to teaching neighbors how to care for street trees to raising the awareness of city depart- ments about the importance of well designed and maintained landscapes, Philadelphia Green is bringing the value of greening and horticulture to the forefront of urban life. Ultimately, the lessons of the program’s rich history will inform a new generation and contribute to the continued renaissance of Philadelphia, John Gannon is the Research & Documentation Specialist at PHS. A Step of Faith Choosing a new com- munity is a big step. At PresbyHomes & Services, your step of faith will be matched by one of our own. Our residential living, assisted living and healthcare services are grounded in a faith- based commitment to provide the highest quality of care to older adults of all backgrounds and faiths. It’s a com- mitment backed by a half-century of service. Call today, and experi- ence the Presby differ- ence. PresbyHomes&Se-rvjcgS A ministry to older adults by the Presbytery of Philadelphia t=l Rydal Park ■ Rosemont Presbyterian Village ■ Broomall Presbyterian Village Spring Mill Presbyterian Village ■ Emily A. Markle Health Center ■ HUD Communities Tollfree: 1.877.9PRESBY www.presbyhomes.org PRUNING PROBLEMS ? Please visit my website for all your pruning questions at: www.pruningmattersl23.com or fax your questions to me, Fran West at: 410-332-0270 1 specialize in pruning shrubs and small trees. 36 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 A Visit to Meadowbrook Farm Growers of Premier Garden Plants including Annuals, Perennials, Proven Winners & Garden Dahlias. Propagators of Zonal Geraniums. New Guinea Impatiens Hanging Baskets Growers of Holiday & Garden Plants Combination Garden Baskets Charles S Heal Jr. & Eric Heal visit us on the web , [www.cshealmarket.com J 1607 Salem Rd. Burlington Twr NJ (609)386-9422 Fax: (609)386-9635 OPEN DAILY! Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30, Sat. & Sun. 9-5 WILL DELIGHT YOUR SENSES! An inspirational place for your home and garden. ..ask our experts for ideas! We offer Superior quality and an unusual selection of: • Annuals & hanging baskets • Trees & shrubs including Gold Medal Plants • Perennials, native plants & alpines • Begonias, cactus & succulents • Statuary, fountains & decorative pots • Garden related gifts including bonsai, troughs & topiary • We offer tours for horticultural groups April-October. Call for more information • 10% discount to PHS members Meadowbrook Farm 1633 Washington Lane • Meadowbrook, PA 19046 • (215) 887-5900 RIMEX 43 D W. Glenside Avenue Glenside, PA 1Q03& 21 D 337 7d()() Bringing you the best in personal service and knowledge for over 5Q years. Gardening enthusiasts and landscape professionals throughout the area have come to depend on Primex for an outstanding selection of horticultural products. Come find out why! | december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 37 Designing for SMALL SPACES Restful Terraces by Jeff Jabco Jeff Jabco is the director of grounds and coordinator of horticulture at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. GREEN SCENE • december 2002 brick retaining wall at the base of one of the large maples. This area feels woodsy and naturalistic, with the pool surrounded by ferns, mosses, box- wood, Japanese skimmia, epimedi- ums, hellebores and hosta. The 20- inch-high brick retaining wall is the perfect height for comfortable seating. The only other permanent plant on the terrace is a hedge of Rhododendron ‘Dora Amateis’, which Per is anxious to replace because it is beginning to block the view down the slope of the garden. The terrace, though, is full of an unusual variety of houseplants (over 50) that spend their summers here in the shade of the large trees. A teak dining table and chairs, and a couple of reclining chairs add to the welcoming feeling. The terrace design concentrates on SPACE — with the feeling of enclosure — and DIRECTED VIEWS or vistas. Although the terrace is not enclosed by a fence or walls, it is backed up the by wall of the sunroom and kitchen and is enclosed by the low branches of the maple trees overhead. These branches provide a high ceiling that directs one’s vision to the island beds in the rear landscape, as well as a clear view all the way down to the lowest corner of the property, where a gazebo and large pond draw one’s eye. Garden terraces may be tiny or gen- erous, but to be successful they should convey the feeling of being surrounded by the garden, offering glimpses beyond that entice one to explore farther. When designing their own outdoor space, most gar- deners want to create at least one area as a relaxing space to drink a cup of coffee and read the newspaper in the morning, or to have dinner when the weather is pleasant and the gardening chores are finished for the day. A terrace or patio that is close to the kitchen door is the ideal location for this purpose. And by dividing a larger property into several smaller garden areas, the landscape has more interest, since it cannot all be absorbed in one view. Each area may be quite different in design and feeling from all the others. For a garden to feel calming and restful, it’s important to think about enclosure, space and views when designing it. Eve and Per Thyrum in Wilmington, Delaware have done this quite successfully in their garden. Originally, when one entered the rear garden from the sunroom, a steep slope began just three feer from the doorway. Eve and Per decided they wanted an intimate and secluded ter- race that would act as an entranceway into the rear garden from the house. Two existing maples helped frame the space, and, with some careful re-grad- ing, the couple created a brick terrace that is 23 feet by 30 feet. The terrace includes two ponds. One rectangular pond — complete with a fountain and fish — sits below the level of the brick “floor.” The other pool is a natural, free-form fiberglass liner placed above a low I i i PerenniaC Pkasures Qp* A garden-inspired shop Wide range of gifts for all occasions ~ Elegant solutions for holiday decorating needs Custom arrangements and wreaths ~ Furnishings and accessories for the inspired home and garden Critics Choice for Best Best Carden Accent Shop 312 Business Route 30 across from Exton Mall • Exton, PA 19341 • 610.594.6696 • Hours: Mon.-Tues. 10am ■ 6pm, Wed.-Sat. 10am - 8pm, Sun. Noon - 5pm Home & Carden Accents $Zj plus shipping 1.888.322.4450 www.foxglovesgardengloves.com Tree & Landscape Services , 4 % * * Unprefcedetited Experience L w * Personal Service j d « C " ■ * Exceptional Quality '*¥ 0 m «*Y.- # ** * Exceptional Quality W s ih^&cFarlaAid Way! wJf 4 ? ' ^ v/ i ? * *iA • . T> * #; tk* - Jt a • Tj’J Call today to schedule a free professional consultation to review your property 215-844-TREE (8733) • 610-688-6644 • Fax:215-438-1879 www.mcfarlandtree.com december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 39 AND'CRAFTED WELDED IRON SELECT FROM OUR POPULAR LINE OF PRODUCTS OR LET US CUSTOM DESIGN/BUILD TO CONFORM TO YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS The_j Painted Garden Inc. 304 EDGE HILL ROAD GLENSIDE, PA 19038 SHOWROOM BY APPOINTMENT (215) 884-7378 ARBORS GATES TRELLISES ARCHWAYS OBELISKS TOWERS PAVILIONS PERGOLAS BENCHES FENCES RAILS Investing in our community generates positive returns. The strength of our community lies in what all of us contribute to it. The people of PNC Advisors congratulate the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for 175 years of tradition and inspiration through horticulture. © PNCAdvisors www.pncadvisors.com Congratulations to Dfie Pennsylvania ^Horticultural Society for 1 75 years of Nonprofit Service and Dedication to Our Community Prom Idle IBoard of Directors, i Management and Residents of Cathedral Village Retirement Community 40 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 Gardening indoors Blossoms All Winter Long by Ilene Sternberg heart called ‘Silver Memories’ (pictured above)? There’s even a khaki colored one dubbed ‘Pond Scum’! Have a Maui moment every time a hibiscus unfurls on your south-facing sill. With year-long intermittent bloom, they require only lots of water and admiration. A very florific cultivar, ‘Arnottianus,’ a modest 6-inch single white flower with a hot pink pistil, has the bonus of sweet fra- grance, rare for hibiscus. Many begonias, hoyas, bromeliads, orchids, primroses, and bulbs of all kinds bloom in winter. If you specifically choose houseplants that do, you can indeed have flowers all year long. And just think — there’s no drought restriction against setting up sprinklers in your living room, if you’re so inclined. An easy-to-grow form of passionflower, Passiflora violacea (a.k.a. 7? amethystina ), puts out lavender stars, their maroon eyes fringed with white eyelashes, continuous- ly and prolifically through the year. Beneath a south-facing window in my house, it reaches behind curtains, up the etagere, circling the chandelier, into the.. ..well, you get the picture. Thunbergia grandiflora is another vig- orous vine. Its flowers are luscious sky- blue flaring trumpets, while T. mysorensis sends out long chains of yellow and red blossoms, totally un-thunbergia-like. Great for greenhouse culture, it needs an armature to display its charms. Ruellia makoyana, an undemanding plant for an eastern exposure, is especial- ly nice in hanging baskets. Foliage is vel- vety deep olive — almost black — with sil- ver veining and maroon undersides. Vibrant magenta flowers add a striking contrast. But flamboyant, lurid, somewhat kitschy, the Elvis of inflorescence to brighten those bleak, cold days is the tropical hibiscus, diverse as daylilies. Can you possibly out-flash a fiery red-and- white pinwheel named ‘Dragon’s Breath’? Or a 10-inch saucer-shaped flower of mauve petals edged yellow, pink and cream with white starburst veining at the Considering the hot, droughty year we had, the end of the out- door gardening season was actu- ally a relief. If you summered your house- plants outside and brought them in before temperatures fell below 50°F to prevent leaf drop, washed behind their ears to ensure no hitchhiking pests were aboard, and grouped them according to light exposure and moisture preferences, then you’re ready to garden all winter with — finally — some climate control. Lucky souls with a greenhouse or posh conservatory already have a leg up (which is actually a very uncomfortable position in which to garden). The rest of us peas- ants can still surround ourselves with flowers and greenery inside our cozy liv- ing quarters. Houseplants that bloom from October through March are espe- cially welcome, and many do. Schlumbergera hybrids (Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti), for instance, are ubiquitous during the holiday season. Even more foolproof is the Winter Rose series of poinsettias, which flower unfal- teringly for so long that you’ll find your- self secretly hoping they die. Shortly after, cyclamen begin appearing everywhere. Sniff each of the small white, pink, or magenta cultivars when choosing. Some are surprisingly fragrant, while others are scentless. Kalanchoes are easy for begin- ners and people who seldom remember to water. Each voluptuous blossom of the night- blooming cereus Epiphyllum oxypetalum opens only for one night once a year, usu- ally in early fall, but oh, what a night! It’s traditional to throw a party to watch the bud(s) unfold. Ilene Sternberg is an award-winning freelance writer who pens a gardening column for The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware. I GREEN SCENE • december 2002 SOURCES Fancy Hibiscus (800) 432-8332 www. fancyhibiscus.com Logee's Greenhouses (888) 330-8038 www.logees.com R-P Nurseries (610) 444-1 116 649 Unionville Rd. Kennett Square, PA a> c r to CO s HRUBS 1N ™eHOME Landscape Winter Qm+tes Thrills by Bill Thomas Keeping the garden colorful is quite a challenge during the winter months. Yet, even as the asters fade, shrubs like winterberry hollies and fall-blooming witchhazels continue the exuberance of the previ- ous season. Pictured below (top), winterberry (Ilex verticillata) offers a wide range of cultivars. Female selections produce fruit in colors ranging from scarlet to orange to yellow. For me, Gold Medal awardee ‘Winter Red’ is the best because its scarlet berries stay colorful throughout the winter. It hangs on to its leaves into early December, but unless you are like Longwood Gardens and want leafless branches by Thanksgiving, this plant is close to perfect. Last November, after spend- ing a couple of hours plucking leaves for Longwood's indoor Christmas show, I checked our shrub trails to find a cultivar that had already dropped its leaves. ‘Maryland Beauty’ was nude but for its berries (but was berry-less by the end of January). ‘Red Sprite’ is the shortest of the winterberries. While many cultivars reach 6 to 10 feet in height, ‘Red Sprite’ is a more manageable 4 feet. I have a large plant of ‘Winter Red' occupying about 9x9 feet of my perennial border. I wanted to repeat its color, but did not want to steal too much space from the perennials, so I plan to add a couple of ‘Red Sprite’. They will take up less space and won’t block views from my windows. A ground cover of evergreen Sarcococca (sweet box) sets off the winter color. In summer, winterberry is a medium green. Surrounding it with perennials and training a morning glory over the top adds additional color. Female winterberries need a male companion to produce fruit. The boys lack fruit and significant flowers, so keep the studs out of view. Bees carry the pollen, so one male within a cou- ple of hundred feet will keep three or four females happy. Pictured at left, fall- ro blooming witchhazel i; (Hamamelis virginiana) § is a native eclipsed in " popularity by its more famous spring-flower- ing cousins. When other plants are shut- ting down for winter, this shrub celebrates the waning warmth with a profusion of flowers. However, not all fall-blooming witchhazels are creat- ed equal, and cultivars do not yet exist. An ideal witchhazel has bright yellow fall color with clear yellow flowers opening as the leaves drop. My ideal selection also completely drops its leaves and has long petals. Until this dream comes true, shop for the plant in late October and select a spec- imen that comes close. At home, I've borrowed Winterthur’s idea of planting witchhazel with pur- ple-fruited beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma). The purple-yellow combi- nation is a winner, and the beautyber- ry is short enough to tuck under the tips of the witchhazel branches. C. bodinieri' Profusion’ is taller (to 6 feet) and makes a more equal companion to the big witchhazel (reaching 9 to 12 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide). For full winter enjoyment, plant these shrubs within view of windows and bring cut branches inside. Use this as an opportunity for pruning, interior decoration, and a chance to thumb your nose at the cold. SOURCES Witchhazels and winterberries are available from: Forestfarm (541) 846-7269 www. forestfarm.com Winterberry cultivars are available from: Fairweather Gardens (856) 451-6261 www. fairweathergardens.com Bill Thomas is research horti- culturist at Longwood Gardens. He gardens in Kennett Square, PA. 42 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 THE FINER THINGS IN LIFECARE. Waverly Heights is a nationally accredited Continuing Care Retirement Community located in a lovely residential setting on the Philadelphia Main Line. Call 11s for information or a personal tour. 100% and 50% recoverable entrance fee plans. Over 200 apartments and villas. Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Fitness Center, Pool, Dining Options and many other services and amenities. WWW .waverlyheightsltd.org 610-645-8764 t|j 1400 Waverly Road, Gladwyne, PA 19035-1 296 # WAVERLY HEIGHTS The above pictures were taken at the US National Arboretum in Washington D.C. in August of 2001 . When planted in the fall of 1 998, they were 3 feet tall and planted on 6 1/2 foot centers. They grew 3 feet the first year (1999), and are now 10 to 12 feet tall. It can be trimmed to any height or width to create the ultimate natural or formal hedge. 'The Thuja Green Giants are the tough- est, disease, insect, deer and ice resistant evergreen I have ever used. I am 6' tall with a 6' arm span, so you can see the height to width ratio of these trees." - Mike Shade THUJA X ‘GREEN GIANT Replacement Tree for New England's Dying Hemlocks ^ New US National Arboretum plant ^ Pennsylvania Gold Medal Plant Award 1 998 ofc. Tough, Fragrant, Tall, Narrow Pyramidal Evergreen Deer, Bagworm & Disease Resistant o*. Fast Growing, 3' - 5'/Year ok- Zone 5-8 k Excellent Alternative To Leyland Cypress k We Ship All Year www.botanyshop.com Many pictures on our web site! Plants 7in. - 2ft. tall, $3.00 to $20.00 each Botany Shop - Joplin, Missouri PHONE: (888) 855-3300 Valley Forge American Elm • The Most D.E.D (Dutch Elm Disease) Resistant American Elm Ever Tested • New U S. D A Release • No Secrets or Patents • Anyone Can Easily Propagate, Grow or Resell this Great American Tree • We Give a 1 5 Year D.E.D. Guarantee www.botanyshop.com GREEN SCENE • december 2002 WATCH FOR THE OPENING OF OUR N. BROAD ST. SUPERSTORE! 215-545-5044 WHOLESALE PRICES HEALTHY HOUSEPLANTS AT WHOLESALE PRICES OVER 5000 PLANTS IN STOCK AT ALL TIMES FROM 6" POTS FOR THE WINDOWSILL TO 15' TALL SPECIMENS PLANT RENTALS COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL CHRISTMAS 2002 THE LARGEST SELECTION OF TREES IN CENTER CITY CHOOSE FROM THOUSANDS WREATHS & ROPING POINSETTIAS Fraser Fir . Douglas Fir Balsam Fir 5' to 15' 5' to 15' 5' to 15' Classifieds ANTIQUE BOOKS RARE & PREVIOUSLY OWNED BOOKS ON HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL PRINTS - Bought and Sold Polly Goldstein 37 Lochwood Ln. West Chester, PA 19380 (610) 436-9796 E-mail: GrannyPol@aol.com DEER FENCING Protect your valuable plants from Deer damage, and your family from Lyme Disease. Call Creative Landscapes at 610-565-9910 GARDEN SHOPS MARANO GARDENS, LLC (formerly Fort Washington Garden Mart) A family owned garden center serving area since 1960, offering an extensive selection of plants and containers. • Beautiful hanging baskets, mixed garden containers. • Dwarf conifers and alpine troughs. • Culinary and medicinal herbs. • Cutting edge annuals, tropicals and peren- nials, including the Beds & Borders line. • Ornamental trees and shrubs, emphasizing native varieties and PHS Gold Medal winners. MARANO GARDENS, LLC 488 Bethlehem Pike Ft. Washington, PA 19034 215-646-3336 Minutes north of Chestnut Hill, or 4 miles from the Blue Route. BONSELL’S NURSERY Growers of high quality trees, shrubs, and perennials. • Large Selection. • Reasonable Prices. • PHS Gold Medal Plants. Conveniently located near 309 & the PA turnpike. Open by appointment for winter months. 1245 Fort Washington Ave. Fort Washington, PA 215-643-2418 GARDEN STRUCTURES HERITAGE STONE & MARBLE We are an installation and restoration com- pany who emphasizes long lasting quality with outstanding craftsmanship. FLAGSTONE, BRICK-patios and walkways, COBBLESTONE-edging and paving, STONE walls, RETAINING walls, MARBLE, GRANITE-floors, walls, countertops. (21 5) 699-561 1 Upper Gwynedd, Pa. GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Sales and Service Janco, Lord & Burnham and more. Call Robert J. LaRouche at Glass Enclosures Unlimited (610) 687-2444 THE SUNWORKS CORPORATION • Greenhouse Sales: Residential, Commercial and Institutional. • Installations: Of greenhouses from any man- ufacturer, shading and ventilation systems. • Maintenance: Reglazing, reskinning, paint- ing, cleaning. Emergency repairs. Call (302) 655-5772, ask for John Klein LANDSCAPE DESIGN S. Edgar David and Associates Landscape Architects Site Planning / Garden Design Transforming the landscape with creative solutions 610-584-5941 Burke Brothers Landscape Contractors, Inc. A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN/BUILD FIRM Experts in Landscape Renovation, Naturalistic and Classic Formal Gardens. Landscape Construction, Unique Patios, Terraces, Creative Stone Work, and Landscape Lighting. Major Award Winning Exhibitor Philadelphia Flower Show. 610.520.2025 215.887.1773 www.burkebrothers. com LINDA CORSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN •Consulting •Plans •Supervision Registered Landscape Architect Member ASLA 215-247-5619 Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. • Landscape Architects & Contractors • Formal/Period/Naturalistic Gardens • Creating outdoor living spaces of distinction • Master Plans/Phased projects • Let us make your desires become reality PO. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1-800-EU\-9252 David Brothers Landscape Services Bean Road Nursery Architects, Builders and Nurserymen Providing the Fine Art of Garden Construction and Landscape Restoration (215)247-2992 (610)584-1550 (610) 525-3232 DONALD PELL GARDEN SERVICES Creating & maintaining gardens with expert horticultural craftsmanship. View our portfolio of landscape designs online at www.donaldpell.com or call 610.917.1385 for a brochure and consultation. LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE — ANDREW C. BECK LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE A Dependable Source for All Your Landscape Needs. Serving CHESTNUT HILL & MONTGOMERY COUNTY - Lawn Mowing - Garden Care, Mulching, Planting - Tree & Shrub Pruning - Organic Fertilization & Aeration - Spring & Fall Clean up - Property Management Insured 215-233-9401 References Ik. 44 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 RESTORATION MAHER DESIGNS INCORPORATED Specializing in comprehensive estate main- tenance and custom masonry along Philadelphia’s Main Line. View our portfolio at www.maherdesigns.com or call 610.278.9668 LARGE SPECIMEN HOLLIES BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS TREES Cut When You Come Apples - Cider - Home Made Preserves - Pies Baked To Order Indian Orchards, Media PA 610-565-8387 MULCH PINE NEEDLE MULCH Won’t change soil pH Wholesale and retail FLOWERS BY THE YARD 610-701-9283 renee52@erols.com DISTINCTIVE MINIATURE ROSES Over 100 varieties of hardy, easy to grow miniature roses in an exciting variety of colors. Lavenders, oranges, apricots and exotic bi-colors will provide years of pleasure in your garden or in containers. Free color catalog. Nor’East Miniature Roses, Inc. P.O. Box 307 Rowley, MA 01969 Secure online ordering @ www.noreast-miniroses.com OVERSEAS TOURS SPAIN!! Hike/Cycle 2003 March 17 -26 April 22 - 30 May 19 -27 Mediterranean Plants, Breathtaking Scenery, Small Group, Hospitable Environment 800-649-9970;215-735-7869 WWW.CYCLESPANA.COM PeonyLand LOCATED IN UPPER BUCKS COUNTY The largest Chinese peony garden in North America. Offering premium Chinese tree and herbaceous peonies. P.O. Box 910 475 Church Road Richlandtown, PA 18955 Phone: 215-536-9388 • Fax: 215-529-7128 www.peonyland.com ANLA member • Wholesale and Distributors Welcome. december 2002 • GREEN SCENE 45 REED’S WOODS, INC. QUALITY WORK AT A FAIR PRICE Custom Builder Restorations, Remodeling Greenhouses Springhouse Restorations Decks, Carpentry & Landscape Structures Jamie Reed 2125 Bodine Road Malvern, PA 19355 (610) 827-9663 STAINED GLASS Victorian Language of Flowers Stained Glass Suncatchers V\s\twww.lfitzpatrickstudio. com TREE SERVICE TREE TRANSFERS, INC. Large Tree Transplanting and Sales Machine and Specialized Hand Digging Dealers and Locators of Large Horticultural Specimens Mature Screening and Shade Trees Assessing and Renovating Mature Collection and Estate Gardens Plant Material Purchased (215) 635-2310 Tree Transplanting & Sales • Machine & hand digging • Supply & install specimen plants • Locate/Purchase mature trees • Why Wait for mother nature? Environmental Landscape Associates, Inc. P.O. Box 2191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Toll Free: 1 -800-ELA-9252 UNUSUAL SPECIMENS RARE & UNUSUAL PLANTS • Specimen plants • Pond plants • Bonsai • Orchids • Hardy cacti • Tropicals • Sculptured trees and shrubs • Perennials • Unique Flower and gift shop. MUTSCHLERS’ FLORIST & RARE PLANTS 1-800-242-9438 www.mutschlers.com Classifieds BACKYARD k Sote „ 1 f the v/orli u her “Mom,” but 10 tXs, extraordi' iri'fCC hJCu-' be-- tk at pHS in 07% J - * ness -b» “b® a J changed the jg Ja„cially to one tad ' „fik otgantotton that ies. If yon *r low pr°hle A excitement and °PP to be. that poised W1* PHS was * P _ Ernesta interested tr , bo » ^ pHS's e«cu-^ ^ from Eady ber , y Philadelphia ssociatton seised »4 the f Philadelphia IoWets. k was down to be of WAenter. Officials from ^:f;-^^-^^eAlbiroIS " , fnr two winte , >_ relax tor show, bach for another oho „.,nsyWa™aHorm ,d street chow m me 1 , next yean * £ ^ Center. ? fficlal producer of * ^qq and the became the o attendance show m Show. TCT WCS as the best indoor Show was rec g ^ ^ SoCvetys North America. ^ under contr conquer new With the Row Ernesta set on capable finances in "felted C«” ^lllenge was to frontiers. Fits ■ )ean Bytne. He the monies ir^' ^C^dona-t : in establishing gad and window boxes * ^ taown In her tenut and laid th Green, two U"““"r Ekwer Show and **££***» » Philadelphia h[ PleaS“ delphia visitors and programs that have ds of Phtlade f ;b ions to Uvofon-'-fArnesta's (out other residents- ^ ^ w0 other people ^ ^ by pHS was the ^ “Mom- bd flower Show earshot) ^s° has since ' * execUtive vice P«*1 Ptnesta m „ham, now b hi r tbe succes designer- Blaine 8°^ ^ credk with « not only the dent, shares m Uke me, they & but also the ofPhrladelpbiaG—., , , ourh ^ ^ 2l important role hi* we h foundations she '»' ■ £ „mphshments srnce years since she left « of your pairmount Park Ernesta we Commission . 0ftheU>gan you left FHS' n0t force behind the ■»»“ « a,e most and as the dto-gf he Wate. ^ on the staff and as vo Ernesta and Lady Bird Johnson at the 1966 Flower Show. ‘•PSET atWl: 46 GREEN SCENE • december 2002 A. Tie one on! PHS ties that bloom all year. Printed on silk A- 1 Floral A- 2 Blue Gift boxed. $35 (member price $27) oppe Dij Proceeds from the sale of these products benefit The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's programs, including Philadelphia Green, the nation's most comprehensive urban greening program. ai B. The flower garland scarf. 36" square, 100% silk satin. Cream ground, multi colours work with all apparel. Gift boxed. $68 (member $60) C. Perfect accent! PHS oblong silk satin chiffon scarf with Citron green, 58" x I I Gift boxed. $30 (member price $27) D. Celebrate with us! PHS 1 75th Anniversary commemorative plate. 1 0" cream with gold. Gift boxed. $35 incl. tax (member price $3 1 .50) E. Cafe latte? PHS mural mug. 1 4 oz., ceramic. $ I 3 incl. tax (member price $1 1.70) PHS Shoppe Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 1 00 North 20th Street - 5th floor Philadelphia, PA 19 103- 1495 To order by phone, call 2 1 5-988- 1613 - To order by fax: 2 1 5-988-8783 Name Address City State Zip Phone (day) Member ID# Email PAYMENT INFORMATION □ Check or money order payable to PHS □ Visa □ Mastercard Card # Exp. Date / Cardholder Name Signature Item # Quantity Item Description Item Price Total Shipping/Handling Up to $25 $5 $25.01-535 $6 535.01-550 $7 $50.01 $75 $9 $75.01-$ 100 $10 Total Merchandise Standard Shipping (see chan to left) Fed Ex - call for charge Additional Shipping Charges 5 1 00.0 1-5150 $12 over $ 1 50 1 0% of sale Total Thank you for your support of PHS! MANAGING CASH FLOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND WEALTH? IT COULD BE THE UNIQUE THINKING OF PNC ADVISORS. As one of the largest wealth managers in the country, we are particularly adept at addressing the specialized needs of successful women professionals to enhance and preserve wealth. Local experts, who live and work where you do, deliver wealth management solutions that are customized to your unique situation. Call 215-585-5438 today for more information about PNC Advisors' Women's Financial Services Network or for a complimentary wealth management consultation. © PNC Advisors Women’s Financial Services Network 15995MF 08-09-03 193990 XL The person pictured is for illustrative purposes only. PNC Advisors is a service mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., which is used in the provision of investment manage- ment, fiduciary and certain banking services by PNC Bank, N.A. and PNC Bank, Delaware. Members FDIC. PNC Advisors does not provide legal, tax or accounting advice. Investments: Not FDIC Insured. No Bank Guarantee. May Lose Value. www.pncadvisors.com PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 3 1827 00018580 0